SpotlightVol. 40 Issue 1

Francis Howell High School www.fhhstoday.com

Sept. 22, 2010

Upcoming Sept. 24Homecoming festival, in stadium, starts at 11:30 a.m.

Sept. 24Homecoming game against CBC, 7 p.m.

Sept. 25Homecoming dance, gym 7-10 p.m

Oct. 4-11Fall Break

Oct. 13PSAT testing

Oct. 18Report cards distributed

Oct. 19 & 21Parent/teacher conferences, 3:30-7 p.m.

Oct. 21Early dismissal at 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 21Senior ads due

Worth Mention

Senior Brett Gaves accepted a MU scholarship to play baseball and was interviewed on KSDK Channel 5.

Junior Matthew Gonzalez-Rubio received the District III volunteer of the year award, given by the MO Health Care Association.

Football coach Bryan Koch was named the St. Louis Rams coach of the week.

The year began like any other year. Bells rang, pencils were sharpened, but the way parents, students, and teachers looked at grades changed. Because of state requirements, the school district changed from the Pinnacle grading system to Infinite Campus.

“The school switched because it had to. The previous system wasn’t very efficient at sending data and core data to the state and we had to change the entire system to let the gradebook, attendance, and discipline portions talks to each other,” assistant Principal Randy Carter said.

The new changes meant that students had to sign up for accounts to view their grades, leading to both complications and surprises.

“I thought Infinite Campus was really confusing and hard to understand at first. I did finally figure it out, but it took a long time,” sophomore Tori Puellman said, “Last year’s system was easier to understand and you were able to see your grades.”

The biggest problems students had with Infinite Campus was that it didn’t let students immediately see their grades and it gave them excess information.

“I don’t like how Infinite Campus doesn’t display all of your grades at once and it shows your IPR grade and your quarter grade. Other than that, it’s handy. I can even see my brother’s grades. I just think it has more than we need, as students,” senior Radhika Natarajan said.

Teachers switched from the Pinnacle to Infinite Campus the same as the students.

“Anything new is going to be more difficult, so the new system is kind of hard,” English teacher Kim Linneman said.

Other students have chosen to not use the new system.

“I haven’t used the new system since I keep up with my grades and my teachers,” senior Spencer Payne said. “I also like surprises.”

The district chose Infinite Campus from different modules because it was considered the best when tested in certain demographics. Where it lost certain features that were favored in Pinnacle, it gained new ones that administrators considered useful.

“Infinite Campus lets us have better communication with parents and students right out of the program itself,” Carter said. “The part that a lot of teachers and parents is being able to see all the grades on one screen, but that is

something that may one day change, since we are working with Infinite Campus.”

The school district is relying on student and teacher feedback and relaying that feedback to Infinite Campus so they can make changes in the future.

“It is very helpful when parents and students tell us their opinions so we can make Infinite Campus more user-friendly,” Carter said.

Alison Dunaway: staff writer

Going to infinity and beyond

Infinite Campus grading arrives

Wake up, go to class, go home and get to know your new family. Sophomore Andruis Sakalaukus is from Lithuania, a country situated along the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea, but through the Exchanges for Culture, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) program, he was able to spend a school year in America.

“I decided I wanted to go to America just to see and figure out what it was like,” Sakalaukus said. “Lithuanians say it is a dream country.”

The ExCEL application process was long, requiring Sakalaukus to meet certain requirements, such as having good English and

adapting(adaptive) skills. Sakalaukus also had go through three recruitment rounds that tested his English and leadership skills.

“The first round was 145 questions that tested your English and grammar. There would be a picture of a banana sitting on a table and the question would be ‘What is this?’ and the answers would be ‘A. Banana” “B. Orange” “C. Pineapple” Or “D. Apple’ The next round was an interview that asked you what you would do in America and other stuff like that,” Sakalaukus said.

Sakalaukus found the English and leadership rounds easy, compared to

the amount of paperwork he had to fill out.

“I would never want to do all those forms again. It takes a lot of time. From the start to the finish it was three weeks and everyday it was just more information about yourself and more information about your schooling,” Sakalaukus said. “There were a lot of medical forms.”

After being chosen to go to America, Sakalaukus was given contact information for his host family, the Frankenburgs.

“My supervisor wrote me about a week before I came here and he gave me all the information and contact information,” Sakalaukus said. “I’m an only child and my host

family has two other kids and I really like them.”

Sakalauus will be attending Howell for a full school year.

“I don’t know what I want to get out of this, so

I’ll see what I will get out of this. I expect to grow as a person and get new cultural experiences out of it.”

Alison Dunaway: staff writer

Exchange student spends year in U.S.

Sophomore Ian Orzel attempts to log into the Infinite Campus parent portal, Sept. 15, during a break in his Weightlifting I class computer project. “I think Infinite Campus is a lot harder and I don’t agree with the change,” Orzel said.

Sitting in his German II class, junior Cody Cudihee and exchange student Andruis Sakalaukus review for a test. “Learning in English is a new experience, but learning German is easy,” Sakalaukus said.

NEWS BRIEFSMythology class begins

A few new classes have been added to Howell’s class choices as of this year. One of these new classes is Mythology.

“We watch more movies than in my other classes,” senior Kelly Gregory.

“The name kinda describes it,” senior Ben Hurteau said.

The students study anything from “the Holy Grail to Excaliber. Then you can go on to Zeus the next day. “We’re world travelers in

storytelling,” English teacher Sherry Salant.The class is a look at the way people

described their world through myths. “It’s about myths and legends people created to explain their world,” Salant said.

