Volume 73 Issue 2 • Crown Point High School • 1500 S. Main Street Crown Point, IN 46307 • inklings@cps.k12.in.us

October 31, 2008

• Friday InklIngsInklIngsFun center opens

page 12

For the first time since 1964, Indiana may vote for a Democratic president. As the country faces crises in both foreign matters and the domestic economy, Indiana’s 11 electoral votes hang in the balance and some students have the opportunity to play a key role in the process as they vote for the first time.

With a rapidly failing economy, a war being fought in a country 6,300 miles away and millions of Americans without health-care, the United States is facing some major political crises. In less than four days, the most important positions in the govern-ment of the United States and that of In-diana will be handed over to a new set of officials.

“Every election for political office is important,” senior AJ Jabarin said. “Putting the right peo-ple in office is crucial for the country.”

On Nov. 4, the more than 73 million registered voters across the United States will decide between the Repub-lican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the frontrunners of the presiden-tial race. On the same day, the election for Indiana gov-ernor between incumbent Republican Mitch Daniels and aspiring Democrat Jill Long Thompson will also take place.

In both races, the candi-dates are separated by their parties’ ideologies (Republi-cans are traditionally more conservative and Democrats more liberal). Yet many be-lieve this election will be de-cided on the important issues and not nec-essarily the party name that comes after the candidate’s on the ticket.

“[The most important issue] is the economy. People tend to vote their pock-etbooks,” social studies department chair Jim Ingelhart said. “Whenever there is an economic crisis—and this is an economic crisis—other issues, like Iraq and health-care, are going to be considered luxuries of sorts.”

Indeed, in the past month both presi-dential candidates have touted their eco-nomic policies. McCain’s plan has more tax cuts across the board in an effort to stimu-late the economy and allow big businesses to keep their workforce.

“McCain will lower corporate taxes from 35 to 25 percent,” Jabarin said.

Obama, on the other hand, wants to increase taxes on individual families and companies that make more than $250,000 a year but plans to cut taxes on the 95 percent

of American families who make less than $200,000.

“Really, neither economic plan truly addresses the current crisis,” Ingelhart said. “It’s almost come down to whichever candidate you have more faith in.”

The economic crisis has rekindled in-terest in the next leader of the country. The historic nature of the election, that will al-most certainly see either the first African-

American president or the first woman vice-president of the United States, has encouraged students to volunteer for cam-paigns and just generally be-come excited about the race.

“Obama is the candidate for freedom and change,” se-nior Matt Cruz said. “He has a better plan for America on every single important issue this year.”

Cruz spent the past three months volunteering at the Obama campaign office in Crown Point. As a result, he has gained over 120 service hours and unique opportuni-ties to meet politicians.

“I did meet Barack Obama, as well as Jill Long Thompson, [Democratic Sen.] Birch Evan Bayh and regional politicians that just stop in to say ‘hi,’” Cruz said.

This election has mobi-lized millions nationwide to register to vote. According to Cruz, the efforts of the campaign office have registered more than 30,000 people from both parties in Lake County alone.

Important national issues have in-spired Republican students as well.

“The most important issues to me are national security and the war in Iraq,” Jabarin said. “It is discomforting to me to know that a lot of people are more con-cerned with the economy than with the se-curity of our country.”

McCain was a POW in the Vietnam War for more than five years and supports the current war in Iraq. Obama, on the oth-er hand, says that under his administration he would support gradual troop removal in the region until the majority of the forces would be gone by the summer of 2010.

“McCain is a military war hero and thus knows what it takes to be commander in chief,” Jabarin said.

The two leading candidates for the presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama (top) and Republican John McCain (bottom) speak at recent engagements. This election has sparked record voter registration in Indiana and around the United States. Photos used with Permission: obama Photo courtesy of ihsPa, by clark hadley, mccain Photo by richmond high school junior sarah bumbalough

presidential face-offPresidential poll asked 437 students which of the presidential candidates they favored for the White House.

Indiana poised to make swing statementBy Megan Binder / editor-in-chief

gub

erna

toria

l rac

e

Gubernatorial poll asked 272 students which of the candidates they favored for the governor’s mansion.

High 66

Low 45

Mostly sunny

Today’s forecast

Indiana’s 11 electoral votes

are up for grabs between

Democratic nominee Barack

Obama and Republican

nominee John McCain

Mini golf and morecomes to Crown Point

Prepare to scareGet haunted by houses, graveyards and stories pages 10 ,12

Key Club members Daniela Mendoza and Gabby Touchette

News October 31, 2008

Students gather to pray, worship2

11.2 Daylight Savings Time Ends

11.5 Half Day of School

11.11Veterans Day

11.7-11.8, 11.13, 11.15-16Fall Play Rumors; CPHS auditorium

11.14End of Second Six Weeks

11.23Chamber Orchestra concert; CPHS auditorium

11.27-11.28No School; Thanksgiving Break

save the date

in the know

Inklings earned national and state recogni-tion recently from Quill and Scroll and the In-diana High School Press Association. Inklings scored 970 out of a possible 1000 points and earned superiors in every category to claim the George H. Gallup Award of Highest Hon-ors in the Quill and Scroll News Media Evalu-ation. At the state level, Inklings was named one of the eight high school newspapers rec-ognized in the Hoosier Star competition.

Individual journalists earning recogni-tion at the IHSPA state convention were ju-nior Becca Iddings for newspaper advertis-ing, junior Brenna Wermers for newspaper sports writing, then-seniors Kara McIver and Devin Holme for yearbook overall theme, ju-nior Sammy Vercellino for yearbook academ-ic spread, and then-senior Nicole Chromey for yearbook people spread.

By Brittany Curtis /feature editor

Almost every morning, students can see a dedicated few gathering around the flagpole each morning praying and/or singing around the flagpole during zero period. Whether its rain or shine, they’re there, showing their passion and their devotion to their religion. While most students think that this daily occurrence is just a recent development, See You at the Pole has actually been around since 1990.

“See You at the Pole” started as an annual event occurring on the fourth Wednesday in September.

See You at the Pole [SYATP] was started by a youth group in Dallas, Texas. It first occurred Sept. 12, 1990 throughout four states, and more than 45,000 students gathered around their flagpole and prayed. SYATP is a student-initiated, student organized and student-led event.

Students chose to start meeting once every week before school to pray around the flagpole. Recently, however, students at CPHS have decided to start meeting every day at 7 a.m., gathering around the flagpole in front of the high school.

“We really want to make a difference, and we thought that this can’t just be a once a year or once a week type of thing,” junior Anthony Rettig said.

Anthony Santos, a recent graduate of CPHS, decided to come to SYATP and to join in their prayer. Santos is studying to become a pastor.

“[Santos] just really inspired us to start coming back every day. He came and was just talking to us about how if we really want to make an impact, then we have to do this more than just once a week,” sophomore Kelsey Emery said.

At SYATP, praying is not the only activity that goes on. Students also bring guitars and worship every Tuesday and Thursday.

“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, some people bring guitars and we have worship where we sing and pray. We only do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays because we have a longer zero period, and it gives is more time to worship and pray,” Emery said.

All students are welcome to come to SYATP, and no student will be discriminated against.

“Any student who wants to come to SYATP is perfectly welcome to. We want to get as many people as we can to participate in SYATP with us. You can be from any religion, any nationality; anyone is welcome to come and worship with us,” Rettig said.

While SYATP is not sponsored by any organization, it does partner with the Federation of Christian Athletes [FCA].

“We’re just hoping to create a student ministry, and we also partner with FCA to try to do a number of. We’re actually trying to get a band to come to our school. The band is called

Take No Glory and they’re a really great Christian band,” Rettig said.

Any student is welcome to come to SYATP, and it is not just for Christian students.

“We’re there because we love God. We’re just a group of kids trying to make an impact for Christ,” Rettig said.

Students help peers through tutoring program

By Michele Bates /news editor

Since teachers are meeting collab-oratively on Tuesdays, and therefore unavailable to help, a student-led tutor-ing program began last month. The pro-gram is led by members of the National Honors Society and current students on the guidance department tutor list.

“We have been putting flyers around the school and telling [students] about it,” sophomore student tutor Stephanie Burke said.

According to assistant principal Deb Cuffia, the idea originated from princi-pal Dr. Eric Ban. English teacher Ashley Monroe, guidance counselor Kim Swan, and Cuffia then worked out the details. National Honor Society members and tutors on the guidance department list then went to the teachers to see what subjects students needed help in the

most. “[Peer tutoring] is a great way for

students to perform community service within their own school,” Cuffia said.

National Honor Society members and tutors on the guidance department tutor list are available from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Though math and science teach-ers are available for help on Thursdays, Cuffia said that student tutoring will

still be available. Peer tutors offer help in foreign lan-

guage, math, science, and English in the new section of the cafeteria.

“[I think student tutoring helps] because you can get help from students that are on your level. It is a good chance that [the student tutors] use to have the same problems you did,” junior Jamie Cook said.

According to Burke, the tutoring program has been receiving a lot of pos-itive feedback from teachers. The stu-dent tutors have helped approximately 10 to 15 students during the week.

Any student willing to be tutored should bring books, a writing utensil, and paper. Burke encourages students to come in for help.

“Sometimes students are uncom-fortable going to teachers. Going to get help from teenagers is more relaxed,” Burke said.

Students participate in the weekly See You at the Pole (SYATP) worship. SYATP meets every Tuesday and Thursday before school. The tradition was started by a youth group in Dallas, Texas in 1990 and is initiated, orga-nized and led by students.

National Honor Society members, volunteers share knowledge

Seniors Stephen Sheafer and Nile Sobek have earned National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist status. They are in the running for a scholarship along with 16,000 other semifinal-ists. In addition, Megan Binder, Thomas Lad-endorf, Kyle Land, Brendan Morin and An-thony Zaffino have been named Commended Scholars in the 2009 National Merit Scholar-ship Program. Commended students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2009 com-petition by taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Two named National Merit Finalists,five Commended Scholars

Journalists earn national, state honors

Students who have earned the distinc-tion of being student of the week were pre-sented with t-shirts Monday from 2nd Dis-trict County Commissioner Gerry Scheub. Scheub purchased the 180 t-shirts to be given to past and future winners. Students are se-lected as students of the week after being nominated for demonstrating the values of college, career, citizenship, creativity, cour-age, and culture in thier lives (which are the principles that CPHS tries to embody in its students).

