Shorts-friendly weather, followed by a week of rain, followed by weeks of snow and bitter cold, followed by freezing rain, followed by thick fog, followed by shorts-friendly weather - while it sounds on pa-per like a malfunctioning DVR-ed Weather Channel broadcast, it has actually been more or less the weather experienced in Northwest Indiana during the winter of 2012-2013.

To some, like freshman Grant Pape, the fickle weather has been difficult to get used to.

“The hotter days are nice, but the (fog and damp weather) is throwing me off,” Pape said. “The weather is confusing and hard to get used to. It’s like it’s changing 20 degrees every other day.”

The unseasonably warm winter weather has even resulted in broken records: Chica-go record-breaking warmth was experienced on Jan. 29, and Chicago’s 335 consecutive days without an inch of snow shattered the previous record of 282.

These weather patterns may not be as uncommon as they might seem, but they also may be an example of a much larger climatic trend, Chicago Tribune meteorolo-gist Richard Koeneman said.

“(The recent weather) is not a fluke, but it’s not unprecedented either. Within the period of Chicago’s official weather records (dating continuously from Nov. 1, 1870) there have been numerous instances of turbulent and variable winter weather,” Koeneman said. “What is unprecedented, though, is the worldwide extent of this un-characteristic weather.”

In addition to the warm temperatures in Northwest Indiana and Chicago, this “uncharacteristic weather” of 2012-2013 has included Hurricane Sandy and Isaac, droughts and multiple devastating torna-does experienced across North America last year. In fact, 2012 has been the warmest year on record in the contiguous United States according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with an average temperature of 55.3 degrees

Effects of sugarThe not-so-obvious health consequences of sugar

News I on Life A&E

Gotta catch ‘em allPokemon game enters its sixth generation.

Influenza epidemic spreads to Hoosiers

page3 page6 page12

Flu hits Indiana

Crown Point High School Jan. 31, 2013 Vol. 77 Issue 51500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307 inklings@cps.k12.in.us

inkL I N G S

Showing OffSingers,dancersperform in sixth annual talent show

Dancers, singers, a ukelele and more on page 9

Administration is currently investi-gating a potential drug testing policy for the upcoming school year in an effort to reduce illegal drug and alcohol consump-tion at school-related activities and alto-gether.

According to principal Chip Pettit, concern over drug and alcohol consump-tion came after getting results from stu-dent surveys. Those results prompted the consideration of implementing a drug policy.

“In interpreting our student survey data, our students believe that we have a drug issue here,” Pettit said. “The results came back showing that our students are using marijuana and what the survey de-fined as ‘binge drinking’ at a greater rate than the state average.”

Assistant principal Robert McDer-mott was at the head of Lake Central High School’s drug testing group before coming to CPHS. He believes that a pol-icy could help as it did at Lake Central.

“We worked on a policy, polled our students and implemented a policy that was overall very well received,” McDer-mott said. “Obviously any time you enact a policy you will have both sides of the fence.”

McDermott saw evident response from students at Lake Central.

“We had a lot of students come up to me and thank me for this because it gives (students) something to say, ‘hey, I can’t (do drugs) because cross country relies on me,’” McDermott said.

Although nothing is definite yet, ad-ministration is currently in the process of surveying both parents and students in determining what the next move towards a drug policy would be.

Senior Alli Jostes believes that the drug testing policy could have a positive affect on the school, but she is not sold on the idea quite yet.

“If the school really commits and ac-tions are actually taken, then I don’t see it as a bad idea,” Jostes said. “If conse-quences become a real threat, the amount

See Testing on page 3

BY SAM BEISHUIZENDYLAN TAYLOR

editor-in-chiefmanaging editor

Administration considers adding drug testing

See Climate on page 2

Heavy fog clouds the parking lot Monday. Temperature signficantly rose to a record-setting 65 degrees on Tuesday, while today’s high is expected to plummet nearly 40 degrees. Some experts attribute the unusual weather to be part of an overarching climatic trend.

pHoTo by evI lovIn

BY DYLAN TAYLORmanaging editor

Weatheringunusual conditions

Spring-like temperatures, few snowflakesset weather records in Chicagoland, NWI

Tuesday was the warmest Jan. 29 on record in Chicago.

2012 was the warmest year on record in the contiguous United States, according to the NOAA.

In 2012, Chicago went 335 days without an inch of snow.

Some attribute greenhouse gases as contributing to the climate’s warming.

climate hitsquick

from Chicago Weather Center data

“A Noteworthy Night,” a gala and silent auction will be held by the Crown Point Music Boosters Feb.9. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the start of the auction, and a dinner will be served at 6:30 as well.

Various student musical groups will be per-forming during the night. Those performers in-clude Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Band, Bella Voce and QYP. A single ticket is $15, a couple’s ticket is $25 and a table is $125.

All proceeds benefit Crown Point Commu-nity School Corporation bands, orchestras and choirs in grades 6-12. To donate or reserve a ticket in advance, go to www.noteworthynight.com.

februaryfacts

• Mr.Roger’sNeighborhood de-buted in February of 1968.

• A person born on Feb. 29 can be called a ‘leapling’ or a ‘leaper.’

• Do a Grouch a Favor Day is on Feb.16.

• In February 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

februarycalendar

2 news inklings 1/31/13

1NHS Mardi Gras Carnival

5-8 p.m.

13All City Choir Concert 7 p.m. in the auditorium

18Presidents’ Day - NO SCHOOL

intheknow“A Noteworthy Night” to benefit music programs

Students to schedule online

14 Valentine’s Day

PHOTO BY ANNIE SWANSONWalking out of the school, various students took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by wearing summer attire such as short sleeve shirts and shorts. The temperature on Tuesday stayed around 60 degrees.

Fahrenheit, 3.2 degrees above the normal average – a statistic that many experts believe is in line with a larger climatic warm-ing trend.

“There naturally is a lot of variation from year to year in temperature and precipitation, but century-long records have shown that temperatures are increasing across North America,” Indiana University professor of geography Scott Robeson said.

Robeson, along with many other scientists, also attributes these increases in temperature, winter precipitation and often drastic climatological phenomena to be partially the result of human-environment interactions and pollution.

“Most climate scientists who study (atmospheric processes) have come to the conclusion that human activities are partly re-sponsible for some of the changes that we are observing,” Robe-son said. “There is no question that (humans) have significantly modified the modern atmosphere, primarily by increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.”

Senior Casey Kitchen believes that these changes could po-tentially result in worldwide issues.

“The (prospect of global warming) is definitely a problem. The earth’s climate goes through cycles, and our (greenhouse emissions) are making it worse,” Kitchen said. “We might have polar ice melting, people (on the coasts) being displaced… it’s all going to cost a lot of money (to fix).”

Kitchen, like Robeson, supports the notion that these gas-es, released in large amounts from the burning of fossil fuels by cars, factories and even farms and as a result of deforestation, cause a “greenhouse effect” in the atmosphere that ultimately reflects absorbed heat back to the earth’s surface at a faster rate than what would naturally occur, resulting in a global heat-up and potentially long-term consequences.

“When water vapor (a component of emissions) condenses, a great deal of heat is released into the air, and heat drives storm systems. However, the amount of water vapor potentially contained in the global atmosphere increases dramatically with increasing temperatures, and so, as the climate warms, it is be-lieved planetary storminess will also increase because of more water vapor in the atmosphere,” Koeneman said. “And not just storminess. Computer modeling of the global atmosphere sug-gests general weather variability will also increase. That means more drought, more heat, more rainfall, more floods - broadly

speaking, more extreme weather more frequently.”Still, some are skeptical that humans are playing a consid-

erable role in the global heat-up, citing natural changes instead.“There have been multiple ice ages, and there are periods

of warming between them,” junior Charlie Krenzke said. “(Hu-mans) haven’t studied enough to prove that we are causing these changes.”

Despite the skepticism of some and the acknowledgement that climate change is partially a natural process, many indi-viduals knowledgeable of climate science remain steadfast.

“What will happen is we will all of the sudden get 10 inches of snow, and you’ll hear people (discredit global warming theo-ries). People need to understand that there is a difference be-tween weather and climate. Weather is immediate, but climate is long-term. We may, after warm a 2012, have a year that’s a bit colder, for example, but when you look at the overall trend in past years, the global temperature is going up and up, and that is a huge problem,” environmental science teacher Dotty Johnson said.

Johnson emphasized moving away from fossil fuels and coal on a societal level to reduce harmful emissions, as well as using less energy as a whole.

“To help stop (humans’ contributions to climate change) at such a dangerous rate, we should be doing anything that can be done to conserve electricity,” Johnson said. “We should be carpooling, buying fuel-efficient cars, encouraging utilities to use wind power and solar power.”

On an individual level, Johnson also described ways for students concerned about climate change to reduce emissions.

“If you don’t want a lifetime of warm Christmases or much worse, there are a few daily lifestyle changes that any student can do. Ride the bus, or carpool if you don’t want to. When you get in your car, think where you’re going and plan your trip beforehand so you have a route that uses the least amount of gasoline. Turn off the lights or the TV before you leave a room. Keep your cars tuned,” Johnson said. “Doing these things, while they may be a nuisance, could help determine just how extreme these ongoing climate changes will actually be.”

Whatever the consensus is on the influence of global warm-ing over the season’s weather, Koeneman offered a prediction of the weather as the winter of 2013 continues.

“Expect continued above-normal temperatures and con-tinued sub-normal snowfall, though not at the flabbergasting departures from normal as occurred during the first half of the winter,” Koeneman said.

CLIMATEcontinued from p. 1

Scheduling begins Feb.1, and students will schedule online. However, guidance counselors will be available for any questions or help that students may need.

Students should refer to the Course De-scription Guide for information on available classes.

