Sports Briefs

uProm will be held on May 8 from 8-12 p.m. This years’ theme is ‘When in Rome’. Get your tickets now and sign up for intro-ductions in room 457. uThe SCA will be holding it’s spring blood drive on Friday May, 28. Sign up in 444.uAP exams will be held during the beginning of May from the 3-11. Good luck to all AP students! uThe spring one act per-formances of Super Vil-lians and Zombies are to-day and tomorrow in the HHS auditorium.uKathy Rodriguez was elected as the 2010-11 SCA President. Other officers include Vice President Leo Arango, Secretary Ryan Fletcher, Treasurer Chris-tine Choi and Reporter Lauren Martin.

Featurenews featureFinding an economical prom dressRaku workshop held for art students Students give advice on classes at HHS

Newsstreakharrisonburg high school • 1001 garbers church road • harrisonburg, va 22801 • 540.433.2651 • Newsstreak.com •

where every person has a storyVolume XC • Issue 11• April 30, 2010

uThe track team will travel to Virginia Military Insti-tute tomorrow to compete in the VMI Invitational.uThe girls tennis team take on the Turner Ashby Knights at home this tues-day. The boys tennis team will travel to TA to also take on the Knights. All matches start at 4:30 p.m.uThe boys varsity soccer team will travel to Stuarts draft this Tuesday. The girls varsity soccer team will compete at home, also against the Stuarts Draft Cougars. Both games will begin at 7:00 p.m.uThe varsity baseball team will travel to Wilson Memorial this Monday. The game will start at 5:30 p.m.

Freeze Frame

uUpdated class wars scoresuDaily lunch menuuAdvertisement formsuBreaking newsuAthletic calender and updated scoresuPolls and more

u SENIOR ISSUE!!!!u Senior Willsu Baby picturesuPlans for after high schoolu Year in review u Senior quizu Review of musicu Pop culture impactu Senior thank yousuInterviews with top graduatesu senior self-superlativesu Be the first to get a copy of this special commemo-rative issue of the News-streak. You won’t want to miss a single page!

HHS alumni Tim Bierle coaches vaulters B1A3 B10B6

News Briefs

newsstreak.com

Coming Up:

The

Who’s your doppleganger?

A10

STYLE

PROM? Senior Justin Goldberger spelled out “prom?” in pieces of pa-per above the student parking lot to ask his date to the dance. Photo by Emily Jamieson.

sports

There are eleven ex-super villains at HHS. They gather in the library after school

until 3:15 p.m., when they file into the auditorium to hide from the zombie apocalypse. These are actors in the latest spring play, Super Villains and Zombies written and directed by library secretary Bradley Walton.

“The super villains had to disband after the main superhero came and went on a rampage in their secret base. And now there’s a zombie plague and they all just gravitated back, for

whatever reason and found each other again. So now they have to figure out how they’re going to survive and protect themselves,” senior Kaiti Crittenden said.

Crittenden plays Malin a divorced ex-super villain once married to Ted, another super villain, played by freshman Paul Hairston. This role is different from other characters Crittenden has portrayed. She recently starred as one of the narrators in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat and a homeless woman in the fall one act Hollow.

“There are definitely more lines, from a technical standpoint,” Crittenden said. “I always seem to get parts that are close to my own personality and it’s hard to

break away from that. I have to do that now.”

This will be Crittenden’s fourth and final year in the spring play. This is Hairston’s first. He describes his character.

“Ted is an extremely pompous, uh, explicit term. He considers himself better than anyone else in his little group of villains and he also considers himself to be the smartest one of them all,” Hairston said. “He is hopelessly in love with the female protagonist. Or antagonist since they’re villains. And he doesn’t want to show it or admit it because he has a lot of pride.”

This will not be Hairston’s first time playing an “anti-hero.” This past fall he played see one act, page b4

Ama Ansah News Editor

Each year high schools around the nation receive a new group of freshman students.

Some schools do not provide incoming freshman with a tour of the building, however at HHS the administration and faculty have organized a way for freshman to get a feel for high school life while they are still attending the middle school.

Every April the eighth grade students from Thomas Harrison, and now the newly created Skyline Middle School, come to HHS for a tour. This year, the students visited over a span of three days. The first day consisted of students from Skyline, and the next two days consisted of students from Thomas Harrison.

When the eighth graders arrived, they were welcomed by the drum line from the HHS marching band. Once all the students were seated, Principal Irene Reynolds began speaking to the students about different aspects of the school including the different kinds of classes and the cafeteria system.

After Reynolds was finished speaking, people from different school activities gave speeches to the eighth graders. Students from the Newsstreak and yearbook spoke and students from the Honors Choir also sang. Once all of the presentations were finished, the middle school students see 8th grade, page b10

Tricia ComfortEditor-in-Chief

Eighth graders tour high school prior to scheduling classes

Supervillains, zombies haunt spring play

Last month, JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) spent a weekend at the Best

of the Best Drill competition in North Carolina. Twenty-seven members of the drill and exhibition team went, including sophomores Kittinun Wongsirikul and Jessica Cross. The trip was free to anyone participating.

“There were not set people [who could go],” Cross said. “If you were on one of the teams, then you could go.”

The schools who were eligible to enter, called the Fourth Brigade, were all in the same general region. Out of 300 schools in that region, only the top 12 were selected to go.

The competition consisted of various judged drill routines, such as marching with rifles and marching unarmed, and the color guard. They were reviewed on precision, how well everyone was aligned, and how well they kept their military bearings.

“We were judged by rifle alignment, how your feet are positioned, how people are aligned in each squad, and how you march,” Wongsirikul said.

Other drill teams couldn’t watch as another team ran through the drills and were judged, but, according to Cross, “We saw them practice see JROTC, page b10

Kavya BeherajStaff Reporter

Four HHS Forensics Team members competed in the VHSL State Competition on April 10 here at Harrisonburg High School.

Sophomores Lindsey Carpenter and Ama Ansah, who placed fifth, and juniors Maria Rose and Alison Domonoske were the four competitors representing HHS.

Ansah competed in the Original Oratory

category where students recite a 10-minute or less speech they have written. Ansah wrote a speech criticizing the current generation of teens and their obsession with reality TV, technology and mostly themselves.

“It’s about whether new media made teenagers more narcissistic. I hate reality TV and how narcissistic teens are so that just tied together along with Facebook and MySpace,” Ansah said. Ansah competed against 11 other students, ultimately placing fifth in the state AA division. see forensics, page b10

Alison DomonoskeFeature Editor

Every year HHS hosts an electives fair for current students and incoming freshmen to

inform them of the electives that HHS offers. Teachers and students who are currently involved in the class use this opportunity to recruit students for the following year.

“There is so much information regarding classes that students do not know about,” Guidance Director Amy Powers said. “It is good to be informed of your choices before you decide which classes to take.”

The electives fair takes place after freshman orientation so that freshmen can stay to learn about their options prior to scheduling. It took place in the auditorium commons on Thursday, April 15.

“It is a great opportunity for teachers to answer questions, and for students to give input on what they got out of the class,” Powers said. Among the 72 plus electives that are

offered at HHS, there are options in JROTC, fine and visual arts, career education and technical education.

“The electives fair is a good opportunity to recruit students for my class,” choir teacher Beth Houff said.

To prepare for the fair, Houff made sure to have information on her choir classes ready to go on paper, so that students would be able to have the answers with them when they left.

“The electives fair is helpful because students are able to ask questions at ease, it’s a wonderful opportunity to talk with them about the class,” Houff said.

Other teachers also enjoy the chance to talk with their future students. Creative writing teacher Jen Rose got the chance to talk to a lot of students and parents who were interested in writing.

“I made a flyer with information about what we do in my class, and I brought literary magazines that we have made as well as other ones from all over the country so they are able to see what

we are able to do,” Rose said. “Freshmen are wonderful. They are squirrelly and full of energy.”

Broadcasting teacher Seth Stratford finds that the electives fair is a good opportunity to promote the broadcasting program.

“A lot of eighth graders are not aware of the electives that we offer, so this is a good chance for them to find out about, and talk to the teachers of the electives.” Stratford said. To advertise his class, Stratford set up a camera and television so that students could see themselves on the screen. The rising freshmen found the fair informative and helpful in making their decisions for next year.

“It was helpful to see what options there are and to get assurance as to what to expect,” rising freshman Celia Ehrenpreis said. Other rising freshmen were excited for the new opportunities.

“I am excited for electives since we don’t have many at the middle school,” rising freshman Amanda Xaynhasone said. tt

Savanah CaryFeature Editor

Focus. Sophomores Lindsey Carpenter and Ama Ansah look through a magazine before the State Forensics Competition on April 10. Forensics members spent all day competing in different categories. Photo by Tricia Comfort.

Forensics members compete at State level

Electives fair informs rising freshmen

JROTC squad competes in Best of the Best drill competition

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 News A2

Last year school librarian Su-san Thacker stood up dur-ing a faculty meeting before the beginning of school and

asked if any teachers would be inter-ested in joining a book club. A sign up sheet was passed around to see how many teachers would be in-terested, and to Thacker’s surprise and delight more than ten teachers signed up.

“There is not a limit to the num-bers of teachers who can be in the group right now. We order twenty books and if there are more people than books you pass [the books] around,” Thacker said.

This year 25 people signed up for the book club. An e-mail was sent out and it was talked about by teachers that helped get the word

out. They meet once a month in the library for an hour. There they talk about the book they previously read, what they liked, did not like, and if they would recommend it to others. Then they are given the new books and they have a month to read it.

“[I most enjoy] having some adult time at school. And Mrs. Thacker does a great job at selecting such a wide variety of books. It helps me read beyond my comfort zone,” said English Teacher Cathy Soenksen.

The books that are read are chosen beforehand. They have read a total of 18 books and are already ordering next year’s books. They read novels from a variety of different genres in-cluding science fiction, realistic fic-tion, mystery and historical fiction. Some of the favorites were Unwind by Neal Shusterman and Tyrell by Coe Booth. Another book the teach-ers read was Twilight by Stephanie Meyers to develop their own opin-ions of the popular teenage book.

“The Hunger Games surprised me by how compelling it was. It’s not a genre I typically choose,” Soenksen said.

They have also read What my Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones, The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Bed Caletti, The Hunger Games by Su-zanne Collins, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, November Blues by Sharon Draper, Looking for Alaska by John Green, and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

“The book circulation always go up after the books are read [by the teachers],” Thacker said.

This is very positive for the li-brary because after teachers read books that would not normally go on their reading list, they encourage many of their students to read them. All books that are read are available in the library for anyone who is in-terested in expanding their reading list. tt

“Teachers Are Reading” book club leads to more student reading

The March of Dimes is a charitable program that was created in the late 1930’s to help

fight the crippling epidemic disease known as poliomy-elitis. It got its name from the original recommended dona-tion, it was publicized by ra-dio and people of the nation were all asked to donate a single dime.

Now the program has a new outlook, for the past de-cades the March of Dimes has been on a mission to fight all forms of newborn and chil-dren’s disabilities ranging from premature birth, to as-sisting in prevention of birth defects. The HHS JROTC has decided to assist the program by collecting money from students and teachers at the school in order to donate for this cause.

All cadets in the HHS JROTC must work in Service Learning Projects. These proj-ects allow cadets to become more involved with commu-nity service events such as the March of Dimes, an organi-zation they’ve been involved with since 2005.

“We are involved by sell-ing March of Dimes bears and other stuffed animals, raising

money through sponsorship, bake sales, and donations,” Colonel Roy McCutcheon said. “We also participate in the March of Dimes and March for Babies 3-mile or 6-mile walk.”

Though the JROTC is mak-ing up a large sector of the students actually attending, there are several other pro-grams that are working with them.

“There are several organi-zations at HHS that support the March of Dimes, although I do not know them all,” Mc-Cutcheon said. “Cadets in each class are involved with the March of Dimes in some way through the Service Learning Projects.”

During the same weekend as the March of Dimes, the JROTC has a competition but a good turnout of cadets is still expected.

“We have a competition on April 17 which will take many of the participants away from the event,” McCutcheon said. “I would expect somewhere around 20 cadets to still be able to attend this year.”

For students and teacher who are not members of JROTC, donations can still be made for purchasing items such as the March of Dime Bears, or money can be donat-ed directly to sponsor a cadet in their walk. tt

JROTC raises money for March of Dimes

It started in 1979, 31 years ago, by Pennsyl-vania Soil and Water Conservation District. Now, Envirothon, then Environmental Olympics, has reached more than 500,000

students across the U.S., and even has partici-pants from countries like Turkey, Japan, and Australia.

The Envirothon, according to envirothon.org, is a “competition designed to challenge and test student’s knowledge of soils/ land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environ-mental issues.”

At HHS the Envirothon is coached by Envi-ronmental science and biology teacher, Ross Bair.

Originally, Bair began coach-ing it in Maryland and one of the reasons he came to HHS was because they were looking for someone to take over the Envirothon program.

Under his guidance, HHS has done well in the past. In 2007 the team including, Mar-tha Skelley, Yang Liu, Carly Byers, Olivia Quach, and Camila Domonoske, made it all the way to nationals. The team proudly walked away pocketing a $1,400 col-lege scholarship award. With this achievement was born a legacy: the Domonoske legacy.

Making it all the way to nationals began in the Domonoske family with the 2007 team. Ju-nior Alison Domoske, Camila’s sister, has now been taking full blast pressure to lunge her team forward into nationals. She is not the only one involved in the legacy. Teammate and friend,

Senior Drake Cary, has taken on a roll of fully supporting Domonoske in her great challenge.

The team, junior Lindsey Cockburn, junior Savanah Cary, senior Emma Dinapoli, along with Drake and Alison, placed first in the local competition. This step successfully puts them on the path to states, which will hopefully lead to nationals.

The local competition, though won, took an unexpected turn. Competing against HHS’s team was Spotswood’s A and B teams.

“We really did not think we were going to win,” Domonoske said.

This mentality derived from the team’s poor performance in the soils section. They got a 6/10. It was the only section they did poorly in, though, because they won in every other catego-

ry. One particular strength is their oral presentation section during which they sing a song of tunes meshed together with custom lyrics. (The song is available to watch on Newsstreak.com.) The judges ate it up.

Next, the team will move onto the area competition where they will compete against one other team. Re-gardless of the scores, both

teams will advance to states. Stereotypically participants of Envirothon are

classified as tree huggers and nerdy. In fact, the HHS team is composed of all Governors School attendees, but what is important is their interest in environmental science.

“I want to be an environmental lawyer, so this is good for background experience,” Alison Domonoske said. tt

Madison WilsonStaff Reporter

Ethan BlackwellStaff Reporter

Heather Hunter-NickelsStaff Reporter

Envirothon team advances in competition

There are many lan-guage classes offered at Harrisonburg High School. Ranging from

classroom language studies such as French, Spanish and Latin to online class that are only limited by the imagina-tion. Sally Young, a French Teacher at Harrisonburg High School, was looking forward to starting a new class for the up coming year. Fluent in Ger-man she had designed and setup plans for having a Ger-man Language Class enter the school potential curriculum. Sadly due to massive cuts in the Harrisonburg City Educa-tion budget the class has been put on hold. Originally the class was to be petitioned and reviewed by the education board but as for now the new language class has been nixed due to lack of money.

Amy Powers head of the Guidance Department at Har-risonburg High School was surprised when she found a petition sitting on her desk one morning.

“When I walked in to my

office to one morning I found a petition sitting on my desk filled with the names of stu-dents that were looking for-ward to take the class,” Powers said. “That was the first I had ever heard of the class. Af-ter that I received a call from Mrs. Young to set the class in place.”

Irene Reynolds, the princi-pal of Harrisonburg High, was interested in allowing the class to exist but felt that due to the current budget circumstances creating such a class would be impossible at the time being.

“Mrs. Young is our only French teacher and if a Ger-man class were to be included in out language offerings we would be forced to hire more staff which isn’t possible with our budget,” Reynolds said. “Taking German though is still possible through World Lan-guage Exploration, and it can be taught in school or at home through Rosetta Stone.”

Though an actual classroom version of German isn’t in the current works at Harrison-burg High School, students interested in German or other languages are encouraged to speak with their Guidance Councilors to be setup with the Rosetta Stone program. tt

Ethan BlackwellStaff Reporter

No German class for language department

“We really did not

think we were going to win.”

u Junior Allison Domonoske

A page turner! Librarian Susan Thacker reads a book from the teachers are reading book club.

On April 23 and 24 members of the Technology Student Association will be in Vienna, Virginia competing in the T.S.A. competition. The team will have a shortage

of students competing at the competition because many members of the club will be at Debate States which occurs the same weekend. But, broadcasting teacher and club leader, Seth Stratford is not discouraged.

In March, the team competed in Regionls, where

they placed in many events. Because they performed so strongly there, it allowed the team to advance to the T.S.A. competition to compete against more competitors. Junior Leo Arango is one of the five students attending the competition.

“I’m in technology bowl problem solving and on demand video and film,” Arango said. As an active member in T.S.A. as a seventh grader, Arango is very familiar with the club.

“When Stratford asked me to join in ninth grade, I said yes,” Arango said.

For the competition and prior ones, members of the club had to do beforehand work throughout the year for specific events. For the C02 car dragster design and film production events, students were

required to build a car and make music and videos to bring to the competition to use as material to compete against other schools. However, other events are on-sight, like the technology quiz bowl and technology problem solving, and therefore the students can bring no material to the competition.

For junior Trevor Shank, this is his first year in the club. He will be competing in technology problem solving, technology bowl, and film production.

“I think we have a chance to do very well in the film production event,” Shank said. “But, we really just try to have fun and not take it too seriously.” Harrisonburg High School’s T.S.A. club has the second most trophies in the Shenandoah Valley, and is looking to add more to their collection. tt

T.S.A. club advances to state competition in Vienna

Disney World, ahoy. On March 4, sev-eral of HHS’ band and choir students left for Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. There they attended mul-

tiple workshops and spent four days of fun in the theme park.

Chaperoned by the band and choir directors as well as several parents, the group spent the beginning of their spring break in sunny Flor-ida.

