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The Prowler Volume 41 Issue 8 May. 8, 2012 600 S. Smiley St.,O’Fallon Ill. www.OTHStoday.com www.facebook.com/OTHStoday [email protected] twitter@OTHStoday Cutest Couple Best Dressed Prom King and Queen Biggest Heart Best Smile Most Scholastic Most Outgoing Most School Spirited Most Musically Talented Most Well Rounded Most Artistic Most Likely to Appear on SNL Most Athletic Megan Carr and Donald Eckerman Erin Cain and Luke Gray Kelly Eastman and Amani Perry Niko Venuti and Paige Ball Cody Ray and Alyssa Soehlke Megan Carr and TJ Price Donald Eckerman and Madelyn Nowak Roddy Roy Bullock and Taylor Klingelhoefer Michaell Jackson and Sarah Hesse Megan Carr and TJ Price Abbie Cariker and Brooks Beherns Joe Mueller and Katrina Anderson Mackenzie McIntyre and Joe Mueller Senior Edition Senior Personality Winners

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Page 1: May issue of The Prowler

The ProwlerVolume 41 Issue 8 May. 8, 2012 600 S. Smiley St.,O’Fallon Ill.

www.OTHStoday.com www.facebook.com/OTHStoday [email protected] twitter@OTHStoday

Cutest Couple

Best Dressed

Prom King and QueenBiggest Heart

Best Smile

Most Scholastic

Most Outgoing

Most School Spirited

Most Musically Talented

Most Well Rounded

Most Artistic

Most Likely to

Appear on SNL

Most Athletic

Megan Carr and Donald EckermanErin Cain and Luke Gray

Kelly Eastman and Amani Perry

Niko Venuti and Paige Ball

Cody Ray and Alyssa Soehlke

Megan Carr and TJ Price

Donald Eckerman and Madelyn

Nowak Roddy

Roy Bullock and Taylor

Klingelhoefer

Michaell Jackson and Sarah Hesse

Megan Carr and TJ Price

Abbie Cariker and Brooks Beherns Joe Mueller and Katrina

Anderson

Mackenzie McIntyre and Joe Mueller

Senior Edition Senior Personality Winners

Page 2: May issue of The Prowler

2 THE PROWLER MAY 8, 2012OPINIONS

signatures will be verified through a phone call or personal interview.

Letters may be submitted to Room 608, mailed to OTHS Publications, 600 S. Smiley St., O’Fallon, IL 62269, or e-mailed to [email protected]. If excessive editing is needed, the letter will be returned to the author for approval. The Prowler reserves the right to edit any letter for grammatical errors, libelous content, or space limitations.

The Prowler is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Illinois High School Press Association. Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Ser-vice. The Prowler is printed by the Edwardsville In-telligencer of Edwardsville, Ill.

Editorial staff:Emma Gatewood

Editor-in-Chief, News Editor

Emily LoveEditorial Editor

Kameron JohnsonSports Editor

Tyler KlausPhotos & Web Liaison

Megan Ivey &Andrea VernierCopy Editors

Mycal Hurley Entertainment Editor

Sarah HesseLayout Editor

General Staff:

Catherine Maness

Katealia Lilly

Kaley Johnson

Madeline Crowe

Ivan Leonard

Donald Eckerman

Kailey Jaster

Gerian Summers

Jason Nelson

Jacob Cook

Connor Holzinger

Dianiche Baxtron

Dylan Highley

Faculty AdviserMs. Ashlee Heady

The O’Fallon Township High School newspaper, The Prowler, is part of the educational curriculum of O’Fallon District 203.

Although the paper is a class activity, OTHS students may submit materials, such as stories, photography, graphics, or art, for publication consideration. Students should bring any submissions to Room 608. Submissions may be edited for content, length and grammar.

If written, staff editorials will not be signed and will reflect the opinion of the majority of the staff members. Commentaries and columns, on the other hand, will be signed and reflect the individual writer’s views. Any person with an interest in the OTHS community is encouraged to submit letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. All

Contributors: TJ Price

Oh you’re violent; must be the video games

Decrypting the friend zone Adopting pets more beneficial than buying a pet

Every year, 3 to 4 million animals are eutha-nized in America because not enough hearts and homes are bringing in these worthy pets.

There are hundreds if not thousands of reasons to adopt an animal.

The main five reasons I list, that are also sup-ported by the Humane Society of the United States, will hopefully convince you to make the right decision next time you want to give your love, time and home to a fluffy new creature.

The first huge reason is that you will save lives.By choosing to adopt instead of going to a

breeder or shop, you not only save the pet you have chosen, but you will also save another one by freeing up extra space at the shelter.

Too many people are giving up their animals when moving or getting bored, and these animals are having to face deadly consequences for selfish reasons.

Don’t be selfish; be compas-sionate.

Also, the small amount of money you do pay to the shelter will buy food, toys, treats and so much more for the other homeless animals.

The second main reason is you’ll get a healthy, unique pet.

Most shelters examine and give vaccinations to an animal as soon as it arrives. This stops the spread of infections, diseases and other harmful conditions to any other animal.

They also leave open the option of spaying or neutering your animal to prevent more cats, dogs and so on, from being brought into the world with no place to go.

One of the best parts of a shelter is that these animals are being played with and observed by several workers and volunteers every day.

This allows people to get to know the animal’s habits, tricks, personality and any other awkward quirk it might have.

So when time comes for you to choose a new best friend, finding your perfect match will be easy.

Sadly, people get it in their head that these animals are at a shelter because they are “broken” or they’ve done something “wrong”.

That’s a serious misconception. Most of the time it’s because of issues people

are having like a newborn baby, allergies, mov-ing, divorces and even money issues.

Bringing up money, that takes me into the next reason.

Adopting a pet saves you from spending huge amounts of cash.

Pets from stores or breeders are always over-priced, and often you have to pay for medical

expenses yourself.Pets from shelters though are already often

spayed, neutered, microchipped and vaccinated.Since an animal’s life is priceless anyways,

breeders and stores should be ashamed. The fourth reason is that you’ll feel better.There is nothing better than having a loyal

friend who waits on you at the door, begs for your food, and at the end of a long horrible day, even if you’re sick and smelly, will still cuddle up on your lap to say, “Hey, I love you no matter what.”

Pets just make you feel better. Maybe it’s something about their soft fur or the sounds they make or the funny moments they have, but animals are an amazing part of your life.

A pet can cure a broken heart and stop you from feeling lonely. It can keep you preoccupied from your stresses.

Pets aren’t just good company; they’re good medicine.

The last reason is that you won’t be support-ing puppy mills and pet stores.

How you probably perceive these two things is extremely different from how they actually are.

Puppy mills simply mean puppy factories because that’s exactly what they are.

It’s an animal’s night-mare.

Breeder dogs are kept confined in cages to be used year after year until finally they are “disposed” of when they reach an age where having puppies becomes difficult.

The dogs never feel compassion or love. They don’t get played with and

in almost all cases they don’t even get cared for medically.

They often have a lack of food or water, if any at all, and they are neglected completely.

That’s just the older dogs. The puppies go through the same treatment.

They’re taken from their mothers shortly after being born and are stuffed into tight cages, and until they find a home, they stay that way.

But what if they don’t find a home?The word disposable comes up once again.This treatment doesn’t only happen to dogs

either. Breeders for cats do the same thing along with

bunnies, rats, ferrets, hamsters and any other cute, innocent animal you can think of.

Frogs are stuffed into large plastic bottles, 100 frogs sometimes sharing one, and in hot conditions, they are shipped to Petsmarts all over America.

Buying animals from these places is only sup-porting murder, pain and anguish.

The way to stop breeders is to stop feeding them money.

So next time you’re out and about, I hope that you take the time to stop by your local shelter and give a friend a home or possibly lend your time and a helping hand.

A life is a life, no matter how small.

According to the Entertainment Software Association in 2010, sixty-eight percent of American households play video games. Violent crime, particularly among youth, has dramati-cally decreased since the early 1990’s. Not to mention video games steadily increased in both popularity and use during this time. What does this mean?

It means that video games do not correspond with violent behavior.

I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, but what about the studies that claim the opposite, Jason?”

Truth is -- there are none. Not a single “study” conclusively proves a connection. Yes, it’s true that innately hostile individuals are drawn towards violence in games, and if stimulated, they would be more inclined to act. However, no “normal” youth is going to pop in their copy of Grand Theft Auto IV and take those in-game violent actions to the street. Saying video games lead to violence is like saying Monopoly will cause me to be more likely to gamble. Don’t be ridiculous.

What frustrates me most is when the govern-

ment blames the world’s ills on video games. As of late, a new bill titled the “Violence in Video Games Labeling Act” is proposing a mandatory institution of labels on video games (regardless of rating) claiming that they promote aggressive behavior, more or less in the manner similar to labels on cigarettes. What’s to stop kids from still buying these games? In fact, maybe they would be more inclined to purchase something with such a label.

What’s more interesting is that those who propose this bill fail to understand what video games truly are nowadays.

And how can I blame them? Gamers aren’t known to voice themselves unless it’s a truly pressing situation, but that shouldn’t stop us from educating both politicians and parents about what video games really are.

Parents should be aware of what their children consume in terms of media and anything else for that matter. If your child is overweight, and you blame the restaurants, you’re avoiding the real problem.

But I digress. We’re responsible for violent be-havior. Parental and peer influences are far more influential than what games are played behind closed doors. We should be more educated on the things that are right and wrong.

Video games do not inherently make people violent and are not a direct cause of such behav-ior. Adolf Hitler never played a Playstation game called, “Exterminate the Jews,” but history shows he could do it through his own power. So why blame a recreational activity?

Pla·ton·ic [pluh-ton-ik, pley-] noun1. purely spiritual; free from sensual desire,

especially in a relationship between two persons of the opposite sex.

The words, “We should be just friends” have haunted the realm of girls and boys for centu-ries. For unrequited love, these words mark the end of a platonic friendship and the beginning of awkwardness. It seems like it happens all too often; guy and girl meet; they become good friends; one of them starts liking the other; the feelings are not mutual; and it all goes downhill from there.

So I asked myself this age-old question, “Can women and men be ‘just friends’?”

The majority of the time, unfortunately, guys and girls cannot remain “just friends”.

Don’t get me wrong; guys and girls can no doubt be friends. The true definition of being “just friends” however, makes it clear that in order for this to occur, neither member in the friendship can have any romantic feelings for the other or have possessed these feelings in the recent past.

As debated in “When Harry Met Sally”, men and women cannot be friends simply because there’s always going to be “something else” that gets in the way that will ultimately doom the friendship.

It is difficult to find that balance. I’ve wit-nessed dozens of friendships vanish when the girl suddenly notices how crushworthy her best guy friend is, or when the boy finds himself attracted to a girl he’s been “just friends” with for years. There are times when both members of the friendship discover they have these feelings at the same time, and, in these cases, the two may decide to pursue a romantic relationship and ride off happily into the sunset together.

But most of the time, this fairy-tale ending is hard to come by, and platonic friendships backfire in a chaotic array of mixed emotions, unmutual romantic feelings, and confusing physical attraction.

This usually ends in a one-sided friendship, in which one member of the friendship party is

banished to the unmentionable “friend-zone” while the other is left feeling awkward and confused.

Either that, or the entire friendship backfires completely, spiraling down a deep hole where other friendships go to die when romantic feel-ings are not reciprocated.

So what, exactly, makes guy/girl friendships so difficult to effectively work through?

Well, my sweet little angel-faces, the answer is hormones.

The number one barrier in being close friends with a member of the opposite sex is overcoming physical attraction. Let’s face it; a majority of us aren’t exactly the innocent little children that our parents like to think we are.

Not just hormones, but also a teenage obses-sion with finding “true love” in high school complicates girl/guy friendships. It’s a well-known fact that if you don’t date 14 people in your four years of high school, you’re obviously doomed to wander the earth lonely and dejected for all of time.

Please note the heavy sarcasm. Despite its obvious inaccuracy, this mindset

remains ingrained in many of our heads, and it takes its toll on guy/girl friendships. There are times when we may convince ourselves we sin-cerely have feelings for a particular friend, if only in the fear that without a significant other in our lives, we’ll be doomed to be forever lonely for all of eternity, or worse, without a date to prom.

This isn’t exactly all our faults though. Through the media and Hollywood, we’re taught from early on that boys and girls can’t be “just friends”. Just look at movies such as “When Harry Met Sally”, “The Ugly Truth”, “Friends with Benefits”, “13 Going on 30”, “While you were Sleeping” and all the Harry Potter movies. All of these show a normal, guy/girl friendship transform into a romantic relationship when they suddenly look around and realize that love has been right in front of them all along. It’s a little disgusting.

For some reason, we are all obsessed with this idea that if a guy and girl are close friends, they’re obviously secretly in love with each other.

Yes, in some cases, I guess this can happen, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Speaking as a girl, some of my guy friends have proved to be some of the greatest friends I’ve ever had. Platonic friendships are kind of awesome, and it’s sad that much of the time, they’re ruined by awkward feelings and unconquerable physical attraction.

Hopefully, once we’re out of high school, we can find a balance.

Katealia [email protected]

“Since an animal’s life is price-less anyways, breeders and stores should be ashamed.”

A dog that has been rescued will mostly likely make a better pet/companion than a dog from a breeder. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun/MCT)

[email protected]

“We’re responsible for violent behavior. Parental and peer in-

fluences are far more influential than what games are played

behind closed doors.”

[email protected]

“Don’t get me wrong; guys and girls can no doubt be friends.”

3THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 OPINIONS

[email protected]

“We need to be focusing on tak-ing steps forward, not taking two steps back and one step

forward.”

[email protected]

“Too many people are blind to what actually goes on behind

barn doors.”

[email protected]

“Why can girls get away with the things that guys wouldn’t

get caught dead doing in public?”

Guys, have you ever went up to another bro and asked them if they want to stay the night at your house, but was greeted by awkward looks from bystanders? Yet when a girl does it, it’s seen as “acceptable?” Another example: Ever go in for a bro-hug, then immediately stop because you were afraid what others would think about you? But on the other side of that coin, girls can go hug another girl without any consequences. What’s up with that? Men can’t even dress well without repercussions from others, calling them “feminine.” Thinking about showing your feel-ings? Be prepared to get laughed at.

Why can girls get away with the things that guys wouldn’t get caught dead doing in public? Why does this dividing-line separating the ac-tions of the two genders exist in society? There’s only one answer: double standards. A double standard is an excuse or concept that permits one specific gender, race, religion or social status to perform an action, but opposes the action in other groups. So yes, girls being able to hug their “girlfriends”, but guys being unable to hug their “bro” is a double standard. Never really thought of it that way, huh? Because this ideal is instilled in all of us as children, from being dressed a certain way to what we watched on television to what we as a society deem as “normal”.

Although these standards may sound like a bad thing, double standards are necessary (to an ex-tent) for society to operate properly because (for a lack of a more scientific definition) men and women ARE different from each other. They are meant to keep the peace and order in a society.

However, the thing that hurts this system most is the refusal to allow universal actions to be used in everyday life. So this means simple, undesig-nated actions like, hugging someone of the same sex, expressing feelings that we all as humans feel and presenting yourself in an organized, cleanly fashion, can only be associated with one gender and not the other.

