Fondy Free Press (October 2010)

Fondy FREE

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Snapshots of

Homecoming

Also Inside . . .

Around Fondy: The Marching Band’s Dedication Pays Off Remembering Mrs. BlaineEntertainment: The New Wall Street Forget to Watch Jersey Shore This Week?Sports: ShouldFondySwitchtoArtificialTurf?

October 2010

AS WE WALKED INTO OUR PRINT journalism class the first day of this 2010-2011 school year, we saw a new face. After we sat down and all of the usual introductions were made, our new teacher, Mr. Smith, informed us that pretty much the only thing he liked about our school newspaper was the title. He held up one of our issues from the year before and told us, “My friends and former colleagues in the business found this pretty hilarious.” Wow, that seemed a bit harsh. I also remem-ber hearing the words amateur and boring. At this point we all realized this would no longer be the “slacker class” we had expected but some-thing we would actually have to work at (which, to tell you the truth, was a bit of a downer at first).

Since then we have been regrouping and reor-ganizing in an attempt to make the paper more…fun to read. So here it is. You have before you Fond du Lac High School’s new and improved student newspaper. Enjoy!

Letter From the editorOur New Look

by Marah LarsenEditor in Chief

This first issue of the Fondy Free Press is

dedicated in memory of Mary Fran

Merwin.

Table Of contentsAround Frondy Marching into a Wicked Season Fondy Aide Will Be MissedSports ArtificialTransition? Athlete of the Month-Bo BarteltFeature Well HomecomingEntertainment Jersey Shore Update Call of Duty: Black Ops Preview Wall Street Movie ReviewEditorial If You Hate Obama, Keep Reading Senile SteeringBack Page Word Search

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Fondy Free Press Fond du Lac High School

801 Campus Drive Fond du Lac, WI 54935

920-929-2740 [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Marah Larsen

Copy Desk Chief Joshua Leisemann

Art Director Alexandra Gill

Around Fondy Editor Cameron Sawyer

Sports Editor Brice Hernandez

Entertainment Editor Mitch Tagliapietra

Free Press Staff Joseph Blagoue

Luckie Cha Elise Drewsen

Mackenzie Gens Sydney Inks

Nikolas Mcessey Zachary Peltonen Hillary Schneider Jessica Schneider Steven Schrubbe Amarah Sharif

Alex Slater Holley Steffes

Advisor Matthew Smith

To Advertise Call 920-929-2740 or E-mail fon-

[email protected]

Letters to the Editor Drop submissions by Mr. Smith in

Room 2160 or E-mail [email protected]

Page 2 Fondy Free Press October 2010

LIFE SOMETIMES IS NOT exactly fair. Bad things hap-pen to good people. Diane M. Blaine was diagnosed with breast cancer and after six years of fighting and surviv-ing, it finally took her life late

on Saturday night, September 4, 2010. Mrs. Blaine only made it to the age of 54, yet in that time touched the lives of many. “Diane and I went through chemo therapy and it was very inspiring to me how positive she was throughout the pro-cess. She never got down when things were bad and it just made things a lot easer,” said Ms. Rei-

se a Fond du lac teacher who also was challenged with cancer. Mrs. Blaine spent 20 years as an instructional assistant within the Fond du Lac School District. She also has three sons Ryan, Aaron, and Kyle. Ryan Blaine is an assistant coach of the Fond du lac Varsity Foot-ball team. As a team they took this loss very personally and

decided to dedicate the 2010 season to a woman who dedicated her life to giv-ing back to the community. “If we fight as hard as Diane did, we will win state. I promise you that,” said head coach Nate Lehman. Someone who has had a family member with can-cer understands the toll it

takes on the individual as well as the entire family. Diane also left behind a hus-band, and countless friends, fellow teachers and family. For those who knew and were close to Diane, she wasn’t someone who will be forgot-ten, she will be remembered as an example of the kind of person we should want to be.

Around Fondy

AS DRUM MAJOR SAM Joseph calls the Marching Car-dinals to attention, a sense of pride flashes in his eyes, and he raises his hands to begin the show. Then the powerful theme from Wicked echoes across the field. The Fond du Lac High School Marching Band prac-tices this way every Tuesday and Thursday night in the chilly autumn air, slipping and sliding on the damp grass of the foot-ball field as they go. Sam says, “We have a lot of potential.” The band director Mr. Manka, assisted by Mr. Shipe, agrees. He believes that drum majors Sam Joseph, a senior, and Jered Sweeney-Demezas, a junior, have this year’s band

off to a good start. On Sep-tember 26th at West De Pere High School they won Best Colorguard, Best Interpreta-tion, Best Visual, and first place in the AAAA division. Even though the buses were 45 min-utes late picking them up, they still made it on time. Their show wasn’t perfect, but they went out and did their best for their first time out this season. “It is the journey, not the des-tination, that is important, and practicing is that journey,” says Manka. They began practicing at the start of summer, prepar-ing for two weeks of band camp in August. The colorguard, di-rected by Jo Ann Hall, practiced every Friday, joining up with the band at camp. The extreme heat made it difficult to march, but the Cardinals toughed it out. The temperature was only