The trip was open to band and choir students of all grade levels, and took enough students to require two tour buses. (Around 55 students in all.) The group spent a total of 30 hours on the buses, stopping in South Carolina to switch bus drivers and for breakfast in the mornings.

“The bus ride was incredibly long,” senior Amie Sombunwanna said. “We were dead tired

once we got there. It was hard to get sleep.” After arriving in Florida, our choir headed to

a workshop led by an A Cappella singer from Epcot. There, they sight read a song from “The Lion King” as well as went through the chore-ography of a “High School Musical” dance.

The band also attended a workshop which Sophomore Amy Guevara found “pretty cool.”

“The workshop was really fun. We played many Disney songs. We played a medley from Tarzan and they synchronized it with movie clips, so it was like we were the orchestra for the movie,” Sombunwanna said.

“The best part was having free time to do the separate parks with our friends,” Sombunwan-na said.

Guevara rode many roller coasters and vis-ited as many parts of the park as she could.

“I rode Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and the Tower of Ter-ror!” Guevara said. tt

Ryan MaphisStaff Reporter

Choir, band spend spring break at Disney

Fun in the sun!

Band and Choir stu-dents visit

Disney world in Florida. Photos by

Kari King

Claire SudolManaging Editor

The newsstreakApril 30, 2010 News a3

Students learn Raku pottery in art workshop

Because March was Youth Art Month, art teachers Jauan Brooks and Kelley Stradley decided to hang posters of art-

work from famous artists in the cafete-ria for commemoration. The teachers got the posters from a company called Teacher’s Discovery. Artists Pablo Pica-sso and Claude Monet were featured for

the students to see. The posters serve educational and instructional purposes for both the teachers and their classes.

“The art teachers thought it might be cool to bring something in for Youth Art Month,” Brooks said.

Picasso’s Guemica was hung during the week of March 14, while Monet’s Fishing at Night was hung during the week of March 21, the weeks dedicated to them during Youth Art Month. The posters have paragraphs about the art-ists’ lives and quotes that offer insight into their thoughts. The information

helps the students learn more about the artists.

Brooks uses the artwork to her ad-vantage. She takes her classes for mini field trips to the cafeteria because de-tails of the paintings are easier to see on the posters than on the computer.

“[The posters] are giant. Looking at them on a computer screen or projector is not as good as seeing

them in the cafeteria,” Brooks said.“Hopefully the students and teach-

ers are learning from the art,” Brooks said.

The art teachers are anticipating that other teachers and students at HHS will notice the posters in the cafeteria and learn from them. tt

Art department hangs posters in cafeteria for Youth Art MonthChristy StearnStaff Reporter

Scheduling started the week after re-turning from spring break. The guid-ance counselors try to spend a week s c h e d u l i n g

classes for each grade and spend the rest of the year making everyone’s schedules work. The guidance counselors start with rising se-niors and work their way down to rising freshmen. Guidance counselors work on getting students scheduled by talk-ing to students in the hallways and waiting for students outside of classrooms. Be-fore each block ends, guidance counselors will wait outside of classrooms that are mostly one grade and catch students on their way out of class.

“Scheduling is an important part of edu-

cation. Students get to pick and choose what classes they want to take,” guidance counsel-or Tim Meyers said, “I am always really im-pressed with people who know what classes they want to take and know the system.”

Guidance counselors start scheduling stu-dents by talking with them about what kind

of classes they are interested in taking and if they are working towards a standard or advanced diploma. The counselor work with kids to make sure they are in the right classes and if stu-dents are failing a class to make adjustments to place them in the correct class.

“The hardest part about scheduling is finding the time to devote just to scheduling,” guid-ance director Amy Powers said.

Amy Powers and Irene Reyn-olds are in charge of creating a master schedule. The master schedule shows who is taking

what classes and where they are taking them. The schedule also decides how many of the same class will be provided.

The guidance counselors will continue meeting with students and putting together schedules until the end of the year. tt

Will TurnerStaff Reporter

Guidance department begins scheduling

“Scheduling is an

important part of education. Students

get to pick and choose what classes they want

to take.u Guidance Counselor

Tim Meyers

Every year, several James Madi-son University students sign up for student teaching so they can get the real experience of

their future careers. Teachers also sign up to have student teachers work with their students.

“JMU contacts Loretta Clark who works with the School Board Office each year to match up student teachers with teachers for the following year,” Principal Irene Reynolds said.

JMU student Mark Casstevens is a student teacher for physical educa-tion teacher Amy Wheeler. Casstevens has wanted to be a physical education teacher since he was a kid, therefore, developing his own lesson plans has been something he has really enjoyed doing.

“My dad was a P.E. teacher, I wanted to be like my daddy,” Casstevens said.

Student teaching consists of mainly observing the teacher and student rela-tionship, being part of a lesson that the teacher has planned and then making your own lessons for the students to participate in.

“My favorite thing is the ‘personal-ity’ of the students, very diverse atti-tudes and sense of humor,” Casstevens said.

Wheeler is giving Casstevens the opportunity to take over her class and so far she believes he has really started to understand the concept of being a teacher.

“He’s realized that there are a lot

more responsibilities than you would think,” Wheeler said, “There has been significant improvement from day one to week six.”

As part of the kinesiology program, JMU student Justin Harpine is doing an internship to meet all the requirements to graduate.

“I like working with teachers who taught me and the experience of build-ing relationships with those teachers,” Harpine said.

For Spanish teacher Mirta Kirkland, student teaching was a complete whirl-wind. She student taught Spanish at Handley High School in Winchester. When she was in college, women were encouraged to become nurses, secretar-ies or teachers.

“Well, actually, it was a good experi-ence but it was like being thrown into a fire,” Kirkland said, “the hardest part was not having enough guidance and not having enough structure.”

Kirkland learned that planning and preparing was very important before going into a classroom and trying to teach.

“It’s very difficult for someone to be 21 and walk into a high school where there isn’t much of an age difference and being the authority figure,” Kirk-land said. She is happy that she went through with it because it helped her prepare in the long run.

Everyone who is a teacher now has had to do some sort of student teach-ing or assisting. Student teaching is the most beneficial way to understand what it is like to work with students and pre-pare for a future of not only teaching but also learning. tt

Aspiring teachers get in-class experience as student teachers

Diana GutierrezStaff Reporter

DECA nationals are this month from April 23 to April 29. Juniors Jake

Johnson and Connor Wolfe are the two candidates that have been selected to go to Louisville, Kentucky for this big event. They will be leav-ing for nationals on April 24.

Johnson and Wolfe are going to nationals for sports management and team deci-sion making. They are given a case study which is a sort of problem. They have to solve the case study. The problems can range from promoting a football team or organizing a television show.

While they are there, they will also have some fun. Mal-lory Cromer, a Sports Market-ing teacher at HHS, is travel-ing with the two to Louisville, Kentucky. They will have a long night because both of them are on the varsity base-ball team. They have a game

that night and will depart on their long eight hour trip by car afterwards.

“We are planning on going to Six Flags and the Louis-ville Slugger Museum. I also heard there was going to be a derby going on at the time so we might also have some fun with that,” Cromer said.

Junior Jake Johnson is anx-ious to be going.

“I am excited to go to Lou-isville because I competed in the state level, so I want to see what nationals have in store,” Johnson said.

Johnson and Wolfe com-peted at states about a month ago in Norfolk, Virginia. At the state level, they compet-ed for a bid to nationals. In nationals, they compete for scholarship money.

Junior Connor Wolfe also cannot wait to venture to Louisville.

“I am excited to go to Lou-isville because it is nationals for one. Also, just competing is fun. Being around Jake and Mrs. Cromer is also a lot of fun,” Wolfe said. tt

DECA moves on to NationalsMichael Johnson

Staff Reporter

What is the most challenging thing about

being a teacher?

“Acting excited when I’m not and do-ing the so-cial things necessary to put up with hu-man be-ings.

“Coming up with dif-ferent ideas to get mate-rial across to students that have different learning styles.

“Trying to make the content en-gaging to every stu-dent.”

On Wednesday, March 24, 28 art students took advantage of the Raku Pottery

workshop that took place thanks to a grant that the art department recieved. Lynn Hilton Conyers, a ceramist and retired art teacher, led the workshop, which taught stu-dents how to make the tradi-tional Japanese pottery.

Students created items such as bowls and small animals out of a special Raku clay which was then fired in the kiln. They then glazed their creations, which is similar to painting the clay with a thin layer of glass, with special lead-based glazes. Instead of firing the clay in the kiln a second time, students took the clay to the courtyard where it was fired in a special

propane kiln. When the clay had reached a temperature be-tween 1,800 and 2,000 degrees, tongs were used to transport the items from the kiln to met-al trash cans filled with straw. Once the item was placed in the trash can, newspaper shreds and more straw were immediately thrown on top to add to the flames and the lid was placed on top. Sophomore Sarina Hartman was a bit ner-vous about the process.

“I was afraid that something else would catch on fire that was not supposed to,” Hart-man said.

When the clay was ready to be removed from the trash cans, students had to be care-ful because a large amount of smoke was released with removal of the trash can lids. Goggles and gloves were worn for protection.

“The first time we took the lid off, I didn’t wear goggles,”

Hartman said. “It stung my eyes.”

Sophomore Leo Lopez learned the importance of safe-ty as well.

“I almost lost my eye-brows and some of my arm hair was burned off.”

O n c e out of the trash cans the clay pieces were s p r a y e d with water from a hose to cool them and to wash off the ash from burning.

“It was most exciting when we rinsed [the clay] off and we saw what it actually looked like,” Hartman said.

The pieces came out in many different colors, depending on

which glaze students had used on their pieces. Senior Carrie Brown also enjoyed seeing the different results, depending on which glaze was used.

“It was neat to learn how temperature can affect the color outcome of dif-ferent pieces,” Brown said.

Lopez was happy with the way his piece turned out.

“I made an acorn and it turned out well even though it was mocked by everyone,” Lopez said.

Art teacher Jauan Brooks was also very pleased with the workshop.

“The excitement that [the students] expressed

made us feel like it was worthwhile,” Brooks said. “The students were really happy about the outcome of their pieces.”

Brooks was also happy that students

were able to see the en-tire process take place. “Usually they just

make the pottery and it disap-pears for a while into the kiln room and comes back done,” Brooks said. “This time they were able to actually see the process.” tt

Meagan KelleyFun Director

Mark Tueting Bill Turner Andy Jackson

Infographic by Diana Gutierrez

Seasoned professionals assist with career training

Does school pride come naturally? Here at HHS it might not seem like we are

a cohesive unit, with every group having the support of the students and staff. Other schools seem to ooze nothing but pride, while we struggle to get everyone to wear HHS garb for spirit days. Is this because of our extreme d i v e r s i t y ? Is this because we are already participating in so many activities? Is it because participating in nothing is the easy way out?

Yes, we are the most diverse school system in the state of Virginia, but our diversity is what should be our bond. More than 51 different languages are spoken by students from 47 different countries around the world. We should take pride in our school being unique and different.

Our SCA has encouraged us to join in the spirit days by offering chips to students and teachers for the class war competition. While the opportunity to display our pride has been presented numerous times, some students and teachers are unwilling to make the extra effort for these occasional events.

HHS has more than 70 extra-curricular activities to choose from. With service

groups, sports teams, language clubs, honors organizations and music groups, students have a plethora of activities to consider joining. There are so many options, picking one or two can be overwhelming. But to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else participate is a crime. Just because you work part-time after school every day does not mean you cannot participate in activities on

club day. Sure, some of these things hold m e e t i n g s after school too, but there are more than e n o u g h

opportunities during school hours to join in the fun.

As we start to narrow our focus and spend more time with fewer groups, our overall school pride diminishes. However, our pride for the activities we participate in grows. We spend time planning fundraisers and movie nights and dances. We spend time giving s c h o o l tours and picking up trash and t u t o r i n g . We spend time going to practice a n d rehearsal. We spend time in the classroom, o u t s i d e of the classroom

and on the job. At the end of the day, we have no more energy to devote to school pride, because we have put all our oomph into doing the things we enjoy the most.

But even on the days when we are dragging and are just trying to make it to the weekend, we need to make effort to have pride in our school. All of the activities we participate in make us part of HHS. We take so much pride in our personal passions, that when we are out volunteering or competing, it shows. Everyone can see on our faces that we love what we are doing and that what we are doing matters to us.

While you may not feel you can connect with every person in school, there is a place in HHS for everyone. No matter what your interests, skills or talents are, there is a club, group or sport that is right for you. Do not sit around waiting for someone to ask you to join! Step up to the plate and try something new, because you never know what you may find. Do not be surprised when you come to take pride in what you do. tt

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 OP/ED A4

wet h i s bel i e v e

TheHarrisonburgHigh SchoolNewsstreak

The PolicyThe Newsstreak is pub-

lished by the students of Har-risonburg High School every three weeks. Reproduction of any material from the news-paper is prohibited without the written permission from the editors. Advertising rates are available upon request.

It is the policy of the Har-risonburg City Public School Board to comply with all applicable state and federal laws regarding non-discrim-ination in employment and educational programs and services.

The Harrisonburg High School City Public Schools will not discriminate illegally on the basis of sex, race, reli-gion, national origin, disabil-ity or age as to employment or educational programs and activities.

Editorials appearing with-out a byline represent the ma-jority opinion of the staff, but not necessarily the opinion of the adviser, school adminis-tration, or the school system.

Signed editorials are ac-cepted from people on the staff, but are subject to edit-ing according to published guidelines and policies. Edi-torials may be edited for spe-cial reasons.

Letters to the editor are en-couraged and must be signed and a telephone number must be given. Names may be with-held if the editorial staff feels there is a just cause.

The Newsstreak reserves the right to edit and may re-fuse to publish ads or letters deemed inappropriate, libel-ous, or obscene. Please drop your letter by room 444 or give them to any staff mem-ber. Letters may also be sent to the high school.

The editors and staff :

Editors in Chief:Emma DiNapoli, Tricia Comfort

Managing Editors:Kim Antonio, Claire Sudol

Section Editors:News - David ProctorOpinion - Jessica StricklerStyle - Emily KnappFeature - Alison DomonoskeSports - Claire Sudol

Fun Director: Meagan Kelley

Business/Advertising Man-agers: Lauren Martin, Molly Denman

Photographers: Emily Ja-mieson, Rafiqa Haji, Maria Rose, Paulina Rendon, Olivia McCarty, Phillip Bannister

Cartoonist: Vivian Tejeda

Page Designers: Ama Ansah, Phillip Bannister, Christine Choi, Diana Gutierrez, Ol-ivia McCarty, Maria Rose, Savanah Cary, Vanessa Eh-renpreis, Jack Burden, Aidan Newcity

Staff Reporters: Kavya Behe-raj, Ethan Blackwell, Emmett Copeland, Mitchell Depoy, Heather Hunter-Nickels, Mi-chael Johnson, Ryan Maphis, Emily Payne, Alex Rendon, Christy Stearn, Will Turner, Conner Whitehouse, Madi-son Wilson, Shane McMahon

Freshmen Reporters: Emi-lee Burke, Mark Duda, Alex Hickman, Gabe Hoak, Vera Shindyapin, Chris Sokolyuk, Katrina Sokolyuk, Michael Tower, Julia Trotsyuk

Professional Affiliations:

The Newsstreak participates as a member of several jour-nalistic evaluation services including the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA-2009 Gold Evaluation and 2005 Silver Crown Win-ner), Quill&Scroll Journal-ism Honor Society (2009 First Place International Award), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Vir-ginia High School League, Inc. Trophy Class Award, and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association All South-ern Ranking.newsstreak.com opt out no-tice:

If you do NOT want to allow your student’s full name or image to appear on the school newspaper site, please send an email to vkibler@harri-sonburg.k12.va.us stating:

I understand that the school newspaper, newsstreak.com, now has an online ver-sion of the publication. I DO NOT want my son/daughter (place student’s name here) to have his or her name or image published on this on-line venue.

The first time I got brac-es, yes, the first time, I was the most excited kid in the entire world.

I had asked for them for years because I thought they were “cool”. I mean who would not want metal glued to their teeth?

I remember how huge my smile was taking my “Just Got Brac-es” picture in Dr. Kray’s office. My hair was a mess from laying on a head full of curls for two hours, my neck and mouth were stiff, but darn-it I had bright green braces and I did not care about any-thing else.

I brushed re-ligiously, even flossed using a nifty little contraption to fit inside the brackets. I looked down on the kids who tried to crack railroad and metal mouth jokes because deep down, I knew that my braces made me cool. What I did not realize, however, was that my braces did not only make me

“cool”, they had given me an incredible confidence boost.

Before I got the first set of braces, I was a relatively confi-dent kid. My mother seems to think it was from “Only Child Syndrome” but I beg to differ. I was always with friends and we were always in the lime-light for whatever reason. I wore the coolest sneakers and

had the awesom-est backpack. The only set back to my life was my teeth. I hated my teeth; I would never smile and when I did, it was a fake smile and my mouth would al-ways be closed. That is why I loved my

railroad tracks so much. They hid the only part of me I felt was not anywhere near perfect.

E v e n t u a l l y, the braces had to come off. And I was fitted for my retainer and told to wear it like it was a part of me

because if not my teeth would move and the previous nine months of braces would have been a waste. So I wore my re-tainer…that is when I remem-bered to take it to school, not accidentally throw it away, or manage not to break it.

I tried my very best to keep

up with my retainer (honestly, I tried). But after I threw it away on my lunch tray at school, the orthodontist informed me that I was not getting another one. I thought this was wonderful…

That is until I was sitting in Dr. Kray’s office four years later being told that I needed another round of braces.

I did not take this news as well as I had the first time. I was so angry, in fact, that I stormed out of the office while the nurse was trying to explain the procedures I was, yet again, about to receive.

When I got my braces almost exactly two years ago, I found myself falling back into the joy and weird confidence I en-countered the first go around. But as the older, more mature Lauren I have molded into, I realize that braces do not make me confident, or even self con-scious. I am confident with or without my railroad tracks. When I laugh now, I show my teeth and you cannot help but to see all the metal intricately laced throughout my mouth, and you know what, I do not care.

