Bettendorf High School Vol. 48 Issue 2

Therowl

Friday, October 21, 2011G

On Oct 3, at the Board of Education meeting, the additions and renovations for the high school, Herbert Hoover, and the central administration building were approved for a total of 18.3 million dollars. The projects that were approved for the high school include: the auditorium, fine arts renovations, a new main office, a new entrance and commons area, media center renovation, guidance remodeling, and new windows in the math and social studies classrooms. A new central administration center will also be added onto the high school, near the media center. The commons area will be a place for all students to gather before and after school, as well as upperclassman during lunch. Ala cart will be included in the commons area and televisions will be able to stream performances in the new auditorium out to the commons area.

Additions approvedBy Jordan RasoAssistant Editor

There will be a hallway built going around the media center The fine arts additions will include a new green room,

rehearsal room and an orchestra shell in the new auditorium. Fencing was scheduled to be put up during the week of Oct 10. The auditorium project is scheduled to break ground in the next 1-2 weeks. The construction did not start immediately, because the district needed to order the equipment and arrangements for traffic had to be made. Class time will not be interrupted

because the additions that are scheduled to start during the school year are outside. The high school administration offices

will be built first so the administration can move to the new offices and the old offices will be demolished during the summer. A few weeks later construction of the central administration center will begin. New windows in the social studies and math classrooms as well as the renovation of the media center will take place in the summer, also so class time will not be interrupted. Students will have to deal with parking, especially in north lot.

Fencing and construction will take up almost 80 parking spaces in north lot, but when band lot is open, most of

the lost spaces will be made up. Traffic will be difficult at times, and students must be extremely careful when entering and leaving the parking lot. The construction is scheduled to be done before the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, excluding the auditorium, which should be completed by November 2012. The commons area will not be open until the auditorium is finished, because of its location. The athletic additions

were not approved because the bids came in too high. “We will regroup and work with the boosters, facility director and the board,” Mr. Casas said. The district does not plan to drop the idea of the additions, they just will not be completed during this round of construction. “We are excited about the projects and the value they will bring to the educational experiences of our students, staff and community,” Theron J. Schutte, district superintendent said.

Students get pumped for the Hunger DriveBy Dana WatermanStaff Reporter

There’s still time to help out!

Friday, Oct 28: Zumba monster mashTake two cans to the Bettendorf YMCA for a Halloween-themed exercise class, best costume wins a prize! (6:00-8:00)

Sunday, Oct. 30: Trick or treat for cansStudents will be trick or treating around the area, asking for can donations. (5:00-8:00)

Every Sunday in Oct.: rave cinemasTake two cans for a discount on a movie!

Some of the many baskets donated to the silent auction were arrayed on tables in the copy center.

“Get heavy stuff, bring in the pounds!” — Penny Constantinou

Check out The Growl online!

To prepare for the Hunger Drive this year, Student Council has been setting up many outside of school events to increase the amount of food and money donated. Rave Cinemas are helping out by giving discounts on movies every Sunday in October to anyone who brings in two cans. Res tauran t s l i k e Panche ro ’s , Happy Joe’s, and Papa M u r p h y ’ s have also been helping out on some nights by donating portions of their profits to benefit the Hunger Drive. Many students have also been soliciting outside of stores around the area like HyVee, Schnuck’s, and Sam’s Club. The students ask shoppers going in to buy cans and donate them on their way out. Tom Fisher said, “I love getting out and asking for donations and people say, ‘That’s a great thing you’re doing.’” A silent auction was held on Friday, Oct. 14, to benefit the Drive, where

people, clubs, and sports donated baskets t o be sold. The publications class donated a basket filled with chocolate goodies and a William Wesley gift card, shampoo, and conditioner. Before the football game on Friday, Oct. 14, Student Council planned “Pack the Bus.” Anyone who brought five cans to the game received half price on their admission. Student Council is having a

competition within the council of upperclassmen versus underclassmen to see whose class brings in the most cans. Losers of the competition have to bring breakfast in to every morning meeting for all second semester.

