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Ashley JeffersEditor-in-Chief

On Tuesday, November 2, registered voters will be head-ing to the polls to vote on issues relevant to their counties. In Butler County, there are issues for senior citizens, parks, police, firefighters and school district levies. Issue 2 is the Lakota Lo-cal School District emergency op-erating levy.

}{Five years after the passage of

the last operating levy and six months following the failure of

an emergency vote for new funding, Lakota has initiated an emergency operating levy for the November bal-lot.

“The levy is extremely important for a number of reasons,” Mike Tay-lor, superintendent of the Lakota Local School District, said. “We’ve been losing money through the state funding mechanism, and we need to maintain the types of programs and opportunities we have for students right now.”

The levy is worth $7.9 million, which is about $20 a month for every $100,000 home valuation. The tim-ing of the levy revolves around tax collections. Taxes begin to collect in January of the new year, and if the Lakota levy passes, it will start col-lecting money in January 2011. If the levy does not pass, tax money will not be collected for 2011, and the next time Lakota could receive money would be in January 2012.

“We will have no new revenue for one more year,” Richard Hamilton, principal of Lakota West High School, said. “Even if a levy passes later on in the year, there will be no new revenue until the

following year.”The operating levy will provide the necessary

revenue to continue the function of a normal school day. The levy’s money will be directed to-wards new technology, textbooks and teachers’ salaries, and it will maintain the quality of pro-grams the district has now.

Lakota saw that times were tough in 2008. The Board of Education started cutting $13 million from its operating budget, and

when the levy in May 2010 did not pass, $8.2 mil-lion of those cuts went into effect at the start of the 2010 school year.

Some of the district’s cuts included an elimi-

nation of twenty buses, several nursing positions, media center staff and fifty-two teacher positions. If the levy passes in November, it is likely that these reductions will not be reenacted.

“If the levy passes, we’ll probably look at our band programs again, but we will not expand [our teacher positions],” Hamilton said.

Two of the district’s recognized programs have been affected by Lakota’s tight budgeting. Lakota’s award-winning band program has felt its share of cuts: staff has been reduced from eighteen band directors to eleven, and if the levy does not pass again, staffing will be reduced even more.

“It feels like we don’t get the same in-dividual attention because there aren’t enough people to point out everyone’s mistakes,” senior clarinet player Katelyn Huckery said. “At the junior high level though, it is a much bigger problem be-cause there is only one director to teach all of those kids how to properly play their instrument and interpret music.”

Sports teams have also been affect-ed. Athletic fees have been increased to $300 per student at the high school level and $200 per student at the junior high level.

“I play softball for West and I have a younger brother and sister who are also involved in Lakota sports,” junior Erin Kirwen said. “If the fees increase, then one or all three of us will not be able to continue playing that sport.”

The money the state gives the La-kota district accounts for about 38% of Lakota’s total budget. The

rest of the budget is funded through lo-cal sources like property taxes. Howev-er, a school district must have a positive balance of money to carry the district throughout the year.

“There’s three different revenue streams,” Hamilton said. “One is the federal funding that comes out through federal programs, which is 5%. Then there’s the state funding formula which

gives x amount of dollars per kid enrolled in school, and then there’s the local property taxes.”

The Ohio Department of Education has certain rules that public schools must follow. Some of the mandates include the amount of school days in a school year, transportation and classroom teaching time.

Lakota is one of the districts that has not received any additional funding for the past five years from the state since the state has been cutting its education budgets. Since Lakota has had an influx of students with no new state funding, it has lost approximately $15 million that would have gone towards students’ education.

“Our state funding over the last couple of years has been going down,” Taylor said. “Since 2005, we have been capped at our 2005 funding level, but we’ve grown by 1,500

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oicestudents. So when you’re not getting more

money in, but you’re getting more students, you’re going to educate those students just like you edu-cate other students.”

Not only has Lakota received no new funding, it also expects an estimated $1.3 million cut from the state allocated budget, which is about 3% of Lakota’s annu- a l budget.

“Our revenue stream con-tinues to go down, and our costs

continue to go up whether it be per-sonnel or gas and electric, textbooks all sorts of things,” Hamilton said.

Levies do not take inflation into consideration. The last Lakota levy was passed in 2005, and since then inflation has increased 9.88%. There-fore, Lakota relies on levies every couple of years in order to maintain its programs.

“We all know that in the state of Ohio we have a broken educational funding system,” junior Jake Geers said. “Levies are built into the system. It’s not the fault of Lakota. It’s the fault of a shattered financial policy within our state. The state is hav-ing record deficits and they’re [state government] not going to be coming to our rescue.”

If the levy fails, steps will be taken by the dis-trict that will cause Lakota to be closer to state minimums for education.

“We’re going to make about $12.2 million in reductions,” Taylor said. “We’ll layoff about 130 teachers. [That will mean] you’ll have higher class sizes [than] what you’re experiencing right now, so it will truly be a loss of a number of op-portunities.”

If there are less

teachers within the district, less electives are offered. If there

are less electives, students applying to college may be at a disadvantage.

“If we start eliminating the elective courses, it’s going to be harder to get into college,” Hamilton said. “And [it’s going to be] even harder to get into select programs because other students will

have portfolios and we will not.”By going towards state minimums, Lakota’s

consecutive nine years of Excellence will be at a risk.

Each level of education will be affected differ-ently. At West, buses will no longer be running starting January 18, 2011, elective courses will be eliminated, fourteen additional teachers will

be layed off, six period days will go into effect, class sizes will increase, fewer Honors and

AP classes will be provided, and two-thirds of the athletic budget will

be eliminated, resulting in fewer sports and higher athletic fees.

The elimination of junior high sports means that athletes will have to participate in club sports, and some students may decide not to play sports at all. Also, recruiting officers come to high

school athletic games to find stu-dents to play for their university, and

if Lakota offers fewer sports, the recruit-ing officers may visit other schools to look for

potential players.“I think if this levy doesn’t pass Lakota will

sadly lose its superior rating and parents will not be happy,” senior Kelsey Sander said. “I think we will possibly lose a lot of great teachers, and we will no longer be able to give students the op-portunity to participate in music and art pro-grams.”

In junior high, language arts will no longer be double blocked, class sizes will increase and there would be no junior high athletics or technology education. Art, PE and music will be reduced as well as counseling services.

The elementary levels will see an elimination of reading special-ists, an increase in class sizes, an elimination of media specialists, an elimination of sixth grade band and a 60% reduction of gifted services.

If the levy passes, the district will begin resto-ration and maintenance. Lakota will not have to enact its $12 million in reductions, and the

district will not have to reduce to state minimums. Elective classes, such as AP and Honors classes will not be cut, and the school day will remain at

six and a half hours with seven periods.“To me, good education is the start to a

great and successful future,” Sander said. “We must protect our excel-

lent district.”However, even if the levy

passes, Lakota will still have to make cuts to the budget; but by passing the levy, the district can still maintain its classes the way they’re being taught now by cut-ting from transportation or other

areas outside of the classroom. “The one thing that concerns us

right now is that the state is going to continue cutting money, so we’re going

to have to be real careful with how we spend our money,” Taylor said.

A school system with excellence and sufficient revenue provides students with greater opportu-nities post-high school. By voting yes, Lakota can still serve its 18,500 students the best education it can at a good price.

“The bottom line is if you want good programs and you want opportunities, it takes people and

costs taxpayer money,” Hamilton said.

The levy tax increase makes some voters wary of voting yes on issue two.

“The levy is going to increase their [busi-nesses] property taxes, but it will also increase business,” Taylor said. “Having a good school system is an economic driver. People want to come into an area that has a solid school system.”

Because their children have graduated or will be graduating, some parents will vote against the levy.

“Here’s my response to that: their property values will be drastically affected,” Hamilton said. “The organized opposition to the levy, the devel-opers, need to scrap all their plans and put in pa-tio homes and retirement communities because that’s going to be the only people that are going to move here.”

Some of the people voting against the levy are saying no because they don’t properly understand how Lakota spends its money. Lakota spends only about $9,503 compared to the state average of $10,253 per student; this is even less than what Mason, $10,528, or Princeton, $14,803, spends. Not only does Lakota spend less per student, but they also spend $2.8 million less than the state

average just on ad-m i n i s t r a -

t o r s ; L a -

kota has 30% fewer than the state average.

The more students a district has, the more money they need to teach those students. Lakota has a total of twenty-two buildings and about 18,500 students. If calculated, this exceeds the state average of 748 students per high school: Lakota has an avreage of 1,780 students per high school. With this many students, Lakota needs quite a bit of money to properly educate all of them.

“We have one of, if not the biggest, school dis-trict in all of Cincinnati,” Schroer said. “We have a lot of spending that needs to be put in the right direction.”

Even with the problems Lakota has been hav-ing with money, Lakota is dedicated to its stu-dents and their education.

