Volume 73 Issue 3 • Crown Point High School • 1500 S. Main Street Crown Point, IN 46307 • inklings@cps.k12.in.us

November 24, 2008

• Monday InklIngsInklIngsCrown Point squared

High 39°Low 28°

Few snow showers with a30% chance of precipitation

Tomorrow’s forecast

After years of traditional learn-ing, students have now been given the opportunity to learn math con-cepts in a completely different way: through online instruction.

Credit Recovery Algebra I allows students to learn the information via an online, self-paced course which provides an academic coach and ex-perienced math students to assist the class. The course is directed by math teacher Ryan Collier.

“Dr. Ban had a vision of starting this online course class, and so he ap-proached me one day asking if I was up to handling it,” Collier said.

Chapters are broken down into lessons, where individual concepts are explained by written instructions or instructed by the program’s own professor Edward Burger, a per-sonal “teacher” who explains lessons through a video feed.

There are no six weeks assess-ments or semester tests, but the program does hold exams that the students must pass while maintain-ing at least a 70 percent average to earn credit for the class.

Though expected to finish three chapters each six weeks, the class encourages students to understand the concepts at their own rate, using alternatives to traditional classroom techniques. Students can also log on to the class outside of school. For junior Nina Corradin, the class comes as a great benefit.

“I get a lot more done because I’m able to understand the concepts explained this way at my own pace. Even though I can’t do quizzes at home, I can finish many lessons at home and get more finished,” she said.

This change in approach has resulted in drastic effects for some students.

“I’ve gotten so much better being able to work on my own and can tell because I find myself actually under-standing the lessons and completing my homework,” Corradin said.

The online course provides the flexibility of individualized learning that a teacher cannot always achieve during the time constraints of one class period.

“It’s a lot easier now because I can learn at my own pace and don’t have teachers going too fast,” junior Matt Preslar said, “I also never have to deal with the embarrassment of being called on or having to answer something at the board.”

Experienced math students also serve as aides, sharing their knowl-edge by assisting others involved in completing the program.

“They’re my life savers. When-ever I have a question, I always ask them for help,” Corradin said.

Online class provides students a new wayto learn Algebra I

Alternative method to math

continued on page 3 MATH

Much construction can be seen in and around town as new streets and buildings have been reconstructed to either expand or improve Crown Point. The interchange between Crown Point and Winfield, 109th Street, had been closed for about four months opening up again at the end of October with a wider paved road and raised bridge to prevent flooding. Despite the benefits of the better road, the construction affected traffic for many as they managed to find new routes around the closed road.

Junior Lindsey Wacnik had to deal with such problems. “I live off 109th, so to get in or out of town I’d have to use a different road while 109th was closed. But after they closed another road, I had to go back another way wasting more time because it was impossible using 117th as everyone was on that road. It was a huge problem,” she said.

Junior Steven Polacek experienced the same issue.

“I live right on the other side of where the construction was happening, so it was annoying. It took me extra time driving out

of the way to avoid the construction, and I had to deal with all the traffic,” he said.

In addition to the street construction, many new businesses and buildings have gone up all over town as chain restaurants and stores begin to populate the area. Broadway alone, with the new businesses abundantly lining the street, is a great example of all the new construction.

Senior Alex Fichau’s family owns Beef O’ Brady’s, located in the plaza off of Broadway across from the new Strack and Van Til.

“We went down to Florida and visited one the Beef O’ Brady restaurants and really liked it. We’d never owned a restaurant before but we looked into it and decided to start one here,” she said.

Beef O’ Brady’s combination of American and Irish food with a modern atmosphere adds to the city’s leap from quaint little cafes to new, modern chain restaurants.

Senior Nick Utterback has been working at the new Italian restuarant Pranzari for a few months as a busboy.

“I like having the new businesses because they provide more people jobs,” he said.

For Firchau, the new businesses not only supply people with work opportunities, but create new places for them to hang out.

“Before, there really wasn’t anything close that people could do; you usually had to travel,” she said.

While new businesses are prospering as part of the overall growth, new housing has developed to incorporate Crown

Point’s growing population, as well. There have even been plans to begin the process of creating new apartments.

According to planning administrator Steve Nigro, there are currently two multi-family residential apartment building plans that are seeking approval from the city. One is an apartment development known as Greenstone, which would be located at the southwest of the intersection of 93rd Avenue and Chase Street. Greenstone has had a first reading for a zone change request before the City Council. The building is going to house 300 units.

The second project is known as The Preserve at Beacon Hill, will be located on the east side of Broadway, north of the Strack and Van Til store and south of where Summit Street ends. This project will include a commercial/retail component as well as multi-family residential units. The Preserve would include 568 units.

Some residents have concerns about the plans, however. “Some members [of the Plan Commission] feel that the apartment developments, not necessarily in Crown Point, started out nice but have not been maintained as well as they once were by the property management company. These members believe that owner occupied units, such as condominiums, would establish a sense of pride in ownership where everyone has a financial investment in the development,” Nigro said.

In general, the buildings, roads and housing developments overall have been increasing to account for Crown Point’s rapid population growth.

By Cori Novelli and Deanna Sheafer / executive editor and copy editor

By Cori Novelli / executive editor

While Crown Point’s population grows, road construction increases as new businesses and housing projects develop to accommodate the rise in people.

Construction continues as city grows

Buildings on Main Street are constructed for future businesses and housing. The square has experienced much renovation as population growth in Crown Point leads to construction both in town and as far as the Lakes of the Four Seasons.

Guitar GirlGuitar Hero controllers designed for girls

Photo By Alex PArrish

Thanksgiving TraditionsStudents share creative holiday traditions

Twilight review Midnight showing packed with fans. Check out showtimes.

pg. 10pg. 6 pg. 12

News November 24, 2008

Saving lives one drop at a time2

12.10 Half Day of School

12.8-12.11Spring Musical Auditions

12.14All City Orchestra Concert; CPHS auditorium

12.17Choir Concert; CPHS auditorium

save the date

in the know

Inklings, was among the top ten in Best Of Show competition in its division of 13 to 16 paged newspapers at the 2008 Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Fall National High School Journalism Convention in St. Louis. Inklings joined newspapers from New Jersey, Califor-nia, Michigan, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Vir-ginia, Kansas, and Washington in the top ten. Inklings earned ninth place.

In individual write-off competition, ju-nior Anna Ortiz earned a superior in editorial cartooning. Of the 2,191 participants, JEA rec-ognized 116 students with a superior award.

By Megan Binder /editor-in-chief

Junior Brandy Bell donates blood during the annual blood drive. The blood drive recruits willing students who are 17 or 18 to donate blood.

The softball team is raffling off four tickets to the Dec. 28 Purdue vs. Valparaiso men’s basketball game in West Lafayette. These seats are in the tenth row right behind the Purdue bench. Only 100 tickets will be sold for $10 each. The drawing will be held on Dec. 21. Anyone interested can contact coach Brett Crutchfield in C235.

Softball team holds fundraiser

Inklings earns national honors

Sign-ups to audition for the student council sponsored talent show will be until Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Room C112. Auditions are from 2:45-5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2 and Wednesday, Dec. 3 in the Black Box.

Bands must submit a video or DVD with audio performance. Videos and completed audition forms are due no later than Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Acts chosen to perform during the talent show will be notified on Dec. 5. The talent show is Thursday, Jan. 29 in the auditorium at 7 p.m.

Talent show auditions next week

AbitibiBowater Paper Retriever Indi-ana awarded the SHOW (Students Help-ing Others Work) team, which consists of special needs students, with a certificate of achievement recognizing the amount of the recyclables collected. To receive this recogni-tion, students had to collect at least two tons a month, and get the community involved in the recycling program. Special needs teacher Brandon Lorek oversees the recycling pro-gram.

Recycling achievement recognized

Nearly 250 students donate at annual blood drive

More than 500 donations of blood are needed every day to save patient lives, according to the Heartland Blood Center’s web site. On Nov. 18, more than 213 students helped meet that quota.

This year, student council organized and facilitated much of the work for the drive in coordination with Heartland Blood Centers.

“We scheduled all the student do-nors throughout the day, wrote everyone passes, and escorted people in and out of the donating center,” student council vice president and senior Rachel Ignas said. “We had to make sure that they didn’t faint or have any bad reactions.”

Ignas said the event had been in the works for about two months. Interested students signed up to donate at least a week prior to the event with student council members. The annual blood drive recruits willing students who are 17 or 18 to donate a pint of blood. Stu-dents who were 16 could donate as well, though they required a signed parental consent form.

For some students, getting out of class for a few hours and a complimen-tary pair of plaid pajama pants were ad-equate compensation for a pint of blood and minor discomfort. Others found the blood drive worthwhile for other rea-sons.

“It’s great because they make it easy to help,” junior Lucas Groff said. “You can just come in and give blood.”

The entire event took place in the

CPHS fieldhouse. Students had to sign a form stating that they were in good health and had never suffered from diseases like malaria. They also had to submit to a pre-donation screening that included a test to see if their blood had an iron deficiency.

For those students that passed these tests, the average blood donation takes about ten minutes, according to the Heartland Blood Center web site. Then they recuperated at a table filled with snacks and juices in an effort to increase blood sugar.

While Crown Point has partnered with Heartland Blood Centers before and done a blood drive for several years, not all schools sponsor similar blood drives.

“At my old school we couldn’t give blood, so this is my first time doing any-thing like this,” junior Brandy Bell said. “I feel responsible, being able to help someone.”

Heartland Blood Centers does simi-lar blood drives throughout the year at schools and health centers as well as at their blood centers in Griffith and vari-ous Illinois locations.

Heartland Blood Center 1947 West 45th St. Griffith,IN46319 Phone: (219) 922-1942

Blood Drive at St. Mary’s School in Crown Point Sunday,Nov.30 8:30-12:30a.m. 405 E. Joliet St. Phone:(219)663-0676

If you missed but would still like to donate...

Yearbooks going on saleWatch for Herff Jones Yearbook Order Forms in the mail to order yearbooks for $55. The price will increase to $60 on Feb. 2. You may order by mailing the form, calling 1-866-287-3096 or going online www.yearbookordercenter.com with code #3840. Also, watch for Senior Baby Ad forms in the mail to senior parents. Baby ads need to be received by Jan. 31.

President-elect Obama calls for change

After four years of campaigns, de-bates, and speeches, on Nov. 4 America elected Barack Obama as the next Presi-dent of the United States .

“A new dawn of American leader-ship is at hand,” Obama said after the news that he had won was released.

On Election Day, millions of Amer-icans were urged to vote. In Crown Point, adults and high school students alike were at the polls. Whether the students were voting or volunteering, many students were involved in the democratic process.

“I felt proud to work at the polls,” sophomore Catherine Myers said. “I was part of a really important pro-cess.”