95 degrees, but Mr. Manka says, “It felt like 106 degrees on hot black top.” All summer they practiced marching basics and drill spots, the colorguard add-ing in their flagwork. “We had a good camp and we are get-ting there,” says Mr. Manka. “At first I thought marching band would be easy, but many people don’t give enough credit to how hard the band works and just how hard it actually is, says percussionist Stephen Duley. “It takes a lot of dedica-tion and commitment, but you make lots of friends. It’s tough, but it’s also really exciting.” The Fondy Marching Cardi-nals continue to work diligently even with loads of homework on their minds, knowing it will

have to wait until after prac-tice. Many instrumental sec-tions have practices before and after school, and the color-guard has a sectional on Mon-day nights and works with the band on Thursdays. In ad-dition to their competitions and performing at homecom-ing, the Marching Cardinals will perform at Senior Night. This year the show is med-leys of songs from the Broad-way musical Wicked. Wicked is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy dropped down into Oz. It’s the story of how being different is okay and that you can “Defy Gravity” to overcome the odds. Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and Galinda, later known as Glinda

the Good Witch of the North, start out loathing each other, but eventually become best friends. When these two friends have to part ways, Elphaba goes on to become…wicked. The medleys include parts of “De-fying Gravity,” “For Good,” “Dancing Through Life,” and “No One Mourns the Wicked.” Back at the field, after a tiring night of practice, the Car-dinals gather up at the drum major’s podium and Sam says those final words, “Fondy Marching Cardinals, how are your eyes?” And the band an-swers loudly, “WITH PRIDE.” “A thousand mile journey be-gins with one step, says Mr. Man-ka. “We have made many steps and have many more to go.”

Marching Into a Wicked Season

by Hillary SchneiderStaff Writer

2010 Fondy Marching Cardinals have great potential

The marching cardinals during the second song in their set, “dancing through life.”

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Fondy Aide Will Be MissedMrs. Blaine, after 20 years in the Fond du Lac school district , passes away

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by Cameron SawyerAround Fondy Editor

Drum majors Sam Joseph and Jered Sweeney-Demezas salute as the cardinals trip the stands.

October 2010 Fondy Free Press Page 3

WALKING INTO A classroom, students hear the phrase “comma with confi-dence” and immediately know that they have stepped into a magical world of grammar with Mrs. Berka. Mrs. Berka is a Writer’s Workshop and English 11 teacher at Fond du Lac High School. She has a sense of humor that will make anyone laugh. Her silly mannerisms and quirky teaching style make it easy for her students to love grammar as much as she does. “Mrs. Berka’s love for gram-mar is infectious, and her one-liners are hilarious,” says Writer’s Workshop student Brenna McDermot. Mrs. Berka started her jour-ney on the grammar train with a degree in English Education from UW-La Crosse. She con-tinued with her education and earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Marian University. Knowing that she loved to teach kids and help them succeed, Mrs. Berka began teaching at a high school in the Twin Cities and also at Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac. She has been a teacher for 26 years. Teach-ing with Mrs. Berka for six of those years, English teacher Ms. Anderson says, “She is

a very nice lady who is pas-sionate about education. She knows a lot about English. She is an excellent resource for both staff and students.” This very experienced teacher knows how to start her day off right. She begins with preparations that will help her students learn bet-ter. She first looks at her cal-endar to see what is coming up next. Then she begins read-ing over materials that have to do with the day’s lesson. Mrs. Berka also likes to read books about teaching to aid her in helping her students succeed.

Mrs. Berka’s favorite things are grammar and writ-ing, but her stu-dents already know that. “Grammar is

magical,” she says. “ You have the power to change sentences and the way you communi-cate.” To her students interest-ed in an English-related career she says, “be a reader. Read a lot of what you want to write about.” With a serious air to her voice she shares a quote by a person who is truly missed at Fond du Lac High School, Mrs. Merwin. “Look up and look ahead.” This is something Mrs. Berka will always remember, advising it to others as well. When she isn’t teaching her kids grammar and writing skills, Mrs. Berka likes to knit, travel, and take Spanish classes. She was recently in Barcelona, Spain, while the World Cup was happening. No surprise, she also likes to read. Her favor-ite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. “Mrs. Berka has a way of making students want to learn. Her personality inside the classroom is very inviting,” said senior Kate Olig. Mrs. Ber-ka is a great teacher with a lot of passion for what she teach-es and who she is teaching.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE day, working citizens walk in the doors to the smell of greasy goodness for a quick bite. Many contemplate why babbling stu-dents hoard the seating area when they should be at school. Whether craving a crunchy Gordita from Taco Bell or a melt-in-your-mouth Butter-burger from Culvers, many un-derclassmen at Fondy wonder why they aren’t allowed to take a bite into this juicy burger, called off campus lunch. Cur-rently it is only open to seniors. Fond du Lac High school first initiated off campus lunch when students were still at-tending class in the Goodrich building. At the old build-ing every student had an hour off of school to get lunch. At that time the school could also hold club meetings or stu-dents could just have a relaxing break in the middle of the day. “They had many problems with fights and vandalism dur-ing that time, and eventu-ally the community protested against students being released for off campus lunch,” says Mr. Gonzalez. “When they moved buildings in 2001, they decided not to offer off campus lunch and later extended the privilege to just seniors.” Ultimately, Mr. Gonzalez does not approve of everyone having off campus lunch. His decision is based on the fact that the adminis-tration would have to change our structure and how our school does things in order for everyone to obtain this privi-lege and he doesn’t think our school is ready to make that effort. Also, we would need the surrounding community’s support to make that happen and he doesn’t think people in

the Fond du Lac community are willing to take that step. Seniors grace the halls with subs, fries, and of course milkshakes that make every underclassman grind their teeth with fast food fury. “Off campus lunch should stay a senior privilege, but the administration should ex-tend it to the junior class as well,” says Senior Zak Gilden. Rebecca McClanahan, a fresh-men here at Fondy High, agreed with the first part of Gilden’s statement even though she has never ventured into the off campus lunch territory herself. Junior Shavana Talbert has al-ternate feelings about the situa-tion. “I think off campus lunch should be open to everyone if they are allowed to drive and if they can get back in time,” she says. “If not that, it should at least be open to juniors.” Although, there are very few freshmen that can drive

to school, Sophmore Char-lie Blagoue seems to differ. “Off campus lunch for every-body!” he says. “People have friends who can drive, so why not?” Blagoue confessed to eating out although he is not allowed to. However, his re-cord still stays sparkling clean. Talbert, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as lucky. “Yes, I have gotten caught on one of the last days of school my freshmen year by Mr. Prus who luckily didn’t give me any punishment,” she says. So as you discuss this hun-ger-driving topic while sitting in our cafeteria eating food that doesn’t taste quite as delectable as a BigMac, remember that you, too, will hopefully be a senior one day. And if that day for the Footlong sub you always think about in third hour can’t come soon enough, know that it will have to take a lot more than offering “fries with that”

Craving Off Campus Cuisine

by Elise DrewsenStaff Writer

Should off campus lunch stay a senior privilege?