“I think the facts speak for themselves,” Taylor said. “We spend less than the state average and Mason, and yet we’re producing and providing opportunities for our students very similar to Ma-son; so we do spend our money wisely.”

In order to maintain the high standards La-kota has set for itself, the November levy needs to pass.

Additional reporting by Jordan Taylor, Emily Bamforth and Danielle Seamon

Voice graphic headline by Tyler MullinsVoice infographic by Tyler Mullins

Voice graphics by Tyler Mullins

Voice subheadings by Abbi Kearns and Tyler Mulins

Voice photos by Bari Schwartz

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After thirty-five years as an educator and five years as superintendent in the Lakota Local School District, Mike Taylor will be retiring

at the end of January 2011. As a result of his leaving, the Board of Education is forced to hire a new super-intendent to guide Lakota through the remainder of its financial crisis and to continue the district’s repu-tation of academic excellence.

As a graduate of Lakota himself, Taylor spent his entire career in the district, beginning as a social studies teacher at Hopewell Junior School. Throughout the following years, he held numer-ous positions within the dis-trict, including assistant prin-cipal at Lakota High School, principal at Hopewell Junior School, assistant superintendent, and finally, superinten-dent.

“My favorite part of the job was certainly the peo-ple,” Taylor said. “The ability to work with the stu-dents, the community, the parents and certainly the staff has really been the greatest joy.”

During his career, Taylor took part in the advance-ment of Lakota’s state excellence.

“I travel throughout the state to go to different meetings and conferences, and when I say, ‘I’m from Lakota,’ people know who we are,” Taylor said. “I think we have worked extremely hard over my thir-

ty-five year period in developing the system we have now, and I’m proud of that.”

Lakota’s current financial crisis marked the end of Taylor’s time in the district, and, according to Taylor, the relationship between the upcoming levy and his retirement are completely isolated.

“I think people will connect things that really should not be connected,” Taylor said. “The need for a levy is a completely different event and a complete-ly different issue than my retirement. No matter who is superintendent, the problems the district will face with a lack of funding will still exist.”

The Board of Education is seeking to fill the su-perintendent ’s vacant position. However, accord-ing to Joan Pow-ell, president of the Board of Edu-cation, the timing is not yet known.

“The board has not really decided how or when the

superintendent will be chosen exactly,” Powell said. “I would expect that we will do some kind of search to procure candidates. As for this time, [the Board of Education] needs to have some conversations.”

During his retirement, Taylor plans to spend time with his family and eventually go back to work in education. Nevertheless, he hopes to remain a part of Lakota.

“Lakota is a piece of me,” Taylor said. “You don’t work thirty-five years in building something and then completely walk away from it. I think somehow or another, I will reemerge [in Lakota].”

Superintendent Taylor to retireDanielle SeamonNews Editor

Lakota is a piece of me. Youdon’t work thirty-five years in building something and completely walk away from it.

-Mike Taylor

‘’

Jordan TaylorOpinions Editor

CSO comes

On Thursday, October 7, the Cincin-nati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performed a benefit concert at the

Lakota West Freshman Campus. The admis-sion price was $15 for students and $20 for adults. The event provided approximately $10,000 to the Lakota West Band Program.

“We were hoping for that much,” band di-rector Greg Snyder said. “With all the cuts in Lakota, we desperately need the money.”

Aside from the funding earned, students also directly benefited from working with CSO. The opening piece in the concert fea-tured the Lakota West Symphonic Winds Brass Choir performing with members from the Cincinnati Symphony brass section.

“They got to play right next to symphony musicians,” Snyder said.

Brass choir members not only received the outlook of professional musicians, but were also provided with the setting of a pro-fessional performance.

“It gave me a glimpse of the playing en-vironment of a symphonic trumpet section,” senior trumpeter Eric Lechliter said.

Some students found the cooperation and critiques enlightening, others humbling, but they all declared that performing with CSO musicians helped their playing abilities.

“They led the brass choir in a whole new direction with their expert playing technique and style,” junior brass choir member Nick Herrmann said.

The same day, composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), who orchestrated the con-cert’s feature piece “Symphony for Dream-ers, Dancers and Presidents,” visited West’s auditorium during the school day to show-case a seminar about music. The presenta-tion included demonstrations of Roumain’s many violin styles, including classical violin, electric violin and fiddle. At the end, stu-dents were able to ask Roumain questions about his early life in Florida and his musical career.

“He captured their imagination,” Snyder said. “[The students] were intrigued by his words [about] the art of music.”

Attendees of the Cincinnati premiere of Roumain’s piece at the CSO concert found the event beneficial to their musical ven-tures.

“This experience changed my whole view of what music can really be,” senior trom-bonist Charles Dong said.

Later this year, the Upbeat Club intends to arrange more performances with colle-giate bands. Proceeds from these events will also go to the Lakota West Band Program.

“In these times, we need every penny to keep band programs strong,” Snyder said.

to freshmanschool, bandraises money

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According to the 2009 Butler County Annu-al Elderly Services Program (ESP) report, ESP has served about 4,000 disabled el-

derly clients who choose to live the remainder of their lives independently rather than in a nursing home. If passed in November, issue six will main-tain the services ESP provides for self-reliant se-niors, such as Meals on Wheels, housekeeping and medical transportation.

“There is no other organization who provides these services to help senior citizens stay at home,” Laurie Petrie, communications director for the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, said.

For a dime a day, taxpayers can allow the el-derly to participate in an ESP program for $350 per month versus a nursing home, which costs $4,000 a month—a $3,650 difference. Because the program relies on this levy for 90% of its fund-ing, if issue six were to fail, ESP would begin to remove clients from the program.

Although issue six deals mainly with senior citizens aged sixty and older, Petrie explains that ESP helps the whole family.

“A lot of times, moms and dads have kids in high school, but they also have parents, perhaps in their 80’s and 90’s,” Petrie said. “Your parents are trying to care for your grandparents, but may-be your parents need to work and they can’t be caregiving 24/7. This program gives the parents peace of mind. All over Butler County, there are people whose lives are better because of ESP.”

In 2009, the Liberty Township Fire Depart-ment made 613 fire runs, helped 1,437 pa-tients in need of an EMS, gave 3,803 hours of

EMS and fire training and conducted 494 inspec-tions. The department hopes to maintain this level of service by passing issue eighteen on the November ballot.

“[The money generated from the levy] goes to all of our expenses,” Paul Stumpf, chief of the Liberty Township Fire Department, said. “It pays salaries, and it buys insurance, gasoline, toilet pa-per, paper towels and soap [for the fire stations]. It maintains and upgrades the equipment, and it continues staffing levels and training levels for our personnel.”

Between the three Liberty Township fire sta-tions, there are 17 emergency personnel consis-tently staffed, including firefighters and EMTs. Because of the staffing level, the average response time has been 6.52 minutes for fire responses and 5.52 minutes for EMS responses since 2007. However, if the issue does not pass, Stumpf ex-plains that response times will increase because personnel will have to be cut.

“If it fails, the level of service is likely to de-crease,” Stumpf said. “High school students are probably not as likely to suffer illnesses as much as senior citizens, but they still may have situa-tions where they need a life squad.”

If it passes, the $2.5 million levy will increase the annual cost of fire taxes $17 per $100,000 of property value for Liberty Township residents, from $166 to $183 per year.

“We are pretty optimistic about [passing the levy], and rightfully so,” Stumpf said. “It isn’t a big increase, and there’s no organized opposition. However, if it doesn’t pass, there will be some hard decisions to make.”

Recently, MetroParks of Butler County, a local organization that provides and maintains for area parks such as Voice of

America and Indian Creek, was forced to close down four of the county’s facilities. To prevent future closures, MetroParks is relying on the No-vember passage of issue four.

“If the issue does not pass, more parks are likely to close and basic maintenance issues will continue to be deferred,” Susan Stretch, Market-ing Coordinator for MetroParks of Butler County, said.

According to Stretch, Butler County is the larg-est populated county in the state without a tax levy for the park system. Prior to this levy, the State of Ohio and Butler County had funded all mainte-nance of the park facilities. Due to a cut in fund-ing, issue four, if passed, will develop a $15 tax per year for every $100,000 of home valuation.

“The majority of the funds will be used for gen-eral operating and maintenance of the park ar-eas,” Stretch said. “Parks that were closed due to a lack of funding will be reopened, and educational programming will be restored. Improvements will be made to park areas such as flush toilets, run-ning water and paved parking areas.”

To continue the parks’ programs and mainte-nance, Stretch explains that a small investment in the short-term will provide a long-term payoff.

“There are so many reasons why parks are im-portant, and that is why parks are great,” Stretch said. “They mean so many things to so many peo-ple.”

