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Volume 69, Issue 7
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From March 15th to
March 17th, the West Side
Robotics team will be
participating in their fi rst
competition of the year at
the Purdue Armory. The
team, consisting of ap-
proximately forty to fi fty
people, has been prepar-
ing for this competition all
year.
From January to Feb-
ruary they worked on the
robot for three to six hours
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Melissa’s
batons reach
new heightsPEOPLE, PAGE 8
SPORTS,
PAGE 3
The robot is ready
Science Olympiad wins regionals
Students learn to
master manners
BY ARTHI PURI
BY EMILY MACK
BY KATHRINE SCHULZE
daily. As soon as the game
is released at the begin-
ning of build season, the
team designs the robot and
decides what the best ap-
proach is to win.
For the next seven to
eight weeks, the team gets
down to work and actually
builds the robot.
From March to April,
they prepare for multiple
future competitions by
making adjustments and
upgrades to the robot.
Currently, since the build
season is over, they are
building a practice robot
which is identical to the
actual robot. This year, the
task of the robot is to be
able to shoot baskets and
push down a bridge.
The competition is in-
ternational and the world
championship has been
sponsored by many ce-
lebrities. “Will.I.Am is a
big sponsor, and last year
Morgan Freeman was ac-
tually commentating one
of our fi elds.” said Albert
Hwang, a sophomore who
helps with the wiring and
electronics. “This year
we actually have Barack
Obama, both Bushes and
Clinton coming to our
world championship com-
petition.” Sponsors rang-
ing from NASA to Ford
GEARING UP: Freshman Andrew Moser and Sophomore Jerry Sha examine the robot’s progress at a meeting in
Mr. Florence’s room.
Knowing which fork to use for the salad can
go a long way to success in college, while looking
for jobs, and beyond. Anthony Cawdron, house
manager and events coordinator for Westwood, the
residence of Purdue’s president, says that employ-
ers “are looking to see if you can multitask--if you
can handle a fork and a conversation.”
On Monday February 20th, around 50 juniors
and seniors arrived at Purdue’s Marriott Hall for
the fi rst annual etiquette dinner. Before it started,
many were less than excited for the coming event,
citing their parents as the only reason for attend-
ing.
The etiquette dinner was not a new idea, but one
that had been considered for the past few years by
the parent council. This year it was put into motion
when the parent council, who, according to council
member Nancy Gatmaitan, approached the Hotel
and Tourism Management department at Purdue.
The dinner was planned to coincide with a class in
the department as a project.
Before the actual dinner, students had to learn
how to properly conduct themselves in social and
dinner settings. And who better to teach etiquette
but an Englishman who had planned events for
two of the most stately homes in Britain?
According to RHEA: A Student Driven Learning
Source, in addition to being the events coordinator
at Westwood, Professor Anthony Cawdron also
teaches business etiquette and advanced service at
Purdue. Growing up in England, Cawdron traveled
throughout his childhood.
PLEASE AND THANK YOU: Seniors Wylie Gorup
and Adrienne Potts practice the skills they learned at
the dinner following Cawdron’s lecture in Purdue’s
Mariot Hall on February 20th.
PHOTO BY KATHRINE SCHULZE
On Saturday, Febru-
ary 25, eight teams from
seven schools across the
state (Park Tudor had two
teams) brought their all to
the Science Olympiad re-
gional competition. West
Side’s team of ten was
among one of the smallest
there, but took fi rst place
with 54 points and 10 out
of 23 fi rst place medals.
There were twenty-
three events, all of which
could be categorized in
the broad categories of
biology, chemistry, phys-
ics, earth science or tech-
nology. About two-thirds
of these events had some
type of hands-on or build-
ing component. Some of
the building projects had
to be built beforehand, like
the “Gravity Vehicle,” a
car run down a steep ramp
and set to stop at certain
points. Other events in-
“We each have to pull our weight as
part of a team in order to succeed.
That’s what makes it so rewarding.”
cluded chemistry labs,
analyzing rock samples,
forensic experiments and a
variety of what coach Mr.
von Werder referred to as
“pencil and paper type of
activities” requiring lots
of math and fact based
knowledge.
When asked how much
time the team spent pre-
paring, Mr. von Werder
chuckled. “We actually
didn’t meet very regularly
until recently,” he said.
Sophomore Phoebe Moh
explained that most of the
preparation is individual
work, like studying for the
- Lucy HanSenior
continued on page 2 continued on page 2
continued on page 2
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOILERINVASION.ORG
How do you spell
S-U-C-C-E-S-S?
Just ask Senior
Sameer Mishra.
Mrs. Mom: the pros
and cons of having a
parent at school
FEATURES, PAGE 4
PAGE 2 NewsWest Side
MARCH 7, 2012
BY NEHA RAMANI
Schools sever free speech
Prepare to dance till you drop
BY GRACE PALMIERI
Science olympiadcontinued from page 1
Students master the
art of manners
continued from page 1
Although dance mara-
thons have been going
on since the Jazz Age of
the Roaring ‘20s, this year
marks the fi rst time West
Side is hosting one of its
own. The West Lafayette
Dance Marathon will take
place throughout the high
school, in the gyms and
commons area, on March
31st from four to ten p.m.
The goal is to stay stand-
ing for the entire six hours.
Several activities will be
going on during the event
so that there will be things
to do for people who do
and don’t like to dance.
Last summer, Junior
Cailey Daluga originally
got the idea to have a dance
marathon at West Side
from her brother, who is
in charge of the mini mar-
athons happening at Pur-
due. She thought it would
be a great thing to do here
too, and that’s when the
planning began. “It’s been
stressful, but when you
do the events you realize
the impact you’re having
and see how much people
care,” said Cailey.
The executive board
of West Lafayette Dance
Marathon consists of
Cailey Daluga, Katie Sig-
urdson, Amber Harriger,
Katie Bittner, and Chase
Lewark, who are in charge
of fundraising before the
marathon, as well as at the
event itself. Some events
being organized for the
event include a dodge ball
tournament, speeches giv-
en by children who have
undergone treatment at
Riley Hospital talking
about their experience,
and a dance lesson taught
by members of the club.