They always tell you that you can only make one first impression, and I agree. I used to hate being “that girl with the braces” but now I love when I meet someone new and they remember me because of my braces, especially when it is a cute boy, ha. tt

Lauren MartinStaff Reporter

When many think of America, they think of good

things. They think of the fact that we are the world hegemon, that we basically control the world economy, and that we protect nations against foreign powers. However, America boasts the title of the fattest country in the world, and that casts a negative light over our country.

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, with one-half of those being obese. There are many contributing factors to this overweight pandemic, but arguably the greatest contributing factor is unhealthy eating.

In a country where Ronald McDonald is more recognized by the nation’s youth than our first president, George Washington, the fact that kids become obese or overweight should not be much of a surprise. People look for a quick, cheap, and easy alternative to the arduous and sometimes expensive process of cooking a fresh meal at home. What these people do not realize is that while eating lunch at McDonald’s and dinner at Burger King may seem like the better option, these meals are shortening their lifespan as countless calories and fats enter their body.

However, there is hope for the American people. Movies like Supersize Me and celebrity activists are attempting to show people just how badly we treat our bodies, and how to eat healthier and live longer. Jamie Oliver, host of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC, went to the fattest city in the fattest state in the fattest country in the world, Huntington, West Virginia, to change the cafeteria food the public schools are serving. Oliver is also helping out local kids who are struggling with weight issue by stressing eating fresh, healthy foods in order to lose weight and stay healthy, instead of eating junk food.

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock did exactly the opposite of Oliver in his 2004 film, Supersize Me. Spurlock challenged himself to eating nothing but McDonald’s food for a month and then recorded his experiences.

Basically, when it all comes down to it, the American people are slowly killing themselves by eating unhealthy foods. We believe this trend needs to be reversed in order to prevent decreasing life spans and more weight-related deaths, with healthier foods entering the diets of the American people. tt

Jack BurdenSports Reporter

Living to eat, instead of eating to

live leads to obesity

“No matter what

your interests, skills or talents are, there is a club, group or sport that is right for you.”

100 people in all grades and faculty polled on April 21 by

Precious Scott

Have you ever had braces?

YES NO45 55

WHAT YOU THINK

Staff Editorial

Cartoon by Vivian Tejada

Braces fix teeth, boost confidence

Cartoon by Eric King

HHS needs more pride

Insurance exchanges, public options, HMO’s, premiums, deductibles, master policies, risk pools—who really understands all this? With passage of the controversial

healthcare bill, many Americans are left confused about what specifically is in it for them. What few know is that some of the most important provisions in the bill affect teens.

Under the bill, anyone under the age of 18 will not be able to be discriminated against on the basis of a preexisting condition. This means that if you are ill, the insurance company can not say “Nope, sorry. We don’t want your sickly type.” So those who need insurance the most will not be the ones specifically excluded against. This applies to adults as well, however, for them, it will not kick in for several years. For children, this will apply beginning in early September.

Another important provision that affects teens is the ability to remain on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. Right now, children can remain on their parents’ insurance until they graduate from college. If they do not go to

college, they get dropped. This provision will ensure children who may have trouble finding jobs in this extremely difficult job market will not be left in the dark.

This bill also increases the number of people on Medicaid by millions by because the minimum income has been increased. States have already begun this expansion. Children who come from a low-income family will have two options under this bill. Almost immediately, their parents will be able to sign up for Medicaid and have coverage for the entire family. For middle-class families, subsidies will be handed out to help make health insurance affordable. Nobody should have to go broke because of an illness and now nobody will.

While these are three biggest aspects that will effect teens, there are numerous other provisions in the bill that will completely change the way health care works. That is why some are calling this bill the biggest piece of social legislation in decades. There is an entire complex system of health exchanges, reimbursements and regulations that make the bill difficult for anybody to understand. What’s important to realize is that there are provisions in the bill for everyone. tt

David ProcterNews Editor

What teens need to know about healthcare

Photo by Phillip Bannister

“Are you really fine, or are you just saying that to be polite?” The question caught me off guard at first. I assessed my current situation

and answered my Sunday school teacher honestly- yes, I was fine. But it got me thinking about one simple question-”How are you”- that you will run into no matter where you go. In all the three trillion times I have been asked that question I do not think I have ever said anything but “fine” or “good”. I am not happy twenty four-seven; I am just a downright liar.

Actually, before that moment, I never realized how often I lied to be polite. I

am one of those people who is constantly afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings. If that means not giving an honest opinion, well so be it. This may be almost entirely my fault, but I would like to believe that society has played a part in fueling my dishonesty.

We have all seen it before- a little kid at a birthday party opens a present they already have or do not like. They say something to that degree, and their mom turns red and quickly chides them for their rudeness. From an early age we are taught to look excited when our grandparents give us socks for our birthday, and praise the dinner made at our friends’ houses, even as we secretly spit it into our napkins. What if we could be completely honest? What if that was entirely normal?

I must admit, the idea of telling someone I do not like their gift or shirt makes me cringe. However, this is just because that is the way I have been brought up. Being able to accept criticism is a skill we all need to have. We would all be a lot better off if we could start acquiring it at an early age. Being honest does not have to mean being cruel, or rude. If we stopped looking at it that way, it would be telling the truth, no more and no less.

As for me, I do not intend to put my ideas into action any time soon. I am still a wimp who cares way too much about what people think for me. But at least I can dream of a world where everyone is thick-skinned, and getting socks for Christmas is a thing of the past. tt

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Op/Ed A5

Hot, NotGlee returns to FOX with

record numbers

New and improved

Newsstreak.com

18 year-olds get chance to

vote in special

election

Lady Gaga coming to JPJ in September

Forensics member Ama Ansah places 5th at States

iPad released

Boys 4 x 400 track team

qualifies for states

HHS After Prom to feature

inflatables

Girls softball continues

record season

Scheduling for next year

begins

Conan takes late-night

job with TBS

Students roaming the halls during

class

Springfest 2010

Eyjafjallajokull volcano stops all European flights for 4

days

Lord Botetourt’s

unsportsman-like conduct toward HHS

When I think about bloggers I imagine a little “hipster” huddled over a laptop in a crowded coffee shop. Or I

think of a person who has no ‘real’ life and no real friends except for their blog and the followers on their blog. I am not going to deny the fact that some bloggers are, in-deed, what you picture. But the last time I checked; I am not a hipster, I do not even own a laptop, I do not go to coffee shops, and I have a life and real friends. So it may surprise you that I am a blogger.

Bloggers put their thoughts and feel-ings- not onto a piece of paper- but into the vast abyss of the internet. At first I thought that blogs were absolutely stupid. Why would anyone want to read my rants? But after I started writing regular columns for the Newsstreak some people told me that I should consider making myself a blog. So I subscribed myself to Blogspot.com. Things got in the way so I never used it, until Maria Rose decided that it was her duty to make me a blog and she made sure that I used it.

Being the coward that I am and being afraid of little Maria, I agreed that I would use my blog and fix it up. When I actu-ally started writing stuff on my blog, I felt

insecure about what people would think about me if they read what I wrote. But af-ter a few nice little comments from friends I decided that this blogging thing was pretty fun.

There are several things that I like about blogging. I like the fact that I have my feel-ings and thoughts where anyone can read them. If they judge me, so what? I like the fact that I have my favorite songs on a playlist that plays as soon as you enter my blog. I like the feeling I get when I press “post”; the feeling of sharing something with someone you hardly know, accom-plished, scared and content all at the same time. If you enter my blog be prepared to enter exactly what is on my mind. tt

Emily JamiesonStaff Reporter

Jamieson: the not-so-typical blogger

I thought I had senioritis before. Let me tell you – it’s nothing compared to what I feel now. Graduation is just around the corner and thinking

about these past four years is somewhat overwhelming. I considered making a list of my top five memories, but there are way too many to sift through. Instead, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the people who influenced me most in my high school career.

5. Mrs. Kibler – I will never forget my first AP classes. One, because I took AP US with Tueting which is an adventure all in itself. But mostly because I decided, last minute, to sign up for AP Language and Composition. This was the class in which I found my love of writing. Sure, it was hard when we did a unit on sports writ-ing and I was the butt of every joke. But seeing myself improve over the course of the year was amazing. Mrs. Kibler chose books and assignments that rarely put me to sleep, and on my birthday I was greeted with pizza. She also, knowingly or not, sat me next to another individual on this list.

4. Phillip Bannister – I could go on for years with all the memories I’ve had with this kid. However, our friendship really took off when he saved my life in Earth Science. For reasons too complicated to go into, I had to take the class as a sopho-more. I hated all the annoying freshmen and our teacher (whom we eventually re-named to Mr. T for his distinct mustache/goatee combo), but Phillip kept me sane and entertained. He repeatedly asked our teacher to imitate a dead squirrel which he did happily and to my great amuse-ment. We broke rocks and lied about it. We shared books and got caught read-ing them in class. And we struggled with

completing every assignment because we were much happier singing songs from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, talking about our best friend Skippy who lived in the fish tank in the hall, and writing raps about Christmas.

3. Mr. Stratford – For three full years now, I’ve essentially lived in room 174. Stratford’s room is my home base and the experiences there have certainly shaped me. I’m not so much a journalist as I am a filmmaker, but working in the studio and on projects taught me about things such as how to use Final Cut Pro, an editing soft-ware that I’ll also be using at VCU. Strat-ford himself has shared in many adven-tures with me – suffering through myself and Phillip giving our own rendition of “Part of Your World,” wreaking havoc on Harrisonburg as we hunt for professional clothes for the studio, and even writing my recommendation letter for my dream school.

2. Jessica Rutledge – If you are ever

challenged to the “Best Friend Game” by Rutty and I, don’t waste your time. We know each other so well that we can pre-dict every move and every reaction the other will have. My sophomore year, she relocated to Saudi Arabia, a change that shook everything up for me. Luckily, our friendship isn’t determined by lo-cation. Every day I looked forward to writing another lengthy email to her and on the rare occa-sions where my par-ents wouldn’t let me

use the computer, I’d burst into tears. For-tunately for me, she moved back the fol-lowing year and we picked up where we left off less than half a minute after seeing each other. She truly is my “bff4ev.”

1. Alex Rendon – After getting sick of Rutty and I talking endlessly in her class, Mrs. Kibler assigned us seats and placed me next to a boy I had never met. Whether she planned this or not, we still aren’t sure but it was easy to see she soon regretted it. Alex and I connected despite my spastic personality and we slowly, very slowly, became close. It was a difficult task for the both of us as we’re rather introverted and I was terrified of any sort of relationship where trust was involved, nevertheless we were continually drawn to each other. My life has been rocky at times, but – cliché or not – he has always been there.

High school is over for me and I’m moving on to a new chapter in my life, but I will never forget the people I’ve met and how important they are to me. tt

Emily KnappStaff Reporter

David ProcterNews Editor

The scene was one of utter jubila-tion. Men hugged, chanted, and cried. As President Obama signed the healthcare bill into law, the

scene could not have been more euphor-ic. It was as if after 13 months of 32 mil-lion people weighing upon his shoulders, the burden had been lifted. Senators and Congressmen chanted “Nancy! Nancy!” as she strode down the aisle with a big smile on her face. The President had a grin as wide as the Mississippi upon his.

With the passage of the healthcare bill, the Democrats have achieved their biggest policy objective. Presidents have tried for years—decades—to get a bill through Congress. However, if there is a lesson to be learned from this entire deba-cle, it is that people take their healthcare seriously. “Keep your damn government hands off my healthcare,” one woman infamously shouted at a town hall meet-ing.

With the November elections quickly approaching, the Democrats need to be-gin focusing on keeping their majorities. There is a wide array of issues to choose from: immigration, finance, climate, ener-gy. But keeping in mind that there is like-ly only time for one, maybe two, of these issues to be taken on before the elections, the Democrats need to focus on what will put them in a more favorable light. So lets figure out which it should be.

Climate. The climate bill has some bi-partisan support. Sen. Lindsey Graham

(R-SC) cosponsored a bill with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) that would implement cap and trade to curb carbon emissions. Basi-cally this means companies are limited or “capped” to a certain percentage of emis-sions. Overall, emissions would be halted or reduced. That being said, the bill is still fairly unpopular. Republicans have already screamed “higher taxes!” some-thing likely to resonate with voters. Just look at how well they were able to spin the healthcare bill.

Immigration. This one, while impor-tant, should be held off until just after the 2010 elections. Many are hostile to immi-gration reform, deeming anything that does not erect a fence the size of the Sears Tower, amnesty. The Democrats should begin crafting the bill and then pass it af-ter the elections and before the new Con-gress takes office in January. This would ensure that 1) Democrats do not suffer even more during the elections 2) Demo-crats still have the votes to pass the bill 3) the 2012 elections are an eternity away in the public mind.

Energy. President Obama has reached out his hand, yet again, to Republicans by lifting the restriction on offshore drilling. Yes, Sarah Palin, Obama will “drill, baby, drill”. He will also open some new nucle-ar power plants, a key part of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) energy plan in 2008. At the same time, he will invest billions in alternative energy sources, creating new jobs in the United States while reducing our dependence on foreign oil. I guess we have to wait and see how this gets spun.

Finance. This is what the Democrats should do first. 70% of the public sup-ports finance reform according to some

polls. The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. FEC ruled that corpo-rations had the same rights as people and thus could contribute unlimited funds to a campaign of their choosing. As a result, decades of campaign finance reform flew out the window. Republicans spoke out against the decision, Democrats spoke out against the decision and most im-portantly the American people spoke out against the decision. Thus, the Democrats need to pass either 1) a bill getting around the ruling somehow or 2) a Constitution-al amendment. If the Democrats are able to pass this overwhelmingly popular bill before the summer, when members of Congress go home to campaign, they could receive a boost.

Regardless of what course of action the Democrats choose to tackle next, they will lose seats—and a lot of them. While unlikely, losing their majority in the House is possible (even if they lose every single seat up for election in the Senate, they would retain a slim majority). They must take on the most popular thing as quickly as possible. The President has been bringing his healthcare message to the American people, such as how it will benefit them. That is a great first step and polls are already reflecting that. But the bill still is and will remain unpopular for a little while. Passing the most popular bill (finance reform) will at least mitigate those losses. From there, the Democrats can take on some more contentious top-ics. Regardless, with the passage of such a comprehensive healthcare bill, President Obama’s first term has been a success and the hardest is behind him. Let’s just hope that Congress doesn’t pack up early. tt

Healthcare legislation passed, now what?

Which five people have influenced you the most?

Mia KarrStaff Reporter

Karr wishes for a world in which criticism was accepted

Quite an influence! Emily Knapp poses with influential people one and five. Photo by Paulina Rendon.

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 A6

Braces are generally a nuisance for young kids and adolescents but much like chicken pox and legal infractions, the conse-

quences of having braces are usually much worse for adults than they are for children.

Mallory Cromer, a 26-year-old busi-

ness teacher who had to deal with braces, can attest to that. Cromer got her first pair of braces when she was 24. According to Cromer, however, despite how cumbersome they were in the be-ginning, the benefits outweighed the initial problems.

“Oh, my braces were horrible when I first got them put in,” Cromer said. “But it was definitely worth it in the end because I ended up getting them off right before my wedding.”

Corrective braces are commonly

seen among teenagers but it is rare that adults need to wear them. Like Cromer, adults will typically wear them with the goal of achieving aesthetic purposes when they think their smile could look a little better.

The biggest problem associated with braces, however, is how people eat when they have to wear them. Cromer found a temporary solution to that problem by eating few types of food.

“I ate nothing but apple sauce for the time that I had my braces and I ended

up losing fifteen pounds. It was a great way to diet,” Cromer said.

Once the braces had done their job, Cromer was eager to get them off and show the world her new smile. Getting them off, however, posed another dis-comfort for Cromer.

“When I got my braces off my teeth felt really weird. They were all smooth and slimy when I got them taken off,” Cromer said. “But at least my teeth looked good.” tt

A little known project was started in 1997 by Zia Chishti, along with his business

partner Kelsey Wirth. They founded Align technology and three years later in 2000, their project became a feasible and available treatment known as Invisalign. As technology evolves, this new procedure is becoming more and more af-fordable to the general public.

Invisalign was made to help straighten people’s teeth, and fix spacing errors on a smaller scale than braces.

There are obvious advan-tages to Invisalign. The vis-ibility is an important aspect, Invisalign braces or “trays” are completely clear and therefore do not show up on your teeth during the treatment. On aver-age the Invisalign procedure takes only 6-18 months accord-ing to enhancedental.com. That is a much shorter period than braces which typically need to be left on for 12-36 months in the severe stages. The only

downsides are the actual effec-tiveness and price. Invisalign is primarily for minor fixes and spacing errors, braces are the better choice for more in-tense situations. And the price is debatable; the express Invis-align treatment is cheap but is only for minor cases. The more “trays” you need during your treatment the more expensive it will be. Trays can be changed out every two weeks or when-ever your dental provider de-cides it is necessary.

Junior Haley Wenos and Se-nior Kirstin Warne have taken advantage of this invisible

treatment. “They hurt incredibly bad-

ly,” Wenos said. “When I first got them was the worst, and after that, whenever they got tightened my mouth would hurt really badly.” After a cer-tain amount of time, depend-ing on how severe your case is, you can stop wearing them all the time.

“They don’t tighten them anymore, and I only have to wear them at night,” Wenos said. “My dentist said if I ever feel like they should be ad-justed, I can just come in. It’s nice.”

Senior Kirstin Warne had clear retainers after she had braces. The clear retainers used the same technology as Invis-align, just in a weaker form to hold the already straightened teeth. “It hurt when I first got them and took a day to get used to it, but it was nothing compared to braces,” Warne said. “I liked them though, be-cause I could wear them all day and no one knew they were in, unless I took them out in front of them.” tt

Achieving your perfect smileAlex Rendon

Sports Reporter

Connor WhitehouseStaff Reporter

Battling bothersome braces as an adult

Invisalign, fast and unnoticeable alternative

When contacting three local orthodontist offices, the average cost for braces was $5,000. However, the actual cost of braces is determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the duration and work required. For this reason, no orthodontist can accurately quote the exact pricing for braces work without a consultation.