All food donated will go to the River Bend Foodbank, and it distributes the food all around the Mississippi Valley area, not just to Iowa. Therefore the food that everyone brings in will have a heavy impact on not just the Quad Cities, but places all over. The goal for this year is to bring in 65,000 pounds of cans, to beat last year’s ground-breaking 53,761 pounds. More students need to get involved with the Hunger Drive. Penny Constantinou said, “Get heavy stuff, bring in the pounds!”

October 21, 20112 Opinion

Growl StaffEditor: Jillian Keck

Assistant Editor: Jordan Raso

Reporters and Photographers: Abbi Clevenger, Sarah Dixon, Maddie Glanz-Guessford, Mitch Parker, Scottie Trahan, Dana Waterman, Allie Weis.

Adviser: Connie KingMascot: Newsie

The Growl accepts all signed Letters to the Editor by the student body. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, and clarity.

Letters may be dropped off in D100, journalism lab or emailed to bhsgrowl@gmail.com.

The Growl is a member of the Iowa High School Press Association (IHSPA) and the Journalism Education Association.

Visit us at bettgrowl.com.

Beach House earns four starsBy Sarah Dixon& Maddie GGStaff Reporters

“I would rate their chicken 4.5 stars out of 5, it was great! Their food is fairly inexpensive, and would be good for parties.” —Sarah Dixon

Staff reporters fail in the attempt to take a jumping picture in the courtyard.

Located on 18th Street and 53rd, The Beach House is easily seen by the fake palm trees in front of the restaurant. The interior atmosphere is just as fun as the outside. The walls are painted blue, meant to look like the sky, and there is a large bar with color-changing LED lights underneath. The Beach House was not busy, so the service was very fast. The waitresses were helpful and knew a lot about the menu. The menu is organized and easy to read with the wide variety of choices Beach House offers. There are many TVs around the restaurant and by the bar to watch sporting events. The restaurant is very open and can hold many people. Beach House would be an ideal place for a large party. The restaurant is casual and relaxed, and has a wide range of food prices; from $7 sandwiches to a 26-ounce steak that costs $39. Menu items include appetizers such as wings, chicken tenders, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail and onion rings. The menu has cheaper options such as salads, soups, pasta, and sandwiches. Some more expensive entrees include walleye, salmon, steaks, chops, chicken and shrimp. Also Beach House serves homemade pizzas. Along with a variety of food, the Beach House has a bakery in the back with pies, cheesecake, cupcakes, and brownies. You can enter the bakery through the restaurant or by the separate door on the side, just for the bakery. The icing on the cupcakes tastes like a mixture of frosting and ice cream; they are delicious. The chocolate mousse pie is very popular among customers, and strongly recommended if you love chocolate. Overall, the Beach House is a fun, unique restaurant for the whole family. We give it four stars out of five.

Senior Maggie Meloy is a hostess at the Beach House.

“I would rate the Caesar salad 3.5 stars out of 5. The croutons were delicious.” — GG

Pictured above is the seating to the right of the bar, in front of the bakery.

Palm trees in Iowa? The outside of the Beach House is unique.

The entrance to the Beach House maintains the theme with the walls and ceiling painted to look like the sky.

The restaurant is even more exciting with LED lights that change colors underneath the bar.

October 21, 20113 News

“Almost, Maine” is almost here!By Maddie GG Staff Reporter

There are hours upon hours of work that is put into a production of any kind. Techies put in their time and talents behind the scenes. Senior Erin Fleming said, “Even though we don’t always get recognition, I like seeing what has been accomplished because of what I did.” Techies put in an average of ten hours per week building, designing, and painting sets. Sophomore Max McInnis said, “Drama Club is a place where you can come from any background and just be yourself.” McInnis enjoys helping to paint and design sets. Isaac Bries, another techie, said, “It’s fun to use the staple gun.”

The cast is extremely excited. “I like performing because it gives me a chance to express myself and show people what I can do,” junior Megan Sanchez said. Sanchez originally auditioned because she wanted the auditioning experience for the musical, but ended up getting the part and now she loves it. “It’s really rewarding to see people enjoy what we put so much work into,” senior Ashton Temple said.