“It’s good to do something around the
community that profi ts families here”
Megan Moodysophomore
In order to raise money
during the months prior
to the actual dance mara-
thon, members of the club
have done things such as
Christmas caroling in the
neighborhoods of Univer-
sity Farms and Barberry
Heights, canning at Wal-
mart, organizing a Rat Trap
dance, and running the
“Miracle Minute” during
which they went through
the stands at a basketball
game for a minute col-
lecting as many dona-
tions as possible. “It’s
good to do something
around the community
that profi ts families
here,” said sophomore
Meghan Moody. So far,
$3,000 has been raised,
not including the mon-
ey not yet accounted
for. Organizers hope to
raise much more at the
big event. All donations
and money raised will go
to Riley Children’s Hos-
pital.
For those interested
in attending the West
Lafayette Dance Mara-
thon, registration forms
are available outside the
high school offi ce un-
til March 9th. A ticket
to the event costs $10
dollars. An addition of
a bag and t-shirt is $10
more.
Robotics
continued from page 1
PASS THE SALT: Professor Anthony Cawdron illustrates
the proper etiquette for dealing with a formal table at
Purdue’s Marriot Hall during the Etiquette Dinner.
PHOTO BY KATHRINE SCHULZE
Traveling to different
countries was a major rea-
son for his pursuit of a
career in hospitality. After
his schooling he served the
Duke of Marlborough be-
fore going on to serve at
the Sutton Place, a home
of an American billion-
aire. His work at the Sut-
ton Place brought him into
contact with a vast number
of famous artists as well
as several members of the
royal family including Prin-
cess Diana. He later went
on to Switerzland before
traveling to the US to work
at Iowa State under former
Purdue president Martin
Jischke. When the Jischke
family made the move to
Purdue, Cawdron accepted
the position as the West-
wood events coordinate.
Professor Cawdron
guided students through
social etiquette as well as
the proper etiquette for
a business dinner “Ev-
eryone is watching,” said
Cawdron. “Anyone could
be fi lming you.” Cawdron
started the lecture with the
proper way to respond to
an invitation and carried
on through an entire eve-
ning of greeting strangers,
eating food off platters,
and properly giving toasts.
“It was defi nitely a lot
more focused on the little
things that make a big im-
pression,” commented se-
nior Wylie Gorup.
Cawdron kept students
entertained with a dry
sense of humor and an
abundance of pop culture
references. When speaking
of responding to an RSVP,
Cawdron said, “You can’t
do the Katy Perry thing:
Your yes then your no
then your yes then your no
then your yes.” His effec-
tive style of teaching kept
students awake and ready
for dinner.
With the warning that
they would be taped during
dinner students sat down at
their assigned tables look-
ing a little apprehensive. “I
felt really judged,” said se-
nior Adrian Potts, but she
“liked that the servers were
the students.”
The four-course meal
of salad, soup, a main
course, and desert was
highly praised by many of
the students. Senior Tyler
Smith said that the desert
was the “best chocolate
bread pudding I’ve ever
eaten.”
Cancer awareness
is a cause supported by
most schools. At West
Side, the Hoops for
Hope event, the volley-
ball team’s “Dig Pink”
games, and the annual
blood drives all aim to
raise awareness about
and aid cancer research.
Most other schools
have similar events and
fundraisers. However,
in early January, Roos-
evelt Middle School
in Monticello, Indiana
banned an eighth grade
student from wearing a
bracelet in support of
breast cancer.
The bracelet said, “I
heart boobies” and was
deemed inappropriate
and lewd by school of-
fi cials. Although the
bracelet did not cause
any disruption for the
two days it was worn to
school by the boy, the
vice principal spotted
it and asked the student
to turn it inside out. The
student’s parents fi led a
lawsiut against Roosevelt
Middle School saying
that their son had a First
Amendment right to wear
the bracelet.
Several schools around
the nation have banned
the same bracelet. Contro-
versy has arisen in districts
in California, Pennsylvania
and Texas. In Pennsylva-
nia, a case over the right
to wear the bracelet went
to the district court, where
it was ruled that the First
Amendment protected
its wearing. Offi cials said
that since the bracelet was
being worn for a cause, it
could not be deemed a dis-
ruption.
West Side sophomore
Chris Zhang agreed that
a bracelet in support of
breast cancer had to be al-
lowed, because it cannot
be determined why How-
ever, he said, “If people
are abusing that right and
fl aunting it, it should be
taken away.”
Senior Lucy Han feels
it is diffi cult to determine
where the line should be
drawn. She said, “I think
it has to be stopped when
whatever is happening is
“Freedom of speech should be limited
in schools if it becomes a disruption.”
Will Rankinsenior
Students are warming up for the West Lafayette Dance Marathon.
trivia and working on the
building projects.
West Side also had a
small team, only taking ten
of the fi fteen people al-
lowed. Almost all of the
team members were com-
peting in four or fi ve events
over the course of the day.
Melinda Crane, who has
been involved in Science
Olympiad since seventh
grade, attributed this to
State ISSMA being on the
same day, leaving her and
several others unable to
participate. Melinda said
most of these teammates
are planning to attend the
State competition at IU on
March 24th.
Moh said she took
place in fi ve events this
year: Experimental design,
thermodynamics, game
on, sounds of music, and
rocks and minerals. She
explained her favorite of
these was Game On. “It’s
basically where you pro-
gram a short computer
game, and you only have
15 minutes to do it. It was
really fun for me because
I like programming.” She
also said that Game On
wasn’t a “real” event, but a
trial challenge that is a test
to see how participants re-
act to these possible future
events. “We’re like guinea
pigs.” Phoebe said. When
asked her favorite part, she
said the awards ceremony.
“It’s over; it’s done, so you
can just cross your fi ngers.
There’s always this mo-
ment of “did we do it”?”
support the many teams
of the multimillion dollar
competition.
As for the team mem-
bers in charge of the top
responsibilities, David
Afolabi is the president.
Darian Williams holds the
chairman position which is
the most prestigious award
in robotics, and concerns
what can be done to im-
prove. Henry Williams
is the head of technol-
ogy, while Ben Carson also
helps to build the robot.
John McDougall does the
main programming while
the animation job goes to
Duri Park, Anand Hastak,
and Chris Strickler.
Sophomore Brian
French said that despite
all the hard work, “the
competitions are defi nite-
ly worth going to; it’s fun
meeting people from many
different places. It’s also
fun to work with the robot
and try to fi gure out how
to win the competition.”
West Side usually does
well in the robotics compe-
titions. Hwang said, “We’ve
won the world champion-
ship website award twice,
and we are one of the best
in the area.” West Side
has also won the CAGE
award twice, and this
year they were runner-
ups. French says, “We’re
really good at being fi -
nalists, but we’re usually
outplayed during fi nals
due to bad luck. Other
than that, we’ve im-
proved every year.”
actually inappropriate or
offends someone.”
