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Super Bowl Sunday

is nearly a nation-al holiday to a major-

ity of Americans. This year the Super Bowl is in

Tampa, Florida on February 1. Since the ticket prices range

from $5,000 to $20,000 for the big game, most people need help organizing or planning their Super Bowl parties since they

don’t want to pay the high price.

For non-sports fans, the commercials pro-

vide a lot of

entertainment, but many parties choose to have fun games to keep people involved even in the most boring of sporting events. Games to try are rating the commercials on a scale of 1-10 and deciding at the top advertisements at the end of the game. Or maybe try football scrabble. In this game, gather letter tiles from several Scrabble board games, take only one Scrabble board and place on a table everyone can access. Then begin the game by spelling out a game-related word in the cen-ter of the board. Different party planning sites suggests starting with an easy word such as foot-ball, fumble, or touchdown. As the game continues, guests add words to the board sticking with the football theme.

A favorite among

f o o t -ball par-ties is food. Usually hosts prepare a lot of finger foods to eat during the game such as nachos or cookies It’s recommended that if people do make a main course they barbeque burgers or hot dogs, nothing too filling or expensive. The point of the party is to have fun and enjoy a great football game with friends, games and food make it that much better.

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Favorite Toppings

Beef

Ingredients:Ingredients:

1/2 cup 1/2 cup Peanut ButterPeanut Butter1/4 cup Butter1/4 cup Butter1 cup 1 cup Chocolate Chocolate ChipsChips1/2 tsp. 1/2 tsp. VanillaVanilla9 cups Crispix 9 cups Crispix cereal (any cereal (any flavor)flavor)1-1/2 cups 1-1/2 cups Powdered Powdered SugarSugar

Instructions: Instructions:

1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips 1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.in a microwave safe bowl.2. Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all 2. Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large 3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.bowl.4. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the 4. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.a good covering.5. Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over 5. Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to cover each the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to cover each piece well.piece well.

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Easy Superbowl Recipes pg 20Easy Superbowl Recipes pg 20Post Secrets are Back pg 17Post Secrets are Back pg 17

Q&A with Coach Roweton pg 15Q&A with Coach Roweton pg 15Senior Week or no Senior Week? pg 3Senior Week or no Senior Week? pg 3

As we rush out the door in the morning to start our busy days, it seems that the last thing on our minds is what’s for lunch. Whether we packed a lunch or plan to eat from the cafeteria, it is essential to consider what we will consume at lunch time so that we may power our bodies to the fullest. While packing a balanced, nutritious and tasty meal may seem like a chore, it is really quite simple.

Choose “sturdy” foods full of fiber and protein. Eating plenty of fiber and protein will leave you feeling satisfied and will fight off hunger cravings toward the end of school. Hard-boiled eggs are a sim-ple side that is packed with protein and taste best with a dusting of salt and pepper. Hummus is also a great source of protein and goes best with crackers or vegetable sticks.

Make sandwiches on whole-grain bread, high fiber if pos-sible. Avoid bread and foods that

says the word “enriched” on the ingredients label. After all, if the product was healthful to begin with, it wouldn’t have to be enriched with nutrients. For variety, try a sand-wich packed on pita bread with lean meat, spicy or dijon mustard, and vegetables such as: lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, shredded carrots, thinly sliced cucumbers, and red pepper strips.

Only one in four kids receives the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies daily. While applesauce and fruit cups may seem healthy, many are packed with calories from the sugary high fruc-tose corn syrup. Instead, choose whole fruit, such as a banana, apple or grapes. Or try a fruit salad with homemade yogurt sauce. Since time and convenience is of the essence, look for prepackaged dry fruit with little or no sweetener added, such as raisins or freeze-dried apples, peaches and apricots.

Let’s face it: we all love the flavor of our favorite fried potato chips at lunch time. But fried chips are often filled with excess fat and sodium. Instead, look for baked chips or tortilla chips. To save time, individually pack chips according to

the appropriate portion size.Soup stored in a thermos

is another great option, especial-ly for those blustery winter days! However, pay attention to the nutri-tion label, as some soups with a heavy cream base can add extra fat calories. Soup is fantastic, especially with a side of crackers, because it is filling.

Competing with the soda machine may seem nearly impos-sible. But avoiding soda and other sugary beverages will cut empty calories and excess sugar out of our diets. Avoiding soda and other snacks from the vending machine saves money, too. Obviously, water is the best choice for a meal, but low calorie flavored water or 100% juice is also acceptable. Green tea, either hot or cold, is another great choice, as the natural lying caffeine can give us a metabolic boost to make it through the rest of the day. According to Time magazine, “whole milk is the largest source of saturated fat in children’s diets.” Aim for fat-free or 1% instead.

Hopefully, by making a habit of packing the perfect lunch, we can improve our health and gen-eral wellbeing.

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Give your arteries a break! Packing a healthy lunch doesn't mean eat-

ing sawdust...

-Candyland Sweetheart Dance February 7th at 8-11:30 at RHS -Tickets $10 and will be sold before and after school starting January 26th until February 6th -Shirts will be passed out the week of the dance-Co-sponsoring Pancake Day -February 14th, all day -RHS cafeteria -Spirit week: February 2nd-February 6th -Monday: Twin Day -Tuesday: Royalty Day -crowns on sale for a $1 -Wednesday: ROY G BIV Day -wear your favorite color -Thursday: Villain Day -dress like yourfavorite villain -Friday: Candyland Shirt Day -wear your sweetheart shirt

Key Club

-Meeting Wednesday February 11th in room 209 at 3:15-FCCLA week is February 9th – 12th

FCCLA

pack a healthy lunch

-Mr. RHS applications are available in room 305 -due by February 18th-Thanks for everyone’s participation in the freeze out!

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It’s the beautiful begin-ning of a new year. January has been packed with many eventful, well, events! But why is January the Best Month Ever? It’s the start of a new year, it is national stand-up comedy on com-edy central, the cold is tak-ing its toll, and, of course, the historic event of Barack Obama taking oath to the United States of America. Need any more reasons? I didn’t think so! That is why this January can only be the Best Month Ever!

2009: If 2008 was the worst year you’ve ever had, it’s okay, because it is time to just wipe the slate clean. The past is behind you, and all that there is now is the future. Make the best of it. Comedy Central Stand-Up Month: There is nothing like sitting on the couch with a bag of chips and watching Katt Williams or Greg Giraldo. Be careful with those chips though. They might just come out your nose when you burst out laughing. Continued all month, Comedy Central features the all famous comedians such as Dane Cook on Saturdays and Sundays.