“I like performing because it gives me a chance to express myself and show people what I can do.” ~Megan Sanchez

“It’s fun to use the staple gun!” ~Issac Bries

“Drama Club is a place where you can come from any background and just be yourself.” ~Max McInnis

Above: Max McInnis, Megan Moon, and Jason Nankivell have a jolly good time while working on building the set.

Ashton TempleSam RuchotzkeChris MathesonMegan SanchezMolly MayneJJ JohnsonLogan TudeenKyle GutierrezJordan RasoDallas SnyderMaddie GGTommy TygretAllie GramppDylana LockwoodChristian Hahn Luke ManwillerColton CutforthMelanie Duffin

Cast List

Mr. Howard and Issac take a break from building and rest on the saw table.

The fall play is almost here! This year’s fall production is “Almost, Maine,” an unorganized town near the border of northern Maine. The people of Almost are always falling in and out of love. Almost is the perfect place to see the northern lights, making it the ideal setting for this romantic comedy. The show times are Thursday and Friday, Oct. 27-28 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1:00 p.m..

Techies use the saw to cut wood that will be used in the construction of the set.

Senior Eric Edwards sets a good example for underclassman.

October 21, 20114 Features

Senior Ryan Hamby used his vocal skills to ask senior Lisa Trizzino to homecoming. He asked Trizzino by singing to her in a food court at the Coral Ridge Mall in Iowa City after a cross country meet. He sang “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA. Hamby got the idea to sing the song after watching “The Office” when the character Andy Bernard asked the character Angela Martin out on a date by calling her on the phone and singing the same song. He had recorded his voice to sing the background parts on the show, but since Hamby did it in person, he had some of his teammates help him out. While he sang the main part of the song, Hamby’s teammates snapped to the beat of the song. Hamby had always wanted to ask someone to something this way after watching “The Office” and he thought that homecoming was the perfect opportunity to ask someone. Hamby learned the song the day he was planning to ask Trizzino, so he didn’t know the words very well. “While I was singing I totally blanked and could not remember the lyrics, so some of the girls from cross country started singing along,” Hamby said. After he finished singing he said that a bunch of people were clapping in the food court. “After I asked her, she was laughing and her face turned red, but it was not as red as my face,” Hamby said.

Sophomore Jonathan Gunti “reeled” in sophomore Maddie Glanz-Guessford in order to ask her to homecoming. He dressed up like a fisherman and used a fishing pole to ask her. He made a poster board that said “Follow the line to have a good time,” and it had pictures of fish all over it with a bouquet of flowers next to it. His plan was to reel in the line

and then Glanz-Guessford would follow it, and he would then proceed to ask her. But, while reeling in, the line got tangled so he had to just pull it. Also, Glanz-Guessford’s neighbor was getting upset with Gunti for sitting in their bushes because they didn’t know who Gunti was or why he was on their property. It all ended well, though, because when Glanz-Guessford found him, Gunti asked her. He said, ”Sorry I don’t have a better line, but will you go to homecoming with me?” Gunti thinks she was surprised how he asked her, but does not think she was surprised that he asked her.

Austin Broyles, sophomore, asked Katie Walker, sophomore, by putting all their memories together in one place. Broyles put together a scrapbook of all of the pictures he could find of them together. The last page said “Homecoming 2011” and had a spot for a picture of them on the page. He had to buy supplies for the book such as the book, scrapbooking paper, ribbon, and sparkles. “The book took a while to make, and it was difficult to find time to make the book,” Broyles said. When Broyles took the book to Walker, she thought that it was for her sister since it was her sister’s birthday. After Walker found out that it was for her she was really surprised. “She kept saying ‘aww’ as she was looking through the scrapbook,” Broyles said.

Seniors Shelby Crane and Gabie Hart asked Pleasant Valley students Tony Meyer and Connor Foster to homecoming by making a scavenger hunt. Their scavenger hunt started at Starbucks where Meyer and Foster were drinking coffee. Hart and Crane had their friends kidnap Meyer and Foster while they waited in the Splash Landing parking lot. Crane and Hart were planning on Meyer and Foster leaving their coffee at Starbucks

Ryan Hamby gets up in front of the food court at Coral Ridge Mall to sing to Lisa Trizzino in order to ask her to homecoming. (photo by Gabie Hart)

and then they would have taken the cups to write homecoming on them. They then would have given them the cups back at Splash Landing, but Foster and Meyer took their coffee with them. A l s o , the first clue was to go to Hungry Hobo, but they were heading to the library. So they

had to have their friends text them to go to Hungry Hobo. “When they found us at Splash Landing they acted like they were not surprised, but they said that it was a creative way to ask someone,” Crane said.

