Edition 14.1

Vol. 14, Issue 1 | William Mason High School | 6100 Mason Montgomery Road Mason, OH | 9.23.16

THE

[See cover story on page 2]

Photographic by Dalton Craven, Ryan D’Souza

cover story Migraine pain forces victims to suffer in silence

Lack of treatment
causes patients to
seek unorthodox
relief

Calista Busch | Staff Writer
Juliana Discher | Staff Writer

Lightning bolts zapping your
head, hands wrenching your
brain, nails being driven into
your skull – for students with mi-
graines, this excruciating pain is
common.
Migraines are painful, recur-
ring headaches, usually accom-
panied with adverse symptoms
like flashing lights, nausea, and
sensitivity to light, noise, or
smell. They are different for each
person that has them, varying in
length, intensity and side effects.
Sophomore Delaney Durham
said her migraines feel like some-
one is twisting her brain.
2 “It feels like someone stuck Photos by Juliana Discher

9.23.16 their hands in my brain and is Nihar Rama and his mother Priya Rama look over her migraine-inspired painting. According to Priya, the painting is a “metaphorical
cranking it around,” Durham self image. The red part is the migraine and the intensity of the pain and chaos associated with it.”
said. “(It’s) like someone knock-
ing on my brain.” techniques to help relieve the two feel the field has been ne- mately 37 percent of children
headaches. Sophomore Taylor glected with research. that experience migraines note
According to the Michigan Kling uses art therapy to reduce poorer school performance and
Headache and Neurological In- her migranes. “Some people see things when trouble focusing in class and on
stitute (MHNI), approximately they get migraines, and my mom homework. Rama said his mi-
10 percent of children experience “Doing art reduces stress and is one of those people,” Rama graines were so severe in eighth
migraines by late childhood. De- contributes to less horrible head- said. “She sees distorted imag- grade that he had to be home-
spite this, there are still very few aches,” Kling said. “It just gets es. She takes what she sees and schooled for two months.
concrete methods for migraine your mind off things.” paints. There has to be more re-
prevention or relief as the cause search done – there is some, but “I was getting migraines three
of migraines is generally un- Senior Nihar Rama suffers not nearly to the extent of some to four times a week, so I was
known. As a result, patients that from migraines along with his more commonly discussed dis- missing school consistently,”
experience them find their own mother, Priya. Priya uses her art eases.” Rama said. “My parents decided
to express the pain of migraines to pull me out for a bit because
because according to Nihar, the Though the specific cause they thought it was something in
of migraines is unknown, it is
thought to be the result of a the middle school environment
constriction in the vessels of the that was giving me migraines.
head. It can be exacerbated by Now in high school I don’t have
stress or a genetic predisposition. them as often; I have them only
Kling said when she stresses, she around two or three times a
experiences worse and more fre- month.”
quent migraines. Kling said her migraines have
Research coordinator for affected her productivity.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital “It’s hard to concentrate when
Janelle Allen has intensely stud- you feel like your brain’s going
ied chronic migraines in adoles- to explode,” Kling said. “It hasn’t
cents. Allen said her research has affected my grades, but it has
found social and academic expe- affected my ability to work for
riences can be negatively impact- long periods of times on things
ed by migraines. and stay on track. It does affect
“What we see is people who how easy it is to complete assign-
have suffered from headaches ments.”
and migraines, their performance Students have learned to adapt
at school sometimes goes down,” to their migraines. Rama said he
Allen said. “Their ability to focus now accepts his limits.
and retain information some- “I had to understand that you
times goes down. Being present can’t do all the things you did be-
Nihar Rama said this painting of his mother’s is about being stuck in a song, “like in social settings is diminished.” fore,” Rama said. “You can’t be so
when you have a migraine and your head is pounding and you’re stuck in that mood, According to MHNI, approxi- active.”
in that song.” The script is in Hindi.

District forced to carry financial burden of College Credit Plus news

Duncan MacKenzie | Staff Writer districts and the community colleg- 3
$60,990,993–That’s how much stu- es. Prices can range from $41.50 to
$160 per credit hour. The two most Graphic by Ryan D’Souza
dents saved in college tuition costs popular community colleges for Information from the University of Cincinnati, Sinclair Community College, and Mason
statewide after the first semester of Mason CCP students are Sinclair, City Schools Treasurer Rhonda Johnson. The bill from the 15-16 school year was
last school year by participating in which charges the floor price, and expected in August but has not yet arrived to the district.
the College Credit Plus (CCP) pro- UC Blue Ash, which charges $120
gram. per credit hour.

CCP is offered by every school Last year, the program’s first
district in Ohio and allows students year of implementation, 49 Mason
grades seven to 12 to earn high students took at least one course
school and college credit by taking through CCP either online or at Sin-
college courses through commu- clair or UC Blue Ash campus. One
nity colleges or universities, at the CCP course was administered at Ma-
expense of the student’s school dis- son High School last year by a Sin-
trict. clair professor, American Sign Lan-
guage, which had 21 participants.
The program’s guidelines are the Students can take a single, three
brainchild of John Carey, Chancel- credit hour semester long course, or
lor of the Ohio Department of High- they can take up to 30 credit hours
er Education. over the course of two semesters.

As Chancellor, Carey oversees the Although the district has yet to
state’s public institutions and pro- receive last year’s bill, Treasurer
vides policy guidance to the Gen- Rhonda Johnson said the added ex-
eral Assembly and Governor. Before penditure causes other aspects of
CCP became a law, Carey crafted a Mason City Schools to suffer.
collaborative letter of recommenda-
tion to the Governor outlining the “While we support the increased
state’s need for a new system of dual opportunities for students in the
credit. Carey said through his rec- College Credit Plus program, this
ommendation, he sought to equal- is another example of a mandate
ize the opportunities for students to that is placed upon public schools
receive college credit. without additional funding to sup-
port it,” Johnson said. “All unfunded
“Before (CCP), the Post Secondary mandates force us to reallocate our
Option worked very well in some resources. As this program contin-
high schools and benefitted some ues to cost us more and more mon-
students, but what we found was ey, that means that we have less
that the opportunities were very un- resources to contribute to areas that
even,” Carey said. “It could be doing we believe are important for PK-12
great at your high school, but the programming.”
high school right next to you, they
might not have any programs avail- Carey has a different view. Every
able to students, so they weren’t get- school district in Ohio receives a
ting the same opportunities to earn certain amount of money per pupil,
early college credit.” which he said belongs to the stu-
dent.
The law requires that the student’s
school district finances nearly every “Funds that are allocated by the
aspect of the program, from the state basically follow the student,”
credit hours to the textbooks and Carey said. “When they spend those
parking passes. The school has yet dollars, if it’s more beneficial to you
to receive last year’s bill for the pro- as a student to take College Credit
gram from the Ohio Department of Plus, we want those dollars to go as
Education, but the price for the text- far as they can. We don’t view them
books alone totaled $22,793.54. as the school’s dollars; we view them
as the student’s.”
The price for the courses them-
selves are negotiated between the [Continue reading on page 4]

The Chronicle’s Policy The Chronicle Staff
Editor-in-Chief
The Chronicle is the official student The Chronicle is published monthly. The Chronicle is a member of The Jessica Sommerville Online Editor Staff Writers Eric Michael
newspaper of William Mason High Call 398-5025 ext. 33103 for infor- Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Managing Editor Asia Porter Calista Busch Ria Parikh
School. mation regarding advertising in The The National Scholastic Press Asso- India Kirssin Multimedia Editor Joey Deaton Meghan Pottle
Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the ciation, Quill and Scroll International Associate Editor Alyssa Brooks Juliana Discher Asia Porter
The Chronicle promises to report the right to refuse advertising it deems in- Honorary Society for High School Jour- Arnav Damodhar Business Manager Jacob Fulton Alekya Raghavan
truth and adhere to the journalistic appropriate for a high school publica- nalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Sports Editor Ashton Nichols Bryan Hudnell Lauren Thomas
code of ethics through online and print tion. Association. Eric Miller Graphic Designers Luke Hutchinson Joann Tsai
mediums. Ryan D’Souza Alexandra Lisa Delaney Turner
As an open forum for students, let- Contact Information Dalton Craven Charlie MacKenzie Freddie Wilhelm
The Chronicle is produced by students ters to the editor are welcome, but are The Chronicle Duncan MacKenzie
enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. subject to be edited for length, libel, ob- William Mason High School Isabel Marotta Adviser
scenity, clarity and poor taste. Letters to 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Jonathan McCollough Dale Conner
Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion the editor may be dropped off in room Mason, Ohio 45040
but do not necessarily reflect the opin- C103 and must be signed. (513) 398-5025 9.23.16
ions of the school administration or the
Mason City School District.