Several new courses have been added to next year’s Course Guide. These classes include Spanish 2 and 3 Intermission, AP Psychology, Intro to Engineering Robotics and Intermedi-ate Precision Machining Technology II, Com-puter Programming I, Advanced Placement Computer Science A and Pre-Cal/Trig (Y 12). Incoming 12th graders will schedule Feb.1-10, 11th graders will do so Feb. 8-9 and 10th grad-ers will follow on Feb.15-24.

3Super Bowl XLVIIin New Orleans

The Indiana State School Music Asso-ciation (ISSMA) regional solo and ensemble competition took place at Crown Point High School on Jan. 26.

Individuals from high schools and middle schools around Lake County participated by playing a prepared piece of music for a judge and were ranked, in regard to their division, gold, silver, bronze or participation.

Of the Crown Point students that partici-pated in solo contest, 44 received gold and 13 received silver. The CPHS Chamber Orchestra also received gold for their rendition of Brit-ten’s “Simple Symphony.”

The Chamber Orchestra, along with all soloists earning gold in the highest division, will now advance to the state ISSMA competi-tion in Indianapolis on Feb. 23.

Local student musicians compete in ISSMA contest

NHS sponsors Mardi Gras children’s carnival

For charitable purposes, NHS will hold a Mardi Gras fest for elementary aged children tomorrow from 5-8 p.m. in the cafeteria. Chil-dren can play games and buy baked goods. The admission fee is $5.

The high school has fallen victim to a fever, and no amount of cowbell presciption can cure it.

According to the CDC, the flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Strain A H3N2 has been a particularly prominent strain this year, especially in the state of Indiana. While the flu shot protects against H3N2, H1N1, and an influenza B virus, illness rates have still been high.

“It hit epidemic level this year, so the CDC recom-mends everybody six months and older (get the shot), no matter what. It’s usually between 50-70 percent effective in keeping you from getting the flu,” Walgreens Pharmacy Manager Ryan Phelps said.

Senior Rayne Kim has gotten the flu shot each season for as long as she can remember.

“I’m not entirely sure if (the flu shot) is why I didn’t get the flu, but I certainly think it helped. I always get the shot every year. My dad’s a doctor, so it’s what he advo-cates. He recommends that you do get the shot because it reduces your chance of getting the flu greatly,” Kim said.

While the shot is considered the first line of defense against the flu, nurse Carrie Ready reminds that it is not a 100 percent guarantee of health.

“Just in the past few years, they’ve been recommending (the flu shot) more for every-one. It used to be more for the elderly and the very young, and if you had some kind of a condi-tion that weakened your immune system, or left you with a chronic illness or something,” Ready said.

Though the very young, old and weak tend to be the most affected by ill-nesses, including the flu, teenagers have also been affected by this strain.

“(Teenagers) are supposed to be really resilient, and for some reason, it’s just evolution. The virus has to get stronger to stay active, and that’s what it’s doing. So we have to adapt to it. Hopefully we’ll come out with a bet-

ter vaccine next year,” Phelps said.A lot of people think the flu vaccine prevents the flu

that makes you throw up and have diarrhea, but actaully it prevents the respitory strain.

Junior Sophie Reiners got the flu shot, and while was protected from the respiratory strain, still suffered from the stomach flu.

“I got the shot, so I thought I was good to go, but then again my whole family got it. Later on I found out that once you get the shot, it only covers the upper re-spiratory part. It doesn’t cover the gastro (stomach) flu,” Reiners said.

Reiners had the flu for three days, and when she went to the doctor was asked to wear a sanitary mask to prevent any germs from spreading. She was seen by an assistant, because even her doctor was out with the flu himself.

“There’s no medicine to really stop it, but (the doctor) gave me anti-nausea stuff to stop the horrible feeling and stuff, but there’s nothing that you can really have to completely kill it, you have to like sleep it off,” Reiners said.

Even though there is no cure, there are definite steps people can take to weaken the virus, and

hope-fully

increase their chances of shorten-ing the duration they could be ill.

Phelps offers some other helpful tips to avoid infect-ing others.

“If you feel sick, don’t go around other people. Cover your mouth when you cough, but not with your hand, with your elbow and your sleeve. Same thing with sneezing and all that common sense stuff people take for granted,” Phelps said.

Phelps also emphasizes the importance of washing one’s hands after going to public places and before meals. He also thinks that it is still advisable to get immunized.

“It’s still a good idea, better late than never. We (Wal-greens) do all the other vaccines too. Flu’s going to be on its way out soon, but that doesn’t mean everything’s going to be gone,” Phelps said.

3newsinklings 1/31/13

Area

Student reaction to events in our world

A 14 and 17 year old were charged with fleeing law enforcement and tresspassing after a high speed pursuit ended early morning on Jan. 28. The pursuit came after police heard reports of a stolen van with matching descriptions. The teens did not pull over resulting in the pursuit.

It’s their own choice on what they wanted to do. I don’t think the blame should be on all teens.Sam Mindas

A new bill states that Indiana school boards can now hire superintendents with no expierence or training in the education field. The bill is still in the the process of being passed and is causing many representitives to argue over the subject. Many believe that it will dilute the profession.

The Secretary of Defense announced that women in the armed forces will now be able to be placed in positions that will expose them more to the enemy. Previously, these women were excluded from such combats.

It’s unconstitutional to not let them fight. It’s their choice if they want to or not. The decision is a good idea.

A fire at a night club in Santa Maria, Brazil claimed 234 lives. The club was over packed to twice the legal capacity. A band playing at the club used pyrotehcnics during their last song, causing the fire. There was only one door out of the club and many were trapped inside. The club owners and band lead singer are in custody.

They shouldn’t have had that many people there, and they should’ve been prepared for something like that to happen.

Hobart teens apprehended after high speed chase

State Schools may hire superin-tendents with no training

Nation Women now allowed to fight in combat

World Fire in Brazil night club claims 234 lives

‘‘senior

Alexis Kennonsophomore

Joseph Martinezjunior

They should have some experience, so they know what is going on. If they don’t know about it they might make bad choices.

‘‘‘‘‘‘Angie Swanson

freshman

viewSonnewS

It started with a fever:BY ABBY eLSTOnMAGGie GeLOn

editor-in-chiefcopy editor

TeSTinGcontinued from p. 1

FastFluFactsMost may be able to infect others with the flu beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick.

Between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.

About two weeks after vaccination, antibodies develop that protect against influenza virus infection.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the three influenza viruses that research suggests will be most common.

All facts attributed to the CDC.

of drug use may go down. ‘May’ being the key word.”State law does not allow for every student to be tested,

but those involved in extracurricular activities and those who drive to school would be subject to random testing.

“What we can do is drug test students in extracurriculars, built around the premise that students under the influence of drugs are presenting a safety risk, and focus consequences around participation in those extracurriculars or driving privi-leges,” Pettit said.

In the past weeks, parents have been contacted and sur-veyed to gather further opinions. Parent Elizabeth Reiners, who took the online parent survey, believes parents who have a concern about their student using drugs could contact the

school and request drug testing.Reiners believes it makes more sense to focus on specific

situations rather than overreaching to implement something that would include more students than necessary.

Going forward, administration plans on continuing to gain feedback from students, parents and teachers before set-ting any plans in place.

“We are still taking everyone’s temperature as to what they think about this,” Pettit said. “If we have enough people on board, then we’ll start constructing a policy. Once we have a clear mandate, we can start looking at digging deeper into specific potential drug-related problems.”

Students and parents should expect more surveys and po-tential focus groups to develop as the implementation of a drug testing policy progresses forward.

Other area schools with drug testing

Lake Central

Chesterton

Merrillville

Boone Grove

With 40 reported deaths in Indiana alone, students fight off the flu

4 opinion inklings 1/31/13

For years, Col. Wheeler Mid-dle School has participated in the national Reflections competition, an arts program in which stu-dents from K-12 are allowed to contribute creative works, be they photographs, musical composi-tions, or writing, to potentially win awards at the school, state or even national level. One might be led to wonder why Crown Point High School doesn’t contribute to such a program.

The reason is simple: CPHS lacks a Parent-Teacher Associa-tion (PTA). While these organiza-tions may seem to many to be a given, they typically have to be organized by school parents somewhat independently of administration. Once organized, however, a PTA could play an extremely important role in fund-raising, planning and advocacy at the school.

Of that fundraising, plan-ning and advocacy, the creative healthiness of a school’s par-ticipation in the Reflections program is perhaps the crown jewel of school organization. The program offers a voice to those whose art and creativity isn’t necessarily recognized, heard or seen in the cookie-cutter of a high school curriculum. It also provides the sort of incentive and healthful creative outlet that may inspire a seemingly non-artistic student to, if even for just a few hours, pick up a camera, a pen or a paintbrush and simply create something to their creative whim.

But that barely scratches the surface of the benefits having a PTA. Although it is difficult to shake the customary nightmare images of a parent-teacher power complex working to take over the lives of students, high school PTAs can actually, in reality, be extremely potent mouthpieces for student/teacher advocacy within the school, and well as advocacy outside of the school. In a chang-ing (for better or much, much worse) world of increased regula-tions on schools, more budget cuts and more in-class technol-ogy, an organized, informed parent-teacher voice is necessary now more than ever before to keep the educational process as open and democratic as possible.

Altogether, a few dedicated parents contacting the National Parent Teacher Association and setting up a chapter of the orga-nization at the high school could mean countless benefits in the long run, be they to teachers then eligible for fundraised materials or for any one of the thousands of students a program like Reflec-tions could impact.

