The Bugle4525 Highway 109 Eureka, MO 63025 www.ehsbugle.com volume 76 • issue 1 September 19, 2011 The student newspaper of Eureka High School

Blurry prospectsBudgetry shortfalls continue to affect the classroom...pg. 2

SuperteacherStudents construct the ultimate instructor...pg. 6

GrowingpainsField hockey expands to varsity and JV teams...pg. 8

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At a Board of Education meeting at Crestview Middle School, Mrs. Janet Strate, vice president; Dr. Bruce Borchers, superintendent; Mr. Steve Smith, president;

and Peggy Devoy, director, discuss whether to put a tax levy on the November 2011 ballot while Kathy Chitwood, secretary, listens, Aug.18. The Board of Education

decided against the tax levy because more time was needed to assess spending and funding. Mrs. Devoy was the only member to vote against the delay.

The district shaved $3,371,000 off of the school budget for the 2007-2008 school year.

$5,342,660 was cut in 2011-2012. In total, $22,374,120 have been cut from the

budget since 2007, according to the district’s Guiding Change website.

As for fiscal year 2013, the district is expecting the to be short another $7 million, according to a financial presentation made by Mrs. Shirley Broz, chief financial officer, presented to the Board, Aug 18.

In the latest attempt to balance a growing budget during a time of shrinking funding, the school board considered putting a tax levy on the November 2011 ballot.

“They’re spending all this money that we don’t have and then expect us to pay when we have no money,” Kim Brenner (12) said. “I don’t understand how we’re supposed to do that.”

The referendum was first proposed by Rockwood’s Board of Education in May 2011.

“Our biggest need is the replacement of revenues, which we thought we’d be getting from the state, but we are not receiving,” Mrs. Broz said. “For the way the legislation was put in place in 2006, we had anticipated more revenues as the formula was phased in over a seven-year period, which we aren’t getting, so the dependence on local revenue like the tax levy and real

estate has become larger.” The district has not raised taxes since April, 1994. With every 10 cents of taxes levied, the district

would receive $3.2 million of additional revenue. But as of the Aug.18 board meeting, the levy was

postponed and will not be added as an option on the November ballot. When the BOE will put it on the ballot is undetermined.

“One of the points we tried to make on August 18th is that we can’t just decide to raise taxes. We can decide to ask the public for that,” Mr. Steve Smith, board president, said. “We heard, not simply at that meeting but over the last few months, that there are some misgivings. What we heard on the 18th was

not particularly new, and the opinions expressed were pretty strong.”

Over half of the people who took a survey conducted by the district disapproved of the levy being placed on the November ballot.

“We’ve heard from a number of our constituents,” Smith said. “We’ve had a survey taken. We decided at

the last meeting to not do that in November and put it off.”

Raising money is not an easy task.“We should have more fundraisers and dances

for EHS,” Sam Sanders (12) said. “We only have two official dances that raise money for EHS. My step-brother’s school up in Washington has at least five.”

$7 million is a lot of dances. Additional cuts

are being considered. Reductions in budgets for extracuricular activities, reducing high school staff by four full-time positions and reducing the number of administration and college counselors in the high school are just a few of the budget cuts proposed for FY13.

Board members realize what a tax increase could could mean for patrons in today’s economy.

“There is never a good time to ask for a tax increase,” Bruce Borchers said. “When you go for a tax increase, you want to make sure that your community has all the information they need to make a good decision.”

The Board of Education still continues to talk about the idea despite the strong opinions coming from the community.

“The impact on people varies,” Matt Doell, director of the Board of Education, said. “As a community, Rockwood tends to be more affluent than some of the other areas, but there are people in Rockwood for whom any tax raising is going to be difficult because some people don’t have jobs. It’s not a decision to be made lightly.”

The board represents the patrons.“You always hear the phrase, ‘Think of the

taxpayers,’ and the truth is that I am one,” Doell said. “I didn’t think people would be positive about it, but people move to Rockwood because of the schools, and people are very supportive of the schools.”

The Board of Education has postponed the levy for now, but the discussion has only been delayed.

“There hasn’t been a final decision yet, but it is a possibility it may be added to the ballot in April,” Dr. Borchers said. “There are more opportunities to ask the communities in the future, but no final decision has been made.”

BOE

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Fingertip financial facts Budgeted Tax RateRockwood- $4.2752Example: Rockwood School District taxes for a $250,000 home:$2,031

Enrollment(includes ILC, excludes non-resident)September 2010...22,480September 2009...22,318 Information found at:www.rockwood.k12.mo.us > Budget Planning: Guiding Change > Fingertip Financial Facts

Sources of Operation RevenuesLocal property taxes 64.2%State sales taxes 7.2%Desegregation aid 6.3%State foundation formula 13.1%Other (local, state etc.)9.2%

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“There is never a good time to ask for a tax increase,” Dr. Bruce Borchers, superintendant said.

Rock

woo

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lties

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ArataOverseasBand director travels the world to entertain soldiers

Learning about countries around the world, students often don’t consciously think about how far away those countries really are. But Mr. Arata got to experience this firsthand with his band Sidewinder when they traveled to four countries, including Afghanistan, to perform for the troops.

