Str

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boro High School

The

Friday, December 16, 2011Streetsboro, OhioVolume 33 Issue 3

Competition encourages donations

Continued on Page 7See “Community”

rbiter

Students benefit as teachers take advantage of new technology opportunities

>> Hannah BensonEditor-in-Chief

Two-hour delays will be utilized to save snow days

Wrestling team

undefeated as of press

time Page 8

Holiday Guide suggests

activities for winter break &

snow days Pages 4 & 5

>> Natalie PinkermanSenior Editor

>> Mikaela DombrowskiStaff Writer

Juniors win with 107 items, 263 total collected for Community Christmas event

Continued on Page 5See “Snow Day”

Continued on Page 7See “Technology”

December 2010 Snow Days

Winter Break

Donating 107 items to Community Christmas, the junior class took first place in the spirit competition created to encourage more school involvement in community service. Ultimately, the competition brought in 263 items, with freshman donating 45, seniors donating 49, and sophomores donating 62.

Community Christmas is held every year at St. Joan of Arc Church to help less fortunate families in Streetsboro buy gifts for the holidays. Items are donated by local businesses, staff and students from the entire district, individuals, banks and church organizations. The program was started and is facilitated by Pam Danner.

Due to current economic conditions the number of families who benefit from the event increases each year. This year the event helped roughly 150 families, aide Jean Utz said.

In previous years members

of clubs such as National Honors Society, International Culture Club, Student Council and Beta Club contributed to the event by bringing in items to donate. This year, however, a spirit competition

was devised to encourage the entire school to donate.

“We want greater participation from the total student body and felt that by making it a class competition, we would give every

student a chance to participate,” guidance counselor Joseph Huber said prior to the start of the competition. “We are hoping that this will be a continuous and friendly competition between

classes.” Huber hopes to proclaim

an ultimate winner at the end of the year, after points from other spirit competitions such as the homecoming pep rally or hallway decorating have been counted.

Set up in the lobbies from December 5-12 were Christmas trees, one for each class, from which students could pull tags of items to donate.

“We feel the whole school should be involved because it is a good cause and it shows how to give to others and do community service,” said junior Jessica Reker, who started helping out with Community Christmas in sixth grade and has since taken on a leadership role for the event.

Aside from donating, students and staff set up for the event Wednesday, and helped with the shopping Thursday.

While the competition helped to bring in donations, other made by clubs and organization

All over the world new technology and social networking are keeping people interconnected. Students and teachers have become a part of the movement.

New and different technologies are showing up more and more in the classroom. More teachers then ever have SMARTBoards. They are used to better display information to students. On them, teachers can display PowerPoint’s they have created, work out math

problems more efficiently or show websites to help further explain lessons.

Math teacher Jason Braddock currently uses a SMARTBoard and said he is excited to start using more SMART technology in the classroom, like a SMARTBoard slate, which would allow anyone to write on the board from anywhere in the room. A SMART interactive response device would allow students to enter homework answers as soon as they go to class. The device would then automatically grade the homework, giving Braddock immediate

feedback to pinpoint the questions he needs to review.

Braddock “wishes” that every classroom could be equipped with SMART technology.

“It would allow students to learn more at deeper levels, and get immediate feedback,” Braddock said.

Freshman Brooke Bolyard is taking Braddock’s Honors Geometry class.

“It gets difficult to learn some of the proofs and formulas,” she said. “He uses the SMARTBoard all the time to show us examples of what we’ll see

in real life and it makes it so much easier to understand than to draw it out on the chalkboard.”

Bolyard is not the only one who finds SMARTBoards helpful. Sophomore Bre Tuck said she enjoys classes in which SMARTBoard’s are used, because they allow students “to be more involved and hands-on.”

Aside from the new technology being introduced, social networking is also being used to help students outside of the classroom. Websites like Twitter are used to give homework help and remind

students of homework and quizzes.

Business teacher Tim Foster recently made a Twitter account to remind his general business, accounting and web page students of homework assignments.

Twitter has just recently become popular among high school students here. Some teachers, however, are wary of social networking sites because of inappropriate content they may stumble upon. Twitter is different than most, though. Unlike

Superintendent Bob Hunt: Streets_Supt

Rocket Rowdies: RocketRowdies

High School: StreetsboroHS

Library:RocketsCentral

Tim Foster (Business): foster_rocket

Kris Gaug (Government): MrGaug

#FollowFriday

Giving SpiritCollecting donations for the Community Christmas spirit competition December 9 are juniors Aubrey Stewart and Christine Koporc. To see a breakdown of the competition results see page 7.