In addition, depending on one’s health care package, insurance companies may cover a portion of the cost. The general consensus for the cost of braces is around $5,000, with or without insurance. If insurance does not cover a portion of the costs, one will have to pay out-of-pocket for all of the costs. If insurance does cover a portion of the costs, then the out-of-pocket cost decreases.

How much do braces actually cost?

Practically all teenagers have been to an orthodontist at some point in their life. Naturally, everyone wants one of the best

practitioners in the area, and many students have found one to

be Dr. Kray. Dr. Francis Kray is among Harrisonburg’s finest in her field [of orthodontics]. Sophomore Ben Marks is a patient at Dr. Kray’s practice, and is quite satisfied with his experiences there.

“I usually dread going to the dentist or orthodontist, but Dr. Kray makes it really easy to handle,” Marks said. “Her office has a great atmosphere, and

everyone there is really nice.”Marks has braces, which are often difficult to upkeep. Dr.

Kray ensures that each pa-tient gets the most benefit from their orthodontic en-deavors by educating them on how to maintain their braces, or other contrap-tions, before they get them.

“I was prepared to get my braces way before I actually got them,” Marks said. “She gave me tons of packets and brochures about what I could and couldn’t

eat, and how to clean my braces.”Marks gives Dr. Kray an over-

all grade of an A or A-.“I hope everyone has as good

of an orthodontist as I did,” Marks said.

Sophomore Raymond Hyser agrees whole heartedly with Marks and thinks she is ‘the best’.

“She has a dog named Hank at the office a lot, which makes everything re-ally low key and relaxed,” Hyser said. “Dr. Kray is the best.”

Hyser also has braces and usu-ally goes to the office about once a month for check ups. Kray’s office is up to date with the latest technology, making things run much smoother. Once you step in the door, you check in through a computer that alerts the secretaries that you’ve arrived for your appointment. When Dr. Kray is ready to see you, a secretary will call you up and hand you your file, you are then sent to brush your teeth.

“That’s one of my favorite things about going there. You get a dispos-able toothbrush to brush your teeth so you feel minty fresh before your check-up,” Marks said.

Once your teeth are clean Dr. Kray can begin the check up.

“You’re in and out really quickly,” Hyser said.

But Dr. Kray tries to make her office unique by making things fun whenever a patient comes in. There

will often be raffles for a digital camera or ipod. Kray also has pictures of her patients lining the walls.

“Everyone should go to Kray, she’s by far the best in the valley,” Marks said. tt

Vanessa EhrenpreisSports Editor

Kray one of more popular orthodontists in Valley

Grimy teeth are an age old problem. For decades men and women have

suffered under the burden of tooth stains and lacklus-ter dental appearance.

Finally the pain and shame of generations has culminated in the creation of tooth whitening prod-ucts, such as stick-on strips, paint-on bleaches, enamels,

and laser washes.While there are certain

dangers involved with put-ting tons of chemicals all over your teeth and zapping yourself with lasers, many people have found this branch of medicine an easy way to brighten their other-wise lacking smiles.

An intense form of hy-drogen-peroxide is the ac-tive ingredient in most tooth whitening products.

Sophomore David Love has had some personal expe-rience with the strip variety of this fascinating science.

“Dasha [his sister] bought some tooth strips, so I tried some, it worked pretty well even though I only did it a couple of times,” Love said. “And no, there was nothing weird with the chemicals or whatever. It just hurt a little bit when I had a cut.”

Senior Kirsten Warne also reports satisfaction with the strips.

“Yeah they worked, I haven’t used them since sophomore year but I like them because they leave your teeth white for a while.” tt

Teeth whitening products can work

Aidan NewcitySports editor

Model mouth. A model of a mouth with braces using a new technique to help align teeth. Photo by Phillip Bannister

Not everyone in high school knows what they want in life. Or even what career to pursue.

Some teenagers pick professional sports, medicine, business, or edu-cation. Within those many catego-ries, are specific fields. The medi-

cal professions are broad, including veterinarians, doctors, dentists, and many more. For juniors Kelsey Mes-serley and Ali Byrd, dentistry is

what they have their eyes set on for the future.

For Byrd, she has wanted to be a den-tist since she was eight. She had an easy

time deciding that dentistry was the job for her. Looking into her future and what

she really wanted was the key in deciding. “I officially decided when I realized one day

I wanted to be a mother with a career and I had

freedom with dentistry,” Byrd said. Messerley doesn’t know exactly when she

decided to be a dentist but she has wanted to for a couple years now. Her reasoning behind the desire; she likes teeth. Messerley wants to perform root canals on her patients, which she would be called an endodontic dentist.

Byrd has basically had a plan since she was eight and she knows what she wants. Byrd, who wants to be a family or general dentist, thinks she wants to open a practice in her own town, Harrisonburg. To be a dentist, they have to learn from experience. And Byrd is receiving knowl-edge in the summer.

“This summer I am working with my dentist at the free clinic on Tuesday nights,” Byrd said.

Byrd and Messerley have a better idea of what they want to do when they grow up then most kids in our school. Being a dentist might take extra specialized school years and lots of experience, but Byrd and Messerley are excited to take on what is to come.

“I just like teeth and being an endodontic dentist really excites me, I am looking forward to my future in dentistry,” Messerley said.tt

Byrd, Messerly want to pursue dentistry

Segmented skull. Dr. Alvis displays a very de-tailed model skull that he uses in his office. Pho-to by Phillip Bannister

-Infographic by Jessica Strickler

Connor WhitehouseStaff Reporter

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 A7

Golden Corral (540)433-8680

With summer just around the corner, many students at HHS have begun the search for a summer job.

Finding a job can be stressful and time consuming, but one way to make the process easier, is knowing how to successfully interview. The way one prepares, dresses, and presents themselves in general are all highly important to ensuring that you receive the position. Senior Danial Rashid, who works as a cashier at Food Lion, says that after submitting an application, you need to follow up, but not be pushy.

“You don’t want to rush management or seem too desperate for the job,” Rashid said. “I would recommend calling after three or so business days though and asking if they’ve received your application.”

Rashid thinks that after securing an interview, the best way to prepare is to have a teacher or parent ask you interview questions in a professional manner so that you can build up skill for answering questions on the spot.

When the day of your interview arrives, it is important to dress appropriately. Business teacher David Heatwole believes that “dress for success” is the best motto.

“If you have a suit, I would suggest wearing that,” Heatwole said. “If not, a long sleeve dress shirt, khaki pants and dress shoes would be best. You want to shave if you are a guy, and dress conservatively. Don’t wear anything low-cut.”

Senior Brianna Shears thinks that what kind of job you are interviewing for determines what you should wear to the interview.

“If it is for a job at a clothing store, like Hollister or American Eagle, you may want to wear their clothes,” Shears said. “If it’s a real job, like the one you plan on doing for the rest of your life, you want to wear a nice shirt and khakis. You want to look nice; not like a

hobo. The interviewer will be looking to see if you will represent [the company] well.”

When you are in the actual interview, the way you speak and present yourself are critical.

“You should respond in complete sentences, look the interview in the eyes, be positive and energetic, and don’t mention negative experiences at previous jobs,” Heatwole said. “Ask the interviewer questions and show that you’ve done your research about the position.”

Shears suggests having good grammar, avoiding slang and foul language, being friendly, shaking hands, and having good posture.

“You don’t want to act the way you would around your friends,” Shears said. “And make sure your phone is off! That would be extremely rude if it went off during the interview.”

If you come to a point in the interview where you are asked a question that you do not know the answer to, Heatwole says that you should be honest about not knowing the answer and tell them that you will get back to them in a follow up interview. Heatwole also says that some questions can be difficult.

“The most difficult questions that are often asked are ‘What are your weaknesses?’ and ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’” Heatwole said. “These are questions that you need to prepare for. When asked about weaknesses, turn it around so that one of your weaknesses is really strength. For example, if I was interviewing for a teaching position and got that question I could say that a weakness of mine is that I care too much about student’s progress. When a student is struggling, I try to think of how to help them and that can take away from other students’ learning time.”

Heatwole says that the best advice for an interview is to be confident and well-prepared.

“Walk in knowing that you’ll get the job. If you do that, more than likely you will walk away with it.” tt

Meagan KelleyFun Director

Miguel Ruvalcaba12th Grade

Soccer coach

Brian Giosa 11th Grade

Soccer player

Omar Solis12th Grade

Architect

TaylorMcDonnell10th Grade

Astronaut

Bianca Jerlinski11th Grade

Psychologist

Sam Obenshain11th Grade

District Attorney

Zack Dean11th Grade

Pro Athlete

Gicela Ponce9th Grade

Lawyer

Karen Guemero9th Grade

Fashion Stylist

What is your dream J O B ?

infographic by Martin Vichnar and Daiki Ishikawa

Helpful tips for your first job interviews

With a first job comes hard work, earning respect, and slowly work-

ing toward goals starting from the bottom. Cooking teacher Diana Kern started off being a cook at a 4-H camp. The 4-H camps are coordinated by land grant universities. As mem-bers, they select areas of inter-est and do projects in those se-lected, comparable to boy and girl scouts.

“I had been in 4-H club

for years and attended camp there. This helped me get the job along with some good ref-erences from teachers and club leaders,” Kern said.

Kern learned that being in a club can benefit students by getting a job through hav-ing references and experience. With hard work during sum-mer vacations, Kern reached her goal of Arts and Crafts in-structor and then earned the spot of Recreation Director.

“So being in a club can help you get a job…I figured I could get my foot in the door and work my way up next summer. You have to realize that you can’t always start at the top,”

Kerns said. Kern truly worked her way

to the top starting off in a facto-ry, waiting tables, working as a cook, working in an office, and even pumping gas. Although it was hard work, Kern admits those were some of her favorite times.

“These summers spent at camp showed me I wanted to work with young people and be a teacher,” Kern said.

Kern faced waking up early and working in the kitchen to make campers’ breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between meals, she found time to take naps, spend afternoons at the pool and evenings by the

campfire. Not only did Kern learn all

about hard work, ethics and working in a camping environ-ment, but she also won trips to attend conferences at Virginia Tech, Virginia Beach and the Smoky Mountains. Kern also had the highest honor to be elected as a 4-H all star and received this award at the age of sixteen along with a lifetime membership.

“No matter how hard the job is, do your best, listen to your boss, never talk back and don’t be lazy. Show up on time and put in a hard day’s work and take pride in your work no matter what it is. One problem

today is that people just do the least expected to get a pay-check. Go beyond that and do good quality work. Even when my job was making scrambled eggs for 200 kids, I made sure they were top quality. Employ-ers want honest good working employees,” Kern said. Kern reflects back to her first job as a good income with great ben-efits that taught a lesson in ap-preciation. With her first job, she worked her way through college, paid for her first car and learned many life lessons. Kern has learned that growing up to learn the value of earning things the hard way teaches hard work and dedication. tt

Christine ChoiEntertainment Editor

Kitchen Crew. Kern stands with the Kitch-en crew. Kern is on far right. Photo provid-ed by Diana Kern

4H Club. Kern stands with the 4H Club. Di-ana Kern is standing in the middle. Photo provided by Diana Kern.

Indian Outfit. Diana Kern poses in her homemade Indian style outfit. Photo pro-vided by Diana Kern.

Let’s sing! Diana Kern sings with other camp members at her first job. Photo pro-vided by Diana Kern.-

Dairy Queen: 433-9585American Eagle Outfitters: Print an ap-plication online. Must be 18 or older.Pac Sun: Hiring in August for the back to school season. Applications available in store.Quizno’s: 432-1302Pizza Hut: always take applications may need help over the summer.Golden Corral: 433-8680 Wendy’s: take applications, but not look-ing for a position right now. Sheetz: Sheetz.net. app put online, man-agers locally look at online apps. and choose the most qualified person.

Martin’s: Fill out an online appli-cation. They hire yearlong and will get back to you.

Taco Bell (540) 432-6583

Kern learns hard work, dedication through first job

What you should wear to an interview

Girls: Wear khaki or black slacks with a blouse or a dressy shirt. If applying for a clothing store, wearing clothes of their brand may help you score some extra points with your interview.Guys: Depending on how professional the work enviroment, a polo or a dress shirt and tie will work. Tuck your shirt in for a cleaner look. Dress similarly to those who work where you are applying. First impres-sions are always important when get-ting a job so look clean!

Steps to impressEverything you need to know to be successful in the job world

J a y n e Slocum 10th Grade

Doctor

JOB LISTINGS

Looking for a little summer work? Local businesses are hiring!

My first job was at K-Mart during the summer

between my freshman and sophomore years of

college. I remember filling out the application

and being really nervous when they called me

in for an interview. Afterwards, I had to attend

a training class for new employees before being

able to go “out on the floor” into the high stakes

world of the “fashion accessories department”.

The big event of the job was running Blue Light

Specials to hawk wigs, belts, scarves, handbags,

hats, gloves, hair barrettes, and other such items.

What a hoot! There was a big blue light on a pole

that was attached to a rolling cart with a portable

mic which was hooked into the store PA system.

Each day you would check the schedule for when

the cart was used in your department of the store.

When it was your turn, you rolled the blue light

cart to your section to announce what specials

were running for the next 10 minutes. I thought

it was pretty hilarious and used to get the giggles

doing it. This job ended when I left for college in

the fall.

Leigh Ann Rucker

Nancy Faulkner and I worked our first job at the

Virginia Theater downtown Harrisonburg. Mrs.

Faulkner sold the tickets and I worked in the

concession stand. It was a great job because we

played basketball and this job worked around

our games and practices. We were paid $1.00

an hour.

Beth Cash

Rob Edmunds

My first job was at the Village Dairy Restaurant

& Deli. It was a deli, lunch counter, convenience

store kind of place. The 3 key tenets of my job were to work a meat

slicer, sell lotto tickets, and sell cigarettes. In Penn-

sylvania, you are forbidden by law to do all 3 of

these things until you are 18 years old. For this rea-

son, my manager had me tell anyone who asked I

was 18, which I did, even though it wasn’t until the

summer after I graduated from Mt. Lebanon HS

that I actually turned this age.The biggest perks were the free food, which came

in handy during college summers of running 80 to

100 miles a week. I also have the skills to make the

most delicious milk shakes this side of the Missis-

sippi River, and possibly further.

David Loughran

I started my first job on my 16th birthday. I worked in a hosiery store in the mall -it was the first mall in Virginia Beach. Panty hose were a new thing so we sold mostly stockings. It was a very small store with an L-shaped counter. The stockings were wrapped in tissue paper by pairs in boxes and kept on shelves behind the counter by size, style and color. When a customer was interested in purchasing stockings, we would open the box and show them the color they were interested in by putting our hand inside one of the stockings pulling it tight to give an impression how it would look. The manager who hired me retired after I had been working there nearly a year and the new manager was not interested in having teenagers working in the store, so that was the end of that job.

Pat Supko

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 a8

With only t h i r t y boxes of crayons,

some glue, manila drawing paper, puzzles with missing pieces , a pack of construction paper, and one ream of white paper for copies per month, Irene Reynolds, the Principal at HHS, survived her first job

as a kindergarten teacher in Paterson, New Jersey. Reynolds started teaching kindergarten when she was twenty years old and had thirty students that she taught.

“I was very fearful of both my principal and vice principal. They never smiled and I thought I was doomed,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds also had a job at a nursing home when she was fourteen years old. Her job there

was to feed the patients.

“One day my best friend and I were told that we needed to scrub the patient’s false teeth. We laughed so hard because we were scared. After we got started, we continued to laugh because we were acting terribly silly,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds also had jobs in a department store bagging for the cahier and waitressing in a pizza restaurant. The pizza restaurant was on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights, New Jersey. During college, Reynolds worked in food preparation at “Lord and Taylors”. The name of the restaurant was “Birdcage”. Reynolds also helped as a substitute her senior year of college.

“My advice that I would give for someone’s first job would be to prepare a resume that lends itself to the responsibilities, dress professionally for the interview, take a portfolio that reflects your strong qualifications, and follow up with a thank you note for the interview,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds had many jobs growing up. With each job, Reynolds has a lot of great memories. Reynolds learned something new in each job and

learned to appreciate the value of

a good d a y s

w o r k . tt

Michael JohnsonStaff Reporter

English teacher Sheila Fielding’s first job was, in her opinion, “horrible.”

She worked at a local factory from May 1973 to October 1975, manufacturing a certain mechanism in automatic

garage door openers. The United States at that time was in a recession, so good jobs, especially for college students, were very hard to come by. Most employers preferred adult clientele who would work full hours, but the factory that Fielding worked at had flexible hours for college students, which was rare at the time.

“I had to work there if I wanted to go to college,” Fielding said.

Fielding received the National Honor Society scholarship that paid her first semester through college, but it wasn’t enough for the second semester. So she applied for the job.

“I had to take a test, a mechanical aptitude test,” Fielding said. She was given a board and some little wooden objects, somewhat like chess pieces. She had to move them around in a certain way in

a set amount of time, “to see how swiftly you could move your hands.” She got the job, and worked there for four to eight hours a day, from 4 to 9:30 p.m., and from 7:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon in the

summer.“I earned $1.98/hour on

night shift by pouring copper pins into a plastic, funnel-like device and then shaking the pins until they fell into vertical openings of metal brackets,” Fielding said. Bonus pay was given based on productivity and output.

The people in the factory worked closely together at machines on tables in a room similar to a regular HHS classroom. The room did not have windows so the smells “of smoke, oil, turpentine, etc. were nauseating,” Fielding said. There were dark green walls, low fluorescent lighting, and concrete floors.

“The noise level was incredible,” Fielding said. “Some jobs required the workers to wear ear plugs.”

Despite that, she formed many lasting friendships in the factory, people she continues to be friends with today. She also learned some valuable lessons.

“The job was repetitive, boring, and crucial: I quickly decided to pursue college studies,” Fielding said.

When the economy had a slump, the second shift closed in the factory, and all the part time people were let go. Everyone working in that shift either had to go to the first shift, which was from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or go to the night shift, which was from 4 p.m. to midnight.

“The first to come [to the factory] were the first to stay, and the last to come were the first to go,” Fielding said.

Fielding pursued a teaching career from then on, something she wanted to do from childhood. She was in the Future Teachers of America in elementary school and most of high school.