In the past, men were considered to be the un-moved, emotionless part of the social spectrum, while women held up the emotionally-driven end. Men were also seen solely as the “bread-winners” and head authority in the household, while women were seen as housewives who had little to no voice of their opinions. Unfortunate-ly, some of the standards still exist today because individuals in charge of how our society operates want to shape the behavior and perceptions of everyone to meet the same fundamentals that were put in place generations ago, when life was vastly different than it is today.

Gender equality is more prevalent in 2012 compared to the past. Currently, these double standards are slowly being hacked down, and certain actions are becoming more socially acceptable among both genders. Today’s men and women are no longer bound to unwritten chauvinistic “laws” as they were in earlier times. Women can do many of the same things men can do, and vice versa. For example, now there is seemingly nothing wrong with a man getting a pedicure or even a manicure. And for those who disagree, simply observe the name: MANicure.

Double standards continue to dominate our culture, but if we can continue to prove them wrong, that both genders have rights to perform actions that are universal to both sexes, we can make them a thing of the past. While these stan-dards still exist, remember this: it shouldn’t mat-ter what other people think of you. It shouldn’t matter how society wants you to feel and act; do what makes YOU happy because life’s too short to do otherwise.

In June of 2011, 19-year-old Monique Smith had a fit of rage against her brother and took it out on her beloved pet hamster. Slamming it against the floor, the hamster died and ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) agents came to their home to arrest the angry the teen after an autopsy was performed on the hamster. The arrest of Smith is justified, but how is it that there is a barrier between the treatments of domestic pets and how we treat farm animals born and raised for slaughter? I believe this shows that there is a huge gap that only justice and prevention can fill when it comes to cruelty towards animals in America that ASPCA agents cannot or will not do anything about.

While violence toward animals does occur and needs accountability within domestic environments, it is ridiculous and contradictory to arrest for the immedi-ate and painless death of a hamster but not the cruel, inhumane torture of millions of animals.

In late 2011 and early 2012, an undercover investigation took place at Adirondack Farms, a dairy factory farm. This “farm” takes in 180,000 pounds of milk per day and transports the product to Massachusetts-based Agri-mark Inc., which is the largest supplier of milk in New England, and last year, had $900 million of sales. Investigators concluded findings of workers “routinely jabbing and striking cows with a pole and cane on the face, the udder and hindquar-ters just while leading them into a room to be milked. Workers jabbed cows, fully conscious, in the ribs with a screwdriver and dragged them an estimated 25 feet as well.”

The scary thing is that this is only one example of the cruelty and inhumane activity that takes place in not only factory farms but commercial factory farms across the U.S. There are many farms like this across the nations committing countless acts of cruelty, and this is not even close to the biggest.

There is nothing wrong with farming. There is something, however, totally wrong with the perception of a civilized, refined farming experi-ence that these animals go through, portrayed on packaging labels with pictures of blue skies, green grass and wide open fields where animals have space all to themselves.

In most farms, hens used for their eggs are crowded together in cages called battery cages made of wire, made about the size of a micro-wave oven, stuffing four to eleven hens in one cage. They never get a chance to spread their wings, scratch or peck at the ground, and in

most cases, they never get to feel sunlight and do other activities essential to the well-being of a truly healthy hen. Many of these chickens and their chicks die before slaughter due to crowding and exhaustion. Many chickens used for their meat have their feathers burnt off in chemical baths, again with no painkillers while they are fully conscious.

If something like this happened to a cat in a home, ASPCA agents would be there as soon as they could, yet no one shows up to arrest for neglect and cruelty to these animals. In America, the word farming is becoming replaceable with the word manufacturing.

Say a little girl asks for a pig for a pet instead of a dog or cat. She names her pig, loves it, and takes care of it like any other child would for a pet. Because the pig is put in a domestic situation where it is owned and cared for by a family, then all the standards are elevated.Now if someone were to cause, according to ASPCA, “extreme physical pain,” or do so in an “espe-

cially depraved and sadistic manner” that person would be charged for aggravated cruelty to animals because it took place in a domestic setting .

Authorities can do nothing about the abuse or extreme physical pain brought upon a pig done so in an especially depraved and sadistic manner because that pig was raised in a factory farm environment and not a domestic one.

The fact is, it is legal to torture and abuse animals as long as we end up eating them. The attitude of the industry is, “why not beat a pig with a rod? Why not throw live chickens into painful chemical baths because they’re going to die anyway.” With this aspect, a pig owned and cared for as a pet and a pig that will be slaughtered and packaged for meat within years are not equal, even if they came from the same litter.

Their perspective of the value of a life of an animal is completely obscured while behind the veil of the food industry, factory farming and laws upheld by ASPCA. This is precisely why we as Americans are disturbed when we hear about cats and dogs being eaten as meat in restaurants and homes of foreign countries like China because of the clouded barrier between animals as pets and animals as meat, even if they’re the same animal.

Too many people are blind to what actually goes on behind barn doors. Milk jugs and meat packaging with picturesque farms and smil-ing animals are only hindrances to us and the enlightenment we should really develop.

We need to open our eyes to the truth of cru-elty toward ALL animals and not just domestic pets. All animal lives are valuable and should be treated with respect. Instead of concerning ourselves with a business mindset of how to get the most bang for our buck, we need to realize that some farmers are committing extreme acts of cruelty toward these poor animals. In order to see the truth, with my unveil these “masks” of ignorance and pay attention to what’s really hap-pening on “Old MacDonald’s” farm.

As this school year comes to an end, I can’t help but feel relieved that a long awaited break is in sight. And for the most part, many if not all students share mutual feelings about summer’s arrival, but something many students don’t take into consideration is the stress to come in three months when they are to return to school, and jump back into “school mode”. This stress in re-turn can affect student’s academic performance.

The traditional school year was molded around an agrarian culture, where during the summers children were needed at home to work on farms to plant and harvest food for the year. Because of the necessity for labor, the school system was created to work around this demand and created a schedule that allowed time off for students and teachers during the summers. This was es-sential for families survival, but since times have changed, a schedule like this is no longer needed.

Many people have a misconstrued idea of what year-round schooling is; year-round schooling is essentially a different construct of the tradi-tional schedule. The “traditional schedule” is the schooling schedule that we are on right now at OTHS, which means we have short breaks

throughout the nine months that we attend school, and then have one long break that lasts for 3 months. With year-round schooling, there are many different schedules. The most common is the 45/15 schedule. The 45/15 schedule has students attend school for 45 days, and then receive 15 days off. There is typically a longer break throughout the summers, giving the stu-dents and teachers a 30 day break.

According to Paul Marsh in his article, “Camp and Year-Round School: Opportunity or Challenge?”, it helps students by making the educational process more continuous, which in turn helps students stay on track academically. This would help students who have a hard time with learning new things, and for students who may come from an underprivileged background. Students from upper-class families may receive special tutoring throughout the summer, or even the school year which helps them stay on track with their school work. But for children who come from a lower-class backgrounds, they won’t be able to afford a tutor throughout the summer or school to help them stay on top of their grades. This is where year-round school-ing would help because they wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting information over the long summer break, and instead would stay in the mind-set of school.

We need to be focusing on taking steps forward, not taking two steps back and one step forward. And with year-round schooling, that’s exactly what we would be doing.

Double standards split our society

Should texting remain a part of our lives?

Taking another look at year ‘round school

Factory farming can promote animal vio-lence

Throughout the course of a normal day, many of us send a bare minimum of 75 text messages to friends and family members.

Texting has become a norm in our current society. Nearly everyone has a cell phone and all phones being sold are equipped with a keyboard designed to allow users to text as easy and as fast as humanly possible.

If you need to ask your mother what time you should be home tonight what do you do? Call her and ask or send her a quick “mom wht time u want me home 2night” text message?

My guess would be to send the text mes-sage because it’s faster and easier to do.

Although texting does serve a conve-nience in our ever so busy lives, it is silently

hindering our language skills.Excessive texting provides us with an

excuse to use improper English, poor punctuation, in-correct spelling and horrible grammar.

By repeatedly using improper lan-guage, we adapt and begin to lose the ability to distinguish between proper and improper language, punctuation, etc.

Many times, this occurs uncon-sciously because of the routines we create. If you’re used to saying “u” in a text mes-sage instead of “you”, it could easily occur within an essay or homework assignment without one even noticing it.

I challenge all of you reading this to be-gin using proper English and punctuation when sending text messages to friends and family members. It could help keep your language skills sharp rather

than losing them all together.Since texting is here to stay, it is up to

individuals to change their habits so that texting can remain a positive impact on lives rather than one that cripples us with-out our acknowledgment.

[email protected]

“Although texting does serve as a convenience in our ever so busy lives it is silently hinder-

ing our language skills.”

Many farm animals are abused and ne-glected. (Richard Sennott/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT)

Page 3: May issue of The Prowler

4 MAY 8, 2012NEWS THE PROWLER

In a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday, Presi-dent Obama gave a significant speech

that has many wondering what exactly it means for our relationship with the Afghan nation.

Obama’s speech left much to the imagina-tion, and the implications behind his words has the media buzzing. While America’s tense relationship with Afghanistan has never been easy, Obama hinted that the decade of war being fought in the nation is coming to a close. The President also stuck to his claim that the major-ity of troops will have moved out of Afghanistan

by 2014, although he ensured the U.S. military would still have a role to play.

“We’ll work with the Afghans to determine what support they need to accomplish two narrow

security mis-sions beyond 2014: coun-terterrorism and contin-ued training,” Obama said on Tuesday.

Another interest-ing piece of Obama’s speech stated that the U.S. would be

“pursuing a negotiated peace” with the Taliban, despite a history of tension with the organiza-tion, which previously provided shelter for al Qaeda.

The controversies and general terms of the President’s speech has many saying that while his words may have had diplomatic purposes, they also held the ulterior motive of a man ready to begin campaigning for reelection in six months.

President Obama visits Afghanistan on bin Lad-en anniversary

In regards to the death of Florida A&M University student Robert Champion, which

was determined to be as a result of hazing, the state of Florida has charged thirteen students.

Champion was a member of Florida A&M’s marching band as a drum major when he col-lapsed on a bus that was carrying the band from a football game where they performed. Medical examiners said Champion died “within an hour of a hazing incident during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body.”

The Florida Attorney General Lawson Lamar has referred to the incident as “homicide by hazing.”

He goes on to say “we can prove participa-tion in hazing and a death. We do not have a

blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed Mr. Champion. It is an aggregation of things, which exactly fit the Florida statute as written by the legislature.”

As such, Lamar has stated the evidence will not support a charge of murder agaisnt any of the defendants.

Of the thirteen individuals arrested, eleven of them each face one count of third-degree felony hazing resulting in death as well as two counts of first-degree misdemeanor hazing. The other two individuals face a single count of misdemeanor first-degree hazing, each with a typical prison sentence of up to or less than a year.

Officials are also reporting that some of the charges applied were results of incidents involv-ing two other hazing situations where the victims were not seriously injured.

Champion’s parents, while happy that the stu-

dents are being brought to justice have expressed disappointment that the punishments were not greater.

Sources say that Champion died as a result of a hazing practice called “Crossing Bus C,” where pledges attempt to run down the center aisle from the front door of the bus to the back while being punched, kicked and assaulted by senior members.

The autopsy confirmed this, where the medical examiner found “extensive contusions of his chest, arms, shoulder and back,” as well as “evi-dence of crushing of areas of subcutaneous fat,” fatty tissue located just below the skin.

The Champions later filed a lawsuit with the bus company and driver, stating negligence. The bus company contests that the driver, who was not on the bus when the incident occurred, did everything he could to help save Champion.

With charges being brought in the case, band director Dr. Julian White asked the university for full reinstatement. White has been on paid administrative leave since Champion’s death.

White’s attorney Chuck Hobbs stated that, “Dr. White remains disappointed that barely 48 hours after meeting with band members that Robert Champion was killed in an extreme, hor-rific and illegal act of bullying.”

This incident has caused the university to prompt an investigation to root out all hazing and has drawn national attention to a frequent problem on college campuses.

(CNN.com)

Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese man born in 1971 in a small

farming village in China, has recently come into the spotlight after he escaped house arrest and sought refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing. Chen, however, claims that the United States had disappointed him through their weak diplomatic action in response to his plea for American aid.

Chen became a locally renowned figure at a young age. By 25, he was known by his fellow villagers as an advocate for their rights, and many times was the first person they turned to when help was required in the community. By the early 1990’s, after attending a school for the blind in which he became a lawyer, he and his wife had

taken on the human rights issue of forced abor-tions in China.

Due to China’s strict one-child policy, 35,000 abortions are performed every day in the country. Rumors and reports of violent, forced abortions and sterilizations have abounded in the nation. Stories of these governmentally induced abortions led Chen and his wife to eastern China, where, after in-depth investigations there, they took the matter to the government in Bei-jing. Although Chen organized official lawsuits for the victims against authorities, he served four years in prison for illegal, “disruptive” activities. In 2010, he was confined to house arrest, where he and the rest of his family were guarded by Chinese authorities and reportedly were physi-cally abused on a daily basis and received a scant diet.

Last month, Chen escaped from house arrest and made his way to the United States Embassy in China with the help of a network of support-ers. His arrival created a complicated situation between American diplomats, such as Hillary Clinton, who was on a diplomatic meeting with Chinese officials, and Chinese authorities.

Chen says that he was concerned for the well-being of his followers as well as his family while staying at a hospital near the embassy and con-sidered leaving the safety of the area to stay in touch with the outside world. He claims he only left, however, after he was encouraged to do so by American diplomats. Chen admits he is “very disappointed” with how the Obama Administra-tion has handled the situation, especially after they responded so weakly to his recent plea to President Obama to help his family, who is still

under house arrest. American officials, however, claim that Chen

insisted he leave the embassy and never discussed the abusive situation of his wife and children. The situation is further complicated as the U.S. attempts to balance a pro-human rights policy while retaining their essential, and yet tense, relationship with Beijing.

Chen has now been reunited with his wife and children.

“The Chinese are now under an open and transparent obligation to provide this guy the security and assurances they told the Americans they would.” says Douglas Paal, a former State Department and CIA official. “Otherwise, their relations with the United States will take a sharp downturn.”

Florida hazing scandal results in the arrests of thir-teen students

Chinese activist says U.S. turned a blind eye to his plea for help

British hacking scandal moves review to Parliament; Murdoch declared unfit

[email protected]

[email protected]

Emma [email protected]

Emma [email protected]

President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan for the one year anniver-sary of Osama Bin Laden’s death by Navy SEALS. (Ali Safi/MCT)

Murdoch the CEO of News Corp. was called before Parliament to determine whether he was fit to run his news empire. (PA Photos-Abaca Press-MCT)

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has had his capa-bility of running his company called

into question after a phone hacking scandal was brought to light. Murdoch is the CEO of News Corp. which owns “The Sun” and “The Times” in London, as well as controlling “The Wall Street Journal”, “The New York Post” and “Fox News”.

The scandal resulted from a Murdoch employee hacking the voicemail of a missing thirteen-year-old, who later turned up murdered. This has caused an investigation that uncovered many alleged incidents where phone hacking by Murdoch employees has been used to uncover stories.

As a result, Murdoch has been called before British Parliament to determine whether he is fit to run his international media business. The Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Commit-tee found that the “News of the World” tabloid publisher, News Corp. “wished to buy silence in this affair and pay to make the problem go away.”

As a result, in a report issued by Parliament, it

was announced that Murdoch was unfit to run his companies. The most damaging evidence in the report was the accusation that Murdoch and his son James showed a "willful blind-ness" to phone hacking at the “News of the World” tabloid as well as the news-paper "deliber-ately trying to thwart the police investigation" into the illegal activity.

