december 14, 2011
DESCRIPTION
Volume 69, Issue 4TRANSCRIPT
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Christopher
Park wins
Keller, again
West Side alum Mohit
Agrawal wins Rhodes
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A&E,
PAGE 6
The Lafayette Art Museum
is just around the cornerCatwalk
to Class:
Teacher
edition!
Go to scarletteonline.com or scan
this barcode with your smartphone
(download the app RedLaser).
Retirement incentive
set to lure teachers.
On November 19th, 2011,
2007 West Lafayette graduate
Mohit Agrawal received the
news that he was among the
year’s recipients of the pres-
tigious Rhodes scholarship.
At the time he was in Ireland,
where he is studying on the
Mitchell scholarship. Last
year, Agrawal was a fi nal-
ist for both the Rhodes and
Mitchell, but turned down
his Rhodes interview as it
confl icted with his interview
for the Mitchell. He couldn’t
pass up the opportunity again
this year.
The Rhodes will allow
Agrawal to study for a year at
Oxford University, where he
plans to further his studies in
economics.
Although Agrawal’s Princ-
eton degree, internship in the
US Department of Defense,
and semester abroad at the
National University of Singa-
pore contributed to his suc-
cess, he credits much of his
foundation to his formative
years at West Side.
“I think I was one of the best
prepared students at Princeton
when I got there,” he said. “For
example, in my freshman year
honors science lab, a lot of stu-
dents struggled at fi rst to write a
good lab report, but when you’ve
been taught by Mr. Overley, writ-
ing lab reports is a breeze.”
“Mohit was one of the few
students who had long enough
titles on his tables and lab re-
ports from the very beginning,”
said Mr. Overley, whom Agrawal
invited to attend the reception
for the Indiana Academic All-
Stars award as his faculty men-
tor. “I’m very proud of him.”
In addition to distinguishing
himself academically at school,
Agrawal took advantage of
Purdue’s close proximity by tak-
ing several classes there during
his junior and senior years. He
still made time for a myriad of
extracurriculars including robot-
ics, debate, orchestra, student
council, and writing for “The
Scarlette.”
Agrawal continued his high
level of involvement in college.
“West Side gave me a broad
enough background that I
was able to jump into a vari-
ety of things at Princeton.”
One of these was the
Princeton chapter of En-
gineers Without Borders, a
non-profi t with the aim of
helping disadvantaged com-
munities through engineering
solutions. “EWB may seem
to be outside of my expertise,
but it really builds on my ex-
perience in robotics and de-
bate,” he says. Robotics taught
Agrawal about engineering,
BY NEHA RAMANI
“Having strong
goals makes
making hard
decisions easier.”
- Mohit Agrawal
Last month the stage of the
Long Center was lit for the An-
nual Keller Concert, showcasing
three youth musicians. Among
these was West Side’s very own
Christopher Park.
The Keller Competition is a
competition in which students
up to twenty-two years of age
prepare a concerto that they
play in front of a panel of three
judges who choose the three
best performers out of the lot.
Performers are given the op-
portunity to perform with the
Lafayette Symphony Orchestra,
the professional orchestra in the
area.
Having wont the Keller once
before two years ago on the
piano, Christopher is a veteran
to the concert. “It was differ-
ent because I was on a differ-
ent instrument, but I wasn’t as
nervous,” he says. However, like
most musicians, he does have
trouble with nerves. “In general
I’m really nervous trying not to
think about [performing], but
the moment I walk on the stage
Departure
time
BY MALENA DE LA FUENTE
Many students were shocked
when they came back to school
this year and found nine new
teachers. Some of these new
positions were due to retire-
ments, and others because the
school is offering some new
classes and needed teachers
for those spots. With so many
new teachers, it seems as if the
school will not need to hire any
more for at least a couple of
years. That is, if it weren’t for
the retirement incentive.
The retirement incentive is a
plan that was proposed by last
year’s negotiators of the teach-
ers’ contract, which included
Superintendent Dr. Rocky
Killion, Chief Negotiator Mr.
Warner, and members of the
School Board.
After the plan was proposed,
both the administrators of all
“We will continue to
keep the school’s
tradition of excel-
lence in academics.”
- Mr. Shriner
Jessica Talbert
lights up West
Side’s hallways
BY BRIAGHA MCTAVISH
A&E, PAGE 6
PEOPLE, PAGE 8
CONGRATULATIONS, CHRIS:
Christopher talks to his audience
after the Keller Concert.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHRISTOPHER PARK
continued on page 2continued on page 2
continued on page 2
is calming.”
Christopher has been raised
musically, starting the piano in
the fi rst grade and violin in the
second grade. In the sixth grade,
he joined the Wabash Valley
GOING FOR THE TOUCHDOWN: Phillip Bower (number 45) and Ryan Brophy (number 55) give it
their all in the semi-state game against St. Joseph’s High School.
PHOTO BY BRADY BLACK
FOR FULL ARTICLE SEE SPORTS, PAGE 3
while he learned about what
problems there were in the
world through debate.
He spent a summer in
Ghana with EWB, helping to
three schools and the West La-
fayette Education Association,
which consists of the majority
of teachers in the corporation,
voted and put the plan into ef-
fect. Specifi cally, the plan con-
sists of bonuses for 13 teachers
who have chosen to retire either
this year or next.
Why was this plan construct-
ed? “Teachers that have been
here the longest have the high-
est salaries,” says Mr. Shriner.
“Since salary is partly based on
years of experience, if people at
the top of the pay scale retire,
it will enable the school to hire
teachers with less experience
and allow the school to save
money in order to be able to
hire more teachers and fund
other projects.”
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ers will be able to cover
some of these costs, giv-
ing them “the chance they
deserve,” Mr. Shriner says,
“to enjoy
life.”
This
is not the
only way
the school
c o r p o r a -
tion is
s a v i n g
money to stay within the
ever-shrinking budget.
Department budgets are
being cut, as well as the
corporation’s contribution
to health insurance costs.
Everyone in the corpora-
tion has been making sacri-
fi ces, because, as Mr. Pugh
said, “We don’t want to see
the corporation in fi nancial
diffi culty. Hopefully the
retirement incentive will be
a win-win situation.”