Students hold prayer groupEvery Thursday morning a prayer group

meets in the bottom of the A building. “People from all different churches come

together,” senior Brian Porter said. “It’s a great way to start the day off with a

purpose,” sophomore Jack Middike said.

Attendance ranges from 20 to 35 people. “We’re from all different denominations of

Christianity,” Porter said. The group cycles through who closes and

opens in prayer. “We don’t want it to seem like there’s a

person in charge,” senior Jessica McFadden said.There’s a Facebook group and anyone who

wants in is welcome to join. “We start off with prayer, talk about faith,

and ask about experiences throughout the week,” McFadden said.

7001 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63304

briefs by Stephen Gerst: staff writer

Getting Inked, Pg. 8

Vikings prep for Homecoming

Pg. 7

Lunch Prices Pg. 5

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Vol. 40 Issue 1Sept 22, 2010

OPI

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Spotlight

Francis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com

Purpose“Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...”

––The First Amendment The Francis Howell Spotlight

is the official student newspaper at Francis Howell High School. The Spotlight began as a Francis Howell publication in 1971. The Spotlight believes it is essential to preserve the freedom of the press in order to preserve a free society and its purpose is to inform, interpret, and entertain through accurate and factual reports.

Therefore, this school newspaper will serve the best interest of the students of Francis Howell and keep itself free from any other obligation; the staff of the school newspaper will accept guidance from its adviser, but will make its own editorial decision; only the editorial board may veto any material intended for publication, judged to be in violation of the Spotlight editorial policy; and this school newspaper will vigorously resist all attempts at censorship, particularly prepublication censorship; the school newspaper will serve as an educational laboratory experience for those on staff.; the school newspaper will run as a limited open forum; the goal of the school newspaper is to cover the total school population as effectively and the staff will strive to be impartial and responsible in its coverage of issues.

AdvertisingAll ads must be approved. Ad rate schedules and policies are available by calling 636-851-4820 or email evan102110@yahoo.com

PoliciesAll letters to the editor should be sent to Mrs. Dunaway in room A115 or emailed to spotlight letters@gmail.com. Letters will be printed in the op-ed section. All letters must be signed, be under 400 words, and contain appropriate material. Material will not be printed if content is obscene, invasive of others’ privacy, encouraging physcial disruption of school activites and/or implies libel. The editorial board has the right to have letters edited for length, grammer, punctuation, clarity, etc. The school newspaper will only publish one letter per author per issue and all letters become the property of the school newspaper upon receipt and will not be returned.

Hit or Miss for September

[a quick Howell about the good and bad]

hits misses New cell phone policyIt sure is nice not to hide our phones under our desks. Everyone appreciates the designated texting time.

Football starts season with winsWe can finally put that turf to good use.

New classes No one snubs their noses at having more choices.

Teacher laptopsIt’s not just the students who get to play with their portable toys during passing periods.

Chick-fil-A at Homecoming festivalReal food? We might miss the mixed meat and chips.

Tennis courts finishedFinished ahead of schedule and in time for the new season, Howell once again has home courts.

Construction ahead of scheduleThe sooner it finishes, the sooner we can start transitioning furniture.

Homecoming themeNo one will be late for this important date with a theme like “Whimsical Wonderland.” Props to STUCO for the Alice inspiration.

Howell ACT scores increasedWe’ve always been proud of our standardized test scores, but now we’ve got even more reason to brag.

Construction sounds all over campusMaybe earplugs for the next year would be a good investment, especially for tests.

Infinite CampusThe website is confusing, passwords are lost, and overall the viewer isn’t very user friendly.

Bad cafeteria food, high prices The cafeteria is looking worse every day, especially when prices have increased more than 15 cents per menu item.

AP enrollment downAP Chemistry, AP Literature, and AP Language are all facing low class sizes. It means more one-on-one time with teachers, but also less AP tests taken at the end of the year.

Colder weather starting earlyAfter a blistering summer, does the freezing winter need to come so soon?

Jersey Shore signed for second seasonNo one needs Snooki promoting skin cancer tanning, or “The Situation” on Dancing with the Stars. What a waste of air time.

Parents dropping kids off in teacher lotIt isn’t big enough to have all that confusion in one area.

StaffSamantha Gibson, EIC; Kassie King, web editor; Olivia Cassidy, photo ed.; Michele Dunaway, MJE, adviser. Staff Writers: Christian Adams, Madelyn Brandt, Alyssa Crawford, Lauren Crider, Alison Dunaway, Emily Fernandez, Leah Garrett, Stephen Gerst, Austin Hayes, Carrie Haupt, Kaci Jolly, Ann Molina, Andrew Odle, Katie Roberts, Nina Rosenberg, Sara Shabany, Haley Shave, Savannah Shine, Gabrielle Soto, Shelby Steingraeber, Samantha Strange, Alex Timpone

Shout at us!

Send comments and letters to: spotlightletters@ gmail.com

or drop them in room A115.

Infinite Campus fails to meet expectationsStaff Editorial

Along with a new school year and new cell phone policy comes a new grading system called Infinite Campus. Despite numerous tutorials and attempts to introduce people to the portal, the system is seriously flawed and has many drawbacks.

The idea behind the switch was to create an infinite campus, through which parents can access multiple aspects of their child’s school life including grades, attendance, and school fees.