In most cases, when the
school environment is be-
ing disrupted by freedom
of speech, then a court
will rule on the side of the
school and the administra-
tion. However, it becomes
harder to determine when
the reason for exerting the
“speech” is rooted in a
positive action.
If the controversial
bracelet were to be worn
by a West Side student,
Principal Shriner said
that “I’d ask them to
fi nd a different way to
show their support.”
According to Shri-
ner, while “freedom of
speech” controversies
are not alien to West
Side, there hasn’t been
an occurence in the past
few months. Shiner said
that if an incident were
to occur, students who
were to wear what might
be considered offensive
would never be given
disciplinary action, but
would simply be asked
to re-evaluate their
choices.
Want to know more? Check out
www.boilerinvasion.org!
PAGE 3SportsWest Side
MARCH 7, 2012
West Side’s sports teams
are pretty intense. From
warm-ups to condition-
ing sessions, the season
seems like a blur that ends
abruptly. So what do ath-
letes do when their sport
isn’t in season? Some stu-
dents choose to partici-
pate in other school teams,
while others choose to
continue in their sport, but
off season.
The purpose of off-sea-
son sports is to maintain
the players’ profi ciency.
Two of the most popular
sports that carry on into
the off season are tennis
and swimming.
Most tennis players
play at Purdue’s Schwartz
Tennis Center for their Ju-
nior Tennis program. The
season, however, isn’t as
intense as the school’s sea-
son; the group meets on
three days of the week for
an hour and a half.
The program consists
of a group of local players,
not just from West Side.
Another school represent-
ed is Harrison.
West Side’s tennis coach,
Tim Wright, encourages
the players to participate
in the program. Junior and
tennis player, Lucas Owen,
explains, “he helps run the
lessons. He also encour-
ages us to play in as many
tournaments as we can.”
The center offers seven
tournaments throughout
the winter months for an
assortment of ages.
Swimmers that partici-
pate in Boilermaker Aquat-
ics during the off season
have a much more intense
schedule. “We practice
two times a day, fi ve days
a week, and on Saturdays,”
sophomore Rachel Ho
says. The swimmers com-
pete in numerous meets
in an Olympic size pool.
“[We’re] not just training
for nothing,” she says.
Not as many of the
swimmers on West Side’s
team participate in the
program as past years. “We
have a lot of swimmers
that are younger... that are
coming up,” Rachel ex-
plains, “Pretty much all
of our top swimmers all
swim BA or have swam
BA in the past.”
The swimming coach-
es encourage the team
members to participate
in the sport. “Swimming
is one of those things
where it’s really key for
you to stay in shape,” Ra-
chel explains.
So do the athletes
ever get bored of their
sports? “No, not at all,”
Owen says, “I like all of
the people, and tennis is
really fun and relaxing
for me.”
BY BRIAGHA
McTAVISH
Dedicated athletes continue to
train year round
Girl’s tennis
team ready to
serve up success BY HARINI SURESH
PHOTO BY BRIAGHA McTAVISH
You’ve seen her spar-
kling on the football fi eld
during halftime, leading
the SheDevils dance team,
and maybe even twirling
fi re. Senior Melissa Frei-
ser started baton twirling
when she was eight years
old and has been at it ever
since.
“My coach said she saw
something in me,” re-
membered Melissa of her
fi rst session. “She went up
to my mom and kind of
begged her to let me keep
on twirling.” Melissa start-
ed taking private lessons
then, and continues to this
day. A year ago, her coach
moved to Indianapolis, so
Melissa drives down ev-
ery other weekend for her
lessons. Melissa’s twirl-
ing coach Veronica only
had positive things to add:
“Her resilience and perse-
verance along with her im-
mense positivity make it a
joy to coach her and watch
her during performances.”
During practices, Me-
lissa said she works on
learning new tricks. “As a
beginner, you learn the ba-
sics,” she explained. “Now
most of the tricks I learn
are just advanced styles of
the basics.” Like master-
ing any sport, Melissa ad-
mitted that it’s always hard
to learn a new trick. Hard,
high tosses can take weeks
of practicing to learn, and
Melissa has plenty of bruis-
es to prove it. “I just try
to do them over and over
again to try and increase
The coming of spring
marks the beginning of
the tennis season, and this
year, West Side’s team is
making some changes. Not
only is head coach Tim
Wright making cuts for the
fi rst time this year, but also
some of the team’s top
players, including junior
Sarah Cai, are leaving this
season. While the loss of
these players is an obstacle
for the team, they are op-
timistic that they will suc-
ceed this season without
them.
“We’re going to have to
work very hard, and obvi-
ously them not playing is a
loss, but I think we’re go-
ing to go on and win the
matches we have to win if
we work hard,” comment-
ed junior Rachel Berry on
the effect that losing play-
ers will have on the team
this coming season.
Cai said of her decision
to quit the team that she
wants to focus on USCA
tournament competitions,
adding, “My national rank-
ing dropped a lot because
I couldn’t play tourna-
BY ELENA SPARGER
ments.” While the loss
of such a valuable player
does affect the girls’ team,
they are confi dent that
with hard work they can
accomplish their goals
of winning the Hoosier
Conference, making it to
sectionals, and beating
their biggest rival: Har-
rison.
Last season the team
had nearly fi fty players,
a number that Coach
Wright plans to cut down
on this year. The coach’s
past refusal to make cuts
is widely-known and
grumbled about by the
players, who lost playing
time and practice space
because of the excessive
amount of players. With
cuts, the team will be
more manageable, and
practices more benefi cial.
While making cuts is un-
desirable, it will ultimate-
ly prove advantageous to
the team, who will have
more time and space to
focus on improvement
so that they can accom-
plish their various goals
for the season.
“...I think we’re going to go on
and win the matches we have
to win if we work hard.”
Rachel BerryJunior
ting,” which is marching
or doing a routine without
actually tossing the ba-
ton. Finally, there is a solo
event, in which the partici-
pant can do whatever they
want. “Basically, try to do
as many tricks as you can,”
explained Melissa.
“From a technical per-
spective, Melissa has a
wonderful handle on twirl-
ing multiple batons,” adds
Veronica. “This not only
takes excellent one baton
basics, it also requires ex-
ceptional timing.” Though
Melissa plans her routines
for competitions, she says
she does it “on the fl y”
when she’s with the school
marching band.