Since 1964, Indiana had not collec-tively voted in a democratic president’s favor. It was predicted that Indiana would vote for John McCain. However, the state was considered undecided throughout Election Day, and only the next morning was it determined that

Indiana had voted for Barack Obama. Obama won the election by earn-

ing the electoral votes from Virginia. That state win gave him 288 electoral votes, which is eighteen votes over the 270 needed for presidency. McCain had 145 electoral votes when Obama won. Obama also won the popular vote with 53 votes to McCain’s 46. In Obama’s ac-ceptance speech, he said he looked for-ward to working with McCain and Pa-lin, and he emphasized unity as well.

“We rise and fall as one nation, one people,” Obama said.

Obama will be inaugurated as President on Jan. 20, 2009.

As for Indiana’s own elections, re-publican Mitch Daniels was re-elected with 58 percent of the vote. Republican Tony Bennett was elected as Indiana’s new state superintendent as well. Re-publican Greg Zoeller was elected as the state’s Attorney General. As a re-sult, despite Indiana voting for Obama, Indiana is still considered a republican state.

Democrat Pete Visclosky was also re-elected as U.S. Congressman.

By Becca Duggan /entertainment editor

President-elect Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Highland on Oct. 31.ObamaisthefirstdemocrattowinIndiana’selectoralvotessince1964.

photo by Jeremy rex

photo by becca Duggan

The Jazz Band will perform at Joe’s Crab Shack in Hobart on Dec. 4 from 5-7 p.m. They will play a mix of jazz standards and holiday favorites in an effort to share their musical talents with the community.

Jazz Band performs at Joe’s Crab Shack

News 3November 24, 2008

By Michele Bates / news editor

With the holiday season approaching, there are numerous drives for families in need. Not only are school clubs helping others, but the city of Crown Point is con-ducting a Toys for Tots Drive.

“We wanted to give back to families in the community that we could help in this tough economic time,” Special Project Co-ordinator Laura Janowski said.

In 1947, Major Bill Hendricks founded the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program in Los Angeles, California. During that year, he collected and gave 5,000 toys to children in need. The drive then went on to become a nationwide or-ganization. Former first lady Barbra Bush and actor Tim Allen also served as National Honorary Chairpersons for the organiza-tion.

Anyone interested in helping the char-ity can donate a new unwrapped toy. Toys can be dropped off anytime at the Crown Point Police Department.

There are also collection bins at City Hall (101 N. East St.) and the Crown Point Parks and Recreation Department (1313 E. North St.).

National Honor Society members will be ringing bells for the Salvation Army during the holiday season. According to English teacher Ashley Monroe, National

Honor Society members will be ringing bells Dec. 6 and 14. Members will be at Strack and Van Til on Franciscan Dr. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The National Honor Soci-ety has been volunteering for the Salvation Army for years.

“The Salvation Army is a wonder-ful organization and they provide a lot of opportunity especially for the holidays,” Monroe said.

Monroe said that ringing bells is a

great opportunity to show those outside of the high school that students generally care about others.

“As a representative of Crown Point High School, [National Honors Society] shows support for a community organiza-tion which significantly impacts those who need help the most,” Monroe said.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and HERO organized a food drive for First Presbyterian and First Christian Church’s food pantries in Crown Point. According to family and consumer science teacher Laura Lorenz, both HERO and FCA have been conducting the food drive for years.

“Thanksgiving is a time to stop and give thanks for what we have. What better way to give thanks then to help someone in need?” Lorenz said.

The food drive started on Nov. 17 and ended on Nov. 21. Students were encour-aged to donate non-perishable goods such as canned goods and toiletries. The first period class that collected the most canned goods was awarded with doughnuts and juice. The winning class was not yet an-nounced at press time.

“ [Food drives] show how commu-nities can come together to help the less fourtunate. Although people are genorous during the holidays, the need of food in food pantries is year around,” junior Ashe-ly Kutemeier said.

By Brenna Wermers/ executive editor

Students raise diabetes awareness

Students participate in holiday drives

Diabetes currently affects more than 230 million people worldwide, a total of 6 percent of the world’s adult population. According to Nurse Carrie Ready, diabe-tes currently affects ten students at Crown Point High School, and is becoming more prevalent in the U.S.

“Diabetes is a silent epidemic,” Rose-mary Briars, Clinical Program Director and Pediatric Diabetic Specialist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL said.

November is National Diabetes Aware-ness Month. The National Diabetes Educa-tion Foundation said that having diabetes means that the blood glucose (sugar) level is too high. Having too much glucose in the body is not healthy. The pancreas is the bodily organ that pro-duces insulin. Insulin helps the body’s cells to absorb glucose, which is then con-verted into energy.

“When the blood sugar increases, the pancreas be-gins to produce more and more insulin,” Briars said, “but when the blood sugar raises so much, [the pan-creas] just gives up. This is what leads to diabetes.”

She said that cause of diabetes in unknown, but the knowledge of diabetes is changing. For instance, there are two types of diabetes, Type-1 and Type-2. Having Type-1 means that the body pro-duces no insulin, and Type-2 means that the body does not produce nearly enough insulin. It was originally thought that Type-2 diabetes was adult-onset. This has recently been proven false. Anyone can get any type of diabetes at any age.

“There is a rumor that diabetes ‘skips a generation,’ but there is no truth to this,” Briars said. “It can pop up at anytime.”

Senior Kathryn Papamihalakis, di-agnosed with Type-1 diabetes at age six, was the first one in her immediate family to contract the disease. Papamihalakis said that having diabetes for over 11 years can

take a toll on you. “It’s really a mental struggle. It can

make it difficult to participate [in sports] and concentrate [in school]. [Diabetes] can make it hard to really get out and do things,” she said. “You can do anything you want, but you have to work harder [than non-diabetics].”

Junior Jamie Cook also has Type-1 dia-betes. He said that diabetes doesn’t prevent physical activity, but it can be a burden.

“Exercise causes your blood sugar to lower,” Cook said. “I always have to carry a snack with me just in case I get too low.” Snacks include juice boxes or sugar tablets.

Sometimes snacks are not enough. Cook wears an insulin pump 24 hours a day.

“The pump is more convenient. I like it bet-ter than traditional injec-tions,” he said.

Papamihalakis back to the injections. She said that she plans on switch-ing back to the pump af-ter graduation.

“It makes it so much easier to maintain my diabetes,” she said.

Students that suf-fer from diabetes have to be aware of their own symptoms. When the blood sugar level is low,

teens may feel shaky, get a cold sweat, be-come angry or agitated, and other traits that vary from person to person.

“Kids tend to recognize their own symptoms,” Briars said.

While suffering from diabetes, stu-dents must plan ahead.

“I have to check [my blood sugar] regularly, and keep my metabolic system healthy,” Papamihalakis said.

Cook said that diabetics have to watch what they eat carefully. He he has to watch how much pop he drinks, or else his blood sugar might crash. He also said that he avoids drugs and alcohol at all costs.

“If you’re not conscious of the situa-tion and you can’t control your actions,” he said, “it could be very dangerous.”

Junior Jamie Cook checks his blood sugar level in the nurse’s office. Cook was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at age four.

photo by Jeremy rex

MATH, cont. from pg. 1Junior Brittany Buher replaced her

sixth hour study hall to assist with the class.

“It’s amazing watching students understand the information,” she said.

Since Buher had already taken Al-gebra, not only was she able to answer students’ questions, but she could pass along techniques she found had worked for her.

“It’s different when a teacher an-swers a question than when a student in the class does,” Buher said, “A student can be much more approachable than a teacher.”

Teachers, students, and parents have said they recognize the advan-tages that such alternative learning can provide.

“There are many advantages. One of the biggest is the ability to start and stop instruction as one’s attention span allows. One student finished the work for the semester in seven weeks,” Col-lier said.

“All students learn differently so the class is a great alternative to the classroom setting,” parent Lisa Autl-man said.

Perhaps the most appreciative of the class offering are the students who are able to take advantage of it.

“I wish it would have existed ear-lier. Things that were taught for a week in the classroom I can now get in a day [with the program],”Presslar said.

Seniors Natasha Boyd, Kaitlin Gas-away and Nicole Nochevich sort food collected for the Food Drive.

It [diabetes] is really a mental struggle...you

can do anything you want, but

you have to work harder.

senior Kathryn Papamihalakis

“

“

photo by Catherine Fleszewski

November 24, 2008OpiniOn4

Students give the best gift of all

Inklings

Inklings is a student publication distrib-uted to students, faculty and staff of Crown Point High School. It is published monthly by the newspaper and advanced journalism students. Opinions expressed in Inklings do not reflect those of the CPHS faculty, staff, or the administration.

Inklings welcomes and encourages signed letters to the editor. Let-ters may be edited for space or clarity. Letters must be signed and turned in to room C124 one week prior to pub-lications and must not contain personal attacks. Letters may also be sent via e-mail at inklings@cps.k12.in.us. Not all letters may be printed. Such decisions are the sole discretion of the Inklings editors and staff.

Advertising is subject to the applicable rate, copies of which are available from Inklings advertising department or by contacting 663-4885 ext. 11213.

Inklings is a mem-ber of the Indiana High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholas-tic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll.

Inklings can be con-tacted at 1500 S. Main, Crown Point, IN, 46307; 219-663-4885 ext. 11213; fax 219-662-5663; or in-klings@cps.k12.in.us.

EditorsMegan Binder

editor-in-chiefCori NovelliBrenna Wermers

executive editorsDeanna Sheafer

copy editorMichele Bates

news editorBrittany Curtis

feature editorBecca Duggan

entertainment editorTrey Aultman

sports editorHunter McKee

sports assistantAnna Ortiz

graphics editorBecca Iddings

advertising editorLauren Cain

advertising assistantJoe NejmanAlex ParrishGeorgia OtteCat FleszewskiJeremy Rex

photographers

StaffColin LikasVinnie NeedhamKelly RostinMilan SavichMatt SmithNikki SekuloskiAndjela TarailoJeff Tompkins

AdviserJulie Elston

By Becca Duggan / entertainment editor

In 2008, Heartland Blood Centers are projected to collect over 160,000 units of blood. These donations helped thousands of people all over northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. This year, 213 students are among that generous number of donators.

For many students, however, the annual blood drive has now become another way to get out of class. On top of that, donators receive a free pair of sweatpants. Don’t get it wrong, getting out of class and receiving free pants are both great perks, but look at the bigger picture.

Giving blood is no small feat. Blood is the vital liquid that circulates through our bodies, carrying oxygen and nutrients to every cell. It travels miles and miles through our bodies every day in order to accomplish this, being pumped unceasingly by our hearts until our dying day. The average human body contains around ten pints of blood, and one is removed during the donation process.

It takes a special kind of person to donate blood. People who donate their blood may not truly grasp the magnitude of what they are doing. They are giving their own blood to a complete stranger. Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood.