news Students take college
classes through CCP
Junior Joey Wood flies his drone in the school court yard. Photo by Ryan D’Souza
[Continued from page 3]
New legislation regulates drone use
The amount of money each district in Ohio receives
4 for their pupils varies. The formula per pupil is $6,000 Alekya Raghavan | Staff Writer In a press release, Transportation Sec-
for Fiscal Year 16-17. School funding is a shared re- With new drone regulation, the sky is retary Anthony Foxx commented on the
sponsibility between the state of Ohio and the local potential of drones to shape the econo-
community, so every public school district in Ohio no longer the limit. my.
has an expectation to contribute a local share to that These unmanned aerial vehicles have
amount depending on the district’s average property “People are captivated by the limitless
and income wealth. At Mason, the state sends 42.38 widely expanding applications in com- possibilities unmanned aircrafts offer,”
percent of $6,000, or $2,542. The rest is paid for by mercial and scientific fields. But with Foxx said. “These new rules are our lat-
local taxpayer dollars. this proliferation of uses comes concern est step toward transforming aviation
over safety and ethics. and society with this technology in very
Assistant Superintendent Heather Sass said that profound ways.”
public school districts have limitations on their funds For this reason, the Federal Aviation
which are not in place on universities. Administration (FAA) released a series The FAA has currently registered
of new regulations on August 29, which 20,000 drones for commercial use and
“It’s tougher for districts because we don’t have tu- limit drone activity and place prerequi- expects 600,000 within a year.
ition that we can raise,” Sass said. “We fund our schools sites on piloting an unmanned aircraft.
in a very different way through millage, and that mill- Athletic Director Scott Stemple said
age has constraints pressed upon it by the laws in our The regulations are designed to mini- that the Ohio High School Athletic As-
state, so we continually work to get adequate funding. mize risks to people and property on the sociation (OHSAA) has banned drones
It’s just two different ways of funding, public educa- ground. They set operational limits such at Greater Miami Conference (GMC)
tion versus universities.” as height and speed restrictions. They events due to the safety hazard.
also require the pilot to be at least six-
There are many ways that a student can gain access teen years old and get a license by pass- “We’ve made the choice as a district
to a CCP course. A student can either take courses ing an aeronautical knowledge test. and as the GMC to follow this policy
at the community college’s campus or online. Only based on the OHSAA recommendation,”
two courses are administered on Mason High School’s According to junior Joey Wood, the Stemple said. “All the schools in the con-
campus by Sinclair professors, Multivariable Calculus process of obtaining a license is relative- ference have agreed to not allow drones.
and American Sign Language, but they are not part of ly simple, and requires no physical test. It’s really just about safety.”
the high school’s curriculum.
“They made it recently that you have Although the OHSAA has banned
Because CCP is unique to Ohio, the credits do not to get registered,” Wood said. “You go drones from tournaments, Mason La-
necessarily carry over to public universities outside online to the website and there’s a code. crosse coach Paul Limpert said that
of Ohio’s border. The law requires all in-state universi- It costs five dollars, and it lasts two years. drones are useful during home practices.
ties to accept the credit, but just like a regular com- There’s no flying test.”
munity college, all out-of-state universities determine “You can gain a perspective on player
how much credits earned at a community college are According to senior Peyton Krell, the positioning that you otherwise couldn’t
worth. agency’s new regulations are logical and get,” Limpert said. “The direct overhead
should be followed. gives you exact movement angles that
Senior Kira Nikolaides decided to take the college you cannot get from an oblique angle.”
campus route. She is enrolled in 15 credit hours this “The people who created the new reg-
semester at UC Blue Ash and is taking four classes ulations are very smart people,” Krell Krell said that despite the concern
total: English, Intro to Psychology, Calculus I, and said. “Anyone who gets appointed to be over safety, drones pose no threat if the
Physics I. Nikolaides said that although she may not in charge of deciding the rules definitely pilot is skilled enough to fly it.
receive credit for her CCP courses, she still intends on knows what they are talking about.”
heading out-of-state for college. “Drones are designed to be safe,” Krell
According to the agency’s initial es- Said. “Yes, they do crash, but this is a
“It would count as a semester of credit if I went to a timates, the rules could generate over user error. If the battery gets too low, it
school in Ohio, because all the colleges in Ohio have $82 billion over the next ten years. They will fly back to the spot it took off from.
to accept the credits that you take in this program, but will mobilize new innovations, stimulate It would never fall out of the sky for no
if it’s a school outside of Ohio then they don’t neces- job growth, and advance discoveries in reason. Someone who knows what they
sarily have to take the credits,” Nikolaides said. “If I go research and science. are doing should have no trouble.”
to a school in Ohio, then I could potentially graduate
from college early, but if I go outside of Ohio, which I
probably will, then they might not accept the credits.”

Sass said that she agrees with the idea of CCP, but
the funding facet is something that will need revision.

“I think it’s important for us to keep opportunities
open, and that has been a big driver behind College
Credit Plus, and that’s why I think the concept of it is a
really good thing,” Sass said. “As long as we have those
kinds of things available in the state, more kids are
going to have doors open for them, and that’s great.
It’s just how we fund it is challenging, and we need to
look at that and figure out if that’s equitable to all the
systems involved.”

9.23.16 Editor’s Note: This coverage corresponds to a staff edito-
rial on the appropriateness of College Credit Plus for the
Mason City Schools district. To read the Chronicle’s per-
spective, visit page 24.

Choosing life: parents pay high price for life saving drug news

Freddie Wilhelm | Staff Writer

Statistics from EpiPens.org. Graphic by Dalton Craven The price of Mylan’s EpiPen has families choosing 5
between paying an “arm and a leg” or their child’s
life. 9.23.16

Since 2007, the for-profit pharmaceutical compa-
ny Mylan has increased the price of EpiPens by 400
percent. EpiPens are for people with anaphylactic
allergies-- severe allergies which leads to loss of cir-
culation or breathing from internal swelling. When
activated, EpiPens release Epinephrine into the
bloodstream to stop anaphylactic shock. This hap-
pens when the allergen is consumed or, in some cas-
es, touched. Senior Zach Oldham says living without
an EpiPen can risk death.

“If you have an allergic reaction, and you’re not
near a hospital and you don’t have an EpiPen, you’re
pretty much dead,” Oldham said.

EpiPens are widely used across the nation. Ac-
cording to the Wall Street Journal, an estimated 3.6
million people used EpiPens in 2015. Junior Peyton
Banks said that the increased prices are absurd con-
sidering so many people depend on the drug.

“I thought the increase was ridiculous, because it
is something I need to live,” Banks said. “We had to
pay $400 out of pocket for two EpiPens.”

Gia Borgerson, a fourth grade teacher at Mason
Intermediate and mother of two Epipen dependent
children, said she was surprised by the price increase.

“I didn’t realize it was increasing,” Borgerson said.
“It was such a gradual increase that it didn’t shock
me until this year when I realized they were such a
large amount of money.”

The spiked prices forces those with Anaphylactic
allergies to choose between raised prices or hospital
bills. This has created outrage in families who need
EpiPens. Banks said that her family opted to pay the
higher prices rather than risk her life.

“We figure it’s something I need,” Banks said. “If
it’s $400 but it keeps me alive, obviously life is more
important.”

With costs and insurance varying by family, EpiPen
prices range from $400 to $730 for two. Borgerson
said she is lucky to have the insurance she does with
two kids in need of the product.

“It’s $730 for two EpiPens,” Borgerson said. “Todd
has eight and Joe has eight so it (would be) $5,840
out of pocket if we didn’t have our insurance.”

Mylan’s patent for EpiPens disallows generic or
off brand EpiPens from being sold until next year
when that patent expires, allowing Mylan to fluc-
tuate the price of EpiPens without losing demand
for the product. In order to make customers happy,
Mylan has begun giving out coupons and steadily
decreasing prices in an attempt to make them more
affordable.

Borgerson said the company’s attempts to make
consumers happy aren’t enough.

“If they could justify the prices, (for example)
if they changed the design to fit in your pocket, I
would be ok with it,” Borgerson said. “But it’s been
the same design for the past 12 years.”

Borgerson said that the manipulation of prices
makes her sick.

“Parents have to make the choice between their
child’s life and spending an exorbitant amount of
money,” Borgerson said. “They are putting a price
on their life.”

news Students, teachers struggle with implementation of Schoology

6 Ria Parikh | Staff Writer ment back to me, and it can be a whole roll- eryone is confused, Satija said.
Edline is out, Schoology is in. ing conversation.” “(Teachers) don’t know a lot of things,”
New to the district, Schoology has taken
Parents will be able to view more of their Satija said. “It’s confusing in every way, like
Edline’s place as the Mason City School sys- students’ work on Schoology, because it’s eas- where to go to get our grades or where to see
tem’s learning management website. ier to access than Edline, Roberts said. what’s coming up. It’s weird like that.”

According to Innovative Learning Coach “They can see everything that’s involved According to Advanced Placement teacher
Aaron Roberts, who is involved with imple- with a class,” Roberts said. “It’s just so much Katie Post, Schoology is hard to get oriented
menting Schoology, the inconsistencies that easier to post stuff to Schoology that we are with, because she has to relearn the features
occurred with Edline proved it wasn’t meant seeing a lot more on there than people ever she knew how to use on Edline.
to be used by an entire district as an educa- put onto Edline.”
tional website. “(I have) the general frustration of learning
According to sophomore Nick Krueger, the something new,” Post said. “It’s just learning
“Edline was never meant to be a learning new features on Schoology are better than the ways of a new website, and (understand-
management system,” Roberts said. “When it the ones on Edline, but they aren’t being used ing) the things you became used to don’t
was started, it was meant to be a teacher web- in the way he expected. work anymore.”
page -- a very simple thing where teachers
can get in and make a website for their class. “I like the concept of Schoology,” Krueger Schoology allows more efficiency when
Those learning management things, like the said. “It has a calendar but the teachers don’t posting class notifications, Post said.
gradebook, were eventually purchased and really use the calendar; they put their home-
added to it. But, it never got away from what work assignments and everything under “I linked classes on Schoology so it is nice
it was best at first, which was making a web- their own categories, so it’s really hard to find to just have to upload something once,” Post
site, not managing learning.” stuff.” said. “You can choose which classes to pub-
lish it to, so it is nice that you don’t have to
For students, communication is improved According to senior Kritika Satija, the lay- upload the document six times.”
on Schoology, because tasks that could have out of Schoology helps make viewing infor-
only been done on paper can now be done mation about classes easier. Schoology is constantly being improved,
online, Roberts said. Roberts said.
“(Schoology is) kind of like Facebook, so
“The feedback is faster,” Roberts said. you get everything that’s happening in your “It’s cool to have a product that is under ac-
“What this does is that when you have an class,” Satija said. “It’s not like Edline where tive development,” Roberts said. “These guys
assignment, I can not just grade you, but I you have to click on every class to know who work on Schoology are adding features
can type in comments. You can actually com- what’s happening and what’s going to hap- to it. They’re working on it every day. It is
pen.” right now the worst it will ever be, because
everyone is getting better with it every single
Since Schoology is such a new concept, ev- day.”