“I’m very honored that I have the op-portunity to be associated with this group of young people whose futures are bright; they are the leaders of tomorrow,” Scheub said.

Scheub donates shirts to leaders

The softball program will sponsor a bean bag tournament fundraiser for students and staff Nov. 8 from 12 to 5 p.m. in the field house. The entry fee is $10 per team of two. Contact coach Brett Crutchfield in room C235 or call 663-4885 ex. 11253 to sign up.

Bean bag fundraiser set for Nov. 8

“See You at the Pole” offers students spiritual support

FYI: Student-led tutoring is available

on Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 7:30 a.m. in the new

section of the cafeteria.

PHOTO BY AlEx PArriSH

News 3October 31, 2008

Students adapt to economic shift

Junior Thomas Vanderplough rents a DVD at a Redbox which is less expensive than going to the movie theatre. According to Fox News, some Americans are being extra cautious about spending money.

Walgreens relocating nearer to high schoolBy Jeff Tompkins / reporter

Last month, the Crown Point Plan Commission gave approval for a new Wal-greens building and a five-unit structure to be built on the southwest corner of South Court Street and Burrell Drive (125th St.).

The planned construction is due to start later this fall. It is located in the busi-ness zone just south of the YMCA on Court St. and west of St. Mathias church, which owns the land.

Despite the construction of the new building, the current manager and most store employees will be moving from the old Walgreens located near Strack and Van Til’s at 200 E. Franciscan Drive.

“Walgreens’ lease expired at the loca-tion next to Strack’s, and like many other of the (Walgreens) stores, they wanted their own location at a corner or intersection,” Crown Point city planner Steve Mikros said.

Resistance against the move has con-sisted of complaints from several tenants living in Lake View Terrace, an apartment complex down the street from the current Walgreens. Residents there claim that they disapprove of losing the store at a conve-nient walking distance.

Claudia Gladys, two year resident of

the apartment complex and frequent shop-per at the current Walgreens, voiced con-cern in the change of location.

“I get most, if not all, of my prescrip-tions from there (the Walgreens on Francis-can Drive) and now that it’s moving I don’t

know what I’m supposed to do. Several other people living here are in the same boat,” Gladys said.

Officials and parents also have worries dealing with how the new structure will af-fect traffic near the high school. On school

mornings, the traffic near the high school has been voiced as a problem, and many believe a new Walgreens wouldn’t provide any aid to the situation.

“Usually in the mornings, you have the buses and parents and students all try-ing to get somewhere and it’s a giant mess. Building a new Walgreens isn’t going to help anything,” Alberta Nettles, parent of freshman Jimmy Nettles, said.

Although the traffic issue does raise an immediate concern, Mikros stated that al-though the Walgreens might promote more traffic, the city engineering department has concluded that the location has satisfied all ordinances and passed all codes for build-ing.

“This includes infrastructure and the possibilities of traffic. So far, the location looks fine for building,” he said.

The construction is due to start later this fall, but has been slightly delayed due to concerns of the Crown Point Plan Com-mission.

At the approval meeting for the new Walgreens, the commission disliked the the structure’s planned design. Several mem-bers of the plan commission plan to travel to Chicagoland towns in the coming weeks to explore possibilities and ideas suitable for the façade of the new building.

By Becca Duggan and Kelly Rostin / entertainment editor and reporter

Struggling economy affects younger generation

Planned construction due to start later this fall

The current Walgreens will relocate west of St. Mathias Church at the corner of Burrell Drive and Court Street from its present location on Franciscian Drive. Al-though traffic issues do raise concerns, the location has satisfied all ordinances.

PhOTO By GeORGiA OTTe

Dow went down 29 points. Banks closed. Workers fired. Money lost.

Since the economy is so complex, stu-dents may be confused as to what actually is occurring. Headlines and ar-ticles nation-wide are filled with information about the economy, but some students are not familiar with the ba-sic terminology.

“I don’t know what the Dow means, but I want to know how it’s going to af-fect gas prices,” sophomore TJ Gordon said.

Despite the chaos sur-rounding America’s cur-rent economic situation, there are certain constants. ‘Dow’ is actually short for ‘Dow Jones Industrial Aver-age’, which is a method of measuring how well the stock market is doing. The Dow is represented by ‘points,’ where each point stands for one dollar. If the Dow points go down, it means that stocks are worth less, so when the stocks are bought, there is less income for the economy. If the points go up, the stocks are worth more. This is why the public reacted negatively when the Dow fell by 778 points on Sept. 29.

The technical terms and concepts can cause the financial problems to seem dis-tant and foreign. However, these issues may affect aspects of life close to home- like college loans, student jobs, and even the holiday season.

“It’s going to be more difficult to get student loans because of the economic cri-sis,” history teacher Don Bernacky said.

Banks and investment companies lend money to students to help them afford col-lege, but certain banks have had financial problems, making it difficult for them to give out these loans. However, on Sept. 28, President Bush passed a bill that will achieve better security for student loans,

according to The Washington Post. The bill is expected to reduce the dependence on expensive, private loans and lower the interest rates on regular loans.

With over 600,000 jobs lost this year, according to CNN, students may find it dif-ficult to stay in the workplace. CNN says that banks are unwilling to lend money,

meaning business will have a harder time gaining finan-cial support. In turn, this will pressure those businesses to save what money they have, even if that means firing some employees.

“It’s tightened up the job market. Students now have to compete against people who lost their jobs, not just other students,” Bernacky said.

Since the American economy is in such a vola-tile state, some Americans are being extra cautious

about spending, according to Fox News. To amend this hesitance, some stores are starting their sales early this year (like Wal-Mart, which is setting up its holiday sales a week early). Some students are reducing their holiday budgets.

“I’m going to definitely spend less money this season,” junior Elizabeth Philips said. “I feel like I need to save my money just in case.”

“The new generations will seize new ways to improve on the inefficiencies of the last generation,” Bernacky said. ”If you’re younger and have a job, now is a fantastic time to move up in the market because of bargains.”

Bernacky said that even though the economic crisis is bad for many Americans, students can benefit from it as long as they spend wisely.

“Whenever I get a few extra bucks I just save it in my drawer. If I put it in my check-ing account I just spend it with my debit card,” senior Jake Wing said. “The debit card makes it too easy to spend money. This way I have money for a rainy day.”

PhOTO By GeORGiA OTTe

Teens 14-17 spend on aver-age $46.80 per mall visit. They visit malls more frequently than any other group averaging once per week.

Fast Fact:

The National Labor Committee

October 31, 2008OpiniOn4

Consider more than gas prices

Inklings

Inklings is a student publication distrib-uted to students, faculty and staff of Crown Point High School. It is published monthly by the newspaper and advanced journalism students. Opinions expressed in Inklings do not reflect those of the CPHS faculty, staff, or the administration.

Inklings welcomes and encourages signed letters to the editor. Let-ters may be edited for space or clarity. Letters must be signed and turned in to room C124 one week prior to pub-lications and must not contain personal attacks. Letters may also be sent via e-mail at inklings@cps.k12.in.us. Not all letters may be printed. Such decisions are the sole discretion of the Inklings editors and staff.

Advertising is subject to the applicable rate, copies of which are available from Inklings advertising department or by contacting 663-4885 ext. 11213.

Inklings is a mem-ber of the Indiana High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholas-tic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll.

Inklings can be con-tacted at 1500 S. Main, Crown Point, IN, 46307; 219-663-4885 ext. 11213; fax 219-662-5663; or in-klings@cps.k12.in.us.

EditorsMegan Binder

editor-in-chiefCori NovelliBrenna Wermers

executive editorsJeremy Rex

chief photographerDeanna Sheafer

copy editorMichele Bates

news editorBrittany Curtis

feature editorBecca Duggan

entertainment editorTrey Aultman

sports editorHunter McKee

sports assistantAnna Ortiz

graphics editorBecca Iddings

advertising editorLauren Cain

advertising assistantJoe NejmanAlex ParrishGeorgia OtteCat Fleszewski

photographers

StaffColin LikasVinnie NeedhamKelly RostinMilan SavichMatt SmithNikki SekuloskiAndjela TarailoJeff Tompkins

AdviserJulie Elston

By Cori Novelli / copy editor

Every news report and politician lately seems to focus on the failing economy. Thankfully, gasoline prices seem to present a different story, though that story needs to be kept in context with the very real economic issues being so hotly discussed elsewhere.

In the past month and a half, prices have fallen dramatically nationwide. According to the Energy Information Administration, a gallon of gas that cost the average consumer $3.84 on September 30 now costs just $2.78. To students that have to work jobs that may pay only minimum wage to fill up their cars, an extra dollar in their pocket means a lot.

Paying less for gas is great, but it needs to be kept in perspective. Unfortunately, many consumers are failing to do just that. An ABC news report found that some car buyers are already reviving desires for SUVs and other gas-guzzling vehicles that had fallen out of favor with American consumers in the past two years. One Toyota dealership reported that sales were up 10 to 20 percent in just the past two weeks.

And here lies the problem: through the haze of gasoline fumes people are forgetting the genuine problems the country is facing. The decline in gas prices is not permanent. It can’t be: gasoline is a nonrenewable resource we will run out of some day. When the current supplies deplete it is inevitable that there will be $4 a gallon gas again, no matter how much we might dislike it. What will all the newfound, short-sighted SUV owners do then?

When gasoline hit $4 a gallon it gave the country pause. Americans began to seriously consider public transportation, car pooling, and alternative modes of travel for the first time in 30 years. But all of that wisdom seems to have disappeared in just a few days. Our insistence on energy dependence will cost us sooner or later. Paying less at the pump may be nice, but that dollar less per gallon is costing us a lot more in judgment.

Benefits of AP classes misunderstood

View:Paying less at the pump may help keep our wallets fatter for now, but this temporary relief should not blind us to the unpleasant reality of the country’s economic troubles.

editorial

For whatever reason, students decide that if they

were to take Advanced Placement classes and flaunt the fact that they are in them, others would

automatically view them as more intelligent, more

superior, and as an ideal friend. Unfortunately, this is

a ridiculous way to look at the benefits of the AP courses. Students should not take AP classes just because they’re considered a college course.

AP classes were designed as opportunities for students to receive an in-depth understanding of certain subjects, not as ego-boosters.

For students to ignore the class’s subject and take it solely because the letters AP are stamped in the front of it is absurd. If that’s the real motive behind adding it to your class schedule, all you’ll likely gain from the class is more stress and more work.