Paige Jackson says, “I use
the machine two to three
times a week, or when-
ever I have spare money.”
PAGE 2 News DECEMBER 14, 2011
West Side
BY ROSEANNE PAGE
OH SNAP!: A West Side student excitedly purchases a
bottle of Snapple during the lunch hour.
PHOTO BY ROSEANNE PAGE
The new Snap-
ple machine in the caf-
eteria has prompted
many West Side stu-
dents to stop and stare
in amazement. “[It’s]
defi nitely a good idea,”
says junior Charles
Hanson, who says he
likes the new machine
and buys drinks from
it often. Credit for the
new addition to the
school cafeteria goes to
Mr. Jim Tyner, the head
of West Side’s cafeteria
staff.
The machine
was installed not to
replace sugary drinks,
such as Gatorade, but to
give students a healthier
option. All of the drinks
in the new machine are
healthy diet drinks.
S o p h o m o r e
Cafeteria personnel report
that it seems as though the
junior high students use
the Snapple machine more
Snapple Machine Excites All
“... Added together, all those
teachers have hundreds of
years of experience!”
than high school stu-
dents. Overall, though,
everyone seems to be
happy with the new ad-
dition.
English teacher
and lunchroom super-
visor Ms. Dixon recalls,
“While on lunch duty
on the fi rst day that the
Snapple machine was
there, I actually saw
someone run up and
hug it!”
The new addi-
tion adds to the grow-
ing number of options
available for students
to purchase during the
lunch hour. The con-
siderably large Snapple
bottles are priced at
$1.25, which is com-
parable to other drink
options already existing
around the building.
West Side Alum Mohit
Agrawal wins Rhodescontinued from page 1
Christopher Park
wins Keller, againcontinued from page 1
Departure Timecontinued from page 1
SUCCESS STORY: Mohit with his twin sister Namita at his graduation from Princeton.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MOHIT AGRAWAL
Youth Symphony and
became one of the co-
concertmasters last year.
This year, Christopher
is concertmaster for the
second year in a row of
the All-State Orchestra, a
group made up of many
of the best players around
the state. As a freshman,
Christopher was given
the opportunity to play in
Carnegie Hall after placing
in the World Piano Com-
petition. Throughout his
school years, he has been
active in the orchestra pro-
gram and is a member of
the West Side’s string quar-
tet.
For the Keller Con-
cert, Christopher played
the third movement of
Beethoven’s violin concer-
to. “It wasn’t particularly
diffi cult because it’s pat-
terned, since it was written
at the end of the classical
period,” he explains. He
also says that it was not
too stressful because the
conductor, Dr. Palmer, “is
very systematic and thor-
ough” and “it’s always a
pleasure working with pro-
fessionals.”
Christopher balances
his busy schedule by prac-
ticing his two instruments
alternately through the
week and then both on the
weekends, and gives back
in the community by play-
ing at nursing homes and
other charitable events.
So what’s next on the
musician’s list? “I want to
learn guitar really badly.”
build a library. He says
the experience will in-
form his perspective
while studying economic
policy at Oxford.
While the Rhodes may
be the most well-known
and prestigious, it will
join a list of many awards
and honors Mohit has
received. “I’ve been suc-
cessful in certain ways,
particularly academically,
other projects.”
Both Mr. Shriner and
Mr. Pugh, teacher and co-
president of the WLEA,
c o m m e n t e d
that it will
be sad to see
teachers who
have been
here for many
decades go.
“When you
think about it,
added together, all those
teachers have hundreds
of years of experience,”
said Mr. Pugh. However,
though a loss of expe-
rienced teachers seems
problematic, Mr. Pugh also
stated that “there’s a per-
ceived trade-off between
energy and new ideas, and
experience and knowledge.
What we lose in one we
gain in the other.” Mr.
Shriner also promised that
though the school will lose
some established teachers,
“we will continue to keep
the school’s tradition of
excellence in academics.”
The incentive will also
allow teachers to retire ear-
lier than they would have
planned. Though retire-
ment is possible as soon as
the sum of a teacher’s years
of experience and their age
reaches 85, most teachers
choose to stay on, as Social
Security and Medicare are
not available until reaching
65 years of age. With the
incentive, however, teach-
Alle
gro V
iolin
Shop
Rentals,
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765-420-9744
but certainly not in oth-
ers,” he says. “Going to
Princeton or winning the
Rhodes does not matter
if somebody wants to act
or perform; going to NYU
or a conservatory might be
better”.
Agrawal advices that
students fi gure out for
themselves what they want
to excel in and then set the
goals needed to achieve
it. “Find people who
inspire you,” he adds.
“Read about them, fi g-
ure out their path. Can
you see yourself doing
what they do? If so, fi g-
ure out how you can get
there yourself.”
More information on
Agrawal can be found
on his blog www.mohi-
tagrawal.wordpress.com.
Mr. Pugh
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PAGE 3SportsWest Side
DECEMBER 14, 2011
BY GUEST WRITERS RYAN SCHMIERER AND DREW RUDMAN
PHOTO BY BRADY BLACK
OH SNAP! Quarterback Sean Busch waits for the center to snap the ball.
Girls Cross Country
-Most Valuable Player: Bobbie Burgess, junior
-Mental Attitude: Cailey Daluga, junior
-Most Improved: Kelly Swift, senior
Boys Cross Country
-Most Valuable Player: Andrew Cartwright, senior
-Mental Attitude: Bryce Wang, senior
-Most Improved: Aaron Brehm, sophmore
Girls Soccer
-Most Valuable Player: Jessica Bernard, senior
-Mental Attitude: Erin Brophy, sophmore
-Most Improved: Laurel Fricker, junior
Boys Soccer
-Most Valuable Player: Marcus Siegmund, senior
-Offensive MVP: Brian Anderson, senior
-Defensive MVP: Austin Bates, junior
-Mental Attitude:Jack Erdman, junior
-Most Improved: Jay Chapman, junior
-Rookie of the Year: Free Burton, freshman
Girls Golf
-Most Valuable Player: Rachel Ho, sophmore
-Mental Attitude: Esther Yoon, sophomore
-Most Improved: Molly Towns, sophomore
Boys Tennis
-Most Valuable Player: David Hollis, senior
-Mental Attitude: Jake Weiss, senior
-Most Improved: Allen Min, sophomore
Volleyball
-Most Valuable Player: Katy Brose, junior
-Mental Attitude: Sarah Collicott, junior
-RDP Award: Tasha Baker, junior
-Most Improved: Grace Malone, sophomore
Fall sports
awardsCOLLECTED BY ABBY BIEN
To senior Drake
Danford, basketball was
a sport that came natu-
rally. Having played bas-
ketball almost his entire
life. Although he played
football and baseball un-
til junior high, basketball
is the sport that stuck.