“He told us last year that he wasn’t going to be at band camp in the summer or in band for the start of the school year,” Jessica Bloomrosen (11) said. “He said that he was going overseas to play in his band.”

It is not suprising that Mr. Arata chose to become part of the Air National Guard Band of the United States because of his dedication and passion for music.

“He’s definitely the kind of person that would give-and-take,” Haley Cook (10) said. “He’s the kind of person who would be willing to go out and serve everyone else and not take anything back.”

The trip was not a break from work to play music, it was a chance for Mr. Arata to learn.

“Having done that trip I think makes me a better teacher because the members of Sidewinder are all professional musicians and nearly all of them have a degree in music,” Mr. Arata said. “So I bring that kind of professional standard back to the classrooms and that degree of high standards and expectations.”

Mr. Arata and his band were in the Middle East for two months with the hopes of spreading joy and relaxation to the soldiers there.

“It’s the neatest thing is when they say, ‘Man, I really

needed that. Thank you,’” Mr. Arata said. “These people really needed a break because sometimes it gets pretty intense for a long time and there’s not too much of a break.”

Sidewinder perform in the States as well. The Air National Guard Band of the United States,

headquartered at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, is Mr. Arata’s unit. He conducts its 35 members who perform in large band concerts and parades.

But Sidewinder, founded in 2004, consists of 10 members including Mr. Arata and a technical engineer.

“He’s in the Air Force Reserves, a branch in the military,” Kristen Arata, Arata’s daughter, said. “He’s a commander

for his band.” Videos of Sidewinder have been shown on the MSN

website and gone viral on YouTube. The most recent YouTube video has gotten over 1.4 million hits since it was posted.

“I have known that he was in the military, but I did not know until recently that he was in the military band,” Andrew Lakey (11) said. “So I was pretty pumped to find out that my band teacher was on Youtube. It’s just fun to see one of my teachers on YouTube because you never really see that happen.”

Since he is a member of the National Guard, Mr. Arata did not get any special treatment or living conditions since he is just as much a part of the military as any other soldier.

“We aren’t like Toby Keith doing a Support the

Troops Tour,” Mr. Arata said. “We are members of the military. We live in the same quarters as everyone else. Those of us who were there for a week or two stay in tents and stuff like that. It’s part of the deal.”

Mr. Arata’s trip to the middle east not only showed his military commitment, but also underscored his dedication to bringing music into others’ lives.

“He is passionate about music, and it’s not something like he just got a degree in because it was easiest for him to get a job for. You know that he really wants to be there with us,” Madison Doering (10) said. “And that’s really great.”

People everywhere are witnessing the music and joy that Sidewinder is bringing to the troops while Mr. Arata played the violin and the piano.

“Whenever we would do a full plugged-in amplifiers concert, I played piano. I only played violin for the country songs,” Mr. Arata said. “Another thing we do is we go to where people work. That’s what we were doing on those videos. There were no microphones or amplifiers or anything like that. I didn’t take my piano so I just would play as many of the piano notes on the violin as I could.”

With Sidewinder and other military bands playing music and giving the soldiers a break, it helps make the jobs of the soldiers a little less tense, at least for a day or two.

The trip also provided Mr. Arata insight into the identity of the soldiers.

“I think it made me realize that brave men and women are just normal men and women,” Mr. Arata said. “They need a break, and they need their spirits lifted.”

By combining music and service, Mr. Arata has shown his students how powerful music can be in peoples lives.

“He puts such an empahsis on music and our education,” Bloomrosen said. “It’s kind of cool to see him going overseas and him bringing the music to other people.”

His students welcome him home.“Mr.Arata has a set standard of excellence and

he pushes the band to meet that standard every year,” Lakey said.

Mr. John Arata, band director, poses in front of the poster that students signed when he returned from the Middle East, Sept. 8. “Certainly it’s probably the most meaningful military duty

I’ve had the opportunity to do,” Mr. Arata said. “And really my story’s not all that exceptional. There are 150,000 troops in the Middle East who are all away from their families.”

“It’s the neatest thing when soldiers say ‘Man, I really needed that. Thank you,’” Mr. John Arata, band director, said. “These people really needed a break because sometimes it gets pretty intense for a long time and not too much of break.”

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Chile vs. USAFar from home in search of something new

He flew over13 hours over huge bodies of water, leaving family and friends.

He left school in the middle of the school year. He arrived at a completely new place, where

another language is spoken and the new school is about twice as big as his school at home.

Rodrigo Arancibia (11), an exchange student from Chile, has switched continents for the school year.

Travelling to and living in another country is an experience on all levels: language acquisition, cultture emersion and social interaction. But there are a lot of differences in the school systems across the world, which require adjustment.

Arancibia adjusts to the newness: “the amount of people, the things you can do after school and the choices of classes you can take.”

Rodrigo arrived here at the beginning of the school year and is staying with his host student, Nicole Roman (12).