Photo by Hannah Benson

By this time last year the district had already used three of its six snow days on December 6, 13 and 14. Superintendent Robert Hunt will make the call on snow days and the newly-instituted two-hour delays decisions for the district this year.

House Bill 36 (the “snow day” bill) gave Ohio schools five snow days back March 10. Former Governor Ted Strickland had cut the number of “calamity” days from five to three, but new Governor John Kasich put the new bill into effect before the end of the 2011 school year.

Snow days are difficult calls because everyone has an opinion and at times they disagree, Hunt said.

“This is really a case-by-case scenario,” he said. “There is not a specific temperature that equates to the cancelling of school. The wind, conditions of roads and time all play into the decision.”

Hunt plans to keep in contact with staff on duty, the police and roads departments and other school districts.

Maintenance supervisor Jim Washinski and transportation supervisor Marjorie Johnson will also help Hunt make the decision. Washinski is in charge of plowing and salting the sidewalks and parking lots.

The roads and campuses are major concerns when calling school off.

“A lot of it depends on how fast the snow/ice came down, and if there is enough time to clean it up,” Johnson said.

Because only five days are allotted for snow days, calling two-hour delays may be a more appealing option when road crews need more time to plow roads.

Hunt said even with the delay, if the weather does not change much and the roads do not improve, then a full snow day can be called. Two-hour delays would

EditorialsEditorials Follow “The Orbiter” on Twitter

Friday, December 16, 2011Page 2

orbiterboard, to fall under the legal definitions of mate-rial that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration, or which advertises illegal products or services. Specific definitions for these instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press. With this in mind, student journalists have sole right to determine content of official student publications. By not interfering with the content of The Orbiter or other publications, school officials are therefore not liable or responsible for content. Likewise, The Orbiter adviser will do just that: advise students through each step of the publica-tion process, but will not act as a censor. The paper has the right to praise or construc-tively criticize individuals, organizations and policies in an objective manner. Editorials reflect the majority opinions of the editorial staff -- not the faculty or the administra-tion -- and do not need to be signed. If a division exists among the staff, the paper may print both opinions. An editorial commen-

As preservers of democracy, our school pub-lication shall protect, encourage and enhance free speech and exchange of ideas as a means of pro-tecting our American way of life. The Orbiter, the official newspaper of Streets-boro High School, has been established as a fo-rum for student expression and as a voice in the uninhibited, free and open discussion of issues. The Orbiter and its staff are protected by, and bound to, the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various court decisions implementing those principles. The function of the paper is to inform, influ-ence and entertain; to serve as a record of events; to educate student journalists; and to provide a forum for free expression to those within the Streetsboro High School community. The paper has the freedom to cover news not only within the school, but also the local, state, national and international news through direct reporting and editorial comment in compliance with the First Amendment. The Orbiter will be free from all prior re-straints and censorship. The paper and its staff will strive to avoid publishing any material deter-mined by student editors or the student editorial

Orbiter Code of EthicsThe StaffHannah Benson

Chelsey CarpenterEditors in Chief

Natalie PinkermanSenior Editor

Mikaela DombrowskiMaddie Oslejsek

Taylor WhiteStaff Writers

Tyler SandersWebmaster

Polly DierkensAdviser

Contact us1900 Annalane Dr.Streetsboro, Ohio

Ph: (330) 626-4902Fax: (330) 626-8103orbiter@rockets.sparcc.org

tary differs from an editorial that reflects an indi-vidual’s opinion, and must be signed. Opinions can be expressed in Letters to the Editor, guest features or guest columns, provided they are 300 words or less and contain the au-thor’s name and grade. Names can be withheld for valid reasons. All letters will be verified by an editor or by the adviser as to the author of the statements and the authenticity. The editorial staff has the right to edit the spelling and grammar of all materials submitted for publication. Should a letter contain additional errors in fact or be too long, it will be returned to the au-thor for resubmission. A letter or column may be returned to the author for more information, if editors determine the piece contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy. Deadlines for letters and columns will be no later than two weeks before the next publication date. If questions arise over specific copy as defined within this policy, advice from a communications attorney with the Stu-dent Press Law Center is recommended.

Orbiter staff share favorite holiday traditionsOrbiter Staff

Online at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter

As Christmas draws near, newspaper staffers compile wishes for Santa

“What I enjoy most is lying around the house snuggled in a blanket. And every Christmas my brother (2011 graduate Cody White) runs around Christmas morning yelling ‘Santa came, Santa came!’”