The parent portal portion of the new system was also supposed to allow parents to access each of their children on one page. However, the result was far from helpful. Upon log-in, the site’s layout is extremely confusing and jumbled. The user must search for whatever he or she wants to access, and it is not a simple process at all.

For example, to access a child’s grades, one must go to the student’s schedule and, by each class, find the grade in said class. Instead of the summary given upon log-in like with Parent Internet Viewer, the grades are scattered. The progress report grade never changes. The common user lost what he or she most wanted, a simple way to check grades.

The grades themselves are also confusing to students because the program separates the test grades and homework grades, making the class summary ineffective. Another flaw was that multiple information was not

transferred to the new system smoothly. Information including phone numbers and mailing addresses has gone missing, forcing some parents to call in and fix the problem.

Teachers are not fond of the system, either. With the new portal system, teachers now must go through four steps to the previous one step to add grades and it can be time-consuming, cumbersome, and very confusing. Students who change classes, even within the same teacher, have their grades wiped out. Teachers must go in and rebuild the record. In addition, teachers have reported student’s grades not showing up after being saved, causing unnecessary worry for students, parents, and teachers.

While the idea of an infinite campus sounds good, it is clearly causing everyone more stress than it is worth.

I guess I’ll check Parent Internet Viewer for a second...

Moments later...

Bren

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Using the new Infinite Campus...

Vol. 40 Issue 1 Sept 22, 2010

Op-ed SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 3

Face inth

e CrowdWhat have you liked about this year so far?

Megan Platten

junior

>>I like as a junior to have the ability to have more electives as classes.

Courtney Kleekamp

junior

>>What I like about this year is being able to drive to school as a junior.

senio

r Liz North

>>I like that I have earlier classes because it makes it an easy senior year.

Loretta Wiley

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>>I really like my juniors this year because they seem mature and have a lot of personality.

Lauren Bethmann

soph

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>>It’s a little less tramatic beccause I am not a new freshman anymore.

Calvin Lippert

soph

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>>I like the cell phone policy because they gave us more freedom.

Gabby Soto: staff writer

Every Wednesday after second period, stu-dents fill the halls to head to their weekly home-rooms. This time is used

to finish up homework and meet with teachers from classes they need help in or need to be caught up in. While this time is helpful, it is just too short. If two minutes were taken off of hours one, two, three, six, and seven, it would add 16 minutes to homeroom.

Homeroom is useful to many stu-dents, so making it longer would be even more favorable.

Making homeroom a full class period every Wednesday would be beneficial to students because it would allow students to go to more teachers for help.

Also this would give students that have been absent earlier in the week time to go to each of their classes to complete work or tests that they had missed .The extra 16 minutes could really make a dif-ference.

Adding time onto students’ weekly homeroom would not only benefit stu-dents but teachers as well. The extra time would let teachers get students caught up in the class. Even if teachers did

not have students who needed help, they would have extra time to read emails or plan assignments for that day or in the near future.

Another advantage of a full class pe-riod of homeroom would simply be more time for students

to finish homework assignments from the night before without feeling so rushed. Knowing that they have 35 minutes the next day to finish homework will allow students one night to relax.

In addition, 35 minutes is not always enough time. Between pep assemblies, having to take miscellaneous surveys and other interrupting things that occur dur-ing homeroom, the full 35 minutes can not always be used. Adding more time would be one way to fix these problems.

In myopinion

Howell time needsto be full class period

Operation: School Year 2010-2011 has commenced and let me say one thing; I am appreciating the use of technology.

The first thing I noticed

upon returning to the hallowed halls of Howell was that there was an entirely new policy on electronics. (Alright, maybe the first thing I noticed was the massive building spawning from the gym, but the electronics were a close second.)

Suddenly, kids are texting in the halls, I’m allowed to use my laptop to take notes in class, and teachers have access to YouTube. It’s brilliant.

For starters, I haven’t seen disturbing amounts of texting in class. Personally, I am less likely to pull out my phone while my teachers are talking, if I can send a necessary text or two in the hallway.

I’m not saying this from a spoiled teenager’s standpoint; believe it or not, my top priority is not texting my friends. Instead, I think this entire technical revolution, is benefitting my education.

The internet has the potential to redefine the educational system in a thousand ways of which teachers have never been able to take advantage. In the first month of school alone, I have

used Turnitin.com, Moodlehub.com, and Blogger.com to submit homework assignments.

It’s possible that the new policies will teach students there is more to Internet Explorer than online games and Facebook. In our present society, the upcoming use of technology is inevitable. Many of the country’s upcoming job fields spawn from the internet, specifically social media.

Last year, AP Language teacher, Marti Buchanan started a Twitter account to remind students of homework assignments and link to helpful literary criticism. Students could have her “tweets” (updates) sent to their phone as text message reminders. This is the technology with which students must acquaint themselves.

We have a book closet stacked to the ceiling with classic novels that have expired copyright dates. The expired copyright means that you can acquire the text for free online, and on eBook Readers (like the Amazon Kindle). Furthermore, eBooks have become quite a bit cheaper as of late, and can be bought in bulk. English classes would save quite a bit of space and money by making that investment.

The technology of Howell is just beginning to unfold. Next year, the new building will be equipped with a TV/Broadcast studio. So many opportunities await over the next year, and students need to wake up to everything that social media can do for them. It will be entirely beneficial in the end.

Students appreciate using technology

Kassie King: web editor

Vol. 40 Issue 1September 22, 2010

NewsSpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com4

There are clubs for everything: books, math, prayers, and even Harry Potter, but there hasn’t been a club for helping other people until now.