BY DYLAN TAYLORmanaging editor

Sam BeishuizenAbby Elstoneditors-in-chiefRaeAnna Morganeditor-at-largeDylan Taylormanaging editorMaggie GelonKatie Shermancopy editorsMolly Gracefeature editorShannon Rostinasst. feature editor

Alex McLeansports editorKara Biernatsports asst.Yazzmyne Lopezadvertising editorHannah Colbyadvertising asst.Brittany PedersenAmy SchuchAnnie Swansonphotographers

Ellie BurrellartistAlaa AbdeldaiemMaddie AdducciAlexis BerdineEmily BestPaige BuelowOlivia ElstonDavid KepshireVerda MirzaTina WinfreystaffJulie Elstonadviser

Inklings is a student publication created by the newspaper and advanced journalism students and distributed monthly to students, faculty and staff of Crown Point High School. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of CPHS faculty, staff or administration.

Letters-to-the-editor are welcomed provided they are signed and submit-ted one week prior to publication and do not contain personal attacks. Inklings reserves the right to edit for space, clarity and legal and ethical concerns.

Advertising is subject to applicable rates available by contacting Inklings.Inklings has been recognized as an Indiana High School Press Associa-

tion Hoosier Star, National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown, and Quill and Scroll George H. Gallup publication.

1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307

219-663-4885 ex. 11349fax 219-662-5663

inklings@cps.k12.in.us

Vol. 77 Issue 5 Jan. 31, 2013

editorial

speakup

View:

Eli Udchitzsophomore

Joey Gaworsenior

Savannah Schuljakfreshman

Angela Ziebajunior

“I don’t think they should because I believe there is not a good enough reason to do so.”

“Yeah, because in high school your primary focus is to learn and go on to do something better and I think drug testing will deter you from acting dumb.”

“No, because the cost would be ridiculous. Kids could resort to alcohol instead of other drugs because they would not have a way to test for alcohol.”

“I don’t think it matters. If it keeps students from doing drugs then it is a good idea.”

Do you think students should be drug tested next year?

CARTOON BY ELLIE BURRELL

If climate is broken, we should be trying to help correct it

inkL I N G S

Crown Point High School, IN

CPHS needs Parent-Teacher Association

The weather outside is frightful, but certainly not in any “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” sort of way. Instead, the winter of 2012-2013 in the Chicagoland area has been unseasonably warm and marked by fickle, frequent changes of temperature and conditions, ranging from heavy fog to spring warmth to snow over the course of a few weeks. While it is easy to try and ignore these changes, and just as easy to pass them off as a fluke, this weather may very well be associated with a larger, more troubling climatic trend that should, at the very least, be taken seriously.

Statistically, 2012 was the warmest year on record across the United States, almost a full degree above the previous record in 1998. 2012 was also a record-breaking year for “extreme” global weather, exemplified by Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac and multiple droughts. While the prospect of fewer “white Christmases” is distressing, the looming possibility of more mega-storms, more droughts and melting ice-caps is considerably more problematic.

Whether or not the extremely warm, volatile weather of Northwest Indiana can be directly linked to climate change is for climatologists to deduce, but the consensus on global warming is considerably more definite: many climatologists believe that greenhouse gas emissions (consisting of gases like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor) are affecting, or “speeding up,” natural climate change patterns. This means that increased gas emissions from energy production, animal domestication and other human activities may very well be contributing to warm-er temperatures, changed weather, melting polar ice and other ecological issues

With this in mind, it only makes sense to take heed of the warnings if the chances of these uncharacteristic or dangerous weather patterns are to be de-creased.

In order to do this, students and adults alike need to become more ecologi-cally conscious. An individual’s carbon footprint can be reduced, be through it carpooling, conserving water, utilizing less overall electricity or all three. Instead of ignoring climate trends, individuals should be doing everything in their power to slow global warming – whether or not one believes in it, the chances of eco-friendly actions making a difference are much higher than not.

Parents and teachers every-where make the assumption that technology and social media are to blame for some students’ lack of communication skills. But can they be damaged if they were not there to begin with?

Like any skill, some have been graced with good social skills. The ability to converse easily with anyone is something that comes natural. Others, however, might not have been so lucky. It is not the growth of technology or the obsession with social media that damages a kid’s communication skills, it just so happens they never had any in the first place. Generations before us tend to stake the claim that we hide behind a computer screen or cell phones. But many of us youngsters are highly capable of holding an intelligent conversa-tion with our peers and elders.

If anything, social media and the latest technology has only helped us in the area of commu-nication. With sites such as Skype or apps like FaceTime, anyone with an iPhone, smartphone or web cam in general can physically see the person they are talking to, just like an average conversation in person.

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Four Square keep us linked to many more than one could per-sonally talk to in a day. Not only does it keep us in touch with our friends and family, but it keeps one in the know for all things news related as well as socially.

Sure, technology takes its toll on our grammar skills. What with handy tools such as spell-check and autocorrect who needs to know how to spell those tricky words like “tomorrow” or “Janu-ary”? And of course why would anyone use only one “y” when greeting his or her friend with a simple “heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”?

Technology has its flaws when it comes to our communi-cation skills. It can complete the easiest of tasks for us, like talking to one’s secret crush in person for the very first time (gasp), so why should we bother ourselves with such trivial matters when there are many other more im-portant tasks at hand?

Communication is a skill that one either possesses or doesn’t. It can be acquired of course, like any skill. But is it really technology and social media’s fault that as a society we just don’t have the time to put forth the effort to become great communicators?

BY RAEANNA MORGANeditor-at-large

Technology not to blame for

lack of skills incommunication

Does school safety rely on guns?issue:

8 Inklings staffers agree16 Inklings staffers agree

It is unnecessary to fight gun violence with guns

Pro: Con:Having an armed security guard

would protect schools

5opinioninklings 1/31/13

Students go to school to learn and make a future for themselves. Yet because of the Sandy Hook shooting, some students will not get to experience their future. It’s becoming more apparent that schools are not as safe as they used to be, and a solution to this predicament is having an armed guard patrol the school at all times.

Guns are not bad if they are in the hands of the right people. That’s where armed guards come into play. These guards are profes-sionally qualified. Their only purpose is to protect others from harm. They have been trained to use their guns only when a situation arises that will affect others, and there is no reason to fear. They are not some amateur looking for an excuse to shoot.

Armed guards are just like other guards in other accommoda-tions. There are guards in malls, museums and etc. Why can’t schools be well protected like other public facilities? A school has the same reason to be protected like malls and etc. There is not a major differ-ence between school protection and other public places.

According to National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre, “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with gun.” This statement says a lot. It is not the gun that is to be blamed but the person holding that gun. Its only purpose is to shoot – some-thing that is only possible if a human is holding the trigger.

Some might disagree that there should be armed guards in school. They might think another person in possession of a gun will cause more chaos. However, it is better to be safe than sorry. Having armed guards quietly keeping the students and faculty safe won’t change the school other than making the school atmosphere safer. It will give people and parents a peace in mind knowing their son or daughter will return home safe and sound if a crisis occurs.

Having someone trained to keep people safe is better than not. The important thing is the safety of children who go to school think-ing nothing debauched or tragic can happen at their school, and the realization that the school is not as safe as they thought can scar them for life. People should not think about how having guards is going to effect the image of the United States, but how to best keep innocents clear of danger in a learning environment.

The recent Sandy Hook shooting has triggered a debate over student safety in American public schools. One response that has been heavily supported by the NRA has been to station an armed guard in each school to serve as protection; but this is an over reactive knee-jerk response to a problem that could be tackled in more reasonable ways.

Having armed security in each school would not necessarily solve the problem. What’s to say that Barney Fife-like guard would be able to stop an armed gunman? Anyone smart enough to come up with a plan to breach and fire upon a school would be able to navigate his away around an elementary school’s security. It would not be breach-ing the white house front lawn, it would be breaching a playground.

Also, that guard would not necessary be able to guard the entire school on their own. An attacker would be just as likely to enter the school through a different, unguarded location. One armed officer does not guarantee the protection of an entire school, and paying thousands of people to do a nearly impossible task is simply wasteful.

The security of a school is something that does need to be ad-dressed, but controlling who enters and exits the school more dili-gently would be a much more reasonable solution. The guns would be kept out if all the doors should be locked, and guests were monitored.

Having an armed guard would, in theory, deter the violence, but having one would not necessarily stop gun violence. Locally, gunshots were fired at the Southlake Mall in spite of the armed cops on site. If someone has their mind set on bringing a gun to school, having an armed guard would likely not be the deterring factor that stops them.

Logistically, there are over 130,000 public schools across the Unit-ed States. The cost of a police officer for an entire year could amount to millions of dollars. Convincing tax payers to support officers who will likely not be seeing very much action will be a tough sell.

A handful of tragic events should not need to force society into completely changing the way things are done. A knee jerk response is not going to prevent the tragedies like Sandy Hook from happening again. The world will always be full of crazy people that will make it impossible to be completely safe. Fighting guns with guns would only end up backfiring.

BY VERDA MIRZAreporter

BY SAM BEISHUIZENeditor-in-chief

“If someone were to unexpectedly pull a weapon, less lives would be lost because they (the officer) could protect them.”

Ashley Johnson sophomore

“I don’t think bringing more guns into schools would be the answer.”

Tammy Keilman science teacher

“The officer who has a gun could be not mentally stable and there would be more room for accidents.”

Billy Pejoski freshman

Cartoon By ELLIE BUrrELL

“there should be a guard because it protects students and is in the best interest of the kids.”

Josh Graegin social studies teacher

6 feature inklings 1/31/13

Students and their guests danced to a lively song at Turnabout. The dance, held at St. Elijiah Hall was sponsored by the dance team and had nearly 900 in attendance.

ionlifeA page dedicated to celebrating student life.