9.23.16

Young drivers face news
wrath of parents
after first accident Photo by Jonathan McCollough; Photographic by Ryan D’Souza

Luke Hutchinson | Staff Writer Student arrival time determines location of parking spots in first, second and third lots.

Accidents happen fast, resulting in damaged Free for all parking forces students to
cars and students trembling at the thought of choose between long walk and sleep
telling their parents.
Alyssa Brooks | Staff Writer good spot has motivated students to get 7
Senior Matt Deskins said he was leaving a bas- “Someone parked in my spot.” to school earlier, principal Dave Hyatt said
ketball game when he rear-ended a Honda Ac- This sentence became the infamous that this was not a reason for the change. 9.23.16
cord at the Mason-Montgomery traffic light.
quote of students last year with assigned “It is a happy coincidence that it inspires
“I was going about 35-40 (miles per hour) and parking spots. Last year, depending on the students to get up earlier and come to
totaled my truck, and I totaled their car since it time they registered, students were placed school,” Hyatt said. “But the thing that we
hit the car in front of it,” Deskins said. throughout all parking lots, from the cov- don’t want to promote is a level of urgency
eted B9 spot to third lot. This year the where kids are hurrying, or where kids are
After realizing no one was hurt, Deskins shift- game has changed, as administration has doing things that are dangerous to get a
ed focus to his parents. Deskins said his mom adopted the “first come first serve” policy better spot, or getting up at 4 o’clock in the
asked if he was alright, but following his reas- with first, second, and third lots for the morning just to park.”
surance of everyone’s safety, she said his dad was 2016-2017 year.
on the way. Because nobody is restricted to a specific
Although some students were con- spot, students like junior Robbie Grischy
“He was furious,” Deskins said. “He didn’t be- cerned over the increased traffic, the thought that people without parking tags
lieve that I wasn’t texting.” change opened up more opportunities for could easily park without being caught.
students like junior Aniya Longmire. But Hyatt said it is quite opposite.
Deskins said he and his father agreed he
wouldn’t own a truck for a while because of the “When I found out that I would be get- “In years like last year where we tried to
cost. ting third lot before school started, other assign spots without space numbers, it was
juniors (and I) were a little disappointed,” a daily management nightmare to find out
Another accident occurred when junior Na- Longmire said. “Now since it’s first come who was parking in the wrong spots,” Hy-
than Goldfarb was on his way to school and first serve, it’s great. I not only get to school att said. “From a management standpoint,
slammed into a car in front of him, causing a early to get a good parking spot, but I am (this year) we get to spend more time on
car behind him to hit his Cherokee. The car in also determined to leave early to avoid bad education and less on parking.”
front of Goldfarb was junior Alex Rudy, who was traffic on Mason Montgomery Road in the
behind another car – which had braked to let mornings.” Grischy said beginning his day earlier,
someone pull out of a neighborhood. inspired by his desire to snag a pool lot
For students like Longmire, the new or- spot, has educational benefits as well.
“All the other cars were small and my Jeep is ganization of parking spots has been a way
big, so my car was like a tank,” Goldfarb said. to recover from registering late and being “I usually wake up at around 6 o’clock,
“Theirs were much more damaged than mine.” placed in lots further from the school. But and last year I woke up at 6:15,” Grischy
in junior Ally Astles’ case, she lost her trea- said. “With the rigor of my schedule this
Afterwards, Goldfarb said he called his mom; sured pool lot spot, and has to make exten- year, I can talk to my teachers about class-
she was already angry because he received a sive efforts to park where she was initially es in the morning.”
speeding warning a month prior. assigned.
Hyatt said he and the rest of adminis-
“She said my driving had deteriorated over “If I want to park anywhere near the tration remain prepared to handle any
time after yelling at me for not paying attention, school, I have to get to there around 6:35,” oncoming issues with parking registra-
which made me feel like a bad driver,” Goldfarb Astles said. “I used to leave my house at tion and parking lots but for now, the new
said. “As school ended, she had to come pick me 6:40 last year so leaving at 6:20 is pretty in- method is running smoothly.
up because I couldn’t drive, and started laying convenient. I signed up for my spot within
into me a bit more.” one minute of the registration opening “If they (juniors) get here on time, there
and I got pool lot spot, but now I have to will be spaces available,” Hyatt said. “The
Senior Jake Langbein rear-ended a car a week leave super early to get a spot in pool lot.” sole purpose of this is to resolve the issues
before the school year started. that came along with assigning specific
Although the incentive of getting a spots in the community lots last year. So
“Telling my parents was the last thing I want- our hope is that the kids are appropriate
ed to do,” Langbein said. “I was afraid they were and drive with safety in mind.”
gonna kill me.”

Jake’s mom, Crystal Langbein, said she met
his anxiety with shock.

“He’s normally more aware when he’s driv-
ing,” Crystal said. “There was concern about in-
surance and whether he would lose his license
– and how that would impact the family.”

Unlike Goldfarb, who said he lost his license
for a month, Langbein said his was not taken
away.

This year’s first come, first serve policy has
raised concern for the student parking lots. Se-
nior Danielle Robertson is currently in a wheel-
chair due to a car accident she got in back in
August. She fractured her pelvis and multiple
teeth, and was left with a lacerated spleen and
kidney. Roberston said she predicts accidents.

“It will result in more accidents,” Roberston
said. “Everyone races for the closest spot and
loses focus on driving safe.”

8

9.23.16

feature

Death of local gorilla Photo by Juliana Discher
sparks outcry
The Western Lowland Gorilla statue at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

Juliana Discher | Staff Writer should have shot the kid rather than the go- “It’s really sad he had to be killed, but some
rilla’. My brother and I were so angry. I wish
they didn’t have to kill Harambe, but it was people are over the top about it. I’ve seen
the only way to get Isaiah out safely. ”
Gone, but not forgotten: Harambe lives on so many memes and Vine videos. It can be
in the realm of internet tomfoolery. Coleman said the public’s impression of
Michelle is skewed. amusing, but there is a point when the line

“Michelle is one of the best mothers I is drawn.”
know,” Coleman said. “She has four kids all
The Cousin’s Take under the age of eight, and I don’t know how Sophomore Alexis Hoeler said that the
she does it on a day-to-day basis. People said
that she should have had charges brought Cincinnati Zoo should have taken a differ-
against her and I was just like ‘Really?’”
On May 28, an event transpired at the Cin- ent course of action regarding the incident.
Harambe: The Internet Icon
cinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens that would “Harambe shouldn’t have been killed, and
Harambe memorabilia, Youtube songs,
be heard across the globe. Junior Jaidyn and a plethora of memes have flooded the I think the Mother should have been fined
internet. Petitions to get justice for Harambe
Coleman is cousins with three-year-old Isa- have evolved into satiric ones. These include for her child,” 9
petitions to get Harambe on the $50 bill, to
iah, son of Michelle Gregg. Isaiah is better make him a Pokemon character, and to re- Hoeler said.
name Tropical Storm Hermine to Tropical
known to the public as the boy who fell into Storm Harambe. The 17-year-old silverback “They should
gorilla has evolved into an icon.
the gorilla enclosure. have sued her
Coleman said she is amused by the Ha-
When Coleman first heard the news from rambe jokes made online – to an extent. because they

her mother, she said she was not shocked. “I think the memes are funny,” Coleman had to kill one of
said. “If there is anything though regarding
“I know it’s sad to think I did this, but I my aunt or my cousin though, I just shut their animals.”
those down. But if there are jokes like ‘Ha-
laughed when I heard the news,” Coleman rambe for President 2020,’ I can laugh at Hoeler said
those.”
said. “It was something Isaiah would do. He’s the internet at-
Senior Jack Engle, a dedicated Harambe
a very rambunctious kid. One time we we supporter, said he believes that justice should tention Haram-
be granted to Harambe.
stayed in a hotel, and he pulled the electrical be has gotten is Photo by Juliana Discher
“Harambe was a great figure at the Cin- not celebrating
socket out of the wall and carried it around.” cinnati Zoo,” Engle said. “He was loved by his life. Senior Chris Berlinger
everyone. He had his life taken so unfairly. displays his Harambe
Coleman did not realize how quickly and Yes, there was a boy in there; he was trying
to have fun with the boy.”
how greatly the story would spread; she said “It’s kind of ri- apparel.
Criticism of the Death and Memes
the media outlets had some inaccuracies. diculous because
Senior Emily Rosado said she believes the
“The national news kept trying to say he social media posts are funny, but excessive. they are making fun of the gorilla when

had severe injuries,” Coleman said. “In re- “At the freshman spirit party, there was a the child was in his habitat,” Hoeler said. “It
team called ‘Greens out for Harambe’ and
ality, he had a scrape on his head, a bruise they chanted about Harambe,” Rosado said. wasn’t the gorilla’s fault.”

on his rib, and scrapes on his arms and his

legs. The first day The Zoo’s Response

it was on global

news, they were When the incident first occurred, the Zoo

still saying he closed down its Gorilla World exhibit for ten

had severe inju- days. It installed a taller public barrier with

ries which wasn’t knotted rope netting and surveillance cam-

true because I eras in order to prevent any future disasters.

was at the hospi- The Zoo has attempted to turn the at-

tal with him.” tention away from Harambe after being

Once the story bombarded with post after post regarding

Photo by Juliana Discher began getting its lost comrade. On August 23, the Zoo re-

Senior Jack Engle wears mass public atten- leased a statement that requested for the in-

his Harambe shirt. tion, Coleman said ternet fame to stop. Director Maynard said

a lawyer advised the Zoo was still healing and they wanted

her to shut down her Facebook account. the memes, petitions, and signs to end That

“There were all these hurtful things about same day, the Cincinnati Zoo deactivated its

Michelle and Isaiah,” Coleman said. “It was Twitter account entirely.