“Over break, I love sleeping in and not having to worry about school. On Christmas day I relax with my fam-ily and watch the all-day marathon of “A Christmas Story” on TBS.”

“We used to go the Cavs game every Christmas, but not anymore, I don’t know why we stopped. Now we stay home and bond as a family, watching movies.”

Senior Editor in Chief Hannah Benson

Senior Editor in Chief Chelsey Carpenter

Senior Editor Natalie Pinkerman

Staff Writer Taylor White

Staff writer Mikaela Dombrowski

“Over winter break I love to play in the snow. On Christmas I enjoy splitting the holiday with my family and my boyfriend (2011 graduate Jacob Huffman’s) family. We always exchange gifts with each others’ families.”

>> Orbiter StaffDear Santa, This year as a staff we would love for Chris Lahm to receive many colorful scarves; we all know he looks so good in them. We would also like for Asia Wells to be able to improve her schedule for next semester. She seems to dislike her classes because she always hides in our room! Next we wish Steph Judd and Kayla Tuma a lifetime of friendship; the world would most likely end if they were to drift apart. We especially hope they both get hot tamales in their stockings because that’s their favorite candy. We wish for Mrs. Dierkens to receive an unlimited gift card for her white chocolate peppermint mocha from

Starbucks. We all know she spends all her money there. Could you also give her unlimited snow days? She wants them so badly. Taylor White needs a job. Now. Can you also grant her the ability to tell a SHORT story? We would also appreciate if you could give some med-ical answers to Styline Kepich. We are all worried about her and just want her to be healthy. Please bring Hannah Benson a set of pom-poms and a cheerleading uniform; we know she is an official cheerleader because she took pictures at a cheer competition. Bring Octavious Singleton a pillow and blanket for him to keep in school; he always gets so tired. We also know Mr. Foster would really appreciate a blow horn so he

can yell at his classes even louder than he already does. Also, would you please bring Justin Bieber to Nata-lie Pinkerman and Scotty McCreery to Chelsey Carpenter, because they are in love with them… but please don’t tell their boyfriends. Could you pick up a printer for poor Miss Mehlman (although we like her visits!) All of the seniors would appreciate a cure for seniori-tis. It is especially needed after Christmas break. Finally, and most important of all, we hope the UPS guy delivering our paper gets a watch so he is able to de-liver our paper on time and not ever again make us wait, near tears, on a delivery day.

“I love when my mom makes pancakes and the whole shabang on Christmas morning

because it’s a spe-cial treat. I normally just eat plain cereal for breakfast.”

“On Christmas Eve we go to my aunt’s house and we play Christmas games. Each person puts their name in a hat three times. When your name is called, you choose a present or steal one from

Staff WriterMaddie Oslejsek

someone else. It’s actu-ally pretty fun.”

Marshall drops the ball on ‘New Years’EditorialsEditorials

Friday, December 16, 2011 Page 3

“ After Mar-shall’s last produc-

tion, ‘Valentine’s Day,’ I expected a

bit more.”

Maddie Oslejsek

Film Critic

Tis’ the season for some basketball

Online at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter Friend “The Orbiter” on Facebook

Movies to see over

break

Movies opening today: “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” (G)•“Carnage” (R)•“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” •(PG-13)“Young Adult” (R)•

No Basketball Anymore was the nick-name for the NBA until the six month lock-out officially ended December 9. I expected the lockout to eventually be lifted. With bills to pay and families to take care of, players need money from some-where. Players have been participating in smaller events for income, but nothing that would pay as much as the NBA. Knowing the lockout has been lifted after 149 days, I am now joyful for the up-coming 66-game season. I can cherish old memories, while making new ones. I can look forward to family get-to-gethers, sitting around and yelling at the T.V. when the refs make bad calls. When I first heard about the NBA

lockout, I started reminiscing about all the games I’d gone to with my and brother while the “Q” was still Gund Arena. I started fearing I could no longer look forward to going to games, sharing Cold-Stone and peanuts with my boyfriend like I had in past few years. Then I found myself getting angry about athletes refusing to play because they felt they were not going to get paid enough. We are all in an economic crisis. “The interest in it is not there. Who cares that millionaires are fighting for more millions?” social studies teacher Sherry Maruna said. Basketball stars make millions of dollars, and most play with natural tal-ent. Some people do not consider playing a sport a job, seeing as players are doing what they love. Players wanting more millions than they already have makes them seem greedy.