Coldness: Some may not like the cold, but I do. This month has been the coldest in Missouri in eight years. I think this is good for a number of rea-

sons. First of all, the colder it is, the greater chance of it snowing instead of freezing rain! Second of all, do you ever have one of those days where you just can’t decide what to wear? Well not anymore! It’s cold enough out you can wear all three outfits you are try-ing to choose from at the same time! Third of all, the cold brings in fire wood to the house. The house starts to smell like burning cedar wood while you’re cuddled up next to the fireplace with a blanket and a book. Barack Obama: The inauguration was on January 20, which has been an historic day for hun-dreds of years. This year is no exception, maybe even greater. A good two to four million people showed up at the national’s capitol that cold day to witness the first black president being sworn into office. All the televisions in the high school were on, and students and teachers alike were all watching history in action. This day will be remembered for the rest of humanity as Barack Obama being the first black presi-dent. Well there you have it folks! Don’t get your hopes up, because this is as good as it is going to get! With Obama and Stand-up Comedy, this January can only be the Best Month Ever!

Best Month Ever!

January 2009

Vacations are always a blast, but the drive there can be bor-ing and dull. The trip seems to take forever, the radio seems to be playing the same song over and over, and every twist and turn in the road makes your stomach roll with carsickness. You want to get your mind off the vomit that keeps coming up, but how? Here are some fun car games to play with your family and friends to help make the long road trip fast and fun-filled!

1.1.License Plate Game—As you drive down the road look at the other car’s license plates. Make a list of all the states you see and try to find all fifty!

2.2.The Alphabet Game—Compete against your rival as you count from A-Z! Look at bill-boards and discover every letter of the alphabet—the first letter of each word. License plates don’t count. Whomever gets to Z first wins.

3.3.Sing-A-Long—Turn up the tunes and sing as loud as you can. Judge who has the best voice OR see who can sing the craziest. 4.Sleep—Nothing makes time go by faster then dozing off in the car. Before you know it, the drive will be over!

5.5.Counting—Count everything you can think up; planes, trees, oil towers, stalks of corn, convertibles, and whomever counts the highest wins.

6.6.Juicy Fruit—The object of this game is to count ten yellow cars before any of your opponents. When you spot a yellow car, yell “Juicy Fruit!” and that point is yours.

7.7.I Spy—This classic game can eat up time. Pick an object that everyone can see. Say “I spy…(object)”. The person that finds the item first wins and then they pick an object for their teammates to find.

8.8.Round Robin—Go around in a circle; every person says one word. The words form into sentenc-es, then paragraphs, etc… forming a silly and crazy story. Who knows what the next word will be?

9.9.Animal Game—One person names a random animal. The next person has to think of an animal that starts with the last letter of the animal before. The game goes on, and whomever can’t think of an ani-mal loses.

10.10.Question Game—Two people carry a conversation but you can not make any statements, only questions. Whomever makes a mistake and says the first statement loses.

GamesGames that that will help you will help you get going on a get going on a long enough long enough road triproad tripRoad Trip

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In August the Rumor Has It… focused on whether or not the seniors would have a senior week

this year even though the school is no longer taking the MAP test. In that story it also stated that there would be a follow interview with Bonnie Brainard about the same topic. So this month I decided to follow up with her and get the scoop.

Unfortunately, this year seniors will not be having a senior week like the school has had in the past. End of the course assess-ments will replace MAP testing and senior week was only put into practice because seniors never had to take the MAP test. The end of the course assessments includes Biology 1, Algebra, and English 2. Anyone who is taking those classes will be required to take a test and the people who aren’t enrolled in any of those classes will have classes like normal. “Right now its looking like there will be one week in April that is similar to a finals week where there is blocking schedul-ing, but there will be no senior week activities like there has been in the past,” Assistant Principal Bonnie Brainard said.

RumorRumor has it...has it...

A new year and a new array of political leaders; for us here in Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon has taken office.

“We’re now in a situ-ation to make college more affordable; we’re in a situation to get this economy moving forward again,” as said by Jay Nixon via thank you message on www.jaynixon.com.

As seniors start their last semester, they may be faced with the dilemma of how to pay for college. Governor

Nixon has a plan. “Jay Nixon proposed the Missouri

Promise, which builds on the state’s exist-ing A+ Schools Program and creates a pathway to a four-year degree for Missouri students who satisfy specific academic, community service, and financial require-ments,” as stated on www.jaynixon.com.

This sounds like a good plan, but students may be wondering how this would work and who will it affect.

“Jay would offer all high school seniors who plan to access an A+ scholar-ship the opportunity to sign the Missouri Promise, a contract between the student and the state of Missouri that will allow the students to earn a four-year degree after completing his or her two-year degree at a community college or technical school. In exchange for earning good grades at the community college (3.0 GPA), completing 50 hours of community service per year of participation and avoiding disciplinary action, the student will receive a Missouri Promise scholarship to complete his or her four-year degree at a Missouri state college or university,” as stated on www.jaynixon.com.

With his plan for education and col-lege affordability spelled out, let us hope that the rest of his administration can do just as well for Missouri’s leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

“As Governor, Jay will take smart, common-sense steps to make our govern-ment more efficient, effective, and fiscally responsible,” as stated on www.jaynixon.com.

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whose parents were forcing her to marry a complete stranger for money, propriety, and social standing; all the while, she was secretly in love with a stable boy who was completely inappropriate for a husband. These characters lived in the England where carriages replaced cars and candles took the place of light bulbs. Of course, in the end she found true love with the boy she longed to be with, because that’s just how those kinds of stories go. That’s how fictional stories go. Real-life love is never, ever like that. Ever.

But sometimes, it turns out, it is. We were in the England of modern

times, obviously, though at some points I felt as though I had stepped back in time. The relatives swirled around me in a buzz of reunion flurry. There were still many greetings to make at each little gathering of people. The sun sank lower, and these little groups dotted the lawn, long shadows thrown across the grass as dull beams of sunlight broke through the clouds.

I was emotionally exhausted, as ridic-ulous as that may sound. I couldn’t remember a stranger experience in my whole life; my head was reeling from all the personalities I had crashed into today. After the kind souls in the kitchen let me eat my fill of sandwiches, I slipped causally back out into the quiet chaos of the reunion group. I could still see my socially proper great aunts fluttering around to cous-ins and nephews and daughters-in-law; their stamina really was something impressive. One

after another, they would give a routine kiss on the cheek, occasionally pausing to wipe off some unpleasantly pink lipstick that may have smudged onto the unsuspecting recipient. The lace-covered, wrinkled great aunt would stay for a few nods, a few sips of tea, a few austere smiles, and then she would be gone, onto the next branch of the family.

That was not love. In my opinion, they would have been better off to stay up in the manor, drinking their tea by themselves, where they could talk about the disgrace we were all bringing upon them. I never was sure if any of my great aunts ever loved anyone, except for one. That lone wolf was Gran; it surprised me the first time I realized that Gran loved very deeply, despite the strict, exacting façade she put up.

Some Christmases ago, back when I wanted to be the pink Power Ranger when I grew up, I secretly witnessed mom and Gran having a fight. It was the first time I had seen Gran show any emotion in the extreme. My mom was furious; I could tell because of the way her eyebrows were all scrunched up over her nose. It was late when I came down one of Gran’s wide, sweeping staircases to hear raised voices. I knew this to be out of place; shouting was never tolerated in Gran’s house. The funny thing was, it was Gran who was being noisy right along with Mom. At that time, I was too little to really understand why they were shout-ing; all I knew was that I never wanted to see my mom or Gran cry again.