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

heart disease

problems paying attention

type 2 diabetes

problems with memory

obesity

fatigue

weakened immune system

How sweet it isn’t

When high school students’ busy schedules barely permit enough time for the apple to keep the doctor away, soda, cookies and other sweets often become a staple. What students may not realize is that a diet high in un-healthful sugars may ultimately harm them – affecting everything from weight, heart health and even thinking and learning

“The trend in America recent-ly has been to eat fewer healthy, homemade meals and more un-healthy meals on the go,” regis-tered dietitian at Pentec Health Maureen Ferguson said. “(High school students) are often so in-volved in sports, grades or extra-curriculars that a lot of the time it’s hard to fit in a healthy diet. Instead, they fill up on vending machine snacks or other poor choices that contain lots of sugar and therefore lots of empty calo-ries.”

Statistics outline the scope of America’s overall health is-sues: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 35.7 percent of American adults and 17 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Sophomore Alissa Longo-ria-Zellers believes the country’s sugar-related health issues to be a cultural problem.

“People today don’t pay enough attention to their health,” Longoria-Zellers said. “Most kids I know don’t put a lot of thought into their diet at all.”

Whatever the cause of the country’s health trends, sugar in-take and unhealthful eating may lead to a poorer diet which can drastically affect weight, nutri-tional health and other elements of physiological wellness, Fergu-son said.

“Sugar contains lots of empty calories (calories with little simul-taneous nutritional value), and

those calories can replace healthi-er calories,” Ferguson said. “Foods high in sugar are often also foods that are high in calories. If you’re overeating these foods loaded with empty calories, that can lead to weight gain and bad nutrition al-together. Higher intake of sugar is associated with higher energy in-take and a lower diet quality, and that lower diet quality is where the health concerns come in.”

Along with consistently dis-played links to obesity, malnutri-tion and other problems, recent studies have linked sugar intake to problems with brain health. A recent 2012 University of Cali-fornia, Los Angeles study on rats displayed that high fructose in-take, often contingent on things such as high-fructose corn syrup, may slow brain function, impair learning and memory - potentially problematic issues for students.

“I believe high sugar levels do affect brain capabilities,” biology teacher Brian Elston said. “The brain uses glucose as its normal source for energy, but when glu-cose levels are high in the blood because we are overeating sug-ary foods, insulin is secreted by the pancreas which tells muscles and non-brain cells to absorb the glucose from the blood. If this occurs, the brain does not get enough glucose and you get the ‘sugar crash’ feeling which makes you feel hungry again, so you eat more sugary foods, and this starts over again.”

A sugar crash, known as reac-tive hypoglycemia, occurs when an individual experiences fatigue after the effects of sugar have passed. The hunger that accompa-nies it is also sometimes consid-ered to be one of the contributing factors to sugar cravings, poten-tially leading to a higher sugar intake.

“I try not to drink too much pop, it gives me headaches and makes it hard to focus,” freshman Emily Fender said. “I also (feel like it might lead to) a sugar ad-diction.”

Elston also emphasized that a diet specifically high in simple sugars like fructose could be espe-cially detrimental to brain health.

“If you eat sweets or drink pop it contains fructose, not glu-cose, which the brain does not use as its energy source. These are empty calories for the brain, which (after eating food high in fructose) releases a hormone which makes you hungry again. This is why (individuals) become more overweight. High-fructose diets are a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, and new studies have been done which found that (such a diet) also could lead to a higher chance of dementia because the brain and its neurons are not get-ting the required amount of glu-cose for energy,” Elston said.

Still, some, like senior Alora Zobel, downplay these consen-suses.

“Kids definitely don’t pay enough attention to what they eat, but I don’t think that (sugar intake) is a huge issue,” Zobel said. “I think that (the studies sur-rounding sugar and health) are definitely overexaggerated. Sugar is a huge part of youth culture.”

Despite any contradicting opinions, Ferguson still believes that watching sugar intake is nec-essary for good health.

“You can improve your life so much with simple changes to your diet. Instead, replace sugar-sweetened drinks with fruit drinks and juices that contain added sugar, energy drinks and sports drinks like Gatorade, with low-fat milk, water, flavored waters without added sugars, 100 percent fruit juices and things like that and limit the other stuff to little amounts every day.”

Ultimately, Ferguson said, moderation in sugar intake is key for good health.

“Moderation is key. You can’t avoid sugar altogether. The idea is not to eliminate it, it’s to try to avoid eating it at such a high de-gree,” Ferguson said.

The sweet substances craved by many may be more unhealthy than originally thought

Over the last 20 years, sugar consumption in the U.S. has increased from 26 lbs. to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year.

A 20 ounce bottle ofsugary soft drink contains 17 teaspoons of sugar.

bythenumbers

bY DYLAn TAYLOrALeX mcLeAnmannaging editor

sports editor

facts compiled by Inklings staff

featureinklings 1/31/13 7

PREPARE

WORST

for the

Simple tips and tricks to avoid emergency situations throughout the winter season and to make

the best of winter conditions

Regardless of whether it is sledding weather or the streets are bare, when win-ter comes it brings with it dangerous con-ditions and possible deadly situations. To avoid the mess that winter is known for, having a winter survival kit handy helps.

The first thing that is a must-have is something that most teenagers carry with them anyways, a cellphone. While it may seem like a no-brainer, a cellphone can be used to call the local authorities, parents and probably a ride.

Now, for those who prefer to take a break from the technological world, hav-ing a radio in the trunk can serve a similar purpose. The radio can be used as a distress signal to anyone within the area who is also tuned in during a time of emergency. Ra-

dios are important to have when there is little cell phone reception. Radios can also useful because they are able to reach further than most cellphones can.

If there happens to be snow on the ground, there are a few essentials to make it out of the drifts with little ef-fort. The first of these is a shovel. For the obvious rea-son, it is needed to shovel the snow out from under the tire and flatten a path to drive out from. If the snow is being extra difficult, salt, similar to what they use on the roads or even kitty litter can be used to melt the snow, creating an easier path to for the car to drive on, instead of slick snow.

Should the reason for the problem be a technical one, a tool kit is helpful to keep in the backseat to make any minor repairs. A flashlight may also be of use to help one

see what they are working on un-der the hood. If the problem is severe, the num-ber of a towing company and a repair shop could always come in handy.

Just as a tool kit is needed to fix the car, a first aid kit may be needed to fix minor cuts and bruis-es. While this can be used on any road trip for a boo-boo or two, it is recommended that it remains stocked so that it never is lacking when an emergency arises.

By far the most practical items to keep in a trunk are food, water and extra cloth-ing. If the situation ever become apparent that it will be for more than a few hours, than it is necessary that the passengers have access to nutritious items and water so they do not become dehydrated. Since it is ad-vised that the car is not left running, for fear of carbon monoxide poisoning, blan-kets, coats and mittens to keep the riders warm never hurt to have.

While the accidents are never fully avoidable, being prepared can mean the dif-ference in the lives of all those in the car. Becoming a driver means taking on the re-sponsibility of all the possible circumstanc-es that surround driving. This includes winter driving conditions. Having a winter survival kit on hand is a step in the right direction to being a safe winter driver when conditions get rough.

By Paige Buelowreporter

1,561,430 The number of deaths

each year due to bad road conditions

underclassmen and staff cars parked at CPHS

senior cars in the CPHS parking lotaverage cost of a

winter-weather kit$81354 362

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BY KATIE SHERMANALAA ABDELDAIEM

copy editorreporter

Each NFL season begins with 32 teams all working towards one ul-timate goal: to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The reality is, however, that only two teams will get to play on the biggest stage of the season, a game that has captivated football fans for 46 years.

The Super Bowl origi-nally served as an agreement to join the NFL and AFL into one league. Each side became a conference, and the conference champions then compete for the ultimate title. After witness-ing teams’ season-long journeys, the Super Bowl is ap-proached by foot-ball fans with great anticipation.

“I’m way more excited for Super Bowls than any other game,” junior Ayman Tebry said. “To see the top two teams play their hardest on the biggest stage is a lot more exciting than any NFL games.”

Throughout the years, Super Bowls have been the source of several sensa-tional plays. They have provided foot-ball fans such as sophomore Jordan An-dras with moments to never forget.

“My favorite moment is (Bears kick returner) Devin Hester’s touchdown on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI,” Andras said. “(Giants wide receiver) David Tyree’s helmet catch and (Steelers wide re-ceiver) Santonio Holmes’ catch at the end of (Super Bowl XLIII) are also on that list.”

Viewers do not just tune in to the Super Bowl for the game. Many like junior Renae Noonan are more interested in the commer-cials.

“I’m more into the commercials during the Super Bowl,” Noonan said. “They’re usu-ally funnier than every day commercials and are entertaining to watch.”

Super Bowl halftime shows also draw viewer’s

attention. Before the game increased in popularity, half-time shows featured marching bands from local high schools and colleges. The show later introduced famous art-ists to the stage, hav-ing classic rock bands perform at the game. In attempt to relate to the current times, Super Bowl XLV’s halftime show fea-tured The Black Eyed Peas and Usher. Still, the show could not appeal to fans of different genres. Andras be-

lieves a combi-nation of artists would increase the game’s rat-ings.

“I think it would be neat if individual artists from each genre all came together to perform at the

halftime show,” Andras said. “That way, it would appeal to all sorts of people.”

Super Bowl XLVII is different from games of the past. For the first time in NFL history, the game features head coaches who are brothers. Because of headlines such as Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis’s retirement, Tebry believes this game will provide moments to look back on.

“I think the Ravens win this game because of the emotion they have been rid-ing throughout the playoffs,” Tebry said. “Ray Lewis won’t rest until he makes his last game one to remember.”

In recent history, Super Bowl Sunday has been associated with parties featuring large meals and decorations, a tradition that assures Tebry that the day will be enjoyable.

“We always throw a party, get lots of food, decorate the place, and invite our family friends over,” Tebry said. “It’s a great time and I can’t

wait for it this year.”

SuperFacts

Michael Jackson

was the first famous artist to perform at the

halftime show.