His ability to create of-
fense and his competi-
tive nature makes him
a threat on the court,
while his fun-loving at-
titude makes him some-
one everybody wants to
be around.
Growing up around
basketball has had a
great impact on Drake’s
life. Both his dad and
uncle played basketball
in high school and his
dad coached him at a
young age, since Drake
began playing when he
was three years old. He
says, “I grew up around
the game and it comes
easy to me. I like to
compete against other
people.” Spending most
of his time in the sport
since then, along with
playing AAU basketball
in the off season, has
made him the player he
is today.
When Drake trans-
ferred from Twin Lakes
last year, everyone knew
he’d be a great addition to
the basketball team. Coach
Wood said, “He’s the most
skilled guard I’ve had in
18 years.” This year he is
the starting point guard.
Although his superb ball-
handling and quick feet
make him hard to defend,
Drake’s ability to create of-
fense for both himself and
others really sets him apart
and makes him a fun and
exciting player to watch.
Drake is also a very
competitive player. “Drake
is the funniest kid I know,
but when he steps onto
the court he’s doing ev-
erything to make sure the
team wins,” explains senior
Parker Rhoads. Coach
Wood says his competi-
tiveness can be good and
bad, but he always “wants
desperately to win.” He ex-
pects Drake to be a leader
through his playing for the
rest of the season.
The team has hopes of
winning sectionals and go-
ing as far in the state tour-
nament as they can; their
goal is to dominate every
team they play. As for
the future, Drake plans on
continuing to play basket-
ball in college, but is unde-
cided at this point.
Get the scoop on Drake Danford
BY GRACE PALMIERI
Red Devils go out ighting hard
As the West Lafayette
football team arrived in
South Bend on Friday,
November 18th, emotions
were running high for a
primetime matchup against
the Indians of South Bend
St. Joe’s.
“Great atmosphere,
this should be an awesome
game”, said student Parker
Rhoads. Injured player
Brian Bangs expressed
his thoughts about the
big semi-state game when
saying, “This is the big-
gest game of the year, I
have lots of emotions go-
ing through my head right
now”.
The fi rst play of the
game was a hand off up
the middle to senior run-
ning back Amen Galley,
but what happened next
would set the tone for the
rest of the game.
A hard hit to Galley let
everyone know that this
was going to be a physical
matchup. Both teams trad-
ed possessions throughout
the fi rst quarter but late
in the fi rst, Sean Busch’s
pass was intercepted by a
St. Joe’s cornerback and
returned for a touchdown.
The point after attempt
was blocked, but West
Side was fl agged for run-
ning into the kicker. The
retry of the point after
sailed through the uprights
and the score after the 1st
quarter was 7-0 Indians.
As the prolifi c Red
Devil offense continued to
try and even out the score,
the St. Joe’s defense denied
them time and time again.
In hopes to get the defense
off balance, West Lafay-
ette brought in sophomore
quarterback Parker Ron-
chetto. Ronchetto is more
of a running quarterback
who can slice up defenses
with his quick feet. But
the St. Joe’s defense stayed
strong and withheld West
Lafayette’s attack. Driv-
ing late at the end of the
fi rst half, the Indians ran a
hook and ladder that went
for 36 yards and their sec-
ond touchdown with 29
seconds left.
The Red Devils were
down 14-0 going into the
locker room and facing
their biggest challenge of
the year. Superfan captain
Jake Weiss commented,
“Joe’s is more physical,
our defense is playing well.
We’ve given up some un-
lucky scores so far.”
On the fi rst play of the
second half, West Lafayette
received the big break they
needed to get back in the
ball game. On a handoff,
St Joe’s running back fum-
bled and West Lafayette re-
covered at St. Joe’s 24 yard
line. Unfortunately, the
Red Devils were stopped
on 4th and goal from the 4
yard line later in that same
drive. After a three and
out from St. Joe’s deep in
their own territory, West
Lafayette got great fi eld
position after the Indians
punted the ball away.
However, the Red Dev-
ils came up short once
again as the St. Joe’s de-
fense stopped WL’s Mau-
rice Woodard on the one
yard line on 4th and goal.
After a turnover on downs,
it wasn’t long before the
Red Devils got the ball
back as senior cornerback
Ben Waters picked off the
Indian’s third down pass
attempt The Red Devils
again had an opportunity
to score after they were
deep in Joe’s territory, re-
sulting from a half back
pass, which Galley through
to Ben Thomas. The Indi-
an’s cornerbacks came up
huge once again with an-
other Busch interception,
this time in the end zone.
West Lafayette was desper-
ate to gain some momen-
tum back and got the spark
they needed when Phillip
Bower intercepted a St.
Joe’s pass over the middle.
On the next play, Maurice
Woodard ran 12 yards up
the gut for a Red Devil
touchdown. The point
after attempt was no good
making the score, 14-6.
Another score by St. Joe’s
left the Red Devils down
21-6 in the fourth quar-
ter. After converting a 4th
and 1 to keep a drive alive,
Busch went to Ben Waters
for an 18-yard touchdown.
Brody Forbes’ onside kick
was nearly recovered by
the Red Devils but St. Joe’s
made the recovery on their
own 48. After converting
a 4th and 2, the Indians ran
out the clock ending the
season for the Red Devils.
The fi nal score was Indians
21- Red Devils 13.
It was a tough end to
an amazing season for the
Red Devils, but all fans
there would agree that the
Red Devils played a hard
fought game.