This deci-sion may cause British regula-tors to make Murdoch sell his controlling stake in British Sky Broadcasting

(BSkyB) which is a large part of his holdings. Ofcom, the British media regulator, which could

force Murdoch to sell BSkyB has stated that they were reading the report from Parliament “with interest”. Ofcom went on to say that they “have a duty under the British Broadcast-ing Acts of 1990 and 1996 to be satisfied that any person holding a broadcasting license is, and remains, fit and proper to do so.”

Despite this the News Corp. board sent out a statement that announced "its full confidence

in Rupert Murdoch's fitness and support for his continuing to lead News Corporation into the future as its chairman and CEO."

They went on to say that "the board based its vote of confidence on Rupert Murdoch's vision and leadership in building News Corporation, his ongoing performance as chairman and CEO, and his demonstrated resolve to address the mistakes of the company identified in the report by the Parliament panel.”

Police have arrested dozens of people as part their investigations into the phone hacking, e-mail hacking and police bribery allegations.

While testifying before a police inquiry, Murdoch admitted that there had been a cover up of the hacking at the now defunct News of the World tabloid. He went on to say that News Corp. was the victim of the cover up and not the perpetrator.

In a statement to his 50,000 employees Mur-doch said that Parliament’s report “affords us a unique opportunity to reflect upon the mistakes we have made and further the course we have already completed to correct them.”

Murdoch was forced to pay hundreds of thou-sands of pounds to the victims of the hacking scandal.

5THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 NEWS

Throughout the hallways of OTHS, you hear students complain about the huge amount of

homework and projects that are due. Teenagers are known for complaining, but now some adults are in agreement, saying the numerous assignments are a burden. Research has made the argument valid as well. So, what’s the answer to the long asked ques-tion: how much homework is too much? And is it really beneficial?

Teachers, as expected, wish to push their students and help them succeed. School districts set standards for both the teachers and students to meet.

The standards differ greatly by whom you talk to.

Even within the same department, you can find teachers with different opinions on the amount of time stu-dents should spend on homework.

Mr. Joe Bauer, who teaches Ameri-can history, has a different approach than some of his colleagues. Instead of giving a homework assignment to review what students learned that day, he introduces new topics the night before with a homework assignment. Then, the next day, he reviews the assignment which leads into that day’s discussion.

He said, “I give homework differently today than I did a decade ago. Today students have many obliga-tions. Athletics have become more important, and in today’s economy, many of my students have to work after school hours.”

In the end, Mr. Bauer says that his homework is a way to help his students. If a student is a poor test taker, they can benefit as long as they put in effort.

Research varies in this debate as well. According to centerforpubliceducation.com, there is no direct connection between homework and student achieve-ment.

However, the website did give insightful informa-tion by saying that certain types of students benefit from homework more than others. Older students benefit more from homework than younger students, possibly because older students have accelerated

studying habits. Students from low income families would not benefit as greatly as students from high income families. In many cases, students in low income homes do not have the resources (such as computers) or drive to put in time for studies outside of school. Even something as external as race can have a benefit. A national study showed that out of five different ethnic groups, Asian-American students saw the greatest benefit from homework toward the improvement of their grades.

Regardless of the studies and opinions, most students are struggling under stress. Take junior Brea Masching for example. On a normal day, her schedule goes something like this:

From 8 am until 3 pm, Masching goes to school. Right after school, she heads straight to a two hour track practice or an even longer track meet. After her sport, Masching spends time with her family while enjoying dinner. But that “free” time is soon lost with the average three hours Masching spends on home-work each night.

School athletes are not the only ones with a busy schedule. Junior Ashley Krebs participates in activi-ties such as the school play, which during opening week held practices as long as six hours, along with

dance and frisbee. “On average homework nights I have at least two

hours of it, but on the denser nights sometimes I probably have closer to four or five. It makes it really rough when you’re trying to stay in extracurricular activities and have a social life. I feel like sometimes it’s way too much. My mom even makes me stay in on the weekends if it’s been a rough week, which means less time with friends. That sometimes only adds to the stress,” said Krebs.

While students understand the importance of furthering their education, some wish that the time spent at school was the only time needed for that purpose. Teenagers wish to spend their after school hours on other activities, such as athletics, music or jobs.

If there is no direct relation to homework and im-provement of grades, who’s to say massive amounts are necessary?

How much homework is too [email protected]

How to diet safely during the [email protected]

Ahhhh... the dreaded swimsuit season. In a little over a month, we will all be out of

school and into the lazy days of summer. We put away the winter clothes and out come the shorts, tank-tops and swimsuits. Want to have a plan for dieting this summer? Read on for ten tips on how to safely diet over the summer.

1) Don’t go on a crash diet. They are not healthy and can have horrible side effects. And in most cases, as soon as you stop those diets, you gain all the weight back, if not more.

2) Eat breakfast! Breakfast is the most impor-tant meal of the day. When we sleep, we burn so many calories, and when you wake up, your body craves the calories to jumpstart your me-tabolism for the day. Don’t pig out though. For breakfast, I like to eat half of a grapefruit with some stevia (a natural sugar substitute with no calories) in it. White egg omelettes with spinach and tomatoes are also delicious and keep you full for hours. Fruits like berries or bananas also go great with breakfast.

3) Drink lots and lots of ice water. Your body needs water, and when you add ice to it, you burn calories because it takes more of your body energy to melt it. Choose water over sugary drinks and soda. When you drink sugary drinks, you are just retaining water and you will feel bloated. Many people think that sports drinks are healthy, but they are filled with sugar and calories. Water is a refreshing drink that actually quenches your thirst, especially in the hot sum-mer

4) Don’t oversleep. When we sleep too much, we are normally pretty sluggish and very tired. Get up and make yourself busy. You will sleep better at night and have more energy.

5) Surround yourself with a support system. My family and friends have been extremely supportive of my dieting and that makes it easier. My mom started dieting with me, and by replacing her sandwich in her lunch every day with a can of Progresso soup, she has lost about 25 pounds. My younger sister has been my “conscience” throughout everything. When I’m about to eat something I shouldn’t, she always says, “Do you really want to eat that?” Now, it’s

to the point where every time I am about to eat something, I hear her say that in my head. The most supportive person, though, has been my best friend. She and I made a pact to go on walks for a few miles every day. It’s great exercise, and it gives us time to just let go of the stress from the day.

6) Keep unhealthy food out of sight. If you have food that is just sitting out, you are more likely to eat it and just think, “Oh it was out; I’ll just eat it.” DON’T! Keep foods like fruits and veggies on hand at all times and eat those when you are hungry. A great snack I have found is eating pico de gallo with melba toast instead of chips. It’s yummy, fills you up, and has few calories.

7) Don’t starve yourself. When you go without eating for a while, you are more likely to binge eat later, completely throwing your metabolism off.

8) Have confidence in yourself. Know that you can get through it and you will lose the weight. It just takes some time. You will get there and it will feel so good when you do.

9) Keep a food log. Write down everything you

put in your mouth because you are less likely to eat something if you feel bad that you have to write it down.

10) Don’t weigh yourself every day. I started doing that, and I just became obsessed with it. I felt like it wasn’t happening fast enough and that is because you can’t just lose all the weight overnight. I weigh myself once a week, so it’s a nice surprise when I lose a few pounds. It’s much more rewarding than losing around .2 pounds a day.

I know that it is hard to start dieting at first, but trust me, it gets so much easier with time. Not only are you losing weight, but you are get-ting healthier.

You are less likely to develop diabetes and become obese in the future. It is good to start di-eting now as opposed to later because it is easier for young people like us to lose the weight than it is for people a little bit older. So, get out there, get active, eat right and get healthy!

In regards to education today, a high school diploma doesn't make the cut when

you are pursuing a career. You cannot get far without furthering your education past high school. But in recent times, with the economy being at its worst, higher education is becoming a slim option for some.

College costs have increased at about twice the inflation rate since the economy started falling in 2009. Current increases have averaged 5-8 percent.

According to the “College Board's Trends” in college pricing, the average totals in 2011-2012 for college (including tuition, fees, room and board) were $17,131 for students attending four-year public colleges and universities in-state, $29,657 out-of-state, and $38,589 for students at four-year private colleges and universities.

Assume an additional $4,000 for textbooks, supplies, transportation and other expenses. This is outrageous. We stand as the future of this na-

tion, but how can we continue to keep America on top if we can’t get an education at a reason-able cost?

As the economy continues to show no im-

provement, colleges are starting to give out less and less financial aid to aspiring college students.

In addition, college enrollment has decreased about 12 percent in state universities, and state leaders in education are saying the problem is that the rise in tuition and the worsening in

economy is causing students not to go to college, second guess their first options, or post-pone the idea.

As a result to the horrible economy and the skyrocketing tuition prices, more high school graduates are resorting to community col-leges and trade

schools. Troubleshooting the problem continues to boggle the mind of state Congress and other

leaders. As a senior, there are tons of ways to help you

get around the problems of the economy that can put your college plans in a rut. You could find several scholarships floating around, or visit guidance, where several pages of scholarships can be found.

You can also apply for grants or find govern-ment money. If you find no other options while trying to get around the woes of the economy while searching for colleges, there is always the unspoken “L” word … LOANS!

Loans are usually a last resort because they tend to have high interest rates and take forever to pay back. But you must always be smart and make sure not to borrow more money than you need. Loans are sometimes inevitable and help students come up with a plan to pay back college tuition once they get a “real job” after college.

Although the economy is down, you should not allow it to affect your college search. Your education is the smartest investment you could ever make!

[email protected]

As the price of college continues to increase, the ability of students to pay has decreased. More students than ever are graduating with more debt than their parents. (Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee/MCT)

Students deal with both large amounts of homework and other stress. (Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel/MCT)

Keep the search going ; don’t let the economy affect your college dreams

Page 4: May issue of The Prowler

6 THE PROWLER MAY 8, 2012NEWS

On April 19, SADD teamed up with firefighters and para-med-

ics to demonstrate the dangerous effects of drinking while driving in the annual Mock DUI.

As students walked out to the Weber at the end of the school day, they were shocked to see fire trucks, a helicopter and two destroyed cars centered in the parking lot.

SADD members played roles of people in the crash, making the experience that much more real. Senior Nick Bauder was the driver and charged with underage drink-ing and driving under the influence of alcohol. Senior Katie Missey

and juniors Anna Martin and Jessica Warchol were sent to the hospital with critical injuries. and CarrolAnn

Mitchell was rushed in a helicop-ter, sadly passing away.

As a follow up, the Panther Beat created a video of Mitchell’s “funeral procession”. Her parents even recited a eulogy she wrote herself.

The Mock DUI is a perfect example of what could happen when students let their guard down. It is important to remem-ber the consequences of drinking

while driving.

The school year is wrapping up and it’s almost time for finals. You know what that means?

Time to crack down and get ready for those dreaded exams. I know I’m not the only one who gets super stressed out by studying and prepar-ing for these tests. I have learned many different study strategies over the year, so I will share them with you.

1. Don’t put studying off until the last minute. Start getting ready for finals now. I have started to make my own study guides off of things I have learned from teachers and from tests and quizzes. Take the questions from tests and quizzes and make your own packet out of the ques-tions. Review one packet each night, and you will gradu-ally retain the information. It helps you remember the material easier and is a great study tool right before exams.

2. Make study groups with friends in your classes. My best friend and I get together before finals and play review games. It’s a great way to study and it’s fun all at the same time.

3. Pay attention to review activities in class. Many teachers give hints to things that are on the final exam while reviewing with you. Write

it down. More often than not, that information is on the exam and will be easy answers to some questions.

4. Get a good night’s sleep the week of exams. When you sleep well the night before, the next morning, you will feel refreshed and energized. You won’t be sluggish and you will be able to focus more on your tests.

5. Eat breakfast. Even if you don’t normally eat breakfast, make sure to eat something on

the days of finals. I’m not saying pig out on Pop-Tarts or toaster pastries, eat some-thing substantial that will keep you energized. Eating protein like an egg is always good or even whole wheat toast with a glass of orange juice. Your brain needs the energy and nutrition to at-tack those exams.

Now I know many people have their own ways of preparing for final exams, but these are just a few ways that have helped me and might help you succeed.

The biggest thing to remember is to not stress too much over them. Yes, they are important and you should do all you can to prepare for them, but don’t get too anxious. The best thing you can do is prepare for them ahead of time and take care of yourself. Good luck to everyone on their exams and have a great summer!

How to effectively plan for final exams

Mock DUI shows OTHS students dangers of driving while intoxicated

Students must stay aware of their personal safety

The Model United Nations was in session at McK-endree University April 11, 12, 13 and O’Fallon students performed with great distinction, winning a multitude of awards for their excellence.

The Model United Nations gives students the oppor-tunity to examine a wide range of international issues and to do so from a point of view that students, perhaps, had never considered before becoming a delegate.

The skills of re-search, writ-ing, public speaking and debate are all devel-oped by the experience.

There were sixteen area high schools par-ticipating in the Model United Nations along with OTHS.

In the Special Political Committee,senior Emma Speight received the Superior Delegate Award representing the United States. Speight also received a Superior Award for her research position paper, which is a written paper on an assigned international topic.

In the Security Council, senior Mackenzie McIntyre received an Honorable Mention Delegate Award represent-ing the United States. In addition, McIntyre received a Honorable Mention Awards for her United States Policy Statement, which is a speech given before McKendree Col-lege staff and her position paper.

In the General Assembly, senior Zach Toennies received the Superior Delegate Award representing the United States.

In the Political Committee, sophomore Ryan McK-

eown received an Honorable Mention Delegate Award representing the United States. McKeown also received an Honorable Mention Delegate Award for his research position paper.

In the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Com-mittee, sophomore Elizabeth Bieri received the Superior Delegate Award representing the United States.

In the Economic and Social Council, junior Alexandra Pokorny received the Superior Delegate Award representing the United States.

In the Legal Committee, senior Emma Gatewood re-ceived an Honorable Mention Delegate Award representing the United States.

The OTHS delegation of the United States received the Outstanding Delegation Award, which is the high-est delegation award to be received. Representing the United States were McKeown,

Bieri, Gatewood, Pokorny, senior Megan Laney, Speight, McIntyre and Toennies.

“Our school and community can be very proud of the efforts put forth by all of our students at the McKendree University Model United Nations Conference. Our students represent the very best qualities of hard work, dedication, diplomatic skill and a commitment to mak-ing the world a better place. I’m proud of the effort put forth by all of our students and it’s extremely exciting to see them be rewarded for their hard work and dedication. They all worked extremely hard and they deserve the recognition.”

Brad Dickerson OTHS International Relations Teacher Model United Nations sponsor

Mr. Dickerson celebrates Model United Nations suc-cess

[email protected]

The summer is finally here and we all know what that means; party, work, party, work

and then of course party some more and then party again, oh and don’t forget to party.

Everyone has their own ideas and plans for what they are stoked out of their minds to do in just a couple short weeks.

Some are going to party at a campsite with family and close friends, others will dance it up with 100 or so other people in a house that’s way too small with music that’s way too, well, bad.

Either way, it doesn’t matter. What does mat-ter is that you’re safe.

This needs to be a summer to remember, not one to forget.

I know you’ve all heard from your parents and other adults that you need to do this and avoid that which over the years has become annoying and repetitive, but there is truth to all of it.