Phil Simms

was the first play-er to say the catch phrase, “I’m going to

Disney World!”

No Super Bowlhas ever gone into overtime. The closest was Patriots vs. Pan-thers in Super Bowl

XXXVIII.

Super Bowl XXIVfeatured the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history. The 49ers beat

the Broncos 55-10.

Chuck Howley

is the only player from a losing team to win

Super Bowl MVP.

Facts obtained from yahoo.sports.com

Ray Lewis won’t rest until he makes his last game one to remember.

Ayman Tebry junior

‘‘

Students share views on bowl game

“Devin Hester, you are ridiculous!” “Santonio Holmes with the touc

hdow

n!”

vs.“And Tyree...makes the catch!” “Kevin D

yson reaches for the endzone...did he get it? No! He’s a

yard

shor

t!”

undaySuper

Including first time performers, mem-bers of the senior class claimed all of the awards presented at this year’s talent show.

The seniors that won the awards were Sarina Niewiadomski, Katie Fenn and Hope Hobgood, Frankie Hubbell and Casey Kitchen.

“When they called our names for the award, it felt so good. It was so honoring. The talent show was just a thing we did to try it out, and I wasn’t really sure about doing it in front of so many people,” first time performer senior Hope Hob-good said. “So getting that experience and having that is completely mind blowing. We’re very thankful.”

Hobgood was joined by fellow seniors Frankie Hubbell and Casey Kitchen and performed a cover of A Day to Remember’s “If It Means A Lot To You.” Hobgood and Kitchen were on vocals while Hubbell ac-companied them on guitar. At the end of the show, the three took home the Crowd Pleaser award.

“It was awesome when everyone start-ed singing together,” sophomore Tiffany Gaeta said of the group’s performance. “It made me want to get up and dance.”

The crowd interaction brought a dis-tinct energy to the show, particularly in Hobgood, Hubbell and Kitchen’s perfo-mance. The performers reciprocated the energy of the audience.

“I thought we connected with the audi-ence pretty well. It was a really good feeling when we put our hands up at the end and told them to start singing with us. When

the audience started singing, this surge of energy came to me,” Hobgood said.

Along with feedback from the audi-ence, the performers received critiques from the judging panel which consisted of theatre arts teacher Kit Degenhart and English teachers Nicole Shelpman, Riley Brewer and Vince Bauters. The event was emceed by history teacher Chris Mikrut.

The Jan. 24 show was hosted by Stu-dent Council.

“The Talent Show is a great way to showcase our students and how much tal-ent they have,” Student Council sponsor Nicole Pugh said. “The performers and staff all made the show a very entertaining

night.”The talent show gave an opportunity

to beginners like Hobgood to share their talents, but seasoned acts graced the stage as well.

“I wanted to do the talent show be-cause I had done it last year and it was a lot of fun. It’s nice to hear feedback from people that don’t really know you,” senior Jordan Tromp said.

Tromp was in the group Sparkle Mo-tion with seniors Adam Mihal and John MacNeil. They performed an original song. MacNeil was also featured in three other performances.

“Performing is my favorite thing ever,

especially at the talent show, because every-one is so supportive, and it’s a great op-portunity to perform for such a great audi-ence,” senior John MacNeil said. “This was my fourth year doing it. A gig is a gig.”

Senior Sarina Niewiadomski, also no stranger to the stage, took the title of Most Talented. She wrote and performed an orig-inal song, “Guy From Out of Town.” She received positive feedback from both the judges and audience.

“I really didn’t think I would get most talented because there were so many talent-ed performers, so I was shocked. It was just amazing,” Niewiadomski said.

Fenn, who took home the award of Most Original Performance, performed an original composition while playing her ukulele.

“I like that you can move some-body without actually moving them, that you can be a different person and still be yourself and stay consistent with yourself. That trophy symbolizes that all impervious dreams are reachable,” Fenn said.

While singing acts were common, there were also dance acts. One such act involved juniors Kyleen Likas and Fran Bass danc-ing a hip hop duo to Beyoncé’s “Count-down.” Other dancing acts included ballet and street style dancing.

“Fran and I have been dancing togeth-er for ten years. Since we don’t dance for the school, we wanted to show them why we do what we do and our dance careers. I think it went pretty well; we wanted the students and the audience to be happy with it,” junior Kyleen Likas said.

While the judges were deliberating, performers Dylan Taylor and Anything Auburn featuring Becca Olesek and Ro-man Ruiz concluded the evening’s perfor-mances. Both are sponsored by Crown City Records.

The high energy talent show provided student artists with a chance to display their talent and skills as well as perform in front of an audience.

“It’s a really good way to show people your talent and come out of your shell,” Niewiadomski said.

BY SHANNON ROSTINMADDIE ADDUCCIasst. feature editor

reporter

9featureinklings 1/31/13

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Seniors sweep talent show, win all judged categories

got talent?

Senior Sarina Niewiadomski, Katie Fenn, Frankie Hubbell, Hope Hobgood and Casey Kitchen were the winners of the 2013 talent show. Niewiadomski won the Most Talented award, Fenn won Most Original, and Hubbell, Hobgood and Kitchen won Crowd Pleaser.

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

10 inklingsfeature 1/31/13

{ the shades of }Valentine’s

DayFebruary 14th is known for being

the day dedicated to love. Many celebrate by planning an extra special evening with that

special someone. However, over the years Valentine’s Day has acquired a less-than-loving outlook by

those who think of it as a “Hallmark holiday.” “I just think that if you love someone you

shouldn’t just do something special for them once a year, you should show them all the

time,” junior Molly Floyd said.Often times those

going solo on Valentine’s Day choose to ignore the

holiday and go on with their life. But many still celebrate regardless of

their relationship status on Facebook. “For Valentine’s Day my friends and

I are hanging out and going to see the movie ‘Beautiful Creatures,’” sophomore Rebecca Correa

said.

Unfortunately, not everyone gets the chance to enjoy February 14th with

their significant other, especially when the end of a relationship falls right before the big day.

“Let’s just say my sisters had a very nice Valentine’s Day last year,” senior

Pat Mudd said. “This year I will be celebrating Single’s Awareness

Day.”

Valentine’s Day is dedicated to celebrating love and spending the day with your significant other. Going out to dinner, heart shaped candy and one’s favorite flowers are common gifts and plans for the day. Sophomore Kelly Kislowski and her boyfriend sophomore Jacob Balko have big plans this year.

“I think we’re going to go on some sort of date because he can get his driver’s license pretty soon and I just really want to spend time with him,” Kislowski said.

Being with the same person for several

years can diminish the importance of the big day.

“This year I’m probably going to stay home with my kids and then

go out for dinner the following weekend,” Chemistry teacher Elizabeth Laba said.

Social studies teacher Vince Lewis will pull all the stops on Feb. 14 for his first Valentine’s Day with

his wife. “I plan to make dinner. I think if you can put together

something nice and show that you put a lot of effort into it, it shows your love more than anything,” Lewis said.

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A plethora of emotions is evoked on Feb. 14. Love, loneliness and loathing are among them, leading to the many unique ways in which the holiday dedicated to hearts and flowers can be honored, no matter one’srelationship status.

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BY RAEANNA MORGANEMILY BESTeditor-at-large

reporter

The award shows have officially kicked off as the new year came in. Nu-merous award shows have already taken place, leading up to The 85th Academy Awards which is considered to be the most prestigious award show for movies and television shows from the past year.

The awards season started with The People’s Choice Awards, hosted by Kaley Cuoco on Jan. 9. The PCA’s are voted on by the people and because of that, the winners are purely based on their fan base and not necessarily on their talent. The next show in the season is The 70th Crit-ics’ Choice Awards hosted by Sam Rubin on Jan. 10. The CCA’s are voted by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and is said to be a close prediction for the Os-cars. Then, the Golden Globes took place which has the Foreign Press Association decide on the winners. It was hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Pohler, the first women duo to host, on Jan. 13.

The award show next in line is the Academy Awards on Feb. 24, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, where the Oscars are handed out to the best in cinematography with 24 different categories. The nominees have been selected, and all that is left to do is crown the winners.

The major awards at the Academy Awards are Best Actor in a leading role, Best Actress in a leading role and Best Picture. The nominees for the Best Ac-tor in a leading role are Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Denzel Washington (Flight) and Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables). In this same category for the CCA’s, Daniel Day-Lewis took home the win while at the Golden Globes Hugh Jackman won for best actor in a comedy/musical and Daniel Day-

Lewis won again for Lincoln in best actor in a drama category. My prediction to win the Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role would be Daniel Day-Lewis for his perfor-mance as Abraham Lincoln in the film Lincoln. He won the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Award for this very same category, so it might be safe to say he might win again.

The Best Actress in a lead-ing role nominees are Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Jes-sica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Naomi Watts (The Impossible) and Em-manuelle Riva (Amour). The Critics’ Choice Award went to Jessica Chastain for Best Actress and she also received a Golden Globe along with Jennifer Lawrence who won for Best Actress in a musical/comedy. My prediction is that Jessica Chastain will walk away with an Oscar this year since she has gotten an award twice already for her performance in Zero Dark Thirty. Jennifer Lawrence could also come out with an upset and snatch the award though.

The most prestigious award of the night is Best Picture. The nominees are Argo, Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained and Life of Pi. Les Miserables won Best Picture for a musical/comedy at the Golden Globes while Argo won Best Picture for a drama. Argo also won at the CCA’s, so Argo is my best bet for the winner at the Oscars this year. An unexpected win could come

with Zero Dark Thirty if they receive an

Oscar for Best Picture.

lifesocial

11a&einklings 1/31/13

Tiger is absolutely back. Sadly, though, so are the hideous white Nike Air Nurses.

tweetsbestShawn White gets so much higher than everyone else...its #crazy

These Te’o jokes are all very funny but let’s all try and remember that a fake person who never existed is dead.