But to some students, the blood drive is noth-ing more than a method to get out of Algebra II, not to mention the free sweatpants. Giving blood is a pretty good reason to get out of class, but some teens do not realize the gravity of good they are doing for a complete stranger. By missing a quiz, they are saving a life. Students who donate blood should be proud to wear that bandage on their arm, signifying the lives that they have saved by donating a pint of their blood. If you don’t donate, consider it next year. Whether your primary motive is getting out of class or genuine charity, the end result remains the same. You’re saving a life.

Election hits close to home

View:Some students see the annual blood drive as a way to get out of class. Though it is a great perk, they are doing so much more than skiving off math... they are saving a life.

editorial

“Yes, we can!” chants filled the air on Halloween night, the evening of the Obama rally in

Highland, Indiana. The atmosphere at Wicker

Park was intoxicating with its enthusiasm. The rally was truly something to experience, even for people of

younger ages. At the rally, I observed a number of

younger people in the crowd. This did not surprise me because according to Times magazine and other news sources, more young people have been interested in politics in this election. Of course adults populated the crowd as well, but when I mentioned my inability to vote to some of them, I noticed they had diminished interest in what I had to say.

Too often do people believe that those too young to legally vote ought to not be involved in politics. This election emphasized a point that we should have stressed earlier- the younger generation’s participation in political matters. Younger students should care about who is in their government because that affects their future,and their opinions should not be belittled because they cannot vote.

While Obama was speaking at the rally, I noticed a girl, no older than the age of eight, stood at attention to what Obama had to say. I do not know if she understood what was being said, but this shows people of all ages can be interested in politics. People cannot use age as an excuse anymore. Having Obama so close to Crown Point shows younger people in the area that politics are not a foreign, faraway topic best left to adults. The future President of the United States gave a speech at a town mere miles from Crown Point. Politics cannot get much closer than that.

heard in the halls

Wintry Weather

“Shopping on Black Friday is very stress-ful, but it is totally worth it. The deals

rock!”

junior Haley Webb

“It’s nice that families get together for the holiday, but sadly, it’s all about the food.”

freshman Caleigh Baran

“I’m ready for winter. We never really had a fall, and if it’s this cold already, there might

as well be snow.”

senior Bethany Wendt

cartoon by anna ortiz

Thanksgiving

Holiday Shopping

and worth saving a life

worth missing math...

OpiniOn 5November 24, 2008

ICrown Point has been rapidly

expanding within the

last few years. Although

progress is great, many

citizens oppose the commercial

business starting to build up in

our city.

Make the most of what life gives you

In July of 2007, Crown Point had a population of 23,909. With a 17.5 percent increase in population since 2000, the need to industrialize new upcoming franchises and businesses is a necessity. To adjust to the growth of residents, Crown Point has decided to incorporate more businesses. The large amount of residents moving to Crown Point has left the city no option but to continue to adapt to the increase in population.

The town’s main attraction, the Square is crammed with antique shops, bars, offices, and a one-show movie theatre.

That does not leave teenagers with a lot of options to do something interesting, considering that antique shopping is not the biggest hobby by teens, teenagers are not 21, and sure the price is great, but leaving me with a movie that is three weeks old that I have already seen, is not for me.

The trip to go to the Westfield Mall to go shopping, see a movie, or dine; has become way too overwhelming. The installation of new mini-malls is the first-step to becoming a more Chicago-like city without the long trip.

We already have seen quite a change in the past year; businesses are booming with two new plazas. On Broadway, numerous businesses have been constructed including two mini-malls that consist of two grocery stores and a third Walgreens of Crown Point. And just north of these new plazas, another court is being constructed.

So Crown Point will continue to expand whether you want it to or not. Needless to say, business owners have a great opportunity to establish their businesses. The vast amount of land Crown Point offers is an attraction to business and franchise owners. So get used to the new old Gary, Indiana.

With Crown Point’s ever growing population, more and more big businesses are popping up. In 2006, a Starbucks was put up on Main Street, prompting people to worry about the effect this ad-dition would have on smaller businesses. Now with even more chain restaurants being built, these same concerns are arising.

Sure, the new businesses are nice, but the 15 minute drive to Merrillville for the same restau-rant isn’t enough reason for this new business to be built. There’s little cause for such construction when we have the same businesses less than a half hour away.

What’s the most recognizable landmark in Crown Point? Easy, the Square. What would the ef-fect be on all of our small businesses if these popu-lar chain stores and restaurants are built? Do we really want to lose the loyal businesses that make Crown Point, Crown Point?

Crown Point has a reputation of being a small town, but with its proximity to Chicago, has all the big-city benefits. However, if this increase in big businesses progresses, Crown Point may lose all of its small town quaintness. I don’t want Crown Point to become just another city on the map. If I wanted big businesses, I could just travel to Merrillville, or better yet, Chicago. The quaintness and history of small businesses like the shops on the Square should not be sacrificed for yet another chain res-taurant. Is it really necessary to have one of these businesses once every twenty miles?

The addition of yet another chain restaurant and big business to Crown Point will do nothing except add another restaurant that could be found 20 miles away, and a loss of revenue for small busi-nesses, when all of this could be avoided with a simple, short 15 minute drive.

By Brittany Curtis / feature editor By Hunter McKee / sports assistant

Expansion and construction will broaden CP’s horizons

Expansion will cause loss of Crown Point’s small-town feel

soph

omor

e

“We should remain a small town and stay rural.”

Jake BuddeJenny Nowak

fres

hman

“I think Crown Point should be-come commercial.There would be more people and expansion.”

Alex Ivezich

juni

or

“Crown Point should stay small. It has always been fine, so why change it now ?”

AJ Jabarin

seni

or

“[We should stay a] small town. If we expand the community it takes us away from our roots.”

ssue:

QShould Crown Point expand and

become more commercial, or try

and maintain its small-town charm?

speak up

Small town or Big city?

Walking through the crowded halls or nearly desolate streets, I’ve been sensing a sort of glum atmosphere.

Of course, itcould be the cold

epidemic sweeping through November, but bear with me.

It seems what has cast the proverbial rain cloud above our heads is the final bow of t-shirt temperatures,sunlight, the festivities of fall, and the color green. I for one feel cheated out of autumn because of the early freeze in October. However, it seems almost idiotic to complain about something like the weather. It’s like complaining about rowdy younger siblings; there’s simply nothing you can do but deal with it.

Experience has taught me to live with the things I have no control of and make them better than what they seem, but optimism goes deeper than weather. Lately it can feel like everything is going too fast or slow, that really there is little that one has control of. There’s a lot out there in the world, like wintry coldness and dismal darkness, but there are also really good things too. And, while it’s easy to just bundle up and go around mumbling about how everything sucks, there’s more to life than that. There are always things to look forward to and remember. To resurrect the forgotten art of snowman building, test your luck on a pair of skis, or initiate a snowball fight, to live and enjoy life no matter the circumstances.

No matter how out of your hands something may be, you always have the power to sum up your optimism and deal. And, while an over used yet truthful cliché, the phrase, “If the world throws lemons at you, make lemonade” isn’t as dumb as it sounds. Though why anyone would use lemons as projectile weapons is beyond me…

By Anna Ortiz / graphics editor

cartoon by anna ortiz

November 24, 20086

AskLaughExploreWonderInspireLive

by the numbers

IIonlife

Thanksgiving TraditionsStudents’ holiday traditions range from turkey to wafflesBy Matt Smith / staff reporter

Whether it’s watching the big game on TV or gathering around the dinner table for a family meal, every family has Thanksgiv-ing traditions. However, some Thanksgiving nights are slightly more unusual than others.

“Every year, my family buys two frozen turkeys,” senior Trevor St. Aubin said. “We eat the first one like a normal family, but with the other one, we play different types of games. Usually, we play turkey bowling, and we use gourds for the bowling pins. One year, we tried playing turkey soccer, but the frozen turkey was too hard, and we hurt our feet on it every time we tried to kick it.”

“We go up to Michigan for Thanksgiving,” junior Emma Baker said. “There is a place up there where you can go pick out a live turkey. You tell them which one you want, and they get it for you. A few hours later, you eat the turkey you picked out for Thanksgiving dinner.”

Families find many ways to celebrate the holiday, but with every unusual Thanks-giving comes a more con-ventional one.

“My whole family gathers around the table and we take turns listing everything that we’re thankful for,” junior Hannah Gurney said.

Math teacher Jason McGee has more simple plans for the holiday.

“My plans are to eat a huge Thanksgiving dinner and fall asleep on the couch watch-ing football,” Mc-Gee said.

Tr a d i t i o n s are not only for T h a n k s g i v i n g night, however. Even after the festivi-ties of the holiday are over, some family tradi-tions continue on.

“The morning after Thanksgiving, we take all of the turkey that we didn’t eat, and we eat it for breakfast on our homemade waffles. It doesn’t sound appetizing, but it’s really good,” junior Alex Horst said. “I look forward to that more than Thanksgiving itself.”

“My family goes Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving,” sophomore David Sotirovski said. “We pick out pres-ents to take to all of our family parties.”

Every family is different and celebrates in a different way. Some play turkey soccer, while others list their blessings around the dinner table. Thanksgiving is full of traditions of every type.

“Traditions are what make a family unique and different,” fresh-man Danny Kvachkoff said. “They give a family character. They‘re what Thanksgiving is all about.”

Physics teacherJerome Flewelling tests a cardboard chair made by one of his students. Stu-dents were required to construct a chair made of cardboard and glue that could withold each part-ner’s body weight.

Holocaust survivor Frank Zalega answers a question from sophomore Brittney Dalie. He spoke to Kelly Bonich’s English 10R students about his experiences during World War II.

Photo by GeorGia otte

13.1pounds of turkey consumed by the typical American in 2005, with a hearty portion devoured at Thanksgiving time.

272turkeys were raised in 2007

million

28 Number of places

in the United States named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims.

All according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

99centscost per pound of the average turkey in 2006.

millions of dollars

of U.S. imports of live turkeys during the first half of 2007.

9.5

the year the first Thanksgiving was held by the Pilgrims, a three-day feast

1621

Every year, my family buys two frozen turkeys. We play turkey bowling and use gourds

for pins.

senior Trevor St. Aubin

“

“

The morning after Thanksgiving, we take

all of the turkey that we didn’t eat, and we

eat it for breakfast on our homemade

waffles.

junior Alex Horst

“

“

My whole family gathers around the table and we take turns listing every-

thing that we’re thankful for.

junior Hannah Gurney

“

“InformIng

TesTIng

Senior Trevor St. Aubin readies to bowl with a frozen turkey, a family tra-dition, using gourds as bowling pins and the frozen turkey as the bowling ball.

November 24, 2008 Feature 7

A Convenient TruthBy Brittany Curtis and Lauren Cain / feature editor and advertising assistant

Vending machines fool students; healthy choices come from home

Former home schoolers compare experiencesKelly Rostin / staff reporter

Sleeping in and working when convenient. Eating anything other than cafeteria food, and having tons of free time after the day’s schoolwork is completed.