Every day, girls and boys are kidnapped, violated and murdered because of foolishness.

This summer, I hope all of you will take a few words of advice and live by these rules.

Number 1 rule: Be aware of your surroundings. Nothing is

more important than knowing what is going on around you. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the moment with your friends or to space out what's happening next to you but this is dangerous. Not only does having your eyes open keep you safe, it allows you to help others out if they’re in a bad situation and no one is noticing. Rule number 2: Always use the buddy system.

There is power in numbers and it’s always nice to have a friend or two to be there if you need help.

Rule number 3: Make sure someone always knows where you are going at all times.

It could be a parent, close friend or another trusted adult. This way if you go missing and don't show up where you said you’d be, they can retrace your steps.

Rule number 4: Avoid strangers. It doesn’t matter if a friend of a friend knows

them or if they seem cool. Try to avoid cars and alone time with people

you don’t know. Trust me, it’s smarter to get to know some-

one when other people are around to interact with. This eliminates any awkward moments or

the potential of being harmed.

Rule number 5: Have a plan.

It’s cool to wing it sometime, but if you think ahead and have some sort of idea what you’re going to do then you can properly prepare for it.

Now here are some simple tips to stay safe:

1. Don't accept open drinks from people if everyone there isn’t someone you trust.

2. Bring a safety kit. It can include first aid items and bobby pins or supplies for a sleepover.

3. Don’t be by yourself.4. Eat before you go to parties, this way you

avoid people putting things in your food that could potentially hurt you.

5. Wear sunscreen. Skin cancer is also a sum-mer danger.

6. Avoid drugs and alcohol.7. Wear your seatbelt.8. Keep an eye on your belongings and food or

beverages. 9. Have self-respect. This closes a lot of doors

to harmful situations.10. Make smart decisions overall! Be safe O’Fallon!

[email protected]

[email protected]

The Hyundai Santa Fe and Chevrolet Malibu used in the Mock DUI are barely recognizable after their collision.

(TJ Price/ The Prowler)

Alcohol is one of the many things students should avoid during this upcoming summer in order to stay safe.

(TJ Price/The Prowler)

Every year, students across the nation are forced to take standard-ized tests. The only

way they are able to prepare is by taking other standardized tests, getting a good night’s rest, eating a proper breakfast and sharpening their number 2 pencils.

Students are told to do well on these tests so that they can get high scores, which helps them get into a good college, earn scholarship money and prove their smarts.

However, according to FairTest, an organization that advocates for the reform of standardized testing, standardized test-ing does not test creativ-ity or complex thinking skills. They rely largely on irrelevant state standards and are not objective measures of student ability or achievement.

Many people feel that something needs to be done to reform or abolish current standardized test-ing.They feel it’s unaccept-able to rely on standard-ized tests to label a person’s potential.

These tests are tests in which all students answer the same questions, in a multiple choice format, and each question has only one correct answer.

“They reward the ability to quickly answer su-perficial questions that don’t require real thought to actually answer,” as stated in a FairTest article.

Every student has their good and bad days. Based on the mindset of FairTest,relying on one test could not possibly determine how smart and capable a student truly is.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) plays a key role in standardized testing and how it affects a community.

NCLB, also known as Public Law 107-110, was passed in 2001 by President Bush. It states that if students don’t all get above a certain score (which differs for each school) on a standardized test their school will be dubbed as “failing” and will also be fined and penalized.

The standardized tests that are distributed according to the act are given to every single student in a school-- black, white, high and low

social economic standards and students with mental disabilities-- with the hopes that every single group will perform the exact same and reach above the line set for the tests.

“The act punished schools for not making ‘adequate yearly progress’ toward having all students proficient at ‘challenging’ standards by 2014, regardless of student’s socioeconomic disadvantages or even of their own disabilities,” says research associate of the Economic Policy Institute Richard Rothstein.

Rothstein also states that the NCLB has failed in its mission to provide equal access to quality

public education for all students in the U.S., and that the legislation has unbalanced curricula and has created unrealistic expectations.

As of now, many states have requested govern-ment permission to work around the requirements of NCLB. In September 2011, President Obama stated that the government would grant wavers to states who could come up with “rigor-ous and comprehensive plans” aimed at improving their state’s educational standards.

Despite all the hype against standardized test-ing, many do believe that it is helpful. A Nov. 2010 report by McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, found that school systems in 20 countries “that have achieved significant, sustained, and widespread gains” on national and international assessments, and had used “proficiency target for each school” and “frequent standardized testing to monitor system progress.”

Those who are pro-standardized testing believe it to be helpful, and consider it a precise measurement of intelligence because it creates conditions where everyone is equal.

Only people question whether everyone is equal. Studies show that standardized tests are easier for upper class citizens, because the tests use terminology that they are more familiar with.

Although many are fighting for standardized testing reform, it is sure to be a while before a change is established in our nation’s schools. Still, people will continue to push for reform, so that our nation’s students will stop being judged based on a number.

7THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 FEATURES

Standardized tests; in-adequate measure of student’s intelligence

On April 3, 2012, the cur-rent high schoolers put on the Blizzard program for the incoming freshman. Eighth graders from all the feeder schools in the area were in attendance. The program started off with eighth graders trying to find their way in the Milburn campus gym to their assigned groups. Once everyone was accounted for, the program really began. It started off with the SADD officers introducing themselves to the audience. Next, Officer Jay Spanley brought a prisoner in to speak to the audience and tell them his experience with drugs, alco-

hol, and making bad deci-sions. Different from most years, the prioner only spoke for approximately three minutes. Because he was in the process of going to trial, he was not able to tell the audience why exactly he was arrested and await-ing trial. After the prisoner spoke, the audience broke into two groups with half of them going to watch a video on peer pressure and

the other half breaking into their small groups.

In small groups, the high schoolers prepared ice breaker activi-ties and games for the eighth graders to partici-pate in. After they all warmed up to each other, the eighth graders asked the high schoolers questions about things they will face in high school.

This year’s Blizzard was a huge suc-cess with one of the biggest turnouts in the 21 years it has been going on. Hope-fully due to the suc-cess of the event, the new high-schoolers will make good decisions

throughout their time at OTHS and will be good role models for years to come.

OTHS students welcome incoming freshmen with Blizzard

What colleges look for in high school [email protected]

Sodexo rewarded for partici-pating in Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign

Many of you might not have known but for the past

six weeks OTHS has been participating in a nationwide competition to help promote healthy food choices in teenagers. At a board meeting last month, the school was awarded $500 as a Consolation Prize for being a participant in the Healthy High School Challenge. This contest sponsored by O’Fallon’s very own lunch food provider Sodexo is in partnership with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move”

campaign to help put an end to obesity in Amer-ican youth. Sodexo’s healthy eating initiative featured over 200 different schools with awards ranging from $500 all the way up to $5,000. Each day when you went to lunch and purchased a healthy item it contributed points to the school’s score and were worth double if you hap-pened to choose the healthy item of the week.

So continue to eat healthy both inside and outside of the cafeteria, and keep up the good work O’Fallon.

[email protected]

A few of the Blizzard leaders gather together for a picture while waiting for the eighth graders to arrive and join their groups. (Shannon Wallace/ The Panther)Incoming freshmen participate in Blizzard games, meet-

ing their classmates for next year. ( Shannon Wallace/ The Panther)

[email protected]

(Lane Christiansen/MCT Campus)

We all know that colleges look at your high school transcript when

you apply for admission, but what exactly do admission offices look for? Class rank, one of the factors that used to be thought of as a decisive component in col-lege admissions, does not hold as much weight as it used to. One of the main reasons for this is that a student’s class rank only represents them out of the rest of their class; it’s not necessarily an accurate representation of the student’s academic rank as a whole. However, while it may not individually determine your admission, a high class rank can help “tip” a college’s decision to admit you if they are still indecisive about other

admission factors. Another factor considered in college admissions is what level of classes a student is taking. This can vary individually by high school and college. For example, if a high school only has regular or honors chemistry, then honors will look good. If, however, you have an AP class as well, honors chemistry may not seem so impres-sive. Some schools also add to your GPA if you get a certain grade in an honors or AP class. However, you need to check on this for any college you are considering, since every school is different. While colleges strongly con-

sider class difficulty when admitting students, a pupil’s GPA is still important. A student’s GPA

(Grade Point Average) can roughly show their overall rank and can be a valuable tool when comparing students across different schools. Do not, however, assume that a high GPA will automatically assure admittance to a school; colleges are more impressed by strong grades in challenging classes than straight A’s in easy classes. Attendance is a factor that should also be considered. A few sick days won’t hurt a student’s chances of being admitted to a particular col-lege, but long stretches of absences (or skips) will undoubtedly raise a

red flag at the admissions office. Skipping school will show a college that a student is not willing to work hard, just like poor grades do. If a stu-dent has had extended absences from class due to a legitimate reason such as a health problem or family emergency, the student should be sure to note this when applying to the college of his or her choice. Getting into college may be tough, but if you keep in mind what colleges are look-ing for, you stand a better chance of showing schools the best that you have to offer. Try your best during school, in addition to doing well on the ACT, and you’ll have a solid chance at get-ting into the college you desire to attend.

On April 21, students from the journalism pro-grams (newspaper and yearbook)

headed to SIU Carbondale for the IHSA Journalism Sectionals competition. At Carbon-dale, the students each competed in separate categories, highlighting their talents in writing, layout design and photography. The trip was also a way to check out the many journalism op-portunities SIUC has to offer. OTHS had many students place and advance to state. Awards were

given to: junior Katealia Lily, Advertising (3), sophomore Lauren Reeves, Broadcast Newswrit-ing (3), junior Andrea Vernier, Copy Editing (1), senior Katy Maness, Editorial Cartooning (2), senior TJ Price, Feature Photography (1), junior Connor Holzinger, Info Graphics (3), senior Mycal Hurley, Review Writing (1), junior Tiffani McCormick, Yearbook Copy Editing (3), sopho-more Abby Rittenhouse and junior Matt Meyers, Yearbook Theme Development (2)

Those students listed competed in the IHSA State Competion at Eastern Illinois University on Friday, April 27.

[email protected]

Journalism students compete at SIUC

[email protected]

Only people question whether everyone is equal. Studies show that standardized tests are easier for upper class citizens, because the tests use terminology that they are more familiar with. (Tyler Klaus/The Prowler)

Page 5: May issue of The Prowler

8 THE PROWLER MAY 8, 2012FEATURES

Welcome to the final installment of OTHS’ favorite written game show POP CULTURE

SHOW-DOWN! This month, we are featuring the King of Chem-istry, the one and the only, MR. WILSON! His opponent, who has the gift of gab, Rachel Federhofer. The topic this week is revenge, and, in full disclosure, the host of this loosely ruled gameshow may be slightly biased.

Round 1:Last year what military policy was repealed

allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military?

Federhofer: “I know this! ........ I don’t remem-ber it, but i know it! Umm...”

Wilson: “Ding! Ding! Ding! “Don’t ask don’t tell.”

Despite the fact that Rachel “knew it” she couldn’t come up with the answer before time ran out, so the point goes to Mr. Wilson.

The score is 1-0 Wilson.Round 2:What teen artist came out with the audio as-

saulting pop flop “Friday” which grossed over 40 million views on YouTube?

Federhofer: “Pop flop.....? What......?”Wilson: “Ding! Ding! Ding! Rebecca Black.”

Federhofer: “OHH, I KNEW THAT!”If Rachel’s epiphanies keep coming just mo-

ments after Mr. Wilson answers the question. This could prove to be a very long game for her.

The score is now 2-0 Wilson.Round 3: (Biases

begin here)What is

Mr.Wilson’s favorite

color? Feder-

hofer: “Blue!”

Wil-son: “Ding! Ding! Ding! Clear.”

As shock-ing as this may seem, Rachel has missed her third question in a row, because even tribal Aborigines living in the Outback of Australia know Mr. Wilson’s favorite color is

obviously clear.The score is 3-0 Wilson.Round 4:Technological messiah Steve Jobs died last year

- what is he famous for having created?Federhofer:

“Apple!”Wilson:

Computers. Apple Com-puters. She didn’t finish her answer.”

Dis-gruntled as Rachel may be, she did in fact fail to complete her answer, which was answered correctly by Mr. Wilson.

The score is now 4-0 Wilson.

Round 5:What Grass-

roots political movement started in September by a group enraged by the salaries of the “top 1%”?

Federhofer: “The the the the wall street thing, the uh uh uh uh.....”

Wilson: “I believe its Occupy Wall Street.”Federhofer:

“Yeah! I knew it was Wall Street.”

Close, but no cigar for Rachel. This round also

goes to Mr. Wilson, further broadening his lead to 5-0.

Round 6How many World Series had the Cardinals

won in 2012?Federhofer:

“uhhh... one?”Wilson:

“Hahahahah! It’s true; they did only win one World Series this year.”

…. they both score on a technicality. The answer I was re-ally looking for was 11.

The score is now 6-1 Wil-son.Round 7:

What Ironi-cally named senator was forced to resign for sending inappropriate

pictures in text messages?*Mr. Wilson leans over and whispers the

answer into Rachels ear*Federhofer: “NO, I’M NOT SAYING

THAT!”Wilson: “Hahaha, Anthony Weiner.”Federhofer: “......... oh, I thought you were

kidding...”Mr. Wilson is right for the 7th time in a row,

for those of you keeping track at home the score is neck and neck...... 7-1 Wilson.

Round 8:What blockbuster movie came out last Friday

starring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and The Hulk?

Federhofer: “OH OH OH I KNOW THIS.. ..........”(Deja Vu?)

Mr. Wilson: “The Avengers, duhh.”Well it was a real nail biter folks, but in the

end Mr. Wilson emerged victorious, rounding out the game with a final score of 8-1 Wilson. Have a great summer everybody.

THE FINAL POP CULTURE SHOWDOWN!

This April, the Students of the Month are John Mueller and Lanie Gravlin. Gravlin

plans to attend the University of Missouri at Columbia to pursue a degree in business and fine arts. Gravlin says, “This was a very hard decision for me because I want to be able to find a decent job out of college and there aren’t many oppor-tunities for an art major. At the same time, art is my passion, and I can’t imagine sitting behind a

desk 9-5; it just wouldn’t be enough for me.”Gravlin says the best part of being named a

STOM is the recognition of all of the hard work she has done, and, of course, the parking spot. She admits that her best quality is her creativity. She says, “Recently, I’ve been really interested in blank canvas shoes and decorating them with sharpie markers. I love turning something as simple as a pair of shoes into a walking piece of art.”

Gravlin notes that Mr. Bauer is her favorite

teacher because “I’ve learned so much about the world from him.” She goes on to say that “be-cause of his class, I now find myself connecting the dots from things he’s taught me about WWII or some other event to what’s happening now or in other classes. He’s also hilarious.”

Mueller plans to attend the University of Il-linois at Urbana Champaign where he plans to pursue economics and business. The best part of being SOTM in Mueller’s opinion is “being recognized for my achievements, and, of course, the parking spot.”

Mueller is part of many extracurricular activi-ties including varsity boys’ volleyball, SADD, LifeSavers, FCA, and he is also the leader of the St. Nicholas Church youth group. Mueller admits that his best quality is his generosity but his worst quality is being impatient.

Mueller says that his favorite teacher is Mrs. Haisler because “she teaches my favorite class, Honors Accounting, and because she helped to guide me on my path to major in business at University of Illinois.”