“He speaks a lot of English actually,” Roman said. “I think he understands everything that’s going on in classes, which is pretty impressive, and he doesn’t seem to have

too many problems.”Rodrigo is catching up and handling all the different

challenges at Eureka.“He has only been studying English for about

two years,” Mrs. Katie Schulze, language arts teacher, said. “Obviously, in an English class, you rely on vocabulary and writing and speaking quite a bit; he does a pretty good job following along.”

In Chile the schooling system has four different levels: preschool, primary school, technical school and higher education. Children ages 5-13 are in primary school, the secondary educations are students 13-18.

None of the class credits Rodrigo is getting now will transfer back to his school in Chile, but he has chosen to take challenging classes to further his education.

Arancibia is currently enrolled in Pre-calculus, Chemistry, Spanish V, Lifetime Recreational Sports, US History, 11th Grade Language Arts and Photography 1.

“Photography is my favorite class” Arancibia said. “In Chile, I can’t choose my classes.”

A typical school day in Chile is also a lot different than in America, with long break periods in between

each class.“I wake up at 7, go to school at 8. Then I have two

hours of class, a 15 minute break, then I go to class for two more hours, then another 15 minute break, another two hours. Go to lunch then have the last two hours of the day,” Arancibia said. “After school I go to basketball from 5 to 7.”

In Chile they go to school through June, July and August because it’s their winter. So, Arancibia left in the middle of his school year to attend Eureka. When he goes back he will be returning in the middle of next school year.

Arancibia’s journey is also an education for his classmates

“I don’t really know much about Chile’s school system,” Zak Kupfer (11) said, “I think that going to school in America gives us a big opportunity to be around a lot of different people and we still get a good education.”

Flying out of his hometown, Arancibia has jumped right in to Eureka with a huge splash of courage.

With the Chilean flag in close sight, Rodrigo

Arancibia (11) concentrates on framing and cutting

down a white frame for his photogram project for his first hour Photogrpahy 1 class with Mrs.Stellhorn,

Sept. 2. In Rodrigo’s project he focused on placing

aspects of Chile into the frame, including the Chilean

flag and a soccer ball. “Photography is my favorite class because it’s fun” said Arancibia. Photography is the only arts class Rodrigo

is taking.

Top Countries in the Pisa study

1. Shanghai, China2. Korea3. Finland4. Hong Kong, China

5. Singapore6. Canada7. New Zealand8. Japan

9. Australia10. Netherlands11. Belgium 12. Norway

13. Estonia14. Switzerland15. Poland 16. Iceland

[ ]Pisa-Programme for International Students Assessment. They evaluate 15 year-old school pupils scholastic performance.

Information found at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/edu-cation/2010/dec/07/uk-schools-slip-world-rankings

case

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Mr.

Mark

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t le

cture

sI s

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ill s

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retty

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l, m

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par

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you

kin

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ob y

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aid:

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sel

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utfit

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at

are

real

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ute,

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lli B

agby

(10)

sa

id. “

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cla

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ctua

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th

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re e

ach

day

we

wou

ld

say

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like

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thin

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a te

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ks li

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atte

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Tom

Sum

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t I s

aid:

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talk

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here

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m

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old

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wei

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eve

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he re

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sai

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isha S

trec

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ober

vant

I sai

d: “

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do a

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of e

very

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abou

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iam

Jac

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sa

id. “

She

notic

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very

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wan

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Mr.

Jim

Sch

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: M

ost

invo

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one

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,” K

atie

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kenb

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r (1

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aid.

”

Mr.

Andy G

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est

liste

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d: “

Liste

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porta

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to h

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w

illin

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hea

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nk M

r. G

ensle

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tent

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to y

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nd h

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kes

ques

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ver

y se

rious

ly,”

Conn

or M

onds

chie

n (0

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aid.

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ves

good

resp

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does

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answ

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help

.”

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otlig

ht

Mr.

Bry

an C

lar:

Bes

t ges

ture

sI s

aid:

“I r

eally

don

’t ev

en th

ink

abou

t my

gestu

res.

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ust t

ry to

be

anim

ated

and

cre

ate

ener

gy. I

just

try n

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a m

onot

onou

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tue

in th

e fro

nt o

f th

e cl

assr

oom

. I th

ink

gesti

cula

tion

show

s en

ergy

. I

thin

k it

gets

the

kids

mor

e en

gage

d in

wha

t you

’re

talk

ing

abou

t.”M

y stu

dent

sai

d: “

I thi

nk w

hen

Coa

ch C

lar i

s in

cl

ass,

he

is re

ally

funn

y,”

Mac

kenz

ie J

ones

(09)

sa

id. “

He

is re

ally

ent

erta

inin

g. H

e th

row

s pa

pers

at

peo

ple

and

he s

omet

imes

act

s le

sson

s ou

t.”

Mr.

Tom

Sum

ner

: St

ronges

t I s

aid:

“It

is im

porta

nt to

sta

y fit

be

caus

e w

e go

tta w

alk

the

wal

k if

we’

re g

onna

talk

the

talk

. I d

o ci

rcui

t tra

inin

g an

d co

mbi

natio

n tra

inin

g. T

here

’s no

thin

g th

at th

e ki

ds d

o th

at I

have

n’t t

ried,

with

m

odifi

catio

n fo

r my

old

age.