These are some of the ideas that pop into a students mind when the concept of home schooling is mentioned to them. Is there any truth to these thoughts?

Sisters sophomore Bekah and freshman Sarah Maddack were both home schooled. Bekah was home-schooled up to fifth grade while Sarah was home-schooled up to her fourth grade year.

“I would wake up around ten, do my homework in pajamas, and then when I finished, I could play outside, read, play computer games, and just be a kid,” Bekah said.

Both sisters saw positive sides to their home-schooled pasts.

“There were definitely perks like sleeping in. Also, you could sometimes ‘skip school’ if you had other things to do like go shopping or go on vacation. If we did ‘tomorrow’s’ work the day before, we could skip working

that day,” Sarah said.“I could do twice as much

work one day so I didn’t have to do as much the next day, and I could finish my work early if I worked fast,” Bekah added.

The sisters started public school because their parents thought that public school experience was necessary before they went to the middle school

“My friend suggested [public schooling] to me. I asked my parents, and they thought that it was a good idea,” Sarah said.

Siblings sophomore Emily and freshman Robby Featherstone were also home-schooled while they lived in Texas. When the family moved to Indiana, both students started public school. Emily was home-schooled for seven years.

“When I was home-schooled, I didn’t have to wake up at a specific time, I could work at my own pace. When I had finished all of my schoolwork, I could spend the rest of my day doing hobbies and other activities,” Emily said.

None of these students had to take standardized testing while they were being home-schooled.

“I had never even heard of the ISTEP until I got to public school,” Sarah said.

Despite some of these positive aspects, there were also parts of the home schooling process that weren’t desirable to these students.

“I didn’t have a lot of friends then. I never met anyone simply because I was ‘isolated’ from society,” Sarah said.

Emily agrees.“I didn’t have as much social

interaction as I do now, so I didn‘t have as many friends,” she said.

Bekah sometimes disliked the workload.

“Whatever homework I didn’t

finish on a certain day, I’d have to finish the next day along with that day’s work,” she said.

The students say that there were obvious differences between home schooling and public schooling.

“Public schools are good because there’s more peers, a bigger variety of classes, and lots of extracurricular activities, but all of your breaks are already scheduled for you. That’s a negative aspect,” Bekah said.

“There’s a lot more pressures and problems that you have to deal with in public school than being home-schooled,” Robby adds.

The transition from being home-schooled to coming to public school was difficult for the students.

“Home schooling and public schools are so different that at first it was a little hard to adapt, but after a few months, public school seemed normal,” Emily said.

Bekah had trouble with her first scantron test when she came to public school.

“The first time I took a scantron test, I almost cried

because I couldn’t figure it out. I finally realized that the answer choices on the test corresponded with the columns on the scantron,” she said.

“I was really nervous [on my first day of public school],” Sarah said. “I basically didn’t know anyone at all. I also got in trouble a lot because I wasn’t used to having to pay attention since no one actually teaches you when your home-schooled.”

Home-schooled students learn at their own pace at which they can learn material. Most of the material is self-taught by the students, and the parents do not have to have a specialized background in teaching in order to sponsor home schooling.

“Most of the time my sister and I taught ourselves just by reading the instructions,” Sarah said.

Both methods, the students say, have positive aspects.

“I wouldn’t say that one way of learning is better than another,” Emily adds. “But I do think that home schooling provides a better education and public school is better for the social side of life.”

Fried FrienemiesAlthough the tastes are good enough to seem to outweigh the lack of nutritional benefit, they don’t. Chips are packed with calories but offer no nutritional value like fiber or protein.

Sweet NothingsThe cookies and doughnuts found here are full ofeverything bad for you. They contain everything that should be avoided and none of the nutrients we need.

Salty NothingsAlthough theymay seem tasty at the time, these snacks are high in sodium but low in the protein and nutrients you need, leaving you still hungry 15 min-utes later.

Fake OutThey may be fruit-flavored, but don’t let these after-school snacks fool you. They contain just as much salt as other chips and lack the nutrients you need to stay ‘full’ longer.

Try these instead...celery and peanut •

butterapple dippers•granola bars•fruit and nuts•yogurt and granola•veggie wrap•

Home schooling and public schools

are so different that it was a little

hard to adapt.

sophomore Emily Featherstone

“

“

The chocolate cravings inflict us all, but this might not want to be your place to go for a quick fix. Mike & Ikes and Twizzlers still contain sugar, but are a healthier alterna-tive.

Chocolate Fix

Photo IllustratIon By Joe neJman

It’s after school and the vending machine beckons. Starving, you wonder: the chips or the Twizzlers? They both might momentarily satisfy your hunger, but do they have any nutritional value? Here, we tell you what may seem healthy is actually just plain junk.

November 24, 2008Feature8

Downing shot glasses of ketchup. Spontaneous superstore scavenger hunts. Random costume dance parties. Not ex-actly the teen norm of outings at the mall and trips to the cinema, but neverthe-less the more obscure picture of the “teen scene.”More and more teens are becoming attracted to the idea breaking monotony.

“I think it’s more fun and exciting to do the unique and out of the ordinary,” freshman Megan Seitzinger said.

Five students show that they are anything but ordi-nary by revealing their most spontaneous moments and oddest traditions. Senior Amanda Ratazzi has had one such frenzy at a depart-ment store.

“My friends and I once went to a store and had a scavenger hunt. We split up into groups and had to find five random objects in the store, then we took pictures of them on our phones and sent them to each other to prove we found them,”Ratazzi said, “It was really fun to run around with friends and do something random.”

Junior Jeremy Joseph gets laughs out of driving around the square with his friends and hitting on random people as they drive by.

“It’s surprisingly amusing to see their reactions,” Joseph said.

And sometimes the unusual includes the edible. Senior John Spry, on one occa-sion, filled shot glasses with ketchup and took mock shots with his friends. Junior Tabitha Gonsowski has a tradition where she and her friends each make “mystery drinks,” concocted of random items.

“It’s a competition of who can make

the worst drink and who can drink one the fastest,” Gon-sowski said.

While fun memories can come from the kitchen, they also come from far away places. Seitzinger, in the sprirt of adventure, traveled with her best friend to Florida.

“It was really fun, and we got to spend a lot of time with each other in-stead of being with other people,” Seitz-inger said.

Junior Mae Gaoat and her friends have also traveled togeth-er by going to the Kalahari Resort in Ohio.

“We all tried surfing.We wiped out pretty fast, but it was a lot of fun,” Gaoat said

Gaoat and her cousin, junior Ia Garcia, always find unique things to do when they are together. Sometimes they look up music videos and have fun

attempting to recreate them, or they have “rock, paper, scissors” competitions. Ju-nior Ashley Young also has many creative and strange traditions.

“We have spontaneous costume dance parties whenever we’re bored. One time my friend and I dressed as cat-woman and Jimmy Hendrix and ran around town ap-plauding every pedestrian we saw,” Young said.

Young and her companions also enjoy dancing in supermarkets, having “theme days,” when they dress in a certain theme on school days, and “B-rated” movie nights, which usually include old 80’s mu-sicals and Chinese voice-over movies.

While all of these activities seem un-usual, these students have their own rea-sons for doing the out of the ordinary.

“It’s fun to see people’s reactions,” Spry

By Anna Ortiz / graphics editor

It’s a Strack & Van Til Thing.

Crown Point(2 locations)

200 Franciscan Dr. (219) 663-030410851 Broadway (219) 661-4144

Merrillville7201 Taft St. (219) 738-2150

Students find unique, abstract activites to entertain when times get boring

Fun times at Crown Point High

BRONKO’SRESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

IN THE JEWEL OSCO - MARKETPLACE PLAZA1244 NORTH MAIN STREET

CROWN POINT

Open 7 days a week Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Banquet facilities

P I Z Z A

CHICKEN / FISH / RIBS / SANDWICHESCROWN POINT PHONE (219) 662-0145

BRONKO’S PIZZA IN HEBRON (219) 996-6559

BRONKO’S PIZZA IN LOWELL (219) 696-6372

Junior Tyler Bowman and sophomore Amy Kesler race tricycles for entertain-ment. Doing things considered outside of the norm can break monotonysaid.

And Ratazzi likes the recollections of good times spent with friends.

“Afterwards [doing something sponta-neous with friends] makes you feel special, plus you have good memories to talk about later. I mean, what memories come from just going to the movies?” Ritazzi said.

Young dislikes normal routines.“It’s too boring to be normal. There’s

nothing exciting about going to the mall, and if I wanted to go to the movies I’d go to my work [at the Crown Theatre.] People keep on doing the same thing over and over and keep on complaining they’re bored. Wake up, go to school, go home, go to sleep, repeat. I don’t want my life to be like the instructions on the back of a sham-poo bottle,” Young said.

Gaoat recommends using creativity,

such as redecorating clothes and making accessories. Seitzinger believes that travel-ing is a good way to spend time and have interesting experiences.

“Go on a road trip. Live your life. Don’t waste your time sitting around in the house.” Seitzinger said.

, Ratazzi believes that if teens were more creative with their time, they’d be happier. She suggests to push out the nor-mal and embrace the weird.

“Disregard whatever comes to mind first and do something completely out of the ordinary instead,” Ritazzi said.

These “black sheep” make it clear that, for their life style, yawning is not an option and uniformity isn’t on their “to do” list. That while, sure one can go with the usual, spontaneity makes much more entertain-ing memories.

I don’t want my life to be like the instructions on

the back of a shampoo bottle.

juniorAshley Young

“

“

photo by GeorGia otte

November 24, 2008 Feature 9

Hi-tech educational reformWith ever increasing technological abilities, learning

online is now a growing trend. Taking online classes is an option for those looking for extra help in classes as well as personal growth.

Online classes are self-dictated and monitored by an overall venue. Depending on the program, work is either mailed or emailed in and is graded appropriately. Midterms and finals are taken, just as in a normal class.

There are variations of courses offered by different schools. Crown Point High School supports the Indiana University High School program, which meets the requirements of education in Indiana. With IU High School, the courses are self-paced though they must be completed within a year.

Other venues that offer online courses are the American School Correspondence program and Brigham Young University.

“I took an online class through Brigham Young University the summer before my freshman year. I took the Geometry Honors course that wasn’t technically an online class, but was part of BYU’s independent study program,” sophomore Carmen Siew said.

In the BYU program, materials are mailed to students the day they register. Once their course assignments are completed, they are submitted and then the student takes a final exam with a certified proctor in the area.

“Exams were proctored by Mr. Jim Hardman at the Central Office. Usually the time frame for completing a course is one year but extensions may be purchased. I personally wanted to complete the course before summer had ended,” Siew said.

While students like Siew take courses for something to do over the summer, other students take the classes for different reasons.

“Students will take a class to improve their grade or retake a class they got a C or D in. If they weren’t successful in a traditional classroom, maybe they will be more successful in non-traditional,” guidance counselor Brenda Wolski said.