After a couple years of overhearing whispered conversations and sifting through old newspapers and letters, I finally pieced together just what had brought mother and daughter to tears so long ago. It was a story like in the fairy tales I loved so much. In my family’s own real-life fairy tale, Gran was the love-struck ingénue. She was born into a wealthy family, and there-fore born into all the rules and expectations of such an environment. Mom had admitted to me once that Gran had a free spirited streak in her, even if it was meticulously covered up most of the time.

James was the son of Gran’s horse-back riding instructor, and I suppose the only thing that describes the connection between James and young Gran was love at first sight. I found a trunk full of pictures and letters, all of which depicted their story. Fearing and despis-ing her parents’ disapproval, the two eloped; when they returned, they were forced to live as though they were indifferent to each other. Being apart nearly killed them, and so they wrote letters, exchanging them covertly during Gran’s daily lesson. It was the most romantic thing I had ever imagined, and it broke my heart to think of the cold person most people took my grandmother for.

Eventually, Gran realized that James and his love were more important to her than the twisted condemnation of her family and their peers. James had been working hard in hopes of making a life for them someday, and Gran fearlessly declared that she would separate

herself from her parents, should they forbid her marriage to James. Apparently, my great grand-parents decided that it would be more shameful to lose a daughter, and so they attempted to cover up James’s lower station but allowed the two to announce the marriage. Her parents snobbery infuriated Gran then, but now she understood what it was like to feel the pressure of her social status.

I believe Gran and Grandpa James truly lived happily ever after, but after Grandpa died, Gran was never the same. After the funeral, Mom said that Grandpa’s death had painted a black screen across Gran’s vision. All she could do now was throw herself into what she was supposed to be before James came into her life.

As I watched the all great aunts’ progress, my eyes found Gran. She followed the stiff, proper pattern of a woman cultivated by the upper class. I wished I could have known the Gran that ran away with her true love, instead of the Gran that served tea and had perfect posture. I wished I could be more like the grandmother I never knew.

Important lessons I learned from Gran: All the kinds of love that people don’t believe in…true love, love at first sight, uncon-ditional love…they do exist, but you have to fight for them.

R e L a t i v R e L a t i v ee I n s a n i tI n s a n i t yy

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Rolla Daily Newsis a proud supporter

of Education

Providing area schools with Newspapers in Education

www.therolladailynews.com

On Friday J a n u a r y 20, the National H o n o r S o c i e t y s p o n -sored the e i g h t h a n n u a l d a n c e - a -thon in the

Rolla High School cafeteria. “There was a good

forty people there, so it was a good turnout,” senior Ashton Davis said.

Members danced from 7:00 pm to midnight. However, dancing wasn’t the only activity for members to participate in.

“There were plenty of things to do like Dance Dance Revolution, the Wii, and of course a lot of fun games that we came up with to do,” Davis said.

Each NHS member

that participated got dona-tions for doing the dance-a-thon from people around the area. This inturn made the event a success in which money was raised for a great cause.

Overall, the event raised over $3,000 leaving members to look back and feel proud of what they have accomplished.

“It was a lot of fun and I was excited a lot of people got involved,” Davis said.

Thank you NHS for the hard work that was put into this event and all of the people who participated in it.

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NHS members dance the night awayNHS members dance the night away to raise moneyto raise money

Left: Leah Parry and Natalie Frank concentrate while playing guitar heroBelow: Sean Bowers and Rebecca Fryer take a rest from all the dancing and games

Above: Ryan Wilkerson and Austin Aaron play DDR to pass the timeRight: Fatimah Ahmad and Isabel Abbott jump to the beat of the music Left: Colin Fitzgerald and Shelby Emmett rock out with guitar hero

-Photos by Natalie Frank

Birthright has served theRolla area since 1982

Call for help duing unplanned pregnancyFree pregnancy test-

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Post-Secret's are back by popular demand. Submit your own anonymous secret to be pulbished in the Echo each month. Post-secret boxes are located in Mrs. Gillis' room, the library, and Mrs. Shoemaker's room. Use a black-ink pen and keep in mind they will be gray-scaled and formatted to different sizes.

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Editor-in-Chief: Nilam Patel

Business Editor: Rachel Marler

Copy Editor: Destinee Rea

Feature Editor:Samantha Pernicka

News Editor: Kaitlyn Merrow

Sports Editor: Chris Hamel

Viewpoint EditorBecky Smith

Arts Editor: Tori Hagni

Entertainment Editor:Robin Femmer

Photography Editor:Kim Ruth

Graphics Editor:Matt Beasley

Staff Writers:Andy Giger

Amy Licklider

Seth McWilliams

Abby Priesmeyer

Jack Weaver

Secretary:Caitlin Stevenson

Adviser:Mary Gillis

D.A.R.E: Drug Abuse Resistance Education is an interna-tional education program whose main goal is to teach youngsters about the harmful effects of smoking, drinking, and using illegal drugs. Sounds great right? The idea to educate kids about peer pressure and harmful substances is critical, but we are left wonder-ing if the program is effective. In our opinion the D.A.R.E pro-gram doesn’t work, because of a few major flaws in the system.

The first main flaw is the D.A.R.E. program is implemented at too young of an age. In Rolla, it is taught in the fifth grade. How many 10 or 11-year-olds think about leaving school to go drink and smoke let alone do illegal drugs? Most kids at that age have never been exposed to drug use and peer pressure. If a child is already experimenting with those things that early in life, there is a little chance to save him from a life of trouble especially if the person teaching him, a police officer, is seen as enemy number one.

Police officers are great role models for kids, however they aren’t teach this drug awareness program. First, police officers are seen as an enemy figure because of what TV and other sources portray them to be. Secondly, police officers are usually all about the facts and do not connect with the kids about actual peer pressure situations they will face. Few children are interested in listening to a facts oriented program right after math class. Some officers seemed like they were forced into doing this program and didn’t really get into it, so a more passionate officer would do much better. The final problem with officers teaching the class is that most of them try to scare the children into not doing anything and although they are young, those kids recognize this. We believe police officers should focus more on effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products on the body opposed to focusing on the legal consequences.

The final flaw we find in the D.A.R.E program is they aban-don the program when it counts the most. D.A.R.E. graduation is a joke because they reward you for listening to an officer ramble on for a few months by giving out t-shirts and some other treat. After graduation, the issue of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use is not addressed by anyone and most kids begin experimenting with these substances in junior high or high school. So re-addressing the problem is a good idea when peer pressure is prominent.

Being solution oriented, we propose a few but major changes to the D.A.R.E. program. First we find the program would be more effective if it were taught around 7th grade when students are more mature and knowledgeable and more likely to be exposed to drug use situations. Secondly we propose that a drug awareness program should be taught by a person like a youth leader, who will be passionate about drug awareness, or perhaps have drug and alcohol free high school students teach the class, as they would serve as good role models and be able to connect with the students on a more personal level. Finally, re-teach the class on a smaller scale in around 10th grade or 11th grade to emphasize the effects of those substances. D.A.R.E. is a great program with an outstanding message, but we feel it doesn’t work long term. If changes are made, the youth will be better off and the world will be a better place.