Recently, CNN Money Magazine ranked West Chester number thirty-two of the one hundred best places to live in the US

partly on community safety and low crime rates. To continue their nationally recognized police protection, the West Chester Police Department hopes to pass issue twenty-one on the November ballot.

“I think the police department is a valuable as-set to West Chester, and it is one of the main rea-sons why West Chester is so successful,” Colonel Erik D. Niehaus, Chief of the West Chester Police Department, said.

The department’s last levy was passed in 2001, and it was expected to last only five years. Howev-er, the department managed to stretch the levy’s revenue nine years, and they hope to do the same for issue twenty-one. If passed, the $7 million levy will cost an extra $42 per year for every $100,000 in home valuation.

“If it does not pass, we will face a reduction in the services and programs that we have, as well as some of the equipment that we need to operate,” Niehaus said. “Also, let me stress the potential of staff cuts [if the levy does not pass].”

According to Niehaus, the West Chester Police Department operates with a lean agency. In West Chester, there are about 1.4 police officers for ev-ery 1,000 residents. By comparison, the national average dictates 2.2 police officers for every 1,000 residents—.8 more than West Chester.

“For high school students: you will go off to college and eventually start your own families,” Neihaus said. “If you come back to West Chester, we hope to still have a stable township, and we hope it will be safe for you and your families in the future.”

Danielle SeamonNews Editor

Community will vote on upcoming leviesIssue 6: Elderly Services Levy

Issue 18: Liberty Township Fire Department Levy

Issue 4: MetroParks Levy

Issue 21: West Chester Police Department Levy

Voice infographic by Tyler MullinsVoice graphics courtesy of the People for Our Parks,

Help Our Elderly and West Chester Police Department campaigns

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If there is one thing the Lakota West parking lot needs, it’s a sign that says “enter at your

own risk.” Endless hazards plague this concrete terrain, and no matter how much you may fear that third period test, the true danger lies in actually making it into the build-ing.

First, a comment on the drivers: these newly-licensed teenagers love the freedom of abandoning their bus stop and are frequently more focused on blasting music and driv-

ing fast than they are on the safety of their class-mates. In case you missed it in driver’s ed, here’s a quick lesson: speed bumps are there for a rea-son. It is not a highway. It is a parking lot, and just because there is no posted speed limit does not mean it is like the Autobahn. There is no need to zip around the speed bumps, because it endan-gers all of the pedestrian traffic walking to school. Getting to your parking space a few seconds ear-lier isn’t worth the risk of injuring someone, even if it is the girl who keeps spreading rumors about you. In addition, turn signals are not there for your amusement. They are pertinent to safety on the road and should be used without fail. Let the other drivers know where you’re going instead of trying to use telepathic communications and hoping they get the message.

Drivers aren’t the only ones at fault when considering the dangers of the parking lot—the pedestrians are just as guilty. Everyone seems to forget the cardinal rule of safe walking, even though it has been pounded into us since the first time we had to walk to the bus stop: look both ways before you cross the street. Shockingly,

some teachers and students have misinterpreted this to mean “cross without considering the two-ton vehicle coming towards me.” Please under-stand, pedestrians do have the right of way, but that does not mean it is a good idea to get in the way. Pedestrians must consider the point of view of the drivers. When driving past the busses in the morning, the teachers’ cars tend to block the majority of the view past their bumpers. Even at the stop and go pace of that little strip of pave-ment, teachers can still seem to appear out of nowhere, and one day this is bound to create a domino effect: car slams breaks to avoid hitting Mr. So-and-So, resulting in the rear-ending of several cars down the line. It goes against nature to simply step out into oncoming traffic, no mat-ter how slow it is moving.

To those students who get dropped off every morning, you too are making the parking lot more dangerous than it should be. When your mom pulls up in her Suburban and stops in the middle of the lane, it congests the traffic. Being the im-patient students and teachers that we are, drivers tend to try to maneuver around your stopped car and fail to consider that a door might be opening for a student stepping out. Yes, you may be closer to the door when you are dropped off to this side, but it makes everyone’s morning commute much harder than it needs to be. There are plenty of other areas for parents to pull up and stop while you unload your 50-pound backpack and trom-bone from the backseat. Also, don’t forget to re-mind your parents of the purpose of that special little button that turns on their hazard lights.

It really just comes down to common sense. Slow down, look both ways and constantly ob-serve your surroundings. Remember that all of the buttons on your dashboard are not there just for fun. They are important to maintaining your safety and others’. Most of us weren’t in driving school that long ago—we should at least still re-member the basics.

Voice illustration by Kelsey Johnson

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1. Thou shalt not em-barrass thy friend so much that they flee: This includes anything from yell-ing incredibly loudly that they went to space camp last summer to how they wore footie pajamas for class spirit day. Hint: if they are sprint-ing down the hallway, flush-ing completely red, you’re doing something wrong.

2. Thou shalt not lie: Lying has been the problem with high school friendships

since the beginning of time. Everyone has lied at one point, and everyone has been lied to. These fibs can include white lies or vicious ones. Lying should be avoided at all costs. And yes, that does mean having to tell your friend that his beard looks creepy when he asks as well as admitting to your best friend that she looks a little loose making out with her boyfriend in front of your locker. Just be truthful, and everything will fall into place.

3. Thou shalt not covet thy BFF’s sig-nificant other: Sure, that guy in your chemistry class is the sweetest, smartest, cutest guy you’ve ever met in your life. However, gosh darn it, your closest pal since second grade got to him first. Just the same, do not attempt to steal your best friend’s girlfriend, no matter how many songs have sensationalized it (“Jesse’s Girl”, anyone?). It will only end in a slap across the face, physical or verbal. No exceptions.

4. Thou shalt keep in touch through holy institutions like Facebook: When you are in high school, your friends are the ones who are in-terested in the things you like and whom you see every day. Once that connection is removed, it’s hard to see the people that you forged friendships with during your activities. However, things like Myspace, Facebook or even text messaging have been created to show that your friendship can go the distance. If you stay informed about your friend’s life and talk frequently, then remaining friends should be relatively easy.

5. Thou shalt not abandon thy friend for greener pastures: Sometimes days in the halls of West are dizzying, and there may be a thousand voices flying at you at once. At a game you may be enticed to sit next to the rabid screaming student section instead of teaching the friend you brought that you do not in fact “shoot” a touchdown. Trust me, people don’t like when they are left talking at the concrete wall where your face used to be. It’s a struggle, but attempt to focus on your best bud instead of the hubbub around you. They’ll really appreciate it.

6. Thou shalt not gossip: This one is pret-ty self-explanatory. Girls especially, do not talk about friends behind their backs. It’s not funny, it’s not smart and it will end in tears: yours, theirs or both. Just don’t do it.

7. Thou shalt not worship false friends: A common occurrence in high school is the “frene-my” who resembles someone that you could relate to, depend on and go to for advice. Unfortunately, that person is actually pessimistic, annoying and

backstabbing. Remember to separate the real from the fake when it comes to high school friend-ship because the wrong friends lead you to a trap of lies and drama instead of a support system.

8. Thou shalt listen to thy friends’ per-sonal drama: Your chemistry partner Kaitlyn just broke up with her boyfriend… again. Despite the fact that this is the second time this week Kait-lyn and her boyfriend have had irreconcilable dif-ferences, give her a shoulder to cry on and some handy, sensitive advice. Lend a kind ear to your friends, and they’ll be there for you when you don’t make the soccer team or you get a D- on that psychology paper. The halls of high school are too tumultuous to walk alone.

9. Thou shalt not lay waste to thy friends’ belongings: Your buddy borrowed your copy of Lord of the Flies, and now Piggy’s unfortunate demise is covered with inappropriate comments and drawings. Feel good about that? Didn’t think so. Treat the objects you borrow even better than you’d treat your own. If you lose or mistreat your friends’ belongings, you will no longer have friends to borrow from.

10. Thou shalt keep thy friends’ secrets: I don’t care if your friend told you the juiciest piece of gossip known to man. Silence is golden when it comes to friends’ secrets. How would you like it if your friend broadcast your innermost feelings over the announcements? On any scale, spreading secrets isn’t okay. Period.

As of October 9, if you happen to be driving slowly through Cin-

cinnati with your hand off the steering wheel or your eyes off the road, you’ll most likely be flagged down by a police of-ficer under the suspicion that you’re texting while driving. The ban includes prohibition of punching anything in on your keypad, save dialing a phone number. That does in-deed mean that you’ve been banned from merging while

on MySpace or taking the freeway while finding friends on Facebook. Superficially, the move-ment sounds like a surefire fix for a distraction that causes 80% of motor accidents. But in all honesty, whether or not a law is passed makes no difference. Acts can be both legal and idiotic. Less than a month ago, texting while driving was tech-nically legal. And still, without any excuses, if you were a competent driver then, you still didn’t text your BFF on the way to school.