Grammar’s Greatest FanMrs. Berka is October’s Teacher of the Month

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by Hillary SchneiderStaff Writer

Seniors Amber Freismuth and Kyle Baldauf enjoy a Culver’s off-campus lunch.

Mrs. Berka grades papers at her desk

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Teacher ofthe Month

Around Fondy


AT 7:30 IN THE MORN-ing, every other Friday, the LGI is filled with Fondy High Key Club members that are set-tling themselves into their seats. The meeting commences with the Key Club Pledge, promising to serve their nation. However, in Mrs. Zwicky, a Key Club advi-sor’s point of view, the most i m p o r t a n t promise made is “to build my home, school, and community.” She says, “your com-munity is your home; you tend to come back to raise your families here. By help-ing your community, you are helping your nation. It comes down to the golden rule.” Members would agree that making our community a bet-ter place is satisfying. Over 70 events are put on each year by Fondy High Key Club, but it is not difficult to find work-ers to help out. Each event involves many different activi-ties, so members volunteer in areas they are passionate for. The events range from help-ing children, families, and senior citizens. Their year long charity involves donating a brand new book to each new born baby at St. Agnesian Hospital. Key Club participates in Make a Differ-

ence Day where organizations help unable residents of Fond du Lac rake their lawn. Also, the 4 Unit safety course “Yell & Tell” is presented to elemen-tary school children. Adopt a highway, bell ringing during the holiday season, and adopt a family from Fondy High at Christmas and Thanksgiving all help out our community. Key Club participates in Fond du Lac, but it is also a national

club. The high school is closely re-lated to Fond du Lac’s Ki-wanis Club. Mr. Ring, a representative from Kiwanis, helps advi-sors with Key Club events and recruit-ing speak-ers from lo-

cal businesses and charities to speak at meetings. Key Club represents an inter-est in your world around you and volunteering is essentially prac-ticing the golden rule. “If you learn to volunteer when you’re young, it becomes a life long endeavor.” Says Mrs. Zwicky. “To volunteer is to love.” Key Club requires 20 hours of community service a year. Sure, that may seem like a lot of your time, but it’s only a little over two hours a month. To get involved, talk to Mrs. Zwicky in room 2650 or Mrs. Stelmacher in room 2997. Take some of your spare time and help out your peers, your com-munity, and yourself.

Working to Give Back to the Community

by Sydney InksStaff Writer

The Key Club at Fondy High

Students help each other complete their school work in the new Learning Center at Fondy.

New Learning Center Provides Welcoming SpaceNew Study Location Will Be Moving to New Location Within the School

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by Steven SchrubbeStaff Writer

NOT MUCH OF THE STU-dent body knows of this year’s new exhibit that will be avail-able to them. It is a new oppor-tunity to get that crumpled old sheet of paper that you didn’t hand in because it was crushed in your backpack to the teach-er. There is a new source of working on homework other than the boring study hall: the Learning Center. Although the Learning Center was origi-nally located in the corner of the library, it is currently being moved to a new class-room location in the building. The Learning Center pro-

vides a warm and welcoming place to work. Teachers are there to en-courage you to do the hard work that in turn will be re-w a r d i n g . Student tu-tors will also be there. They are from your own student body and are willing to help you on the boring homework that you have trouble understand-ing. Senior Stephanie Valenzue-la and junior Justin Bandermo-len are two of the tutors who

work at the center, and they said they feel accomplished

when helping other students. “It gives us a chance to help students who don’t un-derstand the material,” says S t e p h a n i e . Keep in mind that the Learning Cen-ter is for learn-

ing and not for goofing off. To take advantage of this new opportunity to get your work done, sign in on the sched-ule at the center and then at-tend during your study hall.


“If you learn to volunteer when you’re young, it becomes a life long endeavor. To volunteer is to love.” -Mrs. Zwicky

“It gives us a chance to help stu-dents who don’t under-stand the material.” -Stephanie Valenzuela

WHAT IS PRESERVING tradition worth? Is it worth changing the well-preserved, well-kept and memory filled turf of Fruth Field? The same turf in which games were won or lost, on which players gave their all and the fate of the Cardinals decided upon. “I would say no to artificial turf, because of the tradition of Fruth, plus Fruth is a field not a stadium,” said former Fondy Offensive Tackle Joe Hackbarth. The flood of 2008 in which many homes were damaged, streets flooded and the green, lush turf of Fruth destroyed. The turf had to be repaired and took long hours of labor and untold amounts of money to repair. The same field refurnished with new sod, new bleachers, goalposts, lighting, and equipment sheds a few months earlier. “They thought about it, but it won’t happen because Fruth Field is located in

a flood path,” said Head Football Coach Nate Lehman. That is the main reason why the change won’t happen. However if it did, there are many benefits to having Artificial turf. Artificial turf, which is just synthetic materials that are made to look and feel like real grass, would not have had to have been replaced. The field would have just let the water flow through the blades of grass without breaking apart or absorbing too much water. Synthetic turf is made to withstand any elements such as high heat, water and extreme cold better than natural turf. When grass gets cold, it hardens and sometimes will freeze to become ice. The difference between being tackled and tackling a player on natural turf or artificial turf is a night and day difference. The cold hard grass will not budge at all and it feels as if you are hitting a concrete floor. Artificial turf will not harden as much as natural and will feel much better thus potentially cutting down injuries.