Next year, Melissa hopes
to twirl at Purdue, and is
waiting to hear back after
auditioning last weekend.
“I really like it because its
a sport that not a lot of
other people do,” she ex-
plained. “It kind of makes
me different.”
It’s Melissa’s love for
the sport that ensures that
no matter where she goes,
she will always continue
twirling. “It motivates
me to twirl in front of
large crowds,” she smiled.
“Even though I might get
super nervous, when I’m
out there doing it, that re-
minds me of why I love
twirling so much.”
the percentage of times I
can catch the baton.” As
a freshman, Melissa also
joined the SheDevils dance
team to improve her twirl-
ing skills, now refl ecting
that it has defi nitely helped
her with little things like
keeping toes pointed dur-
ing routines. She became
the co-captain when she
was a jnior and continues
this year. Her current co-
captain Junior Haley Ardnt
commented, “Melissa is a
dedicated teammate who
passes on her enthusiasm
to the rest of the team.”
During the school year,
Melissa performs with the
marching band at football
games. From December
to April, she goes to twirl-
ing competitions once
or twice a month. Next
month, Melissa will be
competing in one called
Miss Majorette, which is a
pageant to qualify for the
National tournament in
the summer.
“Twirling competitions
are a lot like track and fi eld
or swimming,” described
Melissa. There are several
different events at every
competition. For example,
a typical competition might
start out with modelling,
which Melissa describes
as “presenting yourself
gracefully to the judge.”
After that, the participant
talks with the judge one-
on-one, answering ques-
tions ranging from them-
selves to current events.
Another event is “strut-
PHOTO BY WYLIE GORUP
BIG SMILE: Melissa puts on a performance for spectators
at Hoops for Hope on Friday, February 17th.
SERVED: Andre Woloshuk practices his skills at the
Schwartz tennis center during off-season.
To Melissa, athletics is artMelissa Fresier talks about her career as a baton twirler.
PAGE 4 Features MARCH 7, 2012
West Side
So I kind of railed on you
guys before Valentine’s Day for
being overprotective. But never
fear, you’re going to love this
issue’s topic: clingy girlfriends.
Throughout your dating ca-
reer, you’ve probably either been
involved with a clingy girl or seen
one of your friends being eaten
alive by a possessive monster.
Here are the warning signs that
you might be in a relationship
with one of these said creatures.
1) She tells you that she loves
you within the fi rst week, and
then says that she wants to mar-
ry and has your children’s names
picked out two minutes later.
I know, sounds ridiculous, and
that’s because it is. Your fi rst re-
action is probably, hmmm this is
really weird... but I’ve never had
a girlfriend so... “Love you too!”
No. Just no. The fi rst thing you
need to know about these girls
is that if you enable them, their
grip just gets tighter; so whatever
you do, do not tell her you love
her too. Sure, she’ll probably
break up with you, but would
you really want to be in a rela-
tionship with that?
2) She calls you literally fi ve
times a day and asks you who
you’re with, what you’re doing,
why she always has to be the one
to call, etc. If this is your girl-
friend, just sit her down and ex-
plain to her that she doesn’t need
to know everything in your life.
3) She wants to hang out
24/7. First of all, you need to
sleep sometimes. Second, it’s re-
ally bad in a relationship to al-
ways be with each other. Tell her
you need some guy time or alone
time, and encourage her to hang
out with her own friends.
The thing about clingy girls,
and any girl, is that they like a guy
who’s honest. So if you’re feel-
ing weirded out by her posses-
siveness, tell her. It might salvage
your relationship, and if she gets
angry, she probably wasn’t worth
your time anyway.
Dealing with clingy
girlfriends.
BY BRIAGHA McTAVISH
Many students are jetting off
to warmer weather this spring
break. But if you are not lucky
enough to leave behind the bit-
ter weather for a week of beach-
bumming and roller-coaster-rid-
ing, it is still possible to enjoy a
Beat out spring break blues at the bowling alley.
BY KATHRINE SHULZE week free of the hallowed halls
of West Side.
Since it is often still chilly dur-
ing spring break I suggest you
spend you spend some time at
the memorial union. With a lot
of places to eat and a bowling
alley in the basement the Union
has a lot to offer. And since the
college students will be gone for
break you will have the union all
to yourself.
The bowling alley is by far the
best in town, not to mention the
best in Lafayette as well. Possi-
bly the best thing about bowling
is that it does not matter who
you play with. No matter if you
come with your friends or your
parents it is almost impossible
not to have a good time.
If you are still not convinced
on the wonders of bowling,
though, there is always the ar-
cade conveniently located in the
same room as the alley. The ar-
cade features the regular point
and shoot games, air hockey, and
Dance Dance Revolution. It also
has a multitude of pool tables to
practice your skills on.
After you wow your friends
with your amazing bowling skills
you will probably be pretty hun-
gry. Lucky for you, there is an
entire fl oor fi led with all sorts
of food just up the steps from
the bowling alley. The Union in-
cludes subs shops, a Starbucks,
and a delicious pizzeria all with
in a reasonable price range. And
if you can not possibly tear your-
self away from your bowling
game you always have the option
of ordering your food from the
alley and having it delivered to
you.
So if you are unlucky enough
to be spending your spring break
in West Lafayette this year con-
sider making a trip down to the
union.
Union Rack and Roll Hours:
Sunday- Thursday: 10:00AM-
12:00AM
Friday- Saturday: 10:AM-
1:00AM
Union location:
101 N Grant St
Parents with perksFaculty members’ children discuss the plight of having a parent at school
with them.
Most of us are used to es-
caping the infl uence and con-
trol of our parents at home
when we go to school, only
to surrender our freedom
to teachers, administrators,
and academics. Some of us,
however, have the worst of
both worlds. There are ten
students at our high school
whose parents work here also:
Katy Brewer, Jacob Mills,
Thomas Pechin, Sam Porter-
fi eld, Michael Pugh, Taylor
BY WONHO RHEE
Pugh, Melanie Sadeghi, Claire
and Reed Shriner, and Matt von
Werder. Yet after a closer look,
this situation is not nearly as bad
or strange as it might seem.
According to Michael Pugh,
“Most people are surprised to
fi nd out that I enjoy having my
dad as a teacher.” He cites ben-
efi ts such as not having to ride
the bus, getting his questions
answered at home rather than
having to wait until the next day,
having access to his locker after
class hours are over, and getting
permission slips signed quickly.