“We wanted to start a club where students with special needs could serve their school and community,” SPED teacher Tracy Graham said. “Our mission is to help the students understand their role in society by promoting team work, job skills, social skills, and things that will help them later in life.”

Club may be about helping others, but the students involved see it as a fun and exciting opportunity.

“The students have actually come

up to me and said they were very excited about having this opportunity to be a part of this school,” Graham said. “They really like to help other people and also get to make new friendships.”

The club members don’t think of the activities they do as jobs, but something fun to do.

“My favorite job is working in the library. I get to organize the books and clean,” senior Tessa Norris said.

Although the club is just starting, it already has worked with the sports management team, recycled, worked the concession stand, and updated the display sign outside.

New Helping Hands club pitches in to serve othersAlyssa Crawford: staff writer

With the number of students enrolling in AP classes dropping left and right, teachers are on a mission to find out why.

While Howell’s enrollees have dropped, Central’s and North’s have remained steady. Howell’s were already lower last year with 173 AP students compared to the 185 students at North and 177 students at Central. However, of the people who did enroll in AP, Howell had the higher percentage of fives and fours scored on the AP exam. Despite this, there is still a drop of students.

AP teachers are concerned at the low number of students in their classes this year compared to years past.

“I only have two classes of AP Language and Composition to my three classes last year and I know Mrs. Linneman only has 23 students to her 60 or so last year,” English teacher Marti Buchanan said.

AP Chemistry did not escape the drop either, in fact, this year’s class is made up of only eight students compared to the previous 20.

“If kids are only going to want a good grade then AP will definitely scare them away. In AP you have to really learn the material. It’s about challenging yourself and going deeper into the material,” Chemistry teacher Natalie Frankenberg said.

he drop is raising questions among teachers and they are working to answer them.

“It really bothered me because my group of teachers are trying to find out why students are dropping but we still don’t know,” Buchanan said.

The principals are aware of the problem as well and commend the teachers who are working to solve the problem.

“Our first reaction is that we’re extremely proud of our teachers who have noticed the decline and have taken action to find out why,” Principal Dave Wedlock said

Furthermore, Wedlock explained that the number of

incoming freshman and sophomores taking honors and Pre-AP courses is very steady. Students are deciding to drop the classes in their junior and senior years.

While teachers are still confused on the issue and searching for an answer, students seem to have an idea why.

“A lot of students dropped because they heard how hard the classes can be. Some people thought it would be in their GPA’s best interest to take a class they could get an A in,” senior Rishi Mohan said.

Another student explained why she dropped AP Language and Compositition.

“I just have too much homework this year,” senior Mikayla Kuntzman said. “I have a job now, plus sports, and another AP class. I just couldn’t do it all.”

Despite teacher concerns and other students’ difficulties, some are meeting the challenge of AP head on.

“I’m not too nervous about all the people dropping AP Chemistry because it is a hard class, and unless you can devote yourself to it, you probably should drop,” junior Christian Hermanas said.

Mohan explained how he is able to cope with his various AP classes.

“This year I have AP Statistics, AP Literature, AP European History, and AP Computer Science online. I just do my homework when it starts to pile up. I don’t study each class everyday, I study as I feel the need,” Mohan said.

However, not all students can handle such a workload and are starting to choose different courses. Teachers feel the workload is worth the result.

“The kids, by the time they’ve taken the AP exam, are bragging about how many essays they can write in such a short time and the questions they can answer, and they deserve to brag because they’ve worked hard all year for it,” Buchanan said.

The Pre-AP and AP English teachers distributed a survey asking former students why they dropped their AP class. They expected the surveys back by Sept 10. and hoped to gain some knowledge on the topic of AP classes.

Upper level AP student numbers fallAndrew Odle: staff writer

“I just have too much homework. I have a job now, plus sports, and another AP class. I just couldn’t do it all.”–senior Mikayla Kuntzman

Juniors Christian Hermanas and Connor Schaller prepare to learn a chemistry law in their AP Chemistry II class. With eight students, AP Chemistry is the smallest AP class. “I really do like the the smaller class because students have less chance to hide and I can give one on one help,” science teacher Natalie Frankenberg said.

“I work at the concession stands during games and I do water, sodas, and ice,” junior Tyler Valenza said. “I love seeing all my friends there.”

Not only do the students love having a club with their friends, but they also love teachers.

“My favorite part of the Helping Hands club are the teachers because they are nice and they help me out a lot,”

Valenza said.Members receive a lot of support and

from other teachers, whether it’s getting jobs to do or just helping out.

“We have been receiving a lot of support from other teachers and we are so happy for people reaching out and helping us,” Graham said.

Helping Hands club members include senior Josh Fankhauser; juniors Tyler Valenza and Ryan Moon; sophomores Laural Rydel and Adam Forney; and senior Brendan Southmayd.

There is no doubt that in today’s society, technology has taken over almost every aspect of people’s lives.

People and even businesses have had to change dramatically to adjust to the new trends and technologies that have been developed. Because of a new district and building policy, students can use cell phones and electronics during passing time. use of the devices in the classroom is also now up to the individual teachers

“I like (the new policy) because we don’t have to hide (our cell phones) anymore,” sophomore Francesca Aker said.

Depending on the teacher, the use of electronics can and will be different in every single classroom.

“None of my teachers let us have our

cell phones, but most of them let us have iPods,” Aker said. “Listening to my iPod helps me concentrate a lot easier on my school work.”