It is much easier to take care of artificial turf; it doesn’t require water or sunlight or anything else to grow. Artificial turf can take the constant pounding of multiple games and the stomping force of cleats much better than natural grass.

According to a study done by The FieldTurf company, they estimate about a $47,500 savings per year. If this is true for all fields, that means that Fondy could potentially save roughly $475,000 in ten years. The most important part of

any field change is always the cost. The average field costs about $900,000 to change over to artificial turf. However, in 20 years Fondy could make that money back because of savings on the costs of groundskeeping and field repair.

by Zach PeltonenStaff Writer

SportsArtificial Transition?

by Joshua LeisemannStaff Writer

Will Vick be able to sustain his rejuvination?A Very Vick Comeback

MICHAEL VICK WAS once a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons; then he became a dog killer. After serving his time he was allowed back into the NFL by the commissioner and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a third-string quarterback behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb for the 2009 season. Since the Donovan McNabb trade to Washington, Kevin Kolb was named starter with Michael Vick backing him. Going into one of the 2010 season Kevin Kolb started

the first game but he left with a concussion,which brought Michael Vick into play. With Kolb still out in week two, Michael Vick played the entire game, and did it exceptionally well. In both week one and week two Michael Vick has thrown for a total of 459 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 140 yards. Now with Kevin Kolb coming off the concussion, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid named Kevin Kolb the starter… then everything changed when coach Reid named Michael Vick the new starter. Despite a recent injury, it looks like Vick is redeeming himself and getting back on track.

by Brice HernandezStaff Writer

Fruth Field swelling with water during the spring flood in 2007

GOING INTO THE SEASO-n, no one thought the Fond du Lac Cardinals boys’ soccer team would have a good sea-son. But now, with a 14-5-4 record overall, and a 6-3-con-ference record, they disproved the naysayers, even earning the 4th seed for sectionals. The Cardinals leading scorer is Bo Bartelt with 15 goals and 36 points. Their leading assist man is Joe Blagoue with 9 assists. Go out to support the Fondy Soccer team in their post-season playoff battles.

Fondy Fútbol starts playoff tournament

Fong Lee races down the field against Applteton East

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SPEED. STRENGTH. Agility. Ball control. These elements, combined with a knack for putting the ball in

the back of the net, are what help make senior Bo Bartelt one of the most dangerous and elusive soccer players in the Fox Valley Conference. With an average of two points per game, Bartelt wreaks

havoc on opposing defenders. His combined totals of 15 goals and 6 assists in only 18 games shows that he not only scores goals, but also creates scoring chances for other players. “I think about where I need to

be to be able to make things happen,” said Bartelt about his playing style. “I practice with my brother twice a week, it helps me keep my skills honed.” In his first two seasons as a varsity soccer player, Bartelt scored 11 goals and 15 assists. Now, only two-thirds of the way through his senior year, he has already been able to put up as many points as he did in his first two seasons combined. “Bo plays with poise and confidence. It is tough to take him off the field because of his uncanny ability to score,” said Coach Winkler of his star striker. At the conclusion of this season, Bartelt will earn his third varsity letter for soccer. His athletic prowess, however, extends to other sports as well. He excels in hockey, where as a junior, he earned Second Team All-Conference honors. “Bo plays bigger than he is. He does a good job in the corners, and is the kind of player that teammates rally behind,” added Coach Sarazin. Look for Bartelt in a Cardinals uniform when Fondy starts their playoff run next week.

THE FOND DU LAC Car-dinal Football team has had a winning record so far. Yet their record doesn’t quite seem to show the team’s potential. Whether it’s winning games on final drives or just beating teams convincingly, the Cardinals have come out on top more often than not. So far, their record is a mediocre 3-2, but look to turn things around late in the season. “The kids practice hard, show respect and class, and are getting better every day, and that is the reason why we are having a successful sea-

son,” said Coach Nate Lehman when asked about his thoughts on the team’s performance. When Josh Pietrowski was asked the same question, he said, “I think the reason why we are better this year is be-cause of the hard work and more talent that we have com-ing into the 2010 season.” Even though 3-2 doesn’t seem like a fantastic record, when it comes to the teams that they have played, it really is. Kim-berly, Neenah, and the other opponents’ combined records are 9-16. This shows the hard work the players are putting in, as Coach Lehman mentioned. The Cardinals have 4 games

remaining on their schedule. As it looks, two of the hard-est teams are yet to come:

Appleton North (4-1) and Menasha (5-0). The remaining

teams they have to play should make their season a difficult one to come out successfully.

With players like Miles Groeschel, Josh Pietrowski, Joey Schroder, Anthony Pouch-ert, and Charles Moore, the remain-der of the Cardi-nal’s season should indeed be a good one. The team only needs two more wins to qual-

ify for the playoff. Good luck to the

Fondy football team for the rest of the 2010 season.

by Nick McEsseyStaff Writer

Inconsistency Hurts Cardinals Football

Athlete of the Month-Bo Bartelt

by Joe BlagoueStaff Writer

Bo Bartelt dribbles around an opponent in Fondy’s 4-1 win over Oshkosh North

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“The kids practice hard, show respect and class, and are getting better every day, and that is the reason why we are having a successful season.” - Coach Nate Lehman

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Snapshots of

HomecomingStory by Sydney Inks

Dancing the Night Away

Vegas took on a new meaning at this year’s homecoming on October 9th by with the addi-tion of the lively touch of Fon-dy High. With an electric spirit throughout the field house, at least 1,000 plus students danced to the music and belted out the songs. Even though we had a tough lost to Menasha Blue Jays, we did not let it dampen our Fondy pride. This year’s DJ, Willie Fun Entertainment had jumbo screens and a twenty foot light show. They will return to Fondy as the snowball’s DJ this com-ing winter. Our $10 admission tickets to homecoming will be appreciated this year as there is talk of raising the price to $15 for the 2011 homecoming, like many surrounding schools. Hopefully this doesn’t discour-age students from attending but I do not think it will, seeing as homecoming is anticipated each year.