Katy Brewer mentions many of
the same things and adds, “It’s
actually not as weird as most peo-
ple might think. I do see my dad
sometimes in the hall, but other
than that, school’s the same for
me as everyone else.”
Thomas Pechin takes the posi-
tive sentiments a step further
by saying there are no cons to
having his mother teach at West
Side because she “is such a lovely
lady.” Both Pechin and Sam Por-
terfi eld agree that their mothers
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE: Social Studies teacher Mr. Pugh offers some useful advice to his two children Taylor (Sophomore)
and Michael (Senior).
“I do see my dad
sometimes in the
hall, but other
than that, school’s
the same for me
as everyone else.”
-Katy BrewerJunior
PHOTO BY WONHO RHEE
are, as Sam puts it, “a convenient
source for any cash.” However,
Porterfi eld offers some insight-
ful, more serious remarks about
the experience of having his par-
ent as an actual teacher. “In the
classroom, it was hard for me
to adjust to giving my mom the
kind of respect and obedience I
would normally give a teacher,”
he explains. “I am used to being
loose around her; I usually enjoy
teasing her. During her class, I
made frequent trips to the hall
for being disrespectful.”
Michael Pugh is more light-
hearted about currently having
his father as his Government
teacher, remarking, “I have a lot
of fun in my dad’s class primarily
because I understand his humor
and I have seen the movies that
he quotes. The only downside to
having his class is that I cannot
procrastinate on any assignment
or project without him know-
ing. I also cannot get by without
studying for a test.”
All in all, these students get to
enjoy a lot of perks having their
“The only
downside... is
that I cannot
procrastinate on
any assignment...
without him
knowing.”
-Michael PughSenior
parents as teachers at the
school. But also worth men-
tioning are Claire and Reed
Shriner, children of principal
Mr. Shriner. Claire notes, “I
get to see my dad every day,
so that’s really nice. I remem-
ber going to middle school
and only getting to see him a
couple hours a couple nights
a week.” On the other side,
she states, “Some cons would
be having him around too
much, maybe, like at sporting
events or social activities.”
There are dozens of
classes available at West
Side. Of these, 33 classes
are electives for the 2011-
12 school year, excluding
the 15 AP classes offered
at our school. There could
actually be more electives
available, but which classes
are offered is determined
by how many people sign
up for a given class. For
example, Sociology was
offered last year but was
not offered this year due
to lessened interest.
There are some inter-
esting things about the
numbers of students tak-
ing certain classes. Four
of the fi ve most popular
electives are in the area of
English: Etymology (103
students), Film Lit (91
students), Speech (72 stu-
dents), and Debate (70 stu-
dents). The other elective,
the third-most popular, is
Psychology (75 students).
These seem to be the most
worthwhile classes to take
PAGE 5FeaturesMARCH 7, 2012
West Side
Wouldn’t it be great if
you could spend Spring
Break wearing t-shirts and
shorts rather than being
bundled up in multiple
sweaters and coats? Well,
from March 5th to March
9th, West Side students
are trying to improve
West Lafayette weather
by dressing up in summer
clothes for Good Weather
Promotion Week. The
BY ARTHI PURI
Students summon sunshine
BY WONHO RHEE
Kids are commonly choosing certain classes
Monday - I’m on a Boat
Tuesday - Summer Sports
Wednesday - Summer Camp
Thursday - Life’s a Beach
Friday - Early Spring Break
GOOD WEATHER PROMOTION
WEEK THEMES
before graduating, but
maybe this is because Eng-
lish requires two elective
credits for graduation. On
the other hand, the areas
of Health and PE, Music,
and Science only have one
elective each, again, not
counting AP classes.
The Anatomy section
of Biology II AP takes
the cake as far as popular
AP classes go, with 59 stu-
dents enrolled this semes-
ter. This could be because
it is only a one-semester
commitment, unlike most
other AP classes. Science
is also the most taken sub-
ject out of the AP classes,
perhaps because all of the
science AP classes are nat-
ural extensions of Biology
I, Chemistry I, and Physics
I that are taken by most
students anyway. Biology
teacher Mr. Overley offers
another explanation: “We
are around Purdue Uni-
versity, which has a lot of
people who are interested
in sciences. Probably if we
were in the, say, IU com-
munity, there would be
more humanities.”
In terms of world lan-
guages, Spanish is by far
the most-taken language
overall and most-taken
language AP class. World
Language Department
Head Mr. Ohlhaut ex-
plains, “It’s pretty standard,
actually, to have a lot more
students in Spanish than
any of the other languages.
That’s largely due to cir-
cumstances in U.S. society
where visibility of Spanish
is a lot higher in day-to-day
life.” An impressive fact
about French at our school
is that, while about 13%
of the overall students tak-
ing Spanish and German
are taking the AP class, a
signifi cantly higher 19%
of students taking French
are in AP. To account for
this, Mr. Ohlhaut says, “I
can only tell you anecdot-
ally that, students who
English: Etymology (103 students)
FACS: Child Development (25)
Health and PE: Weights (24)
Math: Probability and Statistics (55)
Music: Percussion Ensemble (21)
Science: Earth/Space Science II (17)
Social Studies: Psychology (75)
Business/Tech Ed: Business/Law (25)
Visual Arts: Photography 1 (56)
MOST POPULAR ELECTIVES BY
SUBJECT Computer Science AP (24 students)
English Literature AP (28)
European History AP (31)
Micro/Macro Econ AP (25)
French IV AP (34)
German IV AP (14)
Spanish IV AP (38)
Calculus AB AP (25)
Calculus AB-BC AP (37)
Statistics AP (17)
Bio II AP, Evol/Ecol (48)
Bio II AP, Anatomy (59)
Chemistry AP (41)
Physics AP (17)
Art History AP (18)
AP CLASSES
French I-IV (176 students)
German I-IV (106) Spanish I-IV (301)
WORLD LANGUAGES
take French are making a
deliberate choice to run
counter-current from the
beginning, and there’s a
certain degree of loyalty
and fi erceness of belief in
their choice.”
The three most diffi cult
classes at our school, ac-
cording to senior Connor
Couetil, are Calculus AB-
BC AP, English AP, and
Physics AP, because of the
“amount of work.” For
Calculus, he reports having
to do “an hour to an hour-
and-a-half of homework
each night,” for English, he
says there’s “a lot of read-
ing and papers which take
hours to complete,” and
for Physics, he says, “the
homework is really diffi -
cult to fi nish.” While many
seniors may not want to
accept this workload dur-
ing their last year of high
school, Couetil fi nds the
classes to be “a challenge
that is rewarding.”
tradition started in 2009
when a group of seniors
decided to wear summer
clothes. “Miraculously,
the weather cleared up
and it was in the 60s
all week,” says senior
Jake Weiss. Each year,
West Side students dress
differently for a week
according to the theme
of each day, as listed.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE: Sophomore Esther Yoon
shows her nautical style during Good Weather Promotion
Week.