College is upon us seniors, and the pressures of the many universities we have applied to have hit us and have probably waded in the water by now. But now a new set of problems arise as we bury the past. The social problems of college may cause a greater headache than the files of applications and request forms we filled out to get there. This guide to my fellow seniors should help with the top five problems incoming college freshmen face.

5. HomesicknessProblem: Whether some admit it or not, most

students will at one point get homesick. This is especially common for students who go to a school that is more than 3 hours from their home. Home-sickness also affects freshman as it is presum-ably their first year away from home, and most are not allowed to have a car during their first year away.

Solution: If the student lives within 3-4 hours from home, (consid-ered a comfort-able day’s drive) he/she can plan to visit home perhaps once every month or two. Care packages, emails, and phone calls to and from friends and family members can also greatly assist in reducing feelings of homesickness.

4. WorkingProblem: To combat the high price of college

tuition, many students must get a job. Juggling a job, 15 to 18 credits, and sometimes a club or sports team is quite a chore. Many students try to cram all of these activities into one day, and time spent sleeping suffers. Without proper rest, the student can then become susceptible to dif-ferent kinds of health problems.

Solution: Decide what is important. The student must prioritize and then schedule events, games, meetings, and studies accordingly. Also, a college student must be well aware of their options when getting a job. Many times the university will offer jobs to students that are flex-ible and fit into the student’s schedule. For more information, see the “College Jobs Guide”.

3. PledgeingProblem: Pledging can be the most exciting

part of a student’s time in college. At the same time it may be the most dangerous.

Solution: When choosing a fraternity or sorority, first do your homework on the group. Understand what it is they stand for. Hazing is a key component of pledging, and though it is illegal, it will forever be a part of the Greek life process. If you ever feel uncomfortable or feel the need to leave, do so and keep yourself safe.

2. PartyingProblem: Partying is not a problem. Parties

were designed so that attendees could have a good time. However, many of the parties that

go on at colleges today have the potential to cause problems. At many parties alcohol and drugs can control the night. Alco-hol can lead to drunkenness and potentially poor decision making.

Solution: While parties are a good time, stu-dents should plan to enjoy them in

a responsible and legal way to ensure that they do not

create problems for themselves or for others. A simple internet search for drunk driving will turn up plenty of pictures and news articles which really do not need to be repeated.

1.The Freshman 15Problem: Dining halls can be a nightmare for

weight-conscious individuals, especially with the overabundance of high-calorie foods and friends who push you to indulge.

Solution: Avoid these obstacles by deciding what you’re going to eat before each meal. When finished with your meal, wait 20 minutes after finishing to go back for more. That’s how long it takes for your stomach to tell your brain it’s full. Fitting in time to exercise may become a hassle with studying and socializing, and the last thing on your mind may be taking a two mile jog. To sneak in a workout, strap your book bag on your back and take the stairs up to your dorm room. By following these five simple rules, you will make your freshmen year that much more enjoy-able and stress-free.

Gravlin and Mueller named April SOTM

ZULA

[email protected]

Emma [email protected]

Federhofer is ready to rumble while Wilson shields is body with the Prowler. (Ashlee Heady/The Prowler)

Wilson and Federhofer “fight to the death” in a especially “close” battle of wits.(Ashlee Heady/The Prowler)

The rivalry begins as the opponents chose their weapons of choice.(Ashlee Heady/The Prowler)

Senior Lanie Gravlin plans to attend Mizzou next yearability(Emma Gatewood/The Prowler)

Senior John Mueller is a member of various school activities(Emma Gatewood/The Prowler)

Zula prepares to school students on college.(Ashlee Heady/The Prowler)

Tips for a good transi-tion from high school to college

9THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 FEATURES

D Erica AdamsHannah AdkinsAllexis AkinsShannon Alley Julia AllisonAmber AlsupStefan AlvaradoKatrina AndersonKatalina AndersonDevon AndreasenCaitlin Armstrong Taylor ArndtAlexander Ashley Justin AshleyAlyssa AtesKyle AuBuchonKylee BaileyChristian BakerDevhin BakerPaige BallSteven BandyEric BankerEmily BarkerKelsey BarksdaleTaylor BarnouskiNicholas BarrettKein BartlettTiani Batiste Nicholas BauderJordan BaumSarah Baynes Tremiya BeamonBlake BeardsleyJacob BeckerBrooks Behrens Abby Belongy Anne BennettAbbey BentonCory BeyersdorferRuth BieriPaxton Bione Sarah BishopMike BlackhawkSamantha BlackmonConnor BlankenshipBrandon BoeckmanNichole BoeweBrandi BoganBrandon BooneCharles Boothe Kassidy BorderTamidre BornnardBryan BouasIsaac BouquetLorin BowlinRebecca BowlinJe von BoydAnna BradleyTrichelle BranchKayla BraswellKurtis BregerBlake BrittonChloe BrockDavid BrowersAlexis BrownChaney Brown Erika BrownJenee BrownRoy Bullock Faith BurrelsmanKendall ButlerErin CainJoseph Calcagno Alayna CalderonAnthony Calderon Roger CaldwellVictoria Call Katelyn CampbellAbigail CarikerAngelica CarlisleAlex CarlsonJames CarnesKathryn CarrMegan CarrAlexa Carson John CarsonBrent CarthyJacob Cassidy

Max CaticchioKevin CavenyCaleb ChapmanCharles ChapmanRex ChapmanKristian ChavisNicholas Cherry William ClevelandAnthony CobbSarah Cobble Morgan CoersMaya ColemanTyle CollicoBridget ConleyAndrew ConnorsKenneth Conrad Amber CookSeamus CoonanMorgan CooperShelby CooperAustin CorbierKayla CordaPeter ConstantinouDouglas CostinMichael CottonAmanda Couture Marico Cowans Jordan CoxKatelyn CozadKirsten CrabtreeBrent CrainMadeline CroweJessica Cruz Rebekah CunninghamSean Curran Ennessa CurryChristopher DanielsMatthew DanielsClara DarlingDanielle DaughenbaughCeja DavisDee DayArianna De La SernaBrenden DeBoltJulia del RosarioZeke DeVriesTyler DickensonMatthew DotsonMolly DotyJoanne Duarte Kelly Eastman Donald EckermanBenjamin EdithElizabeth EdwardsNicholas EdwardsMark EllisKyle EmmerichNicholas EttlingThomas EvansChauncy EverettCody Faneuff Chrysteena FayTawny Fedderke Rachel FederhoferEvan FigueroaAdrian FippsJordan FisherMargaret FlemingPaige Foster Brett FredericksenJustin Freeman Brittani FrickeEvann FriesElizabeth Fuld Blayne Fullem Jennifer FurrowE Shara GaddyPuanani GagneTaylor GalbraithKaila GarstEmma GatewoodBradley GeorgeStephanie GermugaMitchell GibbsAnthony GilmoreKyle Gilstrap Michael GloseckiPaula Goldberg

Ryan GonsalvesNicholas GoodrichLauren GrahamRobert GravelleMelanie GravlinAaron GrayLawrence GrayChristopher Green Allison GreerDanielle GreerAshley GregoryKhairie GregoryRyan GreynoldsAllison Griggs Samantha GrubermanHeather GuettermanJennifer GumberBrian HaasJonathan HackmannBrooke HallKenneth HallVictoria HamKatherine HamiltonSara HamiltonKenya HamptonTyler Hampton Brittany Hamuka Seoungyeon HanBrendan HanrahanNathan HarerJasus HarkinsJennifer HarperTyler HarrEthan HarrisLukas HarrisonLeah HaskettJoshua HauptJared HayesJohni HeggerSamantha Heinrich Donovan Henson Sarah HesseDenise HicksDylan HighleyJustin HillAyrton HiltonLleyna HintonKelly HobbsDante HoffmanEmily HoffmanGregory HoffmannDaniel HogueAmy HolderMichael Holland Ebony Holmon Benjamin HoormannJennifer HootsSamuel HopkinsEmily HortonMelissa HouseholderBrandon HovickNatali HudsonNicholas HughesMycal HurleyTaylor Huston Kameron HutchensDeanna HydeConner JacksonGabriella JacksonKalyn JacksonMichael JacksonTyler JacksonErik JaklitschJordan JansenAmanda JarochKailey JasterVictoria JayeEdward Johnson Kameron JohnsonAlison Jones Hannah Jones Joshua JonesJulia JonesSavannah Jones Triana JonesKayla JordanMichael JordanAdam Jung

Haewon JungJeffrey JungLauren JungJared KaemmererElizabeth KanaskieKristen KanaskieDong KangKatlyn KappKristie KaribianCourtney KayserKristie KempKaitlin KendallDavid KennedyJessica Kerr Christopher Kingery Elizabeth KingsleyElijah KinmonJames KirkKaden KirtleyBrenden KleiboekerKolin KleinTaylor KlingelhoeferKrystal KlopfensteinAllison KnightCasey Koontz Brandon KreiserJonathan KubeKristen KunkelJamie KurtzMegan LaneyKevin LappBrynn LaverdureRyan LawheadCaplin LawrenceLyman LeNathan LeadbetterEmily LecoursIvan LeonardJustin Lewis Garrett LibbraJoshua LincolnAndrew LindsayDanielle LongDavid Louis Emily LoveBryan LucasChantia LunnonAndrew MaberryAhab MackDylan MaddenBryan MahAdrian MaldonadoRamon MaldonadoJessica ManeraCatherine ManessChristian ManginoWilliam MannLauren MarlinghausTheodore MarotteBethany MarshallLaShalonda MarshallBrady MarstonHillarie MartinBert MassenaBrittany MaterDominique MatlockMitchell MavesKenae MayhornAlexander McArthurAlexander McCandlessCassidy McCandlessMichael McCarthyAntuan McClenton Nicholas McCoyLauren McCulleyMackenzie McIntyre Meagan McKayMolly McKinstryRaShawn McKinneyRyan McLeanAmanda McMillanAlexas McNairJay McPhersonMegan McPhersonRoman Meduga Bailey MesserRyan MeyerErin Michelfelder

Taylor MichelKellie MidkiffJacob MillerSara Miller Katie MisseyTivon Missi Jocastia MisterCarolAnn MitchellCrystal MobleyKeleka Mobley Tyler ModeMikayla MoellerJade MonroeElizabeth MooreMeaghan MooreAshley MorenoLa Monte MorrisRyan MorseMatthew MosbyTyler MossJohn MuellerJoseph MuellerMarkesa MullHunter MunieJarrett MuntonAlison MesserJason NelsonKhadijah NicholsElise NickishPauline NicolleChelsea NipperPatrick NittlerJahred NixonMadelyn Nowak-RoddyMichelle NunnSean O’ConnellElizabeth O’DonnellMegan O’NeilRyan O’SullivanTyler OhlendorfKyle OldenburgDerek OliverMacy Oswald Tatiana OteroGavin OtteAbigail OulveyJames OwensJustyne OwensMary OwensBrady PageKenneth PalauskyDanelle PalmerKaylin PalmisanoMindy ParkRachel ParkTanvi PatelHunter PeeblesZachary PeelAmani Perry Madison PerryKailee PetersSteven PetrovicEmily PettigrewPaige PfankuchJade PickensAdam PierceBryon PiersonDanielle PingJordan Pinkard ReShonda PoeAbigail PolleyMatthew PoolJustine PrattMichael PriceThomas PriceMark PridmorePhillip PughKyle QuellmalzNicholas RamageJason RamboAbraham RamirezAlbert RandleJessica RatzAshlyn RayCody RayErica ReedFranchesca Reed Brent Reeves

Jonathan ReichlingAlexander ReifschneiderZachary ReilmannJacob ReinierRyan ReinierLogan RenoLauren RestoffMyki RhodesTyrell RhodesBlake RickardAngelo RileyChristopher RingdahlJesus RiversAthalia Robinson Kaela RobinsonLarry RodgersAshley RogersonJacob RogersKelsie RoosAlec RoseveareCody RossRachel Rousseau Christopher RowlandDevin RuckerSarah RusselJoseph RutledgeManuel SanchezKari SandenNate SandersNicholai SarpyJoshua SartinKelsey SartinCassidi SassmanAlexis SchadTyler SchemppNrpple SchenkShannon SchenkJoshua SchillingMichael SchleckserJAcob SchmittlingKaylee SchmitzOlivia SchmidtRachel SchmidtMark SchorfheideMarla SchulteSamantha SchultzHaley SchutzenhofferJenna SchwarzAlexis ScottPatric ScottCamby SelfDavid SevernJordan SextonRobert ShannonChad ShawMahde ShawahinKelsey SheldonDionte ShieldsAnthony SilerJames SimmsRobert SimpkinsMegan SingletonKristin SjoquistKaitlyn SlabyCar Ron SlaterMarcus SmileyAmanda SmithAsia SmithEleka SmithWilliam SmithDolph SneedSoehlke AlyssaAbby SolomonCovert SouleEric SouserEmma SpeightDavid SpencerMichael SpragueBlake StaffordJohn Morgan Stallons VDavid StantonBrianna SteinRoger Stephens IIIDeidra StewartKa Ra StewartKeith StewartSharlyn StewardKareem Stone

Dylan StratmanKelby StroughterAshley SullivanJohn Sullivan Gerian SummersAndrea SutherlinJoseph SwaniganBrian SwansonWade SwegerDaniel SwezyKyle SzopaBriel TabbsCaleb TaborLina TauiliiliKyle TeagueJulian ThomasRebecca ThomasNickolas ThompsonSarah ThompsonJoseph ThouvenotCiara TickleBrandon TillerZachary ToenniesAshley Torres-LopezDeMontee TownsendDustin TownsendAdam TrelowEmily TribbettKurtis TriboutWayne TriplettGriffin TrotterBryan TuckerCharles TuckerErin TurkKhala TurnerChristopher UnderwoodPaul ValentiJoshua Van BevernAllison VanceAndrew VanceMariellen VeachNikolas VenuitiJacob VillagranCaitlin WadeCaitlin WadeKaitlin WaeltzLorenzo WagnerAdam Walkington Rachel WaltonMelody WarfieldAndrew WarnerZachary WarrenAirelle WashingtonBlake WattsAknyia Webb Lawton WebbJustin WegnerLeah WellsKelsey WernerMolly WesslundLeon Dre WhaleyAnthony WhiteJack WhiteKevin WhiteNathan WiederholtJoseph WiegertJakyra Wilkinson Mark WilliamsMitchell Williams Romonda WilliamsSharelle WilliamsSydnee Williams Ian WilsonKyle WilsonAustyn WinfreyElizabeth WisdomAndrew WiseAdam WolfeSloane WolterAlyssa WoodTaylerWoodburyAlissa Woods Brenden WrightBrianna YawnAshley Ybarra Joe YoungKeely Zimmerman

Seniors Justin Lewis and Brent Crain cheer on their class at the fall pep rally. (Tyler Klaus/ The Prowler)

Page 6: May issue of The Prowler

11THE PROWLERMAY 7, 2012 CENTER SPREAD10 THE PROWLER MAY 7, 2012CENTER SPREAD

Prom 2012A night in Venice

Page 7: May issue of The Prowler

12 THE PROWLER MAY 7, 2012ENTERTAINMENT

2012

“I Will Follow You Into the Dark” BY DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

“Figures A and B” BY HELLOGOODBYE

“Misery Business” BY PARAMORE

“Sleepyhead” BY PASSION PIT

“Feel It In My Bones” BY TEGAN AND SARA

“When I’m Alone” BY LISSIE

“Summer Fling, Don’t Mean a Thing” BY NEW FOUND GLORY

“Starry Eyed Surprise” BY PAUL OAKENFIELD

“Hey Ya” BY OUTKAST

“1985” BY BOWLING FOR SOUP

“All The Small Things” BY BLINK 182

“99 Red Balloons” BY GOLDFINGER

“Soco Ameretto Lime” BY BRAND NEW

“Say it Aint So” by Weezer

“We’ve Got It Going On” BY THE BACKSTREET BOYS

“Just a Girl” BY NO DOUBT

“Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down)” BY CHUMBAWUMBA

“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” BY GREEN DAY

2010

2009

2011

2008

2007

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2001

1995

1994

2000

1997

1996

1998

1999

“Both of Us” BY B.O.B AND TAYLOR SWIFT

Music has been an important part of our lives since we were able to enjoy it. From the time we were little to where we are now, we’ve cried to it, laughed to it, and expressed every emotion through as little as three chords and a melody. This playlist serves as a reminder of the feelings we’ve all shared growing up and hopes to provoke the unity that was so present when we were kids. For a while, do yourself a favor and forget about college decisions, graduation, or what you’re going to do with your life. Whether you throw on a snap back, get out your old deck of Pokemon cards, or drive down the back roads with your best friends, download this nostalgic playl-

ist and jam out. Now here’s to every year of the unifying pop culture we all shared. Here’s to the 90’s kids.

e n i o r

“I’m gonna

stay eigh-teen for-ever, so we can

stay like this for-ever.”