Put lightly, texting while driving was a bad idea before it was banned. It was moronic before the

law was even proposed and before it even became an issue. When it was legal, it still risked the lives of other drivers, your passengers and yourself. If people are even half-decent drivers, they under-stand this thoroughly. They did not need legisla-tion telling them that texting while driving was a “no.” As for the sort of people who can’t tell Di-xie highway from a demolition derby, laws can’t fix how ignorant invalids drive. Even though the ratification of rules is the only tangible effort for traffic reform, attempts to motivate the reckless to be wreckless by way of fines won’t necessarily jolt drivers into taking precaution for others on the road. In truth, even if you do take the ban seri-ously, put your phone in your purse or pocket and abide by all traffic laws like you ought to, you still can’t be the defensive driver that the instructional videos described: following rules doesn’t help if the rules are unsound to begin with.

For example, once you hit 17, you can cram however many people you want into your car, so long as there are seatbelts available. That means that if you’re taking your mom’s minivan to the mall, you could easily be driving six friends with you—three times the people you were allowed to be responsible for when you were 16. This being permitted is hazardous to anyone on the road,

just as texting while driving is. If you aren’t old enough to take risks that primarily affect only you until you’re 21, such as the responsibility for a shot of whiskey at a party or a stake in a gamble, one cannot allow a 17-year-old to transport a half-dozen other teens. Not when we aren’t mentally developed enough to efficiently multitask. Not when we aren’t mature enough to put our phones down and watch the road without state laws en-forcing it.

In effect, though the ban on texting is a step forward, the traffic law system is warped. Not all laws are just. The system has its flaws. It takes time for laws to go into effect even after the objective has been deemed a pressing, tragic issue. Texting while driving was legal up until less than a month ago just as packing your entire circle of buddies into your Town and Country is now. Even though neither should be permitted for teens, we’ve got a while to wait until the system is adjusted to pro-tect us. Until every law and by-law is straightened out—that won’t be in our lifetime, I promise—try to remember that just because something is al-lowed does not make it a good idea; legal does not mean logical.

Traffic law system warped

Voice graphic by Bari SchwartzVoice graphic headline by Bari Schwartz

Voice graphic headline by Jordan Taylor

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Emily BamforthEditor-in-Chief

Jordan TaylorOpinions Editor

Abbi KearnsCopy Editor

Marisa YunkerSports Editor

Delaney OrrAsst. News Editor

Reach Out Lakota is a local organization that helps families in the Lakota District that are hav-ing a hard time. They want volunteers that are hard working, mature, and respectful to those in need and who are willing to maintain confiden-tiality.

“We need to tell others we need their dona-tions and we are here to help Lakota residents,” CEO Lourdes A. Ward said.

Because of the large amounts donated, volun-teers usually organize items. In the food depart-ment, volunteers sort food donations, check expi-ration dates, separate items and fill food orders.

“We appreciate the community’s support in helping us stay open for the last eighteen years and could really use teen clothing donations,” Ward said.

Reach Out Lakota encourages teens to organize food and clothing drives in order to get involved.

The Boys and Girls Club of America is a place that promotes academic and moral values for children while providing a place for them to stay busy after school. Volunteers assist in planning holiday parties, gymnastics activities, homework help, coloring and crafts.

“I want to be a teacher, so it’s a great way to help get more practice with how kids act,” volun-teer Breanna Cottingham said. “You have to show responsibility and be a good role model.”

When a reporter visited the club, she played board games with some of the children. The re-porter also talked to a few of the volunteers and realized their connections to the club.

“I was homeschooled until this year, and I wouldn’t know anyone if not for this club,” stu-dent volunteer Rebekah Duncan said.

The club is looking for volunteers who are will-ing to do homework help, assist children with reading, and play educational board games. You can reach the club at (513) 895-1749.

Junior Zach Stansell has been volunteering with the Youth Program of the Cincinnati Museum Center since the summer before freshman year. He has put in about 800 hours since then, serving as interpreter in the exhibits of the Cincinnati History portion of the terminal. This position includes answering visi-tors’ questions, researching historical material and performing exhibition demonstrations.“Most of the time I’m a character from a particu-

lar time period,” Stansell said.Stansell’s roles have included World War II soldiers and Civil War era

shopkeepers. When Stansell takes on these parts, he often gives narrative speeches about the period.

“I help [the community] understand more about the country that they live in,” Stansell said. Beyond enriching visitors’ understanding of Cincinnatian history, Stansell has become friends with

the dozens of other teens in the Youth Program. The Youth Program serves as a channel through which members provide knowledge to the community and receive equally valuable opportunities.

“People [in charge of the Youth Program] can help you with anything you can possibly want,” Stansell said.

To join the program, you must submit an application by the next April that discusses your interest in and qualification for a position in the Youth Program. From there, there is a series of training courses before you can begin at the museum.

“Anybody can be part of the Youth Program,” Stansell said.

Senior Emma Schrantz doesn’t choose to spend her time doling out soup or picking up trash. Instead, Schrantz volunteers at iSPACE. iSPACE is an organization which “offers programs, for students, educators and families which support and enhance science, tech-nology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education that reaches beyond the formal classroom setting,” according to the iSPACE website. Schrantz specifically works at First Lego Tournaments (FLL).

“FLL uses a LEGO based robotics system, and the kids have to build a robot that can complete the challenge tasks in a certain amount of time, as well as completing a research project over the year’s challenge,” Schrantz said. “This year is about the body; others have been Mars, the ocean, renewable energy, and nanotechnology.”

Schrantz has done various jobs at iSPACE, including Team Escort, Bullpen Coor-dinator, Runner, and more. She also volunteered almost 30 hours over two tourna-ments last year. The tournament aims to get kids involved in science and technol-ogy.

“It’s a fun event, and it’s cool to see the kids get so excited about science and robotics,” Schrantz said. “The kids get to solve real science problems that affect our world right now, and it sparks interest in science for many kids that partici-pate in it.”

Schrantz participated in FLL herself, and her family has been involved in FLL which is why she volunteered.

“I know that when I competed in FLL, I had a lot of fun building robots and trying to solve problems that are usually approached by ‘grown-ups’” Schrantz said.

While the volunteer position is a lot of work, Schrantz enjoyed working towards a meaningful cause.“It’s definitely a worthwhile volunteering gig for people that like science or technology, enjoy working with kids,

and are willing to give up a weekend in December to volunteer,” Schrantz said. “There are other opportunities to vol-unteer other than FLL, so I’d definitely check out the website.”

If you want to volunteer for iSPACE go to www.ispacescience.org.

Senior Amanda Buerger has done her fair share of vol-unteering. She’s in-volved in programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters and RFY (St. Max’s religion pro-gram). However, Buerger’s favorite volunteering is done during the summer at the zoo. For the past

three summers, Buerger has set aside a month in order to help enrich little

kids with knowledge of different animals. “I help the employees and interns during the summer

camp classes for four to fourteen year olds,” Buerger said. “I help pass out snacks and crafts; I help maintain behaviors, and also help with the animals by retrieving them or hold-ing them.”

Buerger enjoyed seeing a child overcome the fear of an animal and end up touching it and having it become one of his favorite animals. Her favorite memory taken away from the experience was petting a baby penguin, her favorite animal. She enjoys the time she has spent at the zoo volun-teering and helping the children and hopes one day she can work at a zoo.

“It [volunteering] is about helping those who cannot do something alone,” Buerger said. “If you can couple some-thing you love with volunteering, you will actually enjoy it.”

The volunteer program at the zoo has positions ranging from education to a Junior Animal Keeper. You must be be-tween the ages of thirteen and seventeen in order to be con-sidered a “volunteen.” Volunteens must fill out an applica-tion in order to get a position and the deadline is usually in spring. For more information check out cincinnatizoo.org.

“I highly recommend you apply to do this!” Buerger said.

Senior Morgan Broda has been volunteering at the Animal Friends Humane Society (AFHS) in Hamilton for some time now.

“I first wanted to volunteer at AFHS because I had always loved animals, and at the time believed that I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Broda said. “I was raised in a house with only one little Yorkie, so I was dying to have more hands-on experience.”

In order to become a volunteer, you must attend an orientation. Volunteers must commit to at least four hours a month. This allows students to earn plenty of com-munity service hours for classes and certain extra-curricular activities.

“Whenever I need community hours for a school club like the Honors Society, it is the first place I go to,” Broda said. “I volunteer every other weekend for a few hours and it is always a blast.”

Volunteers at the animal shelter focus mainly on cat and dog socialization. For people that aren’t allowed to have pets but have always wanted one, this is the place to go to play with and learn about the animals.

“Before volunteering at the shelter, I had never taken care of a cat,” Broda said. “They are awesome and cute animals that just want love and attention.”

Volunteers are needed to make sure that they have adequate exercise and affection every day. Broda cares for the cats and walks, bathes and plays with the dogs.

