Central High School Publications Class DeWitt, Iowa 52742
20
May 8, 2010 Vol. 23, No. 5 CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOLS of DeWitt, Grand Mound, Low Moor and Welton, Iowa Operation Prom ‘accident’ opens students’ eyes DIETING TIPS —Page 20 PHOTO ESSAYS BY CENTRAL STUDENTS —Pages 9,10,11 Box 110 425 East 11th Street • DeWitt, IA 52742 563-659-0715 • www.central-clinton.k12.ia.us ‘Accident’ shows consequences of drunk driving THE PURPLE nion Bree Dunkel Assistant Editor In Chief This page sponsored by Matt Dorpinghaus &RQJUDWXODWLRQV 3XUSOH 2QLRQ VWDII IRU D MRE ZHOO GRQH Ask any senior and we will immediately tell you how many days – eight – are left until graduation. We can’t wait until we march across that stage and receive the piece of paper that essentially says: Congratulations, you did it. Now get out of here. We are so ready for that day, when we will finally be free from the rigors of high school, but we have no idea what it actually means. We will hear speeches from our classmates and teachers about how this is not an end, it is merely a new chapter in our lives and how we are ready to take on the world. While these speeches may be inspiring, they do not tell the entire truth about what graduation means. So here is the rest of the truth, and the graduation speech you will never hear: Welcome all, and thank you for coming The graduation speech you will never hear today. To the parents, grandparents and teachers here, thank you for all of the time you have dedicated to us. To my fellow students, we are here to celebrate the end of our lives as we know it. Enjoy being here together, because this is the last time that we will be. For the past four years, high school has provided us with our passion. Sports, friends and grades have given us a goal and an identity. We have funneled our energy into these things, and in return, they have become who we are. But after today, that all goes away. In the real world, no one knows that you were the homecoming queen or valedictorian. That state championship in track won’t get you a job, and your college professors won’t care that your school’s FFA had been Supreme Chapter for the past 200 years. Here, our reputations precede us. Either as an honor roll student or a name on the police blotter, we are recognized and judged accordingly. And with those labels come certain expectations. You may be the dependable one who is constantly heaped with extra responsibilities because people know you will get it done, or you could be the slacker who people don’t even bother asking because they know you won’t come through. But after today there will be no distinction between the two. Your future employers don’t know or care about your social life or extracurricular activities. They will give you a task, and if it doesn’t get done, then you won’t have a job. We will all be treated the same from here on out, and that is only one of the lessons we need to learn. In school we have learned that sine(п) is 0, and that there are 14 lines in a sonnet. We know that there are 206 bones in the human body and that 6.022 x 10 23 is the number of atoms in a mole. But there are so many things we haven’t been taught. We haven’t been taught that appearance is one of the most important parts of a job interview or that the oil in your car needs to be changed every 5,000 miles. We may know how to multiply binomials, but we have no idea how the astronomical number of diapers a baby needs multiplied by the cost will affect our budgets. We may have read Romeo and Juliet, but most of us have never even seen a tax return, let alone are able to understand it. From the moment of our birth, we have been preparing for the real world, and today, on the threshold of that world, we find ourselves woefully unprepared. Still, there are many valuable lessons we have learned in our years here at Central. In the classroom and on the playing field we have picked up teamwork and leadership skills. As freshmen we learned to respect those who are older than we are, and as we grew up, we learned to transfer that respect to those whose characters deserve it. Juggling homework, extracurricular activities and friends has taught us how to manage our time. And when we don’t have time for it all, the choices we make tell us what we value most. Looking back on our high school experience, it went by much too fast, yet it dragged on at the same time. We may be leaving the familiar setting where we know exactly who we are, but we are more than ready to plunge into the unknown. Congratulations, Class of 2010, you know you aren’t ready for what comes next, but that hasn’t stopped you from embracing the future. Katie Dorpinghaus Editor in Chief It was a beautiful day in DeWitt. But Alex Hunter was