After all, while many students believe that the AP class will help their GPA, oftentimes the students that wanted those better grades end up struggling to understand the difficult material of the class and must drop. The result? An even worse grade (and subsequent GPA) and a broken spirit.

Admittedly, AP classes are great for students who can handle the work, handle the grades and handle the stress. They provide excellent opportunities for those students who want to receive a deeper look into the subject and are money savers for students who can pass the AP test and receive college credit.

But to take the class as a method to raise a GPA by the glory of an AP class is wrong. College classes are designed for students who want a fuller understanding of a subject and can comfortably maintain decent grades; it’s not for those who strive for the splendor of being in AP.

heard in the halls

Trick-or-treating

“It’ll be interesting to see if Indiana actu-ally votes Democratic [for president] for the first time in 40 years, like you hear all

the time on the news.”

senior Lauren Bryner

“Student tutors are great. They make it easy to learn someting you don’t under-

stand, and are easy to relate to when teach-ers aren’t available.”

sophomore Neil Schlesinger

“Trick-or-treating is awesome. I’ll never be too old for it.”

sophomore Miranda Sanderlin

cartoon by anna ortiz

Student tutoring

Political awareness

OpiniOn 5October 31, 2008

IAs the Presidential

election finally comes to a head

in less than a week, the two major parties’ candidates are

locked in a battle over issues in a fight to win control of the

country’s future.

A single vote can make a big difference

Unlike his opponent, he has 26 years in Congress. Unlike his opponent, he has served our nation as a member of the United States military. Unlike his opponent, his experience has given him the background to run our nation. Republican candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the obvious choice for the next President of the United States of America.

McCain has a much stronger regard for national security. Coming from a strong military background, he served our nation in the Navy for 22 years, and was a POW during the Vietnam War. During his imprisonment, he was often beaten and tortured, but he never gave in. Who would you like in Congress: a man who will stand up to anyone or someone who has only two years in Congress and has not authored even one bill?

Unlike his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, McCain is nonpartisan in Congress. He votes for what he believes in. Obama has rarely taken a stance for what he believes in. It seems that he does not want to offend voters on either side of the election.

Who could blame him? With ties the group ACORN, notorious for voter fraud, and known-terrorist William Ayers, Obama has quite a few spots on his record.

Many have tried to pin him as the “next George Bush,” but John McCain is not. Of course he and W are going to have some of the same ideas, but that does not mean they will be the same president.

With all the turmoil currently plaguing our nation, it’s difficult to make a choice when it comes to who to vote for this Presidential race. But think about it for a second. Is “change” really what we need?

In today’s political climate, it’s hard to wade past all the well-polished speeches and charming campaign promises. Yet if you dig deep enough, there is a hidden truth not everyone wants the vot-ing public to know: Barack Obama is the one honest guy left in Washington.

The most fundamental difference between the two candidates is that Obama has an actual plan for America’s future. McCain largely resorts to mislead-ing criticisms of Obama’s proposed policies rather than offering any of his own, and as recent polls have showed Obama ahead of McCain in several key states, McCain and his supporters have even resorted to childish attacks on Obama’s character.

On the issues, McCain has accused Obama of seeking to raise taxes, which is true only if your income exceeds $250,000 a year. For the 95 percent of working families in America who make less than that, Obama is actually planning a tax cut. McCain and his supporters tend to ignore that statistic, so they instead have attacked Obama’s character.

They accuse Obama of befriending William Ayers, a one-time domestic terrorist in the 1960s, which sounds terrible...even though the truth is that this “friendship” consists of being members of the same Republican-sponsored charitable organization in Chicago.

Most of all, McCain and his supporters love to accuse Obama of being inexperienced. But the sena-tor from Illinois is the only candidate with clear, well-laid plans that could see our country through the upcoming crisis.

After all, since McCain picked a two-year gov-ernor of Alaska (which has less than 650,000 people) as his running mate, Republicans might wish he’d take the whole “inexperienced” comment back.

By Megan Binder / editor-in-chief By Brenna Wermers / executive editor

McCain not the next Bush, offers experience, wisdom

Obama’s clear-cut policies win over McCain’s petty attacks

soph

omor

e

“I like Obama because he is very optimistic.”

Megan DarnellDillon Cope

fres

hman

“Obama. He wants to lower taxes, lower insurance for the elderly, and find an alternitive fuel source.”

Steve Gallas

juni

or

“Obama because he wants to increase money for education for younger kids.”

Andrew Bocanegra

seni

or

“I’m kind of neutral because McCain and Obama both bring up good points.”

ssue:

QWho do you favor for the

White House? Why?

speak up

Obama or McCain?

With many pending crises

on our hand, the elections will make a

huge impact on how our country will turn out.

When we are given the opportunity

to vote, there is no legitimate reason we shouldn’t take advantage of having a say in changing our country.

The war in Iraq has been going on for five years now, and is still an underlying force in our country today. It’s inevitable to see a yellow ribbon hanging on a tree in your neighborhood, or to hear about the deaths occurring overseas. Chances are you have a strong opinion concerning the current state of our country, so by voting, you’re helping by taking a stand so that your ideas can be conveyed through an overall representative.

We have a right and a responsibility to vote each election. Would you really let someone else choose something that affects you every day? No, and this is no different. Why would you let someone else make this decision for you when you have the ability to make the decision for yourself? The president of the United States has so much jurisdiction over the big aspects of your life, that choosing not to vote would be negligent.

Different generations have different stakes riding on who takes office, and our generation will be hugely impacted. If the war isn’t ended, people you know will be sent overseas. If the economy isn’t fixed, you will be paying for it. If you don’t vote, you’ll be stuck with the decisions of another that you don’t agree with.

By not voting, you’re saying you have no opinion on the current state of our country. We need to stand up and use the right that our predecessors fought for. We need to use a voice and start a change.

By Lauren Cain / advertising assistant

cartoon by anna ortiz

October 31, 20086

AskLaughExploreWonderInspireLive

by the numbers

IIonlife

18 million of these cases

occur in the United States.

121People worldwide suffer from depres-sion.

million

Love is the movementOrganization To Write Love On Her Arms spreads hope

20-50Percent of children and teens struggling with depression have a fam-ily history of this

struggle.

All according to the World Health Organizatoin, the National Institute of Mental Health, and a 1999 U.S. Surgeon General’s Survey.

2/3Of people suf-fering from de-pression never seek treatment

3rdSuicide is the leading cause of death among teens.

20 Estimated percent of teenagers will suffer

from depression at some point before they reach adult-hood.

By Brittany Curtis / feature editor

To Write Love on Her Arms. The name is odd enough to spark some interest. At first glance, it may seem to be the name of a band, or some random phrase. However, To Write Love on Her Arms is not a band, and it is cer-tainly not random. To Write Love on Her Arms is a movement, it is an idea, and, most impor-tantly, it is the hope that rescue is possible.

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit organization that was started in 2006 dedicat-ed to creating hope and finding help for those struggling with addiction, depression, self-in-jury, and suicide. It aims to spread awareness of all these issues, and to help those that are struggling with them know that they are not alone.

Sophomore Kelsey Emery is a supporter of To Write Love on Her Arms [TWLOHA], and strongly believes in the message that the organization is trying to spread.

“[To Write Love on Her Arms] is an orga-nization that offers hope. It started out with a story about a girl who hit rock bottom. Some of her friends loved her and offered her hope when she was turned away from a rehab facil-ity,” Emery said.

TWLOHA began as a story, a written ac-count of the time spent with Renee, a woman who was denied entry to a drug treatment center, by Jamie Tworkowski.

“The center has no detox, names her too great a risk, and does not accept her. For the next five days, she is ours to love. We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life. It is unspoken and there are only a few of us, but we will be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms.”

This is what Jamie Tworkowski, the founder of TWLOHA, wrote when re-telling the story of Renee, his friend who inspired him to start the organization. Renee struggled with depression, drug addiction, self-injury, and had tried to commit suicide. Tworkowski and his friends offered her hope, and helped her to seek treatment. In order to pay for Re-nee’s treatment, Tworkowski and his friends printed t-shirts and sold them.

“I had heard the name before, and then I saw someone wearing one of their shirts, so I decided to check out their website. I read about Renee, the woman who inspired her friends to start the organization, and loved what they were doing. I really believe in what they stand for, and I think that it affects today’s youth in a major way,” junior Alex Horst said.

According to the World Institute of Men-tal Health, untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide. Suicide is the third lead-ing cause of death among teenagers.

“Teen depression effects our everyday lives so much. Some may not even know that they’re depressed. But it is real, and teens who are depressed or are struggling need help,” Emery said.

Students can become involved in TWLO-

HA through a number of ways. Students can buy t-shirts online, at www.twloha.com, or at Hot Topic. Another way to become involved is to add TWLOHA on MySpace and Facebook in order to help spread awareness about the organization. If a student wishes to make a do-nation to TWLOHA, they can visit the orgar-nization’s website to obtain the organization’s address.

In addition, TWLOHA gives a portion of its proceeds to the recovery and treatment programs of the National Hopeline Network, Teen Challenge, S.A.F.E (Self-Abuse Finally Ends), and Kids Help Line. Over the past year, TWLOHA has donated $100,000 to those

causes alone.“Just buying a t-shirt or telling a friend

about it helps to spread the message. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and flat-out ask, ‘What does your shirt mean?’ When they hear the story, they’re interested. Another way is to add them on MySpace and make them one of your top friends. That way, other students can see TWLOHA and check out their MySpace to see what it’s all about,” Emery said.

For more information about TWLOHA, go to www.twloha.com. If a student is strug-gling with any of these issues, he/she should talk to their parent or guardian or seek help from their guidance counselor.

PhOtO ILLUStRAtION by GeORGIA Otte

Liz Palmer leads the juniors in cheering for their classmates after winning the Homecoming pep rally relay race.

Principal Dr. Eric Ban performs for choir students during class. He has played with his band, The Bahama Llamas, and has recorded multiple CDs.

Cheering Strum

min g

October 31, 2008 Feature 7

Lies in disguiseExercising, eating healthy and

proper hygiene are generally ac-cepted as good habits for everyday health, and for the most part are com-mon sense. But there are a few sneaky items that people think are good for them but really do more harm than good.