“Animals don’t have control over a lot of things and they become victim to poor pet owners and people who just dump them and don’t care for them or abuse them or neglect them,” Executive Director for Animals Friends Hu-mane Society Meg Stephenson said. “To be able to turn that around for them and give them love and affection and all the basic needs and see them spend the rest of their lives in a new home, that’s why we get so many volunteers—because it is such a rewarding experience and you’re really making a difference in the lives of so many animals.”Voice photo contributed by Zach Stansell

Voice photo contributed by Emma SchrantzVoice photo contributed by Amanda Buerger

Voice photo contributed by Morgan Broda

Voice illustration by Alexia WainscottVoice graphic headlines by Amy Rubenstein

Voice photo by Marisa YunkerVoice photo courtesy of reachoutlakota.org

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Emily BamforthEditor-in-Chief

Jordan TaylorOpinions Editor

Abbi KearnsCopy Editor

Marisa YunkerSports Editor

Delaney OrrAsst. News Editor

Reach Out Lakota is a local organization that helps families in the Lakota District that are hav-ing a hard time. They want volunteers that are hard working, mature, and respectful to those in need and who are willing to maintain confiden-tiality.

“We need to tell others we need their dona-tions and we are here to help Lakota residents,” CEO Lourdes A. Ward said.

Because of the large amounts donated, volun-teers usually organize items. In the food depart-ment, volunteers sort food donations, check expi-ration dates, separate items and fill food orders.

“We appreciate the community’s support in helping us stay open for the last eighteen years and could really use teen clothing donations,” Ward said.

Reach Out Lakota encourages teens to organize food and clothing drives in order to get involved.

The Boys and Girls Club of America is a place that promotes academic and moral values for children while providing a place for them to stay busy after school. Volunteers assist in planning holiday parties, gymnastics activities, homework help, coloring and crafts.

“I want to be a teacher, so it’s a great way to help get more practice with how kids act,” volun-teer Breanna Cottingham said. “You have to show responsibility and be a good role model.”

When a reporter visited the club, she played board games with some of the children. The re-porter also talked to a few of the volunteers and realized their connections to the club.

“I was homeschooled until this year, and I wouldn’t know anyone if not for this club,” stu-dent volunteer Rebekah Duncan said.

The club is looking for volunteers who are will-ing to do homework help, assist children with reading, and play educational board games. You can reach the club at (513) 895-1749.

Junior Zach Stansell has been volunteering with the Youth Program of the Cincinnati Museum Center since the summer before freshman year. He has put in about 800 hours since then, serving as interpreter in the exhibits of the Cincinnati History portion of the terminal. This position includes answering visi-tors’ questions, researching historical material and performing exhibition demonstrations.“Most of the time I’m a character from a particu-

lar time period,” Stansell said.Stansell’s roles have included World War II soldiers and Civil War era

shopkeepers. When Stansell takes on these parts, he often gives narrative speeches about the period.

“I help [the community] understand more about the country that they live in,” Stansell said. Beyond enriching visitors’ understanding of Cincinnatian history, Stansell has become friends with

the dozens of other teens in the Youth Program. The Youth Program serves as a channel through which members provide knowledge to the community and receive equally valuable opportunities.

“People [in charge of the Youth Program] can help you with anything you can possibly want,” Stansell said.

To join the program, you must submit an application by the next April that discusses your interest in and qualification for a position in the Youth Program. From there, there is a series of training courses before you can begin at the museum.

“Anybody can be part of the Youth Program,” Stansell said.

Senior Emma Schrantz doesn’t choose to spend her time doling out soup or picking up trash. Instead, Schrantz volunteers at iSPACE. iSPACE is an organization which “offers programs, for students, educators and families which support and enhance science, tech-nology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education that reaches beyond the formal classroom setting,” according to the iSPACE website. Schrantz specifically works at First Lego Tournaments (FLL).

“FLL uses a LEGO based robotics system, and the kids have to build a robot that can complete the challenge tasks in a certain amount of time, as well as completing a research project over the year’s challenge,” Schrantz said. “This year is about the body; others have been Mars, the ocean, renewable energy, and nanotechnology.”

Schrantz has done various jobs at iSPACE, including Team Escort, Bullpen Coor-dinator, Runner, and more. She also volunteered almost 30 hours over two tourna-ments last year. The tournament aims to get kids involved in science and technol-ogy.

“It’s a fun event, and it’s cool to see the kids get so excited about science and robotics,” Schrantz said. “The kids get to solve real science problems that affect our world right now, and it sparks interest in science for many kids that partici-pate in it.”

Schrantz participated in FLL herself, and her family has been involved in FLL which is why she volunteered.

“I know that when I competed in FLL, I had a lot of fun building robots and trying to solve problems that are usually approached by ‘grown-ups’” Schrantz said.

While the volunteer position is a lot of work, Schrantz enjoyed working towards a meaningful cause.“It’s definitely a worthwhile volunteering gig for people that like science or technology, enjoy working with kids,

and are willing to give up a weekend in December to volunteer,” Schrantz said. “There are other opportunities to vol-unteer other than FLL, so I’d definitely check out the website.”

If you want to volunteer for iSPACE go to www.ispacescience.org.

Senior Amanda Buerger has done her fair share of vol-unteering. She’s in-volved in programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters and RFY (St. Max’s religion pro-gram). However, Buerger’s favorite volunteering is done during the summer at the zoo. For the past

three summers, Buerger has set aside a month in order to help enrich little

kids with knowledge of different animals. “I help the employees and interns during the summer

camp classes for four to fourteen year olds,” Buerger said. “I help pass out snacks and crafts; I help maintain behaviors, and also help with the animals by retrieving them or hold-ing them.”

Buerger enjoyed seeing a child overcome the fear of an animal and end up touching it and having it become one of his favorite animals. Her favorite memory taken away from the experience was petting a baby penguin, her favorite animal. She enjoys the time she has spent at the zoo volun-teering and helping the children and hopes one day she can work at a zoo.

“It [volunteering] is about helping those who cannot do something alone,” Buerger said. “If you can couple some-thing you love with volunteering, you will actually enjoy it.”

The volunteer program at the zoo has positions ranging from education to a Junior Animal Keeper. You must be be-tween the ages of thirteen and seventeen in order to be con-sidered a “volunteen.” Volunteens must fill out an applica-tion in order to get a position and the deadline is usually in spring. For more information check out cincinnatizoo.org.

“I highly recommend you apply to do this!” Buerger said.

Senior Morgan Broda has been volunteering at the Animal Friends Humane Society (AFHS) in Hamilton for some time now.

“I first wanted to volunteer at AFHS because I had always loved animals, and at the time believed that I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Broda said. “I was raised in a house with only one little Yorkie, so I was dying to have more hands-on experience.”

In order to become a volunteer, you must attend an orientation. Volunteers must commit to at least four hours a month. This allows students to earn plenty of com-munity service hours for classes and certain extra-curricular activities.

“Whenever I need community hours for a school club like the Honors Society, it is the first place I go to,” Broda said. “I volunteer every other weekend for a few hours and it is always a blast.”

Volunteers at the animal shelter focus mainly on cat and dog socialization. For people that aren’t allowed to have pets but have always wanted one, this is the place to go to play with and learn about the animals.

“Before volunteering at the shelter, I had never taken care of a cat,” Broda said. “They are awesome and cute animals that just want love and attention.”

Volunteers are needed to make sure that they have adequate exercise and affection every day. Broda cares for the cats and walks, bathes and plays with the dogs.

“Animals don’t have control over a lot of things and they become victim to poor pet owners and people who just dump them and don’t care for them or abuse them or neglect them,” Executive Director for Animals Friends Hu-mane Society Meg Stephenson said. “To be able to turn that around for them and give them love and affection and all the basic needs and see them spend the rest of their lives in a new home, that’s why we get so many volunteers—because it is such a rewarding experience and you’re really making a difference in the lives of so many animals.”Voice photo contributed by Zach Stansell

Voice photo contributed by Emma SchrantzVoice photo contributed by Amanda Buerger

Voice photo contributed by Morgan Broda

Voice illustration by Alexia WainscottVoice graphic headlines by Amy Rubenstein

Voice photo by Marisa YunkerVoice photo courtesy of reachoutlakota.org

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Fans are such a crucial ingredient in the success of sports teams. They can be the “twelfth man” in football, the second libero

in volleyball, or another goalkeeper in soccer. This support is something that can inspire play-ers to fight until the last second of each game, giving them that edge. Throughout the years, Lakota West has only had one student section, and now there are three completely different groups.