dead on the hood of a white Buick. Jenny Kruger lay unconscious on the sidewalk; Weston Maass’s right arm sat in the grass still grasping a beer can — all part of a simulated car accident during the biannual Operation Prom, organized by Mr. Karl Burmester, health teacher. A car of intoxicated teenagers struck a vehicle of sober kids on their way to After Prom on the corner of 4th Ave and 8th St. A white Buick contained four “drunk” stu- dents: Matt Daniels, Alex Hunter, Weston Maass and Courtni Poell. Brennan Ke- telsen, Jenny Kruger, Tom McClimon and Tessa Stocker were riding in a black Dodge. The white Buick was driven by Matt Dan- iels who insisted he was fine driving drunk. He was texting and saw something in the road. He attempted to swerve to avoid hit- ting it and struck the Dodge containing the two couples. Firefighters, police officers and para- medics were quickly on the scene. They used the Jaws of Life to get Weston and Courtni out of the back seat of the Buick and began CPR on Jenny. Firefighters trans- ported Alex from the hood of a car to a blue tarp and laid her in the grass. A helicop- ter flew onto the softball field to transport Jenny to a hospital in critical condition She had no pulse and severe head trauma. Tom, Brennan, Courtni, Tessa and Weston were all taken away in an ambulance while Matt was failing a sobriety test. He was soon ar- rested for operating while intoxicated. Af- ter almost everyone had left, a hearse drove up and took Alex away in a body bag while Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton played in the background. After watching the outdoor part of the simulation, students were dismissed to the gym where medical staff re-enacted a hospital scene, guest speakers talked about personal experiences with drunk driving accidents, and Alex Hunter’s “funeral” took place. Courtni Poell was rolled in the gym on a stretcher with two medics by her side. She had an open wound to the head and only had a pulse only with compressions. She was shocked, but was proclaimed the third dead teenager at 1:35 a.m. Sharon Cypher, a nursing supervisor, was the first speaker. She told a true story of working the night shift one night when three victims came in between the ages of 16 and 18. All three were pronounced dead on arrival. Soon after, the father of one of the boys came in. He wanted to see his son and knew by the looks on their faces what had happened. His son had died on impact at the scene. Cypher remembers what he looked like and what he was wearing. He had blonde hair, a white jacket, and blue Look alive. The Operation Prom crew put forth a lot of effort into the making of the simulation car accident. Some of the students involved in the “car accident” were Eryca Schebler,Tom McClimon, Jenny Kruger, Matt Daniels, Alex Hunter, Brennan Ketelsen, Weston Maass and Courtni Poell. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler. jeans. The father came in and picked up his son in his arms and cradled him. He gen- tly kissed his face and kept repeating, “My sunshine boy” as he grieved. “I was watching the ultimate grief and suffering,” Cypher said. She cried with him for 20 minutes and he thanked her and said he couldn’t have done it without her. She then had to tell his best friend that he had died. Once she got home from her shift, she held her son Ryan because she knew the man she had just left wouldn’t have the chance to hold his son ever again. All this happened because of alcohol and illegal drugs. Captain Mike Osmun of the DeWitt Police Department told about the dreaded task of notifying parents of the death of a child. He received a phone call about 2:30 a.m. and was told he had to deliver the dreaded message. Three kids had perished in a car accident because of alcohol use. He asks teens not to put his officers through this dreadful task and to not do this to your parents. ‘Congratulations, you did it. Now get out of here’ —Operation Prom Continued on Page 3
Transcript
May 8, 2010Vol. 23, No. 5
CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOLSof DeWitt, Grand Mound, Low Moor and Welton, Iowa
Operation Prom ‘accident’ opens students’ eyes
DIETING TIPS —Page 20
PHOTO ESSAYS BY CENTRAL STUDENTS
—Pages 9,10,11
Box 110 425 East 11th Street • DeWitt, IA 52742563-659-0715 • www.central-clinton.k12.ia.us
‘Accident’ shows consequences of drunk driving
THE PURPLEnion
Bree DunkelAssistant Editor In Chief
This page sponsored by Matt Dorpinghaus
&RQJUDWXODWLRQV�
���������
3XUSOH�2QLRQ�
VWDII
IRU�D�MRE�ZHOO�GRQH
Ask any senior and we will immediately tell you how many days – eight – are left until graduation. We can’t wait until we march across that stage and receive the piece of paper that essentially says: Congratulations, you did it. Now get out of here.