really hard to watch because there were The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens

racist things. Some comments said, ‘They denied comment. 9.23.16

feature The Line-up

SCHUTTE
BEN

Senior Eric Thomas cheers for Mason football. Photo by Delaney Turner FAVORITE THEME: pink out
GAMES ATTENDED: sooo many
Black hole leaders cheer teams to victory FavORITE SPORT: soccer or football
Most memORABLE GAME: middletown
10 Delaney Turner | Staff Writer inform fans every sporting event. With larger
On Friday nights, rain or shine, the storm of events, however, comes more preparation. Se- football game 2015
9.23.16 nior Matt King said leading goes way beyond a
the Black Hole is always present. physical level. THOMAS
Mason High School has over 30 teams eric
“It’s all mental,” King said. “We mentally pre-
throughout the sports seasons. But one team is pare throughout the week to get ready for the FAVORITE THEME: blackout
often overlooked. That team: The Black Hole. football games. (We do it by) attending other GAMES ATTENDED: all of them
events (to) get us in the right Comet spirit mind- FavORITE SPORT: basketball
The class of 2016 may be gone, but before its set, and that’s really key for us.” Most memORABLE GAME: basketball
members left, they selected four spirited mem-
bers of the incoming senior class to carry on One of the biggest jobs is leading chants dur- senior night 2013
their legacy: Matt King, Ben Schutte, Eric Thom- ing games. These chants have limitations, from
as, and Isaac Zeltwanger. Former leader, Juan the GMC and administration, but senior Isaac KING
Tramontin said the 2015-16 Black Hole torch- Zeltwanger is positive that the principals are MATT
bearers were always on the lookout for students fully supportive when it comes to cheering on
going above and beyond to rile up fans. athletes. FAVORITE THEME: blackout
GAMES ATTENDED: 2017
“As our senior year ended, (we) had to choose “(Administration’s) big thing is they want us FavORITE SPORT: f00tball
who we’d pass the torch to, and without hesita- to be promoting the Comets more than trashing Most memORABLE GAME: middletown
tion we all agreed on the current guys, who we the other school,” Zeltwanger said. “Mr. Rompies
believed would continue to keep the traditions told us he wants us to have a relationship, so at football game @middletown
of the Black Hole alive,” Tramontin said. games when we’re sitting out there and there’s
a questionable chant going on, he’s going come ZELTWANGER
The “torch,” in this case, a Twitter account, to us first.” ISAAC
is now in the hands of these leaders. However,
these four can’t rule the kingdom on their own. Assistant principal Brandon Rompies works FAVORITE THEME: camouflage
Senior Ben Schutte made certain that a variety with the Black Hole to ensure that they are re- GAMES ATTENDED: 3 million
of leaders were chosen to cover every sporting flecting MHS in a positive manner. FavORITE SPORT: f00tball
event. Most memORABLE GAME: mason vs.
“(It’s) really just a collaborative working re-
“We pick a large amount of people, like 12-15, lationship,” Rompies said. “We’ll meet with the sycamore 2016
so when there’s days that a lot of people can’t Black Hole leaders periodically at the beginning
make it, there’ll still be people who are con- of the school year and throughout each season Photos by Jonathan McCollough
sidered leaders who can lead the Black Hole,” just to touch base with them. We need them to Graphics by Ryan D’Souza
Schutte said. help make sure that everything that the Black
Hole is doing is respectful.”
The Black Hole plays a key role in bringing
students together to cheer for Comet Country. King plans to support the athletes and create
This job means countless hours of preparation an inclusive environment for fans. His goal is to
for the leaders. Senior Eric Thomas said he make everyone feel involved and comfortable,
plans to engage the student body by reaching whether they are in the stands cheering or on
out on social media. the field playing.

“This year, we’re trying to get new (themes) “I want all of the athletes and students here
out, and do polls on Twitter to see what the peo- at William Mason High School to feel at home
ple following us want,” Thomas said. and appreciated,” King said. “We want people to
say that the class of 2017 had the greatest Black
Not only do they reach out to fans for their Hole of all time.”
input, they also tweet out teams’ schedules to

Electronic note feature
taking limits retention
Photo by Meghan Pottle
Isabel Marotta | Staff Writer
Senior Sebestian Castillo contemplates his social media posts before publishing.
As our technology gets smarter, we might not
be. College applicants must consider
social media footprint
Studies by Princeton University Psychologists
Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenhiemer found Meghan Pottle | Staff Writer spoke with an admissions officer at a uni- 11
that an increase in technology use may cause Every time you tweet, you might as well versity that hired someone with a cyber se-
a decrease in memory. It proved writing long- curity degree to monitor applicants’ social
hand allows for better recall of material. be submitting part of your college applica- media accounts.
tion. “Basically, they want to make sure that
In the study, college students watched a vid- the student has represented themselves
eo and were instructed to take notes in laptop According to a 2015 Kaplan Test Prep honestly on paper and in their application
or a notebook. Students were then tested over survey, 40 percent of college admissions as well as what they’re portraying out in the
the material. The results found that those who officers said they browse applicants’ so- public,” Hull said. “It’s not like when I was
wrote longhand had an advantage over laptop cial media profiles to find out more about going to school and applying. Now, they’re
users. According to Mueller, laptop users were them. 35 percent said what they found hurt able to tap in and see who is really being
seen taking notes verbatim. the applicant’s chances of acceptance. honest in their application materials and
how they represent themselves.”
“People who took longhand notes did better Senior Sebastian Castillo said he didn’t Hull said MHS is going to start posting
at conceptual questions,” Mueller said. “Stu- start paying attention to the appropriate- “think before you post” signs throughout
dents had to synthesize facts from the talk, as ness of his own tweets until a university the high school to make students aware of
opposed to something stated directly. That re- told him they check scholarship applicants’ the issue.
sult seems to be because the laptop note takers social media. Castillo said that he had an experience
were trying to write exactly what the speaker where he questioned the profanity of his
was saying.” “I always heard about it before and my tweet and decided to take it down.
mom would always say ‘colleges check all “I had a tweet on there that I thought was
In another study, students with laptops were social media,’ so I wasn’t allowed to have funny, but then my friend told me that col-
instructed to not take verbatim notes. Despite social media, but then I (used social media) leges would be looking at it,” Castillo said.
the warning, Mueller found the results hadn’t anyways,” Castillo said. “Then, we went to a “I really wanted to keep (it) up, but I had
changed. Laptop users are held back in the college visit and they said they were check- to delete it because it was inappropriate. I
learning process because of habits formed ing social media for college applicants. ” monitor social media better now.”
when note taking, Mueller said. McCann said that she doesn’t feel the
University of Tennessee Regional Re- need to look at every applicant’s social me-
“We got the same results,” Mueller said. “We cruiter Laura McCann said that UT does dia account, but students still need to be
found the laptop users we instructed were not actively monitor every applicants’ so- cautious about what they post online.
completely unable to stop. It seems to be an in- cial media accounts, but can sometimes “Just general practice is be aware of what
grained tendency. When people write longhand, stumble upon things. you put on the Internet, even if it doesn’t
it forces them to be more selective and process affect your college admissions decision, it
the material more and that’s why they learn it “We try very hard not to have biases, but could affect your work once you graduate
better.” if we are on a decision that is fifty fifty and college,” McCann said. “You could’ve posted
we see something that looks really poorly, something incredibly offensive and maybe
English teacher Patricia George finds when it is kind of hard to dismiss that, especially you didn’t realize, but the right people
students learn and take notes electronically, it if it is a concern to other students on cam- could get ahold of it and that could defi-
prohibits them from comprehending the mate- pus,” McCann said. “If after more digging it nitely affect your future. Be smart.” 9.23.16
rial. is a pretty consistent viewpoint, then that’s
definitely something we are going to look
“I believe you can type faster than you can into and consider when reviewing your ap-
write notes by hand,” George said. “But what plication.”
research has shown is you’re like a machine
and you’re not processing what you’re hearing. Assistant Principal Amy Hull said she
There’s something about writing something
down and deciding what to write.”

According to senior Brittney Posner, laptops
give her a false sense of security over her un-
derstanding of the material.

“You kind of get in that mindset that you al-
ready have it on your screen, so you don’t have
to worry about it,” Posner said. “You say to your-
self ‘I’ll come back to it later’ and you don’t, so
you forget it.”

According to Mason City School’s Innovation
Learning Officer Jonathan Cooper, incorporat-
ing technology is important, but the tool should
be used properly in order to improve learning
situations.

“When it comes to memory, we know that
brain research has a lot to say about when you
do physical handwriting, not even just notes,
but drawing and the physical representation of
concepts is very powerful for memory,” Cooper
said. “We are very mindful that technology is
a tool that enhances (learning) and shouldn’t
take away.”

feature Interracial adoption adds new perspective to family tree

Asia Porter | Online Editor

12 These interracial families don’t make up Photo by Asia Porter
your average family photo.
9.23.16 From left to right: Lydia, Tina, Dan, Seth. The Broaddrick family adopted Lydia from Ethiopia when
When adopted children or siblings are a she was 11 months old.
different race from the rest of their family,
families adapt to a new routine aside from I’ll be treated; she won’t be, not every time. doesn’t solely affect the adopted child. Sopho-
feeding an extra mouth. It’s not the sixties, but it’s also not what you more Emily Waldon said she was 12 when her
think it is.” parents brought home her three siblings Jul-
Dan and Tina Broaddrick are parents to ner, Julena, and Vindy from Haiti.
their biological son Seth and adopted daugh- For adopted children, their experience in a
ter Lydia. Lydia, born in Ethiopia, was brought family of a different race takes adjustment. Waldon said she initially had preconceived
into the Broaddrick household at the age of According to Child Welfare Information notions about Haitian children and worried
11 months. Gateway, approximately 28 percent of chil- about bringing them into her family.
dren placed with public agency are placed
Prior to bringing Lydia home, Dan said it interracially. “I definitely viewed Haitian children as
was important to discuss with his family the poor and that they were very down,” Waldon
idea of adopting a child that did not have fair Senior Sophia Wells was one of the 28 per- said. “When I first met them, I was nervous
skin. cent. Wells was born in the Hunan Province it was going to be really awkward. Now I
of China, but her adoptive parents are Cauca- definitely think that Haitians are very strong
“We made the conscious choice and effort sian. Wells said she has received questioning people. They were really sweet and the per-
to have a conversation with my parents and looks from the community. fect fit for our family.”
ask ‘Is this going to be an issue?’” Dan said.
“We had to have conversations beforehand, “I have gotten looks at stores when I’m just After the adoption of their daughter, the
knowing that in bringing a child with brown with one of my parents,” Wells said. “Some Broaddricks said their worldview has wid-
skin into our family, we had to make the deci- people aren’t 100 percent educated on it, but ened to encompass more perspectives. Ad-
sion or commitment that we would be more I feel like adoption from China is one of the ditionally, Tina said she is quicker to discuss
committed to her and be willing to make a most common adoptions, so sometimes peo- race with her son, Seth, now that she has been
break or protect her from my family.” ple can associate with that.” exposed to a new perspective.