”M

y stu

dent

sai

d: “

He

is in

the

wei

ght r

oom

eve

ry d

ay a

nd

he re

ally

wor

ks v

ery

hard

,”

Dav

id L

indb

loom

(12)

sai

d.

“He’

s th

e str

onge

st by

far.

He’

s be

en w

orki

ng h

is w

hole

life

for

it. I

thin

k it

wou

ld b

e ki

nd o

f hy

pocr

itica

l if y

ou h

ave

a gy

m

teac

her t

hat i

s no

t fit,

if th

ey’re

te

achi

ng y

ou th

ings

that

they

do

n’t e

ven

abid

e by

.”

Mr.

Mark

Mose

ly:

Most

ef

fect

ive

teach

ing p

ract

ices

I sai

d: “

I try

to v

ary

up e

very

thin

g th

at w

e do

so

it’s

not t

he s

ame

rout

ine

ever

y da

y. I

also

try

to

mak

e su

re th

at k

ids

are

neve

r sitt

ing

for m

ore

than

20

min

utes

. I a

lway

s try

to e

ncor

pora

te a

ctiv

ities

so

they

can

get

up,

mov

e, a

roun

d, ta

lk to

oth

er

kids

and

sha

re th

eir i

deas

. Cla

ss is

alw

ays

a di

ffere

nt h

odge

podg

e of

diff

eren

t thi

ngs.

”M

y stu

dent

sai

d: “

I has

Mr.

Mos

ley

fresh

man

ye

ar,”

Gab

i Sei

m (1

2) s

aid.

“H

e re

ally

eng

ages

his

stu

dent

s. H

e do

esn’

t jus

t lec

ture

. He

inco

rpor

ates

ac

tiviti

es a

nd m

akes

it fu

n. I

rem

embe

r whe

n w

e w

ould

read

nov

els;

we

wou

ld d

o po

ster p

roje

cts,

sp

eech

es, a

nd p

lays

in th

e cl

ass.

I di

d be

tter i

n th

at c

lass

bec

ause

he

mad

e it

fun.

”

Mrs

. Je

nni H

ighfill:

Most

posi

-tive

att

itude

I sai

d: “

I try

to m

ake

sure

that

I am

up

for e

very

ho

ur.

I do

start

ever

y cl

ass

with

‘tod

ay is

a g

reat

da

y’ a

nd I

do

thin

k it

is a

gre

at d

ay. E

very

one

has

got a

lot g

oing

on,

and

if th

ey c

an ju

st fo

r an

hour

, fo

cus

on S

pani

sh a

nd g

et re

ally

into

that

and

focu

s on

lear

ning

then

I th

ink

that

you

can

mak

e yo

urse

lf ha

ve a

goo

d da

y!”

My

stude

nt s

aid:

“Ev

en if

Mrs

. Hig

hfill

is s

ick

or

isn’

t hav

ing

a ba

d da

y, s

he’s

alw

ays

happ

y in

cl

ass,

” M

aggi

e Pa

lozo

la (1

2) s

aid.

“If

we’

re a

ll tir

ed, s

he’ll

wak

e us

up

so w

e ha

ve a

goo

d tim

e!”

Mrs

. Cynth

ia S

eilo

ff:

Most

will

ing t

o h

elp

I sai

d: “

I offe

r bef

ore

scho

ol a

nd

afte

r-sch

ool h

elp.

So,

I th

ink

them

kn

owin

g th

at th

ey c

an fi

nd m

e to

an

swer

any

que

stion

s is

hel

pful

to

them

.”M

y stu

dent

sai

d: “

I hav

e ha

d M

rs. S

ielo

ff fo

r fou

r sem

este

rs,

and

she

is a

lway

s av

aila

ble

to

help

,” J

effr

ey L

azar

(11)

sai

d.

“She

com

es in

bef

ore

scho

ol,

afte

r sch

ool a

nd d

urin

g lu

nch.

A

nytim

e sh

e ca

n he

lp, s

he is

th

ere

for h

er s

tude

nts.

”

Ms.

Ali

Kri

nk

si: M

ost

per

sonable

I sai

d: “

I thi

nk if

you

are

abl

e to

con

nect

with

you

r stu

dent

s th

en y

ou a

re a

ble

to re

ach

them

bet

ter

and

you

can

help

them

so

muc

h m

ore.

I w

ant t

o m

ake

sure

that

I es

tabl

ish

that

con

nect

ion

with

ea

ch o

f my

stude

nts

whe

re I

know

som

ethi

ng a

bout

th

em a

nd th

ey k

now

som

ethi

ng a

bout

me.

” M

y stu

dent

sai

d: “

I had

Mrs

. Krin

ski f

resh

man

yea

r fo

r Spa

nish

, and

she

just

mad

e it

real

ly e

asy

to g

et

into

hig

h sc

hool

,” M

ike

Law

renc

e (1

2) s

aid.