Most students’ homecoming activities began long before the doors opened at Fondy High, especially for many of the girls. Why, you may ask? Well nails, hair, makeup, and getting dressed were all involved. Get-ting ready with friends is always exciting and meeting with the group for pictures is part of the tradition. Typically, dinner is next whether it is served at a friend’s house, fancy restaurant, or keeping it classy at McDon-ald’s, the tradition carries on. Personally, our group of seventeen traveled from pic-tures, to dinner, and back to the high school in a 2010 Escalade Limo. “We could have our own dance party in here without homecoming” says sophomore Helen McBride. It was a perfect way to get in the mood to dance and have an amazing time. Students arrived in the commons on October 9th; the Las Vegas theme over-whelmed the atmosphere. Dice, casino chips, and cards along

with a chapel to pose for pic-tures were first seen. Mr. Po-quette, our Elvis impersonator, and Mr. Winkler and Mr. Jaber, the cheesy “lounge singers” of the night added to the scene underneath the famous “Wel-come to Vegas” sign. Hard rock Casino Hotel, Flamingo Hotel, Paris Casino Hotel, The Strato-sphere, and more were all repre-sented as lit decorations inside the gym. It was an impressive sight to see. The student coun-cil dazzled us once again.

Pluck the Jays

One month of hard work from the student council was all wrapped up into the final touches on October 8th, Fri-days half day. They spent about seven hours setting up the field house and commons area with the help of Fondy’s janitors. Friday afternoon and night’s

festivities in-cluded float building, the homecoming parade, the football game, and of course, the beautiful decorating of toilet paper. Pluck the Jays’ was this year’s slogan as we took on the unde-feated Menasha Blue Jays. The Cards were ahead first half, but in the end, we were defeated 56-35. Either way, Fondy pride came through in a whole new fashion: Lime out. The student section was completely lime green in support of Ian Lock. The large crowd was incredible with overflowing bleachers and non stop cheering Following the introduction of Homecoming Court, the marching band put on an aston-ishing halftime show perform-ing pieces from Wicked. Hours before the game, Riverside

Friday afternoon and night’s festivities included float building, the home-coming parade, the foot-ball game, and of course, the beautiful decorating of toilet paper.

Elementary parking lot was busy with last minute float as-sembling. There were twenty-four floats in all. These included class floats, senior’s float being Pluck the Jays of course, class representatives, fall sports, Fondy Central, king and queen bringing up the rear, and many more.

Showing our Fondy Pride

Although Friday and Sat-urday night is what everyone looks forward to on homecom-ing week, several more spirit events are involved through-out the week. The Girl’s of the Gridiron Game and the show-ing of “The Goonies” took

place on Thursday night. There were three intense games; first between Freshman and Seniors and also between Sophomores and Juniors. In the final, Fresh-man and Seniors battled it out but Fresh were defeated. Also, spirit week livened up the week around Fondy. Each day had it’s own crazy fashion statements, and much of Fondy High’s population participated. Each year, the hard work and money spent throughout the week is well worth it as Fon-dy counts the 2010 H o m e -coming as yet anoth-er success.

spirit week livened up the week around Fondy. Each day had it’s own crazy fashion statements, and much of Fondy High’s population participated.

A MAJORITY OF HIGH school girls look forward to this thing we call homecom-ing, but there are a few who dread this time of year. It all comes down to luck; some could walk through store after store, try on dress after dress, and not be completely happy with their choice. On the other hand some young ladies can find the right dress almost in-stantaneously. This is the last time for seniors to let loose and get crazy, and the freshmen’s chance to have fun and see what high school is all about. Some girls like to shop online or through catalogues, which can be easier or more of a has-sle depending on what you’re looking for. Finding the best fit-ting dress can take one visit to the mall or dozens, it is all luck. The 80’s seems to be coming

back in fashion these days. The style of dresses this year seems to be leaning towards being bright, big, poofy, bubbly, clas-sicly shaped, and form-fitting. The infamous Chuck Tay-lors, which I prefer myself, are back also. Sandals and pumps are also a hit. I personally don’t think it matter what kind of shoes you wear because most of us will end up barefoot when we walk into the dance. Hairstyles have always been all over the place. This year French braids, barrel and spiral curls, and my opinion messy up-do’s seem to be what’s best. Ladies, go all out with your hair this year. For senior Crystal Sammer finding the right dress was sur-prisingly easy this year. To her surprise the first dress she saw was the one she knew she want-ed. Also, senior Tess Nejedlo traveled as far as New York to find just the perfect dress. “I found it during my first day there!” says Tess.

by Jessica SchneiderStaff Writer

Homecoming Fashions

Asking Your Significant Other to Homecoming

GOODWays . . .

The romantic Tony Smit, finally after many hints were dropped, asked his beautiful girlfriend, Aly Cleveland to homecom-ing this year by buying 70 glow-in-the-dark stars. He placed the stars on the ceiling in her room by forming HC?, a heart, and a smiley face. This brilliant idea was thought of by the mighty Collin Pickart so Tony would not be rejected by his own girlfriend.