AbAbuse Really use Really Ending? Ending?

ECHO is an open forum for student expression. All let-ECHO is an open forum for student expression. All let-ters to the editor must include the writer's name, signature, ters to the editor must include the writer's name, signature,

and class or position. Anonymous and class or position. Anonymous letters will NOT be published. letters will NOT be published.

Letters should be no longer than Letters should be no longer than 300 words and are subject to editing. 300 words and are subject to editing.

ECHO reserves the right to reject ECHO reserves the right to reject any letters. any letters.

Write toWrite to Echo!Echo!

Echo StaffEcho Staff

Rolla Senior HighRolla Senior High

900 Bulldog Run900 Bulldog Run

Rolla, MORolla, MO

6540165401

DrugDrugIS:IS:

Sincerely,Sincerely, The Echo staff The Echo staff

People who have flown recently can see the chang-es in airlines, which I think are ridicu-lous. United, A m e r i c a n , Continental, and Frontier

are all top airlines that only offer one complimentary service—bev-erages. That is horrible, especially when a person is already paying an obscene amount of money for a flight. More money should not be required, especially for those who are traveling on flights that are more than two hours.

For instance, when I flew from St. Louis to Los Angeles, the only complimentary services that my family and I were offered were beverages on a flight that lasted a little over three hours. I can remember flying three years before on the same airline, and being offered peanuts, beverages, sun-flower seeds, and pilot wings—all for free. How is it that in three short years’ airlines have changed so drastically?

I believe that instead of charging extra for food, airlines should include it in your airfare ticket making a more pleasurable traveling experience. Airlines could do this and therefore make it easier on a worn out traveler who just

wants to get to their destination. Also, it might make more people choose to maybe fly.

Airlines are charging out-rageous rates on people’s luggage. Numerous airlines charge $15 for the first checked back and $25 for the second both ways on flights just to the U.S. and Canada. This limits the amount of luggage a passenger can afford to take with them. As a person who is a very heavy packer, I find this very upsetting.

I believe that airlines need to change their overpricing and make it easier for an average Joe to fly. I also think they need to do this in order to make flying easier on a traveler.

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been a topic that has often been brought up but never resolved in the public school system. The

solutions to book banning vary by the difference

views of each person. “Different people have different ideas

about whether or not they should control what other people think, and what other people read, and what other people say. It is even more so when you get into a teaching situation when you are dealing with minor children, or young adults. So whenever there is reconsideration it is usually because there is an idea or something that a group or a person thinks is inappropriate. In select-ing books for this library; I try to stay away from long passages about graphic sex and violence. The ideas can be there but not the graphic passages dedicated to them,” librar-ian Jennifer Elmore said.

Book banning is not based strictly on the fact that drugs, are violence, and sex are mentioned, but to what extent the novel describes them.

“I think it is impossible in this day and age to get something completely devoid of violence or of ideas of sex. I want high quality material and when I look at a book. I investigate it and see if there are a lot of critical reviews of it. If a book has something like six critical reviews I’ll try it. That is because it is recognized by six well respected sources; there is something there of high enough quality that I should get involved. Every town has a community opinion; some have more restricted views than others. Rolla is a pretty open town, mostly because we have lots of government agencies and we have university employees and students. So a lot of the parents in gen-eral are pretty open,” Elmore said.

Censorship is an uncommon practice at the Rolla High School library, though it is used in some cases due to the age group of the library users.

“I am very aware that this is a student library rather than a general library. If you go by the ALA (American Library Association) they think that nothing of quality should be restricted, that all ideas should be open to everyone, that you should be able to select what you read, but I can’t go that far. I think there are some things that are inappropriate for students,” Elmore said.

Book banning ‘rules’ are not abso-lute.

“On the other hand I’m pretty liberal; we get some edgy things, though again I want it to be of great quality and not just

graphic passages. I think any topic, even controversial, it’s okay to have in a high school library, as long has you have all sides of it; for and against. I have things in this library that I disagree with, but I try to have both sides of all issues,” Elmore said.

If someone feels however that a book is inappropriate in the library at the high school there are channels for them to take in trying to remove it from the shelves.

“We have a reconsideration process, so that if someone thinks that a book is not a good book to have, they can fill out a form and it is sent out to a review committee. The person who wants the book off the shelf

has to show things proving they actually read the book, why they think it is not an appropriate book, what kind of book would be better. There is a list of questions then it goes through a review. I have never had anything reconsidered,” Elmore said.

Truly there is no way to literally ‘ban’ a book, not under the legal rights in our con-stitution; however it can be put on ‘banned’ book lists to show the feelings about it being read.

“ It’s almost ridiculous whenever peo-ple say there is a banned list, like when Sarah Palin said to a librarian how they would get books censored. The librarian said that they were not in favor of that. It is always going to be a question and we just have to decide as a society; who is going to make our deci-sions on limiting information, and how do they make the decision?” Elmore said.

Even if a book survives the attempts of censorship, the area, or group of people, that wanted the book censored will still be around to fight the book.

“Some of these books will always be challenged. A lot of books that are on the banned list are about controversy that is still controversial. Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, a lot of the Judy Blume books, all still on banned book lists. I think that people that want to censor books will continue to find same sorts of objections in lots of books. Harry Potter was tremen-dously popular and there were a lot of peo-

ple that wanted to ban that. I think they still want to but it is an over-whelming situation for them. Harry Potter is so well read that those attempts would be swamped. I don’t know if you can get a book com-pletely un-banned, to have it swept clean of all nega-

tive thoughts, but I have Huck Finn in my library, I have To Kill a Mockingbird which was a ‘banned’ book, I have Slaughterhouse 5 which is a ‘banned’ book, I have several books that are

‘banned.’ Though I don’t have several books that are considered banned because I think they are inappropriate for the age group the library services. I don’t have Clockwork Orange which I think is inappropriate for the age level. I’ll never buy Clockwork Orange for this library. I don’t get books that say drugs are a proper lifestyle. Books like that have been requested, I’ve had requests to buy Clockwork Orange which I’m not going to do,” Elmore said.

Books in the library are chosen not from a given list but through research and weighing the options.

“What happens is a student will mention a book and then I will go out and research it and I’ll make the decision. I’m not saying that you can’t as a United States citizen, go into a book store, buy your own copy, read it, enjoy it. I’m not going to spend very limited library funds on a book, I think is inappropriate for the high school reading public. There are a billion books out there that I want to bring to this school. Why would I buy a book that I think is an inappropriate book that is perhaps of lower quality, than a hundred books that I could come up with easily that are appropriate, and would be great books for kids to read?” Elmore said.

Censorship is used when people believe a book should not be read but often by drawing attention to such books people are intrigued by them more.

“It’s very interesting to me that often when a book gets banned, its sales go up; because any kind of controversy will spark people’s interest. There is quite a cadre of people that abhor censorship. It just gets them started, and they will read something they might not have picked up if there was not the possibility of it being banned,” Elmore said.