“Sh

e w

ould

talk

a lo

t and

mad

e ev

eryo

ne ta

lk a

lot,

as

wel

l, so

we

coul

d ge

t to

know

eac

h ot

her.

I thi

nk a

te

ache

r bei

ng p

erso

nabl

e m

akes

it a

mor

e re

laxe

d en

viro

nmen

t and

mak

es it

eas

ier t

o le

arn.

”

Mr.

Kei

th

Bare

more

: Ev

er

pre

sent

I sai

d: “

Inte

ract

ing

with

stu

dent

s m

akes

wor

k fu

n. I

have

kid

s al

l th

e tim

e te

ll m

e af

terw

ard

that

it

mad

e th

em fe

el m

ore

at e

ase

whe

n th

ey c

ame

up a

nd it

’s so

met

hing

they

rem

embe

r abo

ut

high

sch

ool.

My

stude

nt s

aid:

“I n

omin

ated

M

r. Ba

rem

ore

beca

use

he’s

real

ly in

volv

ed w

ith th

e stu

dent

s,”

Mira

nda

Keim

(11)

sa

id. “

He’

s al

way

s in

the

hallw

ays

givi

ng k

ids

high

-five

s.

And

then

you

’ll s

ee h

im a

t lun

ch

goin

g ar

ound

talk

ing

to p

eopl

e.

It’s

impo

rtant

to in

tera

ct w

ith

the

scho

ol b

ecau

se th

en th

e stu

dent

s ge

t mor

e co

mfo

rtabl

e w

ith th

e te

ache

rs a

nd it

mak

es

lear

ning

eas

ier.”

Survery information based on an online survey of 91 students.

8sp

ort

s

The Varsity Field Hockey Team gathers around Coach Katie Schulze during halftime of their game against Parkway West, Sept. 8. The increase in players has presented more options for the team.

“Coach [Ellen] Wright and I were happy to expand the program to offer two teams in order to allow for more playing time and an opportunity for them to grow as players,” Coach Schulze said.

Although the game was a close match, the Wildcats ended up losing in overtime with a final score of 0-1.The team also lost to Brentwood, 1-0, and Rosati-Kain, 5-0.

Growing painsField hockey program expands into two teams

The difference between a freshman team’s level of play and a varsity team’s level of play is astronomical. However, the EHS girl’s field hockey team has had to make that switch in just one year.

“Since field hockey now has a varsity and a JV team this year I feel like we’re a lot more experienced,” Molly Baker, midfield, said. “Last year we were a C team, and now we’ve moved up so we’re playing a lot better teams.”

In 2010, Eureka introduced a new fall sport to girls: field hockey. There was one field hockey team of 36 girls, which was a C level team. This year so many girls tried out for the new sport that Eureka now has a varsity and JV team.

“Field hockey grew a lot more popular this year,” Kendall said. “I want to say almost 30 more girls tried out this year compared to last year so it was a big jump.”

Even with a second team added, girls were cut after the JV and varsity team rosters were complete.

“Cuts are nothing that Coach [Ellen] Wright and I enjoy doing,” Mrs. Katie Schulze, head coach, said. “We had enough to fill two teams this year but not enough to fill three. Anytime you have one team growing into two teams, it is a lot, but growing to three teams is a really big move.”

Returning players feel the change even though this is only their second season playing.

“The biggest difference between this year and last is this year there are not as many players on the team since we split into two teams,” Marissa Albanello, defense, said. “Now we all get a lot more playing time.”

However, the playing time on Varsity is a lot different than the playing time on the C team level.

“We’re playing a lot of private schools where field hockey is a big deal, so it’s a lot more difficult,” Baker said. “Getting play time is really important to me because I love playing and being in the game gives me a lot more experience.”

And experience is necessary when many players haven just started to learn field hockey.

“Field hockey is one of the sports that they can start in high school and not know anything about it and still play,” Charlene Vanover, Samantha’s mother,

said. “It’s not like soccer or softball where they’ve had to play for years and years in the past.”

Recognizing the new opportunity, freshman players seemed to pounce on the chance to find their place in high school.

“A lot of the girls who tried out were the freshmen girls coming in and a lot of people are just looking for some way to make friends and be in a tight knit group that will offer them support throughout the year.” Samantha Vanover, team captain, said. “It’s a quick and easy way for all the girls to make friends and connections through the school.”

The idea of a fresh new sport to learn was appealing to many players.

“I think a lot of the freshmen saw the new sport and decided to start playing to try something new,” Valerie Hiles, defense, said. “I really like field hockey. My friend started playing field hockey last

year and wanted me to start playing so I started up this year.”

Although many of the girls who tried out were freshmen, they weren’t all new to the sport.

“I started playing field hockey in seventh grade,”

Lauren Sanden, defense, said. “I started playing at Gateway League then I tried out for Club. There are about four or five other freshman who made varsity who have played field hockey in their past, as well.”

With the ability to split girls up into a JV and varsity team, the players can be on a team with girls with similar skill levels. Also, the coaches can be more selective about who plays for the varsity team.