PHOTO BY GRACE PALMIERI
The Scoop: Drake Danford drives to the hoop.
Drake Danford talks about his life as a basketball player.
Quick Facts:
- Favorite player: Kobe Bryant
- Favorite team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Other Activities: AAU basketball, hanging
out with friends, and going on campus runs
-Nickname: “Scoop”
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PAGE 4 Features DEcEmEbEr 14, 2011
West Side
By Briagha Mctavish
“thirty days and nights of literary abandon!” is the motto for writers ev-erywhere in November. From the 1st to the 30th, aspiring authors every-where hunker over their computers to try to meet the challenge of writing 50,000 words in thirty days. NaNoWriMo, or National Write a Novel Month, is a chance for as-piring writers of any age to let their imagination run rampant. any genre is accepted and no novel is too silly or horrible to be accepted--all that really matters is the word count.
Many West siders ac-cepted the challenge that NaNoWriMo set before them this November. But why would they choose to spend the little free time they already had to be-come a recluse, spending every free moment devel-oping carpal tunnel and speaking only to fictional characters? “i always liked to write but I never fin-ished anything. so i was going to try,” explained sophomore Carolyn Plite. Connecting with some-one who shares the same interests, lives in the same state, or is writing in the
ready, set, write!West Side students practiced their writing skills during November, National Write a Novel Monthby kathrine schulze
same genre is made easy with simply navigated fo-
LoGo coutEsy of NANowrimo.orG
Write ‘til you drop: Nanowrimo’s logo displays the key tools that’re neces-
sary when writing.
rums. in forums, a person can connect with any writer in the world. Even those who don’t live in the United states enter NaNoWriMo to challenge themselves and their writing abilities. in addition, letters from famous authors and writ-ing guides are posted on the official website to help the struggling writer to get started or push through the dreaded writers block throughout the month. Many West siders weren’t able to reach their word count, saying that school got too busy for them to continue writing as well
as finish their homework. amy he was one of the few who did reach her goal of 50,000 words. When asked how she managed it she said, “i did it instead of homework. i tried to write everyday and played catch-up on the weekends.” NaNoWriMo attracts
nanoWriMo info:Official Website: www.nanowrimo.orgTotal word count for 2011: 3,074,276,063Popular Genres for West Side: Fantasy and Romance
all types of writers from around the world and unites them under the common goal of writ-ing a novel in just one month. Many don’t finish, but everyone takes away a sense of accomplish-ment for taking on a feat many wouldn’t dare try.
by alyse allred
Dr. Ryan B. Helms, DDS, MSD
is very hard for many reasons like knowing how much to spend. it’s even a more considerable feat if you haven’t been dating for very long; so let me outline a few “don’t”s. 1) Don’t get her something with a heart on it. i know you’re thinking, “No, Briagha, girls love this crap.” Well i hate to break it to you, but i’m a girl and i hate hearts. she will still smile and tell you she loves the gift. But, in the back of her mind, she will wish that you would’ve chosen something more personal. 2) Don’t get her something cliche like a box of choco-lates. that’s okay for valentine’s day or for fun, but the holidays is the big-time. get her something that reminds you of her. Maybe it’s getting her a funny gift about an inside joke, or an item centering around something she loves. as long as she understands it, she’ll love it.
in this issue i am going to discuss a subject that is difficult, even for me; the art of gift-giving. Buying a holiday gift for your significant other
squeaking hallways. holiday music between classes. a holly, jolly at-mosphere mingled with the “get us the heck out of here” aura. all the signs are pointing to one thing: Christmas Break.it’s that wonderful time of year when we finally have time to do all the nothing that we’ve missed out on. the possibili-ties are practically endless. however, just be-cause you can do some-thing, doesn’t mean you should. and nothing puts a damper on the holiday spirit like getting the fam-ily together for a good, old-fashioned funeral.Which brings me to today’s topic: how not to die this holiday.Probably the first road-blocks to overcome are the finals that loom be-fore us. these, of course,
pose a serious threat to our health; unfortunately, there really is no solution for this problem, which means that the only thing you can really do is buckle down and get through it, because dying = no credit. After surviving the finals you may think that you’re home free, but this is not the case. in fact, there are dangers at every corner. The first thing to watch for is the last-minute holi-day shopping rush, which is almost as dangerous as Black Friday. Even inno-cent bystanders run the risk of being trampled underfoot by the hordes of desperate parents. should you ever end up locked in combat with one of these parents over some gadget that’s on your wish list, simply hand the item over and back away slowly, without breaking
eye contact. your life is probably worth more than your new Zhu Zhu Pet. another thing to watch for is our fellow teenage idiots. to anybody with a lick of sense, warnings about black ice should re-sult in slower, more cau-tious driving. But heck, we’re teenagers, so by na-ture we’re contrary. in our minds “warning” means “go faster.” Even if you’re not at fault, that doesn’t keep you safe, so avoid danger areas such as park-ing lots with the telltale do-nuts of teenaged stupidity. so, enjoy the holi-day season, because be-fore you know it, you’ll be back in school, slav-ing away once more. Just try to make it back with most of your ap-pendages still in place.
How to survive this
winter break
3) NO giFt CarDs; they’re a cop out. they tell your girlfriend that you’re too lazy to pick out an actual gift, and laziness is not a good quality in a boyfriend. 4) Don’t ask her what she wants. if she tells you something and you get it for her, where’s the surprise? she wants you to pick something out for her. 5) Don’t try and set a price range. You can figure it out for yourself. the thought is what counts. typi-cally she’ll prefer a gift with a low price. Buying a ri-diculously expensive gift is over the top, and it puts her in an awkward position. Leave the expensive stuff for when you have a wife, or you’ve been dating someone a long time. Just remember as long as the gift’s from the heart, she will love it.
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PAGE 5FeaturesDECEMBER 14, 2011
West Side
Younger sister or cousin
For the little sister or cousin who
is crazy about, pink, sparkles,
and Justin Bieber:
Justice Lotion and Shower
Gel sets-$10-$20
Justin Bieber, Under the
Mistletoe-$9.99 at www.