While contemplating the lockout, I thought about my job and how much I make. I then thought about how if my man-ager decided I should make less, I would most likely quit my job and find another. For basketball stars, finding another job, and not playing basketball, would be difficult. All-stars like LeBron James were drafted directly after high school. They do not have degrees to fall back on if the NBA were to shut down forever. But thankfully, that won’t be happen-ing, at least not this season. After two preseason games, the Cleve-land Cavaliers will open their season De-cember 26 against the Toronto Raptors. With games starting on Christmas day, 58 days later than last year’s October 28 opener, No Basketball Anymore will bounce back to the National Basketball As-sociation, a perfect Christmas present for fans.

ChelseyCarpenter

Editor in Chief

NBA Games Over Break

Noon Celtics vs. Knicks

5 p.m. Bulls vs. Lakers

8 p.m. Magic vs. Thunder

10:30 p.m. Clippers vs. Warriors

12/25

12/26

7 p.m. Bobcats vs. Bucks

7 p.m. Cavs vs. Raptors

2:30 p.m. Heat vs. Mavericks

12/277 p.m. Nets vs. Wizards

8 p.m. Celtics vs. Heat

10 p.m. Trail Blazers vs. Kings

10:30 p.m. Lakers vs. Jazz

Coming soon:“Miracle on 34th Street” (PG) 12/19•“Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol” (PG-13) •12/21“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (R) 12/21•“We Bought a Zoo” (PG) 12/23•

Cheesy, comical and cliché. These three simple, everyday words can easily be used to describe Garry Marshall’s new film, “New Year’s Eve.” I personally was a bit disappointed in the film. “Valentine’s Day” had many more surprises and plot twists than “New Year’s Eve.” In the first “Hallmark-esque” movie, some of the actors’ appear-ances were shocking, such as Taylor Swift. Seeing this well-known country star in a movie was quite a sur-prise! “New Year’s Eve” has many common but great actors such as Katherine Heigl (my favorite actress), Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher and Jessica

Biel, just to name a few. I was a bit more aston-ished to see singer Jon Bon Jovi and older actress Al-yssa Milano in the film as well. I dearly love these two celebrities and was ecstatic to see them on screen! Both of Marshall’s films stuck with the “end-l e s s - j o u r -ney-to-find-love” theme. “ N e w Year’s Eve” i n v o l v e s couples go-ing through long and drawn-out scenarios to accomplish tasks before New Year’s Eve. One of these scenari-os involves Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Kim. Parker plays a single mom who works as a costume dresser at Radio City Music Hall.

Her teenage daughter Hailey, played by Abigail Breslin, wants to spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square and receive her first kiss. Mom, however, has other plans: Kim wants Hailey to spend the holiday with her. One positive thing

I can say about this part icular-story (with-in a much larger story) is that teens can relate to it. Many teens are torn between family and

friends all the time. I think teenagers will really feel for Hailey, while parents may tend to side with Kim. Ryan Seacrest also ap-pears in the film. He plays himself, naturally, host of the Times Square televised

events. This seems to be an overly obvious role for Seacrest, but he plays it well! Biel, who also had a role in “Valentine’s Day,” plays a pregnant woman trying to deliver her baby at exactly midnight in or-der for her and her husband Griffin, played by Seth My-ers, to win $25,000 from a local hospital. Mike Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, makes an appearance in the film as well. Those up to date on currents events will under-stand when I say some of the audience members may have a “predisposed” view of Bloomberg due to the current Occupy Wall Street movement. All in all this film is a bit of a headache inducer, despite several positives, but I’m not sure if they’re worth a 10-second count-down. Graphic by Chelsey Carpenter

Graphic by Chelsey Carpenter

“I don’t even remember not knowing he was not real. My cousins believed he was real…My Grandpa used to always dress up as Santa Claus. My cousin was

deathly afraid of him…I knew it was Grandpa.” English teacher Maria Judd

Holiday HappeningsHoliday HappeningsSearch for “StreetsboroHigh” on Twitter

Friday, December 16, 2011 Page 4

Online at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter

How did you find out Santa Claus wasn’t real?Compiled by Chelsey Carpenter, who found out Santa wasn’t real by collecting a swatch of each wrapping paper in the house, and comparing her papers to

Santa’s on Christmas morning.

“Since we don’t have a chimney I asked my dad how Santa got into the

house. He said, ‘Santa’s not real, sweetheart.’”