There are a few prerequisites for taking an online course. For example, if the class is being taken through the IU High School program, a PC or Macintosh computer is needed as well as Internet access. Email, an up-to-date Web browser, and Microsoft Office Suite are also necessary.

As well as technical requirements, there are mental assets that Siew and Wolski believe are beneficial to taking an online course.

“I personally believe that anyone who has any inclination to participating in an independent study program is perfectly able. However, certain traits that can be helpful to students in these types of programs include self-motivation, parental and technical support, and time management skills,” Siew said.

Students must be self-directed, and able to work on their own, according to Wolski. Also, if they need extra help they need to be able to seek a teacher for guidance.

Prices for courses range depending on the program. For Indiana High School, classes range from $130-$145. To see prices for each course, students can go to scs.indiana.edu for Indiana University High School, elearn.byu.edu for Brigham Young University Independent Study, and americanschoolofcorr.com for the American School Correspondence Program.

“Overall, I think that taking this independent study class helped improve my independence as well as my math skills,” Siew said.

By Lauren Cain / advertising assistant

In order to expand opportunities for students, many online courses are now available. Students can retake classes online to earn a better grade than the grade they earned in the traditional classroom setting.

Students utilize online courses, learn outside traditional classroom

Wha

t can

you

take

? Where can you take them?Indiana University High School program-offers Health course that meets graduation requirements along with AP classes in chemistry and literature and 53 other regular courses. http://iuhighschool.iu.edu

American School Correspondence-offers more than 65 different courses including several trades, like carpentry and basic drafting. www.americanschoolofcorr.com

Brigham Young University-offers more than 100 courses in every-thing from AP biology to Alaskan history. http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/

(all numbers from Indiana University’s online course list)

PHOTO BY GEORGIA OTTE

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt10 November 24, 2008

TwilightBy Nikki Sekuloski / reporter

As an avid (and okay, maybe a little obsessed) fan of Twilight for nearly three years now, when I heard the news that the book was going to be turned into a movie, I immediately started mark-ing off my calendar for its release date. Since June, I have been anxiously awaiting Twilight to bring all of my favorite characters that had previously only been in my head to the silver screen. For those of you who are still in the dark about Twilight (and there can’t be many of you still out there), let me enlighten you.

Twilight is the first of four books in the New York Times number one best-selling saga written by Stephenie Meyer. It follows Bella Swan, a clumsy girl who moves to the rainy town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. There she meets Edward and the rest of the Cullen family. Twilight

follows their whirlwind romance, reminiscent of that of Romeo and Juliet. The catch: her

darling Edward is a vampire, which causes some problems as every time he wants to kiss her, he also fights the urge to kill her and drink her blood. Not exactly a typical teen romance.

Robert Pattinson (of the Harry Potter films fame) plays Edward. At first, I was dismayed and furious at their choice, along with the majority of the cult-like follow-ing of the series. To give an example of how enthusiastic this fan-base is: when I showed up for the 12:01 AM showing of Twilight at 10:30 PM, there were already at least 50 people in the theater. The only other movie that I have seen this happen for is Harry Potter, which Twilight has often been compared to.

It’s a reasonable comparison to make, and many people have even called it ‘the next Harry Potter.’ Many fans anticipated the ‘battle for the box office’ when Twilight’s first release date was an-nounced, previously Dec. 12, a mere two weeks after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was supposed to release. However, HP ‘s release date was prolonged until this summer, allowing Twilight to bump up its release date to the one HP previously held. Add-ing to this comparison, Pattinson, one of Twilight’s main charac-ters, played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Pattinson’s co-star in this film, Kristen Stewart, plays Bella. It’s easy to see why director Catherine Hardwicke chose Pattin-

son and Stewart as her two leads: the chemistry between them is undeniable. During the movie, I was thoroughly impressed with Stewart’s portrayal of Bella. While I had always pictured myself as Bella (as many other female readers likely have at one point or another), Stewart showed a believable and accurate representa-tion of Bella.

Pattinson, on the other hand, may have bitten off a little more than he could chew through this role. At certain points through-out the film, I thought that he was dead on, nailing the emotions that were in the novel to a T. But at other times, his acting was

horrible, even laughable, and left me dis-appointed. Here was my Edward, the fic-tional character I had built up in my head, portrayed on the screen, and instead of finding myself falling in love with him, as in the books, I was finding myself laughing at some of his horrid acting skills.

For me, Twilight is a mixed review. As a loyal and devoted fan, it breaks my heart to see my favorite book be badly portrayed on screen. True, some scenes were per-fectly portrayed and delivered, but those scenes where I found myself horrified at the gruesome misrepresentation of the book broke my heart.

The film does represent the book in content; nearly every major scene in the book made its way into the movie. However, the film does a poor job of evok-ing the same emotions and depicting the same intensity through the film as was in the book. In the movie, it seemed as if the makers were going for the quantity of the scenes and not necessarily quality.

It’s expected that the movie will not be as good as the book. To me, nothing can ever compare to the book. The movie did a mostly good job of getting the main idea

across, and with the exception of a few scenes, was a good film.If you haven’t read the book, though, I would not suggest

seeing this movie. For those viewers who look to be entertained without having previously read the book, you will probably find yourself confused and underwhelmed with the film. Readers will appreciate the inclusion of most of their favorite scenes, but may also be disappointed with the lack-luster acting from Pattinson.

Bottom line, readers: do not expect to be blown out of your seats after seeing Twilight. Still, you can expect to see a decently made film that often stays true to the book, and possibly a laugh at the expense of Robert Pattinson’s acting.

“I hope the movie will be as good as the book” is a sentiment that can be commonly heard from any devoted fan of a book. With book-based movies, like Twilight, coming out this month, talk about books being made into movies seems to be a major subject of conversations for book and movie fans alike.

Senior Jessica Smith feels that making books into movies can be a good idea in general.

“I think it’s a good idea, unless it changes my picture entirely of the book. It also depends on whether suitable actors are chosen for the parts and if scenes are in chronological order,” Smith said.

While, she feels that books allow the author to portray their idea better. She believes that not all movies have the correct dialogue from the books and the scenes are not always the same. Smith feels that in order to get the author’s idea across in the movies the “dialogue and scenes have to be accurately portrayed.”

However, she considers the movies based off J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books to be more enjoyable. She feels that it was easier to follow the movies than the books.

“There’s a lot of difficult terms in the books and scenes seemed liked they dragged on more in the book than the movie,” Smith said.

Like Smith, sophomore Ethan Gresham believes that it is only okay to make movies based on books as long as the movies follow the book’s story line. He said that to make the movie truly good, the author needs to have major involvement in the making of the movies.

“Since they are the ones who wrote the books, they should put their ideas in the movie,” Gresham said.

Unlike Gresham, media specialist Janna Carney feels that the author should not have involvement in the movies. She believes that the author needs to hand everything over to the director.

“The author has to let go and let the director do their job. I imagine it would be very painful for an author to watch her vision altered so drastically, but the director knows better than the author what will and won’t work on screen,” Carney said.

In the same way, she feels that some books can not be accurately portrayed in movies, even though a well-known director or celebrity may be involved.

“I was particularly disappointed in Oprah’s movie version of Toni Morrison’s book Beloved. It just isn’t a book that can be translated on film,” she said.

Like Carney, fine arts department chair Kit Degenhart feels that some ideas come across better in books than movies.

“With the Harry Potter books, I truly enjoyed the movies thus far, but I am frustrated with the accuracy, or lack of accuracy in the movies. Often, large sections are left out in regards to the time restrictions,” Degenhart said.

Whatever people’s thoughts about book-based movies may be, people seem to be drawn to both forms of entertainment, due to the fact that popular series, like the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, hit the top of the charts for both the books and the movies.

Reel ReadsBook-based movies becoming popular

Showtimes for Kerasotes

Showplace 12, Merrillville

Tuesday, Nov. 2412:30 p.m.

1 p.m.3:30 p.m.

4 p.m.6:30 p.m.

7 p.m.9:30 p.m.10 p.m.

takes a bite out of the silver screen

By Brittany Curtis / feature editor

photo by brittany Curtis

Junior Hannah Gurney takes her ticket at the midnight showing of Twilight. The premiere of the film adaptation of the hugely popular novel was sold out, with more than 50 people already in the theater an hour before the show began.

Review

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt 11November 24, 2008

InformatIon compIled by InklIngs edItors

a few of our

favorite things

What’s Your Deal?

ApplebeesTwo Meals for $20

Customer chooses two entrees out of nine options and one

appetizer out of four options for $20.

KFCFully Loaded Box Meal

Customers receives a Snacker, a biscuit, a chicken drumstick

or thigh, two home-style sides, two Original Recipe chicken strips, and a 32 oz drink for

$7.99.

Arby’sExtra Value Combo Meal

Deal includes a sandwich, potatoes of the customer’s

choice, and a medium drink for $3.99.

SonicBrown Bag Special

Two burgers, two regular tater tots or french fries, and two

medium soft drinks included for $6.99.

Panera BreadYou Pick Two

Customer can pick two items of the following for $5.40:

a cup of soup, half of a sand-wich, and half of a salad.

SubwayFive Dollar Footlong

A deal that became permanent at Subway where customers

choose from a menu of Subway’s popular sandwiches and receive it in footlong size

for $5.

Delicious deals satisfy customers

With the current state of our economy being unpredictable at best, people are looking for new ways to save money, par-ticularly when it comes to eating out. Fast food places and formal restaurants alike are contributing to this money-conscious movement.

If you are looking for a way to enjoy a satisfying, money-conserving meal and to have someone to share it with, then Ap-plebee’s is the perfect place.

Applebee’s new deal, two meals for $20, is only slightly misleading, and not in a negative way. Customers do not just get two meals, but they also get an appetizer. The customers are able to choose between nine entrees dishes as their meals and four appetizers.

The prospect of a slimmer selection is somewhat disappointing, but the quality of the options given is not. The three cheese chicken penne pasta is a recommendation by one of the restaurant’s waiters, a man named Mickey. As for the appetizer, the spinach and artichoke dip is a savory op-tion that can satisfy a customer even if they are wary about spinach.

Unlike some dinners that leave the con-

sumer wanting more, the Applebee’s meals and appetizer leave the consumer with a fulfilled-but-not-bloated feeling. The deal is for a person who wants to have a lengthy dinner with company, not a snack, so be sure to set aside a good amount of time for eating. The service is swift as well, mak-ing the experience an all-around enjoyable one.

As for the deal part of the dinner, it is a fair one. According to a BusinessWeek arti-cle by Robert Baker, an average Applebee’s meal costs $10.50. If the deal did not exist, our meal at Applebee’s would have cost about $28.10, and that’s without consider-ing a tip (that the customer simply must leave for the good service). With all that money saved, taking advantage of this op-portunity is a must, especially with Ameri-cans everywhere checking their spending.