“I get knocked

down but I

get up again!”

Summer

PLAYLIST

“Time grabs

you by the wrist and di-

rects you where to

go.”

“The Hunger Games” leaves fans unhappy, audience confused

The original 1997 movie made an incredible $1.8 billion worldwide, while only fifteen

years later, rereleased in 3D, pulled in an astounding $29,703,963 opening weekend. Although the question of was it really worth the $18 million to convert it to 3D still remains unanswered for many. The question is whether the film’s twin values of humanism and spec-tacle are enhanced by Cameron’s 3-D conversion, and the answer to that is: they aren’t.

“That isn’t to say that “Titanic 3-D” looks bad. All too often, movies that are converted to 3-D after the fact look murky, monochromatic and cheap. Cameron has spared no expense or expertise in making sure that his film loses none of the brightness or detail that’s usually sacrificed for added depth of field. But that

extra depth brings no added value by way of visual texture or narrative drive. If anything, 3-D conversion creates distance where there should be intimacy, not to mention odd moments in framing and composition: there are several distracting instances when figures in the side foreground of a shot receive equal visual billing with the actual subjects of the scene,” commented Ann Hornaday, movie critic from “The Washington Post”.

“This is the only disaster film in history that can truly be called a work of art,” she went on to say.

“The Lucky One” star-

ring Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling, tells the story of an army veteran who finds love in a small town.

While in Afghanistan, Logan (Efron), finds a picture of a girl, and as he goes to pick it up, a bomb blast goes off where he was previously sitting. The picture had saved his life. He vows to find the girl and to thank her for saving his life. Logan tracks the picture to a small town in Louisiana.

Once he gets and finds the girl whose name is Beth (Schilling) he can’t find the words to thank her. Instead, he ends up taking a job at her dog kennel. As the movie progresses, Beth overcomes her initial mistrust of Logan and a romance develops between the two. This movie is filled with both sad and sweet moments that make it the perfect movie to see with a group of girlfriends or to see with a date.

Tersem Singh, the di-rector of 2012’s “Mirror Mirror” retells the clas-sic story of Snow White in an epically romantic

and twisting tale. The story mirrors (pun intended) the tale of the pale princess and the seven dwarves very well but has many variations and changes to the story such as the princess being the one to save the prince, the evil queen wanting to marry the prince, and a surprising dance scene at the ending. Julia Rob-erts did a fantastic job embodying the character of the evil queen. She’s easy to both hate and laugh at when things go wrong for her. The seven dwarves, played by little people Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba and Ronald Lee Clark, hilariously demonstrate the crew of witty characters with names like Chuckles, Wolf, and Half Pint instead of names

like Dopey, Grumpy, and Bashful. The entire movie is somewhat confusing. It’s difficult to separate whether it was a kids movie or and adult movie, and whether it was an action or a comedy. Some jokes were immature and hard to relate to, and the ending Bollywood style dance scene before the end credits was completely random. Despite many confusing aspects to the movie, the cinematography, costume and makeup design, scene design, and acting was incredible. The Prince, played by Armie Hammer was an attractive, masculine gentleman who was easy to love, even when quarrel-ling with the princess. Snow White, played by Lily Collins was exquisite and classy. She had a youthful innocence within her character that Snow White should be portrayed as. The costumes and makeup were over the top, exaggerated, and extraordinary, worthy of any Tim Burton film.

13THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 ENTERTAINMENT

Released on March 23, “The Hunger Games”, although a highly entertaining movie to watch, left many longtime fans unhappy and new fans confused.

Having read the book, I have to say that I was extremely excited to watch the movie, and that I left the theater exhila-rated. But upon looking back at the movie, I hate to say that the directors and actors could have produced a better film.

First off, there were many crucial parts of the book that were left out of the movie, or were revised and ended up creating confusion.

I was highly agitated at the way the film spun the story behind the mockingjay pin. In the movie, Katniss is trading at the hob (District 12’s black market), and she finds the pin and the shopkeeper lets her take it. Katniss gives it to her sister Prim for good luck, and after volunteering for Prim at The Reaping, has the pin given back to her as a token for good luck. In the books, the mayor’s daughter, Madge, comes unexpectedly to see Katniss be-fore she leaves for the capitol and gives her the pin, urgently telling her that she must wear it in the arena.

Many characters are never fully developed throughout the film either. Take Haymitch, for example. They just toss him in and call him Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, without explaining who or what the mentors are and how they’re chosen.

Another thing the movie did which took away a major aspect of the book was that it made it seem, as the movie progressed, that there was no uncer-tainty of Katniss’ love for Peeta.

In the books, Katniss is told to act like she’s in love with Peeta to gain the

favor of potential sponsors and the audience. Although Peeta isn’t feigning any feelings, throughout the books Katniss is, and only after they come back from the games does Peeta realize she was acting, hurting his feelings.

Near the end of the books, when Katniss and Peeta are told the earlier revision to the rules has been revoked, and only one tribute may survive, Peeta moves to throw his knife in the lake, and Katniss, seeing his sudden movement as a threat, immediately loads her bow and aims her arrow straight

at his heart. In the movies, they just left the part out entirely. I thought this was a bad move, seeing as how it would’ve only taken a moment to add it, because it shows how Katniss is still very untrusting. Her trust issues are a significant role in the books, especially when it comes to her relationship with Peeta.

The movie is also much less graphic than the books, and some of the CGI (computer generated imagery) doesn’t do the books jus-tice. Although the directors were trying to make the film PG-13 so a wider range of audience would come see it, the wimpy portrayal of the killings takes away from the major animosity of the entire situation.

Although, many things were incorrectly portrayed or taken out in the movie, the directors were still able to do some things right, and make good changes to the movie. The fact that Caesar Flicker-man addresses the audience like a news reporter helps to explain things in the movie that would have been lost. Since the book is in first person, Katniss is able to explain everything going on, an aspect that would have been lost in the movie. It was a clever fix to show Flickerman addressing the audience and filling them in on what is going on. The rioting in district 11 after Rue’s death is also

a great addition to the film that wasn’t in the books, because it sets up the next movies in the series for the audience, helping to create a smooth transi-tion to problems that will arise later in the series.

In all, the movie was exciting to watch, but it left everyone - long time “Hunger Games” fans and newcomers - unhappy, confused and disap-pointed.

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“Mirror Mirror” on the wall, this movie’s the greatest of them all

“Titanic 3-D” doesn’t float the same with movie-goers

“The Lucky One” hits jackpot in theatersEmma [email protected]

Katniss and Gale spend one last moment together before the games. (Murray Close/MCT Campus)

Jake Dawson (DiCaprio) embraces Rose Bukater (Winslet) on the original movie cover. (Handout/MCT)

Logan (Efron) and Beth (Schilling) come together for a kiss. (Alan Markfield/ MCT Campus)

1.

2.3.

4.Ellie (Danner) focuses while painting a pic-ture. (Alan Markfield/ MCT Campus)

Lily Collins, the actress who played Snow White, smiles for a picture at the movie’s release. (Graylock/ MCT Campus)

Page 8: May issue of The Prowler

St. Louis is a music lover paradise, especially during the summer.

If there is one thing everyone can agree on about our dear city it’s that

there is nothing better than being able to do so much for free, like the zoo, art museum, history museum, science center and upcom-ing concerts.

The “Celebrate St. Louis Summer” concerts are going to begin in July. So far on the list is Bell Biv DeVoe on July 15, Gavin Degraw on July 16, Keb’ Mo’ on July 22 and Barenaked Ladies on July 23.

Also coming up is the 32nd annual fair of St. Louis which will feature three days of free entertainment on the grounds of the arch. This fair will feature Heart performing on July 4, Third Eye Blind on July 6, and Dierks Bentley on July 7. As the summer gets nearer and nearer, more line-ups are sure to be announced.

Besides the free concerts the city itself offers, many of the local venues are hosting some spectacular shows. The Verizon Wireless amphitheater will be hosting a huge event that travels across our nation.

Vans Warped Tour is the concert for alternative, indie, and pop punk music lovers. This year’s line up is one of the best anyone’s seen in years. Man Overboard, All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Yellowcard and easily a hundred more bands will be there. This is an all day event that will be happening on July 5, so wear a lot of sunscreen.

Another concert coming up at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater is actually a two-day event.

It’s called Pointfest.This show is for the metal, hardcore, old time rock and roll lov-

ers.Pointfest will be happening May 19 and 20, so get your tickets

quick.The Pageant will not be holding any all day events this summer,

but they will have plenty of shows that you should go to. Flogging Molly on June 8, Alice Cooper on June 16, Fun. on June 9 and the Shins on June 4 are just a few to name

Pops this summer will have Red Jumpsuit Apparatus performing on May 24 for free, Snoop Dogg on May 25, and Tech N9ne on July 5. Those are just some of the more popular names out there so keep in mind a lot of smaller local bands are having their CD release parties there this summer and that’s always a neat way to discover new music.

The Firebird so far only has one big name band playing at that will be on June 6 with Motion City Soundtrack. Just like Pops though, The Firebird is local music friendly and has tons of cheap awesome bands playing and you should check them out as well.

So this summer don’t starve your ears for the incredible music they crave.

Check out any and all St. Louis venues and rock your heart out.

CONCERT DATES:

POINTFEST - MAY 19th & 20th-VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHI THEATER

RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS-MAY 24th-POPSSNOOP DOGG-MAY 25th-POPSTHE SHINS-JUNE 4th-THE PAGEANTMOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK-JUNE 6th-FIREBIRDFLOGGING MOLLY-JUNE 8th-THE PAGEANTFUN.-JUNE 9th-THE PAGEANTALICE COOPER-JUNE 16th-THE PAGEANTHEART-JULY 4th-FAIR OF ST. LOUISWARPED TOUR-JULY 5th-VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHI

THEATERTECH N9NE-JULY 5th-POPSTHIRD EYE BLIND-JULY 6th-FAIR OF ST. LOUISDIERKS BENTLEY-JULY 7th-FAIR OF ST. LOUISBELL BIV DEVOE-JULY 15th-CELEBRATE ST. LOUISGAVIN DEGRAW-JULY 16th-CELEBRATE ST. LOUISKEB’ MO’- ULY 22nd-CELEBRATE ST. LOUISBARENAKED LADIES-JULY 23rd

14 THE PROWLER MAY 8 , 2012ENTERTAINMENT

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Supplying the music your ears crave

KEB’ MO’

BELL BIV DEVOE GAVIN DEGRAW

BARENAKED LADIES

WARPED TOUR

BELL BIV DEVOE: JULY 15th GAVIN DEGRAW: JULY 16thKEB’ MO’: JULY 22nd BARENAKED LADIES: JULY 23rd

FLOGGING MOLLY

JUNE 8TH

THE PAGEANT

ALL DAY JULY 5th

MAYDAY PARADE

OF MICE AND MEN

RISE AGAINST

CELEBRATE ST. LOUIS SUMMER CONCERTS

THE USED

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACKJUNE 6th

THE PAGEANT

STREELIGHT MANIFESTO blessthefall

15THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 ENTERTAINMENT

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

At the Winter Pep Rally, the Senior Blackout protests the fresh-men win of the spirit stick. (T.J. Price/For the Prowler)

The Recession officially begins, marking a cheery way to start off high school. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

President Obama is sworn into office, making history as the first African-American U.S. Presi-dent. (Oliver Douliery/Aboca Press/MCT)

Construction on the Milburn Campus takes off, finalizing the lasst stage of the Freshmen Relocation Center. (Tyler Klaus/The Prowler)

“Twilight” premieres as a movie, beginning a blockbuster trilogy and an unhealthy obsession for teenage girls everywhere. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

The Bathroom hall passes are introduced, leading to a greater hope that everyone washes their hands. (Tyler Klaus/The Prowler)

Michael Jackson dies, leaving suspician towards the family physician. (LA Times/MCT)

Haiti is shaken up in a mas-sive earthquake; the world rushes to its aid. (Patrick Far-rell/Miami Herald/MCT)

Osama bin Laden is killed in a covert operation. (Balkis Press/Abaca Press/MCT)

The Japanese experience a 8.9 magnitude earthquake and severe tsunamis. (Ya-miuri Shumbun/MCT)

The Cards play a wild card and become World Series Champions. (Ron T. Ennis/Fort Worth Star Telegram/MCT)

The infamous Casey Anthony trial ends in the controversial freedom of the accused woman. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

Class of 2012 Graduation! (David Lincoln/For The Prowler)

Hail storms and tornadoes sweep in and create an odd atmo-sphere on prom night. (Tornado Chaser)

Prince William and Kate Middleton seal it with a kiss in the Royal Wed-ding; the most popular real-life fairy tale in history. (Abaca Press/MCT)

OTHS Prom is moved back to St. Louis! (Tyler Klaus/The Prowler)

Freshmen

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

2008-09

Page 9: May issue of The Prowler

16 MAY 8, 2012ETC. THE PROWLER

TELEVISION

We are the

90's

Kids

ETC

Toys!

“Brin

g in

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dan

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lobs

ters

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insid

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how”

“-A

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ack

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- “Fresh Prince of Belair”

“Now this is a story all about how, my life got flipped, turned upside down”

THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 SPORTS

The Cardinals have a huge season to live up to and a lot is expected. After winning

the 2011 World Series in the most unbelievable fashion, the Redbirds look to repeat under new leadership in manager and former Cards catcher, Mike Matheny.

After the championship, the Birds battled huge obstacles in the retirement of 16-year manager Tony LaRussa and the signing of first baseman Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels.

The Cardi-nals started off this season on a very positive note as start-ing pitcher Kyle Lohse has stepped up as the ace of the club.

The big story as far as pitching goes in St. Louis is the young starter Lance Lynn. Lynn has started four games in the 2012 sea-son and has an ERA (earned run average) of 1.33 and the best record in the pitching rotation with four wins and no losses.