Walk into any Lakota West girls’ volleyball game, and you will immediately notice the stu-dent section. The Tool Shed overwhelms the stands in the gym supporting the team dressed in all red and white. It all started at one of the first games of the season. Senior Taylor Ander-

son spiked a bullet down the line for a point. Senior fans Andy Mc-Calla and T.J. Belieu instantly began referring to Anderson as “The Hammer”. The name gradu-ally caught on, and each team member was named a differ-ent tool. Seniors Shannon Breen “The Axe”, Liz McMahon “The Nail Gun”, Mor-gan Jones “The Weedwacker” , and Lexi Danne-miller “The S c r e w d r i v e r ” ,

juniors Mel Stewart “The Shovel” and Corri Muha “The Jackhammer”, sophomores Annie Bierman “The Mallet” and Rachel Cogan “The Saw”, and freshman Allie Muha “The Mini-Jackhammer”.

Pre-game rituals are crucial to support any school team to victory. What makes the Tool Shed so successful at this?

“I do my homework before each game,” Mc-Cala said. “Then we finish up any posters we need to make, and occasionally we tailgate.”

The Tool Shed arrives at the games ear-ly, in time for warm-ups sporting their Tool Shed t-shirts, the famous black-and-red painted hard hat and raising their brightly decorated posters.

It sure helps the Firebirds who are 18-3 (9-0) with an 11-1 home record. The Tool Shed’s interaction with each player has truly boosted the teams’ overall confidence, just like the fan group wanted.

“We go to as many girls games as we can and cheer for our girls,” Belieu said.

Anyone can join the Tool Shed and buy a homemade T-shirt to show their Firebird pride for the women’s volleyball team.

2009 was a record-breaking year for the Lakota West men’s soccer team. Ending the season with a record of 15-3-2 (6-2-1), the team made it all the way to the regional finals. Because this year is considered a “rebuilding” year, they needed solid

fan support. The creation of the Coop Troop has done all that and more. It all began when senior Ryan Gallof wanted to make t-shirts for his friend, soccer player Frank Re. Senior Ian Korolenko de-cided they should support the whole team. The Coop Troop was named after Coach Rick Cooper.

“Ian came up with the name, and he really made Coop Troop explode like it is to-day,” Gallof said.

The Coop Troop is at every men’s soccer match, even the away games. The team this year is 7-5-1 (5-2) and looking to im-prove the win streak.

“It’s designed to get lots of fans [to the games] to make more noise,” Gallof said. “We make signs, we yell at opposing play-ers to try to affect them mentally.”

There are five captains of the Coop Troop that tend to lead the pack. Amongst Gallof and Koro-lenko are seniors Chris Bearden, Jordan Capolla and Evan Sharpshair.

Anyone can join the group, and of course there are spray-painted shirts. Even parents and ad-ministrators sport the Coop Troop shirts.

What’s this group’s pre-game ritual?“We usually go to Ian’s beforehand to grab our

signs and vuvuzelas, then have t-shirt time, and then usually stop by Wendy’s or Circle K before game time,” Gallof said.

It almost seems that the Mason High School student section, “the Black Hole”, is known worldwide. The entire student body is a part of one student section.

In the years past at Lakota West, there has been the “Bomb Squad”, originally started in 1991 for girls basketball games. This student section was limited to seniors only but new this year, all students, freshman through se-niors, can be a part of “The Inferno” and cheer for the Firebird football team. A group of the members met with Mr. Hamilton and the idea matured from there.

T-shirts are open for any students to buy. In an attempt to match up to Mason, Lakota

West’s new student section is quickly catching on.

“The biggest thing we do is tailgate, we paint and dress up, play music and (joke) around to try to get some energy going before we go and watch the games,” senior Louie Allen said. “We have people buy food for grilling and whatever else we

need with a lot of help from the boosters and the mon-ey they have raised. A lot of other peo-ple do their own thing to get ready, and it all turns out pretty cool and creative and makes for a good time.”

Firebird pride: Lakota West spirit groupsShannon BreenStaff Reporter

Bari SchwartzManaging Editor

West fans paint their bodies radiating Firebird pride.

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“The Inferno” gets heated up supporting their team at a home game.

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Mr. Weisgerber shows off his Toolshed T-shirt.

Voice graphic headlines by Amy Rubenstein

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It’s a chilly au-tumn night—you’re bundled

up in your comfiest and warmest garb to support the La-kota West Firebirds at another intense Friday night foot-ball game. You ar-rive in a group with your friends, all huddling near the rails and packing

into the student section, getting fired up for the approaching game. And where would your school spirit be if it weren’t for the talented and enthu-siastic Lakota West Marching Firebirds? That’s right—no-where. We owe much of our Friday night enthusiasm and spirit to the marching band that we so often take for granted.

A vast majority of students, faculty and other residents view marching band more as an artistic expres-sion of music for all those enthusiastic band nerds rather than a sport. However, if people were to take a closer look, they’d discover that marching band is far different than most would fathom. Marching band is a way for students to incorpo-rate their passion of music with a seem- ing-ly unnatural combination o f body building and endur-ance.

Little do we realize just how much sweat and devotion each member of our marching band must commit to earn the title of Grand Champions at almost every single competi-tion. The Lakota West March-ing Band spends a rigorous eight to twelve hours per day for one full week in the summer preparing and learning new routines and songs up at Wright State University. The band also spends twenty-five hours practicing even more extensively dur-ing pre-band camp and post-band camp—dedicating the majority of their final month of summer to being the extravagant marching band we recognize them as each year.

And of course, we can’t forget their per-formances during the school year. Their marching procedures and perfectly executed notes don’t come naturally—the students and other contributors of the Marching Fire-birds must work hard day-by-day to ensure that the band remains top notch. During the school year, our marching band typi-cally practices a total of six hours during the school week—shortening the amount of time they are permitted to spend on homework and after-school jobs. In addition, march-ing band members and volunteers must also dedicate a majority of their Friday nights to the exciting West football games and a large chunk of their Saturdays to state competi-tions.

And of course, there’s the auxiliary and

percussion. Our auxiliary group, more popularly known as the colorguard, is the marching band’s way of incorporating dancing into their show. The colorguard girls have to deal with sectional meet-ings on top of the required marching band meet-ings to ensure that they’re physically built and prepared for all of their graceful and entrancing performances as they twirl and leap around the marching band. The percussion has additional sectional meetings and practices aside from their other marching band duties in order to make sure that they can keep their rhythm, which so often fires up the antsy crowd of students, teachers and parents.

With so much time and effort devoted to pro-tecting the Lakota West Marching Firebirds’ title, I’ve come to question how people can consider

our band simply a nerd’s form of art rather than a sport. As dedicated musicians, the students and all others involved work efficiently every day to establish that they are a hard-working marching band. How many people can honestly say that they have the ability to successfully accomplish

all of the harsh and tedious work that the members of our band go through?

Not many, I’d say. Before you decide to write our marching band off as an

outdoor version of band class, think again.

Danielle DeanStaff Reporter

Marisa YunkerSports Editor

The Lakota West Firebirds have become practically royalty in the realm of women’s golf and have set a nearly unmatchable

standard. In the nine years that Coach Tim Lam-bert has been leading the team, he has managed to take them to state eight years in a row.

“It really shows the quality of the golf program here at West,” senior Megan Shroder said. “It’s amazing for a senior to be able to go to state all four years in high school.”

The team began its journey after finishing in second at both GMC’s and sectionals, then finish-ing fourth at the District tournament.

The Firebirds concluded their season at the state tournament which was held at Ohio State University on the Gray Course. On Friday, Octo-ber 22, the team shot a 331 and placed sixth for the first day of competition. The following day they shot a school record, for a single state day, of 311 to finish with a 642 which was good enough for a fifth place finish.

After their fantastic close to the season, the team still has plenty of memories to look back on.

“My favorite memories from this year were the van rides to tournaments,” junior Christen Riedl said. “We crank up music and sing out of tune.”

Besides a successful finish at state, the Fire-birds also had plenty of other great outings from the season, such as their domination at the Cen-terville tournament, where the team was at its highest performance level. The ladies produced a 300 and came in first place. Individually, the team also had excellent scores.

“I placed fourth overall at Centerville and shot a 74, which is a big deal,” junior Ali Green said.

It’s this kind of success that encourages the Firebirds to be optimistic for next year, despite losing the core of their team, four seniors: Taylor Wogenstahl, Shroder, Ashley Jeffers and Rachel Steiner.

“Next year I just hope we can have a team that will be willing to grow and practice,” Green said. “Maybe we can keep the eight year legacy going.”

For the seniors, new adventures are ahead as they enter college. Some have even decided to play golf in college. Wogenstahl has decided to play for Northern Kentucky University, while Jef-fers has committed to play for Western Illinois University.

Artists as well as athletes Golf finishes State 5th

Voice illustration by Kelsey Johnson

With so much time and effort devoted to protecting the Lakota West Marching Firebirds’ title, I’ve come to question how people can consider our band simply a nerd’s form of art rather than a sport.