“I think we will do really well this year because we have a lot of girls who have played before on rec-leagues,” Vanover said. “There is a lot of dedication and determination to show we have a lot to put out on the field.”

Now that this is Eureka’s second year playing field hockey, the expectations have grown.

“Last year was the first year Eureka provided the option to play field hockey,” Coach Schulze said. “Not a lot of the girls knew much about it at all, but going into the season the girls seem to have more confidence in their ability.”

Since the team would be playing tougher games, confidence is key for the players.

“Being on varsity kind of gives you a big head,” Baker said. “Our coach always tells us the team we’re about to play isn’t very good, which gives us a higher confidence level and makes us play better.”

More advanced teams weren’t the only new factors in field hockey.

Last year the team wasn’t able to get uniforms and had to wear t-shirts all year. This year the girls got brand new, varsity-grade uniforms.

“I really like our new uniforms,” Albanello said. “They are so much better than just wearing t-shirts as a uniform.”

The change from t-shirts to uniforms helped solidify the team as a facet of Eureka.

“I love the new uniforms,” Baker said. “They’re really cute, and they make us feel like an actual team. The t-shirts last year kind of made us feel like we were nothing. Now the actual uniforms make us feel like we’re an actual legit team.”

Judging from the high interest level this year, the prospects for next year are good.

“If we have the same interest from the freshmen we had this year and we have most players return next year, I can even see us filling three teams next year,” Coach Schulze said.

“Field hockey grew a lot more popular this year,” Alexis Kendall, midfield, said. “I want to say almost 30 more girls tried out this year compared to last year so

it was a big jump.”

sylv

ia w

eiss

writ

er

9sp

orts

Amid the chaos as lights illuminate the gridiron, bodies colliding and fans cheering, cheerleaders are always present, flipping, yelling and jumping. But behind the scenes, the varisty cheerleading squad has been working on much more than spirit fingers.

Just prior to the 2011 varsity basketball season, the cheerleading squad was rocked by a sudden dismissal of the coaching staff in its entirety, including Dr. Lisa Sutter, Ms. Lauren Stevenson and Ms. Katie Kowalic.

The girls on all three teams were then left no choice but to finish up the season without a single set coach.

“It was really difficult because we had been led by two different coaches up until January, so basically all of basketball season we were all left wondering who was going to come to a game, who was going to be there to watch us,” Rachel Waddell (12) said. “Last year was kind of unorganized because of the lack of leadership, but this year is a huge rebuilding year.”

The rebuilding began when four new coaches were hired by Mr. Green and a committee of parents and cheerleaders: Ms. Lindsey Mueller, head; Ms. Elissa Perrin, assistant; Ms. Emily Crumbaugh, JV; and Ms. Kelly Kennedy, freshman.

“This year we were looking for more organization and someone that really knows about cheer,” Olivia Dames, varsity cheerleader, said. “This year we have coordinated more practices for competitions and everything. It was a lot of work. So that meant we needed a lot of organization.”

This year, the coaches don’t just want to compete, they want to dominate. They want perfection.

“This year we want to focus on making everything really clean and making sure that our endurance is up and not letting the girls progress faster than their skill levels,” Coach Mueller said. “Sometimes they’ll want to do things that are beyond what they can do—which is great—but it’s not always clean and perfect; so we want to slowly build up to where we want to be as a team.”

The girls are also driven.“As a team, we want to make an improvement from

last year,” Erin Mikel, varsity captain, said. “We are trying to compete at State this year, which we have not done in th past four years. We’d like to be a more competitive squad.”

This ideal is not lost on Coach Perrin whose main goal is to revert the team back to what she believes makes cheerleading so great to begin with.

“We want all the girls to take their job very seriously, and we’re also trying to make it more school-spirited for everyone,” Perrin said. “The girls are doing a lot more interacting with the players and with each other. All in all we want to get back to the roots of what cheerleading is all about: school spirit and pride in Eureka.”

The girls are pumping up their skills and techniques.“This year we have all-squad back handsprings,

which has been up and coming for the last few years,” Mikel said.

Nevertheless, the same excellence expected of the squad members on the football field and on the court is also demanded of them in the classroom. Every Tuesday after school the coaches have issued a mandatory study hall.

“I see the cheerleaders as students first. It’s my job as a coach to make sure that they maintain good grades,” Mueller said. “And while, yes, they are students first, as cheerleaders they are also role models. They are the face of Eureka and need to demonstrate respect both inside and outside of school.”

This sense of dedication and scholarship not only improves the students’ work ethic, but appeals greatly to parents.

“I am very happy with the changes that have been made,” Lisa Waddell, mother of Rachel Waddell, said. “This is Mrs. Mueller’s first year as a varsity head coach, and I think that she has done an amazing job in such a short amount of time. I applaud her because I think that the cheerleaders are the most organized that I have seen in a long

time.”Parents are unwavering in the

expectations that they have for those who look after and teach their kids every day.

“I want to see dedication to the girls and a technique that shows us that they have practical experience,” Mrs. Bisaga, mother of Grace Bisaga, said. “It certainly helps that the new coaches have this experience and can pass it on to the squad.”