The deal is designed for two people, according to Applebee’s waiter Mickey. It is easy to grab a friend, family member, or relationship partner and spend the evening partaking in a cheap meal. Mickey also said that the deal was implemented around the end of October, so get in on the deal while it lasts. A spending-wary student cannot miss out on this financially-beneficial event.

In addition to the deal offered at Ap-plebee’s, other restaurants are giving cus-tomers easier ways to keep money. For ex-

ample, Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Original Recipe Fully Loaded Box Meal is $7.99. The meal comes with a KFC Snacker, a biscuit, a chicken drumstick or thigh, two home-style sides, two Original Recipe chicken strips, and a 32 oz drink. The box’s large size can be intimidating, but given the right level of hunger, a customer should be able to eat it without feeling too full. Splitting the cost and food with another person is also a good idea when low on money or when not feeling extremely hungry.

Another restaurant that is using Amer-ica’s current money-conscious attitude to its advantage is Arby’s. Arby’s offers an Extra Value Combo Meal for $3.99. The meal in-cludes a sandwich, potatoes of the custom-er’s choice, and a medium drink. It may not seem like much compared to KFC’s deal, but for its cheap price, it is worth the mon-ey. When hungry for a quick meal, Arby’s combo meal is certainly convenient.

With food vendors taking notice of the struggling economy, students can seize the opportunities that are now being presented to them. Some saved dollars can go a long way, and continually participating in these deals will build a large sum of conserved cash. Whether needing a speedy dinner or a tasty formal meal, the student now has plenty of options from which to benefit fi-nancially.

Restaurants offer cheaper ways to dine

That the newest in-stallment of the nearly 50-year old James Bond franchise is a commer-cial hit could hardly have surprised anyone, though the style of Quantum of Solace might. Jerky camera movements during the many chase sequences are more reminiscent of one of the Bourne movies than a traditionally sophisticated Bond film with the likes of Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan. Yet Daniel Craig’s interpretation of the English superspy does not disappoint. If anything, he is the one Bond who has brought the franchise out of an era of campy premises and chauvenistic lines and into a new millenium where real terrorists, like Quantum’s Dominic Greene (Ma-thieu Almaric) threaten the world with real-world problems, like ransoming water rights in Bolivia.

DaviD archuleta

Ever since David Archuleta was the runner-up on American Idol’s seventh season, his powerful vocals have entranced millions of girls (and a fair number of guys, too) across the

country. With his newly-released self-titled debut album David Archuleta, he delivers songs that seem to come from the bottom of the Idol-child’s heart.

Quantum of Solace

By Becca Duggan and Matt Smith / entertainment editor and staff reporter

photo by becca duggan

Reporter Matt Smith accepts his main meal at Applebee’s. Customers are able to purchase two meals and an appetizer as part of the ‘Two for $20” deal.

BlackBerry Storm

The highly-anticipated Black-Berry Storm was released this month, much to the delight of BlackBerry fans. The cell phone is Research in Motion’s first touch-screen phone, and it is expected to com-pete with the iPhone when it comes to sales. The price will be about $200 with a two-year contract, similar to the iPhone. The 3.2 mega-pixel camera alone,with its video capabilities, autofocus, and flash, is enough to make customers swarm to purchase the Storm. Its other features, such as the ‘clickable’ screen and Verizon network, will make it a worthy rival for the iPhone.

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt12 November 24, 2008

A long time ago (and by a long time ago, I mean about seven years ago), entertain-

ing ourselves was easy. If there was a new movie out, we went to

see it. If there was a new CD out, we listened to it. Our pleasures were simple, though we seemed happy enough. Now, however, with new tech-savvy toys appearing on the market every day, it seems that we have nurtured a desire to be enter-tained all the time, a trend that can hardly prove good in the long run.

We have entered a new era. The B.i. (before iPod) years are well over. Ever since Apple debuted that technologically brilliant and infinitely fun invention in 2001, society plugged in, never again to be satisfied. The original iPod gave way to a model with double the memory in less than two years, which gave way to a another about eight months after that. Now the iPhone lets con-sumers go online and play games from a device even smaller than its lowly ancestors.

Still, there are indications that the iPod revolution started some-thing scary. With the advent of novelties like a prototype mirror that allows users to play games on it with their fingers while they get ready in the morning, it appears as though society has developed a case of ADD. At any given moment we feel like we must be entertained. Has this all really made us happier?

Technology for the sake of tech-nology has become the mantra of the new millennium. While that often creates products that make our lives easier, we’re not always better off.

I like my iPod as much as the next person. Going back to the B.i. years is neither possible nor desir-able. Yet with each advance and fun new gadget on the market, perhaps we would be safer in the long run if we re-learned to appreciate a thought-provoking film, instead of playing Tetris on our mirrors.

my viewExpecting technology to constantly entertain hurts in the long run

By Megan Binder / editor-in-chief

Students turn towards technology for fun

I can play betterStylish electronic guitars aimed for female gamers

Face it, teens these days would find it hard to survive very long without use of technology. Whether it’s a drama queen texting an “OMG” during history class, or a student jamming out to Weezer on his iPod, technology has earned itself a place in the lives of millions of teenagers.

It’s hard to not experience some form of technology during a regular school day. It could be said that the dependence and need for technology that teens have ac-quired has become a revolution of sorts. A tech revolution.

Some even say that the scene today is different than say, a little less than ten years ago.

This is the story for Alan Phillips, a former techie that built Xboxes from 2001 to 2003 before becoming a youth pastor at Crown Point’s Hillside Community Church in 2008.

“When I first started, the Xbox itself

wasn’t really that popular but just talking to kids now it seems that everyone has a new Xbox 360 or a PS2 or something. You could definitely say that things have changed. In my youth group it’s hard to even talk to the kids without seeing their face look down for a text message,” he said.

According to a PEW Internet & Ameri-can Life Project assembled in 2006, 84 per-cent of all teenagers report having at least two media devices, either a laptop comput-er, a cell phone, or MP3 player. This report is a 27 percent increase from the year 2000.

And in today’s culture, where things keep getting faster, and technology contin-ues growing more advanced, the depen-dency that teenagers have on technology itself is expanding. As time passes, some have begun to think that technology is nec-essary to survive in today’s speedy society.

“I really don’t know where I’d be with-out my phone. People actually tell me that it has become a problem when they’re trying to talk to me because I’m texting,”

sophomore Christa Hendrickson said. Although it’s hard for some to imagine

what life would be like without technology, some agree that new technology and its ad-vancements is actually hurting humanity. In a world where you can talk to someone with a click of a button, or communicate with a person thousands of miles away, such progress may not seem very threaten-ing. Think again.

That new iPhone may look really great, but it may also be an underestimated con-cern to health.

New phones such as the iPhone, along with the texting services they offer, are growing into a serious hazard for teens. A study held by ABC News in October 2008 showed that teens are texting at rates that ride the line on addiction - some sending thousands of messages a month.

Most alarmingly, however, is in the same survey a full 46 percent of 16 to 17-year-old teens admitted to texting while be-hind the wheel, a dangerous practice that

distracts already inexperienced motorists. In 2007 five 17- and 18- year- old girls were killed in a car crash in upstate New York that was a result of the driver trying to text and drive.

But problems don’t solely lie with ad-vancing cell phone technology. MP3 players have also taken a spot at the list of current health problems facing our generation.

“There are hair-like nerves that are lined up inside a fluid-filled compartment of the ear. They can be shaken to death by noise they were not designed to handle,” school nurse Carrie Ready said.

Noise coming from such things as a loud MP3 player can do just that, and in-evitably cause some hearing loss.

Despite many of the problems associ-ated with it, teenagers have grown accus-tomed to technology, as it has become es-sential to have in culture today.

“I don’t think I could live without it [technology]”, freshman Michelle Abbedu-to said.

By Jeff Tompkins / staff reporter

“Our industry data from NPD Market Research shows that female gamers make up 40 percent of the overall video game market. We found that these numbers were even higher with regards to Rock Band and Gui-tar Hero. Nearly half of all Gui-tar Hero and Rock Band players were female,” Vice President of Marketing John Moore said.

Each guitar was de-signed by Hollywood Re-cords recording artists Aly & AJ Michalka. The platinum re-cording artists have released a total of three CDs. Current-ly they are working on their fourth CD which is expected to release this summer. The duo, more commonly known as Aly & AJ, will also star in two upcoming summer movies. AJ will star as Clarissa in the film adaptation of the popular book The Lovely Bones alongside actor Mark Wahl-berg, while Aly will play the role of Char-lotte in the movie Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens.

According to Moore, PDP looked at a variety of artists before choosing Aly & AJ. He said what attracted them to Aly & AJ was their diversity.

“[Aly & AJ] sell millions of albums, but they are also very skilled musicians that write most of their own music. They are

willing to do anything to help promote the guitars and make this product successful for them. Most importantly, they love the idea that this may pull more young girls to music,” Moore said.

When it came to designing the gui-tars, Moore said they developed a number of designs with Aly & AJ. PDP tested the guitars appeal by color, design, fret design, and shape.

“The results showed us that there was a demand for two different guitars,” Moore said.

Aly designed a heart and crossbones

guitar with a light pink tint. AJ created a dark pink heart-shaped guitar with a zebra print design. Each of the guitars are com-patible with either the Playstation 2 or Wii gaming systems.

Junior Reesie James said she thinks that it’s great that PDP is releasing guitars for girls.

“Mostly Guitar Hero is targeted for males with [designs such as] skulls and flames. Maybe [the new guitars] could encourage girls to play the game,” James said.

As the holiday season approaches, Moore said that PDP anticipates this holi-day to be a good test year.

“The guitars are in limited supply for both Rock Band and Guitar Hero for the Playstation 2 and Wii. We will evaluate these results and make our plans [to re-

lease guitars] for the Xbox 360 and Play-station 3 for 2009,” Moore said.

The retail price for each guitar runs for $49.99.

They are a va i l a b l e for pur-chase at any GameStop or EB G a m e s store and online at www.pdp.

c o m / a l y -andaj.

By Michele Bates / news editor

anything you can play,

Retail price: $49.99

Available in store at: GameStop, EB Games

Find out more at: www.pdp.com/alyandaj

Ever since Guitar Hero and Rock Band were released, the games have become popular with both males and females. As the girl fan base continues to grow, Performance Designed Products (PDP) recently un-veiled two new Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars for female gamers.

how to rock out

SportS 13November 24, 2008

The cheerleaders have roused the crowd and put spirit into everyone during football and basketball games. Now the girls are headed down to Texas for their biggest challenge yet—national champi-onships.

“It is an honor to be chosen to com-pete,” head coach Jessica Poulton said. “We qualified during our summer camp.”

The team has been working hard so far this year to do well at nationals. They finished 4th in the 2006-2007 season and are hoping for an even better finish this year. They have much to do if they wish to achieve their goal.

“We have to practice from three to seven on Mondays and Wednesdays,” ju-nior Hannah Gurney said. “We also have to weightlift, condition on Saturdays, and work with a choreographer.”