“I think it was my calling,” Fielding said. tt

Kavya BeherajStaff Reporter

My first job was at Regal Cinemas at the Valley

Mall. Working at a movie theatre is a perfect job for

a student because there are long, boring stretches

of time when you can do your homework. When

it was busy, it was really busy...shoveling popcorn

into bags, sweeping sticky soda-slicked floors, and

tearing countless tickets. The worst part of the

job was wearing the required maroon polyester

vest covered in giant movie pins and reeking of

popcorn and artificial butter topping. It was also

a drag checking the theatres every thirty minutes

or so. You managed to see five minute snippets of

movies over and over. The up-side of working at

the movie theatre? Bringing friends to movies for

free. I finally had to quit when my manager in-

sisted I work on Thanksgiving. The movie theatre

never closes--ever.

Jenn Rose

My first job was as a lifeguard at Bridgewater College in the summer of ‘89, and that led to a life guarding job at Natural Chimneys that lasted three summers. Overall, it wasn’t ter-ribly interesting, with the exception of July 26, 1991. I walked into work that morning and saw this really pretty girl. I struck up a conver-sation with her that afternoon and had dinner with her family that night. The next day I was telling my friends I’d met the girl I was going to marry. Five years later, I did.

Bradley Walton

I worked with my mom cleaning other peoples houses. It was a gross and disgusting job! How-ever, the lesson was that I needed to get a good education so I will not have to clean other peo-ples houses for a living.

Mallory Cromer

HELP WANTED! What was your first job?

Well my first job was a bagger/cashier at Mick or Mack grocery store. My Mom had worked there while I was little and all the people kind of knew me. It was a fun job for the most part. It helped me pay for my first car and for the insurance that went along with it. The prob-lems with working was that I had to learn how to juggle school, sports, and work. I know it helped me prepare for college and how to time manage. I also came back during the summers between my first and sec-ond years of college to work there to make money for the school year.

David Doyle

Wow, my first job was like retail back in

1990’s. I was on break from school and I

wanted $$ for Christmas and whatnot so I

just walked into this store that was opening

and sure enough they hired me. Funny thing

was I couldn’t interview due to having my

mom’s dog in the car. It was a random stop.

I was laughing to the lady who would be

my manager that I would love to stop and

chat with her, but I had my mom’s dog in

the car and it was cold. Could she make it

quick. ha ha I’m surprised that she hired me

given that I was so casual about the whole

thing.It was fun, hard work, crappy pay,

horrible hours, but the friends that I made

there at that store I still have today. We hung

out after work and it was so much fun.

Beth Stombaugh-Hook

Well, it wasn’t my first job, but I worked up at Massanutten ski lodge. On week-ends, I would go to work at 4:30 am and turn on all the grills and heat up the ski lodge before people would get there at 6am. Then, at lunch, they would send me to stand at mid station with these 1/4 pound hotdogs in an insulated box. I would have to stand there forever and ‘hawk’ hotdogs until I sold the last one. Then I could ski down to the bottom (with that stupid box - like the cigar/cigarette lady) It was so embarrassing; it thought I would die! I knew there had to be a better way to make money!

Mary Strickler

My first real job was in the pantry of a church camp and conference center, slicing veggies, boiling potatoes, fixing sandwiches for the campers, . . . It wasn’t very glamorous, and I had to wear a hairnet, but that humble position led to a receptionist position the following summer. I also met several people there who led me to other job opportunities and even to the college of my choice.

Cathy Soenksen

Mary BaileyMy first official job was at a Rally’s (hamburger joint) for a summer. I took orders and ran a cash register. I quit when band camp began.

Fielding’s first job in factory helped her pay for college

First official job after paper

routes was working for Cort Construction

for the minimum wage of 1.00 per hour...

carried brick morter up to masons putting

up cement block walls...six stories up!

Tim Sarver

Reynolds remembers first jobs

Ash Lawn - home of James Monroe - interpretive guide. This was one of my first jobs. I had to read so many books about President James Monroe once I was hired, but the difficult part was remember-ing all the dates, facts, and the history about each object in the house. The home had recently been bequeathed to the College of William and Mary only two years prior to my being hired, so it wasn’t a very grand place to work like his neighbor up the road, Thomas Jef-ferson.

Gail Collins

Jay Blair

I got my first job when I was four-

teen. I was hired by a landscaping

company because I had a family

connection to the owner. I was not

really qualified for the job. I was

not strong enough to do the work

or mature enough to handle the

responsibility. Still, I worked 50-

60 hours a week, Monday through

Saturday, and I made $2.15 per

hour (which was considerably be-

low minimum wage). Obviously,

this was a summer job. I worked

for L&L Evergreen Landscaping

for three summers. Over time, my

abilities increased dramatically,

and as I matured, I was offered po-

sitions of increased responsibility.

Throughout, my parents made me

put 1/2 of my income into a college

account.There are some lessons in this story.

First, it is a good idea to look for

work within your network of fam-

ily and friends. It is easier to open

doors that are already ajar. Second-

ly, it is possible to get a job that you

are unqualified for and grow into

it. Opportunities like that are often

best for people who are good work-

ers and take their responsibilities

seriously. Finally, if you are able, it

is a good idea to put a portion of

your income into savings or invest-

ment. This is only one of the ways

that a job in your teens can help you

prepare for the future, but it is an

important one. Not only will you

be setting aside a nest egg, you will

be practicing good money manage-

ment, as well.

My first job was working as a construction laborer in summers between going

to college. We put a 200 bed expansion on the city hospital. I did

this for four years, so each summer as I came back great progress had

been made. My primary job was pushing a broom, shoveling up trash

and debris into a wheelbarrow, and hauling it out to an industrial size

dumpster. By the time I had done all three floors it was time to go

back up and start again. I was paid $5.00 an hour, which at that time

was more than 3x minimum wage, and I was able to set aside a lot to

help with college expenses. A down side was nearly getting killed in

an accident and having my bicep ripped out, so I did miss part of the

third summer in the hospital - my buddies would sneak in and visit

me on breaks. Even though I did no skilled labor, the confidence in my

ability to get things done has let me build a commercial radio station

and remodel five houses.

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Ads a9

Steven E. Gardner, D.D.S., P.C.

TELEPHONE (540) 433.3625

FAX (540) 433.0403

2342A BLUESTONE HILLS DRIVEHARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

22801OFFICE HOURS

BY APPOINTMENT

FAMILY DENTISTRY

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Feature A10

171A Neff AvenueHarrisonburg, VA 22801

540-433-9966www.classictuxedos.net

facebook.com/classictuxedos

Book your tuxedo by April 3 and enter to win a limo ride for you and

your friends on prom night!Visit us on Facebook for more details.

Mr. Yutzy and Bill Gates

Hollywood Halls of HHSNews Celebrity NamesCelebrity EncountersYoung HollywoodPhotos

Amie Sombunwanna and Lucy Liu Maria Adamson and Taylor Swift Penelope Cruz and Amy Gueverra

Paul Hairston and Ed Sedgwick Mr. Moyers and Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump

Do you share

a celebrity name?

You can find them everywhere, on the front of magazines at grocery stores, on billboards in big

cities like New York, and even in your own living room while you are flipping channels on television.

These are our celebrities.In the media they are almost

painted as gods. Each move they make is put under a magnifying glass, each word choice, clothes choice, and even their medical problems are all blown up. So it is only natural thinking that it is a little far fetched to come in contact with one of these people, but for some students at Harrisonburg High School, it has been a reality.

Senior Miche Edge came face to face with the well-known actress Halle Berry. While accompanying her grandmother to a wedding, she

got to meet the celebrity.“This person my grandma knew

was friends with her [Halle Berry] and invited her to her wedding,” Edge said.

After being in the presence of the woman who has starred in hit movies such as James Bond and X-Men, Edge found nothing different about her.

“She acted like other normal people,” Edge said.

Despite the fact that she acted so down to earth, the surprise itself was not still a lot for Edge. Going to a wedding, it is expected to see a woman in a white dress, a bunch of flowers and even a big cake. Many doubt that they will meet an actual celebrity that they have seen on television before.

“I was like, ‘what is she doing here? She should be at a big movie premiere,” Edge said.

For most students, one celebrity wedding would be enough of a shock, but not only was Halle Berry there, but also famous singer Patty

Labelle.“Most people say that she cannot

keep a man but she seems fine to me,” Edge said.

Observing Berry and Labelle, she got a feeling that this was not the first time that they had spoken to each other.

“Halle Berry and Patty Labelle looked like they were friends,” Edge said. “Just the way they acted around each other.”

Edge has also been to concerts to see some of her favorite celebrity musicians.

“I’ve seen Omarion and Bow Wow in concert,” Edge said.

Edge has also managed to see more celebrities than some others have in their lifetime. She claims to want to continue to see more of them as time goes on.

“Seeing celebrities makes me feel like I am special,” Edge said. “I want to see Tray songs and Nicki Minaj.” tt

Edge Meets Halle Berry at friend’s weddingPhillip Bannister

Feature Editor

Jessica Simpson-Jessica Guzman

-Jessica SanGabriel-Jessica Rutledge

-Jessica Strickler

-Jessica Romero

In late October of 2009, President Barack Obama made a last-min-ute campaign stop in Harrison-burg. The Rally for Change was

attended by nearly 28,000 people, more than 8,000 of whom were un-able to make it inside of James Madi-son University’s Convocation Cen-ter, the location of Obama’s speech. Of the rally attendees, freshman Ben DiNapoli was one of the few lucky enough to shake the hands of Obama, former governor and Senate candidate Mark Warner and several top campaign aides.

DiNapoli had strategically placed himself on the floor of the Convoca-

tion Center in the hopes of contact with the presidential candidate.

“Everyone else [that I had gone with] headed right to the center of the floor, but we [his friends] went close to the staircase that everyone going onto the stage would have to go up and down,” DiNapoli said.

Getting onto the floor of the Con-vocation Center was an accomplish-ment in and of itself on the day of the rally.

“We had gotten to the Convo [Convocation Center] at probably nine and waited to get until two, I think,” DiNapoli said. “When they opened the doors everyone else started to cut in line so you had to push back and fight to keep your spot close to the front. If you weren’t the first ones in the building, there

was no way to get onto the floor of the center.”

DiNapoli seized his opportunity to shake Obama’s hand, literally.

“If I had been just a little bit short-er, I would have missed his hand,” DiNapoli said. “People were push-ing me to try and get over me to reach Obama. It was crazy.”

Though DiNapoli can claim to have meet President Obama, be-cause they shook hands, his friends were not all so lucky.

“My sisters and their friends were close to the front of the floor, but Obama was like two rows too far away to shake their hands, and my friend next to me just missed his hand, so I was the only one to get to shake his hand,” DiNapoli said. tt

Emma DiNapoliEditor-in-chief

DiNapoli gets to shake President Obama’s hand

Junior Ryan Fletcher was named after former NBA star Michael

Jordan“My mom is a huge fan of Michael

Jordan, so she planned to name her kids Michael and Jordan,” Fletcher said. Fletcher’s real

name is Michael but he decided to go by his middle name be-

cause so many other people are named Michael.

Junior Will Smith coincidentally has the same name as actor Will Smith. Although his parents did not name him after the actor, it has been a misconception that

he was. “People will tell me that they watched my show, The Fresh

Prince of Bel-Air,after people find out my name they don’t believe me,” Smith

said.

Senior Luis Miguel Correa was named after the famous latino

singer Luis Miguel. “My mom is a big fan of Luis

Miguel so she named me after him,” Correa said.

Michael Jordan-Michael Holmes-Michael Johnson-Michael Atkinson-Michael Clopper-Michael Solomon

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 feature B1

Blue treak Pride

Anime club, started by teacher Verity Caron, is an opportunity for students who are interested in the Japanese art to share their interest with other students. Junior Kait Arthur is one such student.

“I love anime club. It’s a great community, and it’s like a niche group for stu-dents who are a bit outcast or not popular that share a unique interest,” Arthur said. She was first interested in the club because of her interest in Anime.

“I like any kind of fiction, and anime has a lot of neat characters and I joined because I love Ms. Caron,” Arthur said. The club meets on club day and on Fridays to watch anime movies.

“In the past we have learned a little bit of Japanese, done LARP otherwise known as live action role play which is act-ing out scenes, it’s sort of improve sort of planned,” Arthur said. “Anime club is an outlet for an interest that I don’t get to express that often.” tt

interview by Savanah Cary

Junior Pavel Makayed and sophomore Daniil Makayed both compete in the pole vault in Outdoor Track. They

have competed in this for two-years and Pavel vaults a height of 10’6” while Daniil’s personal best is 8’6”

“It’s kind-of fun. You get to go really high. It’s wild, not every-body can do it. You gotta be fast, have upper body strength and be crazy,” Pavel said.

“It’s deadly crazy. It’s a suicide sport. I like it because only strong people have the opportunity,” Daniil said. tt

interviews by Jessica Strickler

Brothers pole vault togetherAnime Club highlights Japanese art

Macie Frazier, senior, is a defender for the varsity girls soccer team. Fra-zier has been on the varsity team for three years, and for her, pride is taken in the sport not necessarily in HHS.

“I like my teammates, and we kick butt. Someone is always fall-ing down, usually me actually, and it’s hilarious. I take pride in playing soccer, whether it’s playing for HHS or a travel team.” tt

interview by Jessica Strickler

Soccer provides team unity

McCormick takes pride in tennis skill

Sarah Grace McCormick, junior, is a member of the Varsity Girls tennis team. She has helped lead HHS to their current standing of

“It’s more individual than other sports. You have to have self-discipline to practice and get better.” tt

interview by Jessica Strickler

Salehi and Rotzin appreciate debate

Key club p r o -v i d e s oppor-

tunities to help people in the community, meet new people, and pad a college ap-plication. Senior Stephanie Lee has been a part of the club since she was a sopho-more, and now she is vice presi-dent. She joined the club because she wanted to help the com-munity.

“I really like the highway cleanup. We get to hang out with friends, pick up trash along the highway and help the environment,” Lee said. Since Lee joined Key Club it has become a major part of her life.

“It’s [key club] is pretty much what I do in my spare time. I don’t participate in any other sports, so it is a way to keep me active in school and the commu-nity,” Lee said. tt

interview by Savanah Cary

Key Club VP serves, stays school-involved

Senior Stephanie Lee, vice president, and senior Samantha Flaherty volunteer for Key Club. photo by Bano Kirmani

“Naruto” is just one example of the Japanese art, known as Man-ga that the Anime Club celebrates. photo by Jessica Strickler

Senior Mary Salehi started participating in debate two years ago, and went to States April 23 and 24 in Policy Debate. She went to States last year and advanced to the semi-finals, and planned to place higher this year as she has more experience. Salehi partners with Tim Galicki and though debate is time-

consuming, believes the competitions are worth it.

“I like going to tournaments at other schools and meeting new people. Sometimes going into a round knowing the other person is good is stressful. They bring up things you’ve never heard of and you have to make up an answer. When you do debate it feels like you’ve ac-complished something. You have to stay after schools for hours and research which is intense. But when you win it’s worth it.”tt

Junior Bobby Rotzin also competes in Debate and is competed in the State tourna-ment.

“My favorite part is the practices when we just sit around and talk about crazy topics. The most difficult part is taking what you learned in practice and mor-

phing it into debate because there’s so much you don’t know and so much to learn. You have to make it all work but make sure you don’t hurt your own argument.” tt

interviews by Alison Domonoske

“When you do

debate it feels like you’ve accomplished

something”u Senior Mary

Salehi

Nick Campbell- “I like that we get to go play team ball [like dodgeball]. We go one trips and we do all kinds of things.”

Trent Passarelli- “We go on trips and into the forest. I love doing that and that I can be strong.”

Colton Barnett-Sheets- “I take pride in knowing that me and my friends can do something.”

Reyes Perez- “I’m part of the raider team and I’m captain. I joined because I had brothers in it.”tt Interviews by Madison Wilson

JROTC members enjoy activities

(from l to r) Nick Campbell, Trent Passarelli, Colton Barnett-Sheets, Reyes Perez all take pride in participating in JROTC. photo by Madison Wilson

Senior Macie Frazier bonds with teammates and loves the sport of soccer. photo by Kelsey Messerly

Christine Choi- “Newsstreak helps you grow out of your comfort zone and meet people you would never talk to otherwise.”

Join Newsstreak!

Do you have school pride?YES NO

Seniors: 93%Juniors: 95%

Sophomores: 90%Freshmen: 91%

Seniors: 6%Juniors: 5%

Sophomores: 10%Freshmen: 9%

Take pride in a job well done and being part of an award winning team

Olivia McCarty- “I like Newsstreak because I get to learn about things happening in the school.”

Learn how to write, work with others, take pictures, make vid-eos, manage a website, learn design programs, build relation-ships in the community, meet deadlines, travel to conventions and build confidence!

Jeremy Phillips clears 7 feet 6 inches in a mock pole vault competition. photo by Maria Rose

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 feature B2

WIN $200 DOLLARS!

--picture while upside down on Kid’s Castle --picture of the Facebook Chat bar with less than 25 friends ‘available’ (no person

necessary in the picture, however, include the Newsstreak paper)--picture of the coolest front door in Harrisonburg--a Dave’s Taverna napkin signed by

Principal Irene Reynolds--one penny from each decade,

starting in the 1950’s--picture with a person who hands out Wal-Mart smiley

face stickers--picture of a dog with sun-

glasses--a Backstreet Boys CD

--picture with the Valley Mall mall cop --a Jack Brown’s fried oreo

--picture of a road sign with a tractor (you will find some in the ‘country’)

--a two dollar bill--count the number of swings in Purcell park --picture playing Rock Band with masks on

--picture in an outfit from Goodwill--picture in front of Turner Ashby High

School’s sign--10 starbursts of each original color

(red, yellow, pink, orange)--picture of a boy getting his nails

painted with pink nail polish--picture with a Hollister mannequin

--a door/car key with a design on it --two folded paper cranes in the school colors

--one pair of blue or yellow converse--a JMU postcard

--picture of you drinking McDonald’s sweet tea on a Harrisonburg Transit Bus next to the

bus driver--Xerox print of a hand

Find this place and take a picture with it.Hint: It is near a building that is no longer for high school students, but college kids.