Dogs win the IHSAA Wrestling Sectional!

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For when you need a quick pick-me-up from the kids of South Park.

This cat seems to have every-thing, tweeting the things we are afraid to admit.

A section devoted to social media

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Non-prescription glasses have become a popular fashion statement worn by both males and females. Their various shapes and patterns make them an easy accessory that can match any outfit. These easy- to- find glasses are a smart buy.

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Moviegoers get “Struck by Lightning” Chris Colfer is well known for his role

on “Glee” as Kurt Hummel. Now, he can add author and screenplay writer to his resume. With his latest project “Struck by Lightning,” Colfer finds himself playing the character Carson Phil-lips.

I had the opportunity to interview Chris Colfer via video chat. The topic ranged from his writing process to actually starring in the movie. Chris had plenty to say about how grateful he is that students are still involved in their school newspaper. Colfer is shocked that school jour-nalism programs are still available.

Carson is an outspoken, has-it-all-figured out, creative senior with big dreams of attend-ing Northwestern University and becoming the editor of The New Yorker. Colfer transitions with ease to play the part of Carson Phillips in “Struck by Lightning”.

“I think that I’m very vain, and I decided to write myself a movie rather than write someone else a movie. I couldn’t see anyone else playing Carson,” Colfer said.

However, Carson’s dreams are cut short

when he is suddenly struck by lightning in the school parking lot. He takes the viewer’s back to the last events leading up to his death.

He is constantly reminded of how outra-geous it is to have those kinds of dreams in a small town like Clover by his peers; like a popu-lar cheerleader (Sarah Hyland), Carson’s father (Dermot Mulroney) and his only friend and supporter Malerie (Rebel Wilson). Chris Colfer embodies Carson Phillips beautifully-- because he wrote the character himself.

“(Carson and I) both got strange looks in high school when we told people what we wanted to do,” Colfer said.

All and all, the movie is perfect; Colfer has made sarcasm and wit a point-of-view and a good one at that. High school students every-where can appreciate Carson’s high expectations, dreams and aspirations.

“I just hope that when you guys watch the movie you’re inspired to go after their dreams and aspirations” Colfer said.

The movie is currently available in select theatres for viewing.

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appsbest

Ruzzle is a puzzle game where you compete against an opponent to see who can find the most words the fastest. You can challenge a random opponent or play agaisnt your friend.

Wanelo

Ruzzle

Justin Timberlake returns from retirement with his

debut single “Suit and Tie.” Although the song is not

quite what fans will remember from FutureSex/LoveSounds, “Suit and Tie” brings a Marvin Gaye soul-like feel to modern boy band pop.

“Mama”

Two chil-dren be-ing cared for by a ghost of a dead mother because

she lost her own child is the plot for “Mama.” This movie is a very suspenseful horror story. The horror is very convincing, until the end. The end is the worst for a horror movie.

Combat Boots

Buckwild

Following the much loved reality televi-sion show “Jersey Shore,” MTV

has been following a group of drunk West Virginia teens and early adults in their new series “Buck Wild.” The drama filled episodes can be very insult-ing to the South and taken offensively by the charac-ter’s poor behavior.

Rick Reilly @ReillyRick

BY OLIVIA ELSTONreporter

Awards season starts, leading up to Oscars

A new trend this winter are the cute and edgy combat boots. The price for these boots runs from $45 all the way up to $250. These boots look cute with just about anything, especially skinny jeans. If you are looking for something be-sides the normal Ugg boots this winter, combat boots are a superb choice.

It is well-known that the creators of “South Park” are hilariously demented. Between the two creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, no subject is off-limits. Together they are such experts at crossing the line that they can do it in a way that is just as funny and thought-provoking as it is offensive. Who would have guessed that this caliber of come-dic genius could translate into a musical and a nine-time Tony Award winner to boot?

“Book of Mormon” has come to Chi-cago at the Bank of America Theatre and will be here through Sept. 8. The story centers around two young Mormons who are assigned as partners for their mission trip. Hotshot Mormon stud Elder Price dreams of being assigned to Orlando as his mission des-tination but learns that he is going to Uganda with the childishly enthusiastic Elder Cun-ningham who, upon learning that Uganda is in Africa, exclaims “Oh boy! Like ‘Lion King!’” Upon arriving in poverty- and AIDS-stricken Africa, the duo finds the locals to be less-than-willing participants in their conver-

sion to Mormonism. The Africans explain why this is in a wonderfully energetic number that, coincidentally, is the most offensive and shocking number in the whole show.

The score is clever and delightful, oddly able to be both sweet and raunchy, never losing its hilarity and drawing the line between quality satire and cheap shock value. The songs are so catchy and beauti-ful that if you do not pay attention to the lyrics, you will forget you are hearing songs that range from blatantly making fun of Mormons to remarks about much neadier topics that general society would consider very much unmentionable (there are songs that make light of AIDS and one song that would make even the most open-minded Christian gasp). Despite the crudity (or, perhaps, because of it), the musi-cal will have you shrieking with laughter.

The show’s run in Chicago is unique

because it hosts a cast that is every bit as talented as the original Broadway cast. Nic Rouleau played the part of Elder Price on Broadway before joining the Chicago cast,

and does an excellent job. Ben Platt (who some may recognize as Benji from the movie “Pitch Perfect”) shines as Elder Cunningham, easily capturing the misfit charm of the character.

“Book of Mormon” is many things: clever, vulgar, challenging, provocative, ex-citing, sweet and outrageously funny. It is not, however, needlessly offensive. Its pur-pose is not to be shocking, but to reach into the deeper realms of human nature. It satirizes the way we believe in things but advocates the gen-eral idea. It teaches a lesson that many cannot teach with

the least offensive of words—religion is ulti-mately good because it gives those in hopeless situations something to believe in.

12 a&e inklings 1/31/13

Bieber unplugs for “Believe Acoustic” BY TINA WINFREY

reporter

Taco Bell has introduced a new menu featuring this fiesta in a bowl. The combination of rice, corn, black beans, tomatoes, gaucamole, cheese, choice of meat and lettuce is a great option for meal time. The bowl is an easy fix for any hunger. This can be bought for a simple $5.

When it is cold and icy outside the last thing that anyone would want to do is get out and scrape their car windshield. Scrap-ing takes effort, not to mention the cold air blowing on warm hands. The scraper glove can keep hands warm all the time. The windshield scraper is attached to the winter purpose glove. Cold hands will no longer be an option with the scraper glove.

A new way to spice up any hair style comes in form of a head-band. These faux hair braids come in all natural hair colors plus colorful ones. Instead of taking time and effort to braid a strand of hair, buy these accesories at any beauty or hair supply stores such as Claires and Sally’s Beauty Supplies.

1

2

3

Braided Headbands

Taco Bell Cantina Bowl

1The weather has been crazy lately ranging from thick fog to freezing rain. These are ideal conditions for a school delay, but by the time the school morning comes around the weather has cleared up and there is not a delay. Stop hoping for a delay because it doesn’t look like there will be one anytime soon.

The “Fake OuT”Delays

we’reSOover

ourFAVES

Scraper Glove

About a year after his last album “Believe,” Justin Bieber is back on top of the charts with his new album “Believe Acoustic.”

The acoustic title may be deceiving to some. Although many of the tracks are the same from “Believe,” the songs on “Believe Acoustic” have a totally different quality.

Chart toppers such as “Boyfriend” and “As Long As You Love Me” are included on the album, but instead of the usual radio techno background, these versions are just of Bieber and his guitar. Many may speculate that Bieber sounds autotuned, but through this album his true voice shines through. With just the accom-paniment of a guitar, Bieber’s real talent shows, and it brings the listener back into the days when he was singing covers on YouTube.

While radio edits may sound catchy, they sometimes blur the words together making the lyrics inaudible. The acous-tic version of these songs allow for each word to be heard and the real lyrics to connect with the fans.

This album also includes three new songs entitled “Yel-low Raincoat,” “I Would” and “Nothing Like Us.”

“I Would” is a catchy song which brings a little light to the slow tempo of the al-bum. Its upbeat tone is an ideal song for a summer romance.

These new songs add a little variation to the already known songs of “Believe.”

The album also includes a mysterious “Track 8” for it’s listeners to figure out which “Believe” song it is.

Already topping the charts in over 50 countries, after just its first day out, “Believe Acous-tic” is definitely an album worth listening to.

Book of Mormon keeps audience laughingBY MOLLY GRACE

feature reporter

From gym battles to plush toys, the Pokémon franchise has shaped the current high school generation since the first games released in 1998. Now, 15 years later, the latest generation of Pokémon will be arriving in Oct. 2013 in the new game titles Poké-mon X and Pokémon Y.

“I’m really excited,” said junior Nikki Vest. “The first Pokémon game I ever played was Yellow, so I started with the first generation, and I just loved it so much. I’ve pretty much played at least one game from every genera-tion, so I’m excited to see the new Pokémon.”

As announced on Jan. 8, the Pokémon Company will be releasing the games to a world-wide audience featuring the sixth generation of Pokémon since Pikachu, raising the total number of Pokémon to over 700.

Players take the role of a Pokémon trainer who must cap-ture and battle with Pokémon in order to become a master.

Trainers face many challeng-es, such as battles against your rival and gym matches against veteran Pokémon trainers, with the purpose of capturing every Pokémon and beating the current Pokémon master.

The game will be released only on Nintendo 3DS systems, although some students are still waiting to purchase the system.

“To see that they’re remod-eling the games in 3D is super awesome, but also kind of disap-pointing since I don’t have a 3DS,” said Vest. “It just costs too much. If the price went down, I would buy one.”