PHOTO BY ARTHI PURI
Arts and En! r" inment MARCH 7, 2012PAGE 6
West Side
Chauncey Hill Mall’s Ah Z Sushi
provides a fresh alternative to old
favorites with its Big Ten menu.
BY ELENA SPARGER
On my quest to fi nd new
and interesting places to go
for lunch in an attempt to
animate the monotonous
routine that is senior year,
I found Ah Z Sushi. The
name of the Japanese Fu-
sion restaurant is fi tting,
because when I took my
fi rst bite into their aptly-
Briagha McTavish breaks
into the big leaguesCATWALK TO CLASS
Adam Folta is dressed for successBY NEHA RAMANI
PHOTO BY NEHA RAMANI
CASUAL COLLEGE
STYLE: Adam dresses
trendily in khaki shorts, a
light-colored polo.
It is sometimes said that
those who dress better for
school tend to perform
better. If this is true, then
senior Adam Folta has a
future as bright as the col-
orful polos he dons on a
regular basis.
His preppy style is
synonymous with the col-
legiate look. However, he
adds his own edge. “I try to
mix the preppy style with a
hipster look,” he said.
Adam’s favorite stores
are J. Crew, Gap, Banana
Republic, and Polo Ralph
Lauren.
On most days, Adam
can be found wearing neat-
ly pressed khaki pants with
a polo shirt. His shoes of
choice alternate between
popular brands Sperry
Top-Siders or Converse.
He often tops off his look
with a pair of thick, dark
brown glasses and a Puma
watch.
Adam acknowledges
the fact that most boys
dress down for school,
with sweatpants or jeans
and an athletic t-shirt or
sweatshirt, the attire of
choice. He eschews this in
favor of taking care of his
appearance. “I don’t want
to be the average guy who
wears sweat pants.”
Adam says that his style
is heavily infl uenced by his
older brother. “He’s really
good with style,” Adam
said about his brother,
“He reads style magazines
sometimes.” Adam wears
some of his brother’s old
If you know who
Briagha McTavish is, you
probably think of her
as a quirky dresser, who
is outgoing and talented
with a viola. What you
might not know is that
she is an aspiring singer
and songwriter, writ-
ing both the music and
melody with piano and
guitar.
She began singing
when she was a wee child
and has dreamed of
making singing a career
ever since. “I think she
has quite a voice.” said
her friend Maggie Oates.
Briagha has labeled her
music as pop with some
rock infl uence, and those
who have heard her mu-
sic compare her to musi-
cians like Colbie Callait
and Sara Bareillies. While
she enjoys those art-
ists, Briagha takes a lot
of inspiration from The
Beatles, Pink Floyd, and
Regina Specktor.
Although Briagha en-
joys singing, songwriting
is her passion. The pur-
pose of songwriting, she
said, is “to tell a story”
and because she is a teen-
age girl, a lot of her sto-
ries focus on the ups and
downs of her relationships
with boys. Besides sing-
ing original music, Briagha
has recorded some of her
dad’s songs too, with most
of them having been writ-
ten about her mom. “My
dad’s songs are much more
deep than mine,” she said
with a laugh.
Briagha takes her dream
of performing at the
Grammys very seriously.
She has a voice teacher,
Steven Memel, who is
based in Los Angeles and
gives Briagha lessons over
Skype. Memel has worked
with Maroon 5’s Adam
Levine and Sara Bareilles.
He also worked with the
actors on the “Alvin and
the Chipmunks” movie
series.
She also has attended
the Taxi Convention, and
also the Hollywood Im-
mersive in L.A. Both pro-
grams are for aspiring
artists to learn about the
industry and improve their
talent. Briagha said that
these experiences, in par-
ticular the Hollywood Im-
mersive “really improved
[her] voice because it was
really bad until a few years
ago.” Here in West Lafay-
ette, Briagha sings at her
church every Sunday and
she tries to give herself an
hour a day to work on her
skill. With all of this hap-
pening in her life, we’re
sure to see Briagha’s name
in bright lights in the near
future.
The junior makes strides in Hollywood with her original music.BY ABBY BIEN
PHOTO BY ABBY BIEN
ROCKING OUT: Briagha performs at First United Method-
ist Church. The junior began singing as a child, and has
continued ever since, eventually writing her own music.
Where to fi nd her:www.BriaghaMcTavish.
com
West Lafayette Youth
Council Talent Show on
March 30th, 7p.m. @
Morton
LOCATION: Ah Z
Sushi, 111 N. Chauncey
Ave.
DISTANCE FROM
SCHOOL: 1.0 mi.
Price/Person: $5+
GENRE: Japanese Fu-
sion
BY ALYSE ALLRED
“I don’t want to be the average
guy who wears sweat pants.”
- Adam Folta
clothing, but also enjoys
shopping on his own.
“My mom takes me shop-
ping but I actually fi gure
out what I’m getting,” he
said.
Adam also observes
what celebrities wear and
tries to incorporate that
into his own style. He
advises that others do
the same, admitting that
named Purdue roll, the
only thing I could say to
express my immense satis-
faction was, “aaahhhh.”
The aforementioned roll
came from their Big Ten
menu, which consisted of
a different roll named for
each Big Ten school. I had
read a review on Yelp.com
beforehand that said their
rolls were sloppy, and while
this was true of the Purdue
roll, it was completely the
opposite for the other roll
I ordered. And since when
did Yelp become “Top
Chef ”? I say if it tastes
good, eat it.
And so I did--and it
defi nitely paid off. I got
ten Purdue rolls for just
eight dollars, and they were
pretty huge, so it was well
worth the money. I also
ordered the Chauncey roll,
which is named after the
restaurant’s location in the
Chauncey Hill Mall.
The Purdue roll, which
was made up of crab, cu-
cumber and avocado, and
topped with tempura bat-
ter, was mouth-watering.
The Chauncey roll, which
was salmon, avocado and
cream cheese, all deep-
friend, was also delectable.
However, I’ve had the
same roll at Maru Sushi,
who tops it with a sauce
that adds extra oomph to
the roll. Nonetheless, soy
sauce proved to be a good
substitute.