Amazon.com
Justin Bieber Someday per-
fume-$38 at Macy’s
•
•
•
Older sister or cousin
For the older sister or
cousin who can not afford
anything but food because
she’s living on a college
budget, pamper her a little
bit with:
Gift sets from Bath
and Body Works rang-
ing from $15-$35
Marc Jacobs Fragranc-
es: Roller ball Trio-$38
at www.couture.zappos.com
Teen Vogue one year subscription at a special holiday price of
$10 at www.teenvogue.com
•
•
•
Parents
Parents love anything
that is homemade and
comes from the heart.
It’s nice because gifts
for them are easy to
make and they are usually cheap or even free. Try giving them
something like:
A coupon book fi lled with coupons promising them things like
a free snow shovel or a whole week of emptying the dish-
washer without complaining. Parents would also love if you
promised to stay in one weekend night and play a board game
or watch a favorite movie.
Go to All Fired Up and make them a coffee mug or a picture
frame. Making the present is fun and inexpensive and your
parents will love it even if it is ugly.
•
•
Grandparents
Most grandparents enjoy cheesy
gifts and they like to show you off
to their friends. Some things that
would fi t this subject are:
Giving them a piece of school
art work or a framed picture of
you playing a sport or perform-
ing would be perfect. But some
other ideas are,
“World’s Best Grandma” or “#1 Grandma” apparel-around
$35 at www.personalizedpresents.com
•
•
Younger Brothers
For the little ones, I would suggest:
Nerf Gun-$15-$25 at Target
Lego sets like a Spongebob Squarepants one-$15 at Walmart.
com
Mario Kart $30-$50(depending on which system it’s for) at
Walmart.com
•
•
•
Older Brothers
For the boys who can handle a little more blood, sweat, and tears,
they love games like:
Modern Warfare 3-
$50 at Amazon.com
But if you don’t
know anything about
video games, ask
them what game
they want, and if
they don’t know just
head to Game Stop
on the Levee and
pick them up a gift card.
Sports Illustrated subscription-28 issues for $24 at www.maga-
zines.com
•
•
•
Boyfriends and girlfriends
Boyfriends or girlfriends can be hard to shop for (see Dating for
Dumbos) but some safe bets are:
A movie gift card and letting your date pick the movie-$25
A mixed CD fi lled with songs on it that remind you of each
other or things you’ve done together.
For girls, jewelry is always a good choice. Give them anything
sparkly and they will be satisfi ed. Try the local jewelry store,
Vierks Fine Jewelry for a wide selection.
For boys, think about buying them tickets to see their favorite
sports team play. On ticketmaster.com, you can usually fi ne a
wide selection of teams tickets at a good price.
If his team is far away or the tickets are too expensive, get
them a jersey or hat from the team. Head to the teams website
and you will fi nd memorabilia ranging from about $15-$50.
•
•
•
•
•
Anyone
If none of these ideas fi t the person you are shopping for, there
is one gift that anyone will love. Money. Whether it is in the form
of cash, check, or gift card, it’s a safe bet for any of your family
members or friends.
West Side is rich in traditions
Streets everywhere are being
fl ooded with bright Christmas
lights, the Black Friday rush has
come and gone, and fi nals are
fast approaching. Add in the fi rst
layer of snow a few weeks ago,
and many West Siders are full into
the holiday spirit. Traditions are a
big part of any holiday, and sev-
eral students have favorite things
they do at this time of the year.
New pajamas and writing
letters to Santa on Christmas
Eve are popular, along with
decorating the Christmas tree
and going ice skating. Sopho-
more Joseph Monroe explained
the Catholic tradition of Saint
Nicholas Day, saying parents fi ll
children’s stockings with small
toys and candy, on Decem-
ber fi fth and Christmas Eve.
“It’s more of a European thing
but still pretty cool.” He said.
Also regarding gifts, fresh-
man Abby Burchill smiled when
she talked about how her family
chooses the order. “We hide a
pickle ornament on our tree and
then whichever kid fi nds it fi rst
gets to open the fi rst present.
Not every family can say they
put a pickle on their tree.”
Victoria Glotzbach cites
her favorite tradition. “We lis-
ten to the NSYNC Christ-
mas album on repeat when we
decorate the tree on Christmas
Eve and on Christmas Day.”
The McKay sisters, sopho-
more Susan and 2010 alum Cat,
leave a bowl outside for the fi rst
snowfall and make snow ice
cream by mixing in sugar, milk
and vanilla. Southern native
sophomore Maggie Hodges is all
about the food. “ If I’m in Lou-
siana we basically cook for three
days straight. Shrimp, crab, and
crayfi sh the day before Christ-
mas, turkey, ham and pie on
Christmas, and then leftovers.”
Sophomore Daniel Rollock
was excited about the deals. “We
go shopping at midnight the day
after Christmas. Last year I got a
red Wii for a hundred and fi fty!”
Whether you’re into the holi-
days for the music, the presents,
the food, or just an excuse to
be off school for three days,
priceless, quirky family tradi-
tions are sure to make them
that much more memorable.
BY EMILY MACK
The gift of givingBY ABBY BIEN
“We hide a pickle ornament on our tree and
then whichever kid fi nds it fi rst gets to open
the fi rst present.”
- Abby Burchill
“The Teeki Hut: Where
Your T-Shirt Dreams
Come True!” looks
more like it’s home to
surf boards and wet suits
than customized t-shirts.
But don’t be fooled by
the surfboard logo- the
Teeki Hut sells shirts
for any season. T-shirts
with phrases like “Never
Forget Dinosaurs” and
“I don’t have ADHD I
just, Do you like waffl es?”
cover the walls of this less
than conventional cloth-
ing store.
Whether its your own
artwork, inside joke, or
logo the Teeki Hut will
print it for you. From t-
shirts to sweatpants to
dog outfi ts the Teeki Hut
has customizable cloth-
ing in every size and color
that you could possibly
imagine. They will even
customize a t-shirt you
bring in yourself for a re-
duced rate.
How they print their
designs on clothing is a
trade secret, but it only
takes 5-10 minutes for a
design to be completely
printed. While you wait
you can head next door
to Silver Dipper for some
ice cream or do some
shopping.