Scottie Trahan, junior, asked junior Amy Whiteman on her birthday. He hid in a giant moving box that he wrapped in wrapping paper. He had to drop off the box at Whiteman’s friend’s house where Whiteman was with her friends. Whiteman’s friend’s neighbor was concerned about why he was hiding in a box on someone’s doorstep and parked

Ryan Berg writes “will you go to homecoming with me Christine?” In French to ask his date, Christine Vincent to homecoming.. (photo by Allie Weis)

Jonathan Gunti made a poster board telling Maddie Glanz-Guessford where to go so that he could ask her to homecoming. (photo by Maddie Glanz-Guessford)

By Allie WeisStaff Reporter

Creative ways to get a date to homecoming

Take a chance on me

Follow the line to have a good time

Scrapbook

far away. “I think the neighbors thought that I was trying to rob Amy’s friend’s house,” Trahan said. Once Trahan was in his box and inside the house, he said that the family dog would not stop barking at the box. “When I jumped out of the box I wished her happy birthday and asked if she would go to homecoming with me. She jumped when I popped out because she was not expecting me to be hiding in the box,” Trahan said.

Freshman Ryan Berg asked Christine Vincent during French class. Before class Berg asked Ms. Conrad if he could write a message on the board asking someone to homecoming. She said yes and helped him write out in French. Berg wrote, “Tu veux aller homecoming avec moi Christine?” This means “Will you go to homecoming with me?” “When she walked in her face turned kind of red and she said yes,” Berg said.

Scavenger hunt

French class

The Procrastinator by Henry Crowley

Happy birthday

October 21, 20115 Features

The excitement of getting ready for homecoming is one of the many things girls look forward to. Girls shower, get their hair and nails done, put on their makeup, and then put on their dress and shoes. Guys just shower and get dressed. For girls, homecoming preparation is a long but fun process. Most girls want a lot of time to get ready for homecoming, but not everyone had all the time they wanted. The marching band had a competition in Iowa City, and didn’t get back until about 4:15. Sophomores Franki Crites and Dana Ontiveros had Crites’ dad pick them up at the competition, so they could have more time to get ready. Ontiveros said they still only had an hour and a half to get ready, though. The preparation time varies among girls, but an ever bigger difference in preparation time is guys versus girls.

Girls “It took me three hours to get ready, but my hair took all day.” —Veronica Broggini “It took me two hours to do my hair, and two hours to get ready after that.” —Meghan Mulholland

“When I got back from the band competition, I had about an hour to get ready.” —Caroline Mooney

“I was busy all day because I had to buy jewelry and other things, but it took me about three hours to get my hair, nails, and makeup done.” —Maddy Meeker

“I was a little rushed because we had a cross country meet, but I got ready in about an hour and a half.” —Bricelyn Schultz

“I started my hair at 12:00 and finished at 4:45!” —Olivia Drexler

Guys“It took me like 10 minutes to get ready, it’s not that hard to put on a shirt and pants.” —Scottie Trahan

“It took me about an hour to get ready.” —Austin Lower

“About 20 minutes.” —Noah McKissick

“It took me 30 minutes, all I had to do was shower and put on my clothes.” —Caleb Rahn

“Well, it took me 10 minutes to get ready, but before homecoming I had a bro sesh with my bros, then locked my keys in my car, and missed pictures.” —Matt Butler

“It took me an hour; I showered and had to get my shirt fixed.” —Caleb Rigby

“I shaved, showered, and got dressed in about 40 minutes.” —Alex Graupmann

Dana Ontiveros quickly gets ready for homecoming after being at the band competition all day.

Margaret Obert, Josie Clark, and Angela Bertolino show off their hair at pictures by the river before homecoming. “My hair took one hour,” Josie said.