Recent studies show that the pop-ular drink Vitamin Water isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Vitamin Water has more than 32.5 grams of sugar in just one bottle alone. For sake of comparison, a classic can of Coke has around 39 grams of sugar.

Not only can all “health” foods seem good for you, but adver-tisers use catchy slogans to draw buy-ers into thinking that the food they are eating is actually healthy and good for the body. Foods that are labeled fat-free may seem like a superb healthy choice. However according to BNET Business Network manufactures often increase the sugar content in fat-free foods to make up for the flavor and texture lost due to the fat loss.

“When I see words like fat-free or low-sugar I think that whatever that food is actually healthy for you. I never looked to see what was truly in the food,” sophomore Elizabeth Rettig said.

Besides using words like “low-calorie,” “fat-free” and “low-carb,” advertisers will twist words around in their ads in order to make people think that they are getting the healthi-est food on the food market.

McDonald’s Chicken Selects Pre-mium Breast Strips sound healthy. Nevertheless, ounce for ounce, the Se-lects are no healthier than the chain’s Chicken McNuggets. A standard, five-strip order has 670 calories and

10 grams of artery-clogging fat. That’s about the same as a Big Mac, but the burger has 1,040 mg of sodium, while the Selects hit 1,660 mg—a whole day’s worth—even without the salty dipping sauce.

Just as misleading are the “health-ier” choices of eating a salad at fast food restaurants. It is generally as-sumed that salads are the healthier option, but often it is the exact op-

posite. Fast food salads usually

have twice the calories, fat,

sugar and carbs

compared to regular menu items like ham-burgers or chicken sandwiches. The Ten-der Grill Chicken Garden Salad from Burger King has 240 calories in the lettuce and chick-en alone, but when consumers begin to add the dressing and croutons the salad shoots up to 510 calories.

Although food plays a big role in what people assume is healthy, there are many other misconceptions that can have unhealthy consequences. Flip flops–that ubiquitous symbol of summer days and teenage years-are really quite damaging. According to USA Today, long-term wear of flip flops can cause inflamed Achilles, heel calluses, hammer toes, and irritation between toes which can lead to fungal

infections. Even certain kinds of physical

exercise can lead to problems. Sit-ups can actually injure lower backs. They involve spinal flexion-rounding your lower back to allow you to bend for-ward at the waist-but according to research, that’s the exact mechanism that causes a herniated disc in the lower back.

One of the most harmful agents is surprising: meat. When one consumes certain types of chemically-enhanced meats they are consuming all of the hormones, drugs and other chemicals that have been fed to the animals be-fore they were killed. By consuming these chemicals they are putting their body at risk for anaemia, appendici-tis, arthritis, breast cancer, colon can-cer, diabetes, gall stones, gout, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity and strokes.

In additon to the consumption of meat being risky for our bodies, it also causes significant damage to the environment. Over 260 mil-lion acres of forest land in the U.S.

alone has been cleared in order to allow grazing land for cows in ef-

forts to produce meat. Millions more acres of Amazon rainforest have been cleared for cattle farmers as well.

“I will most likely think about cutting back on the meat that I eat. I want to help the earth, and by cutting back on meat I hope that I can help our environment,” sophomore Kayla Ballad said.

Overall, our everyday choices may not be as smart as we think. While doing sit-ups and eating meat in moderation will most likely not affect our daily health, when we con-stantly wear flip flops or eat three Big Mac’s a day we will almost certainly see problems in our everyday health.

By Georgia Otte / photographer

Flip flops can cause calluses and inflamed Achilles’ heels

Common foods and activities have hidden costs

Graphic illustratiOn by GeOrGia Otte

October 31, 2008Feature8

From the Beatles to Brittany Spears, pop music has resonated throughout the ages influencing the American culture.

Now, though, great music is not only found on students’ iPods, but taught about in class.

Pop music, a semester long course started this year by band director Johann Sletto, is designed to help students under-stand the components behind music.

“I feel like everyone is listening to mu-sic, but they don’t know the roots of it,” Sletto said.

Generally during class students listen to different kinds of music and learn the details of what makes the song, a song.

“It’s pretty interesting because we learn the background of music. We’re taught mu-sical elements that really expand my musi-cal horizon,” senior Brian Phillips said.

With this, they cover the seven ele-ments of music: melody (the basic tune), harmony (the chord structure of the song), rhythm (use of sound and silence in rela-tion to time), instrumentation (instruments being used), form (structure of the song), texture (layering of sounds), and timbre (adjectives used to describe the sound); all of these used to craft notes, keys and rhythms into a final product.

Throughout the class, students begin learning these “elements” of rock music (starting in the 1920’s with country and blues) and continue on to everything from 1950’s rock ‘n roll to popular music today.

“My favorite part of the class is learn-ing about the history and just where it all came from,” senior Chelsea Bowman said.

In addition to the history aspect of the class, students are also encouraged to write

and perform their own music. “The kids are writing their own verse

of blues, and we’re going to put them to-gether and make our own blues song,” Sletto said.

On what Sletto calls “jam days,” stu-dents are able to share their musical talents with the class.

“He gives anyone who plays an in-strument (like piano, drums, or guitar) the chance to play music in class. Everyone is involved, though, because others can take turns learning to play the drums,” Bow-man said.

Phillips, who has been playing the gui-tar for five years and drums for six months also enjoys these performance days.

“I love when we get to bring in music and share it with the class. It’s cool because [Sletto] teaches you instruments and music theory, but then we get to actually play it and put it together,” Phillips said.

Along with creating and performing music, students look forward to having guest speakers, such as radio DJ’s, come to the class.

“I’m so excited because you get to hear their point of view and see how they feel about music,” Bowman said.

Basically, the class allows students a “behind the scenes” look at all kinds of mu-sic from various different perspectives.

“It’s a topic I love and it’s more hands on; we’re not just always sitting down and learning,” Phillips said.

Bowman agreed.“It’s a great class. We still have tests

and homework, but it’s a break in my day and puts me in a better mood. Definitely take it next year,” she said.

By Cori Novelli and Milan Savich / executive editor and staff writer

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Newly introduced pop music class provides students with an opportunity to learn the history behind great music and the fundamentals that shape the composition of songs produced and recorded today.

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Go Bulldogs!

Pop music strikes a hit with students

Senior Matt Baliga plays his guitar in an appreciation for pop music class. The pop music class, which includes all seniors, was introduced this past year by band director Johann Sletto to help musically-inclined students understand the compo-nents behind music that they hear every day on the radio and on their iPods and not just the background of classical music (the focus of many traditional music classes.

Photo by Jeremy rex

October 31, 2008 Feature 9

Academics, extracurricular activities, college preferences: when it comes to college applications, there are many categories students need to think of. Activities in which students involve themselves during their high school career could be just as important as their grades.

“Every college is looking for a student who has taken a solid college prep curriculum and can handle college work. They like to see students well-rounded,” guidance counselor Coral Penzato said.

Not only do colleges look at the students’ transcript, but they also take their extracurricular achievements into consideration. According to Penzato, some students receive full ride scholarships because of the activities they took part in.

“It doesn’t matter as much what the club is, but more of their dedication to the club. Any activity looks good if a student has gotten involved at a sincere level, like in a leadership position,” she said.

Many students are involved for different reasons. While some students think about the advantages that being involved would bring when applying to colleges, others don’t think about the benefits their activities can bring them.

“When I was in eighth grade, my dad told me that being involved in a lot of things while still keeping up good grades looks good on applications, so I went to the extreme,” senior Rachel Kolavo said. Kolavo participates in such activities as cross country, swimming, track, band, and Spell Bowl while still maintaining an approximate 3.5 GPA.

While students like Kolavo think practically about their future, others just involve themselves for the experience.

“I do sports because I like to do them, not because of how they’ll look on a college application. I do them because it’s fun for me,” sophomore Holly Schoenbeck said.

Another aspect of resumes is the college students apply to. Many CPHS graduates attend colleges in the state, such as Indiana University, Purdue, Ball State, IUPUI. While these state colleges look for a 3.0 GPA and extracurricular activities, elite colleges, like Ivy League schools, pay more attention than state colleges do to the things that separate good students from the rest. They want students who will

participate in their community after they graduate from college, as well.

“[Colleges] liked that [students] did something different. Elite colleges look for the students who go the extra mile and get involved. There are plenty of students with just good grades,” Penzato said.

Students should be looking at colleges as early as their freshman year, according to Penzato. One way to ensure their dream college’s requirements is to go to the college’s website. Another tool is triptocollege.org where students

can get information by viewing a timeline, get answers about Indiana colleges, and also find options of paying college tuition.

Students should be preparing early on and should be getting involved in a few activities, Penzato said. Colleges want to take in students who are involved in the community, because it shows that they’ll maintain that effort in the future when they’re beyond schooling.

These benefits of various clubs at CPHS are evident to some students.

“Taking part in as many sports and clubs as I do will benefit me in the end. It takes a lot of effort, but it’s definitely worth it because the colleges I apply to will recognize that I did take advantage of the things my school had to offer,” Kolavo said.

While balancing extracurricular activities, students must also focus on the classes they are taking, according to Penzato.

“Take the hardest academic classes you can be successful in with effort. Get involved with at least one or two activities and develop some good study habits,” Penzato said.

By Lauren Cain / advertising assistant

Improve your college resume in a few easy steps

By Deanna Sheafer / copy editor

“

“ If I could do it all over again, I would have joined clubs earlier on, because when

it came to applying to col-leges, I felt like I didn’t have enough to write down on

my application.

-Cassie Bauhan, CPHS Class of 2008

For those who don’t buy a school lunch, the different meal options may seem limited. A lot of students settle for a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chips every day. But brown bag lunches don’t have to be dreary and monotonous. A few simple, fast changes can spice up lunchtime, and help the environment in the process.

“I bring my lunch because I like to have a unique alternative to cafeteria food,” junior Taylor Perry said. “I even save my brown bags and reuse them to be more environmentally friendly,” she said.

To quickly update a favorite sandwich, try making it on a wrap instead of bread. Whole wheat wraps are especially healthy because they have more nutrients and are less processed. Packages of these thin, flat wraps can be found in any local grocery store. Once you make the sandwich just cover it in aluminum foil and it’s good to go.

Another fresh sandwich idea is using sub buns or miniature bagels instead of boring bread slices. Deli-style sandwiches can be made at home as easily as if you bought one from Subway or Jimmy John’s.