If art isn’t your thing
and you have nothing
clever to pick, they have
over 1,000 designs to
choose from. If it’s rock
stars, obscure 80s movies,
or sports icons that suit
your fancy the Teeki Hut
probably has a design just
for you.
Can’t get to the store?
Log on to www.teekihut.
com and use their De-
signer program to make
your very own t-shirt and
e-mail it to the store.
So if you’re looking for
a gift for that hard-to-
fi gure-out relative try the
Teeki Hut for a t-shirt
that will be as unique as
the wearer.
Location: 112 South
River Road (Next to
Silver Dipper)
Price of t-shirt
custom ization: $22.95
Customization of your
own t-shirt: $15
Hours:
Monday-Friday, 11am-
7pm
Saturday, 12-5
BY KATHRINE SHULZE
Students can get
their fi x of weird
t-shirts at the levee’s
“Teeki Hut”
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Anthropologie, citing their
unique styles as pluses. She
is ready with style advice
for “Esh wannabes,” ad-
vocating stores like Ameri-
can Eagle and J.Crew over
places like Hollister and
Abercrombie and Fitch for
more classic and school
appropriate attire at simi-
Arts and En! r" inment DECEMBER 14, 2011PAGE 6
West Side
The Union’s Flatbreads provides a vast array of
foods to satisfy your taste buds.
BY ELENA SPARGER
Anthropologie, citing their
unique styles as pluses. She
is ready with style advice
for “Esh wannabes,” ad-
vocating stores like Ameri-
can Eagle and J.Crew over
places like Hollister and
Abercrombie and Fitch for
more classic and school
appropriate attire at simi-
Catwalk to Class
Location: Purdue Me-
morial Union, 101 N.
Grant St.
Distance from School:
0.9 mi.
Price/Person: $6+
The search for new
and different places to eat
resumes, and this time it
took me to Flatbreads. Be-
ing a high school student,
I don’t eat in the Purdue
Memorial Union very of-
ten. But having never been
to Flatbreads, I decided
to try to blend in with the
college student crowd and
review it.
During our late high
school lunch period, the
restaurant was pretty busy,
which was a good sign,
since most of the Pur-
due students I know eat
lunch as early as possible.
Displayed in the entrance
was Flatbreads’s surpris-
ingly varied menu, which
includes pizza, sandwiches,
soups, salads, and break-
fast items. I decided on the
chicken cordon bleu sand-
wich and got in line.
They were pretty slow
making it, but when I tasted
my sandwich I understood
why. It cost a little over fi ve
dollars, and was well worth
it. The sandwich was huge,
hot and heavenly. I also
tried the corn chowder
(you can get a combina-
tion of half a sandwich
and soup for just a dollar
extra), which was equally
delicious. Their Parmesan
cheesy bread was also very
tasty. Overall, the food was
well-made and more than
satisfactory.
The ambiance was just
as fetching as the food,
with a brick stove in the
corner where the pizzas
are cooked. Flatbreads also
had a dessert display--in-
cluding Oreo and M&M
brownies, cookies as big as
my head, and fruit parfaits-
-which all looked worthy
of the running I would
have to do to burn off all
those calories.
Although it was a little
pricey, if you have the
money, it’s worth every
penny. I would defi nitely
recommend Flatbreads-
-especially if you can get
one of your richer friends
to pay for you.
Unique traits mark teacher style.
BY NEHA RAMANI
Lafayette, Indiana—Just
across the Wabash River,
hidden among the South
Ninth Street clamor, sits
the Art Museum of Great-
er Lafayette. The building
is unassuming, outfi tted
with a vandalized sign and
hidden parking lot; how-
ever, this is a misleading
cover to a museum with
over a hundred years of
history.
Founded in 1909, the
museum is more than a
privately-owned studio,
but the only nationally ac-
credited museum in north-
ern Indiana.
Through the years, they
have hosted exhibitions
of various styles and art-
ists: their current display
shows the work of the nun
and nurse-turned-painter,
Sister Rufi na, and her stu-
dents.
Members of their per-
manent exhibit also show
an unusual range for such
a small museum. Hung
across the walls of this
exhibit are works from
home-grown Indiana art-
ists all the way to European
Impressionists. Works are
not limited to paintings ei-
ther, as a number of sculp-
tures—from realistic to
abstract—sit on display. In
100 years of history on display at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette
BY ALYSE ALLRED
the words of Claire Smith,
a student intern working
in the museum, it’s a “nice
collection of things you
AN ART-LOVER’S DREAM: Many different medias of art
are on display at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette.
Seen here are sculptures and paintings created by various
artists.
PHOTO BY ALYSE ALLRED
Most style icons have a
signature piece that defi nes
their look. Oftentimes,
the item and the icon be-
come synonymous with
each other. Coco Chanel
had her little black dress.
Audrey Hepburn had her
pearls. Mr. Aufderhe-
ide has his sweater vests.
Beloved by his students,
“Aufdie’s” wide selection
of sweater-vests are ex-
pected as almost a daily
occurrence during the
winter months. Students
Teachers have a repu-
tation of being predict-
able. Year after year, the
personalities, the cur-
riculum, and the tests
rarely deviate from the
established standard.
Teacher style tends to be
among these constants,
and is hardly noticed by
students. Certain teach-
ers, however, are known
and revered throughout
school for their style
choices.
Ms. Eshelman
schools in style Most teenagers get
their fi rst exposure to real
fashion through movies,
magazines, and celebri-
ties. For some junior
high students, this fi rst
look at fashion comes
during Ms. Eshelman’s
English class. Every
day, Ms. Esh is dressed
to impress in clothes
that students describe as
“classy,” “daring,” and
“colorful.” She describes
her own style as “classi-
cal, whimsy, and versa-
tile.” Ms. Esh frequents
stores such as J.Crew and
lar prices. “She inspires me
to dress better,” says ju-
nior Polina Alekseenko, a
former Eshelman English
student.
Mr. Aufderheide
in“vest”s in style
new to his class come in
looking forward to seeing
all the different combina-
tions he can make. “The
sweater-vests are just like
a part of him now,” says
Kelsey Patton, a junior in
Mr. Auferderheide’s class.