Preparation differs for guys and girlsBy Sarah DixonStaff Reporter

Lynsey Medd got her hair done at Ulta and it took only 10 minutes.

Senior Taylor Cary gets her hair done at Hair Hut in Eldridge.

During...

After!

The Hair Process: why it takes girls so long to get ready!

Photos contributed.

October 21, 20116 Homecoming

The week of Sept. 26 through Sept. 30 Bettendorf High School was filled with exotic animals, superheroes, evil villains, sailors,and stranded islanders. Students show off their school spirt for homecoming spirt week, by dressing up in appropriate costumes. Many events like the homecoming parade, Pep assembly and the drumline kept school spirt going through the week.

Students show their tropical side on Safari Day.

Alexa Major becomes an elephant for Safari Day.

Freshmen Lauren Young, Addy Bailey ,Brandy Jurevitz , and Abby Sears are in the spirit for Safari Day.

The boys cross country team waves to the crowd.

Carrie Wells, tiger hunter, captures tiger Kylie White on the safari.

The football team takes it easy the night before the game.

The clarinet section gets pumped up for their halftime show.

The Homecoming court rides in style in the Homecoming Parade.

Color guard performs during half time.

The girls swim team gets the big truck for the parade.

Spirit Week means costumes,By Jillian KeckEditor

The Titanic float shows the theme of the Homecoming festivities.

October 21, 20117 Homecoming

Goldusters perform during halftime.

Students get pumped at the pep rally.

Go, go Power Rangers!!

Students and teachers are ready to cause some trouble and fight some crime.

Drumline fires up the student body before the pep assembly.

Seniors Heather Schmidt, Kaylee Huber, Taylor Cary, and Madison Schmid enjoy the game.

Players on the sidelines at the homecoming game.

The student section changes to white during halftime for a “white-out.”

Seniors Ria Ruplinger, Raya Knight, and Liz Penrose ride on the seniors’ float in the parade.

Students do the interlude dance, despite a lack of music at the game.

Teachers also participated in spirit week like Keith Bonnstetter and Karen Cotti.

The students performed a dance called “Interlude” at the pep assembly. The dance was created by a UNI student a few years ago and went viral; student council taught it to the school.

parades, fun for Homecoming

October 21, 20118 Features

What’s in your locker?By Mitch Parker and Abbi ClevengerStaff Reporter Yearbook Editor

Lockers are one constant at the high school. Everyone has a locker to keep their books in, a locker that is the exact same size and shape as everyone else’s. However, the inside of student’s lockers also makes each student unique. In a sense, lockers are a direct reflection of each student’s personality. From school supplies, food, clothes, or even pictures, students keep many different items their lockers, and also have different ways of remembering where their lockers are and how to open them.

For many freshman students, learning how to open their lockers and navigate the locker bay can be a challenge. Jacob Schwarm does not have this problem. Schwarm knows the exact number of his locker, and has his combination memorized, so for him getting through the locker bay is a breeze. In his locker, Schwarm keeps books, an extra lanyard, and granola bars for a between classes snack. “I wish the lockers were bigger,” said Schwarm.

Haley Roberts, another junior, also remembers her locker by location rather than number. In her locker she keeps books, her school bag, and a hooded sweatshirt. In Haley’s opinion, the lockers are a “decent size.”

Aaron Lawrence, a freshman, wishes his locker were bigger so that he could use a larger backpack for all his books. Books aren’t the only thing he keeps in his locker, however. He also keeps his extra lanyard, pencils, and his backpack in his locker.

Matt Penrose, a sophomore, has a fairly empty locker in which he only keeps basic school supplies, such as books and pencils. Penrose also wishes that the lockers were bigger, but he does like the top part of the locker because it “comes in handy.” He also remembers his locker by location.

Freshman student Dillon Chase takes advantage of every inch of space in his locker. Chase keeps pencils, notebooks, books, his backpack, money, and drinks in his locker. Despite all of this, Chase wishes the lockers were bigger. In order to more easily get into his locker, Chase leaves it unlocked so that he doesn’t have to waste time with his combination in between classes.