Although the place
was very small, the own-
ers apparently have a good
knowledge of feng shui,
so I didn’t feel like I was
packed in a can of sar-
dines. They also played
Japanese music videos on
their television, which add-
ed to the modern Japanese
ambiance.
The menu was im-
mense--they have about
thirty different types of su-
shi, noodle soups including
ramen and appetizers (one
called “Heart Attack”--or-
der at your own risk). Ah
Z also has a meal called
a Bento Box, which in-
cludes a choice of teriyaki
chicken, spicy chicken, or
chicken katsu (deep-fried
chicken breast) with miso
soup, rice and a salad. The
Bento Box also only costs
$7.50, which is very cheap
for the amount of food
you receive.
The cheapest roll you
can get is your standard
California roll, which is
only four dollars, and
drinks are only 85 cents as
well.
Overall, their meals are
very cheap, you get a lot
for your money, and it’s
cleaner than some other
restaurants. And as an add-
ed benefi t, they’re quick
enough to eat there for
lunch. So if your stomach
is rumblin’ for some good
ole sushi, I defi nitely rec-
ommend Ah Z to quiet
that embarrassing tummy
thunder.
sometimes celebrities “go
over the top,” but adding
that it is pretty easy to
“modify that and make it
work for yourself.”
At the recent semi-
formal dance, Adam wore
an olive colored suit with
a purple shirt and tie.“I
bought it a couple weeks
ago,” he said. “I didn’t
actually own a suit and
I’ll probably need one for
college next year.”
Whatever school he
ends up at, Adam will
coast through looking
classy and cool.
Sports EditorKathrine [email protected]
Features EditorsBriagha [email protected]
Wonho [email protected]
People EditorEmily [email protected]
Photo EditorAbby [email protected]
ReporterArthi [email protected]
AdviserElizabeth Dixon
OpinionsWest Side
PAGE 7MARCH 7, 2012
STAFF EDITORIAL
The Staff of
The ScarletteEditor-in-ChiefHarini [email protected]
News EditorNeha [email protected]
A&E EditorElena [email protected]
Opinions EditorGrace [email protected]
Graphics EditorCrystal [email protected]
Mission: The Scarlette strives to create a publication that is informative, entertaining, accurate, and professional. Our mission is to serve as a valuable archive of the happenings of the school .
The Scarlette Editorial Policy: The Scarlette provides a limited forum for reader ex-pression. Letters to the editor must be received seven days prior to publication date in the box provided in the offi ce. All are subject to editing for content and length. Personal attacks and unfair attacks on business-es or unsigned letters will not be published. The edito-rial represents the views of the majority of the staff. Views printed do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the faculty, staff, or administration of the WLCSC.A full version of our editorial policy can be found at www. scarletteonline.com Special thanks to the Journal and Courier for sponsor-ing the Scarlette.
Our high
school is not
like
Hollywood’s When you think of a
cliquey school, you will
probably picture the caf-
eteria in “Mean Girls”.
During lunch, there are the
jocks, nerds, artists, and ob-
viously, the mean girls. The
school is a human food
chain with the star football
player and cheerleaders at
the top, and the science
geeks at the bottom. When
the Scarlette staff analyzed
West Side to decide how
our high school compared
to Hollywood’s perception,
we agreed that our high
school clique experience
has been very different than
those shown on the screen.
We feel, in our school
environment, the majority
of the students feel com-
fortable, safe, and friendly
around their fellow class-
mates. Although there are
specifi c groups of friends
who hang out on the
weekends, once we step in-
side the door on Monday
morning, that defi nite line
between cliques becomes
quite fuzzy. We don’t even
think that the stereotypical
meaning of clique relates
to us. With that word, bul-
lies and reputation ruiners
pop into our head, and
those types of instances
don’t seem to happen in
our hallways. There are
few, if any, regular scenari-
os involving bullying. Most
people seem to accept and
appreciate everyone else’s
interests and differences.
For example, our super-
fans and athletes seem to
value the marching and pep
bands as an important part
of the games atmosphere.
A large majority looks for-
ward to their performanc-
es at games and pep ral-
lies. In movies, the jocks
look down upon and make
fun of the band members,
but that is not the case
at West Side. Almost all
students seem to be ap-
preciative of their peers’
talents and differences.
The Scarlette thinks
that our lack of cliques
provide a positive enviro-
ment. We all feel comfort-
able talking to the majority
of our grade, and a lot of
us have multiple groups
of friends. The West Side
student community is very
easy-going, which we enjoy.
If you’re an underclass-
man, you might be think-
ing that your experience
thus far in high school
hasn’t been anything like
what was previously stated.
And our response to that
is– just wait, it will get bet-
ter. Through the staff ’s ex-
periences we have noticed
that as we get older, the
atmosphere in our grade
gets better. Most mean
girls stop caring about
their image and start being
friends with who they want
to be around, not with who
they think they should be
around. The social aspect
of school becomes much
more relaxed, and your
grade will become more
willing to interact with each
other, not a bunch of lit-
tle groups of four or fi ve.
Now keep in mind, this is
based on personal experi-
ence, so your time later in
high school might not go
exactly like this. We ad-
vise you to have an open
mind, and look around at
the people around you.
Step out of your comfort
zone and talk to some-
one new. Have a positive
attitude and don’t think
West Side is anything like
“Mean Girls”or “Easy A”.
With the wide array
of social media available
at our fi ngertips today,
everyone has options of
which one they want to
spend their time obses-
sively posting to. Some say
Google+ is lame, others
say it will make Facebook
obsolete. People might
spend their time tweeting
away, thinking up ways to
condense their joke or ex-
perience into 140 charac-
ters, but some people be-
lieve it’s just for celebrities.
Google+, Google’s way
of trying to claim control
of everything on the In-
ternet, is the most recent
social network to hit the
scene. But really, Google+
looks a lot like Facebook.
Logging on was simple;
I just entered my name,
and people on my email
list showed up for me to
“add to my circle,” which
is the equivalent of friend-
ing someone on Facebook.
Since none of my friends
are on Google+ for me to
add, there is a feed called
“Hot on Google+” with
popular pictures, videos,
and jokes posted by vari-
ous people. Between the
similarity to Facebook (in-
cluding the annoying no-
tifi cations on my Google
Homepage), and the lack
of interest among my
friends, I don’t see myself
using Google+ very much.