Senior Dominic Tangredi asked Kate McGrath to the dance by taking her out for a lunch date at Dairy Queen. He gave her a mini blizzard cupcake with homecoming written on it accompanied by a rose.

Brent Winkler carved SUMR, HOME CMN ? into four pumpkins and put candles in each to ask his girlfriend Sum-mer Flaherty.

BADWays . . .

Texting “Will you go to Hom coming with me?” on a text message in your phone at lunch and passing it to the person you want to ask.

Asking your best friend’s girlfriend in class…while sitting next to that best friend.

Not asking at all…just assuming

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IS GREED GOOD? Oliver Stone explores this question in his highly an-ticipated movie sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, is a charis-matic character who created a financial empire in the late 1980s. After spending a long eight years in prison for insider trading, Gekko is released into a world that has long forgotten him. When he returns to give a speech to a local college he says, “I once said greed is good, but now it seems it’s completely legal.” The audience laughs. Gekko has been humbled in prison. He is seen as a seasoned fi-nancial guru who has a wealth of knowledge that the new-comers to Wall Street want. Later, Jacob Moore, played by Shia Lebeouf, introduces him-

self to Gekko at a book signing. A relationship begins. Moore, who is dating Gekko’s estranged daughter, wants to know his girlfriend’s father. Gekko, who is broke, needs a connection to the financial world. Both ends meet in a titanic power struggle that will keep you on the edge of your seat through-out the rest of the movie. In Stone’s original mov-ie, Wall Street, Gekko will stop at nothing to expand his financial empire. He de-

cides to men-tor a young s t o ck b r o ke r named Bud Fox, played

by Charlie Sheen. Fox idol-izes Gekko and worships his every move until his own conscience gets in the way. He realizes that Gekko’s way of doing things is cold and ruthless and now sees Gekko for what he truly is. After watching both Wall Street and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I was able to pick

out a few subtleties that sepa-rate the two movies. While the original Wall Street focuses on insider trading, Wall Street: Mon-ey Never Sleeps deals with issues that are more relevant to today’s

society. The sequel attempts to explain how our banking industry failed and how our federal government had little choice but to bail it out. The financial setting of the movie

may be complicated, but what seems clear to me is that the decisions made by a few have a far reaching impact on us all. Is greed good? You’ll have to see the movie to find out.

EntertainmentReview: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

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by Joe BlagoueStaff Writer

Call of Duty Black Ops Preview

THE HIT VIDEOGAME series that made a revolution in the 1st person shooter world is now awaiting to release its newest title: Call of Duty: Black Ops. Activision had confirmed that it is expected to be released November 9, 2010, for the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, the PS3, the Nintendo DS, and PCs nationwide. In the game you play as a person in the army trying to win various wars and complete certain tasks with your allies. Since the previous game, which was released on November 10, 2009, called Call

of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, it will be a complete turnaround with new locations, modes, and missions that were not included in the previous games. “When the last game came out, I forced my parents to get it for me. I would even stay up until 3 A.M. on school nights just to complete m i s s i o n s ! ” c h u c k l e d f r e s h m a n Jamal Mahamed, a Call of Duty fan. “I expect nothing less than perfect for Black

Ops, I just hope there are new weapons to choose from.” From recent trailers and

game previews, the graphic are absolutely phenomenal. Characters and scenery look

almost realistic, and it is also compact with a brand new and heart racing campaign. All new weapons will be introduced, such as the crossbow. There is no doubt that Black Ops will be headed for success in the gaming industry. The game plot takes place during the Cold War doing missions such as protecting your allies base from enemies, raiding other bases and fighting another army with your teammates in open air. You can play 2 main characters with other characters from previous installments “return” due to plot twists in the story to help

your team complete missions. You can travel to different locations across the world such as Laos, Cuba, Vietnam, and Russia during the campaign defeating enemies and conquering bases. A new

c u r r e n c y system is also being added to the online game where you can

earn points to buy weapons, new uniforms, and other items. It is to be rated M for Mature. Black Ops will be a complete and exciting change for gamers with new, never-before-seen features, improved graphics, and much more. Make sure you pick up your copy at game and retail stores this November 9th.

by Amarah SharifStaff Writer

Movies

Games

“When the last game came out, I forced my parents to get it for me. I would even stay up until 3 A.M. on school nights just to complete missions!”

- Jamal Mahamed


ONE OF EVERYBODY’S favorite rappers was put in prison six months ago. Why was Lil Wayne put in jail in the first place? It was for gun p o s s e s s i o n in New York City. In 2007 Lil Wayne was also sentenced to jail for another gun charge in New York City. He has been jailed before for marijuana and prescription drugs as well. So, being in jail isn’t exactly a new experience for him, although this may have been his longest time in prison yet. Lil Wayne was supposed to be in jail for a full year for his most recent gun charge, but there is a good chance he will be released early for good behavior. If he

does get out early for good behavior, he will be released November 4th of this year. It’s possible that as soon as he is released from prison, he will be having a concert. Drake, who is another new rap artist and happens to be friends with Lil Wayne, told MTV that

while visiting his buddy in jail, “he kept looking out the window,

and I couldn’t figure out why, until it occurred to me that there’s a whole world going on outside that window, while he’s locked up.” Drake also said that Lil Wayne appeared to be trying his hardest to make light of the situation, by joking with the guards and the other prisoners around him. For Lil Wayne fans everywhere, November 4th will be a great day to look forward too. Hang in there Weezy!