Sophomore Catie Carey

Boro Babble

“I was pretending to be asleep when I heard a noise of someone putting

presents under my tree, I looked and it was my mom. She told me to go

to sleep and when I woke up an hour later all the tags were from Santa. I

knew it was her.”Freshman

Kaelynn Hixon

“My sister kept telling me he wasn’t real. So I started looking in all the closets and the attic

before I found it [present stash] behind boxes in the closet. I

was so upset.” Senior Taylor

Goodman

“I found out the hard way…It was late at night I woke up, got out of bed and went in the kitchen. My dad was eating Santa’s cookies! There was a long pause and he said, ‘Oh crap.’ I asked him in the morning if Santa was

real and he said no.”Freshman Christina Gonzales

“My mom told me she

needed me to help her put presents from Santa under the tree. I said ‘What?’ She said, ‘Yeah, he’s not real.’”

Senior CodySimpkins

Winter break fun both near and farJust around the corner: under a 30 minute drive

Ice Skating at Falls River SquareWhat: Ice SkatingWhere: Cuyhoga FallsCost: $3 for admission, $3 for skate rentalHours: 19-23 & 26-31Noon-9 p.m.Distance: 25 minutesMore Info: 330-971-8373

Kent State University

What: Ice SkatingWhere: KSU Ice ArenaCost: $6 admission, $2.50 skate rentalHours: Vary Distance: 15 minutesMore Info: www.kent.edu/icearena/publicskate

TobogganingWhat: Tobogganing down a1,000 ft. ice chuteWhere: Cleveland MetroparksCost: $8 unlimited rides all day; $3 for one rideHours: Vary Distance: 30 minutes More Info: clemetparks.com/recreation/tobogganing

Further down the road: under an hour drive

Lock 3 Holiday FestWhat: Reindeer Run 150-ft. Sledding HillWhere: AkronCost: Rent sled for $3Hours: VaryDistance: 36 minutes More Info: 330-375-2877

Christmas Story House What: Tour of “The Christmas Story” house Where: Cleveland Cost: $10 Hours: Tours every half hour starting at 10:15 a.m. Distance: 40 minutes More Info: 216-298-4919

December DaysWhat: Lights and special animal displaysWhere: Cleveland ZooCost: $7Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Distance: 41 minutes More Info: clemetzoo.com/events/

Snow DaysWhat: Three ice rinks and tubingWhere: Progressive Field, Cleveland Other Activities: Baseball and holiday-themed activities, video games,

TVs playing movies, sporting events, holiday music and visits from Santa Slider

Cost: $27.50 pre-saleHours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.Distance: 45 minutesMore Info: cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/fan_forum/snowdays

Frozen Diamond Face-OffWhat: First-ever outdoor college hockey game in Ohio:Ohio State vs. University of Michigan Cost: Ranges from $10-$150When: January 15 @ 5:05 p.m.Distance: 45 minutesWhere: Progressive Field, ClevelandMore Info: www.cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/fan_forum/snowdays

Lake Erie Monsters Hockey

What: Cleveland’s own Monster’s hockey team vs. the Grand Rapids Griffins Cost: Tickets start at $10When: December 16 at 7:30 p.m.Where: The Q in ClevelandMore Info: lakeeriemonsters.com

Holiday HappeningsHoliday HappeningsFriday, December 16, 2011 Page 5

Friend “The Orbiter” on FacebookOnline at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter

What to do when a snow day is called

Sled with friends on a

neighborhood hill11

Make a snowman or igloo

33

Make homemadecookies and

treats

66 Have a

Christmas movie marathon

55 Shovel the

driveway for some neighbors

Build a fort in the living

room

Play video or board games

Drink hot chocolate

and egg nog

1010

Have a snowball

fight22

Go Christmas caroling

on the block

44

Catch up on

DVR’d shows

1111 Cyber shop for

Christmas gifts

99

77 88

1212

Snow DayContinued from Page 1

mean school would normal start exactly two hours later, start and will end at the normal time and busing will run the normal route in accordance of the delay, Hunt said.

If school is delayed for more than two-hours it is then counted as a calamity day and takes away one of our five snow days.

“We will continue to use calamity days and delayed starts with the best interest and safety of our student body always in mind,” Hunt said.

Through the individual opinions, “Student and staff safety are the number one priority and will drive these decisions,” Hunt said.