According to an ar-
ticle from venturebeat.
com, Google’s vision was
not to compete with Face-
book, but for Google+ to
be an extension of oth-
er Google accounts like
email, Youtube, Google
Docs and Blogger, and
to help identify yourself
through your Facebook-
like profi le on those sites.
I don’t utilize Twitter as
much as I did at one time,
but I use it to keep up with
online friends, celebrities
and post things some of
my other friends may not
be interested in. The dif-
fi culty of Twitter is the
statuses are limited to 140
characters (versus 430 for
a Facebook status), so long
conversations can be con-
fusing and frustrating to
follow among the other
Tweets on your feed, espe-
cially since Twitter lacks the
chat box featured on both
Google+ and Facebook.
I use Facebook to keep
up with family, people
from school and friends
I meet other places, like
at church or camp. It’s
also the source of several
study groups, where I go
to question assignments
and ask and give help. Sev-
eral students have stated
that study groups are the
only reason they get on
Facebook during the week.
Some things on my Face-
book and Twitter are the
same, such as the type of
pages I “like” or “follow”,
but I wouldn’t be able to
chose which one is better
between Facebook and
Twitter, because to me they
serve different purposes.
So will one rise to the top
over the other, soon mak-
ing Twitter and Facebook
as obsolete and forgotten
as Myspace? Because of
the major differences in
their style and the differ-
ent purposes they seem to
serve people, I don’t see it
happening anytime soon.
Facebook, Twitter, and Google PlusBY EMILY MACK
We’re not like
Mean Girls;
there’s no
“burn book”
here.
Between the similarity to Facebook
and the lack of interest among my
friends, I don’t see myself using
Google+ very much.
PHOTO BY EMILY MACK
YOU’VE GOT MAIL: Lauren Mack checks her facebook notifi cations. Facebook makes
it easy to connect with friends and keep updated with current events.
People
and a part of the reason why he enjoys them. In addition, Sameer plays an integral part in many clubs around the school. During lunch, his schedule is crowded with not only AP Bio labs, but also a plethora of club meetings. He is the presi-dent of both the UNICEF and Red Cross Clubs, and also a member of West La-fayette Youth Council. Friends of Sameer’s re-fer to him as motivated. Se-nior Will Rankin says, “He’s passionate and driven to succeed, like a politician.” Almost every person who
in the dictionary, he has not stopped his academic endeavors in the slightest. At school, Sameer en-joys taking all of the hard-est AP courses. His favor-ite classes are AP Biology taught by Mr. Overley and AP English taught by Mrs. Helton, which are arguably two of the most diffi cult,
Sameer’s FavoritesFood: Samosa and Paneer
Channel: Food Network
Yogurt: Mango �lavored Greek Yogurt
Part of Spelling Bee: Traveling
Musical Artist: Kanye West
Favorite word to spell:
humuhumunukunukuapua’a (a Hawaiian �ish )
Seriously Speaking
SERIOUSLY SPEAKING COMPILED BY BRIAGHA M TAVISH
What class do you wish was offered?
Who am I???
W ! "# I??? !"#$%&' () G*+ & P+%"$&*$.
T! ,&& -/& +0,1&*, V$,$- $%"&'())(!*'+*(.%!#
PAGE 8
West Side
MARCH 7, 2012
If you were to choose two words to describe se-nior Sameer Mishra, it would probably without a doubt be “hard working.” Everyone’s seen Sameer walking around the halls, socializing with his friends in a laid back manner. But behind his quaintly comical nature, there is a tenacious and assiduous student who will go to great lengths to triumph. Everyone has seen proof of his studious nature at the 2008 National Scripps Spelling Bee, and although Sameer admits that he has eased up on studying words
Sameer Mishra casts us under his spell
“Naptime.”
Sasha Sokolchik
Freshman
“Spanish 5.”
Caroline Oates
Sophomore
“How to pick up girls 101.”
Andrew Redd
Junior
“Any class offered at Hogwarts.”
Brahmin Bea
Senior
“Golf: I’d be the teacher, and the
students wouldn’t learn anything,
but I could play for free.”
Coach Wood
Teacher
has known Sameer agrees that he would do anything in order to succeed. This motivation to suc-ceed is apparent in his suc-cess with West Lafayette debate. Sameer debates policy with his partner, Matthew Campell. The power duo have debated together for three years,
BY CRYSTAL WANG
I was born on May 16, 1980 in Evansville, Indiana.
I attended Purdue University and majored in Education.
I have two brothers and one niece.
In my free time, I enjoy running, watching baseball, reading,
and hanging out with my family.
My favorite movie is “Back to the Future” and I have several
favorite shows including “Seinfeld”, “The Simpsons”, “How I
Met Your Mother”, and “The Offi ce”.
My favorite restaurant is Bruno’s.
My favorite fi ction book is “The Book Thief ” and nonfi ction
book is “Outliers”.
The best decision I’ve ever made is working at Springhill sum-
mer camp in college.
One of my many nicknames is “The Denominator”.
My favorite store is Amazon.com.
I have a dog and a cat.
The best part of teaching in my opinion is living through the
students vicariously and motivating them to do their best.
My favorite actor is Edward Norton and favorite actress is
Tina Fey.
My favorite sports team is the New York Yankees.
I once ate breakfast with Drew Brees, and I always carry a
protractor around in my wallet.
Before I die I want to run the Boston Marathon.
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PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WANG
“He’s passionate and driven to succeed.” - Will Rankin Senior
wn Sameer ag
“He’s passionate and driven to suc
Almost ev
placing in the top 16 at the State level and qualifying for nationals for the past two years. “Debate has defi nitely given me confi -dence and made me a bet-ter speaker,” said Sameer. His peers also agree that Sameer takes great pride in his Indian heritage. He of-ten attends Indian events and gatherings such as Di-wali. His favorite foods are paneer, an Indian cot-tage cheese, and samosa, a spicy fried Indian pastry stuffed with potatoes and other vegetables. In his free time, Sameer enjoys taking naps after school, eating paneer, and watching Food Network. “He has introduced me to a whole new world of food,” commented Shiv Attul Panigrahi, who along with Sameer, is part of a group that visits Shaukin, an Indian fast food joint, almost every Thursday. In addition, he is also an ardent fan and follower of Purdue Basketball. To gain more insight into the life of champion Sameer Mishra, follow him on his Twitter account, @smishra101.
HE’S NO NUMBNUT: Sameer smiles shyly during his P.E. class. His humble, friendly
attitude enchants all.