The Cardinals are 16-9 at the start of the 2012 season. They hold the first place spot in the Central Division with a 3 1/2 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds.

Car-dinal fans have had the pleasure of seeing many homeruns early this season as Matt Holiday and Carlos Beltran have stepped up for a combined 12 long balls.

Starter Adam Wainwright is off to a slow start after recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Chris Carpenter went through the same procedure and came back in 2009 with a 17-4 record and held the National League’s best ERA

at 2.24.Adam Wainwright hopes to come back just as strong.

The Cardinals lost their ace pitcher Chris Carpenter due to nerve inflammation in his right shoulder which will keep him on the DL (disabled list) until the end of May.

Lance Berkman also pulled his leftcalf muscle

during warm-ups and will be out until mid-May as well.

The Cardinals lost two outfielders in Jon Jay and Allen Craig, but both returned early last week.

These injuries have set the Cardinals back, but they have made adjustments as the season rolls on. Even with injuries, the team has talent on

the bench with strong replacements in Matt Carpenter, Daniel Des-calso, and Tyler Greene.

The Redbirds are a dominant team thus far but need to keep veteran player like Beltran and Berkman healthy in order to continue win-ning.

As of right now the Cardinals stand on top of the division and would like to repeat last year’s success. For the Cardinals there is a lot of pressure to follow up 2011, but with all the talent on this team it should not be a problem.

Tuesday April 24, The O’Fallon Panthers took 2nd at the third annual St. Clair

County meet hosted by the Belleville West Maroons.

Leading the scoreboard for the Panthers was senior Jacob Becker. Becker placed first in the 3200 meter race and the 3200 meter relay.

In the field, events senior Nick Barrett earned the blue ribbon in the discus throw, accumu-lating for two of the three first place finishers in field events. Jack Klopfenstein vaulted to a second place finish in the pole vault competition.

The excellent results were accomplished despite earning only one blue ribbon by Barrett. Most of the Panther points came from six second place and three third place finishes. Alex Belongy and Chris Wiggins tied for second in the high jump.

The O’Fallon young track team gave a promis-

ing performance winning the OTHS Freshmen Invitational. Taemon Franklin earned a second place medal in the long jump, and Patrick Perrier was second in the 1600.

The freshman squad showcased their overall talent and team depth. The local ninth-graders bested a field of 11 schools to take the team victory with 159.5 points, 40 better than second place Cahokia.

Also in a recent open invitational, many underclassmen earned the chance to run in their first ever varsity meet. Due to prom, many varsity runners were not able to attend the meet, forcing Head Coach Ron Koch to run under-classmen. The Panthers placed 3rd behind the Cahokia Comanches, last year’s champion, and East. St. Louis Flyers, the invitational’s runner-up.

With the warm spring weather now making its way into the area, the

boys’ tennis team has been hard at work perfecting their technique in order to do well during their season.

The boys have been working hard all season to compete in the Southwestern Conference.

“We’re way more improved from last year. We worked hard in the summer, and you could definitely tell a difference in our play. Teams that gave us trouble

last year had to step up their game this year against us,” said junior Nick Mullen.

The boys’ tennis team has had a strong group of varsity players this year, including senior J.D. Owens, juniors Nick Mullen, Tyler Rutz, and J.D. White; sophomore Nikhil Shekar; and freshman Neal Shekar. Standout doubles teams include Rutz/Owens, White/Shekar, and Mul-len/Shekar.

On Saturday, April 28, the boys traveled to Champaign for a tournament, after which some players had to rush home in order to make prom, while avoiding a maelstrom of hail.

The doubles team of Mullen and White fin-ished second, beating Centrailia and Teutopolis, but lost to St. Anthony during finals.

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“They hold the first place spot in the Central Di-vision with a 3 1/2 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds.”

Underclassmen team takes first place in local invitational

Life after AlbertO’ Game, set, match!

Intramurals dominate OTHS athletics

17

Batters up in BuschAs the 2012 school year comes to a

close, O’Fallon baseball continues its tradition of athletic excellence. Just last week, the Panthers traveled across the river to seek competition from

Galesburg in their yearly trip to play at Busch Stadium. Although this field is a place typically reserved for major league

players, the boys had absolutely no trouble coming in and making it seem like they owned the stadium. With major plays coming from unexpected players, the game was certainly one of the most exciting and entertaining of the year.

One of the most notable of these unexpected plays came from Kevin Wolf, when during his first at bat of the season struck out. However, an error was made by the opposing catcher allowing him to take first and giving the player on third base the opportunity to run home making the final score at the Busch Stadium Game 9-2 Panthers.

When Wolf was asked whether or not he was nervous when he found out his first ever varsity at bat would be at Busch Stadium, he responded by simply saying, “You’re not going to believe this, but I knew what I had to do walking up to the plate, and that was to get on base any way possible.”

Back on the Illinois side of the river, the Panthers have secured the coveted number one rank in the Southwestern Conference having an in conference record of 8-1 and an overall record of 18-6. Be sure to make your way out to their next home game this Thursday against Belleville West as well of the remainder of their games throughout the month of May as the Panthers begin to close out their season.

Ultimate Frisbee Club, or UFC, led by OTHS’ own Spanish aficio-

nado, Mr. Norm Henry, started as an intramural activity seven years ago with roughly 36 partici-pants in the program total. Now, UFC has roughly 230 participants, all of which come from a variety of grade levels and are divided into 18 teams, each with their own creative name and t-shirt color to distinguish them from the oth-ers.

So far, the season is going extremely well, with the exception of the weather. Unpredictable weather has had a large impact on the result of many of the games. Windy days earlier in the season made throwing the frisbee against the

wind very difficult, which influenced the final score in many of the games. On the second day, rain poured down as the players muscled through the extremely muddy and difficult to traverse field, but the players still had a great

time diving and wrestling in the mud.

Halfway through its current season season, UFC had only one team that could claim to be undefeated: Minority Report.

When asked about his team’s success, Minority Report’s team captain senior Niko Venuti said, “We’re all ath-letic. We’ve all played sports before, so I

feel like that gives us an edge.”Despite the competitive nature of the sport,

many players still find a way to have a great time and not worry so much about their records, which is exactly what the club wants to capture: the joy the sport brings.

Carlos Beltran high fives Cardinal Clubhouse manager. (MCT Campus

Nikhil Shekar practices his serve in a practice game. (TJ Price/ The Panther)

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Page 10: May issue of The Prowler

18 THE PROWLER MAY 8, 2012SPORTS

While the consensus among baseball fans is that the Red Sox/Yan-kees rivalry is the fiercest across the nation, ask anyone who follows one

of the teams in the I-55 rivalry and they’ll argue otherwise.

“Both teams have very passionate fan-bases. Cubs fans are your typical lovable losers who have got-ten used to losing,”says O’Fallon head baseball coach and avid Cardinals fan, Jason Portz.

While the Cubs lead the Cardinals in head-to-head games, 1096-1054, the Cards have won as many World Series in the past six years as the Cubs have in their history. With an 11-2 edge, one could say the Cubs play hard in July...but the Cards play harder in October.

It all started in 1885, when the Cardinals and Cubs played their first series against each other in an annual exhibition for the American Asso-ciation of Victors where neither team won. The next year, after both teams won titles for their leagues, they met again to play a precursor game to the World Series. This time, the St. Louis Browns won (go figure). As time went on, the American Association disbanded, and the Na-tional and American Leagues were formed, and both St. Louis and Chicago changed their team names. The once St. Louis Browns became the St. Louis Cardinals, and the once Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago Cubs. Although the team names were changed, their hatred for one another continued and even grew. This was partly because of the constant battle for territory between the two cities and partly because the Cubs were envious of the Cardinals’ ability to win several World Series victories in the past century compared to the Cubs zero victories.

Nowadays, the rivalry continues on in a light-

hearted manner. Whether it’s through trash talk, throwing stats in each other’s faces or telling funny jokes about the other team, the Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals rivalry can be very entertaining. Even the players have been found “bashing” each other. Ryan Theriot, former Cubs shortstop, after signing with the Cardinals said, “I’m finally on the right side of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry,” creating even more sparks for the feud.

As Cardinals fans, we know that we’ve found ourselves telling jokes about the Cubs. Here are a few of our favorites:

Q: What do you call 40 millionaires around a TV watching the World Series?

A: The Chicago Cubs. Q: What do Michael Jackson and the Chicago

Cubs have in common?A: Both wear a glove for no apparent reason.Q: What does a Chicago Cubs fan do when his

team has won the World Series? A: He turns off the PlayStation 3. Q: Why do the Cubs use the Internet?A: Because that’s the only way they can get

three “Ws” is a row. Q: What did Jesus say to the Cubs the last

time he was on Earth?A: Don’t do anything until I get back.A Tigers fan, a Rangers fan, and a Cubs

fan were sitting on the roof of a 3-story house. The Tigers fan says, “This is for Detroit” and jumps off the roof.

The Rangers fan says, “This is for Texas” and jumps off the roof.

The Cardinals fan says, “This is for America” and pushes the Cubs fan off the roof.

So far, the Cardinals and Cubs have split their season series 3-3, and those three wins have accounted for half of the Cubs victories so far. Their 14 game season series is definitely some-thing to watch over the summer days. Hopefully for Cubs fans,their three year playoff drought will end. After the infamous “Bartman” incident, the Northsiders have yet to win a playoff game.

The I-55 rivalry starts off strong

Sports summer feature:

With less than three weeks left in the regular season,

the Lady Panthers kick their way to-wards the postseason.

The girls squared off against St. Dominic, Rock-wood, and Francis Howell Central at the St. Dominic tournament, where they finished 2-1. The ladies cur-rently hold an 8-3-2 record.

“We’re pretty happy where we’re at so far this season,” says Head Coach Craig Dippel. “A lot of our season’s suc-cess is benefit from the senior leader-ship,” he said.

That leadership contributes to the balance and consis-tency seen on the field.

The team this year has shown great strength in both their offense and defense only forfeiting 7 goals this season.

“The team has been doing really well this year

because they’ve been playing together for so long that their experience rubs off on you,” says sophomore Sydney Pfankuch.

“We would like to end the regular season positive-ly and carry that into the post-season,” says Dippel.

Four regular season games, two of which are con-ference, remain before the team hosts the first round of re-gionals

against Belleville East.

Girls’ soccer continues their season; looks to postseason

Boys’ volleyball spikes into another great season

Coach Katelyn Hagarty, a record holder for the O’Fallon girls’ volleyball

team from 2002-2004, has taken over the boys’ volleyball program, and with the help of Coach Toejenes and Coach Combrink, they hope to bring home a trophy this year.

The team is led by six seniors; Luke Gray, Mitch Gibbs, Mitch Maves, Antuan Mc-Clenton, John Mueller and Kurt Tribout. With this being their last season in high school, the boys are giving it their all in the final rounds. Some of the boys, like Tribout, have been on the playing since they started high school and are essential to the team.

Tribout, aka “Grizzly Adams” as some call him due to his beard he’s had since he was 15, is a three year backup outside player for the boys. He does not plan on playing in college.

Mueller is the defense specialist for the team and has been around for a few seasons.

Like the others, he does not intend on playing in college.

McClenton, who used to be a star track athlete, started playing volleyball last year. His phenomenal athletic skill got him a spot on varsity his first year. McClenton will be playing

football at Col-lege of DuPage.

Maves has been play-ing volleyball for three years. He’s undecided as to whether or not he’ll play in college.

One of the memorable emcee’s at Frol-ics was Gibbs, is the middle hitter for the boys. Like most of the other seniors, he doesn’t intend on playing in college.

Last, but not least, is Gray. He is one of the team’s outside hitters

and is an essential player with his large vertical jump. He intends on playing either golf or vol-leyball at University of Notre Dame.

It’s hard to see such a strong, close-knit group of players leave all at once; however, there is no shortage of talent in the underclass-men who will continue the team’s success in future seasons.

Do’s & don’t’s of sum-mer training

Staying in shape has its benefits. Not only does it make you look

good physically, it also increases energy levels and alertness. Unfortunately, many people who workout receive little to no results, usually because they don’t follow a few simple, but key rules to exercise: nutrition, stretching, proper form, hydration and sleep.

Nutrition is one of the key factors when determining how well a workout will progress. For example, in order to have the energy to perform the workout, make sure to eat a bal-anced breakfast with enough slow-acting carbs and protein to sustain you while you workout. After a workout, drink or eat a fast-acting protein, such as the ones in whey protein shakes, or (for those against artificial proteins) eggs, milk and soy. In addition to the food you consume for post and pre-workouts, one must also keep in mind the amount of calo-ries you consume. The amount of calo-ries one consumes usually depends on their weight. So to properly calculate how many calories you need to sustain, lose or gain weight, go online and look up calorie calculators.

Contrary to popular belief, stretching before a workout is a bad idea and may even hinder athletic performance. Instead, a brisk jog should be put in its place to warm up the cardiovascular system. However, stretching after a workout is still recommended to prevent soreness from the workout. Not only does stretching increase overall flexibility, it warms up the muscles for a workout and it decreases the chance of injury. To properly stretch, focus on every muscle in the body, hold the stretch for 30 seconds and do not have jerky motions when stretching. Think of the muscle as a rubber band: When you smoothly pull it, it expands. However, when you

constantly expand and contract the rubber band, it puts stress on the rubber, causing it to snap.

Not practicing proper form when working out is one of the top ways to get injured when exercising. Full range of motion should be uti-lized during a workout; no less and no more. If you overexert a muscle, not only will it hurt, but may hurt you beyond repair which may require surgery or worse: paralysis. Realize your limits. If you can’t bench 200 pounds but can easily bench 100, find a happy medium that challenges you, but still breaks down the muscle for it to grow.

Rule of thumb, if you can do more than 12 reps, increase the weight. That being said, if you can’t perform 12 reps, you need to lower the weight.

Water is needed for every organism on this earth to live. So it only makes sense that you need to be prop-erly hydrated in order to be in top form for a workout. The FDA recom-mends that you drink at least eight eight ounce glasses of fluids every day. Not only

does water keep you healthy and in prime form, it deters dehydration and its effects. Drinking too much water too quickly can also have its consequences, such as water poisoning, or water intoxication, which hinders normal brain func-tion by diluting sodium compounds in the body.

Finally one of the most important aspects of being health is sleep. During sleep, namely the REM stage, the body is repairing all the muscles after an intense workout. Nine hours of sleep is what’s recommended per day, and having too few or too many more hours can harm the body.

If you make sure to stick to your workout plan and follow these simple rules, you’ll see results from your summer workout sessions in no time!

The girls’ soccer team springs into action as the season kicks off hopefully proving this to be the year for the Lady Panthers. (TJ Price/ The Panther)

The Shake weight was the way to go back in 2010 when it busted out onto the scene and has been a creative way to get the into a daily routine. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

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The O’Fallon boys’ volleyball team starts off the spring season as they huddle up to take on another year here in 2012. ( TJ Price/ The Panther)

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Madeline [email protected]

VS

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19THE PROWLERMAY 8, 2012 SPORTS

It’s that time of the year again folks, playoff time and the Blues are joining the party

this season. Many teams came in but after the first round, only a handful can continue their season past the semifinals.