When a book is stopped from being put onto the shelves, sometimes despite how well it is written, the message is too controversial.

“I’m a member of the American Library Association and they are very ada-mantly against censorship; though I am a subset. I think there are some things that are inappropriate for the school level. For instance Crank is a very popular book the author wrote another very popular book. It is about a horrendous experience that a little girl goes through. It is a very interest-ing book, a very well written book, but at the very end of the book it has the little girl sitting there ready to murder her father. She has it in mind, and you can see how she would be driven to this point; but it advocates such violence that I was very conflicted with this book. I think really hard about that nine times a year. I think reading is very important and if you sanitize it too much then it loses something. You need to have good ideas, and bad ideas you are choosing not to follow the bad ideas is a part of your development. You have to choose what is good and bad, if someone is constantly telling you this is good and this is good and nothing to do with what’s bad how do you learn?” Elmore said.

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"I think reading is very important and if you sanitize it too much then it loses something,"

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Political Arena:Political Arena: Pirating Videos Vs. Vs. Legal Purchasing

Want to watch that movie you just saw an ad for on TV? A popular phe-nomenon among our youth is pirat-ing of unreleased movies and selling them. Although this may all be illegal it is hard for people to turn down a free new release.

Downloading and pirating movies is illegal, even so there are thousands of sites that people use to stream videos or movies. More than 25 mil-lion Americans pirate movies. Even though it’s not right, but people choose to take the chance because the odds of getting caught are slim to none.

Streaming is extremely popular because it is free and you’re not connected to anything; whereas with pirating they have the IP address of your computer because you have transferred files from the internet

to a disk or file. People choose to stream because the cost of going to the movies is outrageous and is continuing to rise. People all around the United States copy movies onto DVD’s and sell them to make a profit.

Another reason people pirate and stream movies is to be able to watch movies in the comfort of their home. At home on your couch, you don’t have to deal with all the rude people talking, having to use the restroom or getting refills, there is no need to miss anything: pause the movie do what you need to do, and hit play when you’re done.

Although pirating and streaming movies is illegal, it is an alternative that many people choose to save money, be comfortable, and make profits.

Pirating movies is not only illegal, it is morally wrong—and for many reasons. It should be impossible to agree with unlaw-fully acquiring movies.

When you download mov-ies rather than view them in the theatre, everyone who worked to make that film is missing out on profit. Add up all of the people who get their mov-ies without properly paying for them, or who pay for pirated movies, and you would real-ize that the people who work so hard to produce the film are missing out on a lot of money they deserve. That is their source of livelihood, and although they will probably not go hungry, no person is going to agree with someone unjust-ly refusing them hard-earned pay. I would personally be very upset if I worked for com-mission and my boss stiffed me because, even though I had already done my job, someone else volunteered to do the same but without pay.

Another downside to pirating is the biggest of all—it is ILLEGAL. If you are caught, you could be looking at an

immense amount of jail time, not to mention a huge fine. If the only reason that you pirate movies is to save money, that’s idiocy. Getting arrested means a fine greater than any amount you would have spent rightfully paying for the movies and is by no means worth it. Those who have been caught have certainly learned their lesson. And don’t think that it isn’t possible to be caught simply because you are on your home computer—there are ways.

Pirating does not give actors, writers, or anyone else who works on a movie cred-it when it’s due and not only are you cheating them, you are cheating yourself. Jail time is not worth it.

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Reasons for leaving Rolla and coaching Willard:“The biggest thing is the area. I will be 25 minutes from my hometown and where

my three best friends, my two brothers, and my dad are. A lot of my lifestyle revolves them and their family. I’m excited to be within driving distance at any time, any night, or anything like that, I can take off and go up there. I just want to be in that lifestyle.”

What are you going to miss the most about Rolla?“Students no doubt about it, I absolutely love the kids here. They have always been very coachable, very

respectable, and they work hard, and sometimes that can be a rare combination. We have really had a good relationship through the four years and I’m going to miss them greatly.”

Feelings about coming back to Rolla for the first game of the season“Not excited about it at all, and what a strange night that is going to be. Just being on the other side looking over, I mean it will be fun to see

the kids again, and see everybody playing. Also it will be good to experience the Rolla Bulldog nation one more time.”

Words of wisdom for next years seniors and new head coach:“I’ve said this before but the main ingredients in our success are the players, and the players are still the same. There are a few minor ingre-

dients changed but the main one is still the same. The kids will be successful no matter what, because the kids have it figured out and they are going to take care of business and keep this program rolling.”

Most memorable coaching moment at Rolla“There is a lot that come to mind, some unbelievable nights here. My favorite, I’m going to say two nights, two different years, the first

night being beating Camdenton here at Rolla in 06’, in overtime. I still remember, I still have the image of Tim Gilbert throwing the towel 30 feet in the air, on our film and just the celebration that took place after the game. Then the 2nd favorite memory was beating Lebanon here, in overtime as well, and the celebration that took place. There are so many memories, seems like all of them home, also the excitement of beating Kickapoo in overtime in 06’; Kickapoo going for two points and our defense holding them, just the excitement of the kids ripping their helmets off and running toward our sideline. I could go on and on with games and memories like that but those would be a few of my top favorites.”

Where do you see your coaching career in the future?“I don’t know, it’s hard to say at this point. I plan on still being in coaching but I will probably go into administration at some point and I

really have no time table for that, it will just be whenever I feel that it is the right opportunity or the right time to do it.”

Final Thoughts:“To all the players, keep working hard. I love you guys, thanks for all the hard work and dedi-

cation you gave to the program. Keep that same dedication and the program will be strong no matter who is leading it.”

Q & AQ & A with head football with head football coachcoachBrock RowetonBrock Roweton

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I can’t wait to leave; new college environment, no dumb underclassmen, and making a billion dollars (better than Emitt). But I’m going to miss Mrs. Condray and Mr. Coach Rice with his chin beard.

chris bowechris bowe

mary ponzermary ponzer

caitlin stevensoncaitlin stevenson

cassidy carltoncassidy carlton

nathan miller nathan miller

emitt wittemitt witt

ryan wilkesonryan wilkeson

I won’t miss the rigid schedules and complete lack of free time that comes with being in high school.

I’m excited; I can’t wait to get out of high school, but it’s going to be really hard leaving friends.

I’m excited to be leaving; just the thought of being away from the parents and not having the same classes in the same order every single day.

I’ve had many mixed emotions thinking about gradua-tion. Excitement and fear are the two biggest ones, but I know I’ll be good once I get closer. I used to be pretty nervous about it all but now I realize I have to grow up at some point and there’s not much to do about it.

The last semester of high school is bittersweet. The

days of little responsibility are almost over. College will be cool just because of new responsibilities, new free-doms, and no parental control. The hardest part of the last semester is going to be staying motivated. Overall, I’m very excited it’s here. I’m taking it one day at a time. Every day that passes is another closer to graduation.