Coach Mueller and Coach Perrin have both acquired experience in coaching and cheering. Both coaches cheered in high school. Coach Perrin even coached the squad prior to having her son.

Ms. Crumbaugh is new to both coaching and cheering. She does not, however, let this hinder her ability to lead a team.

“I have not cheered before, but I have danced. I think that I’ll be able to offer a lot of new ideas and new perspectives on what we do,” Ms. Crumbaugh said. “I want to create a positive environment where the girls can really learn what it means to be a team player.”

It is this work ethic and pride in what they do that will take the team and its new coaches and carry them through the 2011 Missouri State Cheerleading Competition at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, MO, Oct. 1 and 2.

But regardless of how they do or what kind of drama and politics go on around them, they’ll still be here to pump up and represent Eureka.

“I want us to do really well at State,” Alicia Buness, varsity cheerleader said. “But I also want the crowd at football games to think we’re doing a good job and compliment us.”

Moving forward from the unorganization of last year is what this season is about for the cheerleaders on all three teams.

“I’m not really sure about what happened last year,” Grace Bisaga, freshman cheerleader said. “I’m just looking forward to the upcoming year.”

Putting the best foot forwardNew coaches bring new perspective and work ethic to cheer squad

While the team stretches, Coach Elissa Perrin, observes prior to diving into their routine, Aug. 29. “The girls are doing a lot more interacting with each other this year as

far as having little and big sisters,” Coach Perrin said. “They’re there to support and take care of one another throughout the year.”

Determined to achieve perfection, Coach Lindsey Mueller, head coach, extends some of her akrewed knowledge to the squad. “Both of us cheered in high school,” Ms. Mueller said. “And I coached the freshman last year and another organization a year prior.”

Then and now cheer competitionsWhatSorority Cheer CompetitonWhereLindenwood University

WhatState Cheer CompetitionWhereUniversity of Missouri

WhatSummer Cheer Practice6 a.m.-8 a.m.

This Year

LastYear

Last Summer

ryan

mcb

ride

writ

er

outlo

ok

Bullying happens. We see it at school. We see it in the movies when a meathead in a letterman jackets shoves the kid with glasses gets shoved into a locker.

Bullying is in our everyday lives. We know it’s wrong. And yet it still occurs.

The state of New Jersey has taken a big step in trying to curb incidences of bullying with what has been called “the toughest anti-bullying law in the country” by advocates.

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights was written to eliminate loopholes in New Jersey’s previous anti-bullying law, which encouraged school districts to write and enforce anti-bullying rules but did not require it.

The new law places guidelines on districts, which must appoint leaders of antibullying programs, investigate reported incident within a day of occurance and publish a bi-annual report of bullying.

Each school will then receive a letter grade at the end of year to post on the web.

These sort of measures could certainly help school districts awareness of bullying. However, the sheer mass of students involved in bullying injects a wrinkle in this law’s goals.

“70 percent of middle and high school students have experienced bullying at some point”, according to the American Psychological Association.

With 70% of the middle and high school populations, it is completely implausible to think that a law alone could stop bullying.

I am all for school districts taking a firmer stance. However, the fight against bullies must begin in the home of the victim.

Bullies thrive on causing pain. So, perhaps a more effective strategy to

curb bullying would be to train kids how to handle a harassing situation.

Confidence is the key. Students must learn how to stand up for themselves at an early age. If not, the cycle could be never-ending: from high school, to college, to the workplace, and even to personal relationships.

In life beyond school there won’t be a school to protect bully victims. Rather than training them to expect others to stick up for them, we should be teaching our students to stand up for themselves.

Somehow, this law that has garnered so much praise, isn’t as impressive as impressive to me as it is to many of the New Jersey politicians.

Bullying starts at the smallest of levels: in the school bathroom, in the parking lot, or in the lunchroom.

The best mediation is at the grassroots: the victims. Laws are fine. Confidence and strength is even better.

11New Jersey law won’t stop bullies alone

About two weeks ago, I started my routine as I would any other day. I picked out an outfit, fixed my hair, and put on a little make up. I headed out the door and started my day at school.

Walking into a class, a classmate reacted with shock to my outfit. It was a new dress I had just bought—yellow with pink flowers and palm leaves with a one shoulder design. I had thought it was a cute and school-appropriate outfit. I was surprised others didn’t think so.

I began to wonder what could cause such confusion over something as simple as the dress code. I realized I had never received much information on what the school’s dress code was.

In order to better understand the school’s guidelines, I set out to debunk the dress code truths and myths.

My first realization was that there is actually much more information provided about the dress code than I originally had thought there was. At the beginning of the school year, in fifth hour,

students received the Rockwood Policies Handbook and the Eureka High School Policies Handbook.

Both provide information on the expectations for student dress code on campus, but with some gray areas. The Rockwood handbook says that clothing must be conducive to learning and that it must not attract undue attention to the student.

The handbook says clothing may not be revealing or suggestive. It also prohibits short skirts, bare midriff, spaghetti straps and see-through clothing.