Western Conference Round two: St. Louis Blues vs 8. Los Ange-

les Kings The feel-good season of St. Louis continues

for its hometown Blues. The defense has been incredible under the leadership of Alex Pi-etrangelo, and Barret Jackman. David Backes is the leader in points (54) , and in goals scored (24), and his leadership is crucial for the team to be top contenders for The Cup. Their goalies include Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. Elliott leads the NHL in both goals against (1.56) and save percentage (.940). As far as the playoffs go, Hitchcock is going to go with Brian Elliott as the goalie as Halak is still battling injuries. After their impressive series win in the playoffs taking over San Jose, they turn their attention to the L.A. Kings.

They have a huge chance to win the entire thing with the fast paced offense of strong lead-ers. The offense is led by Center Anze Kopitar (76 points) and right wingers Justin Williams

(59 points) and Dustin Brown (54 points). The Kings have a dominant goalie in Jonathan Quick who has lead the NHL in shutouts and has a goals against average of 1.95. The Kings defeated the first place Canucks, winning the series 4-1.

Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville PredatorsThe strength of third seeded Phoenix is their

defense which is the main reason Phoenix have done so well offensively. The offense is led by Keith Yandle (43 points), and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (32 points), both great leaders on both ends of the ice.

The key player for Phoenix this year is the goaltender Mike Smith who played in 67 games and has 38 wins. For Phoenix to be successful, they need to do what they have done all season, get the puck outside, take point shots and capi-talize on key offensive rebounds up front. In the playoffs, puck possession time for the Coyotes is very crucial especially since they will go against the Nashville Predators.

Some big contributors for fourth seeded Nashville are forwards Martin Erat (58 points), David Legwand (53 points), Mike Fisher (51 points), and lastly the Kosititsyn brothers Andrei (36 points), and Sergei (43 points). The strategy all year for success has been taking the puck outside to the defensive players lead by Ryan Suter (46 points), and Shea Weber (49 points).

Although the offense has been explosive this year for the Predators it really helps out alot to have a top five Goaltender in Pekka Rinne who has 48 wins and only 18 losses. The first round went very well for Nashville as they were able to take out the Detroit Red Wings. Nashville will be put to the test against a red hot goalie in Mike Smith. Both goaltenders are amazing, and the big deciding factor on who will move on to the conference championship round will be based on puck possession time.

Eastern ConferenceNew York Rangers vs Washington CapitalsThe first seed in the East is the New York

Rangers. The Rangers have thrived with their of-fensive play with star center Brad Richards with 66 points, and right winger Marian Gaborik with 76 points. Their goalie is doing a great job leading the team with a record of five wins and three losses so far in the playoffs. The Rangers escaped near elimination, barely beating Ottawa Senators in seven.

The big story in Washington is the Capitals new goaltender Braden Holtby and his goals against average of 2.16 in the playoffs. He will need to be excellent in the net as he has to take on the first place New York Rangers and their star forward Marian Gaborik. The team has thrived off of the leadership of star forward Alex-ander Ovechkin, who has five points so far in the

playoffs. They did a great job at shutting down the Boston Bruins in game seven and Holtby’s play behind net held strong. Now it’s off to New York for the Capitals.

Round two: Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils

Fifth seeded Philadelphia escaped the first round by taking out fourth seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. The X-factor for Philadelphia throughout the season was Claude Giroux with 93 points his success lead this team to the playoffs. The Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has been average so far with a 3.70 goals against average dueling with forwards Malkin and Crosby is not a easy task but the Flyers shooters were able to run up the score so much there was just no way for the Penguins to catch up. Now for the Flyers, they have to go up against the New Jersey Devils and their veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur.

They will go toe-to-toe with the sixth seeded New Jersey Devils. The Devils have relied a lot on the success of their star forward Ilya Koval-chuk through the regular season and he has been a big help as a leader in the playoffs. Travis Za-jac has made some very crucial goals and that has led to the close victory over the Florida Panthers four games to three.

While the word “family” is used often when describing

groups or sports teams, it’s much deeper when describing the girls’ softball team.

“We are all really close both on and off the field,” said senior Marla Schulte. “We frequently hang out together before and after games.”

Their togetherness can somewhat be explained by the yellow strings they tie to each of their left cleats. Whenever one player looks down after committing an error, she looks at the string and remembers to think of her teammates before herself.

This season, the seniors, Taylor Barnouski, Lauren Marlinghaus (Skippy), Macy Oswald, Kelsey Sartin, and Marla Schulte have definitely stepped to lead the team with their experience and leadership skills.

“Well I’m the loud one!” jokes Schulte. “Macy does a great job leading by example, and the other seniors’ positive attitudes are contagious.”

Coach Walsh preaches togetherness and playing with consistency, and so far, the Lady Panthers have responded tremendously on offense and defense.

Pitchers junior Taylor Bowlby and senior Bar-nouski anchor a Panthers defense that allows only two runs on average and average three strikes per ball. So far, Barnouski has a 9-4 record 2.23 ERA, including a 16-0, 12 strikeout thrashing of East St. Louis and a another shutout against White County. Bowlby hasn’t disappointed either after finishing last season 6-2, and is currently 9-1 with a 1.29 ERA.

Their offense isn’t anything to joke about either, with nine double digit victories so far including three shutouts wins. Led by seniors Schulte and Oswald, the Panthers are currently averaging seven

runs a game while 8 players are hitting near or past .400. What makes their offense so tremendous is the balance they have within their lineup.

At only 2 runs allowed per game, their defense is allowing less runs than last year when they won 27 games.

The only team standing in O’Fallon’s way for an SWC title looks to be the Tigers of Edwardsville. In their first match, a four hour 15 inning affair, the Panthers handed the Tigers their first loss in a 15 inning showdown. Down 7-2 in the sixth inning, Schulte and Oswald each responded with two run hits to cut the deficit to one before going into extra innings tied at eight.

“I just kept preaching, ‘chip away, chip away. I need base runners; let’s make things happen,’’ Coach Walsh said.

Each team would chip in two more runs until the

Panthers ran away in the 15th. Underwood started the bonanza with a double, and Becca Proper, Lau-ren Marlinghaus, Sam Busekrus, Sam Ralphs would get singles while Schulte put the nail in the coffin with a 2-run bases loaded single as the Panthers sent an astounding 11 batters to plate that inning and the ended the night with a 15-10 victory of top-ranked Edwardsville in Edwardsville.

They started their “true” home opener” with a bang on April 24th, defeating rival Belleville East 5-3 highlighted by sophomore Taylor Underwood’s three run homerun. Barnouski didn’t allow the Lancers to score, or much less field a hit in the final three innings.

The Lady Panthers also defeated Granite City 13-3 last week and look to play five home games every day this week against SWC Alton and Bel-leville West.

Returning from their trip to the Windy City Clas-sic, girls’ lacrosse left Chicago on a

2-1 record. The girls record is now 9-3-1, and Coach Doug Riddle is extremely optimistic about the rest of the season.

Coach Riddle commented,“The girls are truly playing selfless lacrosse which makes them extremely successful.”

The girls are all working incredibly well together, so much so that they’ve im-pressed Coach Riddle. Seniors Jenn Furrow, Brynn Laverdure and Mackenzie McIntyre are all pulling their weight as vet-eran players. Sophomore Gretchen Bolhofner has

also received praise from Coach Riddle because of her tremendous growth. Senior goal keeper Kelly Eastman continues to excel as well.

Coach Riddle has nothing but inspiring things to

say about the girls this year. The girls have meshed extremely well this season.

Coach Riddle believes that so far the team’s biggest op-ponents have been Hazelwood West and St. Joseph’s.

Let’s hope the girls can continue their excellent season this year and win the state competition.

Friday, April 13, the boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams challenged each other in a battle

of the sexes. In efforts to raise money for Minus 36, an organization to help with children’s cancer research, the boys and girls went toe-to-toe for a great. Why is it called Minus 36 you might asked? Everyday 36 kids are diagnosed with cancer, so what better way is there to earn money than through the ultimate challenge!“There’s nothing better than fighting for a cause that’s worth fighting for.” said senior goalie Kelly EastmanThe bleachers were filled with enthusiastic fans, who enjoyed laughter all through the night. Kicking off with both team warm ups, the boys’ unleashed their inner “feminine side” wearing fairy wings, hair accessories, short shorts, skirts, and eye blinding amounts of pink. As for the

girls; black ink facial hair, and scars decorated their faces. By the end of the night, Minus 36 had raised $2100 all going to help research at St. Judes Hospital; much of which came from T-shirt sales, and donation.Final score: 7-3 one goal was not accounted for. Although neither team was playing “hardcore,” (playing to win) the boys had the crowd in shock when they received a pass near the girls goal and instead, turned it around, sprinted down field and scored on themselves. A few of the ridiculous plays ran that night: Snake, one person gets the ball, calls snake, and the whole team runs behind like Follow the Leader. Genocide(Everyone just falls out, and the guy with the ball sprints down field), Kamikaze: (When the goalie makes a save, then calls kami-kaze, and sprints down the field as the rest of the team falls over,and lays as if they’re dead.

Girls’ lax in full force this season

The girls’ track team is going strong and continues to perform to their max as they move into their postseason.

Girls’ track Coach Neil James, comments on their season, say-ing, “We have run some really good times, and have continued to improve as the season has gone along. We have had some younger athletes step up and fill

important roles for us.”James also said that this season girls’ track has

seen some great senior leadership out of Kaylee Schmitz, Erin Cain, Heather Guetterman, Alexas McNair, and Ashley Sullivan.

He believes the team has a really good chance at qualifying all four relays for state. On top of quali-fying for the four relays, the team also has a good shot at qualifying for the 800, 100, high jump, and triple jump as well.

“We are looking for the girls to continue to im-prove and get ready for the postseason,” says James. “All our relays have run some of the fastest times in the state so far.”

We wish girls’ track luck as they move into their postseason!

Girls’ track is running strong

Minus 36 , a great game; even better cause

All was looking well for the first seeded Chicago Bulls on April 28th.

They were looking to bring back the finals to Chicago for the first time since ‘98 when Michael Jordan dominated the league. Derrick Rose was his phenomenal self, posting 23 points 9 assists and 9 rebounds. With the Bulls leading comfortably, he drove down the lane in the fourth quarter and tore his ACL. With Rose missing the rest of the postsea-son, their title hopes look dim against the balanced 76ers, much less the title hungry Miami Heat.

Heat-KnicksWhat looked to be an interesting series in

Miami and New York has quickly become a major mismatch just like that. Likely MVP Lebron James led Miami over the Knicks with 32 points in a blowout 100-67 game one victory. The Knicks put up a much better fight in game two led by Carmelo Anthony’s 30, but that wasn’t enough as they would fall to 0-2 in the best of seven series 94-104.

Magic-PacersOne series that hasn’t garnered the attention of

casual fans in the Magic-Pacers series. Despite not having their superstar center Dwight Howard, Orlando still managed to steal game one 81-77. Indiana took games 2 and 3 easilyhowever and is the heavy favorite to close out this series in five.

Boston-AtlantaSo far the most interesting series to date is the

Boston-Atlanta match-up which saw the Celtics lose game one 83-74 highlighted by the ejection and suspension of star guard Rajon Rondo. Despite this, and without other key guard Ray Allen, the experienced Celtics defeated the Celtics 87-80 as Paul Pierce scored 36 points and pulled down 14 points to even the series heading into Boston.

Spurs-JazzLast year, the Spurs entered the NBA playoffs as

the number 1 seeded team and were bumped out of the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. This year San Antonio set out to not have a repeat of last year against a vastly overmatched Jazz squad. Matched up against the Utah Jazz the Spurs seem to have a probable chance of making with Coach of the Year Gregg Poppovich.

Lakers-NuggetsThe biggest news about this match up does not

come from the fact Kobe is back after being injured for two weeks prior to the playoffs, but SF Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) will be missing the entire first round of the playoffs due to a seven game sus-pension. Without Artest, the Lakers feel confident in his replacement David Ebanks. The Lakers may also rest assure there is nothing to worry knowing they have more playoff experience than their oppo-nent. Kobe Bryant alone has more playoff appear-ances than the entire Denver line-up combined.

OKC-Dal After Oklahoma City escaped Dallas 99-98,

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook narrowly escaped the defending NBA champions 102-99 in Game 2.

Reigning finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki put up 31 points in a losing effort.Though they lost this year’s Defensive Player of the Year in Tyson Chandler to the Knicks, the meat of this roster has faced adversity before.

LAC-MemphisArguably the best series in the west, Game 1

failed to dissapoint as the Clippers rallied from a 27-point deficit to win 99-98, leaving the Memphis crowd stunned. The Grizzlies would comeback Game 2 and defeat the Clippers.

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Crack of the bat, softball is back

Sophomore Tessa Boots, and Senior Mackenzie McIntyre competing against St. Joseph’s Academy. (T.J. Price/The Panther)

NHL Playoffs; who’s taking home “The Cup”

JJr Medium-dis-tance runner Janelle Nikola going all out. (Lindsey Kusmierc-zak/The Panther)

NBA Playoffs are here, is Heat Thunder a lock?

Page 11: May issue of The Prowler

20 THE PROWLER MAY 7, 2012PHOTO STORY

Dear Class of 2012 Students,Congratulations on your upcoming completion of high school and graduation! All of us at OTHS are most proud to have been able to work with you and see your growth these past four years. Although we are sad to say goodbye

to you, we are quite excited to see how you will use your talents and abilities to make an impact on your world. You have the power to truly make a positive difference. Commit yourself to doing your very best in all you do. Be courageous and be upstanding for what is right. Be the kind of person you admire most. Be willing to access the wisdom of your parents and family members along the way. They have faced many of the same challenges you will be facing as you take the next steps in your life. You can beneFit tremendously from their perspectives. We at OTHS encourage you to keep us updated on all the exciting things you do in the future. We’d love to hear from you! As you Finish this chapter of your life and pre-pare to start a new one, always know that all of us at OTHS are wishing you the very best in everything you do. Sincerely,Mr. Bickel

D ear OTHS, Although the phrase may be overused, as this school year comes to a close, I can only say, “how time flies”. It seems like yesterday that the Class of 2012 was gathered as freshmen in the Panther Dome, listening to Mr. Dirnbeck explaining

the school rules and regulations, and encouraging us to make the most out of our high school experience. Four years have passed and the Class of 2012 will gather again to graduate on May 19th, and to celebrate a long list of personal and group accomplishments. The 2011-2012 school year will be remembered as a success. Measured by the strong records of our ath-letic teams, the marching band’s top 25 placement at Grand Nationals, the outstanding works of the Fine Arts department, and the accomplishments of the many other school organizations, it is clear that OTHS students succeeded in representing our school and community well. I offer a few thoughts to my fellow classmates: To the underclassmen, I suggest you stop wishing that it was you graduating this May! Your time will come soon enough, so don’t miss out. Take advantage of the opportunities for you to explore high school and find something that will make your experience memorable and your post high school plans more clear. To the Seniors, congratulations! You have completed the first leg of life’s journey. Whether you are headed to a university, a trade school, the military, or joining the workforce, you have arrived at the starting line for the rest of your life. Savor this time, but be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Finally, I encourage you to thank the faculty and staff, parents, friends, and others who have made it possible for you to reach your goals.Education comes in many forms; through a book, a lecture, observation, or coaching, but most importantly through hard work. It is the cumulative experiences that we have in high school that molds each of us as we prepare for life. To all of OTHS, I’d like to say thank you. I will never forget my high school experience and I realize that each person that I have interacted with at OTHS has contributed to my education. Stay classy, O’Fallon,

Brady PageStudent Body President 2011-2012

2012!