Better concentration and more focus in the classroom was a goal the board wanted to reach with this new policy. Another goal to reach was for a decrease the infractions.

“There has been improvement in disciplinary actions, in August of last year we had 43 infractions and in August of this year we only had 11,” associate principal Dave Wedlock said. “At the beginning we said we’d allow it based on behavior and so far we are very proud of how (the students) are handling it. We don’t expect any change in the future.”

Teachers notice changes in their classrooms.

“Some people work better with music so I allow MP3’s and iPods, no cell phones,” art teacher Tara McPherson said. “I’ve noticed it keeps noise level down in my classroom.”

“I don’t let kids have electronics. (The new policy) helps with the use because (kids) can now use them in the halls,” math teacher Jennifer Pointer said.

Last year the policy caused confusion, when one month electronic devices were allowed and the next month they weren’t allowed. The policy was subject to student complaints and newspaper editorials.

“Kid’s last year thought it was unfair to be punished for the small amount who did get punished,” Principal Chris Greiner said.

“It’s much better then last year,” Aker said.

Kaci Jolly: staff writerPolicy change allows electronic devices

Junior Keenan Shumard listens to his iPod touch during class on Sept. 15, after finishing his work amd being given permission.

Sam

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Vol. 40 Issue 1 Sept 22, 2010

Features SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 5

Savannah Shine: staff writer

Volunteer hours help pay for future endeavors A new school year means

a chance to make new friends and start fresh, but, for many, it’s also a new opportunity to fill their volunteer hours.

Students enrolled in the A+ program or members of National Honors Society (NHS) must do volunteer work. To be in the A+ program, one must not miss more than 35 days of school throughout their high school career, and must attend the meetings organized by the A+ coordinators.

Getting into NHS is a little different.

“For you to even be in

National Honors Society, you need a GPA of 3.75 or higher,” NHS sponsor Carolyn Bien said. “You must also be in good standing with the school.”

NHS members have to accumulate 23 service points, with each service point representative of four hours. Members can volunteer pretty much anywhere: food banks, nursing homes, hospitals. They can also do things around campus too.

“I’m still working on my hours,” NHS president Rishi Mohan said. “I’ve been working for a youth group and

volunteering at hospitals.” NHS historian Steph Waldo

joined her sophomore year, and has been volunteering at the St. Peters Community Art Center.

“It’s good for college records,” Waldo said. “It’s also a good way to give back to the community.”

A+ students don’t have such a variety of places to finish their hours. Students in A+ must do 50 hours of volunteer work and it must be done on district property and supervised by an A+ coordinator.

“Students can do their hours during the school year, but they

must finish all their hours in that specific semester they chose,” A+ secretary Cherri Deubel said.

Students can also complete their hours over the summer.

“I did mine over the summer at the Vacation Station at John Weldon,” junior Zach Orlando said.

Students must complete their hours by Jan 1 of their senior year. They have to complete their hours in one semester, and if they don’t finish in that semester, they must start over.

The same rule applies for over the summer; if they don’t

finish their hours that summer, they must start over. Once finished, they qualify for two free years at a community college of their choice.

Colleges these days are expensive, and the A+ program gives students a little help with

the financial aspect of it. While NHS doesn’t help financially, it is a good mark on college applications.

“I’m doing A+ next year because I know that the two free years of college will really help out my parents financially,” sophomore Haley Smith said.

Lunch seems to be almost every high school students’ favorite part of the day. However, school lunches increased 25 cents in August. The hot plate lunch costs $2.

“Some of the items are worth the price, but it isn’t fair the prices keep rising, “ junior Lyssa Hill said.

To avoid paying $10 a week, there is the option of bringing a lunch.

“I can eat for free by bringing my lunch, so I don’t

want to waste my money. I would rather use it for gas for my car, “ senior Jessica Fischer said.

According to the School Nutrition Association, the average price of a high school lunch is $1.90.

“School lunches should have more vegetarian options, not because I am a vegetarian, but because it is healthier,” junior Lyssa Hill said.

A study done by the University of Michigan, showed only six percent of school lunch programs meet the health

standards set by the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children.

“School lunches would be better if they used fresher ingredients,” junior Eric Husmann said.

Since students can’t leave campus for lunch, brown bagging, parent snack table or cafeteria food are the only options.

“The bosco sticks are the best,” junior Lauren Brase said, “and the pizza is the worst.”

Emily Fernandez: staff writer

Overwhelming bass. Reverberant drum beats. Twisted sound clips. These components of traditional techno music have been combined to form an underground genre of electronic music called Dubstep. Dubstep originated on the island of Jamaica found itself in the clubs of the UK, and has made its way over to the states.

When people listen to their first Dubstep song, they usually find themselves either falling in love with this unique style of techno music or finding themselves plugging their ears.

“My first time hearing Dubstep was fishing at Busch Wildlife. Some friends showed it to me there and I just zoned out. It was so crazy,” junior Taylor Ochs said.

“I absolutely think it’s a disgrace to music. It’s the same thing over and over again,” junior Dylan Kennedy said.

Though some dislike it, others are going so far as to mix their own Dubstep beats.

“I’ve always been into playing music, and after I started listening to Dubstep I figured I’d try that out too,” junior Ryan Quante said. “I’m trying to get a job DJ-ing and once I get some better equipment

I’m going to start playing my friend’s parties.”“Lately, Dubstep’s been getting more popular around here but I

know my friends and I really enjoy it, so it’s not a trend to us,” junior Matt Barklage said.