I STARE DOWN AT MY shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles over the worn leather. This is where the bed I shared with my sister, Prim, stood So begins Mockingjay, the third and final installment in Suzanne Collins’ wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy. The series takes place in a country called Panem, which is where the United States used to be. Panem is made up of 12 (originally 13) districts all around the corrupt Capitol. Every year, the Capitol orders that two children from each district, a boy and a girl, must be sent to the Capitol to fight to the death on live TV in the Hunger Games. Mockingjay finds Katniss Everdeen holed up in District

13, a place she only recently discovered existed, hiding from the Capitol and taking refuge from the impending war between the districts and the Capitol threatening to overtake Panem. Katniss is the reluctant face of the rebellion against the Capitol, the mockingjay. However, choosing to be the symbol of a war doesn’t come

easy, especially since Katniss doesn’t trust either side in this war. And

yet more choices must be made; Katniss must choose between two loves: Peeta, her ally in the Hunger Games, or Gale, her hunting partner from her home in District 12. The characters in the Hunger Games follow the pattern of characters in popular novels like Harry Potter; the characters are strong, independent protagonists you feel good

rooting for, and antagonists you love to hate. The series also mirrors Harry Potter in the action department; much of the book involves action scenes. Filled with the series’ signature fast-paced action, Mockingjay is a satisfying, must-read ending to a fantastic series.

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Review: Mockingjay

Lil Wayne to be Released Soon?

Top 5 Lil Wayne Songs:by Alex Slater

Staff Writer

by Holley SteffesStaff Writer

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THIS MONTH I WANTED to give some rap fans something to think about. What are your five favorite Lil Wayne Songs

Lollipop – I think “Lollipop” deserves number one because it’s like, the first song a lot of people started to like by him. It’s just really good and easy to learn to sing along with.

Wasted – Second best is definitely “Wasted.” I love the lyrics, and it’s really fun to dance to with your friends. Perfect party song! (Also the remix “Wasted” by Gucci Mane is pretty good too)

Knockout – I think Lil Wayne’s newer songs like “Knockout” are a lot different than his older music. His new stuff is like kind of rock and rap at the same time. Knockout has a good music video as well.

When They Come For Me – It’s got a great story behind it, meaning the lyrics are great too. “See I got money on my mind, but the haters won’t leave me alone, so I’m riding everyday with every pistol that I own.” (And we wonder why he is in jail?)

Drop the World – This song just totally makes me want to sing along. I think it’d be pretty sweet if Lil Wayne could pick the world up and drop it on your head.

Books

Music

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EVEN THOUGH THE show is clearly on a decline, season 6 of The Office delivered some solid moments of comedy.

While not as good as in seasons past, the show is still great comedy on Thursday nights. To recap, season 6 of The Office started with the long-anticipated wedding of Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert, the show’s main couple. After their

wedding in Niagra Falls, with most of Dunder Mifflin in attendance, the office returns to work. Pam is five months pregnant with their first child, so Jiom asks the chief financial officer of Dunder Mifflin, David Wallace, for a promotion to Regional Manager to give his family more stability. Jim wants to replace Michael Scott, the current Regional Manager and centerpiece character of the show, but instead, Wallace promotes him to Co-Regional Manager along with Michael. Dwight Schrute, the Assistant (to the) Regional Manager, is horrified and furious by this and vows to get revenge on Jim. Meanwhile, Michael is dating Pam’s mother, much to Pam’s horror. Financial problems start to affect Dunder Mifflin, which is soon bought by a larger

company, Sabre. The Scranton office must get used to the new policies Sabre instills, and Jim becomes demoted to a salesman again, since only one Regional Manager is allowed. The relationship between Andy Bernard and Erin Hannon begins to develop, with Andy finally asking Erin out after weeks of miscommunications. Jim and Pam’s baby girl, Cecelia, is born at the end of the season. Season 7 has been announced as Michael’s (played by Steve Carell) last season and will feature 25 episodes. The regular cast is returning, plus some old characters, too, specifically Michael’s ex-girlfriend, Holly. Since Michael is such a huge part of The Office, this will probably be the last good season. After he’s gone, the show will probably start to go downhill.

IT’S YOUR BOY THE Mitchuation catching all you broskis up on what’s going down in the MIA on season two of everyone’s favorite show, Jersey Shore. My boys Pauly D and The Situation have been holdin’ it down hitting the clubs every night fist pumping like champs. And you know they’re keeping up on their GTL’s so they stay FTD and get all the girls that are DTF. Different girls back at the house every night (sometimes 2 on each end of the house) cause you know that’s how a guido rolls. And I can’t forget they co founded the GFF. Ronnie’s been hitting the clubs hooking up with grenades

and landmines every night then going home to Sammi. That’s why he’s king of the IFF. You all knew the “stuff ” was gonna hit the fan sometime, and you can bet it did. J-Woww and Snooki thought it

would be a good idea to write an anonymous letter to Sam telling her about Ronnie hooking up with every grenade in sight. When they finally admitted they wrote it, J-Woww and Sammi ended up getting in one of the

best girl fights of well… ever. Angelina, or the Staten Island Dump, (cause everyone gets a ride and its free) must still be drinking her haterade every morning. She goes from hatin on Vinny one minute and hooking up with him the next. All while she’s been dating some Mexican named Jose. Basically the girl gets passed around like a joint at a Phish concert. Last but not least is my boy Vinny. He joined Mike and Pauly in the GTL lifestyle this season, and is hitting the gym and the clubs like a champ. But, he has hooked up with Snooki multiple times and Angelina. But like Situation once put it, when you’re hungry you’ll eat whatever’s around, and it’s the same with women. There not all gonna be 9’s and 10’s. Until next month… Stay fresh til death Fond Du Lac!!!!