Michael Crockett, a senior, keeps, as he puts it, “lots of odds and ends,” in his locker. Some of these odds and ends include pencils, his hat, his calculator, and his jacket. Crockett wishes his locker were bigger. He knows his specific number and the combination.

Veronica Broggini, a junior, keeps books, a backpack, shorts, chapstick, and empty bottles in her locker. She wishes the lockers were bigger because not everything fits. “Sometimes I mix up my locker combo from last year and this year,” Broggini said. Veronica also remembers her locker by location and not the specific number.

“I keep lots of ‘odds and ends’ in my locker.” — Michael Crockett

“The top part of the locker really comes in handy.”—Matt Penrose

“Sometimes I mix up my combo from last year and this year.” — Veronica Broggini

“The lockers are a decent size.”— Haley Roberts

October 21, 20119 Features

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Lord of the Rings vs. Harry Potter Ever since Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings debuted, there have been heated debates about which series is better. Lord of the Rings is about the quest of two hobbits, Frodo and Sam, and the ring of power, trying to make it to Mt. Doom to destroy the ring. If the ring of power is not destroyed, then the evil lord Sauron will take over Middle-Earth and rule with an iron fist. The hobbits’ quest is made more difficult by Sauron’s evil minions, called orcs, and Smeagol, a river-folk hobbit who was the bearer of the ring of power for millennia. The ring preserves Smeagol, and causes him to be obsessed with its power. Throughout their quest, Smeagol is trying to steal the ring, and kill the hobbits. Scottie Trahan believes Lord of the Rings is better than Harry Poter because “it actually has a plot. “In Lord of the Rings, the people know that if the ring is not destroyed they will die from Sauron’s rule, but in Harry Potter the people are guessing that if Voldemort takes over he will kill them,” Trahan said. J.R.R. Tolkien created the “Lord of the Rings,” a creative storyline filled with suspense and action. Harry Potter is a fictional series that tells the life of a wizard boy, who as a baby defeated the Dark Lord, also known as Lord Voldemort. Ever since then the Dark Lord has sought to return to power and kill Harry. Over the course of seven thrilling novels by J.K. Rowling, Lord Voldemort hatches his evil plans, but each is stopped by Harry and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger. “It’s an escape to a magical world, where J.K. Rowling enforces what is really important in life,” English teacher Nancy Emmerson said. Emmerson is a hard core

Harry Potter fan. Her favorite character is Professor Snape.

“I can read one book every day, except for the Order of the Phoenix,” sophomore Mallory Weaver said. Weaver has been reading the series since she was in fourth grade. Her favorite character is Hermoine, who coincidentally reads just as much as Mallory does. Weaver prefers Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings: “The books are always better!” The Harry Potter series is a huge part in many students’ childhood lives. Although they have many differences, the two series are similar. Rowling was likely influenced by Tolkien when writing Harry Potter. Some parallels are how Harry Potter has to destroy the Elder wand in the same way that Frodo has to destroy the ring. The Horcruxes have mood altering powers just like the ring.

The debate goes on . . . .

by Maddie GG and Scottie TrahanStaff Reporters

Mrs. Emmerson’s 9-year-old son Jake had a “Harry Potter” party for his birthday. (Contributed photo)

Mallory Weaver shows off one of her favorite books in the Potter series.

vs.

Ring of Power

Elder Wand

Lord of the Rings vs. Harry Potter110 people were polled to see which series they preferred.

October 21, 201110 Features

Object No. 1: Library

Object No. 2: Mr. Rankin’s room

Object No. 8: Up the stairs by the gym

Object No. 7: Industrial tech hallway

Object No. 6: Main office

Object No. 5: Swim hallway

Object No. 4: Language Arts hallway

Object No. 3: Auditorium

Object No. 9: Swim locker room floor

Object No. 10: Art hallway

First scavenger hunt unsuccessfulby the Growl staff

With great excitement, the Growl launched the first scavenger hunt of the school year. Regretfully, no one won. Even more regrettably, no one entered. The Whitey’s gift certificates are still hanging on the bulletin board in the journalism lab. The staff hopes to give the gift certificates away this month. Check page 12 for the newest version of the scavenger hunt, and go online to www.bettgrowl.com to enter your answers. The answers for September’s scavenger hunt are listed below.