“Everyone loves it.”
Mrs. Helton takes
length in style A lot of things have
changed in Mrs. Helton’s
life since high school.
One thing that hasn’t,
however, is the length
of her hair. “I fi rst
started growing it out
when I was nine years
old,” she says. She cut it
to near shoulder length
in high school, but de-
scribes the experience
as “traumatic.” Since
then, she has maintained
her un-treated, glossy,
honey-colored mane at a
waist-length. Mrs. Hel-
ton acknowledges that
for both those in and
out of her class, her hair
has become her defi n-
ing characteristic. “It’s
a way that I can let stu-
dents know that I accept
them the way they are,”
she says. “You should
be who you are and do
what you like.” Will
Rankin, a senior in Mrs.
Helton’s AP English
class, says, “Her hair is
pretty cool. Sometimes
I just like to stare at it.”
Style is probably the
least important qual-
ity when it comes to a
teacher. Still, it makes
class a whole lot more
colorful, fun, and inter-
esting.
ON THE CATWALK:Together, Mr. Aufderheide, Ms. Es-
helman and Mrs. Helton, are the fashionable faces of West
Side’s faculty.
PHOTOS BY NEHA RAMANI, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ELENA SPARGER
wouldn’t think we had.”
Local artists have a
place in the museum as
well, selling their works
through the gift shop.
This part of the museum
offers the same variety that
characterizes other parts:
paintings, sculptures, pot-
tery, and other uncommon
pieces for the passerby’s
collection.
The art museum of-
fers art classes to the gen-
eral public, which range
broadly over the artistic
disciplines. In fact, have
just concluded a special
holiday workshop in which
children were taught ba-
sic holiday arts and crafts,
and then given a tour of
the museum. Aside from
this, the only class cur-
rently running is a work-
shop on felting; however,
more classes are expected
to start soon.
Despite the museum’s
history, things are always
subject to change. Recent-
ly, the museum announced
that they are now open all
seven days of the week,
from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m,
and is free to the public.
Exhibitions are rotated on
a regular basis, while new
artists are always offer-
ing their works for sale in
the gift shop. With such
changes in the future, make
sure to keep an eye out for
this unusual museum.
BY ALYSE ALLRED
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OpinionsWest Side
PAGE 7DECEMBER 14, 2011
The Staff of the ScarletteEditors-in-ChiefMalena de la [email protected]
Harini [email protected]
News EditorNeha [email protected]
A&E EditorElena [email protected]
Opinions EditorAlyse [email protected]
Features EditorsAbby [email protected]
Grace [email protected]
Sports EditorKathrine [email protected]
People EditorEmily [email protected]
Photo EditorsBriagha [email protected]
Roseanne [email protected]
Mission: The Scarlette strives to create a publication that is informative, entertaining, accurate, and professional. Our mission is to serve as a valuable archive of the happenings of the school .
The Scarlette Editorial Policy: The Scarlette provides a limited forum for reader ex-pression. Letters to the editor must be received seven days prior to publication date in the box provided in the offi ce. All are subject to editing for content and length. Personal attacks and unfair attacks on business-es or unsigned letters will not be published. The edito-rial represents the views of the majority of the staff. Views printed do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the faculty, staff, or administration of the WLCSC.A full version of our editorial policy can be found at www. scarletteonline.com Special thanks to the Journal and Courier for sponsor-ing the Scarlette.
Tomorrow, the man who
proposed all the education
reforms your teachers hate
is visiting our school. And
no, I don’t mean Mitch
Daniels. On December
15th, Tony Bennett will
be at our school. “Who is
Tony Bennett?” you may
ask, “an old singer my
grandma listens to?” Well,
yes. Unfortunately we get
the other one.
You may have heard of
Tony Bennett from your
teachers griping in class, or
maybe you haven’t heard
of him at all. But what re-
forms did he propose? Ba-
sically, he came up with an
incentive-based program in
which teachers are evalu-
ated on how their students
improve and receive raises
based on their students’
progress. However, there
are some big issues with
Bennett’s proposal, which
cause the tempers of many
parents and teachers to
fl are.
One issue is that teach-
ers will be evaluated based
on how students improve
on standardized test scores.
This gives the teacher in-
centive to do well, but not
the student. The students
must only pass the test.
There is no motivation for
students to work for more
than just a passing grade.
When I asked Mr. Col-
lins what he thinks about
the program, he said, “I
have mixed feelings. I
think some of the things
they’re pushing have not
been well thought out. It’s
kind of half-baked.” And
while Bennett’s intentions
are obviously good, Mr.
Col l ins’
s t a t e -
m e n t
r i n g s
true.
Some
of Bennett and Daniels’
reforms can be better
understood by the argu-
ments made against them
on the page of Facebook
group Parents & Educa-
tors Against the Daniels &
Bennett Educational Re-
form. “We are against the
idea that Indiana teachers
are paid too much. We be-
lieve that with the proper
resources, every public
school could perform
above the public’s expecta-
tions. We are against pitting
teachers against teachers.”
The second
statement is
in response
to Bennett’s
plan to take
m o n e y
from public schools’ bud-
gets and instead sending it
to private schools. And by
money, I don’t mean just
any old money. With Ben-
nett and Daniels’ reforms
in place, taxpayer dollars
will go to private schools
instead of public schools
like our own.
Bennett also plans on
eliminating pay incen-
tives to teachers who have
earned advanced degrees.
With this reform, Bennett
undermines his own goals.
While Bennett aspires to
improve the education of
Indiana students, this bill
undermines those with the
highest levels of educa-
tion.
Bennett’s visit tomorrow
will be a great opportunity
for students and teachers
to ask questions, and they
are encouraged to do so.
Education reform, wheth-
er you’re a freshman or a
senior, affects all of us and
students should be aware
of the major changes Tony
Bennett has planned for us
in the coming years.
“Some of the things
they’re pushing have not
been well thought out.”
Mr. Collins
Tony Bennett is coming soon to a school near you
ONLINE POLL
A. Hmm...sleep...sleep...and more sleep. What
else is there?