I feel great about leaving the halls of RHS because I

can finally get out there into the real world, make a mil-lion dollars, and move to Ireland. Oh yeah…

Senior's LastSenior's Last

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SemesterSemesterRecession, depression, and economic stress are all words we

hear on the news on a daily basis. With the possibility of another Great Depression on the horizon, people are slowly watching their wallets go thin. The American dollar is slowly becoming worthless, Americans are losing jobs left and right, and it has become time to start monitoring how money is spent.

As high school students, we might not see how much the struggling market is actually affecting our parents and our com-munity, besides the rising gas prices or inflation of all products. Even though I have a job, I see money slip out of my purse with-out realizing it. Higher education costs increase dramatically each year and there are fewer and fewer loans available because of the state of the economy. I realized that $60 every two weeks on gas is too much; I need to be saving some money for college and my future. Taking the current financial situation into account, I have brainstormed some easy ways to either gather or save some cash for future use.

1.) If you don’t have a job yet, get one. Any money you don’t have to hassle your parents for is that much less stress on them. You will feel better spending your own hard earned money, and you will probably become more frugal about spending money.

2.) Try not to eat out as much. Cut down on the Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Applebee’s to once a week. You will be surprised at how much money you will save and in turn may adopt a healthier lifestyle.

3.) Carpool. If you have a friend that lives nearby, alternate weeks driving to school. Take one car out to dinner or the basketball game instead of four. One car on the road is much more environmentally friendly and will save gas money.

4.) Rent a movie instead of going to the theater. You can rent a new release movie for around $4.00 as opposed to $8.25 to see a movie on the big screen. If you rent a movie, you can be comfortable in your own home, grab food, and watch the movie for the price of watching a movie at the big screen.

5.) As lame as this sounds, unplug your charger and turn off your computer when you are not using it. This might not save money for you personally, but it will put a small dent in your parents’ electric bill.

6.) Save aluminum cans. A lot of them. Take them to the local recycling center and exchange them for a little bit of cash.

7.) Go through your closet and get rid of everything you don’t wear. Try taking your clothes to a resale store like Plato’s Closet and get cash for them. It is an easy way to clean your closet and get money.

These ideas may seem small, but you will be surprised at how much money you will save by doing just one or two things out of the list. You will be glad you saved some money

When the time comes that you are in dire need of money, you will be glad you decided to save some. So, Captain Obvious, next time you want to go through the drive through to get some food, think of the $5 you will save by going home and eating dinner with your family.

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Along with excelling academi-cally, senior Dani Steele excels athletically at Rolla High School and will be continuing her bas-ketball career at Truman State University this fall.

“The [basketball] coach is new and he has coached at [Division I] schools, and he has coached at junior college schools. I really like

his team philosophy, and how he is trying to turn the program around because in the past wom-en’s basketball has been a joke up there because it’s an academic school,” Steele said.

Steele has made a decision that many seniors are currently still struggling with, where to go to college.

“I visited a couple times and I really liked the campus, it’s really pretty and it’s the exact size I was looking for,” Steele said.

Steele factored in what the school had to offer academically. Her decision was not based on basketball alone.

“Truman has a really good Biology program, pre-med type

stuff. I still don’t know what I want to do yet, but I’m looking at physical therapy. It’s not real[ly] big but they have a well devel-oped exercise science program,” Steele said.

After visiting multiple schools that she was considering, Steele decided on Truman. Though the fit seems right for her, she still has reservations about balancing a sport with college.

“I’m a little nervous about it because it’s such a high academic school. I think I will be okay. When I was up there it was my second visit, I hung out with the team. They were all really friendly and were like yeah we’ll help you with whatever you need help

with. So it will be nice going into school already knowing some people and already having that tight knit group to work with,” Steele said.

As college teams have a much more demanding practice and game schedule, Steele knows she has to be ready to push herself.

“I know that it’s going to be a huge step up, it’s just going to be a faster pace game. I think I’m ready to handle that...As far as basketball goes I’m ready to be pushed,” Steele said.

Steele is ready to face the chal-lenges that lie ahead for her at college, but the challenges that are away from school, like com-ing home to visit, are the ones

she doesn’t look forward to.“That’s one of the set backs,

because you know you see all of the college kids home on break and are here for almost a month. They get all that time to hangout with people and spend time with their family. My cousin goes to SBU [Southwest Baptist University] and her friend [who plays basketball] got Christmas Eve and Christmas off and that was it,” Steele said.

With a few minor set backs, Steele is ready to step up her game.

“I’m a little nervous stepping into that higher level of play but I’m also excited,” Steele said.

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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Gandhi’s words of wisdom, simple yet profound, have been forgot-ten by those in our nation who neglect and abuse innocent dogs and cats, breeding them in awful conditions, and failing to provide them with essential necessities of life. According to Missouri state law, a person is guilty of ani-mal abuse if they “intentionally kill, injure, or cause suffer-ing to an animal,” or purposely “fail to provide adequate care” for their animals.

“To put it in a nutshell, we do see quite a bit of animal neglect and cruelty. It can range from not provid-ing food, water and shelter, to letting your dog run loose, leaving it in a car, or physical abuse. We see cases of ani-mals being burned and animals with broken legs. We don’t know how they get broken limbs, because we don’t have proof. The owners could do it, but we just don’t know,” Rolla Animal Control Officer John Redshaw said.

Witnesses to cruelty are essential in order to launch action against the animal abusers.

“The other day, I got a phone call that a cat had been abused. Supposedly, it was burned. I went and talked to the individual, and of course people are going to deny everything. What I didn’t have was an actual witness and a statement. Even though we have a pretty good idea that this person may have done something to this animal, we can’t prove it,” Redshaw said.

The Humane Society of the United States esti-mates that between six to eight million dogs and cats enter animal shelters each year. Sadly, approximately three to four million of these animals are euthanized, meaning they are put to sleep.

“We do the best we can. Our adoption rate right

now is between 50 and 60 percent, so most of our animals actually find homes,” Redshaw said.

A common misconception is that only old, unde-sirable dogs are euthanized. However, puppies and kittens across the country are euthanized due to a lack of adopters and limited shelter space.

“I think people drop their animal off think-ing ‘mine will be adopted.’ And you have to realize that approximately 40% aren’t going to be. Puppies and kit-tens are put down, too; I don’t think people realize that,” Brandi Washburn, President of the Phelps County Animal Welfare League (PCAWL) said.

The Rolla Animal Shelter is doing the best they can with limited resources.

“I wish the public understood that the shelter is doing a great job with what they have. Sometimes they blame them for euthanizing the animals when, in reality, it’s society’s fault that the animals are being euthanized,” Washburn said.

The primary goal of the Rolla Animal Shelter and PCAWL is to keep the shelters empty, which is why PCAWL is working on a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

“We have a pretty bad overpopulation problem here. If you go to the shelter and see all the little faces in the cages, it really hits home,” Washburn said.

Contrary to popular belief, the Rolla Animal Shelter is not a humane society, but animal control. Animal Control sees about 2,500 to 3,500 animals a year and responds to animal neglect and nuisance calls, and pro-tects the community from potentially dangerous animals.