While the information was helpful to find, it didn’t really tell me any specifics on whether my outfit was within school guidelines, and I was left with more questions than answers.

It’s easy for me to decide what I think is school appropriate, but it is apparent that everyone’s idea of this will vary. The dress code that it set in place gives students a lot of wiggle room, and not many black and white answers.

In order to help everyone gain a greater understanding, the information we receive should be more explicit on what is and isn’t allowed. A few paragraphs in our handbook would enhance everyone’s understanding.

Consistency on what is deemed appropriate and inappropriate would benefit all parties.

Sometimes I see people in the hallway with spaghetti straps on, but then I will also see classmates getting in trouble for wearing a similar shirt.

It is confusing when some people are called out and others aren’t.

Especially as styles come and go, it is important for students to be able to go shopping with a clear idea of what they are allowed to wear throughout the halls. To keep our school modest, we need clear rules.

By making the rules students are given and the enforcement more consistent, the dress code issues can be better addressed.

Sanden saysWhat not to wear

Paws & ClawsWhat is it?We want to know the things that are important to you. What do you think is worthy of praise? We want to hear about them.

What is it?We want to know the things that make you angry. Tell us, and we can help you vent it out to the world.

Paws

Claws

Submit your ideas for Paws & Claws to buglenewspaper@rockwood.k12.mo.us. Be sure to put Paws and Claws in the subject line.

The B

ugle

Sta

ff editor-in-chiefhannah wischmeierproduction editormadison sandenwriters kelsey fairchildbrittany kastnerethan lambertryan mcbride

jessica mezarosforrest nettlesdane roperhaley shortkasey walkersylvia weissvideo production editor-in-chieferin mikel

video productionnick hoeflingerkalin prestonstats managergabby adamsads managerryan whangeradviser elisha strecker

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mad

die

sand

enpr

oduc

tion

edito

r

hannah wischmeiereditor-in-chief

Wisch listThe

12

ente

rtain

men

tDeals and $teals

As High School students, we spend a lot of money. Think about all the things we do: movies, food (lots of food), gas, clothes, etc. We may not think about it now, but we’re going through cash like its limitless.

The only thing we aren’t doing with money, is thinking about how to save it. As a teenager, it’s more difficult to find way to save.

“If you can save a little money each time you go to the store or each time you buy something then over a months time or a years time you can save a significant amount of money by using those discounts and coupons,” Mr. Dietrich, personal finance teacher, said.

I’m not a master of deals but I’ve recently done some research. When we think about coupons we think about sitting at the kitchen counter with little scissors cutting out little flimsy rectangles of newspaper.

“My mom cuts coupons out for me, but, I don’t go through the paper personally,” Mel Manser (10) said.

Still, Manser uses coupons from the newspaper to save money on food.

However, the coupon industry has done some updating.

These updates come in the form of online coupon catalogs, called Groupon and Living Social.

I signed up for both of these websites and even downloaded the apps on my iPhone.

To sign up it’s completely free, for both websites all you have to do it type in your email and name.

The home screen asks you to put in your zip code and then a whole bunch of colorful ad- like squares come up saying things like “$4 for $7 at Culvers Chesterfield”. But what does this coupon code mean?

On sites like Groupon and Livingsocial it’s their mission to get buyers to consume things for less. You can pay four dollars through Groupon, print out the coupon that says you paid and then take it into the place and get the meal for just four dollars with the coupon.

“I think Groupon is a great idea,” Mr. Dietrich said. “You can get some really good discounts through online websites.”

Mr. Dietrich and his family uses Groupon for events at places like Chesterfield Sports Fusion, where they paid 10 dollars for a 25 dollar value. They saved 60 percent.

The only catch about using Groupon and

Livingsocial is that you have to purchase the coupons online with a credit or debit card.

The big difference between Groupon and Livingsocial is that on Livingsocial there is only one “daily deal” and on Groupon there are about 15-20 deals in each category (food, shopping, entertainment etc.).

It is also important to note that the types of deals vary on each site also.

Watching the show “Extreme Couponing” on TLC I learned you can save about 99% of your purchase with just using coupons but that takes about four hours to cut out those coupons and creates a huge line at the grocery store. I don’t think any of us want to deal with that situation.

But, what we can do is try to save on small things like buy one get one free milkshakes at Steak n Shake

“I mostly use coupons for places like Jack n’ the Box and Hardees” Manser said. “The more we save on small things the more opportunities we have to do bigger things for less money”.

Shaan Muthukumaru(11) says that his family uses alot of coupons at restraunts like Indigo Joes.

As high school students food is essintial. And when we’re constantly spending money on fast food and restraunts it’s good to use coupons to save a little bit of money.

I think it’s a good Idea for a student, or anybody to start saving at a young age.” Dietrich said. “you can become a much better consumer if you start at a young age.”

For all of us, couponing is a good option for saving money.

“I want to save up for new shoes.” Said Muthukumaru.

Putting a little money aside each time we buy something can add up, and we can eventaully have enough money to buy things like new shoes.

Easy ways to save money on everyday spending C

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