Poulton believes that the team will have a successful run at nationals.

“We have a high goal of achieving fourth place or better,” Poulton said.

In competing for a national champi-onship, the cheerleaders must take part in various events. On the first day of com-petition, the cheerleaders compete in pre-liminaries to determine if they will get to compete on the next day. If they make it through the preliminary round, they will compete one more time at the finals.

“We just have to keep working on our routine to perfect it to have success at na-tionals,” Poulton said.

The cheerleaders got a little help ac-tually getting to the championships, how-ever. Crown Point Mayor David Uran pre-sented a $2,500 check to the cheerleaders for their help within the community. They assembled more than 500 65-gallon recy-cling bins for the city.

When trophies and other awards are not on the line, the cheerleaders are root-ing on the boys’ football as well as both the boys and girls basketball teams. They have the all-important job of keeping the crowd in the game, no matter what the score.

The girls have dozens of cheers they must memorize to shake up the fans when-

ever the teams are struggling.“We have so many cheers to memo-

rize,” Gurney said. “There are defense, of-fense, spirit, and stunting cheers.”

Poulton doesn’t really consider the time when the cheerleaders aren’t in na-tional competition to be “downtime.”

“We really don’t have a non-competi-tion time,” Poulton said. “Our season goes from late April until March of the next year.”

As in any sport, there is the possibility of a setback or two. The girls have been trying to work around a recent injury to a teammate.

“We had a girl [junior Brianna Starzak] injure her hand,” Gurney said. “We’ve had to work harder to change parts of the cheers now since we are missing a girl.”

The girls learn all of their cheers as well as other moves during practice. Af-ter stretching, they work on improving at their four types of cheers. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it all goes towards a potentially impressive showing at the na-tional competition.

Swim teams fight adversity

Cheerleaders travel to national competition

By Hunter McKee / assistant sports editor

By Colin Likas / reporter

With pool out of commission, Bulldogs resort to alternative practice locales

After four years in a Crown Point Bulldog uniform, and several trips to the east coast on recruit-ing visits to schools such as North Carolina, Cornell, and Penn, senior Marcus Shrerwsbury has commit-ted to wrestle for the Northwestern Wildcats.

“It’s a good school, it’s closer to home, and I could just see myself there for four or five years,” Shrews-bury said.

Shrewsbury, also the quarterback of the football team, joins a Wildcat wrestling team that was 3-5 in the Big Ten Conference last season for an eighth place finish, and that has had one NCAA champion.

At the academically prestigious school, Shrewsbury, who was recent-ly ranked number one in the state of Indiana by the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association in the 189 pound weight class, is 105-20 in his career.

Shrewsbury plans on studying pre-law at Northwestern next fall. For the wrestling aspect, he expects to redshirt a year and to wrestle at the 197 pound weight class as a red-shirt freshman.

Also recently making a commit-ment to a college is senior Nick Col-onna. He also had several offers to continue his football career, includ-ing offers from Wabash, Depauw, Northern Ohio, and Lakeland.

Colonna, the only senior on the football team’s offensive line this year, committed to another aca-demically prestigious school in Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.

“The campus atmosphere wasn’t like a normal college,” Colonna said, “And it’s strictly a technology school.”

The division III football team competes in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and finished second in the conference this season with a 7-3 record.

Colonna plans on majoring in computer engineering while playing for the Engineer’s football team next season.

By Trey Aultman / sports editor

Junior Till Hubl swims the butterfly stroke during practice at the Southlake YMCA. The swim teams are temporarily using pools at Merrillville High School and the Southlake YMCA, because of filtration issues with the CPHS pool.

“You have to have a foundation before you can build a wall, and you have to have a wall before you can put on the roof for a great championship season.”

This is the philosophy of head boys swim coach Doug Norris.

“Athletic success is a step-by-step pro-cess,” Norris said.

However, the preparation for this championship season has been limited due to the filtration system in the high school’s pool breaking down.

“The filtration system breaking down was meant to be so we can focus on our strength training, so it will definitely help us in the future,” Norris said.

After placing tenth in the state meet last February the Bulldogs look to build and continue their success throughout this season.

Senior captains Matt Kukurugya and Brendon Morin are already looking three months ahead to the state meet.

“I’m looking forward to the state meet, because the state meet is two things, it marks the end of the season and it is when you swim your fastest time,” Morin said.

“We lost a lot of valuable seniors last year, however I believe we should still place tenth or higher in the state meet,”

Kukurugya said.The Bulldogs open up their season at

Chesterton. The Trojans are the reigning state champions. A strong part of the Tro-jans success has come from junior Kyle Whitaker. Whitaker qualified for last sum-mers olympic trials.

“I am looking forward to Chesterton because we have been doing a lot of plyo-metric training and I want to see what this training will do,” Norris said. “Plus it is against the state champions, so that will put the pressure on everyone for the first meet. I think it will make us achieve more early.”

Nine miles north from the high school is the girls swim team practicing at Mer-rillville High School’s pool.

“It was nice for Merrillville to let us swim at their pool,” assistant girls head coach Bryan Trippeer said. “However, it has been an adjustment because we don’t start practice until 5 p.m. and we are not finished until 7:30 p.m.; the girls have ad-justed well, they have not complained, and they have worked really hard.”

Last season the girls went undefeated and won their sectional, but they were un-able to carry their momentum to the state meet where they placed twenty-seventh.

However, this year the girls are poised for the regular season, and look for a repeat

of an undefeated season and another sec-tional championship.

“We are practicing very hard to work for an undefeated season this year,” Smith said.

Like the boys, the girls are taking their meets one at a time.

“We are taking it step-by-step this year. First, we are going to focus on Munster, then Chesterton, and so on so forth,” Smith said.

“Our number one goal is to win anoth-er sectional championship, our second goal is to win conference,and our third is to go undefeated,” Trippeer said.

Unfortunately, the girls have been de-layed in reaching their goals.

“We have some injuries this year, so we want our younger girls to step up,” Trip-peer said.

The girls opened up at Munster on Nov. 22. The results of this meet were unavailable at press time. Tomorrow the girls will have their home opener against Michigan City. Then it is off to Chesterton on Dec. 2.

Chesterton again looks to be a tough opponent for the Lady Bulldogs.

“They [Chesterton] have good swim-mers, good underclassmen swimmers, and they have always been our toughest com-petitors,” Smith said.

Sophomore Evie Turner is lifted by her teammates at a basketball game.

Photo by trey AultmAn

Photo byJoe neJmAn

Two athletes commit to colleges for next year

SportS14 November 24, 2008

Girls basketball starts season off strongLady Bulldogs return many players after only graduating one senior

The Crown Point girls basketball team finished last season with a record of 6-15. Behind only one senior, the Lady Bulldogs struggled in late-game play.

“Every game came down to a time where we could have won or lost,” head coach Scott Reid said.

The team hopes that with more experience they can advance farther into the post season than last years’ 45-38 loss at the hands of LaPorte in the opening game of sectionals.

“They [the seniors] have experience and are blending with the sophomores,” Reid said.

One of the seniors that is a returning starter is senior Daniela Tarailo. Tarailo was named to the 2008 Times All-Area team. Also, she was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder from last year’s team.

“We look for big things from her,” Reid said.Along with the leadership aspect of the sport there

is the actual playing of games. The team feels they have made some improvements.

“I think we have improved on a lot of things,” sopho-more Kelly Gross said, “All of them together is really go-ing to help us this season.”

To start off the 2008-2009 campaign for the Lady Bull-dogs, the girls played two games at home on back-to-back nights.

On Nov. 14, the girls faced off against the Hebron Hawks. In the game, Tarailo lead the team with 17 points and eight rebounds, senior Maegen Maloney added 13, nine of which came on three-pointers, and Gross had 12 points to go along with six steals. Also, senior Clare Grub-nich and sophomores Alle Geisen and Zarah Cecich all added two points a piece. The lady bulldogs were victori-ous by a final score of 56-38.

On the following night, the team took the court against the Kankakee Valley Cougars. In the game, the Bulldogs were led by Tarailo, who led the team again in points, with 19, and rebounds with eight.

Other contributors to the game were senior Flori Gar-cia-Vicente with eight points, Gross with seven points, senior Sydnee Reeves added six, and Geisen and Cecich both put up four points. Along with one point, sophomore Madeline Moore led the team with three assists. The Lady Bulldogs also won this contest by a final score of 53-41.

“We came out good. We hope to keep the momentum going,” said Tarailo, “We’re taking a step up every day, not just games, but at practice.”

Despite the strong start, the following weekend is tra-ditionally tougher for the Lady Bulldogs. This past Friday night, the girls faced off against Duneland Athletic Con-ference opponent Portage, in a game that the Bulldogs lost

last season by a score of 48-39. Also this past weekend, the Lady Bulldogs went up against Warsaw Community High School, a game that the girls also lost last year by a score of 48-41. The finals of this years’ competitions were unavailable as of press time.

The Lady Bulldogs re-open conference play in a game against the Chesterton Trojans on Friday, Nov.28. They also take part in the Varsity double-header on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. at Hanover Central High School with the boys game to follow.

“In the summer, we all worked really hard,” Tarailo said, “And I’m looking for all that hard work to pay off.”

Senior Maegen Maloney looks to pass in a game against Kankakee Valley last weekend. The Lady Bulldogs started out the season 2-0 with wins against Hebron and Kankakee Valley.

Photo by trey AultmAn

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Duneland Athletic Conference Standings as of Nov. 20, 2008

Team Crown Point MerrillvillePortage Chesterton Michigan City Lake Central Valparaiso LaPorte

Record2-02-02-01-01-01-21-20-2

By Trey Aultman and Vinnie Needham /sports editor and reporter

SportS 15November 24, 2008

take 5 with TREY Bulldog basketball looks to repeat success

The chilling cold weather. The smell of popcorn. The squeaky sound of gym shoes skidding across the court. You know what time it is: it is basketball sea-son.

The Bulldogs will hold their home opener on Friday Dec. 5 against LaPorte at 6 pm. Like many others, coach Clint Swan is excited about the start of the 2008-09 season, and encourages students and fans to support the Bulldogs.

“I think a big key this year is fan support,” Swan said. “We need a good student block to generate lots of excite-ment.”

Although the Bulldogs made it to regionals last year, they suffered from a few disappointing home losses.

”Having the gym loud and every-body cheering for us is a big factor that can help us win at home,” senior Mike Lipton said.

Lipton, a returning senior, averaged a good amount of playing time as a junior and looks to be a key player this season.

“Last year, playing at home felt like we were away because our fan base wasn’t so great,” senior Nikola Pusara said.

Pusara is also one of the returning se-niors who has played under Coach Swan for the past three years.