Other students see Dubstep as a passing fad.“There are always trends in high school. I’ll give it about three

months until it’s back to normal, if that,” Kennedy said.Others are making it part of their lives. “Dubstep is just never bad, every song is so sick. The beats are so

great, literally everytime. I listen to Dubstep every time I’m in the car and I know my friends do too,” Ochs said.

Dubstep consists of intense bass lines and drum beats.“It sounds like someone beating pots and pans together, sure the

bass is tight but its just so ate up, I feel bad about myself listening to it,” Kennedy said.

“I like Dubstep because it’s crazy and I just love the random beats,” Quante said.

Sara Shabany: staff writer

Dubstep beat mixes up current music

Junior Ryan Quante practices DJ-ing Dubstep beats in hopes of making a carreer in his room.

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Lunch prices increaseCosts for selected menu items•High school lunch $2•Milk carton 50 cents•Pizza slice $1.85•Deli Sandwhich $2.95•Chicken wrap $3.55•Nacho surpreme $2.80•Sherber 85 cents•Bosco sticks $2.80•French fries $2.30•Chicken poppers/fries $3.10

Vol. 40 Issue 1Sept. 22, 2010

FeaturesSpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com6

Fake-n-bake tans popularFrom gaining self confidence to wrinkles and skin

cancer, people no longer have to sit outside for hours to get the sun kissed tan that they are striving for. Instead, people spend a small amount of time at a tanning salon.

“I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with tanning, I just take it in small doses and tan a little at a time. I have a membership at Pacific Beach. I go there once a month for an entire week,” sophomore Christina Wikoff said.

Trying to make a difference is the new tax on tanning, which was a way to help pay for health care and to keep people from tanning as often as they do. The additional 10 percent tax does not stop everyone from tanning. To some, beauty is more important than health at this point in their life.

“We’re in a heavy recession now and tanning is a very profitable market nowadays, with more people tanning than ever. Putting a 10 percent tax increase on tanning will generate millions of extra dollars in revenues every year, because tanning is so popular,” junior Curtis Reed said. “Now a few million dollars from tanning taxes won’t get us out of this recession, but every bit helps.”

Even with the word spreading about skin cancer, people still continue to “fake bake.”

“I’m definitely not against tanning at all, I’m all for it. I go with my boys sometimes. I mean, you have to look good,” senior Connor Hurteau said.

With all the health risks brought about because of tanning, some people have started to reconsider. Indoor tanning beds are two to three times more powerful than natural UVA rays from the sun.

“From working at Tan Co, I’ve learned how unimportant and unhealthy tanning really is. Ever since I’ve quit, I don’t think I’ve been to a tanning bed, not even

Single: $3Monthly: $24.88Yearly: None

Single: $3.49Monthly: $39.99Yearly: $129.99 + $1 each visit

Single: $8Monthly: $29.99Yearly: None

Single: $3Monthly: $30Yearly: None

Price comparisons for level one tanning beds

Haley Shave: staff writer

Cross country. Dance. High School.These are three diverse topics, all with one

thing in common: pressure to stay fit to fit in.According to www.cleancutmedia.com,

in March 2009, almost 50 percent of young girls engaged in negative activities, such as un-healthy eating habits or disorders, as a result of poor self esteem and insecurities.

“The media, they set a perfect image of girls that’s not really achievable.....but girls still try to live up to those standards, “ junior Madi-son Hedrick said.

For some, weight is just a number. But, in many sporting events, an athlete’s weight is constantly monitored. For those involved in wrestling, one’s weight is the sole deciding factor of who they compete against. During the summer months, the cross country team is often weighed after practices to make sure the athletes are not dehydrated.

“It’s supposed to be for athletic purposes....but I can see how some people might take [be-ing weighed] the wrong way. I think the whole weight thing’s a little ridiculous,” cross country runner Jacci Guthrie said.

Cross country runner Tiffany Sunderland is not bothered by this practice.

“No, ( it doesn’t bother me) becasue it was just to see how much water weight we lost dur-ing out run,” Sunderland said..

An eating disorder called anorexia can de-

rive from negative body image. According to the national Students Against Destructive De-cisions (SADD) organization, as of 2007, one in every 100 girls between the ages of 10 and 20 suffered from anorexia. This means one in every 100 girls are starving themselves, some to their grave.

“When I was in Kansas City last summer for a dance intensive, there was a girl who was anorexic....so I do think that even if girls are al-ready physically fit, there’s still pressure to be smaller,” Hedrick said.

In a school of 1,771 students, one can stand out, fit in, or be invisible.

“I think it’s just when they’re different from other people, [people] feel weird about it. I don’t think they should. Everyone’s differ-ent, it’s just dependant on what’s different about you,” Sunderland said.

Acts of bullying between girls can often be a result from insecurity on the bully’s behalf.

“(Girls feel insecure)because they’re trying to impress other people and they feel like they need to fit in and live up to certain standards,” Hedrick said.

While confidence can be mistaken for cockiness, someone who isn’t confident is often apparent.

“I think a person with confidence is a per-son that can believe in themselves,” sophomore Kayla Hutfless said.

Shelby Steingraeber: staff writer

once. I’ve actually got a spray tan for the first time though. It’s a lot safer without any risks,” senior Sam Bogue said.