We are so ready for that day, when we will fi nally be free from the rigors of high school, but we have no idea what it actually means. We will hear speeches from our classmates and teachers about how this is not an end, it is merely a new chapter in our lives and how we are ready to take on the world. While these speeches may be inspiring, they do not tell the entire truth about what graduation means.
So here is the rest of the truth, and the graduation speech you will never hear:
Welcome all, and thank you for coming
The graduation speech you will never heartoday. To the parents, grandparents and teachers here, thank you for all of the time you have dedicated to us. To my fellow students, we are here to celebrate the end of our lives as we know it. Enjoy being here together, because this is the last time that we will be.
For the past four years, high school has provided us with our passion. Sports, friends and grades have given us a goal and an identity. We have funneled our energy into these things, and in return, they have become who we are. But after today, that all goes away.
In the real world, no one knows that you were the homecoming queen or valedictorian. That state championship in track won’t get you a job, and your college professors won’t care that your school’s FFA had been Supreme Chapter for the past 200 years.
Here, our reputations precede us. Either as an honor roll student or a name on the police blotter, we are recognized and judged accordingly. And with those labels come certain expectations. You may be the dependable one who is constantly heaped with extra responsibilities because people know you will get it done, or you could be the slacker who people don’t even bother asking because they know you won’t come through. But after today there will be no
distinction between the two.Your future employers don’t know or
care about your social life or extracurricular activities. They will give you a task, and if it doesn’t get done, then you won’t have a job. We will all be treated the same from here on out, and that is only one of the lessons we need to learn.
In school we have learned that sine(п) is 0, and that there are 14 lines in a sonnet. We know that there are 206 bones in the human body and that 6.022 x 1023 is the number of atoms in a mole. But there are so many things we haven’t been taught. We haven’t been taught that appearance is one of the most important parts of a job interview or that the oil in your car needs to be changed every 5,000 miles. We may know how to multiply binomials, but we have no idea how the astronomical number of diapers a baby needs multiplied by the cost will affect our budgets. We may have read Romeo and Juliet, but most of us have never even seen a tax return, let alone are able to understand it. From the moment of our birth, we have been preparing for the real world, and today, on the threshold of that world, we fi nd ourselves woefully unprepared.
Still, there are many valuable lessons we have learned in our years here at Central. In the classroom and on the playing fi eld we
have picked up teamwork and leadership skills. As freshmen we learned to respect those who are older than we are, and as we grew up, we learned to transfer that respect to those whose characters deserve it.
Juggling homework, extracurricular activities and friends has taught us how to manage our time. And when we don’t have time for it all, the choices we make tell us what we value most.
Looking back on our high school experience, it went by much too fast, yet it dragged on at the same time. We may be leaving the familiar setting where we know exactly who we are, but we are more than ready to plunge into the unknown.
Congratulations, Class of 2010, you know you aren’t ready for what comes next, but that hasn’t stopped you from embracing the future.
Katie DorpinghausEditor in Chief
It was a beautiful day in DeWitt. But Alex Hunter was dead on the hood of a white Buick. Jenny Kruger lay unconscious on the sidewalk; Weston Maass’s right arm sat in the grass still grasping a beer can — all part of a simulated car accident during the biannual Operation Prom, organized by Mr. Karl Burmester, health teacher.