1) You must bring a picture of all the items on the list, unless you are physically able to bring them back.

2) There must be an edition of today’s Newsstreak in each picture, along with you, or at least one other member of your party (if there is more

than one). 3) All items and people must be clearly visible. 4) If there is more than one person in each group, the prize money will be equal-ly split. 5) In order to win, bring your pictures and all items to room 444 before first block on Monday, May 3rd. 6) The first individual or group to get to the room will have priority, but the person who checks off the most items on their list wins. In the event of a tie, the first group to comment on the ‘HHS Envirothon Song’ on newsstreak.com will win.

Rules:

Participate in the Newsstreak sponsored scavenger hunt

1) Find an HHS alumni and take a picture with them.

2)3)

Go to the Toyota car dealership and find Alice Reichard’s busi-ness card.

**Super Tasks**

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 feature B2

WIN $200 DOLLARS!

--picture while upside down on Kid’s Castle --picture of the Facebook Chat bar with less than 25 friends ‘available’ (no person

necessary in the picture, however, include the Newsstreak paper)--picture of the coolest front door in Harrisonburg--a Dave’s Taverna napkin signed by

Principal Irene Reynolds--one penny from each decade,

starting in the 1950’s--picture with a person who hands out Wal-Mart smiley

face stickers--picture of a dog with sun-

glasses--a Backstreet Boys CD

--picture with the Valley Mall mall cop --a Jack Brown’s fried oreo

--picture of a road sign with a tractor (you will find some in the ‘country’)

--a two dollar bill--count the number of swings in Purcell park --picture playing Rock Band with masks on

--picture in an outfit from Goodwill--picture in front of Turner Ashby High

School’s sign--10 starbursts of each original color

(red, yellow, pink, orange)--picture of a boy getting his nails

painted with pink nail polish--picture with a Hollister mannequin

--a door/car key with a design on it --two folded paper cranes in the school colors

--one pair of blue or yellow converse--a JMU postcard

--picture of you drinking McDonald’s sweet tea on a Harrisonburg Transit Bus next to the

bus driver--Xerox print of a hand

Find this place and take a picture with it.Hint: It is near a building that is no longer for high school students, but college kids.

1) You must bring a picture of all the items on the list, unless you are physically able to bring them back.

2) There must be an edition of today’s Newsstreak in each picture, along with you, or at least one other member of your party (if there is more

than one). 3) All items and people must be clearly visible. 4) If there is more than one person in each group, the prize money will be equal-ly split. 5) In order to win, bring your pictures and all items to room 444 before first block on Monday, May 3rd. 6) The first individual or group to get to the room will have priority, but the person who checks off the most items on their list wins. In the event of a tie, the first group to comment on the ‘HHS Envirothon Song’ on newsstreak.com will win.

Rules:

Participate in the Newsstreak sponsored scavenger hunt

1) Find an HHS alumni and take a picture with them.

2)3)

Go to the Toyota car dealership and find Alice Reichard’s busi-ness card.

**Super Tasks**

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Feature B3

Prom ballots have been cast and the results are in. Students submitted their picks for prom

court, and it has now been decided. Four guys and four girls from the junior and senior classes were elected. From the junior class, Maria Adamson, Ali Byrd, Kathy Rodriguez, Morgan Wheatley, Michael Holmes, Jake Johnson, Landon

Turner, and Thomas Wong were picked. The senior nominees are Tricia Comfort, Rafiqa Haji, Dasha Love, C h e l s e a T h u r m a n , T a n n e r

Johnson, Shavan Kareem, Justin Syharath, and Tony Teate.

Although the contenders had mixed emotions when they found out they were on court, everyone is anxious to see the results.

“I was shocked when I found out I am on court. I thought it was a joke at first,” junior Thomas Wong said.

“I was pretty excited when I found out I was on the court because I have never been on it before. Plus, it gave me an excuse to get a better dress!” senior Dasha Love said.

The candidates are eagerly

awaiting prom night. Getting ready, eating dinner, and going to prom introductions are key parts of the afternoon that prom court members are anticipating.

“The part I am looking forward to the most is probably getting dressed up,” junior Morgan Wheatley said.

Newcomers expect that after-prom will be the best part of prom night.

“After-prom sounded fun last year. I hope it is as good,” Wong said.

Seniors who went to prom last year are also excited for the dance and after-prom.

“I am excited to hang out with my friends and to dance,” Love said. “I really want to go to after-prom though because I went to it at UREC last year and it was really fun, and after after-prom, I’m hoping to go camping.”

The prom king, queen, prince, and princess will be crowned after prom introductions on May 8, followed by a When In Rome themed prom from 8p.m. to 12 midnight and after-prom. Members on the court, and even the student body, are looking forward to seeing the outcome. tt

Christy StearnSttaff Reporter

The proms (short for promenades) of today are a social and iconic part of the high school experience. They hold everything from photos, to

formal dinners, chocolate fountains, a dress worthy of the red carpet and even a rented limousine. According to prettyforprom.com, an all-about-prom website, historians believed prom has been taking place since as early as the 1800’s. They are not mentioned in yearbooks until the 1930’s. As early as then, they are referred to in women’s diaries as “proms”.

Out of all the events that take place at a high school prom, the tradition of introductions was established well before our time. Girls in white gloves and dresses would be escorted into the promenade hall by their dates and would officially be introduced to the social group. The group was carefully chosen and invitations were only sent out to the wealthy students. This soon changed as the years went by and it became a generalized experience for everyone. As the promenades became more sophisticated, high school girls competed to see who wore the most expensive or prettiest dress and who took the hottest date to prom introductions.

Bonnie Anderson is the junior class sponsor and helps organize prom. This year the prom theme is

“When in Rome” and the procedure of introductions is very specific.

“All couples who would like to be introduced before the dance begins, assemble in the hallway outside of the auditorium. Mr. Knapp introduces each couple and they walk to the middle of the stage, where their parents and friends may take pictures of them,” Anderson said.

Not only are the couples introduced, but they also announce right there and then who gets to be prom king, queen, prince and princess.

“Afterwards, the president of the junior class Ali Byrd, will dedicate the prom to the senior class,” Anderson said.

When HHS was smaller, the event was called “figures”. Couples were introduced in the gym. As HHS grew in numbers, they decided to move the event to the auditorium and change the name to “introductions”.

Over the course of the years, the introduction method has had similar procedures to today’s proms. Patrick Jarrett, a geometry teacher in the HHS math department, remembers going to his prom.

“What they would do is a couple would come off from the side of the stage and stop for an official photo, keep walking and taking other official photos,” Jarrett said.

“The place was very decorated,” Jarrett said. Decorations can range from a highly

decorated arc to carpets and even balloons all according to the particular theme chosen that year.

If you compare the past introductions with present ones there isn’t much change either in procedure or in everyone’s opinion about it. While some students choose to go through all the procedures of prom and enjoy it to the fullest, others prefer to miss out on some things. A senior at HHS, Josh Gray has strong opinions about introductions.

“Prom was interesting to say the least, but you don’t have to go to prom introductions,” Gray said. tt

Vivian TejedaStaff Reporter

When in Romeprom 2010

One of the biggest nights of a high school student’s life is looming around the corner. Not graduation, but a couple of months before that. Television

shows often proclaim prom night as one of the biggest night in a teenager’s life, mainly for the girls. They get the ideas in their head about being a princess, finding her prince and having the perfect night, complete with the happily ever after.

However, exactly how hard is it to plan for prom, especially without the help of a fairy godmother? The limo, the dress, and the pampering costs all begin to add up, and parents are bound to draw the line somewhere. So there is a choice to make – what is the easiest cost to eliminate?

Student Services director Monica Johns compiled donations from JMU and several different stores and offered students free prom dresses the week after spring break. The dresses were stored in a room near the auditorium until third block, when Johns would pull them out. Students could go up and choose whichever dress they wanted.

So by the time prom rolls around, several girls will be saving money, and still having their perfect night. tt As the school year

approaches its final two months, the junior class

committee is making final decisions about decorations for Prom. The juniors decided on a “When in Rome” theme which had nothing to do with the new release movie with the same name starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. The committee has been preparing for prom since before Christmas and met on Tuesday afternoons for planning.

“We decided on the ‘When in Rome’ theme after looking through prom books,” junior class president Ali Byrd said.

“We haven’t done the theme and neither had any school nearby, so it was perfect.”

The main colors of the night are red and gold with a large coliseum filling the stage for the prom introductions in the school’s auditorium.

“I’m pretty excited about the huge coliseum that will be at introductions,” Byrd said. “It’s going to be as big as the cruise ship was last year!”

Currently the junior committee is working on finishing the party favors which are a secret until prom night. They want prom to look as if students actual stepped out onto the streets of Rome and hope the senior class has a memorable final dance. tt

Claire SudolManaging Editor

Paulina RendonStaff Reporter

Johns offers free prom dresses to students Prom commitee prepares decorations

Prom introductions involve community in prom experience

Prom court members look forward to dance, after-prom

Prom Queen! HHS Alumni Katherine Blatt was crowned Prom Queen and Senior Emma Dinapoli was crowned Prom Princess at the 2009 Prom, Come Sail Away. Photo by Savanah Cary.

Strapless Many dresses can come in this sleek style but be pre-pared to adjust your dress all night.

A-line A common dress to see at proms. Tight through the bust or hips, and flows out.

Ball GownTight through the hips, with a with a large poofy skirt.

Vintage dress Can be found by browsing local sec-ond hand stores or raiding your moth-ers closet.

Mermaid Gown An elegant way to arrive at prom; tight in the body then flowing at the calves - just like a mermaid.

Cocktail Dress A more mod-ern way to show up at prom, a little more like a homecoming dress.

Prom Dress Styles

infographic by Ryan Maphis

How did you ask your date to prom?

Prom? Senior Justin Goldberger asked his date, TA senior Emily Todd to prom with a scavenger hunt starting at his house and ending at the HHS hill where he and friends spelled out Prom? with computer paper taped together.

Surprise! Senior Jose Cortez asked senior Grace Byers by writing Prom? on a soccer ball. Byers’ coach kicked the ball to Byers during practice and Cortez was waiting nearby to ask her.

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Ads B4

12.31.10

Mr. J’s On South High isNOW OPEN!!

Come and seethe new store

1731 South High St.540.432.1386

$1.00 OFFany purchase of

$3.00 or more

Mon- Fri6 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Sat- Sun 6 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Come enjoy a variety of breakfast, deli

and veggie sandwiches.

We also have latte’s, cappuccinos, and

smoothies.Don’t keep your talents hidden!

If you can take a picture, have artistic talent, are a whiz with

words or love putting together a website,

we need you on the NEWSSTREAK STAFFSign up with your guidance coun-

selor now!

Be a part

-Art

-Writing

-Web Design

-Photography

-Meeting new people

-Seeing your name in print

-Traveling to exciting places

-Being on an award winning

staff

of something

BIG

JOININGNEWSSTREAK

Are you interested in:

What about...

if you answered “yes” to any of these things, talk to your

guidance counselor about

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Ads B5

Join us for the second annual Sherry Burcham Anderson 5K Run and Walk now with a new time,

date and locationsponsored by the Harrisonburg Education Foundation

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Sports b6

Kim AntonioManaging Editor

“It took mental

toughness, determination and

hard work to get where I am today.”

u Senior varsity soccer player Sally

Kardos

This season, varsity softball started out with a new and im-proved team. The 2010 team consists of mostly freshman

and sophomores. The varsity softball team is 3 and 1 this year, a better record than last year.

“There are many young players who are experienced and know how to play the game,” senior Carrie Brown said.

Players such as freshmen Kerri Ho-facker and Makayla Foley are among the team’s more experienced recruits. Most of the players on the team are more skilled due to travel softball teams. The HHS team is coached by Moran, Mitchell and two JMU coaches, Webb and Boyle.

“Coach Webb and Coach Boyle can relate to the players because of the closeness in age and they are more en-couraging,” Brown said.

The new additions of the JMU coach-es have made a positive impact on the team because of their ability to relate to the players. The players hope to keep a winning record going throughout the season. With the addition of several new players, the team is very experi-enced

“My favorite part about softball is being with the team because we have a lot of fun together like the time we went to Emily’s cabin,” Hofacker said.

The team has been doing activities for bonding and working together out side of practices and games, things like movie nights, attending a James Madi-son University softball game as a team, and even going to a teammate, senior Emily Gordon’s cabin for the weekend.

“I think we have a really good team and we have shown that more this year than the years before,” Gordon said. “It is going to be pretty sad to leave behind all the girls, but I hope we do the best we can this season.”

The team’s seniors are more anxious about their final season than other ath-lete’s in the past. Because the players have already improved their record from last year, the upperclassmen have mixed feelings about graduating and leaving a talented team behind.

In Gordon’s opinion, the team bond-ing has worked out well, making things even harder for her to leave after this year.

“The whole team is closer than other years, too. We are like sisters,” Gordon said.

Although the team has improved from previous seasons, sophomore out-fielder Taelor Adams feels that they still need some work.

“We have been practicing more on hitting, working on infield and outfield and working on our weak points,” Ad-ams said. tt

Molly Denman andChristy SternStaff Reporters

VS.Trainers Spikes-Good for racing-Many designs, and colors-Less support than trainers (some more than others)-Lightweight – allow runners to move faster because there is less weight to carry.-Grip the ground well (good for mud in cross country, etc.) – traction-Take some getting used to…Soreness often occurs after first few wears.- Spike sizes range from 3/16 of an inch to ½ of an inch. ¼ of an inch spikes are most commonly used. - Spikes - $30 - $145 on average-The more support that the show offers, the more expensive they tend to be.

-Sturdy – give more support than spikes-Last longer than spikes, much more durable-Many designs or styles, you can choose what is best suited to your feet-Heavier than spikes-Have traction (but much less than spikes)-Good for distance workouts, long runs, etc.-Multiple kinds (sprinting trainers – like spikes without the spikes, long dis-tance, middle distance, etc.)- Shoes - $60 - $190 on average-The more support that the shoe offers, the more expensive they tend to be.

Adidas Trainers-$55-Good for pleasure runs or mild dis tance workouts-Cheaper without losing quality-Can be purchased many places

Nike Trainers-$60-$120-Lots of support, well cushioned-Best for hard(er) distance workouts or races-Incredibly durable

Nike ID Spikes-$60-$145-Customizable-Spike plate allows for more traction-Best for sprinting

Saucony Spikes-$65-Best for long distance or cross country-Light weight, won’t bog you down-Can be used for XC or long distance races

Infographic by Meagan Kelley

HHS alumni Tim Bierle, has been involved in track and field since

his high school career, has decided to come back and coach pole vaulting. Bierle, who is in his junior year of college, is attending James Madison University and majoring in Kinesiology. He aspires to become a physical therapist. Coming back and coaching the Blue Streaks wasn’t a hard decision, as it was even encouraged by his past coaches- such as Dave Loughran.

“I want to be able to pass on what I’ve learned from them,” Bierle said.

Bierle’s experience in track and field has been intensive, and this kind of knowledge will be useful to the track team, especially to aspir-ing pole vaulters. During his senior year, Bierle was awarded first place during indoor track states for pole-vaulting.

“They [the team] were really excited and our team won overall. It was really exciting and made all of our hard work worth it,” Bierle said.

Bierle’s goals for the team this year are for athletes to qualify for states, improve

jumping, and improve as individuals overall, meaning encouraging team members to try their best,

“Most of the ath-letes are here as their first and second year so what we want to do is improve their own personal best. We al-ways strive for that,” Bierle said.

Bierle thanks his mentors, Coach Math-ney and Coach Dicker-son from Western Al-bemarle High School, also Coach Loughran

“They’ve always just told me to that if you work hard, you can achieve your goals,” Bierle said.

The team does pole vaulting practice three days a week and works on different drills in order to im-prove own “personal bests”. Bierle encour-ages the athletes to work hard and never lose sight of their goals. His own experi-ence from winning states has awarded him the knowledge to coach the team and strive for excellence. Junior, Haley Wenos believes that Bierle’s experience has been able to help the team immensely,

“He vaulted in high school and even won a scholarship, he’s a good coach,” Wenos said.tt

Alma Mater (top) HHS alum and state champion, Tim Bierle shows the correct technique for entering the pit during pole vault practice. Bierle has returned to HHS to be the pole vaulting coach after grad-uating in 2006.

Practically flying (left) Daniel Makayed clears a height of around seven feet after Bierle’s demon-stration. Photos by Maria Rose.

On Dec 2, varsity girls’ played their first basket-ball game of the season. During the game, se-nior, starter Sally Kardos broke her fibula after a player from the opposing team tripped and fell

on her leg. Her injury took her out for the rest of her senior basketball season and the beginning on her soccer season as well

“I have been going to the RMH Wellness Center to do rehab with my dad who’s a physical therapist,” Kardos said, “We have worked on strength and conditioning to try to get my ankle prepared for playing.”

Kardos spent weeks on crutches, but now she has been practicing soccer techniques in her backyard. The process of getting better has gone by more quickly than her doctors

or dad have expected.“It took mental toughness, determination and hard work

to get to where I am today,” Kardos said.After three months

of being out, Kardos is going to soccer practice today for her first time as a senior. The most dif-ficult thing, now, is play-ing without having her injured ankle out of her mind.

“I’m excited about district games, trying to win [the Massanutten] districts and looking for-ward to states’ play,” Kar-dos said. tt

Diana GutierrezStyle Editor

HHS alum Bierle returns to help coach track team pole vaulters

Kardos returns to soccer after serious knee injury

Softball team succeeds with team bonding

Which shoe is for you?

Throughout the indoor and out-door seasons, the track team has relied on volunteers to run meets smoothly and fine-tune

jumping, pole vaulting and hurdling skills. Particularly during outdoor track, when the track team nearly doubles in size, volunteer efforts are invaluable in adding to the coaching staff.