Diwali, Eid and Hanukkah are a few Christmas-like holidays celebrated by students. Holi, Lodhi, and Rakash Buntha are others celebrated in a manner similar to American holi-days. Celebrated by students who practice the Sikhism religion, also called Sikh, are Holi, Lodhi, Rakash Buntha and Diwali. Junior Simran Bhatia, who practices Sikh, described Holi as “the celebration of colors and bringing people together to bring peace.” Lodhi is “like Halloween here,” she added. Rakash Buntha is a holiday

Holidays celebrated differently among religions>> Taylor WhiteStaff Writer

in which you show respect and love towards your siblings, she said, and Diwali is much like Christmas. “Fifty-two kings went to prison for many years and when they got out people celebrated Diwali, which is the celebration of lights,” said Bhatia. “It’s like Christmas to [Indian people] be-cause they got their kings back.” Eid, an Islamic celebration celebrated when the new moon comes, which happened twice this year, is celebrated by the Gill sisters -- senior Fatemah, sopho-more Mahnooria and freshman Moazmah. “I personally don’t have a religion, but the religion I was raised through was Islam,” said

Fatemah Gill. “We just go to mosque, which is like church, pray, then visit people for dinner parties. When you’re young you get presents but as you get older you get money.” Islam is a “more strict” re-ligion, said Fatemah Gill. “It’s prosperous to read the Quran,” also to pray, dawn to dusk, five times a day. Senior Sam Madden and her brother, Zack, a sophomore, cel-ebrate the Jewish holiday of Ha-nukkah. Sam Madden said Hanukkah is not considered their Christmas but it is “equivalent.” She explained how Hanuk-kah is celebrated over eight nights because while the Jews were at

war, they went to the Great Tem-ple so they could continue prac-ticing their religion. It seemed as though they had enough oil to last one day, but “miraculously” she said, it lasted eight. This is why eight candles are lit on the Meno-rah. Sam and Zach Madden cel-ebrate both holidays because some of their family members are Christians. “Hanukkah is a holiday and Christmas is just another day, to me, because in my religion it’s not considered a holiday,” said Zach Madden. “We celebrate it [Christmas] be-cause my mom used to be Chris-tian and she likes to celebrate with her sister.”

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Friday, December 16, 2011Page 6

GETTING YOUR HANDS ON EDUCATION

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News & FeaturesNews & FeaturesFriday, December 16, 2011 Page 7

“Either you adapt and utilize that technology

or you risk losing your audiences’s

attention.”Math Teacher

Jason Braddock

Friend “The Orbiter” on FacebookOnline at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter

Community Continued from page 1

throughout the school contributed as well.

NHS collected 139 new or gently used stuffed animals to give to the children. ICC managed to collect 110 bags of toiletry items, exceeding the 95 bags the club raised last year, said ICC adviser Mary Murphy.

In previous years, ICC would collect money to buy Christmas presents for one family, but after being approached by Utz to help with Community Christmas, the club has been donating to the event for two years now.

“I realized there is the need and it would be a better way to reach more families rather than just one family,” Murphy said.

Junior Christine Koporc helped out with the event last year by stuffing stockings, setting up and helping people shop.

“It was really cool because I got to know each person and they were all very nice,” she said. “They were very thankful for what they were getting and asked questions like, ‘What do kids like these days?’

or ‘What do you think my little girl or little boy would like?’ So it was really fun.”

Regardless of the competition, Koporc said she was going to try to bring in as many items

as possible because she loves the feeling of helping someone in need.

“It feels really good to give back something of myself because I am so thankful for what I get and

the luxuries I have,” Koporc said. “I think a kid my age or a little younger doesn’t get to be as fortunate as I am and it makes me sad so I want to help out any way that I can.”

Utz said many people become emotional during Community Christmas, including the volunteers, because they really do care about the families. The families are very grateful

and happy for the gifts, she added.

Reker agreed. “Their faces brighten seeing what people have donated, knowing their children will have presents that year.”

Facebook, users do not friend people, but follow them. The benefit of Twitter, is if a teacher creates an account, while he or she does not have to follow the student back. The teacher avoids avoid seeing content that could be inappropriate, while students are still able to see the teachers account and get the information they need.

Foster was originally worried about joining social networks; however, senior Mike Painter convinced Foster to create a Twitter for his classes.

“It’s not like Facebook,” Foster said, “ I don’t have to see what students post because that is a barrier I don’t want to cross.”

Tuck follows Foster’s account.“It helps keep me on track,” she

said.Tuck is one of 24 out of Foster’s 75

students following his Twitter account.“It has potential, but everyone has to

be on board,” Foster said.Students may follow Braddock on Twitter for updates

on homework, practice quizzes, tests, study guides and video tutorials.

Students on Twitter may also follow the schools, Superintendent and RocketRowdies account.

As the technology advances more and more time is

saved in and out of the classroom. Members of the science department received

GradeCams to better prepare students for the OGTs. Science teacher Bob Sternburg recently got a GradeCam for his classroom.