A car of intoxicated teenagers struck a vehicle of sober kids on their way to After Prom on the corner of 4th Ave and 8th St. A white Buick contained four “drunk” stu-dents: Matt Daniels, Alex Hunter, Weston Maass and Courtni Poell. Brennan Ke-telsen, Jenny Kruger, Tom McClimon and Tessa Stocker were riding in a black Dodge. The white Buick was driven by Matt Dan-iels who insisted he was fi ne driving drunk. He was texting and saw something in the road. He attempted to swerve to avoid hit-ting it and struck the Dodge containing the two couples.
Firefi ghters, police offi cers and para-medics were quickly on the scene. They used the Jaws of Life to get Weston and Courtni out of the back seat of the Buick
and began CPR on Jenny. Firefi ghters trans-ported Alex from the hood of a car to a blue tarp and laid her in the grass. A helicop-ter fl ew onto the softball fi eld to transport Jenny to a hospital in critical condition She had no pulse and severe head trauma. Tom, Brennan, Courtni, Tessa and Weston were all taken away in an ambulance while Matt was failing a sobriety test. He was soon ar-rested for operating while intoxicated. Af-ter almost everyone had left, a hearse drove up and took Alex away in a body bag while Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton played in the background.
After watching the outdoor part of the simulation, students were dismissed to the gym where medical staff re-enacted a hospital scene, guest speakers talked about personal experiences with drunk driving accidents, and Alex Hunter’s “funeral” took place.
Courtni Poell was rolled in the gym on a stretcher with two medics by her side. She had an open wound to the head and only had a pulse only with compressions. She was shocked, but was proclaimed the third dead teenager at 1:35 a.m.
Sharon Cypher, a nursing supervisor, was the fi rst speaker. She told a true story of working the night shift one night when three victims came in between the ages of 16 and 18. All three were pronounced dead on arrival. Soon after, the father of one of the boys came in. He wanted to see his son and knew by the looks on their faces what had happened. His son had died on impact at the scene. Cypher remembers what he looked like and what he was wearing. He had blonde hair, a white jacket, and blue
Look alive. The Operation Prom crew put forth a lot of effort into the making of the simulation car accident. Some of the students involved in the “car accident” were Eryca Schebler, Tom McClimon, Jenny Kruger, Matt Daniels, Alex Hunter, Brennan Ketelsen, Weston Maass and Courtni Poell. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler.
jeans. The father came in and picked up his son in his arms and cradled him. He gen-tly kissed his face and kept repeating, “My sunshine boy” as he grieved.
“I was watching the ultimate grief and suffering,” Cypher said. She cried with him for 20 minutes and he thanked her and said he couldn’t have done it without her. She then had to tell his best friend that he had died. Once she got home from her shift, she held her son Ryan because she knew the man she had just left wouldn’t have the chance to hold his son ever again.
All this happened because of alcohol
and illegal drugs.Captain Mike Osmun of the DeWitt
Police Department told about the dreaded task of notifying parents of the death of a child. He received a phone call about 2:30 a.m. and was told he had to deliver the dreaded message. Three kids had perished in a car accident because of alcohol use. He asks teens not to put his offi cers through this dreadful task and to not do this to your parents.
‘Congratulations, you did it. Now get out of here’
—Operation PromContinued on Page 3
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 52
Role models. Teammates. Friends. Seniors.
ON CAMPUS
I’ll remember you. Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy. Kristen Dierickx and Haley Rusk share a goodbye hug. Photo courtesy of Haley Rusk.
Melanie SaundersReview Editor
Silent problem screaming to be heard
There’s a silent problem being featured on news stations that has everyone won-dering, Why? This silent problem hasn’t been talked about much in the past, but has recently come into light due to a tragic and heart wrenching, yet completely prevent-able, chain of events. This problem isn’t something that is immediately noticed as life threatening, but the long-term effects have some teens feeling alone, ostracized and even suicidal. What is this problem? Cyber-bullying.
Many of you have probably heard about the recent cyber-bullying incident in Mas-sachusetts involving a 15-year-old girl. She was harassed so frequently and harshly by several of her peers that she took her own life. The ruthless, tactless actions of these ignorant teens make me want to scream, or better yet, write a newspaper column. You may think, cyber-bullying? No way could it happen here, in tiny DeWitt, Iowa. But you’re wrong. According to www.kkwl.com, one in every 10 students has been a victim to some form of cyber bullying, whether through a nasty text message, mean words on MySpace or through grafit-ti pictures on Facebook.