If you’re tired of the same old sandwich fixings each day and are looking for suggestions, a tasty alternative is a barbequed chicken sandwich. To start, buy separately packaged chicken that is already cooked and cut into strips and individual packets of barbeque sauce. In the morning, put the chicken pieces on bread, a wrap, or a bun, and add any other sandwich fixings like lettuce or tomatoes. This can be done at night if you’re short on time in the morning. When lunch rolls around, squeeze the barbeque sauce on the sandwich to ensure that it is fresh and enjoy.

Salad lovers can rejoice. There is a plastic, reusable container, also available at grocery stores, that has two compartments. The bottom is for the whole salad, like lettuce, cheese, and any other vegetables or fixings, and the very top of the container holds the dressing. Just push the button on

the lid, and out comes the dressing. This prevents soggy salads, keeps the vegetables crisp until seconds before eating, and could be a good meat free choice for vegetarians.

Cold pizza is a Saturday morning favorite, but it’s also a good alternative for pizza lovers who are unsatisfied with how often the cafeteria serves it. Whether it is pizza from last night or the microwavable kind, it is sure to cause envy from lunch mates. While muffins are generally considered a breakfast food, they can serve as an excellent lunch entrée. For the busiest students, grocery store bakeries provide all kinds of delectable muffins from blueberry to pumpkin and everything in between. Pre-packaged muffins also help against after-school hunger pains. You can even bake large batches from mixes over the weekend or in the evening and freeze what you don’t need for a later time.

Caramel apples are a tasty treat for fall, but are hard to pack in a lunch bag. Fortu-nately, there are individual packs of caramel dipping sauce available at grocery stores to dunk apple slices in. This provides all of the great taste and none of the mess.

Similarly, trail mix isn’t just for hiking and camping anymore. These prepackaged bags usually include a healthy and good tasting mix of nuts, granola, pretzels, ce-real, and even mini chocolate chips. While

you can buy already made mixes at grocery stores, making your own and personalizing it to your specific tastes is easy and cheap.

Another easy choice is chips and salsa. Just fill a sandwich sized plastic bag with corn chips and put some of your favorite salsa in a container.

While hot lunches seem like a luxury for those buying cafeteria lunches, ther-moses work wonders for keeping soup or other foods hot throughout the morning. Buy your favorite types of Campbell’s or Lipton’s and microwave in the morning. Add a plastic spoon and it’s good to go. Spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli and much more can all be enjoyed thanks to a ther-mos.

All of these options have the added benefit of helping the environment. By tak-ing reusable Tupperware containers and thermoses, brown bag lunches can even be-come more “green.” According to greeno-pia.com, the average school child who car-ries a lunch creates 67 pounds of waste per school year. Anything reusable and wash-able decreases the amount of garbage wast-ed every day. That also means less trash in landfills.

Packing a lunch offers tasty and “green” options

Brown bags make the grade

1. Sandwich wrap 2. Mini muffins 3. Chips and salsa 4. Tacos 5. Cup of soup 6. Apples with caramel 7. Cold pizza 8. Sub sandwich 9. Trail mix 10. Salads

10 Things to Pack

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt10 October 31, 2008

Tell someone to think along the lines of the horror-paranor-mal genre of literature, and an array of different thoughts, and (some rather gory) images flicker through their minds. Some think Stephen King, with a side of blood and guts; others think of the eerie suspense that lurks within a good ghost story at a camp fire. From vampire and werewolf tales to true accounts of the paranormal, horror is a vast genre that gets people talking- and reading.

“In the variety of horror and paranormal books, you’ll always find interesting and odd characters, as well as plot twists and turns,” English teacher Lisa Landgrebe said. “People like to be scared. It gives you the goose-bumps, like the feeling where you keep looking over your shoul-der,” she added.

And not only does this attract the readers. It draws in many tal-ented authors as well, creating a selection of literature that stretch-es back into history. The first piece of literature that contained the classic elements of horror is Dante’s The Inferno in the early 1300’s. Yet from then on the hor-ror genre has evolved throughout the centuries. Slowly the preoccu-pation with scary books has pro-gressed into the creation of comic strips, then to writing plays, and so on to movies. In fact, the first horror movie was an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1922. Since then, over two hundred films featuring this age old char-acter have been released.

Among other successful au-thors of fright, Stephen King, the renowned “King of Horror,” has sold over 350 million books and short stories. Forty-nine of his works were made into movies or television series. Junior Heather Digiacomo, an enjoyer of writing scary stories herself, enjoys King’s writing style in particular.

“My favorite horror story is definitely Sa-lem’s Lot by Stephen King, because it p o r t r a y s vampire

mythology very well. I think Ste-phen King is just a really good story teller and an entertaining writer,” Digiacomo said.

Sophomore Neil Hamilton likes reading the supernatural Japanese Manga series entitled Death Note. This dark comic is about a teen who finds a divine book that causes death to come on anyone whose name is written in it.

“I like it because it’s very complex and twisted, and it has a great story line. Tsugumi Ohba is my favorite author,” Hamilton said.

However, not all chilling stories are completely fictional. Some are based off of true events. The Exorcist is based off of an ac-count of a thirteen year old boy that lived in Maryland in 1949. The Amityville Horror is based off of a massacre in 1974 and the account of the family that lived there a year later that had expiri-enced paranormal activity. Mark Merriman’s the Haunted Indiana series are true records and leg-ends of the supernatural in Indi-ana given by locals.

Landgrebe prefers this form of frightening tales.

“I really am more into non-fiction, like true murder tales and crime stories. I’m curious about human nature and why people do the things they do. The true-ness of those stories makes them more interesting and creepy,” she said.

The increasing popularity of horror and paranormal in lit-erature derives from the human psyche to fright. As famed horror author H.P. Lovecraft put it, “the oldest and strongest emotion is fear,” so it’s easy to see why it is so prominent in our entertain-ment.

“People are looking to ex-perience some kind of sensation equivalent to an adrenaline rush,” psychology teacher Brett St. Ger-main said, “I think what draws people in is curiosity; some are just risk takers/thrill seekers by nature.”

However, not only has the media aspect of the genre evolved, but the elements as well, leaning toward the more gory side of things.

“It’s a reflection of culture values changing. Things that

could have shocked us be-fore, doesn’t shock us

now; so to get to that ‘shock factor’ writers have to

really go that extra mile,” St. Germain said.L a n d g r e b e

agrees that m a n y books of t o d a y ’ s

genre have less moral val-

ue and are more for entertainment.

Basically, they have a more“cynical side”

to them.

Even the creatures that lurk within the pages have changed in unison with our culture. Among these many monsters is a being that has even formed its own genre: the vampire.

So between the classics and the modern, one wonders which is more preferred. Between Stok-er’s cold villain, Dracula, or the vampire sweetheart of the Twi-light Series, Edward Cullen, who wins the popularity contest?

“I definitely like the Twilight Series better. Dracula is an older book, while Twilight is more aimed at teenagers, because the characters are teens. I can also relate better because it’s more recent, whereas the older books are harder to understand,” junior Tiffany Drasich said.

Teachers such as English teacher Rachele Raloff enjoys the classics much more than the modern novels.

“I prefer classic literature, such as anything in the 1800’s or before,” Raloff said.

On the other hand, sopho-more Emily Ward-Smith, who reads James Patterson’s Maxi-mum Ride series, is fond of both time eras in literature.

“I like both [modern and clas-sic] because they’re both interest-ing and different. It can be more difficult to read classics because of how they’re written, but they are still really cool and entertain-ing to read,” Ward-Smith said.

Whether old or contempo-rary writings, the aspects of hor-ror and paranormal in society has captured readers for cen-turies. And in the spirit of the season, there’s no better time to explore the terrifying and eerie unknown from the comfort of one’s own covers. No shame in leaving the night light on, right?

By Anna Ortiz / graphics editor

Top 5Halloween

Stories: from Amityville to

Zombie

Classic and modern novels offer Halloween readers chills

books that go

in the nightbump

Based off true events, Anson paints an eerie and morbid picture of a house infested by evil entities after a mass murder that took place in the residence. The Lutz family, moving in a year after the grizzly murders, begin to expirience terrify-ing phenomena. Even their priest’s attempts of exorcism seem futile. Which leaves the family with one ques-tion, are they doomed to live in a nightmare forever?

Supernatural investigator, Dr.Montague, invites three guests with paranormal pasts to stay at the dark Hill House mansion. As the mansion’s sinister past is re-vealed, the guests are thrown into a torrent of morbid events and taunted souls. They find, despite the owner being long dead, the house is very much alive and out for revenge.

This collection of the famed Poe is bound to keep you looking over your shoul-der. His most famous works, such as stories like “The Murders of the Rue Morge,” “The Tell Tale Heart,” and “The Raven,” are sure to terrify readers.

Merrimen explores the plen-tiful haunting of Indiana, from local cemeties to an-cient mansions. Stories such as the grim tale of a young woman doomed to hitch-hike the same stretch of road since her untimely demise and the sorrowful legend of “Stiffy Green,” echo Indiana folklore at its best.

A classic masterpiece from the king of horror and gore, The Shining follows tormented author Jack Torence. Tor-ence moves his family into an isolated Colorado hotel in the mountains with a rather grim history. As the old hotel manipulates both living and dead, Jack begins to change into a monster, madly bent on murdering his family.

5. The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen

2. The Haunting of Hill Houseby Shirley Jackson

3. The Haunted Indiana Seriesby Mark Merrimen

4. The Amityville Horrorby Jay Anson

1. The Shining by Stephen King

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt 11October 31, 2008

Fall into primetimeNew, returning shows offer variety of entertainment

Every summer, TV viewers see com-mercials about the premieres of new series and the next season for returning shows. Every fall, people tune in and watch these programs that are said to be “the most talked about show of the year.” Shows like Gossip Girl and The Office are con-stantly being acclaimed for the number of viewers watching and the expertise of all the people involved in the making of the episodes. With all the “amazing” shows coming out and restarting, how does a viewer know which ones they should take their time watching? Well, here is a break-down of some of the new and returning shows that may be considered “worth watching.”

90210The CW’s new show 90210 is set in a

high school in Beverly Hills (the zip code of which gives the show its name), where teenagers face the problems of trying to rise to the top of the social list and also trying to make it to stardom. Although this show is a remake of the ‘90s version, it brings up many modern issues while also bringing back actors from the origi-nal series. This show may be confusing at times with its many characters and re-lationships, but it brings up interesting topics like how to cope with your parents working at your school. It becomes easier to follow the more viewers watch.