GradeCams have slates with cameras on top and are connected to a teacher’s computer. To use the GradeCam, Sternburg must log in to the GradeCam’s website and

pick the quiz that matches the paper. After Sternburg flashes the paper under the camera, the quiz automatically shows up on the computer screen. The wrong answers are immediately shown and the Website charts each quiz’s questions, and showing which answers the students picked. This gives Sternburg the opportunity to see which OGT standards he must review in class. He uses the GradeCam to give OGT quizzes every Friday.

“It gives you valuable information in seconds,” Sternburg said.

Sternburg said the GradeCam is a real time saver for grading.

All over the school new technology can be seen, and students have more and more opportunities to get helpful information.

“The world today is interconnected by its technology. Either you adapt and utilize that technology or you risk losing your audience’s attention, because they will be using the technology anyway,” Braddock said.

TechnologyContinued from page 1

Final Community Christmas Competition Results

Seniors 19%

Juniors 41%

Sophomores 23% Freshmen

17%

Total: 263Juniors: 107

Sophomores: 62Seniors: 49

Freshmen: 45

Graphic by Hannah Benson

SportsSearch for “StreetsboroHigh” on Twitter

Friday, December 16, 2011Page 8

Sports

Girls step up defense, add depth with freshman team

Wrestlers 3-0 after weekend>> Mikaela DombrowskiStaff Writer

Pushing his Kent opponent’s head at the start of his Senior Night match is Travis Smosny.

Photo by Natalie PinkermanTECHNIQUE

Online at streetsboroschools.com/orbiter

Returning to the mat with three district qualifiers and no injuries or illnesses, head coach Rick Charlton, said “the team is con-tinuing to wrestle better and better every time they step on the mat.”

At 3-0 in the metro, the team is start-ing to face tougher competition, he added.

On December 2 and 3, the wrestlers competed at the Aurora Invitational, com-ing in fourth out of a total of 16 teams.

Then on December 8, the team wres-tled Kent Roosevelt and Springfield in its only home meet, which was also Senior Night.

The Rockets defeated both Kent Roosevelt 68-6 and Springfield 60-18.

In their December 10 quad between Ravenna, West Geauga and Aurora, the Rockets defeated both Ravenna and West Geauga by scores of 41-34 and 72-0. They did not compete with Aurora.

Results of yesterday’s quad meet against at Akron Springfield were unavail-able at press time.

Tonight and tomorrow the team will travel down 303 for the Hudson Holiday

Tournament. Individually top wrestlers include,

senior Chris Ashburn (10-0) and seniors Bubba Baker, Zack Baratko and Travis Smosny are all (9-1).

Charlton said he has seen good leader-ship from these seniors, in addition to Mike Painter.

For all wrestlers, “Expectations are the same: hard work, dedication, commitment and a state-championship,” Charlton said.

Hopes this year include traveling down to Columbus for states and winning the PTC, he added.

The first female wrestler to stick with it at the high school level, freshman Sarah Hoffman is wrestling on Junior Varsity in the 113-pound weight class.

Hoffman is in her fifth year of wres-tling; she started after watching her older brother wrestle.

“It looked like fun,” she said.Last year, she placed sixth at the Por-

tage Trail Conference tournament in the 98-pound weight class.

She said this year she has “four really good coaches and the rest of the team is there for me with anything I need. Plus, we have hard and intense practices.”

With being a female wrestler awkward

moments are common, most awkward for her was not knowing the other wrestlers at first, Hoffman said.

Now, “The guys treat me like a part of the family, I know I can go to them if I need anything,” she said.

Her goals for the next four years in-clude wrestling on varsity and going to and placing at states, Hoffman said.

Charlton said Hoffman is the first female wrestler he has coached who has stuck with it and is doing “pretty well.”

Despite losing their first two games of the season, the girls’ basketball team stepped up their defense to beat Garfield Decem-ber 3 49-29 and Springfield De-cember 7 46-27.

Varsity coach Allison Carey said she has seen an improve-ment in the team’s defense after its wins and even in the losses to Marlington (20-60) and Tall-madge (36-43).

Carey and senior captains Rachael Kolke and Colleen Rim-mel all agreed players’ overall abilities have improved as well.

“In the Tallmadge game I was proud of the girls for rally-ing when down and not giving up,” Carey said. “The best part about the game was the way we came together in the second half to build each other up and really play with passion.”

She attributed the improve-ment to running drills in practice that portray game situations.

Both Rimmel and Kolke said they expect to lead a hardworking team capable of winning more games than last year.