The Bulldogs ended their enthusias-tic 2007-08 season at regionals. Last year’s squad consisted of eight seniors, includ-ing Northwest Indiana Times’ All-Area Team member Stephen Albrecht who av-eraged 17.9 points ,3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Albrecht belonged to a group of eight seniors who played together all through their careers beginning with grade school AAU. This group, consisting of Albrecht, Zach Cecich, Kyle Hanaway, Ben Derks, Aleks Alavanja, Jacob Burkholder, Der-rick Garletts and Billy Cox took the Bull-dogs to their first sectional championship in 10 years.

Swan, now in his third year coaching

at Crown Point, has six returning seniors-from last year’s team. Also, a seventh se-nior has joined the team for this season.

“I think they can look at [last year’s] group and see what can be done,” Swan said. “It’s hard to make long term goals, but we have to be able to stop people at the defensive end and also rebound.”

Even though eight seniors gradu-ated from last year, this year’s players are looking to accomplish the same goals this year.

“Everybody thinks of [last year’s team] as the successful group. We want to be thought of as the class of ’09, not the

class of ’08,” Pusara said. The Bulldogs team chemistry, as of

yet, is unsure; however, this year’s group of athletes has been around the block.

“We want to do the same stuff as last year,” Lipton said. “We want to be in the top half of the DAC and win sectionals. We’ve all played together since we were young, but no one knows about us.”

As well as setting team goals, Lipton stated that as an individual he would like to make the all area team.

Coach Swan’s new team will play their first game at Hanover Central on Saturday Nov. 9.

Achievements

Cross Country

WrestlingQuick Hits-Senior Mike Lipton was named by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association (ISCA) first team for District One. Lipton was also named all- Duneland Athletic Conference(DAC) with teammates senior James Steriovski, and sophomore Daniel Relinski.

-Junior Sammy Vercellino was named by the ISCA first team for District One.Vercellino was also named an all-DAC ath-lete with teammates senior Flori Garcia-Vicente, senior Ashley Morfin, and senior Hannah Jaranowski.

-Sophomore Zarah Cecich was named to the DAC all-conference volleyball team. -Senior Daniela Tarailo was named as a Times preseason first team All-Area mem-ber.

The BCS system strikes down BSU

With an Indiana college fi-nally with an undefeated football

team, you would think that all Hoosiers would be up in arms about why there are so many

teams with losses ahead of them in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The BCS is a computer ranking system that has so many components to it that I cannot even begin to try and explain it. I know

it is news to some that there is an undefeated football team in Indiana with IU and Purdue both struggling, some people have forgotten about little old Ball State over in Muncie.

The Cardinals are undefeated this season and still going strong. However, Ball State is ranked number 17 by the BCS be-hind six teams with one loss, and six other teams that have two losses. I can hear you now, “Why is this Trey?”

Well, this is because of a little some-thing the people in the college football world call “strength of schedule.” Because the Cardinals play in a conference that is considered non-BCS, they may be on the outside looking in when it comes to one of the five major BCS bowls. It is predeter-mined that only one non-BCS conference team can play in any BCS bowl game. The bad thing for Ball State is that there are four non-BCS conference teams ahead of them in the standings (two of them have at least one loss).

If you didn’t understand any of that, I apologize; to put it simply, the Cardinals are getting gypped. Every year there is always at least one team who gets the shaft from the BCS computers, and this year is Ball State’s. Along with a team getting hosed, there is also speculation of a college football tournament. Every year the media tosses it out there and every year the committees in charge shoot down the idea.

In a pre-election interview with pres-ident-elect Barack Obama, the president-elect stated that if he could change one thing in sports it would be to instate the proposed tournament in college football. Even coaches Joe Paterno, from Penn State, and Pete Car-roll, from USC, do not like the BCS rankings how they are. However likely or unlikely this idea is, I think I am with a lot of people who want this tournament to happen.

College basketball has been doing it for years. I don’t think that football could pull it off with 64 teams; 24 would suffice. If the tournament were to be structured like the basketball one, there would be a few weeks added to the season, and television ratings would soar, just like the basketball ones do. I hope the people in charge see the positives sooner rather than later.

The Crown Point Bulldog wrestling team has high expectations going into this season. The Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association has ranked six Bulldogs in the top 15 of their respective weight classes in the pre-season rankings.

-Sophomore A.J. Roach was ranked first in the 130 pound weight class.

-Senior Marcus Shrewsbury was ranked first in the 189 pound weight class.

-Senior Mark Myers was ranked third in the 160 pound weight class.

-Junior Anthony Hawkins was ranked fourth in the 103 pound weight class.

-Junior Dallas Schurg was ranked ninth in the 112 pound weight class.

-Senior Josh Manes was ranked twelfth in the 125 pound weight class.

The Bulldogs opened up their season with the C.P. Invite on Nov. 22 at 9 a.m.Sophomore Laicee Pierce

The girls cross country team partici-pated in the state meet earlier this month. The team finished fifteenth overall out of twenty-four teams. At the meet sopho-more Laicee Pierce led the Lady Bull-dogs taking twenty-fifth place fol-lowed by senior Maggie Schwuchow who finished seventy-fifth overall, junior Morgan Kleinaman finished in

ninety-eighth place, junior Ksenia Pi-larski finished 109, sophomore Elizabeth Schrader finished 116, freshman Lauren McCarroll finished 119, and freshman

Madison Koch finished 123.Also at the state meet, senior Brian

Witt participated as an individual. Witt finished in eighty-third place out of 194

runners.

By Milan savich / reporter

By Trey Aultman / sports editor

After losing eight seniors to graduation, the boys try to get back to the regionals

Junior Scooter Jacobus dribbles down court against freshman Zak Bostian in practice. The basketball team was preparing for their preseason scrimmage against Munster, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. The results were unavailable as of press time.

Photo by GeorGia otte

Com

ing

Up 11.24.08

-Freshman Boys wrestling vs. Low-ell/Munster...6 p.m.

11.28.08- Girls Varsity/JV Basketball vs. Chesterton...6 p.m.

11.29.08-Freshman Boys Wrestling @ Mun-ster... 9 a.m.-Varsity/JV Boys Basketball @ Ha-nover Central...3:30 p.m.-Varsity/JV Girls Basketball @ Ha-nover Central... 2 p.m.

12.2.08-Varsity/JV Boys Swimming @ Chesterton...6 p.m.-Varsity/JV Girls Swimming @ Chesterton...6 p.m.-Varsity/JV Girls Basketball vs. Lowell...6 p.m.

12.3.08-Varsity/JV Boys Wrestling vs. Chesterton...6 p.m.

11.25.08-Freshman Boys Basketball @ LaPorte...6 p.m.-Freshman Girls Basketball @ LaPorte...6 p.m.-Varsity/JV Girls Swimming vs. Michigan City...6 p.m.

For more information on CPHS sporting events, visit www.High-SchoolSports.net.

12.1.08-Freshman Boys Basketball vs. Lake Central...6 p.m.-Freshman Boys Wrestling vs. Ha-nover/Lake Central...6 p.m.-Freshman Girls Basketball @ Lake Central...6 p.m.

Personalities16 November 24, 2008

Certified driving SChool865 MadiSon Street Crown Point, in 219-662-7733

(one bloCk weSt of broadway on the Corner of SuMMit and MadiSon)

•30 hours classroom plus 6 hours of driving(home pick-up for driving)

•The state of Indiana requires all Driver’s Education classroom and driving must be

completed in a maximum of 120 days!

•Student must be 15 years of age and show copy of birth certificate

•Fully licensed by the State of Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles and

Department of Education.

•All instructors are teachers certified in driver’s education.

CLASS OPTIONS:

Evening Classes: 3 Days a week for 5 weeks Monday & Wednesday 6 - 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to noon (New classes start every Monday)

2 Days a week for 7 1/2 weeks Tuesday & Thursday 6-8 p.m. Starting October 2 Ending November 20 October 30 December 18 November 25 January 29 January 6 Febuary 24 (No class November 27, December 23, December 25, December 30, and January 1)

Sunday Classes: 12 Sundays for 12 weeks Sunday 1 - 3:30 p.m. Starting October 19 Ending January 18 November 30 March 1 January 25 April 19 March 8 June 14 (No class December 21, December 28, April 12, May 10, and May 24)

Saturday & Sunday: Weekend only 1 - 3:30 p.m. Starting May 2 Ending June 14 (No classes May 10 and May 24)

*Possible time and date changes. Call for confirmation.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

By Kelly Rostin / staff reporter

What is your fondest high school memory?

Sophomore prom was pretty fantastic. I was lucky enough to go, and all the upperclassmen made the night great and memorable.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would love to go back to Switzerland, the weather was perfect. The people were so so nice and the views from the top of the mountains were beautiful.

Who are three people you would love to spend a day with?

Definitely Mrs. Vance. She is super funny. I pick her and her only.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?

Stress. It’s definitely a big issue and it’s pretty hor-rible.

What was your greatest accomplishment?

I’ve never missed a day of school, ever.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I have a wall in my bedroom entirely devoted to picture frames.

Holly ShefferseniorThe few, the proud

The few, the proud, the Marines. This slogan made famous by none other than the Marines, has become reality for senior Stephen Powers.

Powers has enlisted with the Marines and leaves for boot camp at Camp Penalton in San Diego, California on June 15. The boot camp will last for three months.

“I wanted to join the Marines so I could serve my country,” Powers said.

Powers got into the Marines simply through

curiosity and interest .“I was interested, so I

did some research online and signed up for more information about the

Marines from their website,” he said.

At first, Powers was a little apprehensive about actually learning more about the program.

“I had a recruiter call me a few times. I really didn’t give it much thought, though,” he said.

Powers had his doubts until a recruiter actually came to his house to talk to him about enlisting. The recruiter further sparked Powers’ interest with the Marines.

“He told me about P.T [physical training] on Thursdays and Saturdays, so

I showed up. After a couple more P.T’s I decided to join,” he said.

According to Powers,

the Marines have the highest standards of any other military branch.

“Marines are the hardest to get into. [The Marines] have the strictest physical requirements, and are the strictest on screening for future recruits. That‘s why the logo is ‘the few, the proud,’” he said.

One of many requirements to be accepted into the Marines includes a 13 week boot camp for the recruits and their rifles. Qualification for this boot camp is required to become accepted into the Marines.

“ We have to use our rifles on ranges that are farther than any other,” he said. “Every recruit must qualify for that or else they do not graduate the boot camp,” he added.

Also, Powers hopes to one day have a job in the law enforcement field, so for the first half of the school day, he goes to Lowell High School for a law enforcement class.

“The Military is a good door opener [for law enforcement jobs]. Plus, they pay for schooling,” he said.

Besides training for the military, Powers likes to hangout with his friends and family, dirt bike, and play basketball. He also participates in the school’s weightlifting program, and describes himself as motivated, outgoing, and caring.

“I would like to stay in the Marines until I’m a Sergeant [the highest enlisted rank in the military] or until I finish my schooling,” he said.

Senior Stephen Powers enlists, trains with Marines

Photo By Jeremy rex

Photo By Lauren Cain