PrivilegedPrivileged, a new show on the CW,

is about Megan Smith, a Yale graduate aspiring to be a journalist. When fired from her job with a cosmetics magazine, she decides to take a job as a live-in tutor for the Baker twins. However, Rose and Sage Baker, well known for their looks and money, are not thrilled about the idea of having a tutor. Megan must learn how to teach the twins to balance school and friends, while also trying to balance her own social life. With its clever humor and wit, this show is a must see for any-one wanting to watch something with real meaning but still have fun watching it.

Hole in the WallAn adaptation of the Japanese game

show Brain Wall, Hole in the Wall, a new series on Fox, forces contestants to contort their bodies to fit into oddly shaped Styro-foam cutouts. Two teams of three players dressed in silver spandex go up against the Hole for four rounds. The winner of the first four rounds must then face the

blind wall in an attempt to win additional money. This show is different in its own way but also much like the rest of today’s reality shows: it presents a unique setup, but it still has the general idea of humiliat-ing oneself in a way that even the contes-tants find funny. This show is great for anyone who wants a laugh without hav-ing to think.

Heroes The characters on NBC’s Heroes re-

ally do have superpowers. Their powers range from regeneration, flying, and time travel. In the closing of season two, the au-dience was left with the shooting of Con-gressman Nathan Petrelli; Sylar, the most feared villain, regaining his powers; and Peter Petrelli catching the vial that holds a virus that could potentially wipe out the human race. The third season restarted with an assassin, who is the future version of Peter, trying to kill Nathan. However, Nathan unexpectedly survives an almost certain death with the help of Mr. Linder-man, an old friend who is thought to be dead by everyone except Nathan. Mr. Linderman was able to revive Nathan by using his gift of rebirth. This show is full of action-packed adventure with twists and turns around every corner.

SupernaturalAt the end of season three of Supernat-

ural, a series on the CW, Dean Winchester was trapped in the underworld, while his brother Sam’s life was narrowly spared by

one of the most powerful demons. At the beginning of this season, Dean’s help is needed to fight the war between good and evil: therefore, an angel literally pulls him back from hell. However, Dean learns that there is one catch to his spared life: he must kill his brother. This show is full of nerve racking suspense. It is the perfect show for people who love scary movies and are looking for a weekly show that will have the same effect.

Pushing DaisiesPushing Daises, an ABC series in

its second season, is about a pie maker named Ned. When Ned was a child, he discovered that he had a very unique gift; he could touch dead things and bring them back to life, but if he brings them back for more than a minute, something else dies. In an attempt to find the kill-ers of homicide victims, Ned joins forces with Emerson Cod, a private eye. Ned brings back these victims for one minute, and they ask the victims questions about their death. When Ned comes across the body of Charlotte, a childhood friend, he decides to bring her back to life for good, but one more touch from him will send her back to her death. There is an instant connection and a romance starts to bloom between Ned and Charlotte, though they must learn to get along without ever mak-ing physical contact. Pushing Daises is extremely witty and makes the viewers feel like they are living in a mystery novel where more and more surprises await at every turn.

InformatIon compIled by InklIngs edItors

a few of our

favorite things

HigH ScHool MuSical 3

By Nikki Sekuloski / reporterIt seems that

the new generation, our generation, is

becoming less and less its own. Aspects

from past generations are constantly being

reused or remade. They are being “borrowed” by

us, and we are not getting our time to shine and show our own style. From movies to clothes, things from past generations are showing up more and more.

For my mom, going shopping in any store where clothes for teenagers are sold is like a blast from the past. She is constantly telling me how much “modern” clothes resemble the clothes she used to wear. Of course, they have a dash of modern elements to them, but she can still see a major resemblance. Therefore, we are not fully expressing ourselves through our own completely new style.

In fact, the other day I was wearing a shirt that I got from Aeropostale that I believed was a new style. However, my aunt and mom told me that that shirt was almost an exact copy of shirts they wore in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That shows that our new style is our parents’ old news.

Movies are also being “borrowed” from the past. Just this spring, a movie from 1980 was remade. Prom Night, originally starring Jamie Lee Curtis, was recently remade starring Brittany Snow. After watching the remake, I was curious as to how much alike the original and remake were. So I rented the 1980 version and found out that, although they have different plots, they still have the general idea of a killer at a high school prom.

Other movies like Cheaper by the Dozen, When a Stranger Calls, War of the Worlds, and many more have also been remade, not to mention that television shows, like 90210, are being remade as well. This just goes to show how more and more things are being reused from the past.

Our generation seems to be recy-cling fads from past years, and in the process, we’re not letting our own style shine through. So, before we look at our parents’ old clothes or movies and laugh, we should probably look at our-selves first and contemplate whether our generation is really that different. Yes, the movies may have better special effects and the clothes may now be con-sidered a little more stylish, but all in all, the amount of change does not add up to the number of years that have gone by.

Entertainment re-runs lack style

By Nikki Sekuloski / reporter

my view

The final installment of the High School Musical trilogy, High School Musical 3 follows the Wildcat crew through their senior year. Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan make college choices and prepare for prom, all while creating their senior musical alongside new and old friends. Filled with catchy songs and show-stopping choreography, HSM3 doesn’t fail to deliver.

BriSingr by Christopher paolini

Also known as The Seven Promises of Eragon Shade-slayer and Saphira Bjartsku-lar, this novel is the third installment in the popular Inheritance Cycle. Orgin-ally intended to be the conclusion of the series, Brisingr takes readers on an adventure with Dragon Rider Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, as they battle against the evil King Galbatorix. It is preceded by the novels Eragon and El-dest, and will be continued within the next two years.

ipod nano-ChromatiC

Apple has done it again. They recently released the new and improved iPod Nano. With 8 or 16 GB of memory and a starting price of $149, this mp3 player also boasts new features like “shake to shuffle,” and a new rotated movie mode. This proves a popular hit this holiday season so get yours soon!

the cast of heroes

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt12 October 31, 2008

Fun Center offers local entertainment

Ever since the Schererville Fun center closed last year, there hasn’t been a place for Crown Point students to go to play mini golf or ride go-carts. The opening of the Crown Point Family Fun Center has made it possible for Crown Point kids to do that close to home.

The Fun Center is located at 1301 Mer-rillville Road directly behind Jewel. On the grounds, there are two miniature golf courses a total of 36 holes, baseball and softball batting cages, a soccer cage, a 1/6 mile go-cart track, and an indoor arcade. There is also a party room for private par-ties that can be rented out for either $9.95 or $14.50 per party guest depending on the package . Each party must have at least eight people in it.

“The fun center is a great place to go. There’s something for everyone,” freshman Austin Stanley said.

The Fun Center is not just for private parties however, the owners Don and Ce-cilia Ernst will be opening a heated indoor training facility that they are calling the

dome. The target date for the opening of the dome is Thanksgiving weekend as long as there are no weather or construction de-lays.

“The dome will support baseball, softball, soccer, and golf. The facility can be used for many other things, but these sports we will be able to accommodate with no problem,” said Ernst.

Rates are not yet finalized for the rent-al of the dome, but they will fall into the $175-$225 range for a 90-minute block of time. Also offered for teams is the option of signing up for a 10-week session at a re-duced rate. Private parties can also rent the dome.

“We have already been contacted by several churches and other non-profit groups who are interested in holding youth group meetings, as well as some businesses that are looking for something different for their Christmas parties,” Mrs. Ernst said.

Gift cards can also be purchased on site or online. For more information on at-tractions or rental prices, visit www.cpfun.com, or call 219-663-3663.

By Jeremy Rex / chief photographer

Do not be fooled by its innocent lo-cation; the Saint Bridget Catholic School’s Gymnasium of Terror will send shivers down the spine.

From the very beginning, the gym-nasium gives off a menacing atmosphere. The looming doorway leads to the nar-row hall lined by black garbage bags cut into the shape of walls. Led by a ghostly-looking student who wears white make-up, you see a shadowy hallway emerging ahead. Footsteps echo from behind, and a glance to the back reveals a masked stu-dent stalking you. Screams or moans re-sound off the walls sporadically through-out the haunted house, leaving the ears ringing. The frightening mood is main-

tained so well, the smallest movements can make you shout in surprise.

The haunted house’s actual conclu-sion will leave the heart racing long after you leave. Even though the haunted house is in a school gymnasium, it is every bit as chilling as regular spooky locations. It was designed to “scare the pants off high school students”, as said by Greg Ernst, President of Saint Bridget’s Home and School Association, and that is precisely what it does. The house is open for all Friday’s and Saturday’s of October from 7 to 11 PM, so if students want something to do after trick-or-treating, visiting this Gymnasium of Terror is perfect for late-night scares.

Senior Ali Martin tests out her put skills on one of the holes at the new Crown Point Family Fun Center. Each of the two mini golf courses has 18 holes.

Photo by Georgia Otte

By Becca Duggan / entertainment editor

&Real chillscheap thrills

Filled with Halloween spirit, members of the Inklings staff scouted out haunted locations to visit and compare. The Gym-nasium of Terror in Hobart and Gypsy’s Graveyard in Crown Point were both home to scares, however some were created and some were authentic.

By Joe Nejman / photographerFrom the first shock of the dark to the

finale flee out; there is no argument that an exploration of a backwoods graveyard can be a great place for some Halloween chills.

The legend goes that a band of gyp-sies came to Crown Point and got sick. The town residents thought they were be-ing stolen from, and refused to help the gypsies. Before they died, the gypsies cast a spell on the land cursing whoever goes there.

Starting from the blind stretch of road that Gypsy’s Graveyard rests on, the lack of light is the first of many frights to start the night. Using only the gleam of a flashlight to climb up the short steps, you glance around nervously, not knowing if

an orb will pop up.Wind whistles through the trees

surrounding the cemetery. The first of many tombstones show their weather-worn faces. Many of the stones’ words are scratched and faded.

Standing in the dark, a cold breeze may blow down upon your spine, and a glance back to the entrance will reveal a pair of stone benches resting against the chain link fence. It could be just imagi-nation, but the bench looks occupied by a dark shape.

Among the ancient tombstones, one particular statue stands out. An angel statue amidst the grave markers certainly draws your attention and often causes even the bravest souls to leave.