“We didn’t have a pole vault coach during indoor, but Tim Bierle, who graduated before I was in high school, coaches us so I can compete in pole vault at meets now,” junior Haley We-nos said. “I don’t know if we would be able to really pole vault well if we didn’t have an actual coach who knew

what they were doing.” Bierle, who graduated in 2006 from

Harrisonburg High School, was the state champion pole vaulter both his ju-nior and senior years of outdoor track, was the state champion pole vaulter in indoor track his senior year and holds teh state record in indoor competition. He went on to Virginia Tech to pole vault for a year before transferring to James Madison University. Bierle coaches more than ten athletes who are learning to pole vault at HHS.

Returning track athletes make up a significant portion of the volunteers at home track meets, too. Historically, track athletes develop very close friend-ships with their peers and their coaches which tend to continue long after they graduate from high school. Coach Dave Loughran recruits graduated athletes who are at college close to home or on

break.“Because I go to JMU, whenever

there is a home meet, Loughran asks if I can help time [at the meet] or come to help set up,” JMU freshman Liz Klemt said. “I came to as many cross country meets as I could but I haven’t been to any outdoor track meets yet.”

James Madison University freshman Miranda Brewer enjoys volunteering at track meets because the experience prepares her for what it is like to be a coach.

“I want to be a coach after I get my degree,” Brewer said. “I like helping out my old team and seeing the differ-ence in their times from last year to this year.”

Brewer admits that volunteering with the track team is bittersweet, though.

“It [volunteering around the team]

makes me wish I had time in my sched-ule to run at JMU,” Brewer said. “I ran for seven years, from middle school through high school, so track was a big part of my life.”

The state AA track meet, which is held each year at HHS, requires the most volunteers of any athletic event throughout the year. Several hundred volunteers, from current track athletes not competing to past athletes home from college, converge upon the track to run the meet smoothly.

“I’ll be at the state meet,” Brewer said. “It’s definitely the craziest meet of the year.” tt

Emma DiNapoliEditor-in-chief

Former athletes enjoy returning to help out coaches

The Newsstreak Sports B7April 30, 2010

The Rendon Report

I predict that Har-risonburg High School will enjoy one of its best sports

years in history next year. I will be graduat-ing soon so unfortu-nately, I won’t get to see it but thanks to all the younger talent that has been featured this year, I’m excited for HHS fans to watch what is sure to be stellar Streaks teams from fall to spring for 2010-2011.

A logical place to start would be with football and three juniors who seem to have been play-ing on the varsity team since they were seventh graders. Jake Johnson, Landon Turner and Michael Holmes are al-ready star players who have posted impressive numbers for the duration of their football careers and nothing suggests that they won’t be even better next year. Johnson has been quarterbacking the team since he was a sophomore and that invaluable experience is especially important for quarterbacks. Turn-er, being recruited by some of the best football programs in the coun-try, has been doing this since he was a fresh-man. And Michael Hol-mes, of course, having already achieved more accolades than any Har-risonburg High School football player in recent memory, will continue his magnificent run as a senior next year. Things are looking good for the football fans but that’s still only the beginning of the year.

In winter sports, wrestling looks to be the most improved next year considering that we had four non-seniors go deep in the post-season this year. Turner, sopho-more Henry Valladar-ez-Cruz, junior Robert McCarthy and sopho-more Daniil Makayed all wrestled well enough to qualify for states and that experience will un-doubtedly serve them well as they continue to wrestle next year.

When the weather warms up and spring sports start, look for the tennis team to be even better than they have been over the past few seasons. Junior Scott Measell and sophomore Jack Burden will lead a team that has already been dominating the district despite how rela-tively youthful they are. Tennis doesn’t normally get the exposure that track, baseball or soccer does, but that will cer-tainly change when the tennis team continues to meet and surpass their already sky-high expec-tations.

Those are the three sports that I think will see the most prominent change but nearly every sport at HHS will get better. The proof? Look at our softball team that has quickly become a formidable competitor when they once made losing look like, well they lost quite a bit. But all that is in the past. I’m jealous of younger HHS sports fans who will get to enjoy quite a year next year and probably for years to come. Because while they might not see another Akeem Jordan or Ralph Sampson for a while, the achievements of the teams and the school as a whole will make up for that. tt

HHS sports teamsshould improve

next yearAlex RendonStaff Reporter

For hundreds of years people have played the sport of tennis. While many minor pieces of

equipment go into the sport, arguably the most important is the tennis racket, which is com-prised of two parts: the frame, and the string. Therefore, for as long as the game of tennis has been played, there has been a demand for people who know how to string tennis rackets.

Here at HHS, there has been a history of tennis racket stringers. Currently, we have two. One of them is junior Scott Measell, who has strung rackets for almost a year. Since the de-parture of former number one seed Drew Meyerhoeffer, who was also a stringer, competi-tion among high schoolers for customers has decreased, with the same number of customers, but fewer racket stringers.

“[I started] to make a little bit more money,” Measell said.

Measell, who estimated that

he has made upwards of $400 on stringing in the past year, also plays as the one seed for HHS’ boys tennis team. This creates a market for his ser-vices, as members of the team constantly need new string as old ones wear out or break. He also draws cus-tomers from people his dad plays with.

When stringing a racket, Measell uses a type of string known as “synthetic gut,” which gets its name from the fact that it uses artificial mate-rials to emulate “natural gut” string, made from strands of cow intestine. And at $20 per job, Measell’s services are a lot cheaper than other local, more “professional” stringers (although once one has strung a racket two or three times, they can pretty much consider themselves a professional) who charge upwards of $45.

One begins the stringing process by measuring the string; typically, a “roll” of string is 40 feet, so 11 feet go on side of the racket, and 29 feet go on the other. You string the side with 11 feet first, making

what are known as “mains,” or the strings that go up and down the racket. After fin-ishing that, you make a tie-off, and make the mains on

t h e other side of the racket. Be-cause there are 18 more feet on one side, you use this extra string to make the “crosses,” or strings that go across the racket.

When you finish that, you make a second tie-off, then you’re done. There are differ-ent types of rackets, so there are variations on how to string them. This method, however, is the default method for most rackets.

Although Measell, after leaving for college, will most likely lose his current custom-ers (that is, if he goes out of Harrisonburg for college), he still plans on continuing his business.

“I’m going to continue [stringing] forever,” Measell said. tt

Measell stringing rackets for businessJack BurdenSports Editor

It is a debate for the ages: Is the UCONN women’s basketball teams’ dominance

good for basketball?On April 6, the Lady

Huskies captured their second straight national championship, completing their second straight undefeated season. Basketball fans have not seen such dominance since the John Wooden days at UCLA, winning 88 games in a row stretching from 1971-1974. The Huskies will return six players, three of whom were starters this past season, including three-time All-American guard Maya Moore. They could very well do the same thing next season. This raises the debate, is such dominance good for women’s basketball as a whole?

I think it is. We did not question the dominance of UCLA. Why question UCONN? They will bring a 78 game winning streak into next season, beating every opponent by double digits but one: Stanford in this year’s championship game. Heading into the final four, UCONN had beaten their opponents by an average of 47 points per game. That is downright ridiculous. With this being said, I think it is good for the game. Even though it looks extremely lopsided right now, the game will reap the benefits. Along with the streak has come publicity. UCONN has brought positive media attention. To be honest, any media attention that women’s basketball is getting is a good thing. The streak will cause teams to raise their level of play, ultimately benefiting in a stronger game as a whole. It has been said that we, as fans, watch sports for one of two reasons: because it is unpredictable, or to witness greatness. Granted, going into the tournament, it is fairly safe to say that a majority of citizens around America picked UCONN to win it all. But, there’s always that chance that they will stumble, and fall flat on their face. That’s what makes it exciting. Now, answer this. When the Lakers used to dominate the NBA, did you question them? Do we question LeBron James’ greatness? Do we question Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR greatness? UCONN’s greatness has come at an even more extraordinary level than any of these, so why question it?

Not only will the players and teams benefit from this, but the coaches will. What Geno Auriemma, the Huskies coach, has done is unbelievable. He coaches arguably the greatest team to ever put on a college uniform, while being the president of the WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association), and preparing the Unites States national team. Coaches should strive to be like Geno, and I think they do. Just think, if all coaches are doing their best to try to imitate Auriemma’s success, the whole level of the game has risen.

And that’s exactly why the streak is good for the game. tt

UCONN’s womens basketball still

rollingShane McMahan

Sports Editor

Field events major focus of track team

Field events seem to be the forgotten mid-dle child of a track meet, outshined by the other distance and sprinting events. Fans come to a meet to see the electrify-

ing races, usually not someone throwing a metal ball thirty feet. However, this year, the 2010 out-door track team is trying to change things, by making jumping, throwing, and vaulting a ma-jor component of the team’s success. Coaches are recruiting jumpers left and right, anyone who seems to have potential will likely appear in a field event at some point in their track career. Although not all field event athletes are begin-ners. Sophomore Wayson Lee has been jumping for four years, ever since middle school.

“I have been triple jumping since sixth or sev-enth grade. This past indoor season I improved a lot, and I’m hoping to the same thing for out-door,” Lee said. “I really want to break 40 feet.”

Lee’s personal record of 39 feet, six and a half inches, puts him among some of HHS’s top triple jumpers this year including Donte Fitz-sloan, and Robert McCarthy. Triple jump

is one of track’s most complicated events. Lee describes it as a “sprint, hop, step, and long jump”, and he is exactly right. The triple jump combines the long jump with two other phas-es. The first phase is a hop off the board, then a step, and jump into the pit. Without the right technique, it is practically impossible to have a good jump.

“I’d say the most important part of your jump is the second phase, the step part of the jump. It’s hardest to get good distance,” Lee said. “But it’s all good once you land in the pit of nice fluffy hot sand.”

Sophomore Joanna Hernandez has been a longtime runner, but two weeks into this out-door season she began participating in throw-ing events.

“One day I jokingly went up to Coach Bugg and showed him my arm muscles. He said ‘We might have to try you for throwing events’. So the next day we went out to the field and I threw a few times. I ended up doing really well,” Hernandez said.

Because Hernandez injured her thigh, she has only participated in a handful of meets this season.

“I tore my quad, and then ran on it which made it enflamed,” Hernandez said. “Because

I am injured I would just be hap-py to get back to where I was in my running events last year. I will be difficult to improve my times because I have been out for so long.”

Even though her running events may stay about the same, she will likely blossom in her throwing events- the shot put and discus. Her current distanc-es are 26 feet and six inches for the shot, and 56 feet for the dis-cus, which puts her about third on the team, behind Marwah Bani-Hani and Bianca Joiner. Hernandez is enjoying the dif-ferences of field events from running events, but also sees a few downsides.

“My favorite thing about throwing is the diversity it gives me in track. Instead of just run-ning the same events every meet, I can throw and run. It gives me a break from things,” Hernan-dez said. “The bad thing about throwing is that you can’t really control yourself the way you can in running. My distances are more irregular because of it.”

Hernandez plans on continu-ing throwing in the upcoming season, and hopes more people will join the team, even if it takes some hard work.

“You have to come to prac-tice, do core, and everything you are told to do or you won’t im-prove,” Hernandez said.tt

Vanessa EhrenpreisSports Editor

The metaphorical lightning bolt that is the HHS track team has struck the meta-

phorical church steeple that is Spotswood once again. After winning the district and region titles in the 4 by 400 meter relay the Streaks are continuing their dominance into the outdoor season. Both at the Spotswood invitational on April 7th and the TA invitational at Bridge-water College on the 11th a Harrisonburg squad of Troy Jones, Nevin Heckman, and Wayson Lee, and Keith Thom-as (who replaced Jake Johnson on the A team for the outdoor

season) have shut down the fearsome Spotswood crew and the rest of the competition as well.

Jones isn’t particularly con-cerned that the DNR has pro-claimed Spotswood’s Travis Miller ‘the fastest man in the district’.

“I don’t care what they said,” said Jones. His blasé at-titude is understandable since he placed ahead of Miller in their most recent 200 meter showdown, and Jones clearly has the 400 title, at the TA in-vitational Jones dropped a 50.9 second leg which puts him in the top 5 of all time at HHS.

“I’m very calm and focused before races,” said Jones. “I warm up alone and listen to music, like Drake, Gucci Mane and Lil’ Wayne.”

Coach David Loughran’s analysis of the school’s success in the 4x4:

“We’ve got more of a whole team attitude that makes sprinters and distance runners excited about being part of a dominant team.”

Jones’s analysis: “We want it more.”

Loughran considers the 4x4 an “American” race, “The 4x4 is the great equalizer testing the outer limits of the sprinters and the distance runners, it’s the event that brings everything together,” said Loughran

State champs? Troy: “I think we’ve got a

chance.” Loughran: “To early to tell

but I think we’ll be there, and in the fast heat.” tt

Emmett CopelandStaff Reporter

HHS sprinters looking to return to states

Sophomore Marshall Hyser practices pole vaulting. Photo by Maria Rose.

The Newsstreak Sports B8April 30, 2010

Managers make difference on spring sport teamsSteere’s help reduces stress for all track coaches on team; assists athletes during meets, practices

Soccer is in senior defender Justin Syharath’s blood. He started playing the game at the age of five, mainly because of the

influence of his older sister.“My sister played, so I decided I

would give it a try,” Syharath said. “My favorite part about soccer is the fact that it is a very creative game.”

So far, it is working out just fine for him. Syharath is the captain of the boy’s varsity soccer team for the second year

in a row.Junior Mark

M u l l e n e x says that S y h a r a t h s ’s best attributes are his leadership and work ethic.

“He puts in the same work ethic day in and day out, whether it is in a game or just at practice,” M u l l e n e x said. “He really leads by example.”

This is his fourth year on the varsity team, after starting around half of the games as a freshman. S y h a r a t h

is also part of numerous teams outside of school. He plays with the Roanoke Star club soccer team and the Virginia state team. Syharath estimated that this is his fourth or fifth year with the state team.

“Being on the state team is just an overall great experience,” Syharath said.

Even with his participation on other teams, Syharath’s focus is solely on this year’s varsity team. He has his goals and expectations set very high.

“I want to win the district championship, qualify for regional’s, and ultimately qualify for the state tournament,” Syharath said. “Personally, I want to be the district player of the year,” Syharath said.

Syharath also hopes to extend his glorified soccer career after high school, even though the three teams he currently participates on will no longer be an option after graduation.

“I am really hoping to get offered to walk-on at James Madison University,” Syharath said. “If not to JMU, I just want to keep playing somewhere.”

If what he has done so far is any indication of what is to come, any team would be lucky to have him. tt

Shane McMahanSports Writer

Score! Senior Justin Syharath takes on a opposing player during a game against the Broadway Gobblers. Photo by Jim Newcity

Coaches, players thankful for help from the managers in soccer

Every boys varsity soccer season brings returning and new players but also three managers. The boys varsity

team has an abundance of help. Varsity coach Ted Erickson enjoys the extra three pairs of hands.

“[I enjoy the help] very much so,” Erickson said.

Every player has to turn in their uniform after games to prevent loss of them. The managers have to wash the jerseys and shorts in the school’s washer and drier.

The three managers have many duties to help the team. These jobs include toting equipment around, washing jerseys, and keeping statistics during the game. Assistant coaches also help keep statistics.

“On game days, they make sure the water bottles stay filled and keep the game stats,” Erickson said.

The boys on the team notice what the managers do for them, they appreciate them. Game days might be the most challenging days for the managers. They have to fill all the waterbottles, and pass them out to every player. Keeping the players hydrated is really important, so they are healthy enough to run around

for 90 minutes. “They fill up the water and hand

out the water right after a half or the game,” junior starter Luis Hernandez said.

All three managers have a good work ethic and attend practice almost every day. On the team, the players know that their managers work hard to achieve their goals.

“They work very well together,” Erickson said.

The three managers are Astrid Chawarria, freshman Stephanie

Linares, and senior Elsa Gallardo. Each one of these girls take on the task of helping the soccer team to be comfortable. There is no head cheerleader because the three girls work really well together. Keeping statistics is where the teamwork helps the managers complete there goals.

The managers add a little oomph to the boys varsity team. They prevent the players from carrying all of the water and equipment which allows the team more time to practice. The boys truly love having hard working and dedicated managers. Their characteristics bring the team together, and it is good for everyone.

“I think they are helpful for the team,” Hernandez said.

And so do the rest of the team. tt

Aidan NewcitySports Editor

89 people in all grades and faculty polled on April 19 by

Aidan Newcity

Would you ever become a manager for a sport team?

YES NO35 54

WHAT YOU THINK

Touch! Justin chests the ball down the his feet in a game. Photo by Aidan Newcity

Syharath wants to continue soccer after high school

Olivia McCartyStyle Editor

By Daiki Ishikawa

Rojas helps calm players during games

Claudia Rojas

THIS OR THATwith

Yankees or Red SoxGatorade or Powerade

Softball or BaseballNike or Adidas

Infield or OutfieldBatting or FieldingMorning or Night

Derek Jeter or A-RodAway or Home

Metal or Wooden BatsPlaying or ManagingVolleyball or Baseball

Hotdog or HamburgerSandals or Sneakers

Call or TextSuperman or Batman

Mcdonalds or Burger KingSweet or Sour (candy)

Rap or CountryReese or Hershey

“I always keep Elisha focused

and calmed. I’m supportive and I just do what I’m

supposed to do or chill until someone

need me to do something.”

u Senior Claudia Rojas

Christine ChoiStyle Editor

Senior Claudia Rojas supports, calms, sets up, and motivates the varsity boys baseball team. The title of manager entitles

Rojas to juggle many jobs. They keep track of athletes’ special needs, setting up equipment, keep things organized, and keep stats.

“My favorite part is that I get to hang out with the players and watch the game,” Rojas said. Senior varsity player Elisha Hill strongly suggested the idea of becoming a manager and pointed out that she would enjoy the experience.

“She definitely calms us down if anyone’s having a bad game and throwing stuff. She’ll call us over and calm us down. It helps she’s a girl because guys don’t listen to guys. Everyone calls her my mom. We have

classes together and I always forget my homework so she’ll text and remind me or if I finish early I’ll give it to her so I don’t lose it,” Hill said.

Rojas holds the role of a friend, team member, helper, and supporter inside and outside of school for Hill.

“I always keep Elisha focused and calmed. I’m supportive and I just do what I’m supposed to do or chill until

someone needs me to do something,” Rojas said. She juggles between the tasks of setting up the dugout with helmets and bats lined up, keeping statistics of players and keeping track of how many pitches are made. Although Rojas loves watching the sport of baseball, she has come to dislike the sportsmanship of other teams.