B. Food and family. But mostly the food.
C. Presents! I mean, giving to others.
D. No homework. If you need me, I’ll be coma-
tose after the fi nals.
We want to hear your opinion!
Go online to www.scarletteonline.com to vote!
Results from Last Issue’s QuestionWill our football team make it to state??
If the team keeps working their
hardest, I think they’ve got a fi ghting
chance!
There’s no question! We’re going all
the way this year! RDP!!!
Only if they’ve got luck. A lot of it.
Not happening.
Q: What’re you looking forward to most
this holiday?
STAFF EDITORIAL
Most West Siders are well aware that this school is dif-
ferent than most. We have diversity and opportunity that
a lot of schools don’t, we have the Junior High and high
school in the same building and we have a lot of free-
doms other schools don’t. The biggest of these free-
doms is namely open campus lunch. We all love open
lunch and we all want to keep it.
For many reasons, we see the open campus lunch
in a positive light. It’s a chance to see your friends you
might not have any classes with and a nice break to go
somewhere besides school. Many students go home for
lunch, go out to one of many restaurants on campus,
or just head outside. Since so many people leave, there’s
less crowding--which is important, since the cafeteria
doesn’t even come close to holding everyone and the
locker bay is crowded enough as it is. Also, by going out
for lunch we’re helping to keep local places in business.
During the weekday lunch hours, the swarm of people
at eateries like Jimmy John’s and Subway are almost ex-
clusively West Side kids.
In addition to having an open campus, we also have
an unusually long lunch hour with 50 minutes. This
time is opportune for things like meeting with teachers,
clubs activities and just relaxing. Without the long lunch
hour, clubs would be before and after school, which
would mean anyone involved in sports would have to
drop them. When asked, school principal, Ron Shriner
agrees, saying part of the reason for a long lunch hour is
due to lack of an activity period like some schools.
Shriner went on to say his biggest concern is safety,
with people driving around, walking in the road, getting
back late, and potentially getting into dangers like smok-
ing and drinking. He then added that we seem to have
less problems with the addition of a safety offi cer.
“I’m not saying these things don’t happen and I know
the safety offi cer can’t see everything, but I think some
people might have the mindset of ‘oh I shouldn’t do
that because I might get caught.’ Occasionally you’ll see
someone coming back late, but I think that’s the excep-
tion and not the rule. All in all we give our kids a lot
of freedom and trust them to make good decisions and
they handle it very responsibly.”
We agree with Shriner, and think if everyone contin-
ues to handle open lunch responsibly by coming back
on time, being respectful of neighbors and other classes,
and not taking advantage of our freedoms, open lunch
is here to stay.
Is open lunch in
jeopardy?
BY ELENA SPARGER
CHANGES ARE ON THEIR WAY: Whether they’re for better or for worse, Bennett’s re-
forms are almost guaranteed to stir things up.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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PAGE 8FeaturesFEBRUARY 14, 2012
West Side
Valentine’s Day woes
BY BRIAGHA
M�TAVISH
Here it is, Valentine’s
Day, the so-called big time
of your blossoming rela-
tionship. But before you
start freaking out about
buying the perfect fl owers
and superfl uously expen-
sive jewelry for your sweet-
heart, let’s take some time
to fully understand this an-
cient holiday.
Valentine’s Day has
become one of America’s
most celebrated holidays,
but why? Girls have this
idealized view of having a
day in which they have your
full attention and get free
stuff. Here’s some advice
for this tricky situation.
If your girlfriend says,
“We don’t have to do any-
thing for Valentines Day...”
DO NOT listen to her.
As Admiral Ackbar of
the rebel alliance says, it’s
a trap. She expects you to
prepare something to do,
and she’ll probably be an-
noyed and slightly upset if
you don’t do something.
Many guys wonder to
what lengths their Valen-
tine activities should go. It
pretty much depends on
how long you’ve been in
the relationship. If you’ve
been dating for a long
time, I’m going to go out
on a limb here and guess
that you can fi gure out for
yourself what to do. If you
can’t, fi rstly that’s pretty
pathetic, and second, just
think of what you know
she’ll like. And if you don’t
know what she likes, you
should take some time to
contemplate this thing you
call a relationship.
If your relationship is
still in the baby phase, here
are some tips. Don’t go
all out with all the fl ow-
ers and cards and love
poems and all that other
stuff that Hallmark has
made you believe is con-
ventional. Frankly, if you
do these things, she’s sure
to be creeped out and feel
super uncomfortable. In
this stage, keeping it cool
is the best option. Take her
out to one of those sappy
chick fl icks that you hate,
or take her to a nice din-
ner.
Just no declarations of
your undying love for her...
You’ll embarrass yourself.
1. First Day of My Life Bright EyesThis song is great. It’s low-key feel and meandering
melody are perfect for just hanging out. The lyr-
ics also aren’t cliche, which makes it mean so much
more. Plus, check out the music video, it’s adorable.
VALENTINE’S DAY ISSUE
2. The Bird and the Worm
Owl CityThere may be a stigma out there about Owl City
sucking, but this song certainly has a lack of suck.
This song is probably the cutest thing I have ever
listened to. The witty lyrics make it even more enjoy-
able.
3. Crash the Party
Ok GoOftentimes people only listen to sappy love songs on
V-Day, but this song breaks from the homogenous
mixture of sap. This song is basically about throwing
usual dating customs and stereotypes out the door
and just having fun with your signifi cant other.
4. Home Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic ZeroesThis song’s Johnny Cash throwback vibe is only part
of what makes it so great. The lyrics are so amazingly
sincere and heartwarming I can’t help but feel my
eyes get moist each time I give it a listen. The bridge
section is also very funny, so make sure to give it a
listen.
5. How in the World
Family Force FiveThis song probably falls into the more cliche part of
this list, but give it a chance. The melody is strong
and will defi nitely make you think of your signifi cant
other. Also, the song has a different feel because of
it’s techno aspects.
6. Losing Streak
The EelsDon’t let the title fool you--this is, in fact, a very
happy song. All in all, this is a feel good song with an
admirably quirky feel. Enjoy!
Perfect songs for a perfect nightBY BRIAGHA McTAVISH