Gymnasium of Terror

Gypsy’s Graveyard

SportS 13October 31, 2008

With a Conference record of 4-3, the cross country team, led by senior Brian Witt, took fourth in their conference. Witt won three of four races run in the DAC.

“The team had a really good year,” coach Keith Iddings said. ”They won the CP invitational and the Rich Dust invita-tional in Illinois.”

“At the beginning of the season, our goals were to win sectionals and to help each individual improve, and I think we saw a lot of significant improvements,” Id-dings said. “Brian Witt made the biggest improvement from last year.”

In 2007, Witt went from being the number five runner to being the number one runner in 2008.

“I’m running better than last year,” Witt said. “I trained everyday in the sum-mer to build my running base.”

The Bulldogs ran sectionals and re-gionals at their home course of Lemon Lake. They won sectionals on Oct. 14 and took second to Munster in the regional on Oct. 18. In the post-season, Witt finished first in sectionals as well as regionals.

“It definitely felt good to run at our home course during sectionals and region-als because we ran the course so much dur-ing the summer, so I had it down,” Witt said.

Although Witt, the ‘Dog’s leading run-ner is graduating this year, the rest of the roster will be returning.

“The bad thing about next year is that Brian [Witt] is graduating, but everyone else is back,” Iddings said. This year, Iddings was selected to coach the Indiana boys All-Star cross country team.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to get to work with a really talented group of kids from around the state,” Iddings said. “It’s great to work with kids from Crown Point, but it will be a very different perspective to work with kids from around Indiana.”

Witt is the only runner to advance to the state meet, which is held in Terre Haute, IN.

“We are very confident that Brian [Witt] will do the best job he can at state,” Iddings said.

The top 25 runners qualify to be all-state, and the top 15 are awarded medals.

Football season comes to a close

Three years of triumph, with three back-to-back Duneland Athletic Confer-ence titles, a sectional championship and a bout at regionals, have ended. For the past three years, the Bulldogs football team has been a force to be reckoned with.

This year, the Bulldogs went 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the DAC this year.

“I was really disappointed that the season ended with more losses than wins,” senior linebacker Lance LaMere said.

Although the ‘Dogs struggled this season, LaMere broke the school’s all-time tackle record, racking up 125 tackles in ten games, dethroning the previous record of 114 in 13 games set by John Sertich.

“I just tried to be the best athlete I could this season,” he said. “Football is a great sport. It’s one of the few [sports] that it’s legal to hit [tackle] someone, and people applaud.”

The boys started out the season slow, falling to both Lowell 7-0 in week one, and then Hobart 13-7 in week two.

Senior running back Nick Bruno said the season was rough off the bat because of a lack of experience. Last year, the Bull-dogs graduated 19 out of 22 starters.

“It was really hard to replace the talent from last year,” he said.

Head coach Chip Pettit said that head-ing into the season the defensive secondary and linebackers were the ‘Dogs strongest asset. The defense held opposing teams to only one touchdown per game for the first five games.

“But, we had to rebuild the offense,” he said. “Realistically, we did not have a great [offensive] line and that’s where ev-ery team starts. The guys coming up next year have to dedicate themselves to im-proving their strength and technique.”

Senior wide receiver Danny Osojnicki said that although it is never fun to lose, he always tried to look at the positives.

“We played together so well for so long. We have great chemistry,” he said.

Then came week three. Coming off of two disappointing losses and going up against arch rival Merrillville, very few

people expected the boys to come out on top.

“That is ‘The Game’ of our season,” Pettit said.

The ‘Dogs came out with a win that week.

“That was the highlight of our sea-son,” Osojnicki said. “The first win of the season is always a good feeling.”

In the next weeks, the boys would only manage to gain victories over Por-tage in week 5 (21-6) and LaPorte in week 7 (35-28). They would go on to be defeated by Lake Central, 10-5; Valparaiso, 38-17; Chesterton on Homecoming 20-7; and in the last game of the regular season, Michi-gan City, 7-3.

“We sure let some tight ones get away from us,” Pettit said. “These games could

have gone either way, and I’m disappoint-ed that we did not come out with more.”

Lamere said that the defense began to crumble as the season progressed.

“You can’t just blame it on one side of the ball,” he said.

After the regular season ended, post-season play began. The Bulldogs were matched against the Merrillville Pirates in the first round. Under a blanket of rain and almost freezing temperatures, the boys fell to the Pirates with a score of 42-6.

“It was one thing to lose,” Bruno said, “but to lose like that was heartbreaking.”

Pettit said that any season coming to a close is bittersweet.

“It’s always the last game for the se-niors, and losing to Merrillville like that always stings,” he said.

Witt heads to state tournament

By Brenna Wermers / executive editor

By Milan Savich / reporter

Offense struggles as Bulldogs fall to Pirates in sectional match up

Sophomore Reed Stofko goes against the offensive line during the week five game against Portage. The boys defeated the Indians 21-6, and came out of this season with an overall record of 3-7.

Photo By Alex Parrish

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball team had a productive season, accu-mulating a record of 16-8. However, the success the team obtained during the regular season was brought to an end in the first round of sectionals, when they faced off against Chester-ton.

“Chesterton is always a tough team to play because they have a lot of good players,” sophomore outside hitter Gabby Raspopovich said.

The Lady Bulldogs were 0-5 against Chesterton during the regu-lar season. In the first round of sec-tionals, the winless streak continued as they were swept in three sets out of five. (25-20,25-21,25-23)

Players felt that they were ready to play Chesterton in the first round of sectionals, but they were unable to play to their full potential.

“The team was off,” Raspopovich said. “I know that the team had a lot of nerves, however we were prepared as I thought we would be.”

Raspopvich recorded eight digs and four kills in the opening round of sectionals while junior team-

mate Blythe Redman put forth two service aces, six digs and 17 kills. “We all thought we had a chance if we all played together and were focused,” junior defensive spe-cialist Tori Welker said. “However, we had a lot of mental errors and some miss-serves that could have been avoided.”

Despite the sweep, head coach Rick Ashmore believes that the team illustrated signs of improvement and devolpment throughout the regular season and post-season.

“(In sectionals) we saw a lot of the young talent step up,” Ashmore said.

“We had a lot of ups and downs, but we did have positives throughout the year even though we were unable to make it out of the first round of sectionals,” Welker said.

On senior night, the Lady Bull-dogs faced off against the Lowell Red Devils.

The Lady Bulldogs lost the match in four hard fought sets. (25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 26-24)

Welker went perfect on the night serving 16 for 16 while also recording 12 digs. Senior Liz Ladowicz went 17 for 18 serving and accompanied that with seven digs while Redman was 11 for 14 serving and had twenty-one assists.

The young Lady Bulldogs look to continue their experience into up-coming seasons.

“This past season I’ve learned that you have to play as one,” Raspopovich said. “You will never be playing for yourself, the team is ev-erything.”

As for the team, coach Ashmore says that he is pleased with the way they have progressed.

“They matured a lot and we (the coaches) look for a lot more in the fu-ture,” he said.

SportS14 October 31, 2008

Lady Bulldogs fall in sectional opener Young team loses to tough opponent in first round of post-season

Senior Liz Ladowicz goes down for a dig on senior night against Lowell. The Bulldogs lost the match.

Photo by trey AultmAn

Jeff Fairbairn arrived at the Bulldogs’ boys soccer head coaching position this year not knowing any of the players on the team. None of the players knew who he was either. However, that didn’t stop the boys and their new coach from setting some lofty goals for their sea-son.

“We wanted to be undefeated at home, to win sec-tionals, and to finish in the top half of the conference,” Fairbairn said. “We were able to achieve the third goal.”

Despite losing the sectional championship game to Lake Central by a score of 6-1, the boys were able to put together a successful season. They finished with an over-all record of 7-8-1 and 3-4 in the DAC. Junior Silvestre Lomeli feels the team’s good play was helped by an excit-

ing source.“(Senior Mike) Lipton’s pregame speeches seemed

to influence us,” Lomeli said. “They were always very interesting and got us going.”

Faribairn felt that his team could have achieved more of the goals that they set during the preseason.

“I don’t think the season was as successful as it could’ve been,” Fairbairn said. “I still don’t look at the season as a failure.”

Senior defensive captain James Steriovski had a lot to do with the victories the Bulldogs’ racked up through-out the season. Steriovski made the move to defense after playing up front in the previous three seasons. He felt he became a leader on the team.

“I think I led through my defense,” Steriovski said. “I had to be a vocal leader too.”

According to Fairbairn, many of the team’s more experienced players, including Steriovski, as well as some of the new players stepped up to important roles throughout the year. Senior forward Mike Lipton and senior defender Ryan Dobbins were both returning play-ers who made a big impact on the team’s play. Relative newcomers such as sophomore midfielder Daniel Relin-ski and freshman goalkeeper Christian Lomeli also made important contributions to the team.

“I think the team next year is going to be pretty good,” (Silvestre) Lomeli said. “There are supposed to be many eighth graders coming in next year who will help us out.”

Fairbairn agreed with Lomeili’s prediction.“I feel that we put ourselves in a good position for

the future,” Fairbairn said.

Boys make sectional championship game under first-year coach

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By Colin Likas / reporter

By Hunter McKee/asst. sports editor “

“

They matured a lot, and we look

for a lot from them in the

future.Lady Bulldogs head coach

Rick Ashmore

SportS 15October 31, 2008

take 5 with TREY Cross country heads to stateOften in sports home-field advantage

is overlooked. In cross country, the knowl-edge of every turn is the advantage.

The Crown Point girls cross-country team used that help in the sectional round of the post season. Running at Lemon Lake Park, the Lady Bulldogs took first overall by a large margin. The girls beat Andrean who had a score of 70 and Lowell who had a score of 87. With the lowest score winning the competition, the Lady Bulldogs took seven of the top 12 spots in the race to score a 22.

“They all did really well; all seven of the kids were in the top twelve,” said assis-stant coach Elizabeth Laba.

The seven were sophomore Laicee Pierce, first overall (19:52); junior Morgan Kleinaman, third overall (20:16); senior Maggie Schwuchow, sixth overall (20:40); ju-nior Ksenia Pilarski, seventh overall (20:50); freshman Lauren McCarroll, eighth over-all (20:53); sophomore Elizabeth Schrader, tenth overall (21:14); and freshman Madi-son Koch, twelfth place overall (21:20).

“There are some good teams in our sectional, but based on the way that we had been running all season, we had hoped that we could pull out the win,” Laba said.