>> Hannah BensonEditor-in-Chief

“The goal for this season is just to show everyone in the Met-ro that we can hold our own and won't get walked all over,” Kolke said.

To develop the younger tal-ent, a freshman team was added for the first time since 2003.

“I love the freshman team,” Kolke said. “They're all a lot of awesome girls who want to get better and play hard.”

Spanish teacher Brittany Kidd, who served as the JV and assistant girls’ basketball coach at both St. Thomas Aquinas (2001-2005) and Rootstown High School (2005-2008), is coaching the freshmen.

Carey said she is confident in Kidd’s coaching abilities and believes she “brings new ideas to the table.”

Kidd said she is enjoying coaching with Carey, who she de-scribed as “dedicated.”

“Even though, historically, the girls have not been as dedi-cated or successful as their pre-vious coaches would have liked, the girls are seeing their coaches’ dedication and loyalty and the culture surrounding girls’ basket-ball is changing.”

Kidd also advises the Rocket Rowdies, but says she is not wor-ried about juggling the two re-sponsibilities because she is con-fident in the club’s officers.

Although she said she was nervous to start coaching again, Kidd said she can rely on her husband, social studies teacher Rob Kidd, to pick up the slack at home.

“Before I had kids, basket-ball and coaching [were] my en-

tire life,” Kidd said. “I was ner-vous about balancing coaching with my responsibilities at home, but Kidd has been amazingly supportive and is picking up right where I left off after cross country season. I have missed the coach-ing aspect of my identity and I am so grateful to have my husband be as supportive of my coaching as I am of his.”

The freshman players focus on having fun and improving for their upcoming years as high school athletes, Kidd said, adding how proud she is of the team’s ef-fort on defense.

Her girls won their first game against Southeast 19-17 on De-cember 6.

Kidd said the freshmen girls have fun personalities, while re-maining serious and respectful.

“I feel the freshmen are go-ing to have a great year,” said varsity player Shania Williams said. “I wish I could be with them but being on varsity is much more challenging.”

Williams is the leading re-bounder on varsity, averaging 11 per game. She was one of the leading scorers in the Tallmadge game, scoring ten points and was

After ending last season 16-6, the boys basketball team (1-0 as of press time) enters the Metro with one goal to win a district championship and “go beyond,” said head coach Nick Marcini.

“I feel like we’re going to do pretty good,” senior forward Ben Gency said.

American Family Insurance’s Player of the Month for Decem-ber.

Carey said all nine varsity players have contributed to the team’s success so far, with a dif-ferent leading scorer each game.

Making adjustments from last year’s season and learning from their mistakes in order to improve are testaments to the group’s character, said Carey.

“They are a very coachable group who trust in what myself and the coaching staff has to tell them.”

Tomorrow, the JV and var-sity girls face Coventry at home at 7:30 p.m.

Poor attendance last year was attributed to games being played at the middle school. Now that the renovations to the gym are complete, the girls are practicing and playing on their home court.

“One of our best games last year was Senior Night and a lot of that had to do with the student body that came and supported us,” Carey said. “Hopefully we can have a lot of students cheer-ing us on this year as well. We are in the high school, so there are no excuses.”

“It’s going to be a lot tougher season than when we were in the county [division].”

Marcini said the team’s strengths include its outside shooting and six returning letter-men Gency and fellow seniors Sawyer White and Devin Ad-ams; and juniors Brandon Gency, Jordan Matusik and Dorian Wil-liams.

The Rockets are playing

without two seniors who normal-ly take to the court: Tyler Dixon and Pete Hannan decided to not try out this year.

Hannan said he decided to focus on track since he plans to run in college.

He said the hardest part about not playing is not “being around the teammates I’ve played with my entire life, because they’re my close friends. It’s just gonna

be different.”White said the team is a

“close family” who know each other so well they have “great chemistry” on and off the court.

Their goals this season are to win PTC, regional and district titles.

“We have had five straight winning seasons, with three league championships and a dis-trict title in that time, so we are

definitely building something,” said Marcini. “These guys don't want to be the team that lets down the guys that came before them. They want to make their own mark.”

Tonight the team plays what White called its “biggest game of the season,” away at Kent Roosevelt.

“It’s kind of an unspoken ri-valry,” White said.

Freshman varsity player Shania Williams gets ready to shoot a free throw in the girls’ 49-29 win over Garfield December 3.

Photo by James MinyardPROGRESS

Boys basketball team returns six letterman, eyes district championship>> Taylor WhiteSenior Writer