Tanning beds may give self confidence, but they also include being exposed to harmful UV rays causing negative effects on vision and health. Exposure to UV rays can start out with sunburns and lead to heart problems, and cataracts that can end up resulting in blindness.

“I think when people tan, they do take the risk of getting skin cancer but people do it anyways to have pretty skin because everyone has it in their heads that tan skin is pretty and pale skin isn’t,” junior Emma Kelly said.

According to Wake Forest University Medical Center, frequent users of tanning beds receive a regular endorphin hit and experience with drawls without

tanning for a period of time. Tanorexia is the new slang to describe people who obsessively tan, that have an addiction to the UV rays of tanning beds, experiencing a high, much like a drug addiction.

“I believe that addictive tanning is purely psychological. Once someone starts to tan, then they think they look better than they used to. So they keep tanning so they don’t go back to how they use to look,” Reed said. “Eventually they become addicted to being tan. They just want to keep getting more and more tan, when they don’t really need to be.”

Since it is required to use lotion and eye wear everytime when tanning, junior Kait Jackson buys some new lotion at Pacific Beach. “I don’t tan all the time, but using lotion makes the tan last longer and look better,” Jackson said. A bottle of lotion costs from $28 to $190 plus tax.

Taking a few minutes out of the day, sophomore Maddy Rivet enjoys taking a nap while getting a bronzing tan. “On days when I am just exausted, I love just going tanning and sleeping,” Rivet said. The average time limit on tanning is 15 minutes per visit.

Fixing hair in the mirror of the C Building bathroom, sophomore Ashley Holland gets ready to start the day. “A confident person is someone who has their shoulders back, a smile on their face, and presents themselves well,” Holland said.

Factors determine body image

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Vol. 40 Issue 1 Sept. 22, 2010

SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com 7Sports

Turf wars

Varsity football facesCBC in homecoming Madelyn Brandt: Staff Writer

Pommers place in summer competition

Hours of practice. Complex choreography. Competition. This, and much more, is all a part of the daily routine for those who are members of the JV and varsity pom squads. These pommers practiced since June for the competition at camp.

“We did really good [at camp]. We placed fourth overall. It was really stressful though.....you had to learn four dances in four days!” JV pommer Tiffany Sherek said.

The girls spent four days of their summer at camp.

“It felt really good ( to place fourth at camp). We felt proud of ourselves after working hard all summer,” JV pommer Chandler Platt said.

“High points (of the summer) were getting second at our Elite Camp,” varsity pommer Natalie Lane said.

Pommers perform at school functions, football, soccer, and basketball games.

“At camp we set a bunch of goals. We have high standards for nationals.....

overall we want to improve ourselves as individual dancers so we can improve as a team,” varsity captain Jordan McKay said.

JV and varsity compete in several competitions. For the first time, JV will join varsity this year to compete at UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida, February 5-6. “Our biggest event this year will be going to nationals in Orlando with varsity,” JV pommer Kayla Hutfless said.

When they are not practicing, the girls plan team activities, such as monthly sleepovers and bowling outings.

“We are a really really close team. I can call all of them my best friends,” varisty pommer Marleigh Anderson said.

The girls also perform community service work, like at Emmaus Home for Adults with Developmental Disabilities and holding a food drive for the Oasis Food Pantry. “We want to do a bunch of community service, because sometimes we get caught up in raising money for ourselves and home team..... it’s a nice change,” JV captain Emma Kelly said.

Shelby Steingraeber: Staff Writer

It’s that time of the year again as students dust off their foam fingers and break out the face paint in preparation for the Sept. 24 homecoming game against football powerhouse Christian Brothers College (CBC) high school.

Though CBC has traditionally had a good program, the Vikings have domi-nated in the beginning of the season with 3 consecutive wins as of the Sept. 10 game against Timberland.

“CBC is a good team but so are we,” varsity head coach Bryan Koch said. “It is going to be a good battle.”

The Vikings currently rank number five in the state while CBC is ranked 40 much lower than in previous years. CBC has been struggling, losing their home opener to Ft. Zumwalt West, but shouldn’t be underestimated as they seem to be improving.

“I think we have to play a good game and execute plays efficiently to be success-ful. They have good coaching and so do we,” quarterback Bret Graves said.

Offense will be essential as both teams have outstanding quarterbacks. While not backed up by an overly impressive offensive line, CBC’s quarterback Dalton Demos has 45 completions in 88 attempts and a total of 611 yards in three games with four touchdowns.

Though CBC has attempted twice as many passes, Howell has been effective in scoring through a combination of a fast running game and accurate passing. Graves has 29 completions in 54 attempts and a total of seven touchdowns in three games while wide receiver Keith Brown leads the team with a 28-yard average per return.

“Our offensive line is one of the best in the state and that should give us an advantage,” Graves said.

Hoping to silence Demos will be Howell’s defense who have stepped up their game this year. Linebacker Wes Kuhn leads the team after three games with 16 tackles and 13 assists while linebacker Tim Thomas has 15 tackles and 13 assists.

“Defense will be very important in our success. Demos and their offense will be hard to stop but I am confident that our defensive line can do it,” Thomas said.

With a productive offence and stingy defence, Howell plans to win their third consecutive homecoming game.

“We ask excellence of all our players,” Koch said. “And I know we will be playing excellent whether we end up winning the game or not.”

After homecoming Howell faces Troy, Nov. 1 at Troy; Columbia Rockbridge, Nov. 8 at home.

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Sportsmanship is taught from the very first day of little league, all the way through Division

One college sports. So why is it when some athletes

make the pro leagues, they don’t act like professionals?