“We don’t, unfortunately, vaccinate or do any-thing to animals whenever they come in. We’re not funded for that; we’re strictly funded for the law enforcement part

of it. If animals come in and they are sick or injured we take the animal to a vet to get it stabilized. Then we bring the animal back here and do the best we can to make it as comfortable as possible,” Redshaw said.

Shelters are great places to adopt grateful dogs and cats, no matter what the breed.

“Most of my cats and dogs are rescue animals, and they’re all great animals. I think people need to give it a chance and realize that nothing is easy and every animal is going to need some training, whether you get it from a breeder or a rescue,” Washburn said.

The more animals adopted to caring homes, the better the shelters will be.

“Animals are going to take a big part of your time. They require veterinary care, cleaning and all kinds of things. Also, somebody has to pay for the animal, so make sure you can do that,” Redshaw said.

The Rolla Animal Shelter needs volunteers; orga-nizations like PCAWL need help from people who foster animals, preparing them to be adopted by a loving owner.

“We’re always looking for foster homes. The more foster homes we have the more animals we can pull from the shelter,” Washburn said.

With the help of volunteers, dedicated Animal Control officers and organizations like PCAWL, we can lend a helping hand to the little creatures that cannot help themselves.

“Unfortunately, we can’t save every one, but we’d like to,” Washburn said.

If you witness neglect or cruely, callHumane Society of Missouri (314) 647-4400

orRolla Animal Control (573) 364-6995

Witness name and contact number remain confidential.

Friendly felines like this adorable gray cat are all too frequent at the Rolla Animal Shelter.

Q:Q:What can you What can you do to do to helphelp??

Looking to volunteer?Contact Brandi Washburn,

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EternalEternalInstancesInstancesCookies are supposed to make people joyful and gracious. The warm

chocolate nestled in steaming cookie dough should be enough to make Britney Spears’ problems disappear. The red plate filled with the golden brown deliciousness burned on my lap as Wizards of Winter blared through the Camry’s stereo. We were about to embark on a mission to spread the Christmas cheer through the cheerless parts of Rolla.

Bright Christmas lights and a yard filled with tinsel angels are usually signs of bliss and welcome. As a pain-etched face inched the door open, two dark, irritated eyes stared up at me and the Plate of Wonder.

“I’m doing a school project,” I heard the words spill out of my mouth like a glass of cold orange juice knocked over carelessly with an elbow, “and I was wondering if you are interested in singing for some cookies.” The door didn’t budge; a large man got off the couch in the living room, and the irritated eyes grew in a look of unbelievable annoyance. Nothing could epitomize the phrase “awkward silence” like this horribly long slice of my life.

“No thanks.” The door shut. Cold, harsh rejection was not exactly what I was hop-ing for. Next house. This one had gnomes of every ethnicity sitting patiently in the yard. The opening of the door erupted with thousands of Chihuahuas spilling out left and right and a tired looking woman with a sweatshirt that read “I break for sausage.” She appeared not interested.

After a trip to a lady with mean hissing cats and even a closed hospital, the cookies were getting cold, unappetizing, and stupid. Defeated, we broke for Wendy’s. Going through the drive through I decided I was going to give these batch of cookies away if it killed me. After pulling into the order speaker, I carelessly screamed, “Will you sing for us?!” The bored Wendy’s cashier lazily replied, “I will not.”

I was furious, “But we made cookies and everything!” Finally a familiar face poked out of the Wendy’s drive-through and Ebony Florence waved to our angry faces. With more delight than a three-year-old on Christmas morning we handed Ebony the delicious plate of cookies that would finally meet their end.

As we drove off, we didn’t bother to mention to Ebony that her cookies had fallen on the floor of the Camry.

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Countless students at Rolla High School have after school jobs for various reasons; to pay for gas, bills, car insurance, or maybe just to fill up time and earn some spare cash.

“I applied for a job when I turned 16 because I wanted to become more responsible. I feel more independent and well off with a job,” junior Tess Miller said.

With gas prices so high, one has to be able to pay for transportation.

“I work to make money and to pay for bills, like gas for my truck,” senior Steven Baker said.

The benefits of having a job are obvious; earning responsibility and cash, and making new friends, and there are some sacrifices one has to make.

“I work at Mandarin Garden and I think it’s hard to balance my job and school work,

because I spend a lot of time at work and it’s so much to do,” senior Joyce Chen said.

School is one responsibility that can be hard to balance with an after school job, but also there has to be sacrifices with friends, family, and spare time.

“I have to sacrifice spending time with my friends, family, and boyfriend. Also, some weekends I have to work and I miss out on fun stuff,” Miller said.

If you’re looking for a job but you don’t know how to approach looking for one, just ask.

“If you want a job, get out there and start looking. Fill out as many applications as you can. Jobs are slow, but they’re still out there. Find a job that interests you. Work hard and earn your pay!” Miller said.

Q&A1ECHO—Why did you decide to run for

the Student Representative position on the school board?

Morgan—I ran for the position because I have very strong opinions about the school system and wanted to be able to get more involved with the system. I couldn’t find a bet-ter way than to get involved than at the highest level, the school board.

2ECHO—What was the application process

like?Morgan—There were basically two

“rounds.” The first was an essay that was graded by a faculty committee who narrowed the competition to two nominees. The second was a school-wide election at lunch between the two nominees.

3ECHO—How did you feel when they

announced you had won?Morgan—I really was shocked that

I won. The competition was tough (and well-qualified), but the student body pulled through for me.

45ECHO—What was your first meeting

experience like?Morgan—In a word, LONG!

The heated meeting lasted nearly three hours, but I was briefed quite well on the finances of the school system.

6ECHO—What do you wish to

accomplish during your term?Morgan—I hope to continue the

legacy that Emily Burris and the other representatives have set. I wish to be the most effective representative yet.

7ECHO—Is there anything you would like to add?Morgan—I would just like to make it clear to the student

body that I am willing to work with anyone who would like to know more about the workings of the school board and the topics discussed in the meetings. If you have something to say, let me know! I’m not a mind reader, but I will try to gauge the reaction of the student body to the important issues.

ECHO—What is your main responsibility as Student Representative?

Morgan—It is my duty to be the voice of the student body in the board room, from the elementary schools to the high school.

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Student Council plans Homecoming, juniors host prom, and key club organizes and decorates sweetheart. Hard work is required of each group to make a suc-cessful dance.

“The Sweetheart decorations are going very good. Most of the murals are getting painted; we have a little bit more to do this year; because we are making it extra special. We started in December and everything is going according to plan. We are going to have lots of pop-outs this year, I’ll tell you that,” Key Club sponsor Angie Anderson said.

The theme this year fits with the sweetness of the dance and the time of year.

“Our theme for the dance this year is Candyland; our slogan is ‘A sweet little sweet-heart for sweet little folks,’ which is actually the slogan of the game except we changed ‘game’ to ‘sweetheart.’ It seems to be really cute so far, the Key Club members have a lot of good ideas,”

Anderson said. The Key Club mem-

bers are in unison about their feelings with how decorations have been going.

“There haven’t really been any difficulties at all this year with deco-rations. We have planned out how Candyland exact-ly would be, except 3-D. We have it planned to be decorated so that it would be like you are going through the game board of Candyland,” junior Katheryn McCaulla said.