“I already have a 3DS,” said senior Amanda Pavot, “but if I didn’t, I would aboslutely buy

one just for the game.”As an art student, Pavot

is most excited to see how the games’ graphics have evolved from the first Pokémon games.

“Before, you played in an above, third-person view. Every-thing was done in pixels. This new game is going to be in 3D and cell-shaded, so I’m excited to see how that affects gameplay,” said Pavot.

With almost 50 games released worldwide, trading cards, a multiple-season anime TV show and other merchandise, few students haven’t been affected by Pokémon.

“I have played all of the gen-erations,” said junior Josh David. “I’ve even played some of the spin-off games, even though they weren’t very good. I still have my old, original set of Pokémon cards.”

As details are slowly released, students anticipate the release of a new adventure in the world of Pokémon.

“I hope they do a good job with the new game to keep the series alive,” said David.

New Pokemon games revive the fandomBY ELLIE BURRELL

reporter / artist GENERATION 6 STARTER POKeMON

FENNEKIN

Fire-type

CHESPIN

Grass-type

FROAKIE

Water-type

LEGENDARIES

Xerneas

YVELTAL

Official artwork accredited to thePokemon Company

23

balancing13sportsinklings 1/31/13

In both life and sports, athletes are constantly presented with challenges. How-ever, as seniors Megan Supan and Emily Langston have discovered, these challenges do not have to be faced alone.

The duo has been competing in gym-nastics together for the past eight years, and their bond has grown both on and off the mats.

“We always try to help each other im-prove as much as possible,” Langston said. “(Supan) always keeps me motivated to keep doing better. She’s a great teammate and an incredible friend to me.”

This year the pair has been appointed captains of the team and have taken this role very seriously, helping lead the team to recent success.

“(Supan and Langston) are great cap-tains. I’ve known them for a while and

they’re great friends to me, but they also teach me so much and help me improve a lot,” freshman Hannah Best said.

The team came out and proved they are a force to be reckoned with at the Chester-ton Invite this last Saturday. The girls nar-rowly edge the host Trojans by a score of 105.95-105.5.

“The Chesterton Invite was huge,” head coach Ami Pysh said. “This is only the second time Chesterton has lost their Invitiation, and both times were to us.”

Best, Supan and junior Natalie Groff all earned a spot in the top-ten overall per-formances to help the girls grab their first win at the invite since 2005. Best finished fifth overall, the top finisher for the Lady ‘Dogs.

“It’s great to have such young talent like Best,” Supan said. “She has great drive and potential. It’s just good to know that after we’re gone there’s going to be great talent on the team.”

The big win came shortly after an away loss to the Portage Indians. Just over two points separated the teams as the Lady ‘Dogs fell 108.7-106.125.

“We didn’t perform well enough on Bars. That’s usually one of our worst events, and it ended up being one of their best,” Langston said. “We’re working in practice on becoming more consistent all around so we don’t lose in close matches like that again.”

Supan had her best meet of the season the week before during an away meet at Chesterton. She put up a 9.5 on her floor performance, a personal best.

“It felt great setting a new personal re-cord,” Supan said. “It’s just so rewarding to see all of my hard work pay off.”

The team managed to pull off a narrow win in the meet by a score of 105.15-103.55. Groff helped contribute with a strong showing on Vault, grabbing a 9.2.

“Beating Chesterton is always a confi-

dence booster. They’re one of the best teams in the area, so it proves just how much bet-ter we’ve gotten,” Pysh said.

The girls now face 11 days off until their next meet at Michigan City. The Lady ‘Dogs will be looking to use this time to prepare for the remainder of the season and the postseason.

“We’re going to try to implement some new moves in that time,” Pysh said. “Nor-mally we just try to perfect what we have, but our girls are so well conditioned and permforming so well I feel they are ready now to expand their skills.”

As the girls approach the regular sea-son, they are beginning to set their sights on the postseason, but are not overlooking their regular season oppenents.

“Our goal is for the team to qualify for regionals, But we still have to get past Mer-rillville.” Supan said. “They’re our biggest competition, and we’ll have to work hard to beat them.”

BY Alex mcleAnsports editor

PHOTOS BY AMY SCHUCHWorking on their balance beam routine, seniors Megan Supan (front) and Emily Langston (back) practice together. The duo has been doing gymnastics together for eight years.

Long time friends work for strong senior season

emilylangston meganSupan

acta

Age: 18Height: 5’6’’Grade: SeniorYears of experience: 14BiggestAccomplishment: Working back from elbow and ankle injuries

Age: 17Height: 5’8’’Grade: SeniorYears of experience: 15BiggestAccomplishment: Getting a 9.5 in her floor routine

14 sports inklings 1/31/13

For the swimming teams, the entire year has been a process. They started the year building a foundation and learning their strengths and weaknesses throughout their schedule’s conference and invitational meets, all with the final goal in mind: performing in the postseason.

The boys team is coming off of a second place finish in the DAC conference meet. The ‘Dogs finished second behind Chesterton who dominated throughout, winning in all but one event.

Although Chesterton won their 17th consecutive conference meet by 189 points, junior Andrew Kvachkoff is not frustrated with the loss.

“Swimming against Chesterton is tough because they have two top swimmers in the

state,” Kvachkoff said. “Getting second is still good in the DAC because there are a lot of good teams that we beat.”

Head coach Doug Norris believes that, with how their season has played out, their outlook looks good going into their sectional prelims.

“We’re building a house,” Norris said. “We’ve put in the foundation, and it went well. We’ve had the middle of the house—the sprint races during the season—which have also gone well. Now at the end, everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do, which makes our outlook very well going into the prelims.”

Regardless of their outcome at the sectional prelims today, the girls swimming team is also optimistic about their outlook at the state meet. All season long, the girls have learned to disregard what happens at sectionals and turn their focus to a larger goal during the state run.

“This year, we aren’t focused on trying to win the sectional title,” head coach Bryon

Angerman said. “We’re focused more on going into the state meet and improving on our top 10 finish. We’re set up to score three relays in the top five and hopefully get individual swimmers in the top 16.”

The focus for the boys team is getting their times down as low as they can. Kvachkoff thinks his best is yet to come.

“I’ve been dropping my times,” Kvachkoff said. “I think I am getting pretty close to my sectional times. It would be nice to get back down to state.”

The girls swimming team has a similar goal. During her freshmen year, junior Holly Schuster placed first in the 200 IM and 500 free, and after defending her title in the 200 IM last year, her confidence is high as she prepares for this year’s sectinal.

“It gives you a lot more confidence knowing you’ve done it before,” Schuster said. “At the same time, though, it’s a lot more pressure to repeat.”

Schuster is not the only girl on the team looking to repeat last season’s state

success. Sophomore Aly Tetzloff won the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke during last season’s sectionals. While Tetzloff was a follower most of the year last season, this year, she was one of the leaders.

“Last year, there were more seniors to look up to,” Tetzloff said. “This year, there aren’t that many seniors on the team, and I’ve learned to find my own path and be an example for other swimmers.”

Like Tetzloff, the seniors on this year’s boys swimming team have helped gear the ‘Dogs toward the right direction.

“The seniors this year are telling the kids not to swim for just the seniors’ sakes,” Norris said. “They’re doing it for the overall team. Each individual swimmer feels like they’re swimming for a cause, and that helps us moving forward into the postseason.”

The teams will begin their roads to repeating in their home pool as the girls sectional preliminary competition begins today while the boys will swim on Feb. 14.

BY SAM BEISHUIZENALAA ABDELDAIEM

editor-in-chiefreporter

Preparing for the postseason, senior Brenton Yeager swims laps at practice. The boys swimming team looks to improve on their race times in order to perform well at sectionals and advance to the state meet.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY PEDERSEN

As girls basketball approaches post-season, improvement is essential. With a record of 5-14, the Lady ‘Dogs are focusing on critiquing their structure in hopes of go-ing into sectionals stronger than they have all season.

Putting the regular season in the past, the Lady ‘Dogs are stepping up their game to achieve their postseason goals. Senior guard Sarah Rivich has lead the team all season and is looking to keep it up come postseason.

“We’ve been practicing harder with full force and are trying to get young girls prepared to play top teams in the DAC,” Rivich said.

The girls hosted Merrillville Friday night and battled the Pirates the entire game. The Lady ‘Dogs started the game out ahead and stayed on top as they had a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The ‘Dogs came up short with a score of 69-52, however. Junior Katija Tarailo led the team in three categories with 16 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

“(Tarailo) has already stepped up a lot this year and has become a much better player,” Rivich said. “She will be a definite

asset to the post-season and the team next year.”

Tarailo and Rivich often team up to motivate the team to stay focused and con-tinue to improve with each practice. With postseason quickly approaching, it’s going to take leadership to move this team along for what lays ahead.

“It’s been a long season, but a lot of girls have stepped up to help prepare the team for the tough games that lay ahead,” Tarailo said.

Coached under Anne Equihua, Tarailo is looking forward to their first game after her performance at Merrillville.

“She’s come a long way this season. We moved her inside and she’s been playing great. She has a nose for the ball,” Equihua said.

The girls are going out strong come sectionals and are looking to keep improv-ing each game.

“We’re going into this game with noth-ing to lose. I know we can beat them; we played great against them earlier in the year,” Equihua said. “We’ve made huge strides this year and it’s an entirely differ-ent team now.”

The girls will open up sectional play at Michigan City this upcoming Tuesday.

After unsteady start, girls look to rally together for postseason successBY KARA BIERNAT

sports asst. editor

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

Lady ‘Dogs draw Michigan City in tourney opener

Junior Katija Tarailo puts up a shot against Michigan City. Tarailo leads the team in points, rebounds and steals. The ‘Dogs fell short to the Wolves with a score of 69-54.