Enter the October scavenger hunt today!

Enter answers at www.bettgrowl.com

Fries, the once crowning achievement of the ala carte food line, are now only a pale imitation of what they used to be. A typical conversation between students may sound something like this: “Are the fries good today?” “Nope.” “Ah, they were yesterday.” The fries are unsalted due to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) regulates ingredients in food choices in school cafeterias. This is why the french fries no longer have salt on them. Students are not happy about the change. “They are not salty enough, and are a bit cold sometimes,” Dylan Snyder said.

“Too crunchy, and without salt,” Brandon Huecksteadt said. “They are terrible this year, and

salt isn’t that bad for you,” Alex Elkins said. A c c o r d i n g to the USDA, individuals should “Consume less than 2,300 mg ( app rox ima te ly 1 tsp of salt) of sodium per day” (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/d g a 2 0 0 5 /document /html/

chapter8.htm). Some sources have slightly more or slightly less milligrams, but the sources do indicate salt intake should be limited. While students may not like the new requirements, they will have to learn to live with them--and without salt.

Healthy Kids Act changes lunchesby Jacob LoganStaff Stringer

Remember the debt ceiling crisis a month or so ago? When it covered the news about the 14.3 trillion dollar debt? The national debt has now officially reached 14.8 trillion dollars. With a 1.3 trillion budget deficit this year, the U.S. has quite the handful of budget issues. Some of the factors that lead to the debt problem are listed below--with all the zeroes in the amount to show how large the amounts really are. Current Budget:

•Medicare/Medicaid spending: $820,000,000,000 (23% of total budget)•Social Security: $720,000,000,000•Defense (Iraq and Afghanistan, all military research/personnel): $699,000,000,000•Unemployment benefits and income security: $411,000,000,000•War in Libya: $1,000,000,000,(from http://www.usdebtclock.org/)

Recent debt factors:

•Stimulus Package: $2.527 trillion in spending with another $744 billion cost in debt servicing.•Affordable Care Act: $701 billion in deficit spending, $940,000,000,000 total spending. Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP): 356.2 billion dollars invested.

The debt does affect students, as some of the current discussion includes cutting money for college loans and grants, as well as cutting educational budgets K-12. Cole Bunn said, “The Federal Reserve monetizes government debt and causes inflation. What most people do not understand is that China’s holding of government bonds is insignificant. Those bonds will never be repaid.” Taylor Amey said, “Well, if we don’t cut trillions in spending, if we don’t stop spending money in Iraq and Afghanistan, if we don’t at least audit the federal reserve, then this country is going to suffer.”

Debt crisis concerns studentsby Jacob LoganStaff Stringer

Spending by Function for Fiscal Year 2010•The largest areas of expenditure are social security, Medicare, and national defense.

•Smallest areas are agriculture, energy, and natural resources and environment.Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-are-your-tax-dollars-used-by-the-federal-gover.html

October 21, 201111 Opinion

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in all colors

FIFA goes above and beyondby Mitch ParkerStaff Reporter

People may say that Tiger Woods PGA Tour is the most popular sports video game of all time. Some may say that the baseball and basketball 2K series are more popular. Many may also say that Madden NFL, often considered the holy grail of sports video games, is the most popular sports game. However, the reality is that it is none of these. The most popular video game of all time, based on number of sales, is FIFA Soccer. FIFA Soccer is the highest selling sports video game franchise of all time, outselling Madden by 10 million copies

since its release in 1993. As an added plus to an already great franchise, this year’s installment has generated quite a buzz. Sam Ambrose, a sophomore FIFA player, put it best: “Thinking about FIFA coming out made me lose sleep.” With revamped gameplay, an updated career mode, even more teams and players, and other new features, FIFA 12 promises to continue the success of the FIFA franchise. One of the most anticipated gameplay features of this year’s FIFA title is the Player Impact Engine. Two years in the making, the Player Impact Engine makes the players’ movements more fluid and life-like. In past FIFA games, player motion