EntertainmentYour Jersey Shore Update

By Mitch Tagliopietra“The Mitchuation”Entertainment Editor

That’s What She SaidA Preview of Season 7 of The Office, the Last for Steve Carell

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RECENTLY IN A FOND DU Lac High School U.S. History class, a very simple question was asked, that received a very shocking answer. The question: how many of you like our Pres-ident, Barack Obama? The an-swer: only three, out of a class of 25. This is something I don’t understand. President Obama has done more for the middle class than any other president since FDR. He has passed more pages of legislation than any president while I’ve been alive. He has more accomplish-ments than Bono. He even won

the Nobel Peace Prize. I think it’s time to give him a break, maybe even a jump in approv-al rating every once in awhile. Let’s take a look at what he’s done for America: the $787 B stimulus bill, which cre-ated hundreds of thousands of jobs across the nation. Most economists (the people whose job it is to determine this sort of thing) say it helped us. The auto companies bailout, which prevented thousands of Ameri-cans from losing their jobs and a whole industry from going under. Cash for clunkers, which helped rid the nation of old, low gas mileage automobiles for newer, more fuel efficient

ones, and helped companies like Ford, GMC, and Chrysler. Bank bailouts, which prevented the economy from collapsing and helped, stave off a sec-ond Great Depression. The Race to the Top pro-gram, which made states c o m p e t e to improve their educa-tion systems (most states actually did compete and made sweeping changes). The “credit card bill of rights” which stopped credit

card companies from taking ad-vantage of customers and gives people protections they didn’t have before. He (and congress) passed a bill to increase tighter

r e g u l a t i o n of the finan-cial industry (Wall Street), the people that had a hand in our e c o n o my ’s collapse. He passed a his-toric health care reform

bill, which will allow millions of middle class and lower class Americans to get coverage. Also

attached to the health care bill was a reform of the student loan program, which will now allow for students (like me, like you) who need student loans to afford college, to get them. President Obama also lifted a ban on em-bryonic stem cell research, ended the war in Iraq, created a mort-gage relief plan, and he appoint-ed the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor. Wait, it’s not even the end of his second year? Just think what he can accomplish with the next two. Contrary to popular belief across the na-tion, Barack Obama is try-ing to help America. How about we give him a chance?

Editorial

I FLY OUT OF THE HOUSE at 7:45 and jump in my car thinking i’ll still be able to get to school on time. Everything is going good; I cut through the Shopko parking lot and get onto Johnson Street, when all of a sudden, traffic in front of me is moving along at a snail-like 25mph. As I try to peer around the boat that is a Buick LeSa-bre in front of me to see what’s going on I realize it’s the only car in front of me. Once again, I’m stuck behind old people.

Looks like I won’t be making it to first hour in a timely fashion. How many of you can re-late to this situation? I’m as-suming most everyone has been in this annoying and ag-gravating situation. Old people who don’t know how to drive is one of the many things in our city that make me so angry I scream obscenitites and feel like my head’s gonna explode. It seems as though once peo-ple get to a certain age they feel as though they can drive as slow as they wan, and are exempt from most traffic laws. Worse yet, there are elderly

people who aren’t even aware of how poorly they drive and yet still have their licenses. I thought there must be something society can do to take these incapable and some-times down-right danger-ous drivers off the road. Turns out there is, and many states have already taken action. In many states across the country when a driver gets to a certain age they once again have to take a driv-ing test. Wanting to get an older person’s perspective on this, I

went to my Grandpa. “ I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “ There’s a lot of people my age who probably shouldn’t be on the roads.” There you have it, even senior citizens them-

selves realize at least half of their popula-tion can’t drive. I don’t know

about you, but I’m sick of go-ing 10 mph below the speed limit, literally feeling my blood pressure go through the roof as I’m yelling obsceneties, honk-ing the horn, flipping every-one around me off. (or maybe

that’s just me) As I watch the last minutes before I’m late, to school or work or whatever, tick away while I’m stuck behind some old person going to the “freaking” senior center to play “motherfreaking” bingo at their own “freaking” leisurely pace! So there you have it, if you’re anything like me and want to stop being late because you’re stuck behind some old fart who should be at home watching re-runs of Wheel Of Fortune instead of clogging up traffic, take ac-tion and write your congress-man. Let’s bring a law like other states already have to Wisconsin.

Senile Steering on the Streets of Fond du Lacby Mitch Tagliapietra

Staff Writer

If You Hate Obama, Keep Readingby Zach Peltonen

Staff Writer

Fond du Whack

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“Wait, it’s not even the end of his second year? Just think what he can accom-plish with the next two.”

The Back Page

Wyatt Thielman

“A cock-a-doodle, it’s wonderfully designed.”

What is Your Favorite Animal?A I T V B X C A E C I S U M S

Y A I U K O Z E E P E E T O L

W C C V U B F U G L O C B B A

S P I R I T W E E K Z H X L N

W G T B D H N F L O A T S L I

L S T H G I N S A G E V R A D

V O S M S S A O P P H G N B R

T P A G K D U F Y O S T Y T A

Q R A U D K U P D D R F E O C

F Z D R N M D Y R Q E Q F O X

Q Y S P A A W I E W E X N F D

J S Y X N D J C S S H M J O A

T S Z C E D E F S Q C T V C E

C Q E E T L T D M Q S F J C L

Q P D P E S C I B M B T C W T

The Pulse of Fondy

Cardinals

Cheers

Court

Dance

Dress

Floats

Football

Music

Parade

Spirit Week

Vegas Nights

Tim Toshner

“White tail deer because they’re fun to shoot.”

Derek Wensel

“ Bald eagle, I enjoy birds.”

Anthony Pouchert

“Polar bear, it would be a cool pet.”

Mr. Morgan

“Aardvark, it eats a lot of ants. Everybody hates ants. Aardvark!”

Documents

Fondy Free Press (October 2010)