Decorations have provided a source of entertainment for the Key Club members.

“Basically painting and drawing the charac-ters then getting to see how they turn out has been the most fun part of decorations so far. When you first start them you think ‘Oh! These are going to look really gross!’ The end product of sweetheart though I think will be a sweet treat,” McCaulla said.

There are going to be a lot of new ideas and different types of decora-

tions from past years. “I’m looking for-

ward to Gloppy [a charac-ter from Candyland]; he’s going to be big and three dimensional and we are going to have a big lol-lipop forest upstairs, so I’m really looking forward to those,” senior Isabel Hoss said.

There will also be a change in the music this year.

“Something that people will be happy about this year is that the D.J. this year. We will be making sure that he plays a list of music that the key club provides for him so people won’t complain about the music so much hopefully,” McCaulla said.

Despite the dangers of decorating, club mem-bers are making sure to help out.

“My sweetheart decorating experience has been pretty good. I haven’t injured myself like I did at homecoming decorations. I had almost electrocuted myself dur-ing those,” junior Julia Rigsby said.

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It has become almost impossible to avoid the pressure to “be green.” In an effort to try and reverse the effects of global warming, energy is being saved more than ever. Newly elected President Barack Obama plans to further the advances in energy saving resources by using things from energy consuming light bulbs to low-flush toilets.

Obama himself has been a stickler in the past when it comes to conserving energy. In his former home before the White House, Obama “tiptoed around the house at night to make sure all of the lights had been extinguished.” This could be perceived as obsessive but Obama hopes it will only benefit the future.

In a recent interview with Barbara Walters, Obama stated that people can conserve energy if they have the confidence and “stick-to-it-ness” that his grandparents had back in the Great Depression.

To show the American public that it is not hard to conserve, a recent evaluation was done of the White House. The evaluation stated that the White House featured such devices as energy-efficient lighting, smart lawn sprinklers, improved insulation, and fuel-efficient minivans all being installed in the past year. However, Obama has not been the only president to go green. Former presidents dating back all the way to Jimmy Carter in the 1980’s have been trying to save energy and resources. Carter, in 1979, had solar water heater panels installed on the roof of the West Wing. Even though the panels only lasted seven years, it was a big step in setting an example for America. Eventually, George W. Bush would have new panels installed on the roof in 2002.

More improvements are coming on the road as well. Obama aims to promote the creation of cars that get 150 miles to the gallon by 2015. This would significantly decrease the US’ depen-dence on foreign oil because more cars would be of the hybrid type. Overall, Obama thinks he can change America and the planet earth for the better.

There are many obstacles that Obama must overcome to achieve his goal. He plans to provide short term relief for American families facing pain at the pump, and also within a span of 10 years, save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East. In the course of all of this, Obama wants to implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

When talking about his top priorities as the future president, Obama stated “I want to create millions of new green jobs, to free our nation from its dependence on oil and preserve this planet for our children. In the end, that’s not only the responsibility of all Americans, it’s our obliga-tion as stewards of God’s earth.”

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Rolla High School Rolla High School posted a new noteposted a new note: : "T"Teachers and Feachers and Facebook"acebook"

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Teachers and Facebook Friday 9:35 A.M.

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Facebook. This is the way that millions of people keep in touch every day, in every country, on every continent; but is it a way that students and teachers should be able to stay in contact? This is a question that haunts the minds of teach-ers, and hounds the minds of administrators, but is it truly a problem? “I chose facebook as a social network that allowed me to get in contact with friends from high school or college. My greatest find was some friends from elementary school, one from Ecuador and one from Chile. When we were in sec-ond grade, their dad’s moved here to UMR, and then they left, and I was able to find them on facebook,” math teacher Stephanie Grisham said. Some teachers have had facebook longer than they have been teaching, so where is the line drawn; the question is rather to add students or not to add students. “A lot of times, students will say ‘I can’t remember; did we have homework?’Sometimes they ask me homework questions or about studying for a test. If they want to talk to me, then it is a little less confrontational to talk to me on facebook instead of after class. It is a little more private,” Latin teacher Carin Allen said. Some teachers in RHS have gotten facebook within the last few years, and for many different reasons. “Facebook makes it so easy to keep in contact with people I graduated with, teachers who have retired, students who are gone, but I also have a lot of high school students who will email me questions,” science teacher Karen Hammond said. There are also teachers who are involved in many extracurricular activities and use Facebook as a means to contact many students. “I wanted to create a Facebook page so that I could connect with other teachers and students, and share information with them that way. I have my Key Cub kids on there so I can get a lot of information to them quickly. I also have a Link Crew page, so that I can information to all the Link Crew leaders,” science teacher Angie Anderson said. Teachers may use Facebook as an extension of the classroom, and there are those with other reasons. “I got facebook because my sixth hour class a few years ago started a ‘Club Lowrey’ of different anecdotes and quips that I said during lecture. So, I had my daughter introduce me to Facebook, so that I could see ‘Club Lowrey’ and see what was put there and to check for inappropriateness, but it was all kind of fun stuff,” history teacher Nancy Lowrey said. A number of teachers have chosen not to add students while they are still enrolled in RHS. “Teachers need to be role models first and friends second, and we certainly want to have positive interactions with our students, but is Facebook the correct place to do that? That is something open for debate,” history teacher Matt Rose said. Some teachers may add students as “Facebook Friends”, but still feel that the line between student and friend should hold strong. “I don’t really post personal pictures on there because I really don’t want them [students] prying into my private life. I like to keep school and my private life separate,” Anderson said. While the question still exists and perhaps always will, there are those who argue quite the opposite. “I believe that Facebook is a useful tool to keep in contact with students,” said Allen.

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Students are not my primary reason to have facebook, but I do keep up with friends from college and graduate school. Equally important is the student aspect; mostly former students I keep in contact with through facebook. What they are doing, and what they are reading in their classes, and I have had stu-dents send me a syllabus from a particular literature class or ask me questions. I also have current stu-dents who do the instant messaging through facebook to ask me questions about different assignments in the week

I use Facebook a lot with my students if they have a quick question at home and I happen to be on the computer, they can just Facebook a quick question about an assignment or clarification about a test review. So there is a lot of academic use with my students, but occasionally I will send a “Happy Birthday” or if I know students are having a bad day I’ll send a “Hi, How’s it going.” 99.9 percent of my use is academic.

Nancy Lowrey wrote at 5:45 P.M.

Keely Scott wrote at 6:15 P.M.

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My biggest reason for getting Facebook was so that my family and friends could see pictures of my kids and me. Family is the first reason. The second reason is friends. Believe it or not teachers do have friends, but I have old friends from high school, and it is great to keep up with them. I do not know of any better way to do that currently. So that is nice.

Matt Rose wrote at 1:02 P.M.

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Facebook seemed like a good way to catch up with people from college, and I lived in four differ-ent states as I grew up, and can now keep in touch with kids I went to school with.

Sarah Kaelin wrote at 8:21 A.M.

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