looked animated and jerky, and was not at all realistic to an actual soccer match. However, the Impact Engine has completely overhauled the physics of the game, making the way players interact in the game completely believable and realistic, and each collision in the game seems different from the next. This feature also makes player injuries more realistic, meaning that players are more likely to receive injuries based on how hard they’re tackled. The second feature designed to increase the realism of the game is “Tactical Defending.” Unlike in the past, the positioning of players, as well as where opponents make their runs, matters. Likewise, there are new controls that allow the player to send a teammate at the ball in order to cover another opponent or follow the player with the ball in order to force a mistake. So instead of just sending a defender in at the ball with a sliding tackle like in past FIFA games, defending in FIFA 12 has become a battle of wits with the computer-controlled players. The final feature that has helped FIFA 12 in its quest for realistic gameplay is Pro Player Intelligence. Pro Player Intelligence is one of the most underrated features of FIFA 12, and is also one of the most important. Pro Player Intelligence, put simply, makes the computer controlled players smart. FIFA 12 junkies will notice this year that the computer players pass and move much more effectively. Instead of using the same tactics over and over again, the computer in FIFA 12 will play to the strengths of its team and adapt to the formations and tactics the player tries to use. For example, teams with a taller forward will play lots of passes in the air for the tall player to head into the net, while teams with speedy players will try to play lots of passes over the top of the defense to allow their players to run. After playing FIFA 12, I was completely blown away by the graphics and realistic gameplay. While Tactical Defending is difficult to master and caused lots of frustration for me, when I finally mastered it I found it to be a new and exciting way to defend. Furthermore, the players move so fluidly that I almost feel like I’m watching a soccer match, and this improved player movement makes it much more fun and interesting to play the game. While the gameplay of FIFA 12 is a vast improvement over previous games, it is not the only thing that has improved. To start, online play has been upgraded. Ultimate Team, in which you can pick a team to play other people online, is now a feature from the game, not something to buy online.

Also, a new feature called Head to Head Seasons has been added, in which players can play other people online in ten game online “seasons.” After each “season,” the player is awarded a certain number of points and placed in a certain online league based on their performance compared with other players. Finally, one of the biggest and most anticipated improvements in the game is the new Career Mode, which has been altered to be more in depth and engaging. One of Career Mode’s major improvements is to the transfer market. For the first time, the player’s potential and current level of play factor into how much

FIFA 12 is the latest installment in the immensely popular FIFA Soccer series. This year’s game is one of the most anticipated ever, with several new features that have completely changed the look and physics of the game.

each player is worth. Also, the makers of the game have introduced Deadline Day. On the final day of transfers, the game will go hour by hour instead of day by day as people make last second transfer deals. As an added treat, Career Mode has become much more in depth. Player morale is now a factor. If a player on a team feels they are not getting enough playing time, they will voice their unhappiness or ask to leave the team. The media now plays a big role as well. “Media days” are days in which the user, as the manager, can talk to the media about his team, the other team, certain players, or the team’s performance. All in all, the updated Career Mode provides me with much more interesting gameplay. In past titles, Career Mode would become dull for me after a while. While this still occasionally happens when I play FIFA, overall I feel much more engaged by this year’s game. Also, this year’s game has completely blown my mind. No longer do new FIFA games offer anything more but updated rosters from year to year. The FIFA franchise has finally become a completely realistic soccer experience that users of the game will fall in love with. FIFA 12 is by far the best game of the entire series to date, and hopefully the improvements this year will provide for many more in the future. For any wishing to buy the game, it costs around $60. The game can be found at Walmart, Target, or any local area video game dealer such as Game Stop.

Junior FIFA master Austin Lower celebrates scoring a goal in a FIFA match while fellow juniors Luke Manwiller and Scottie Trahan look on in disbelief. New FIFA features such as the Player Impact Engine, Pro Player Intelligence, and Tactical Defending have created an all new FIFA experience which is miles ahead of any past FIFA games.

Margaret’sSALON

“FIFA 12 blows all of the other FIFA games out of the water!” — Kris Klabunde

October 21, 201112 Scavenger Hunt

Yes! They were our age once! Can you name all these teachers and staff members? ThefirstentrywiththemostcorrectanswerswillwinWhitey’sicecreamgiftcertificates.Enteryouranswersintheformatwww.bettgrowl.com.

Name the teacher or staff member!

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