Bullies realize what they are doing is wrong, and maybe they even feel a little bad about what they have said through. Bullies know they can make fun of Cindy for having a big nose. They can make fun of Antonio for his lack of biceps. Or they can make fun of Sally just because she doesn’t speak German as fluently as others in her class. But what bullies don’t know is that after they ridicule Cindy for having
a big nose, she cries herself to sleep. What they don’t know is that after their relentless teasing words to Antonio about his body, he goes to the gym and lifts weights until his knees are shaking and he can barely stand up. What they don’t know is that Sally felt so stupid after she was mocked for her lack of German-speaking ability.
To some, cyber bullying may seem like a child’s problem. If we ignore the prob-lem, it just disappears into thin air, right? Wrong. Bullies, no matter if they are 8 or 18, feel important due to the power they have hiding behind a phone or computer screen. They’re arrogant enough to think no one will ever know about the poisonous words they have said or the disrespectful pictures they have created.
The fact of the matter is that cyber bul-lies are just insecure about what they may be going through in their own life. That could be through sports, family activities or just their own feeling of low self-con-fidence.
It’s easy for a cyber bully to create words or images online that may appear funny, but to the person sitting on the opposite side of that screen, those hurtful words and images are about as far from funny as a person can get; www.spinneypress.com says that 20 percent of all youth suicides are related to present or past bullying.
Imagine if we cut that 20 percent down to 0 percent. Amazing children and teens who are victims of cyber bullying take their own lives before they even get to live it, all due to humiliating electronic words or images from ignorant humans. Teens are taught the quadratic formula and they’re taught how to ride a bicycle. But often times they aren’t taught how to respect a person for who they are, and for unique personality traits and talents.
People may pick on Cindy for having a big nose, but she’s got a knack for cooking and is going to make an amazing chef some-day. People may torment Antonio for not having bulging biceps, but he can play jazz on the trumpet like Louis Armstrong. And maybe Sally doesn’t know the difference between Nachtisch and Nachmittag, but stick a Shakespearian sonnet in front of her and she can interpret it as if those ancient words are still being used today.
When you get down to the core of the matter, cyber bullying is just the coward’s way out. Instead of facing a person when there’s a disagreement, today’s teens are choosing to stay hidden behind the veil of a computer screen. After hearing these facts, ask yourself, if I had the chance to stop
just one cyber bullying case from happen-ing, would I take the necessary action if it meant saving a teen with their whole life in front of them, or would I just sit idly by?
Don’t be that person who could have done something to prevent a drastic event. If you see cyber bullying going on, there is something you can do to help. Report the incident to a trusted adult and who can help you take the proper action. Or better, don’t be a cyber bully. The next time you write a text message or post a picture on Face-book, step back and take a moment to think before you click “send.” Will these words hurt someone’s feelings? Is this something I will regret writing or drawing? If the an-swer is yes, don’t be a part of the silent problem. Be a part of the solution.
Haley RuskColumnist
This Purple Onion page is sponsored by Central’s LA Department
Kick Back and Read!
May 12. To the average person this may sound
like just another date that will come and go, but to students of Central Community High School, it’s a big deal. May 12 is the class of 2010’s last day of high school. Ever. The next step is college, and many seniors say they’re excited, nervous, scared, or anx-ious. But no one ever bothers to ask the juniors, sophomores or freshmen about the graduating class.
The graduating class, the seniors, aren’t just the “older kids” and the “top dogs.” They are teammates, mentors, role models, lunch buddies – and best friends.