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September 29 was the day junior West Varsity soccer player Kim Love verbally committed to accept a scholarship and continue her soccer career at Purdue University.

Love went on an unofficial visit to the Purdue campus located in West Lafayette, Indiana in early September to see if Purdue was where she really wanted to go. Love met with the academic advisors, coaches and team, went on a short campus tour and went to go see the Purdue vs. Wisconsin game, which ended in a one to one tie.

“I like how Purdue is so big,” Love said. “There is a lot to do on cam-pus and it’s really pretty.”

In order to prepare to play at Purdue, Love hopes to improve on her ball skills, taking defenders on one vs. one, her left-footed shooting and her fitness. The physical aspect of college soccer is something that Love knows will be different from high school.

“I think college soccer is going to be a lot more challenging because the other players are bigger and stronger than they are in high school,” Love said. “Plus the speed of play will be faster.”

Love is a talented player that will bring a lot of speed, strength in the air, and a positive attitude to the Purdue soccer team; she has already done so for the Lakota West squad. The junior picked up a First Team All-GMC honor as a sophomore and was also voted Lakota West’s Of-fensive MVP that same year. So far at West she has racked up 9 goals and 6 assists for a total of 24 career points. The three-year varsity player outruns anyone trying to defend her when she starts and plays outside-midfielder and forward for Lakota West. Outside-mid is her prime posi-tion, and she hopes to continue to play that position in college.

Joined by two other girls from her club team, Ohio Elite, Love will begin her freshman year at Purdue University hoping to major in some field of engineering in the year 2012.

Kim Love commits to PurdueAlex AzeezStaff Reporter

These are the m a t c h - u p s that are al-

ways exciting to watch. No matter how bad the teams are that year, the big rivalry always sells out. The ha-tred between these

teams comes from champion-ships, regional

feuds and in one case, war. When both teams hate each other, anything can happen.

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red SoxThis is one of the most famous rivalries in the

history of sports, the epitome of mutual regional hatred. The rivalry began before baseball in the form of an economic rivalry between the two cit-ies. When the Yankees moved to New York in 1903, a rivalry was immediately formed. The ri-valry became solidified by the “Curse of the Bam-bino,” the superstitious result of the Red Sox’s trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919. After the trade, Boston did not win another champion-ship until 2004. However, the Yankees won 26 championships during the Sox’s slump creating a total of 27 for the Yankees, while the Red Sox have won two total.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs and the Canadiens are the only

Canadian teams from the “Original Six,” the six teams that constituted the entire NHL from 1942 to 1967. Both teams have dominated the league, Montreal winning 24 championships (25% of the Stanley Cup Championships) and Toronto win-ning the Stanley Cup 13 times. However, neither team has been champion since 1993.

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay PackersThese teams have been prominent in the

league since the beginning years. Both teams have an incredible history. Not only do the Pack-ers have the most championships with the Bears in second, but the Bears have the most Hall of Famers, while

the Packers are in second. This rivalry alone has created an inter-state rivalry between Illinois and Wisconsin.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics The rivalry began when the Celtics, led by

Larry Bird, and the Lakers, led by Magic Johnson

and Kareem Abdul-Jabar, met several times in the NBA Finals during the ’80s. This rivalry has been intensified recently due to two NBA Finals match-ups in the past three seasons. The inten-sity is increased because the Celtics hold 17 cham-pionships, the most in the NBA, and the Lakers hold just one behind them at 16. This is a rivalry that transcends inter-city rivalry, instead polariz-ing two entire coasts.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan Wol-verines

As intense as this rivalry is, the hostility reached its all-time maximum before football ex-isted. In 1835, the territory of Michigan claimed the area around the city of Toledo. As conflicts be-gan, both sides were making false accusations of savagery toward the other, including claims from Ohio that the people of Michigan were “savage like wolverines,” leading to Michigan’s nickname. This created a divide between the citizens of both states that developed into an armed war. In the end, Michigan became a state and gained some other land in exchange for ceding their claim on Toledo, seen as an absolute defeat for Michigan. Tensions between the two states continued and eventually formed into the modern college foot-ball rivalry.

Evan MaxwellAsst. Entertainment Editor

Voice graphic headline by Abbi KearnsVoice illustration by Kelsey Johnson

1 . P o r t a l (XBOX): One of the best games ever, “Portal” completely changed the nature of platforming. The concept is simple— you have a gun that can shoot two por-tals, one orange, one blue. When you go through the orange,

you come out the blue and vice-versa. Easy, right? Wrong. “Portal” is puzzling, mind-bending, and thought-inducing, and also is an amazing amount of fun. Add a creepy psychotic robot who is an ex-pert in dark humor and you’ve got an instant clas-sic. If you like navigating through puzzles, this is the game for you.

2. The Sims (PC): “The Sims” is a game for everyone, hardcore and casual gamers alike. The player is given control of Sims, human-like digital beings that have wants, jobs, aspirations, families, and an annoying tendency to fall asleep on the

floor if you don’t give them their full eight hours. “The Sims” is the defi-nition of p l a y i n g God, and it is simply

a d d i c t i n g . T h r o u g h many years and numerous versions and expan-sion packs, “The Sims” has never gotten old, and is still creating new products today.

3. Bioshock 2 (XBOX): Obsession with first-person shooters must be linked to the Y-chromo-some, because I had never been infatuated with one of them before. However, Bioshock 2 not only captured my mind and capitalized my time, it also took over my brain. Returning to the underwa-ter world of Rapture, the player takes control of a lumbering metal-suited character, a Big Daddy named Subject Delta, and begins a quest to find his “Little Sister”. While this may seem strange, once immersed in the game, everything is thrilling, from the storyline to the emotional ties between the charac-ters to the political undertones. You do, in fact, need some level of shoot-ing skill to play this game (trust me, I still haven’t gotten through it) but the learning experience is well worth it.

4. Infamous (PS3): I love this game primarily because of its mo-rality system. The protagonist, Cole MacGrath, is dropped in the middle of Empire City with the power to con-trol electricity through his body. From there on, you determine whether Cole becomes a hero who gets praised by random people on the street, or evil, where Cole takes on a demonic ap-pearance and gets rocks thrown at him frequently. This game has it all: witty dialogue, platforming that lets you basically climb anything, and a battle system that is fun and easy to master.

West’s Theatre will be performing the drama Picnic, starring seniors Mack-enzie Burns and Evan Rosenzweig on

November 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8:00 p.m. and No-vember 16 during the school day.

The Pulitzer-Prize winning drama, written by William Inge, revolves around the consequences of the arrival of a handsome drifter on the day of the Labor Day picnic in a small town in Kansas in the 1950s. The drifter, Hal Carter (Rosenzweig), drops into town to pay a visit to an old friend, Alan Benson (senior Max Jansen), and begins to fall in love with Alan’s fiancé, Madge Owens (Burns). Hal’s presence also reignites the at-traction between two of the town’s middle-aged residents, school-teacher Rosemary Sydney (se-nior Mitra Jouhari) and Howard Bevans (junior Drew Hamilton). Hal’s company wreaks havoc on Madge’s mother, Flo (senior Ellie Fisher), and younger sister, Millie (senior Taylor Pramuk).

The play is more than just a soap opera-esque drama; it has many deeper concepts and lessons to be learned by the characters.

“Some of the concepts are the ideas of being in love and making decisions you know at the time you’ll regret later, but not having the option to not make that choice,” director Kim Eldridge said. “It’s also about the regret of maybe not doing what you thought you should have when you were a young person and trying to teach other young people about those mistakes that you make.”

The main character, Madge, has to deal with many issues, from sibling rivalry to relationship confusions.

“She is known as the pretty girl in the town. She has a younger sister who is really smart and really talented, and my character, Madge, feels re-ally left out that she isn’t smart and how she only gets recognized for her looks,” Burns said. “She wants to be different , so she chooses different things like leaving the boyfriend that she has for a different person.”

For Burns auditioning for this play meant step-ping out of her comfort zone.

“She’s different than what I’ve played. She’s more of a dramatic character, where I have played more of a comedic character. I really like who she is as a person and I thought I could really dig deep into what she is and pull out some good stuff from her,” Burns said.

In order to fully connect with the charac-ters and time period, many preparations were made. Each actor gets ready for a role a little differently, but the entire cast also partici-pated in activities to lay a solid foundation for their understanding of the play.

“Everyone in the cast had to prepare a poster that had pictures or information about your particular character,” junior stage man-ager Daniel Townsley, who also plays the role of a newspaper boy’s friend, said. “I’m a teen-ager in the fifties, so I had a newspaper with the Beatles on it and a picture of a motorcycle. The poster itself was made into a leather jack-et. [It was] just getting into the character and

realizing what their lives were like.”Also, Eldridge’s parents who lived during the

fifties came to talk to the cast. On a more personal level, actors spend countless hours with the script and practicing dramaturgy, which is defined as the crafts and techniques of dramatic composition.