When traveling outside of Mason, particu- Wells was eight months old when she “He’s got a friend who’s Ethiopian and ad-
larly on the way to Chicago, Dan said his fam- was adopted and has grown up surrounded opted,” Tina said. “We were talking about get-
ily receives negative stares from people who by American culture. As a result, Wells said ting in trouble, and I said ‘There might be
see their mixed family. people think she has forgotten about her Chi- times when you and your friend could do ex-
nese heritage. actly the same thing, and he’s going to get in
“There’s one stop in particular (in Chicago) trouble, and you’re not because he has brown
that we had such a feeling--and it was a nega- “Another stereotype I get from families skin. You need to stand up for him.’ You get
tive feeling--that we intentionally choose not is that I’m Americanized,” Wells said. “They to use who you are to stand up for people,
to stop there anymore,” Dan said. “We’re both think I don’t know much of my own culture, and that’s something that I would not have
from Sydney, Ohio, and even in Sydney if because I didn’t grow up in China with stereo- had a conversation with him about because I
we’re out and about, we get more stares than typical Chinese parents.” wouldn’t have known.”
we would here.”
Adopting a member into a family, however,
For advice and a look into their daugh-
ter’s culture, the Broaddricks have turned to
friends, colleagues, and have subscribed to
African-American media outlets. In order
to preserve this culture, Dan said the couple
tries to incorporate Ethiopian food and decor
into their home.

“Part of our decorative choice is that we’ve
got pictures from Ethiopia in our house,” Dan
said. “We’ve got baskets hanging up from
Ethiopia in our house, and she’s got some
decorations in her room, the Ethiopian flag,
things like that, trying to display some of that
culture or at least give her knowledge of it.”

While raising her daughter, Tina said she
has had to view the world from a new per-
spective.

“We need to prepare her to be a black wom-
an in the United States, so I need to know what
does it look like to be a black woman in the
United States,” Tina said. “I’m not gonna learn
it just by walking through my life. I have to
really look at what are some stories and learn
those; whereas, before, I had the luxury, and I
think a lot of white people have the luxury, of
not having to ever think about what it’s like
to be someone else because they’re not rais-
ing someone who is that somebody else. I’d
be doing a disservice to her if I just raised her
thinking she’s gonna be treated exactly like

13

9.23.16

feature HOW TO

BLUE DOT COUNSELORS

If a teacher or sta member has a blue dot School counselors will be availabe to talk
(soon to be Comet Conversations) on their door, about problems and determine whether
it means they are willing to talk at or not a student needs additional service.
a moment’s notice

Student suicide raises question of how

14 Jonathan McCollough | Staff Writer important (for them) to know that they’re not.”
Approximately 4,600 teenagers will take their lives this year, accord-
Mason reaches out and revitalizes to give help
ing to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
School psychologist Jeff Schlaeger said resources are available for
Warning signs students to receive help.

There are many warning signs that someone could be contemplat- “I would like to think that we are a combination of a very proactive
ing self-harm or suicide. Dr. Elizabeth Mariutto, a psychologist at the and reactive school,” Schlaeger said. “I don’t want people just to think
Lindner Center of HOPE, said that some of the most common warn- ‘Ok, another kid died, so now we’re gonna start doing something’ –
ing signs include talking about suicide, drastic changes in behavior we’ve been doing something. I go into health class every semester and
or personality, not engaging in normal activities, having anger issues, do a unit on the signs of depression, what do you do when you see
getting in more trouble at school, giving away possessions, and more depression or think you might have a friend with depression. We’ve
drug and alcohol use. had programs offered to parents throughout the year about depres-
sion awareness. We have guidance counselors, we have two full-time
Mariutto said that it is important for people to speak up if they think school psychologists, we have three full-time school based therapists,
a friend or peer may be at risk, even if it means temporarily hurting and a new at-risk assessment person.”
a friendship.
While these resources have been available, the school is taking fur-
“I think one of the things that comes up so frequently is people don’t ther steps to help all students. The counseling department recently
want to betray their friends trust, so they feel like they just have to collaborated with Sycamore High School’s counseling team to talk
manage it themselves,” Mariutto said. “But really it’s too much for any- about strategies to approach mental health issues and ensure student
body to have to manage. You don’t want to be the person who after the well-being.
fact thinks ‘What if I did tell somebody?’ So I really would encourage
people to talk to a school counselor or talk to a parent if somebody is Assistant principal Shanna Bumiller said that Sycamore shared strat-
talking about (this).” egies Mason can implement in addition to resources already in place.

Sophomore Ellie Uematsu said it’s really important to talk to people “They pull students out a couple times each year by grade level, and
who may be struggling with depression or their own well-being, and they fully believe that pulling students into small groups is important
make sure they know that they’re not alone. because it personalizes it and allows the counselors to put a face and a
name together,” Bumiller said. “During those meetings, the Sycamore
“I would let (struggling students) know that they can talk to me and counselors said that it’s not only about the business items. So at these
I’m always there for them and they’re not alone,” Uematsu said. “It’s a meetings they talk about college apps, but they also acknowledge that
big school and I think that’s the reason some people feel so alone. It’s high school is stressful. All of us experience stress and anxiety at dif-

9.23.16

GET HELP feature

OUTSIDE HELP HOTLINES
1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
If it’s determined a student is dealing with 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
larger problems, outside resources like 866-488-7386 (LGBT oriented)
therapists or psychiatrists should be contacted

Graphic by Ryan D’Souza

to seek proper mental health treatment

ferent points of our lives, but when it starts to persist and really starts services ranging from intensive treatment and hospitalization to out- 15
affecting your eating and sleeping, that’s when it’s a problem.” patient programs.

Bumiller also said that the school is planning on revitalizing a pro- Jennifer Pierson, the Senior Director of Marketing and Outreach at
gram started right here at Mason: the blue dot. the Center of HOPE, said that mental health issues are common, and
they should be treated similarly to a chronic disease in that people
“Essentially what that is is staff members put a blue dot on their seek help if they feel they may need it.
room,” Bumiller said. “If a student is struggling with anything, they
can simply know that that is a trusted adult and say ‘I need to have a “A standard approach if somebody is feeling depressed is to just call
blue dot conversation’ and know that the adult is someone who will and schedule an outpatient appointment and that assessment process
stop everything immediately and listen to that student and then point can happen pretty easily,” Pierson said. “I think it’s really important
them in the right direction for more resources.” for people to know that there’s help, and you don’t have to try and
go it on your own. It’s also important that those surrounding them,
The blue dot will be transformed in October. “Blue Dot Conversa- like if someone is talking about not wanting to be around anymore or
tions” will become “Comet Conversations” and a new logo is in the feeling like life isn’t worth it, to ask questions. You talk to them about
works to better reflect the spirit of Comet Country. getting help, and you make suggestions on the fact that there are re-
sources out there. I think that too often people just feel so alone and
Counselors are another resource available to students. While their isolated even though they might be surrounded by friends. It’s com-
titles have changed from Guidance Counselors to Academic Advisors, mon because the illness is so significant that it just clouds everything.”
Bumiller said because of their diverse roles, they are changing to the
title of the counselors once again. You are not alone

“It is now school counselors,” Bumiller said. “We have amazing Mariutto said that students shouldn’t have to feel alone and that
school counselors, and their job is not only to advise you academically, there are people to help even if someone may not think they need it.
but also to help take care of your social and emotional well-being.
School counselor emcompasses that because school is a lot more than “I think in general there’s still a stigma against mental health,” Mari-
academics. They’re not just academic, they’re not just guidance, but utto said. “It’s improving, but I think a lot of times people kind of see
they’re school counselors.” it as ‘This is just who I am, and there’s nothing that anybody can do
to help me,’ and there is. There are a lot of things we can do to help
Looking outside to the community people. There are plenty of people who come in and really need ther-
apy and medication, but there are other people who come in, and they
While there are resources at MHS, getting help for mental well-be- just really like having it; they like having someone to talk to. It doesn’t
ing does not have to be limited to the school. The Lindner Center of always have to be so hard.”
HOPE, located in Mason on Western Row Road, specializes in helping
people of all ages with mental health and addiction issues. It offers

9.23.16

16

9.23.16

MOMS feature
make the world go ‘round

Volunteers crucial Meghan said outside of her mom’s full-time teers because it provides entertainment and
job, Elaine spends hours working on projects satisfaction.
to benefit and promote the volleyball team. “I volunteer for the boys basketball board,
to teams’ success “She has a huge binder she keeps on her I’m in charge of concessions for girls lacrosse
desk, and she’s always working on (volleyball and, honestly, I’d be bored if I didn’t get in-
volunteering),” Meghan said. “She does it be- volved,” Elaine said. “I like to be involved with
Ashton Nichols | Staff Writer cause she played sports in high school and what my kids are doing.”