Reaching for

Norris optimistic, Angerman focused on sectionals

greatness

Alex says “Only nine yards separated Adrian Peterson from breaking the single season rushing record held by Eric Dick-erson, but leading a playoff run with 2,097 yards is still enough to deserve MVP in my book.”

Alaa says “Peyton Man-ning immediately made the Bron-cos a Super Bowl favorite with his presence. The Broncos went from 8-8 to 13-3 in one season with Manning under center. I think he goes home with his 5th MVP.”

a second with

After 119 days of empty ice and tense negotiations, hockey fans can breathe again. The NHL is back.

The new CBA features a reduced split for players in terms of distribution of Hockey Related Revenue and a newly adjusted salary cap range, but in all honesty, not many fans care about the details. They care about the hockey.

Some pessimists say the season has already been ruined. They insist cutting the season from 82 games to 48 games will ruin the integrity of the season and that the fans will turn their backs on the league. Well, frankly speaking, the pessimists are wrong. This season, anything can happen.

The Blackhawks’ 6-0 start has the league buzzing that this year might see the return of the Stanley Cup to Chica-go. An incredible start to the season from Corey Crawford has silenced doubters and put the Hawks not only on top of the Central Division but also among the best teams in the league.

Around the league, teams like the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins seem to have been unaffected by the lockout, while the Los Angeles Kings look nothing like last year’s Stanley Cup champions, and a slow start from Alexan-der Ovechkin and the Capitols has fans scratching their heads in Washington, proving just how unpredictable hockey can be.

As far as fans returning, expect no issue. After the first week, the NHL reported a 6.6 percent increase in attendance. Fans will be forgiving, but if the league wants to try to make nice, they can start by firing Gary Bettman.

BY Alex McleAnsports editor

ALEX

Who will be this year’s NFL MVP?

15sportsinklings 1/31/13

What to expect from

the NHL

After a season-long debate on who is most deserving of the award, one player will be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player during the 2nd annual NFL Honors this Saturday.

While players such as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt made their case early on, the race for MVP is essentially between Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Manning returned from four

neck surgeries to throw for 4,659 yards, 37 touchdowns, helping the Broncos finish with a record of 13-3 and the first seed in the AFC.

Peterson’s statistics are no less impressive. After tearing his ACL and MCL just 12 months earlier, Peterson returned to the league with 2,097 rushing yards, only nine yards shy of breaking the all-time single-season record.

With both cases equally as compelling, Associated Press voters certainly have a difficult task at hand.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Peyton ManningAdrian Peterson

Tom BradyJ.J. Watt

112

4163

out of 117 students polled

Senior Tom Bardeson drives the lane in a recent home game against Lake Central. The Bulldogs lost the game 60-52.

Sitting at 5-10, 2-8 in the DAC, the boys basketball team has lost some close games against conference foes. With sectionals on the horizon, the Bulldogs look to change their fate as they reach the back end of their schedule.

“We are in the same spot as we were last season,” coach Clint Swan said. “We have guys in new roles and guys still trying to get

healthy.”Senior Tom Bardeson had a

knee injury that caused him to miss a couple games, and seniors Alex Nickla and Braxton Rice have battled back problems.

Sophomore Nick Jeffirs has stepped into the starting role and sophomore Josh Berquist has started at point guard this season.

“Our guys need to learn the importance of clicking at the right time,” Nickla said. “We can’t be taking steps back, especially at this time of year.”

The Bulldogs looked to click when they took on the Lake Cen-tral Indians in their second meet-ing of the season. The Bulldogs started slowly as the Indians took the lead 12-4 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs made up for their

start as they went on a second quarter run to take the lead 25-24 to finish up the first half.

Just when the Bulldogs looked like they had control of the game, Lake Central’s junior Tyler Wide-men led the Indians back into the game and put in a game high of 25 points. The Bulldogs ended up losing the game 60-52 with Barde-son scoring 17 points and Jeffirs adding 11.

The next conference game came against rival Valparaiso at home. Again the Bulldogs con-trolled most of the game, having a 31-27 lead going into the final quarter. However, Valparaiso put together a run in the fourth quar-ter to take the game by a score of 51-48. Jeffirs and Bardeson led the way for the ‘Dogs with 14 and

13 points respectively. “We need to focus on getting

better every day as a team,” Barde-son said. “Despite the struggles, we need to stay positive.”

The Bulldogs took on the Boone Grove Wolves in a non-con-ference matchup at Boone Grove Jan. 26. The Bulldogs led early but found themselves down 37-36 heading into the fourth quarter. Even with the ‘Dogs struggling, they beat the host Wolves 55-42. Junior Brett Barclay scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Bardeson added 17 points.

“The important thing is that we are playing our best basketball at the end of the year,” Swan said. “If we keep getting better at both ends of the floor, we can make a playoff run.”

BY DAVID KePSHIRereporter

Wrestling wins eleventh straight sectional crown

There’s a tradition of winning that lives within the wrestling team. The Bulldogs carried on this tradition this past Saturday when they won their 11th straight sec-tional title.

Thirteen of the 14 ‘Dogs placed in the top three allowing them to once again take home the DAC title. Junior Josh Fuqua (120) brought home a title along with sophomore Morgan Kral (195) who is still keeping an unde-feated season alive.

“Our goal this season was to dominate everyone we wrestled

and win the DAC,” Fuqua said. “The goal now heading into the postseason is to get as many wres-tlers to qualify for state as pos-sible.”

For the first time this year, teams will not be competing in a team state tournament. This change in format has allowed the ‘Dogs to focus more on individu-al success.

“Team state no longer exist-ing isn’t really an obstacle for us; individual or team, we are still going to prepare and train just as hard to have a strong postseason,” Kral said.

The loss of last year’s seniors

Tyler Kral and Jasons Tsirtis was a setback for the Bulldogs early on in the season, but after their per-formance at the Dunland Athletic Conference meet, it has become clear that the ‘Dogs are handling this loss well.

“Losing Jason and Tyler was an obvious setback for the team early in the season because they were our captains and two of the best wrestlers on the team, but we focused on who we had com-ing back this season and what we could do to improve,” Fuqua said.

While the loss may seem sig-nificant, Vlink believes that the team has what it takes to win at

state.“Last year was last year and

this year is this year,” Vlink said. “We’re going to work as hard as we can and see where that takes us as a team. If we do that, winning always takes care of itself.”

Now the boys look ahead to this Saturday’s regional meet, which will be hosted by the Bull-dogs. The team looks to keep the momentum alive from sectionals for as long as possible.

“We are all looking forward to regionals and we hope all our preparation will allow for success down at state,” sophomore Riley Akers said.

BY AlexIS BeRDInereporter

inside The NFL

Boys hoops struggle through DAC schedulePHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

‘Dogs look to bounce back against Merrillville tomorrow night

Beverage of Choice

I really like Coke. It has a strong taste and goes down smooth.

I Do LikeI really like Chief Keef because he’s creative and from Chicago.

Goal Oriented

Big BrotherMy brother Pierce is my role model because he is good at football and I want to be like him.

Dream GirlIn the weirdest dream I’ve ever had I was mar-ried to Beyonce.

My ideal valentine would be...

take 5

Taylor Millersenior

16 people inklings 1/31/13

...definitely a nice din-ner, some candy and top all that off with flowers.

...tall, dark and hand-some.

freshmanSusie Szymanski

...to go to a movie and her favorite place for

dinner.

...ice

skating

and just

hanging

out with

my date.

Alex Elmer-Jacksonsophomore

Tyler Lesliejunior

FreshmanQuinton Jones

I’m training for track right now, and my goal is to make the varsity team. I also want to pass all my classes this semester.

While former MLB stars Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are struggling to get their names immortalized in baseball’s Hall of Fame, two former Crown Point Lady ‘Dogs basketball players have recently been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, one of whom is still on the Bulldog court.

Current girls basketball head coach Anne Equihua played four years of varsity hoops for the ‘Dogs from 1981-1985. As a senior, Equihua averaged 23.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 7.4 steals and 6.8 assists and was named to the Indiana-All Star team.

“I was shocked when I found out. The news definitely surprised me. It’s just an honor to be in the same category as such great play-ers who went on to do such great things,” Equihua said.

With her at guard, the Lady Bulldogs raked in trophies. Equi-hua helped the team bring home both a sectional and regional championship each of the four years she was on the court. During her sophomore year, the team fell one game short in the postseason and settled for state runners-up. However, Equihua and the Bull-dogs would not be denied their crown as they returned to win the state championship each of the two following years.

“The highlight of my bas-ketball career would have to have been the first state title we won in my junior year. The disap-pointment of the prior year’s state championship loss made the win feel so much better,” Equihua said. “I couldn’t have done it on my own, though. I had great team-mates and great leaders in coach

Tom May and coach Scott Reid.”Alongside Equiha on the

1984 state championship team was fellow inductee Nancy Eksten. Eksten set the scoring record that year, which Equihua would then break the following year. Howev-er, it is not the trophies that mat-ter to Equihua.

“That team was my family. Eksten was a great teammate and friend of mine. It’s easy to talk

all serious about basketball, but we were still high schoolers. I’ll always remember my teammates most. It’s never about the games. It’s about the family,” Equihua said.

At Purdue University, Equi-hua helped the team make their first NCAA Tournament appear-ance and was named team MVP. After taking several years off from the game, she returned to the

‘Dogs as head coach last season. However, the recent induction means little to the season.

“I try to keep it as separate as possible. There are far more im-portant things for us to discuss about basketball at this time,” Equihua said.

The annual induction cer-emony will take place April 27 at the Indiana Basketball Hall of

Fame in New Castle, Indiana.

BY ALEx McLEAnsports editor

Current head coach and former varsity basketball player Anne Equihua poses in front of her two state championship trophies from 1984 and 1985.

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

A CLAIM TO FAMEHall of Fame to induct Equihua