This season was headlined by many wins including victories at home over Ches-terton and LaPorte. The Lady Bulldogs first beat Chesterton 28-27 and then LaPorte 43-18. The meet was headed by Pierce, who finished fourth overall and Schwuchow, who finished third overall.

Also in the season, the Lady Bulldogs participated in the Duneland Athletic Con-ference meet at Valparaiso on Oct. 4. The girls finished fourth overall in the meet be-hind Valparaiso, Lake Central, and Portage with a score of 84. The highest placing Bull-dog was again Pierce in fifth place with a

time of 20:08.2.After the sectional, the cross country

team also hosted the regional at Lemon Lake park. The girls finished the meet in second place behind only Lake Central and advanced to Semi-State on Oct.25 at New Prairie High School.

At New Prairie for the semi-state meet, the Lady Bulldogs placed fifth behind Duneland Athletic Conference rivals Lake Central, Valparaiso, Portage, and non-con-ference opponent West Lafayette.

In the meet, the girls were led by Schwuchow(20:01.82), twenty-sixth over-all, Pierce(20:08.09), thirtieth overall,

Kleinamen(20:19.94), thirty sixth over-all, Pilarski(20:23.17), forty-first overall, Schrader(20:43.69), fifty-third overall, McCarroll(20:45.67), fifty-fifth overall, and Koch(20:58.64), sixty-fifth overall in the field of 157 runners. Together the girls time was 1:41:36.71

“I know that I did not have a good performance at semi-state,” said Pierce, “but I’m looking to redeem myself here(at state).”

The Lady Bulldogs will compete in the state meet on Nov. 1 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Achievements

Boys Tennis

Girls GolfQuick Hits-Senior Lance LaMere broke the Crown Point Football single season tackle record previously held by 2007 graduate Jon Sertich. LaMere had 118 in the regular season and seven in the post season. This put LaMere at a total of 125 in 10 games, beating Sertich’s mark of 114 in 13 games.

-Senior Marcus Shrewsbury was ranked number seven in the nation in the 189 pound weight class by WrestlingUSA magazine.

-Senior Mark Myers received an honor-able mention from WrestlingUSA maga-zine in the 160 pound weight class. The honorable mention means that Myers is in the top 60 in the nation in his weight class.

If you want it, your team has it

Walk into any store and you’re bound to see some-thing that has a sports team on it. What you would need

a pair of Detroit Lions oven mitts for, I have no idea. The professional teams are doing it to make money to pay the multi-million dollar salaries of their “superstars”. While

A-Rod’s making $28 million, some fac-tory worker in the Bronx is paying $90 for a pair of Yankee shoes that he can normally get for $50.

Unfortunately, the college teams have noticed the ability to make the big bucks. I’m all for the little Tennessee garden gnome in my neighbor’s front yard, and the Michigan pizza cutter that plays “Hail to the Victor” when it is being used, but you have ask, when has the madness gone too far? The most recent venture that may have crossed a line is the college team caskets. A company started putting the Georgia and Georgia Tech logos on the caskets in 1998 and have recently added nearly 100 more schools to its repertoire of caskets, urns and grave markers. This could give a new meaning to the term die-hard fan.

Who would buy these caskets? I’m not sure, I might. Maybe the people that have had loved a team since birth. Another product that may make people think about as crazy is the Team Baby Entertainment series titled, “Raising to-morrow’s fans today.” The DVDs show game footage while teaching the babies the team colors, the mascot and some famous numbers of several favorite teams including Alabama and Florida. Of course, who wouldn’t want one of these? Many of the videos have celeb-rity hosts such as the “smooth-talking” Regis Philbin for Notre Dame and Mat-thew McConaughy for The University of Texas.

Another item that may be seen as bizarre is the pooper-scooper with a collegiate team on it. Then you have to think of all the fanatics who are all caught up on their rivalry facts. Just the thought of picking up dog “business” with an opposing teams’ logo on it is enough to make even the most serious fan laugh a little. I know plenty of peo-ple who would gladly purchase a nice Michigan or Auburn pooper-scooper.

The lesson to be learned from these products and schools is that if some-thing can have a team’s logo on it; it will. And more often than not, someone will buy it.

The girls golf team recently concluded a re-building year. The team went into the sectional round of playoffs with a regular season record of 2-8. In the sectional at Sandy Pines Golf Course, in Wheatfield, Indiana, the girls shot a combined 410 trailing only to Twin Lakes and Lowell to advance into the regional round.

In the regionals at Beechwood, the Lady Bulldogs shot a team 389. At Beechwood, the girls were led by sophomore Carolyn Kupchik, who shot an 85, along with senior Lauren Bryner ‘s 94, senior Chelsea Gyure’s 107, sophomore Kelly Rostin’s 103, and junior Andjela Roberts’ 116 for a combined 389. Despite the better score, the season ended there for the team.

“The girls golf team had quite a nice sea-son,” said head coach Scott Vlink. “They im-proved greatly over the course of the season and enjoyed the team camaraderie. Although we only had two wins this year and finished seventh in the conference, the season was still a success. “ Senior Chase Korzeniewski

The Bulldog tennis team captured a sectional title this year. For the title,

the team defeated Kankakee Valley, by a score of 5-0, and then the Low-ell Red Devils by a score of 5-0 to take the championship for the sec-ond year in a row.

The boys headed into the re-gional round to face undefeated Munster. In the match, the Bull-dogs were topped by a score of 5-0.

“Each match lost came down to a nail biting finish, but

not without leaving bulldog bite marks on our opponents,” said head coach Chris Korze-niewski.

By Trey Aultman/ sports editor

By Trey Aultman / sports editor

Girls go to Terre Haute after successful post season

After a strong regular season in which they won 10 games, the girls’ soccer team headed into post season play with high expectations.

“Our expectation was to beat Lake Central, ” senior Ashley Morfin said, “for the past four years we have lost to them.”

The girls began the first round of sectionals with a 6-1 defeat over Merrill-ville.

“We were tied 1-1 in the first half, and then scored five in the second,” Mikrut said. “After our third goal; we knew the game was ours.”

Following the victory over Merrill-ville, the girls went on to play Lake Cen-tral and were defeated by a score of 2-1.

“We knew going into post season that

it was going to come down to us and LC,” said Mikrut.

Despite knowing they would play the top team in the DAC, the team was confident going into the game.

“The LC game is one of the best of the year, we couldn’t wait for the day and had the mind frame that we would win,” junior Sammy Vercellino said.

Their confidence carried them through most of the game, but the bull-dogs could not come through.

“With 13 minutes left we were in the lead,” Mikrut said. “We had the opportu-nity, and it just slipped away.”

To close out their season, the team ended with a record of 11-6-1.

“It was hard to lose, but the girls gave it their all and put up a battle,” Mikrut said. “It was a great year, and we’re proud of the accomplishments.”

Senior Flori Garcia-Vicente takes up a loose ball against Merrillville.

By Vinnie Needham/ reporter

Photo By trey AultmAn

Sophomore Laicee Pierce runs towards the finish in the sectional meet at Lemon Lake Park. Pierce finished first overall to help the Bulldogs to victory.

Photo By Joe neJmAn

Expectations prove wrong in Lady Bulldogs loss

Personalities16 October 31, 2008

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From watching spooky movies as a child with his grandma to performing paranormal investigations of haunted areas now, history teacher Don Bernacky has always held a spot in his heart for the ghostly past.

“When I see something cool, I go there. When I read a good book, I contact the author. I’m someone who loves having my hands directly on the research. I’m really just a very curious person,” he said.

Through this research, Bernacky produces films that present his ghostly findings. Mystic Indiana is just one such movie that reveals various haunted spots in and around the area.

“Along with writing, directing and producing the film, I made costumes, did special effects and even ap-peared in it,” he said.

In addition to his ghost movies, Bernacky enjoys producing other short films with his wife, which he does under the company Paz Productions.

“The name comes from the chil-dren’s book I’m writing called Paz the Turtle, a philosophical story of a young turtle who finds and be-friends God,” he said.

Bernacky and his wife have even won some awards for their short films, such as the Chicago cable WIC award.

But when it comes down to it, researching and filming that of ghostly phenomenon is what Ber-nacky loves. Throughout the past 20 years, Bernacky has combed through history, traveling to numerous places to learn each area’s history of encounters with the dead.

“I find places with a strong historical background and I’ll speak to the owners to learn as much I can about it,” he said.

To actually “hunt” for ghosts, Ber-nacky uses a number of instruments, one of which being an Electromagnetic field detector, or EMF.

“The EMF senses any fluctuations or disturbances in the air. When it beeps, it lets us know their might be something out of the ordinary around us,” he said.

Bernacky also takes pictures where he has much of his results on film.

“Ghost hunting is like fishing; you wait and see what you get. At times, it

can be spontaneous and you come home with more than you expected, whereas others, you wait all night and get with nothing,” he said.

On nights that he does find evidence, the results can be substantial. The creepiest

encounter he’s ever faced? A ghost recording one night at the Valparaiso Museum.

“Generally, on our searches, we will ask the EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) that if anyone is there, to please tell us your name. When

we asked this time, I remember we received an answer,

where a man stated that he was Ev-

eret Daniels, part of the

USA army.

We immediately began looking around, when we realized next to us was a box of donated goods, labeled ‘Everet Daniels.’”

Though he’s never actu-ally seen a ghost, he claims that it’s really the history that draws him to the place.

“If I’m left with an ear full of stories, I’m extremely

satisfied, even if our search bears no results,” he said.

By Cori Novelli / executive editor

History teacher by day, Ghost Hunter by night

What is one thing about you that is unknown to most people?I’m a vegetarian.

Who are three people you would love to spend the day with?Pink, the Jonas Brothers, and Betsy Johnson.

Name a major issue that you believe teens deal with every day.Drinking and smoking. They need to understand that there are bigger and better things in the world.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?The war in Iraq.

What was your greatest accomplishment?Becoming liutenent of varsity cheerleading.

What is your fondest high school memory?The Turnabout dance freshman year.

What is one of your pet peeves?When people are always mad and complain when they are the ones who can change things.

What is one of your biggest fears? Why?Losing my best friend. I don’t know what I would do without her.

Social studies teacher Don Bernacky writes, directs, and produces films. His special interest is researching and filming ghostly phenomena which he has done for 20 years.

Maddie Chambersjunior

Don Bernacky

pHoto by cat fleszewski

pHoto by Jeremy rex