“I study the text, I look for different motifs and symbols that Inge uses, and I study other plays that he’s written. I study my character, her rela-tionships with other characters,” Jouhari said. “The more you understand the character, the more honest your portrayal of the character is.”

The set is original because it will mimic the ap-pearance of an out-door picnic. Unique additions to the stage include a tarp of fake leaves and a green-painted stage.

“I think it’s cool that we got to paint the floor, because it’s green, and it’s supposed to look like grass so that’s just unusual,” Townsley said.

The talent in the theatre this year is what made it pos-sible to perform this show, since Picnic is

considered a difficult play to execute.“It’s a really ensemble-oriented play, and we

have a lot of strong actors who can handle how difficult it is and how difficult the subject matter is,” Jouhari said. “Also, the maturity of the play, because it’s difficult to get into that emotional place, and I think this year’s strong enough to do that.”

Overall, the cast and crew hope that the audi-ence realizes the central theme of the production, which centers on the effects of finding and losing love, as well as the poignant journey the charac-ters go on.

“I always want people to feel something whether it’s feeling happy, feeling sad, feeling moved. So I hope that they do have some sort of emotional journey with us the night of the show because I know the cast and the crew have been on that journey,” Eldridge said.

Tickets are currently on sale for $10 for adults and students and $8 for children under 12 years and seniors over 55 years. To order tickets, visit lakotawesttheatre.com to order online or down-load a ticket order form, or purchase tickets at the box office an hour before the performance.

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Theatre performs Picnic

The set of Picnic mimics the appearance of the outdoors.

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Emily Bamforth

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Red uses an i n c r e d i b l e amount of

star power and a very interesting sto-ry to its advantage to provide a fun spy comedy.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis, Die Hard) is a retired

CIA agent whose house is attacked by a Special Forces hit squad. He meets up with his former co-workers, including his aging mentor Joe (Morgan Freeman, Shawshank Redemption), the insane Marvin (John Malkovich, Burn after Reading), and former assassin Victoria (Helen Mirren, The Madness of King George) and his love interest Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds) to find out why he is attacked.

The movie makes great use of its star power in Willis, Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren. The stars have great chemistry together and they give great performances. Despite the fact that we’re not given much information about the character’s CIA careers, we get a clear understanding of how each of their lives is affected by retirement. Red is extraordinarily campy, using unrealistic deaths and eccentric characters to enhance the positive tone of the movie. The tone gives the feeling that the characters are true professionals, keeping their cool despite the intense situations they are under.

Red is an amusing film for its farcical violence and odd characters. It may not be intellectu-ally stimulating, but Red is definitely a movie to watch.

Love triangles; anger; confu-sion; sadistic

humor; subtle jokes. All are key ingredi-ents that make up the creative and ex-traordinary new film, It’s Kind of a Funny Story. I’d planned to see this movie from

the moment I saw the first preview—mainly due to the fact that Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) played one of the leading roles. So, I excitedly fished out my last twenty dollar bill and headed to the movies with high expectations.

The storyline follows suicidal and confused sixteen-year-old Craig Gilner (Keir Gilchrist, Just Peck) after checking himself into an adult psy-chiatric wing of a New York City hospital to be analyzed,where he meets Bobby (Galifianakis), a mysterious and witty suicidal mess who can’t seem to get his life together. Craig also bonds with the only other teenager in the adult psychiatric wing, Noelle (Emma Roberts, Valentine’s Day), an open and artistic girl committed for self-infliction.

My favorite scene was when all of the patients busted out into a rendition of “Under Pressure” —I found myself laughing as Galifianakis paraded on-screen belting out lyrics with a mullet and glit-ter in his beard. This film is more of a dark com-edy, so if you’re expecting something light-heart-ed, chances are you’ve wasted your money. I, on the other hand, loved this movie. So, if you’re like me and would prefer a movie with characteristics similar to a serious-yet-comical film such as Juno, then head to the movies and buy a ticket to see It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

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HereafterStarring: Matt Damon, Cecile De France

Directed by: Clint EastwoodGenre: Romance/Science Fiction

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach GalifianakisDirected by: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

Genre: Comedy

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RedStarring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich

Directed by: Robert SchwentkleGenre: Action/Comedy

Voice graphic headline by Tyler Mullins

Evan Maxwell

Danielle Dean

Clint East-wood’s latest flick Here-

after follows three people and their experiences with death: George (Matt Damon, Green Zone), an ex-psychic struggling to define himself outside of

his “gift”; Marie (Cecile De France, A Secret), a journalist dealing with the effects of a near-death experience; and Marcus (film rookie George McLaren), a young boy coming to terms with his brother’s passing. The premise was interesting and the acting and directing were near flawless, but the story moved a bit slowly for my taste.

The biggest problem I had with this movie was the endless exposition. Most of the film fol-lows each of the three main characters separately without their lives intertwining until near the end, making me feel like I was watching three separate movies. When I finally reached the end, no clo-sure was given, leaving the viewer to decide what happens, which can be good or bad depending on individual preference, but I didn’t care for it.

On a more positive note, Damon and De France gave exquisite performances and McLaren gives a surprisingly mature performance for such an in-experienced actor. Some of the city and landscape shots were also breathtaking. However, many of the inside scenes were dark and it was difficult to distinguish the actors’ facial expressions.

Hereafter had an interesting foundation and was well-crafted, but may not be worth the ten bucks and two hours spend at the theater.

Katie Johantges

1. “Something” by The Beatles

George Harrison is often overlooked as a great songwriter, especially consider-ing that he lived in the shadows of Paul McCartney and John

Lennon. “Something” proves the writing power he had. It’s the kind of love song that you can get lost in: powerful, yet sweet with a warm guitar to cre-ate a tune that makes my heart ache.

2. “Over the Hills and Far Away” by Led Zeppelin

When I first heard “Over the Hills” I underes-timated it as the typical gooey love song with an acoustic guitar. But suddenly, it broke into an

up-tempo jam that that took me to places I didn’t even know existed, such as the “open road” where heartache meets the “silver linings”.

3. “A-Punk” by Vampire WeekendThis tune has the coolest chipper chord pro-

gression and put me in the happiest mood. How-ever, once I delved into the meaning of the song, I understood the depth of the band’s songwriting capabilities. Turns out it’s about a woman mourn-

ing the death of her lover while dating some-one new. For such a sad topic, it sure is dis-guised well.

4) “Ziggy Stardust” by David BowieI consider David Bowie to be a genius for

weaving this tale of a ruined rockstar. His voice is magnificent, and the guitar work is perfectly matched for the song. It makes me want to bob my head and become the next Ziggy (hopefully without the sad fall from grace).

5) “Cold Roses” by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

Ryan Adams is the master of weepy love songs, yet this one goes so much further than that. It’s a testimony to the ways of love, whether it be depressing or not. It has a blue-sy feel that caused me to become instantly at-tracted to it, and Ryan Adams’ crooning voice reaches deep into my soul. 15

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Come Around SundownKings of Leon

$10.99 on iTunes

The alternative rock band Kings of Leon re-leased a new album, Come Around Sundown, October 19th. This band made it big in the past couple years with two chart topping singles, “Sex is on Fire” and “Use Somebody.” However in this CD the band explored a much more mellow sound than I thought they would.

The album starts with a somewhat soothing soft rock song “The End”. Usually I’m not a fan of slower tunes but for this track I made an ex-ception. The track had a nice sound and was an excellent album opener. I also enjoyed was “Back Down South”. They went back to their Tennessee roots and gave a country sound to this song.

Even though I did like the album as a whole, there were still some tracks that I would never wish upon anyone to listen to. One such song is “Mi Amigo”. This track plays the same four notes throughout the entire song and just makes you wonder what were they thinking?

I would recommend this CD to the previous Kings of Leon fans and people who just like listen-ing to chill music. I’d pop this album in my stereo only if I were trying to sleep; it’s not the music you would listen to before a game or at a party.

The rock group Kings of Leon, just released their newest album, Come Around Sundown, on October 19. It is their first CD since their numver one hits “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire” swept the nation. Since I am a big fan of those songs, my expectations were high for their new album. Af-ter I listened to all thirteen tracks, I wasn’t disap-pointed, but it wasn’t nearly as good as their pre-vious songs. I was expecting to hear an alternative rock sound like their past hits, but I was met with a smoother and more relaxed sound.

The opening song entitled “The End” was the first sign of their new sound. “The End” happened to be one of my favorite tunes on the album be-cause of its up-tempo beat and creative rhythm. The most unique track on the CD is “Back Down South”. It almost sounds country but still holds true to their new sound with help from the lead singer’s original voice and the lead guitarists im-pressive guitar instrumentals. This was another one of my favorite songs.

I would recommend this album to anyone look-ing for a distinctive sound to add to their iPod.