Team moms have got it going on. misses it, so she wants to be involved.” Football parent volunteer and Touchdown
Sports teams rely heavily on parent vol- Elaine Elko, parent volunteer and president Club secretary Edie Stewart said she used vol-
unteers. Dawn Berryman, the sophomore of volleyball boosters, said she volun- unteering when she moved to Mason to meet
other community members.
team mom for girls’ junior varsity soccer, has “(I) wanted to be involved in what my
many responsibilities--spirit wear, team din-
ners, coordinating snacks for away games, children were doing, and get to know the
teachers and the other kids,” Stewart said.
and working with boosters all sit on her to-do According to Stewart, volunteering
list. However, she said she enjoys being in-
volved because she has a passion for soccer. allows her to build relationships.
“I think you definitely get to know
“It can be busy, but it is very rewarding,” the players and the parents of the play-
Dawn said. “I’m very happy and fortunate
for the all the help.” ers, and that’s probably one of the most 17
rewarding things,” Stewart said. “You
Dawn said her everyday job with the also get to know the coaches, and it’s a 9.23.16
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
helps her understand the impact of great way to meet people.”
Cheerleading mom Jennifer Linne
volunteers. said she’s been planning for large
“We rely heavily on volun-
teers and we would not be as events, like a homecoming dinner
for the cheerleading team, since
successful an organization if we August, even though the event
did not have the support of vol-
unteers,” Dawn said. “I know how only lasts an hour.
“There is a certain theme,”
important volunteers are, and what Linne said. “We have to deter-
a difference they can make, and I
like to share and give back outside mine the menu. We go and find
what the decorations need to be.
of my work hours.” It’s a lot of planning.”
Mackenzie Berryman said her
mom volunteers because she en- Linne believes she is not a ‘he-
licopter mom.’
joys committing to community “You catch them when they
activities.
“When she volunteers for fall and let them know you
are there when they need
something, she always goes you,” Linne said. “But
above and beyond,” Macken-
zie said. “She loves soccer (you) also let them expe-
rience things and go out
and played soccer, so she’s for themselves because
really passionate about it.”
Sophomore junior var- that is the only way
they are going to learn.”
sity volleyball player Head football coach
Meghan Elko said her
mother Elaine Elko vol- Brian Castner said par-
ent volunteers contrib-
unteers with volleyball, ute to a team’s success.
basketball and lacrosse
programs. “You have unself-
ish adults that give
“I play lacrosse,” their time to a Mason
Meghan said. “She’s
not on the board for Football Family, and
they respect what
lacrosse, and even we do,” Castner
though she’s presi-
dent of the volleyball said. “I’ll be in-
Photo by Jonathan McCollough debted to all
board, she goes to la-
crosse meetings.” Soccer team mom Dawn Berryman (left) and football team mom Edie Stewart (right) support their children. the moms.”

feature Hours of practice make perfect for marching band

Alexandra Lisa | Staff Writer

Your local mail carrier may deliver your
mail through rain or shine, snow or sleet
but they have nothing on the Mason High
School Marching Band. While the amount
of hours the band practices boarder on the
limits of child labor laws, members of
the band practice in rain, sleet, and blaz-
ing heat because they know all their hard
work pays off in their performances.
The marching band practices for three
hours after school every school day, and
eight more hours on Saturdays. Though
guard and band each get Sunday and an
additional weekday off (Tuesdays for color
guard, Wednesdays for band), the hours
spent training typically add up to nearly
20 a week. This is also the legal number of
hours minors are allowed to work.
According to the Ohio Department of
Commerce, minors between the ages of 14
and 15 cannot work more than three hours
every school day, longer than eight hours
when school is out of session, or longer The Mason High School marching band practices at Atrium Stadium. Photo by Jonathan McCollough

18 than 18 hours a week once the school year night the past few nights getting homework from Texas, where the University Interscho-
has begun. Students participating in band done. It’s even worse if you miss something. lastic League has put laws in place that re-
wind up dedicating as much time to their ex- When I went home [sick], the entire time duce practice time to just eight hours per cal-
tracurricular activity if they had a job. I’m at home, I’m worried because I’m not at endar week. While these hours do not include
band. You’re sick, and you’re still worried that football games or competition preparation,
Katie Schmidt, a junior in color guard, said they’re going to do something and you’re they sharply contrast to Mason’s minimal fif-
she stands by the hours, regardless of the can’t catch up. I’m a very stressed person any- teen hour week. Despite less practice, Texas
challenges they present. way, so that really adds to it.” schools continuously place in the top 12 at Na-
tionals, often even higher than Mason.
“They’re really long, but in the end they are Brass co-captain and teacher Avious Jack-
justified because it makes us better,” Schmidt son said a large portion of the time spent is “It’s difficult, because I know if we didn’t
said. “That’s what got us to fourth in the na- dedicated to football games, preparing for work so hard, it would be hard to (place in
tion for our competitions. A lot of people have competitions, and building relationshps. Nationals),” Moeggenberg said. “But the fact
been getting injured or passing out lately be- that they’re placing higher is kind of frustrat-
cause of how they push us on the field but by “This is a time investment,” Jackson said. ing, because we’re working so hard.”
pushing us, they do make us better.” “It’s a lot of time, but they are challenging
themselves constantly; they are building Jackson said the sheer number of people in
Not everyone agrees with the schedule. lifelong relationships. (And) there’s the time the marching band is a huge factor.
Sidney Moeggenberg, a sophomore in color management skill, which is really something
guard, said the long practices may help them you have to practice.” “To get that many people and that many
reach nationals, but they also add a lot of components to work together, it takes a lot
stress and affect students’ home lives. The practice hours have contributed to of hours,” Jackson said. “(Smaller bands) do
Mason’s placing in the top five at Grand Na- the same things we do, but we are on a much
“During band camp, I saw my dad maybe tionals for the past two years, but it may not grander scale. Even just moving from here
ten minutes a day. Seeing a parent that little be the only way to accomplish that success. to there is a task when you’re moving 300
when you live in the same house is difficult,” Some of Mason’s toughest competitors come people.”
Moeggenberg said. “I’ve stayed up until mid-

9.23.16

a&e

Cincy golf “Topgolf is like a family. It’s so
scene going much fun, especially on the
vertical at weekends because we some-
Top Golf times have a DJ. It’s very live
and popular and upbeat.”
Students taking
advantage of new - Senior Arianna McDonald,
attraction Topgolf Employee

India Kirssin | Managing Editor “When you walk up to the front 19
of it, it looks like it should be in
Topgolf, a new golf and entertainment center, Vegas. It’s kind of like a night-
opened in West Chester in July, bringing golf, club and a driving range and a
food, music and fun to Cincinnati residents. The restaurant all combined in one.
new location is the 27th in the nation, but the first It’s super cool.”
in Ohio, to give golfers and nongolfers alike a
new way to play golf. - Junior Griffin Tucker

Topgolf is a driving range with a twist. Partici-
pants can choose from nine different games, all “I think the coolest thing about
centered around hitting the ball into one of the Topgolf is it makes golf fun. It
bullseyes for points. Each golf ball has a micro- brings in a lot of people who
chip in it that helps track where the ball goes have never played golf before.”
and how many points a player gets. The closer
to the center of the target a player hits the ball, - Senior Chris Unterreiner,
the more points they receive. Their points then Topgolf Employee
pop up on a touch screen scoreboard located in
their bay-or tee off area. Games focus on preci-
sion, speed, points and more.
“It was really fun because you
Normal driving ranges are set up like regular could be a really good golfer
golf courses, players hit for accuracy and dis- who has been golfing all your
tance, but not for points against others and not life or you could have never
into gigantic, colorful targets. The concept of golfed in your life. It’s fun for all
Topgolf has opened the game up to people of all people.”
skill levels because of its multiple difficulty lev-
els, competitive nature and fun ambience. - Sophomore Madison Vinson

Matt Barkelew, Operations Manager for Top- 9.23.16
golf, said the company draws in more nongolfers
than golfers because of the excitement and curi-
osity surrounding Topgolf.

“70 percent of our demographic does not qual-
ify themselves as golfers – a golfer being some-
body who golfs once a year at least,” Barkelew
said. “The great majority of our guests are com-
ing in and want to experience what we offer.”

Barkelew said the company’s goal is to foster a
fun environment.

“Topgolf is a global sports entertainment com-
munity creating the best times of your life,”
Barkelew said. “We want to create entertainment
value off of a concept and a culture more than
anything.”

sports FROMCAPTAIN

#GAMEDAY

Mason vs. Hamilton

Coach Brian Castner and the Comets load
the buses to take on the Hamilton Big Blue
in the Comets’ first road contest since
September 2. The Comets
come in at 3-1 after a 38-7
rout of Lakota West. The
Big Blue look to rebound
after their first loss of
2016; a 41-20 defeat
at the hands of the
Sycamore Aviators.