Maybe money goes to the head or the fame of playing in the major leagues causes players lose to their focus on just playing the game.

Fans of Major League Baseball witnessed an incident of poor sportsmanship by the Cincinnati Reds, Aug 10.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips ignited a bench clearing fight between Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and himself.

Phillips started by trash talking the Cardinals the day before the game and then the next day hit Molina in the shin with his bat.

Seconds later the whole thing erupted with both teams coming out and getting into the fight.

Another incident of poor sportsmanship occurred Sept 1, when tennis player Andy Roddick started giving an official a hard time for doing her job.

Roddick became agitated when the official called a foot fault on

Roddick. Roddick did not like or believe in the call and started yelling at a few of the line umpires.

These are not the only incidents of poor sportsmanship.

Sometimes athletes throw curse words and other times athletes get so upset that they don’t even shake hands with their opponent at the end of a game.

High school athletes need to keep in mind that sportsmanship is important, and that the idea of sportsmanship should not fade from the games just because some of the idols we look up to have let it.

Face it, most of high school athletes probably will not make the pros in our sports, so why should high school athletes try and imitate their attitudes?

Instead high school athletes should focus more on being a good sport by saying good luck before a game, acting appropriate by and not getting mad for doing poorly that day, and by shaking hands after the game is over.

These things are more important because they show one has respect for the game as well as respect for your opponent.

When showing good sportsmanship it also means being a better person than maybe the opponent and trust me, coaches notice.

Beyond the game...

Austin Hays: Staff Writer

The varsity Golden Girls perform during halftime at the Howell vs. Timberland football game. “It’s a roll off routine and there is three groups and I am in the second group,” golden girl Emily Sullivan said.

Varsity running back Justin Schuh (3) fends off tackle from Holt Indians linebacker Clint Koons (11) Aug. 27. “I was just thinking about trying to avoid the defender and scoring the touchdown,” Schuh said. Howell defeated the Holt Indians, 58-16.

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Sept. 22, 2010

SpotlightFrancis Howell Highwww.fhhstoday.com8

Vol. 40 Issue 1

Back page

Behind every tattoo lies a story and sometimes that story can be more interesting than the design of the tattoo itself. “I got my first tattoo, symbol for scorpio, when I was 14,” senior Alannah Burnam said.

Burnam was only 14 when she got her first tattoo. In order to get a tattoo under the age of 18, a parent must be present at the time of the tattooing.

“My dad encouraged me to get a tattoo as long as I chose the design and colors wisely. I got another one when I was 16 on my ankle. My mom was upset she couldn’t be there for my first two but she was there for my third,” Burnam said.

Parental consent is vital. Without the support of a parent or legal guardian, Missouri laws and regulations prevent anyone under the age of 18 to get a tattoo alone.

“My parents only agreed to let me get the tattoo because it was something that had a lot of meaning.They actually got it for me for my birthday,” senior Jake Ivory said

Tattoos are often a symbol of something or someone meaningful that has influenced a person’s

life.“I kept trying to think

of a memorial for my mom. Then, a cross with angel wings popped into my head. I drew out the design and put it right over my heart because that’s where my love for her is,” senior Chaz Johnson said.

Religious symbols are a popular choice.

“I have always been an advocate of body art and personal expression. I love being able to incorporate things like my religion into my designs,” Burnam said.

Ivory has the Bible verse Matthew 8:10 tattooed as a reminder of his faith in Christ.

“The verse I have hit me hard. It made me realize that I wanted to pursue a life for Christ. Every time I see it, it reminds me what I’m living for,” Ivory said.

Matching tattoos be-tween young couples have become a modern vow of commitment.

“My new tattoo is my boyfriend's name "Nathan" on my hip. We both got each other's names as a commitment to each other,” senior Ashley Caito said. There are many skeptics of teens who permanently ink another

person’s name on their body, but Caito has no regrets.

“I know we're not go-ing to break up because we already decided to spend our lives together,” Caito said.

People wonder if the pain and the potential risks that come along with getting inked are really worth it.

“Yes (it hurt) toward my stomach but I do (want more),” senior Case Mun-son said about getting his tattoo.

Underneath these seemingly innocent tattoos lies the potential for infec-tions, allergic reactions, or even blood-borne diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or tetanus.

“As long as you take good care of the tattoo and choose where you get your tattoo wisely, you should be fine,” Burnam said.

Although a tattoo can range from a simple design to a detailed work of art, every story behind it remains personal.

“My only advice is to get something you will look at and love for the next 60 years becuase you’re stuck with it,” Burnam said.

Getting inkedStudents express themselves through body art

Five Tattoo FactsOne: Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe holds the record for highest altitude tattoo, having been inked in 2008 at 45,000 feet. The tattoo was said to cost $150,000 dollars.

Two: Until 2006, it was illegal to get a tattoo in Oklahoma.

Three: The record for the longest tattoo session is 43 hours and 50 minutes

Four: To celebrate Barbie's 50th birthday Mattel came out with the new "Totally Stlylin' Barbie”, complete with a set of placeable tattoos, including lower back tattoo featuring the name Ken.

Five: Thomas Edison had five dots tattooed on his left forearm, similar to the dots on dice.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?101-Tattoo-Facts&id=3715908

senior Alannah Burnam

senior Ashley Caito senior Case Munson

senior Chaz Johnson senior Jake IvoryAlex Timpone: staff writer

Photos by: Kaci Jolly