“The other team made car noises on the first home game and coaches didn’t

do anything about it,” Rojas said. Rojas and Hill share a connection of

friendship and a level of responsibility through baseball and school. tt

Professional Football General Managers

Bruce Allen: Washington Redskins

Glenn Hoddle: New Orleans Saints

Mike Reinfeldt: Tennessee Titans

Howie Roseman:Philadelphia Eagles

Floyd Reese: New England Patriots

Chris Polian: Indianapolis Colts

Brian Xanders: Denver Broncos

Marty Hurney: Carolina Panthers

Kevin Colbert: Pittsburgh Steelers

Jerry Jones: Dallas Cowboys

Rick Spielman: Minnesota Vikings

Tom Heckert: Cleveland Browns

Gene Smith: Jacksonville Jaguars

Rick Smith: Houston Texans

Jerry Reese: New York Giants

A.J. Smith: San Diego Chargers

Al Davis: Oakland Raiders

Mike Tannenbaum: New York Jets

The spring track team is the biggest sports team for our school. The coaches have a lot on their minds training and

preparing all the runners, throwers and jumpers on the team.

Junior Jasmin Steere does not help the track team by being a competitor instead, Steere volunteers her time to help make the track team better by being the track manager. Along with being on the team, Steere helps out the coaches with really whatever they need. While they are concertrating on the athletic part of track.

A manager has many duties to perform for the team. Where Steere has to perform all on her own because she is the only manager for the track team.

“[Steere] helps with attendance, getting results from a meet, a gopher when we need to get something, keeps stats, distributes the uniforms, and does laundry,” said English teacher and track coach David Loughran, about the responsibilities of a manager.

The track manager’s main priority is not necessarily to help out the runners and throwers of the team directly, but

instead works closely to make the coaches job easier. So the coaches in turn can help make the team better by focusing on training the players.

“[She is] the coaches assistant” Loughran said as the main duty of the track manager.

Loughran is more concerned about the quality of work a manager puts in not the quantity of managers

“One good one is better then three mediocre ones.” Loughran said, about track managers.

Loughran knows he has a good track manager when he can rely on them to know what they are doing and to get things done.

“Clears up our time so we can work more with the athletes,” Loughran, said, “And reduce

stress level.”Loughran is very thankful for Steere

to be helping him out. Not many track teams get the advantage and gift to have a manager. All coaches enjoy Steer’s presence on the team.

Steere might have many responsibilites, but she enjoys the experience. Her fellow teammates enjoy the extra helping hands. All coaches, players, and any other people revolving around track enjoy the help that Steere brings to the table. tt

“One good one is

better then three medicre ones”u Track Coach

David Loughran

Managerial duties teach responsibility

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 ads b9

Patrons are members of the Harrisonburg community and others who support the pursuit of excel-lence in the journalistic publications of Harrisonburg High School. Money generated from the patron program is used to offset costs of attending journalism conferences, to print our paper, and to purchase up-to-date technological equipment for our journalism lab. To become a patron, see any member of the Newsstreak Staff or stop by room 444. Patron level is determined by the following scale: HHS Pa-trons, $5; Blue Patrons, $10; Bronze Patrons, $15; Silver Patrons, $25; Gold Patrons, $50; and Newsstreak Super Sponsor, $100+.

HHSN E W S S T R E A K

2009-10

PATRONSNEWSSTREAK

SUPER SPONSORS

Larry and Kathy Whitten

Carter and Mitchell Hailey

Denise ZitoHeather and

David DenmanJessica Adolino and Tim

DiNapoliSallie and Scott

StricklerT. J. & Kerri

WilsonThe Mackails

Tim and Debbie LaceyValerie and

Bobby KiblerTed and

Stephanne ByrdMark and Mary Anne

DudaGOLD PATRONS

Anne and JC DePoy

Betsy Dunnenberger

Daniel and Susan FitchDavid and Diane

EhrenpreisDick Johnson and Jackie

ZitoHess FurnitureIrene Reynolds

John and Ann SpeerMarie Hetrick

McCarty FamilyMichael K. Eye

Mrs. Hardesty's Tea Room

Office of International

ProgramsThe Ansah

FamilyTammi, Kiah Silver and

Issa SelassieSILVER

PATRONSAl and Carolyn Falcioni

Alex JohnsonAngela KnuppBeverly Sturm

Bill TurnerBob and Pat Shaw

Bob WhiteBrittany Conley

Cathy and Roger Soenk-sen

Cathy PhillipsChristine

Fasching MaphisChristine Urbanski

Damselfly Studio and Gallery

Dawn and Chris Womack

Dawn and Daryl Cocker-ham

Dean D. DomonoskeDebbie Mongold

Debi BurkeDeborah Hensley

Dolores Flamiano and Tom

DomonoskeDowntown Fine

FurnitureErnst ShifflettEthan ZookJack SmithJames NipeJay and Pat

SupkoJay Speer

Jenny and Jared Burden

Jim and Anne FrazierJim and Rebecca

NewcityJT and Stacy

TurnerKevin Comer

Kevin and Brenda SaxtonLee and Sherri

ChapmanLen and Sylvia Aamodt

Mallory CromerMargaret Wilson

Mark and Suzanne

ObenshainMartha and Perry CatronMassanutten

Regional Governor's School

Meredith and David TurnerMichael andPhyllis Wong

Michael BurkeMolly SchickMr. and Mrs. Terry Murray

Nancy FaulknerNancy Stone

Penny MartinezPhoebe and Travis RyansRichard and

Nancy Morrell

Richard KellyRick Castaneda

Signs USASimon Stevens

Susan AdamsonTabatha and Bobby Lane

Tameka F. BurroughsTerry Cary

Tom and Lori MendezFrank and Evelyn Nice

Dr. and Mrs. Morris HomanCindy and Sam Hunter-Nickels

Jim and Doris HunterRick and Mel PairoMaria Mc Callum

Barbara DudaMaddie Duda

BRONZEPATRONS

Ethan ZookMarisa ProctorMoses TinsleyAnu BeherajBeth Beahm

Beth CashBrenda GreeverBrenda Steam

Elizabeth Ann BarrettJ.R. Snow

Jackie ShipeJim Nipe

Kelley Shradley-Horst

Kristy PeiferLarry and Valerie Kaylor

Larry O'KeeffeMary E. Monts

Shelly BillerVickie J.

McAlister

BLUE PATRONS

Angela YurachekBonnie

AndersonCarol

AtkinsonCathy Grogg

Dave LoughranJB WalkerJenn Rose

Jennifer ThompsonJill LevineJoe Carico

Joseph BepplerKasey Fisher

Kevin and Mary Beth

TysingerKim Hook

Loren TusingMarcia Lamphier

Margaret and Clark Up-ton

Mark HealyMary Falk

Mary StricklerPatrick Jarrett

Paul Longacre and Nan-cy Heisey

Rebecca HowardSallye S. ParkerSandy Mercer

Sara and Armando

GutieArrezSteve and Lauree

PurcellSviatlana AsipukTamra ShepardTaylor Sprouse

The Elwood Family

The GalganosThe Greenlaws

Tim MeyersTim Sarver

Tony Antonnicola

Yolanda BlakeMarie and

Nelson HerringPeter NormentWanda PhillipsHHS PATRONSJim Dendinger

"Club 95" Cafeteria StaffAbigail SmithAlison Whalen

Amy EngleAmy Powers

Amy WheelerAnthony and Pamela Bailey

Barbara EyeBethany HouffBetty Bowers

Bradley WaltonBridget Smith

Cheryl Helmuth LoganChris and Andi Arndt

Chris GrefeConstanza Rojas

David DoyleDavid Hoover

Debbie WitmanDelena Hamer

Designer Consignment at

Vivian's

Diana KernDina McGrady

Gail CollinsGrowing Families

Jauan BrooksJay Blair

Jayne SlocumJerry Hertzler

Jess SanqabrielKaren

AllmendingerKevin Nafziger

Kirk MoyersKris Vass

Larry ChicoMac Bair

Mark HealyMartha Blair

Merle Norman Downtown

HarrisonburgMike Fornecker

Mr. and Mrs. Jay HookPat Thornley

Patricia PinedaPhil Yutzy

Rachel BolyardRoss Bair

Roy McCutcheonSarah GrefeSarah TaylorSarah TaylorShane Burke

Sheila FieldingStanley SwartzStanley Swartz

Susan A. ThackerSuzanne Smith

Tim MeyersTom

NonrenmaherTracey Barr

Tricia CummingsVictoria HarrisDoodie-Butler

Ben KurtzJason StuhlmillerCara and Bradley

WaltonDavid Heatwole

Jim RamseyJoe Puffenbarcer

Judy BuskirkJesse Berguy

Sarah NewstonRoi Doe

Allison MayRogelia Catdoso

Marianne DaRoseMichael W.

LaymanJere Borg

Marie Post

The NewsstreakApril 30, 2010 Photo Essay B10

Sally Kardos“Definitely take Mr. Moyer’s’ World History class just because he is an awesome teacher and it’s a good experience for an AP class, and it’s fun.”

Anthony Todd“AP U.S. history with Tueting. The class is a way deeper under-standing of history and Tueting

makes history come alive. If you put the work into the course, you get more out of the future.”

Michael Clopper“Mr. Healy and Mr. Tueting, Healy basically knows every-thing about history and tells cool stories and Tueting because he is very passionate about ev-erything that he does.”

Top Classes To Take

one act from page a1an abusive father in Hollow. He was also the villain in the THMS production of Tom Sawyer.

“I have never once in my life played a protagonist…I think the only time I ever came close was playing Santa Claus in Annie. And even then I was on stage for five seconds. I guess I can deliver lines more convincingly when I am a pompous ignorant…explicit term,” Hairston said. “I’ve tried to get the good character, but if that ever comes up I’d be surprised. There’s a lot of negativity in my character areas.”

In auditions, an actor must distinguish themselves from the others. For Walton, it’s the first few seconds of seeing an actor portray a character that matter most.

“Who I think will work best in that role. It’s not terribly scientific. It’s really gut level,” Walton said. “They get up,

they perform, I watch, I take notes. And a lot of times I will have the information I need in the first five seconds of them starting to talk. It’s really a raw impression.”

Sophomore Allison McKenzie enjoys theatre and acting, so she decided to be part of spring play again this year.

“I wanted to keep acting. And the play’s really cool anyway, to start with,” McKenzie said.

Another returning actor is junior Chris Pyle, playing ex-super villain Black Librarian.

“Mr. Walton won’t admit it, but I swear it’s based off of him. He’s a librarian and he dresses in black,” Pyle said.

He’s been in the spring play for the past three years. Pyle appreciates the eccentric scripts Walton creates.

“I saw his one play, bloody attack of the evil demonic giraffe puppet in 7th

grade and still think that was the best play ever written. I mean, he’s such a funny guy,” Pyle said. “Being in a play with him is like being in a play directed by the nerdy brother of James Lipton.”

Walton writes all of the spring plays. Many of his works have been published and performed throughout the country. This year’s play is different from his others.

“It’s a lot darker. It’s definitely my darkest full length play and it has the most elaborate set,” Walton said. “I think from a quality of writing stand point, it ranks among my best. I’m very proud of this script.”

The cast and crew of the spring play are unique. It is not unusual to hear discussions about mid-90’s cartoons, Pokémon pick-up lines, nonsensical inside jokes or see an unusual hair color or piercing. The spring play community is different to other plays and the cast

tends to return year after year. “I guess we all have similar interests.

I’ve never been a big fan of musicals. I never get the info for the fall play. Part of it is because this is my only option for acting and I love acting,” Pyle said. “The other part is I just love Walton’s scripts. They’re just so crazy and imaginative.”

Walton hypothesizes about the community his plays have created.

“I’m assuming that these are a lot of people who don’t do spring sports. A lot of people who do spring play and one act do spring sports, so for the most part, we have a completely different group of people,” Walton said. “Why do they keep coming back? I don’t know. Maybe they just like theatre, maybe they like working with me. I never really ask. Maybe they’re just really masochistic and gluttons for punishment.” tt

8th grade from page a1were divided into small groups of 10-12

students.Each group of eighth graders was assigned

one or two HHS Renaissance students to serve as their tour guides. The HHS students had a list of places they had to take their group to including places such as the main office, the guidance office, the gym and all the different subject area hallways. Each group started in a different place in the building to avoid chaos. The HHS students were also expected to introduce their eighth graders to important people who they encountered on their tour

such as principals, guidance counselors and other teachers.

Senior Chris Lacey was one of the tour guides this year.

“The students in my group were pretty good,” Lacey said. “They seemed to be interested in what I was saying to them.”

The tours had to be very precise and fast paced due to time constraints.

“It was somewhat difficult to show them everything we were supposed to show them in such a short amount of time, but I got everything in,” Lacey said. tt

forensics from page a1“I’m always kind of shocked

when I do well because this is just my first

year doing forensics,” Ansah said. This was also Carpenter’s first year competing in forensics, and she was happily surprised to get to states.

“I thought I wouldn’t do as well and I didn’t know exactly what to expect out of the people I was competing against,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter enjoyed that forensics improved her acting and speaking, though memorization of the piece was difficult. Carpenter plans to continue with forensics next year and hopefully will continue her success.

“I had so much fun competing and supporting my teammates,” Carpenter said. “I can’t wait for next year.”

As a team, HHS did not place this year, while the best

they have previously placed is fourth, in 2007. Before the meet, Coach Bradley Walton avoided speculating on how the team would fare.

“I mainly can’t wait for it to be over so then I can stop worrying about it. But I try not to guess because there is a lot of extremely good competition,” Walton said. In forensics, competitors are judged by two judges in each round, which can lead to many surprises.

“Invariably people advance to the final round who I didn’t think would and people don’t make it who I thought would,” Walton said. Competitions are always stressful, and hosting the meet only adds to the stress.

“There’s a lot of work involved but luckily there’s no five-hour drive,” Walton said. “But there’s something vaguely surreal about hosting the state tournament here.” tt

jrotc from page a1and were like, ‘Wow, they’re really good.’ You just don’t know how you compare to them.”

Cross was on the drill team and also the step team, where they were judged on how well they marched in step. Wongsirikul participated in the armed exhibitions, inspection, and the armed and unarmed platoon. Platoons are two or more squads and the inspection is simply when judges inspect uniform and your rifle and ask general knowledge questions on

ROTC.“I was kind of nervous, because [you know

that] all of these other schools are going to be really good so you kind of walk in intimidated,” Cross said. “But once you perform, it’s not as bad.”

HHS ended up finishing 11th out of the 12 schools in the competition.

“We did okay, I mean, getting selected out 300 schools, we did pretty good,” Cross said. tt

Spring one act play opens this weekend

HHS hosts forensics competition

Renaissance students welcome upcoming freshmen

JROTC faces strong competition

Every year students have the opportunity to change their classes according to their level of capability and motivation.

Different courses offer different types of workload and each student must decide whether or not that class is right for them. English is a required class all four years at Harrisonburg High School, but for each grade level, English can be taken at a different pace. Taking English at the regular level offers students the credit to pass the class and still have an

advanced diploma, but taking it at an honors level may cater to students who desire more challenging work.

Juniors and seniors may take an Advanced Placement course, other wise known as AP classes in English offered as AP English composition or AP English Literature. Senior, Regan Sheetz believes that taking a higher level course such as AP Literature, makes students work harder.

“AP classes get you into the mindset of getting things done and it helps you with good habits,” Sheets said.

As opposed to AP classes which are

associated with Collegeboard.com and your only guaranteed credits once you have passed an end of the year exam, Dual Enrollment is associated with Blue Ridge Community College and can guarantee you credit once you have passed the course with at least a C. Senior Mary Selehi decided to take Dual Enrollment as opposed to an AP course,

“Dual Enrollment is a lot of homework, but it’s fairly divided. It is not that bad as long as you do the work. Also the writing assignments are pretty easy,” Salehi said.

Deciding whether to take regular or honors classes may be difficult for underclassmen. Senior Brianna Eagle has taken English 9 honors, English 10 honors, English 11 regular and Dual Enrollment and believes in taking honors. And for freshman and sophomores who are struggling with deciding whether they should take honors or regular, Eagle offers a piece of advice.

“I’ve taken all honors but took regular once. Taking a regular class is easy but taking honors challenges you and helps you grow,” Eagle said. tt

Kim AntonioStaff Reporter

AP, Honors, Dual Enrollment English courses offered in addition to regular courses

English, math, science and history are required classes to receive a standard or advanced

diploma when you graduate. Fortunately, there are electives, which are required too but all the different classes are your choice to take. Some of the more popular electives are sports marketing, cooking, art, band and chorus.

“Students chose classes because they’re easy, most kids like them and they’re an easy credit,” Veronica Ortiz said.

Senior Treshawn Lambert’s favorite elective he has taken is wellness and nutrition with Diana Kern.

“My favorite thing about that class was being in the kitchen with others and cooking things I never have before,” Lambert said.

Wellness and nutrition teaches students what cooking utensils to use for different projects and how to measure each ingredient the correct way.

“I want to be a chef, that’s what

I’m going to college for,” Lambert said, “[the class] helped me learn more about cooking and what to do and what not to do in the kitchen.”

HHS offers different marketing classes such as sports marketing class with Mallory Cromer, which is senior George Kim’s favorite elective overall.

“We got to go around the school and film—we made documentaries,” Kim said, “You can learn what it’s like in the marketing world and use that for college.”

Kim also liked that Mallory Cromer is very laid back and not strict.

“It’s a fun class, we do a lot with sponsorships and entertainment industry like songs, artists, what’s new and what’s hot,” Cromer said, “for fantasy football [students] build their own stadium and if you have a job you get three credits.”

Electives fulfill students with opportunities to learn about different careers in life. Some start with introduction classes and up to advanced classes such as journalism, broadcasting and marketing. tt

Diana GutierrezStaff Reporter

As you start your scheduling, check out some of these electives

Senior’s top History courses

A new look. Social Studies teacher Kirk Moyers makes history come to life with his students. Photo by Emily Jamieson.