Will
Adams and
the Comet

20 defense
look to shut
down the
Big Blue
offense

FAST FACTS Photo by Jonathan McCollough

Match Up: Mason Comets 3-1, Hamilton Big Blue 3-1 Senior Andrew Hauer kicks off during the Comets 17-14 loss to the Moeller Crusaders on September 11.
Mason Key Players: Matt Sora (459 yards rushing, 4
TD), Michael Koygorodsky (155 yards rushing, 5 TD’s), Cut twice from soccer, Hauer’s persistence lands
Will Adams (2 INT), Jalen Johnson (3 INT) him spot as football team captain, starting kicker
Hamilton Key Players: Eric Jackson (648 yards passing,
514 yards rushing, 12 total TD), VInce Sanford (384 yards Eric Michael | Staff Writer of months.
receiving, 2 TD), Alex Oseguera (2 fumble recoveries, 1 Andrew Hauer never gave up. “The day after tryouts, football came up,” Hauer
TD), Brian Lampkin (2 INT) The senior was cut by the soccer team in succes- said. “I thought ‘Why not? I have a lot of friends
on the team.’ I didn’t expect to play at all sopho-
SHOUT OUT sive years after entering high school; he had been more year. But then week three came up, when we
told he wasn’t good enough to play the sport he played Winton Woods, and I found a spot on kick-
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL OFF TO 9-1 START loved for the school he loved. Like many student off because I was kicking some nice squib kicks
athletes who have been cut, Hauer was left feeling in practice. That was a lot of fun. Junior year I did
The Mason girls volleyball team has come out of empty and unwanted. all of the kickoffs on Varsity. It was amazing being
the gate on a hot streak, opening the season with under the Friday night lights.”
a 9-1 record that includes signature wins over St. “It didn’t feel good; I was really sad,” Hauer said. Head football coach Brian Castner said that
Ursula, Archbishop McNicholas and conference “My whole childhood, growing up, I’ve always from the first time he met Hauer, he knew he
rivals Lakota East and Lakota West. The youthful loved soccer, so getting cut was terrible. But I kept would end up being something special.
Comets carry just one senior on a roster that working at it, and I went back next year, and got “I think from the get-go, he was all about en-
features six juniors along with six underclassmen. cut again. It was terrible. For that to happen twice, ergy,” Castner said. “He greeted me and the staff
it kind of killed me inside. I always thought I was with a smile, and I always felt like he was some-
Junior Anna Brinkmann leads the Comets and is good enough to play soccer at Mason, but I guess I one who was positive from the get-go. I don’t
second in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) in wasn’t. I thought I was better than I actually was.” think there’s ever been a time where I didn’t think
kills, with 143 through ten matches. Junior Abbie he was in it for the right reason.”
Hughes has been a key cog for the Comets, with a After being cut the second time, Hauer didn’t When Hauer joined the team, he had no expec-
GMC leading 358 assists to go along with a team know where to go. After many clubs and activities tation to see the field anytime soon. But it took
leading 106 digs. Sophomore Maggie Kings has were brought up to him by his friends and family, just three weeks after the season started to see his
filled up the stat sheet all year, putting up 105 kills, one thing stood out to him: football. A sport he first varsity action.
15 service aces and 68digs. had never played outside of his backyard quickly
became a sport he would be playing on a varsity [Continue Reading on Page 22]
The Comets have four major non-conference field under the Friday night lights in just a matter
matchups remaining: a tri-match with Beavercreek
and Seton on September 24, a road contest with
McAuley on October 10 and the regular season
finale against Alter on October 24.

9.23.16

BEAST MODE THAT’S sports
JUST SICK

Junior running back Matt Sora Senior Jack
is off to an incredibly strong Finnegan
2016 campaign. After run-
ning for 559 yards and nine “I puke after every race. I just
touchdowns as a sophomore, love to work hard and push my
Sora has totaled 459 rushing body to the limit. I remember
yards on 67 carries through during GMC last year that usu-
four games, good for an av- ally when you finish a race
erage of 114.75 yards per you’re looking at the finish line,
game. Sora put on a dominat- but I was looking at the nearest
ing performance against the garbage can. The race didn’t end
Lakota West Firebirds run- where the finish line was. It end-
ning for 144 yards and three ed where the garbage can was.”
touchdowns on 17 carries.
-- Senior cross country runner
DIGITS GETTIN’ SCHOOLED SophomJack Finnegan ks up eld 21
n
80 “The mechanics behind spiking a FUNNY FACE
volleyball includes a lot of torque. ore Nick Krueger grimaces as he loo
Number of yards The longer the arm of the volley-
senior Cam Buford ball player is, the more force they Photo by India Kirssi
scampered for a can produce and when that force
touchdown on the rotates it creates a torque. That is an WHO’S HOT
first play of the enormous torque when they hit it on
second half of the their palm or their hand because it is Blazing to an 9-1 start, the girls
Comets 28-14 win a large distance from their shoulder. have bested the Catholic school
over Springboro. That creates a change in momentum block, something that has plagued
of the volleyball, and that change in the program in the past. Despite
momentum has a huge acceleration, falling to Ursuline Academy in four
which also is a force on the other sets, the Comets beat out eight-
side of the opposite team.” time state champions St. Ursula in
a five set thriller.
--DeeDee Messer,
AP Physics Mechanics teacher

Sophomore
Sammie Puisis

THEY SAID IT

“I’ve not really come across a
coach that I hate or despise,
but there have been coaches
where you wonder if it’s
more about them than
it is about the team.”

- Head Football coach Brian Castner
when asked if he has any bad
relationships with other
coaches in the area.

Complied by Charlie MacKenzie Photos by Jonathan McCollough 9.23.16

sports Hauer’s perseverance
pays off with spot as

team captain

[Continued from page 20]

That kickoff against Winton Woods would
be the first of many to come from the kicker
who would have never seen this path coming
after being cut
from the soccer
team.
“When I start-
ed sophomore
year, I abso-
lutely did not
Photo by Jonathan McCollough expect to play
at all,” Hauer
Preston Hutchinson interacts with his ‘buddy’ at Mason Intermediate School on September 14.

Football program reaches out to said. “I was just
there because
I thought it
local youth through ‘Buddy Program’ would be a lot
of fun. On week
kids who have less than you do,” Hauer Photo by Jonathan McCollough
Bryan Hudnell | Staff Writer said. “Just seeing how much you can help two, they called Hauer has scored 20 points.
Life can be difficult in many different them by seeing them once a week and get- my name to go
ways and just having a friend can mean ting them to do their homework and stuff out to play on the last kickoff of the game. I
everything. The football team does just like that, you get to see how much it can wasn’t paying attention because I didn’t think
that by reaching out to kids through what change their outlook on life and how posi- they’d be calling my name to go out there. I
they call the Buddy Program. tive they are throughout the day.” got yelled at for that one: it was kind of a wake-
The Buddy Program has been in place up call. But no, I didn’t expect to play at all, I
22 for six years. The program pairs a player Hauer was one of the 20+ players in- didn’t expect to be where I am now. Being a
and a child together and they meet with volved in the program last year. Hauer captain as a kicker, you don’t hear that very
9.23.16 each other every Wednesday at the Mason said he learned a lot from being around often. I didn’t expect to be where I am, but I’m
Intermediate School. someone with a different background. very happy I am here.”
Defensive Coordinator Barak Faulk is Hauer’s efforts towards Mason’s football team
in charge of assigning players in the pro- “They have a lot less than I do and just stretch far beyond Dwire Field. He stands as a
gram. Faulk believes that the Buddy Pro- to see a different perspective on life gets leader and high energy player for the Com-
gram offers an incredible chance for play- you thinking and makes you reflect on ets. Castner said it was no question as to who
ers to build character. your own life and what you can do for oth- would be his special teams captain.
“Everything you learn from football ers,” Hauer said. “Over the summer it was brought up from
from waking up early, setting a program, numerous coaches on the staff that we need
(lifting) weights, all of that, leads to a good Senior Alex King made it a priority to to have a special teams captain,” Castner said.
character,” Faulk said. “This just gives us a see his buddy whenever he could. King’s “There was really nobody else even in the
whole different world in helping a kid for buddy was from Haiti and had a hard time conversation. Andrew Hauer’s name just kept
whatever the reason. I believe it’s been one adjusting to life in America. coming up and kept coming up. And when we
of the foundations of what we’re about.” finally decided to have a special teams captain,
The kids ushered into the buddy pro- “I decided to stay committed and I tried he was a pretty easy choice.”
gram have tough backgrounds and ex- to see him every day,” King said. “He’s a When Hauer heard his name called as a cap-
perience adverse circumstances. These special kid, but he was just going through tain for his team, he felt honored. All of his
circumstances include a death of a fam- a hard time in his life and I wanted to be hard work and effort had finally paid off.
ily member, a divorce, or struggling in there for him.” “It was awesome,” Hauer said. “I’ve been work-
school. Faulk said these kids endure all ing for that this whole summer. Back in morn-
those and more. The Buddy Program has impacted the ing workouts, coach told me I needed to step
“These are tough stories: stories that lives of not just the kids in the program, up and be a leader, and I took that to heart. I
make you want to cry,” Faulk said. “I know but also the players involved. Faulk said kept trying to motivate everyone to be better.
one kid lost his father and needed some- the program is mutually beneficial and It was amazing to hear that I was going to be a
one to be there for him. Most of them have that there are lessons to be learned for captain, that I was going to be able to lead the
real hardship, cases of loss in the family, both the kids and players. football team my senior year.”
or they have a hard time in school.” Hauer had a message for all of the student-
The players get the opportunity to be a “One of the players told me that this has athletes who have been cut in the past.
role model for young students.. They hang been better for him than his kid,” Faulk “Just keep working at it,” Hauer said. “If you
out with them, listen to them, help them said. “It makes you feel good reaching out think you’re good enough to go back again,
with homework: anything the kids need, to people and seeing the impact that the just keep pushing at it. Hard work always pays
the players are there for them. Senior kick- program has on not only the kids, but the off. You’re going to find what you love some
er Andrew Hauer recognized this when he players as well.” time. It might not be right now; it might not
volunteered to participate in the program be next year. But you’re going to find what you
last year. The Buddy Program has already formed really love to do at some point. So just keep
“It was all about connecting with the more relationships this year as the pro- pushing, keep working, and you’re gonna get
gram began September 14. Faulk is excited to that place.”
for another year of the program and be-
lieves great lessons can be learned.

“When you go out and forget about
yourself and help somebody else, man
that’s when you grow as a person,” Faulk
said.

Soccer program goes high tech to monitor performance sports

Coaches able to chart Reedy said the monitors not only help the heart rate, and Marc Johnson said to me,
coaches ensure the players are giving their ‘These two players need to come out, based on
best effort, but that it also gives an indication the monitors,’” Reedy said. “And I could tell,
player’s heart rate with of when they might be pushing the players looking at the one, I didn’t need the monitor.

mobile technology too much. I could tell he was gassed. He was going to be
“It gives us another tool to evaluate our coming out even if we didn’t have the moni-
players, and make sure that they’re working tors. But the other one, I didn’t realize because
at a level they should be, because as we say, he wasn’t showing some of the typical signs
Joey Deaton | Staff Writer the monitors don’t lie,” Reedy said. “It also of fatigue, but when we brought him out, we

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9.23.16

opinion Staff Editorial

to the editor One size fits all not applicable to
College Credit Plus programming
24
Editor’s Note: This editorial corresponds to our in-depth
9.23.16 coverage of the CCP program. For a look at the inner-work-
ings of the program, visit page 3.

The rotunda of our state legislature is not a crystal ball through which
the future of every Ohio school district can be divined. It cannot reason-
ably foresee the alchemical addition of $30,000 to fund opportunities the
Mason City Schools district has long offered, yet that is exactly the prem-
ise of College Credit Plus (CCP).

Intended to equalize opportunity for dual enrollment, the program is
invaluable to students in districts without our Advanced Placement oppor-
tunities. In these districts, the program may offer a greater educational
depth or expose students to college early and encourage them to pursue
higher education.

As an unfunded mandate, however, these college credit hours come
right out of the district’s budget, regardless of each individual district’s
needs. The law doesn’t differentiate Mason from Colerain, Colerain from
Little Miami, Little Miami from Lakota East, yet each district’s needs are
different. Most students who are participating in CCP are taking courses
offered within our walls: Psychology, Calculus, Physics, Biology.

CCP students, however, are not pickpocketing Mason taxpayers to pay
for their college educations: they are simply taking advantage of an un-
surpassable opportunity bestowed upon all Ohio students. Some CCP
students are taking high-level courses that are not provided by Mason,
like American Sign Language and Multivariable Calculus, which fulfills
CCP’s intent: to forge opportunity where a district cannot. But the way
CCP has been implemented, there exists ample room for manipulation
of the program.

Should these students pursue higher education outside of Ohio, the ma-
jority of their credits will not transfer. Our district will have invested in
these students, at the expense of half of another AP teacher’s salary, and
they will not even reap the benefits.

Sinclair set up shop in our backyard for a reason: with our high school
funneling money into their reserves, the community college is the true
profiteer. What is most concerning, however, is not the twisted gold chain
but the availability of this program to students as young as seventh grade.

A semester college course is equal to a full year of a high school course
and grants a Mason student AP credit – that divine 0.03. With an academic
culture so competitive that class ranks are cloaked, it is not unlikely that
the CCP program will become witchcraft for aspiring valedictorians, a
way to magic GPAs into the triple digits. The next valedictorian may stand
on stage in front of the Class of 2017, or 2018, or 2019 and recognize no
one, because he or she has not stepped foot on a Mason campus since
sixth grade.

This is why, outside of the school’s mandatory information meeting for
the program, we never advertise College Credit Plus. This is how it went
on for a year, and we are just now hearing about it. This is its disappear-
ing act.

The school has nothing to gain from the program – it loses students,
money, and even its own school board, a school board that is essentially
rendered useless, a school board whose decisions are largely that of a fig-
urehead, a mirage of an influence, because the rotunda in Columbus has
eclipsed any voice we may have in the fate of our own district.

While CCP has an excellent intent, the rotunda in Columbus has an
increasingly large amount of power over education in Ohio, so much
so that it blurs the lines between high school and college. It muddles a
district’s responsibility to prepare its students for higher education and
pay for that higher education. It has left gaps for students to wield the
program regardless of its intent, at the expense of the district, taxpayers,
and students who remain in MCS. Without the flexibility to adapt to each
district’s needs, it is just another curse.

Not enough Editorial Cartoon opinion

How justice fails Pokemon is a no-go
assault survivors

India Kirssin | Managing Editor

Men sexually abuse women all across
America at a horrifyingly high rate –
yet they are getting a free pass.
One of every six American women is
the victim of an attempted or complet-
ed rape in her lifetime. Females ages
16-19 are four times more likely than
the general population to be victims of
attempted rape, rape or sexual assault.
Only six out of every 1,000 suspects of
sexual assault will end up in prison, ac-
cording to RAINN.org.
Brock Turner, a student athlete at
Stanford University, was tried for sexu-
ally assaulting an unconscious woman
and found guilty. He was drunk and was
caught in the act by two other students.
His convictions carried a potential 14-
year prison sentence. He was only sen-
tenced to six months in jail and three
years of probation. He was released for
“good behavior” on September 2 after
only serving three months. He is out in
the world with the ability to harm again.
Actually he’s now in Xenia, Ohio,
about 50 minutes from Mason, where 25serious allegations put the women at WMU
his parents live. branded a sex offender.”
During Turner’s sentencing his father, Dan Becker’s attorney basically advocated send- in danger. WMU admitted it was a mistake to
Turner, wrote a letter to the judge in a pathet- ing his client – a sex offender, whether he is recruit him.
ic attempt to help his son get off with only registered as one or not – to college. I have a I am disgusted that he was allowed to be
probation. sad feeling we will hear Becker’s name in the near me and my friends. This also makes me
“His life will never be the one that he news in the near future. wonder how many accused sexual predators
dreamed about and worked so hard to While these cases are both important and are in our communities with the ability to be
achieve,” he wrote. “That is a steep price to shocking, a more recent incident has hit clos- repeated offenders – and they will be repeat
pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus er to home. offenders. According to RAINN.org, 60 per-
years of life.” This is what Dan Turner wrote, cent of released sexual assault perpetrators
knowing his son was guilty. will be rearrested for another crime within
20 minutes of action? Wow. Your child has five years.
“ruined the life of another person by violating All three cases highlight the leniency to-
According to RAINN.org, wards sexual predators our justice system fa-
them in one of the worst ways possible, and 60 percent of released vors tends to favor. Even if a woman does the
you’re worried that his life won’t turn out the right thing and reports her assault, the odds
way everyone planned? If Brock Turner was
that worried about his future, he would have sexual assault perpatrators that her attacker will ever be appropriately

thought about it before deciding to take ad- will be rearrested for anoth- punished is nearly nonexistent. Why report if
vantage of a young woman. no one will help you?
Turner’s court case is scary enough by it- er crime within five years. According to 911rape.org, only 16 percent
of all rapes are ever reported to the police
self. I had hoped it was a one-time mistake, ” by women. This number is terrifyingly low.
because, as a soon to be college freshmen, There are a lot of reasons women do not re-
hoping it was a one-time mistake is a lot
easier than accepting the horrifying truth. I port: shame, fear and self-blame being only a
had hoped that out of the outrage and hate Last month a former Mason student and few examples. But, by allowing young men to
and tears and questions his lack of sentencing football player was arrested for robbing a get away with just about anything, our society
provoked, something would click and things woman at knife and gunpoint at Western has voluntarily endangered women.
would change. But, of course, they didn’t. Michigan University (WMU). Through the I am not saying women should not report.
David Becker, a Massachusetts high school- media frenzy that has followed, it was re- Report sexual abuse. What I am saying is that
er, was accused of raping two unconscious vealed that he has been accused of sexual as- we live in a world where a young man’s fu-
women. He was sentenced to two years proba- sault four times, all within Mason. ture means more than a woman’s self-worth,
tion. No jail time, no sex offender registration, Charges were never filed. He continued dignity and life. We live in a world where
almost no consequences. to play football, run track and be a potential strong, capable women are preyed upon and
When asked about the ruling, Becker’s at- threat to any female students around him. In- quickly reduced to nothing. We live in a world
torney pointed out that Becker is a three-sport cluding myself. Western Michigan said they where my friends and myself worry about go-
athlete who wants a college experience and had no idea of his past charges and were given ing off to college because while we know we
said, “We all make mistakes, and we shouldn’t a good report of the player while recruiting would do the right thing and report, that’s not
be branded for life with a felony offense and him. So someone’s failure to mention these enough. 9.23.16

PARTING SHOTS

Good You Tell Us Compiled by Staff Writer Meghan Pottle
Which sport has the best team mom?
1. Two extra hours of battery Junior Louie Bulger plays soccer for
life. The winning team moms are: the Columbus Crew Academy.
2. Water resistant.
3. Display uses same color Anne Saresky Q: How did you get involved with
space as digital cinema indus- the Columbus Crew Academy?
try. Keisha Stewart
4. Camera good in low light. A: I was playing with a team
5. Speakers deliver two times Laurie Goldfarb in CUP, which is Cincinnati
the audio input. United Premier and the coach
Edie Stewart had a connection to Crew, so
Not so Good I tried out for it. I play for Co-
Photo by Jonathan McCollough lumbus Crew Academy, which is
1. No headphone jack. not professional, but it is a sec-
2. Bluetooth AirPods are $160. Edie Stewart is a team ond level team.
3. Discontinued the 16 GB mom for varsity football.
storage option. Q: How does Columbus
4. Home Button is completely 45 out of 190 voters on thecspn.com poll chose football team Crew Academy differ
reengineered. moms as the best. Follow @mhschronicle to find out when our from high school
5. Costs $649-$769. next poll will go live. soccer?

Compiled by Meghan Pottle A: We play year
round. We play
Word for Word against acad-
emies around
26 “The audience and the students are less the country, so
familiar with the play than old classics that another MLS
we’ve done. It’s a different style of team. The teams
theater; it’s really built out of imagination.” we play are dif-
ferent. It is di-
– Drama instructor Allen Young, vided into regions
and we play teams
on the Drama Club’s upcoming performance around and teams in
Chicago, Minnesota
! See our October 21 issue for full coverage. of “Peter and the Starcatchers” and Indiana. There’s
usually a huge tourna-
ment in Texas. This
weekend I am going
out to Minnesota to
play two games.

Photo Bomb Q: What have you
learned playing
for the Columbus
Crew Academy?

A: It’s a better op-
portunity to become
professional. It is a
better environment
and a better coaching
staff. It’s just higher
level. It has been a great
opportunity.

9.23.16 Photo by Jonathan McCollough Louie Bulger, Q: What are your
junior soccer plans for the fu-
Cole Pearce (23), Alex King (7), Camden Wood (97) and other Comets converge on a Moeller ball ture?
carrier during the Comets 17-14 loss to Moeller on September 11.
A: I want to go
to a decent college
where they have
good academics and a
good soccer program.
Hopefully, play there
for three years then go
professional.

27

9.23.16