Some underclassmen are happy to see the seniors leave. It’s a step up for us, it’s one less class of people we have to listen
to, it’s one step closer to graduating our-selves. At the same time, the seniors leav-ing is a sad thing. Throughout high school people begin to resemble families. Gradu-ation feels as if we’re losing part of our family, and that can have a big impact on people. Imagine an older sibling leaving for college or finally moving out; that’s what the graduating class is like. Even if you don’t necessarily like the kids of the class of 2010, their leaving is a change ev-eryone will see, you can’t miss it.
The final days of school without the se-niors will start out being great. There will be less crowding in the hallways and lunch room and everyone moves up in the high school food chain. But after those first cou-ple of days, it hits you. They aren’t coming back, they’re gone.
Then you begin to think about what you miss the most about the seniors, and so much comes to mind: their everyday help and advice, all the fun times you’ve had with them, saying hi to them every day in the hallway, and the routine you estab-lished and settled into with them.
Juniors, sophomores and freshmen are really going to miss just having them around. Some people have been friends with kids from the class of 2010 their entire high school career, and without them, high school just won’t be the same.
And let’s not forget about real-life sib-lings in high school. Having a graduating brother or sister is a huge deal. When your
older sister leaves the house for college, the entire house feels different, quieter, even empty sometimes. In some ways sib-lings have it harder. High school changes and so does your house, the place you saw one another every day.
With every year and every graduating class, the school gains a new group of role models. It seems as if everyone looks up to the seniors and has a favorite or a few favorite seniors who show you how to do things.
Each departing class of seniors leaves its mark on the school and on the other students, and the class of 2010 always seemed to be the class that was always there to help. 2010 seniors seem to be one of the funniest, most friendly group of kids around. They never made the freshmen feel too intimidated and were always willing to help, whether with homework, drama or having a good time.
The thing that will be most missed about the class of 2010 is how we became such good friends with them. Some of those friendships will never die and will never be forgotten. Graduation is a difficult time of year. Should we be sad because our friends are leaving us, or should we be happy be-cause they are beginning a new chapter in their lives?
Personally, I don’t think anyone will ever know the true answer to that, or maybe the answer is both. Whatever the answer is, I know I will definitely miss the departing seniors. I’ll miss their advice. Soccer, and
school in general, will be different when they’re gone. I am going to miss my soc-cer buddy and listening to music too loudly while driving around, having them in class as a service learner to help me with Alge-bra II and receiving a hug every morning when I see them.
This year’s seniors affected me in an unexpected way. I haven’t known them for an extraordinary amount of time, but I defi-nitely look up to a few of them. The only thing that is for certain right now is that I will miss them greatly and I wish them the best of luck with their next big step in life.
The start of a solution. Iowa has passed laws that force schools to create anti-cy-berbullying policies which cover bullying “in schools, on school property or at any school function or school-sponsored activity.” Many other states around the United States have followed in Iowa’s footsteps by creating similar laws in hopes of elimi-nating cyber bullying for an indefinitely. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
THE PURPLE ONION WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. LETTERS MUST BE SIGNED.
Central Community High School
Box 110 • Old Highway 30 East • DeWitt, IA 52742
563-659-0715www.central-clinton.k12.ia.us
ON CAMPUSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 3
Take a moment for yourself. Jayden Mis-cowiec, Alex Leudtke, Jenny Stofer and Levi Spain take time out of their morn-ing schedules to gather on the stage and pray for the school, students and teach-ers. Photo by Sarah Stofer.
Operation Prom informs
Prayer group provides peaceful momentsSarah Stofer
Staff Writer
The stress of school is whirling through your head, even though it’s only 7 a.m. You also have your friends’ problems to worry about. Then up to the semi-dark stage. It’s peaceful, and you can silently give all your troubles to God.
“It grounds me and helps me to get through the day and any frustrating tests or classes,” Cassie Sheehan said. These faithful few are praying for the school as a whole, teachers and students, and to have the strength to get through the day and get everything done.
Another reason students come is to stay connected with God through the week. “It helps to bring it (lessons, ideas...) over from youth group and stay active in school,” Eric Wierup said.
The meetings are every morning at 8 a.m. on the stage. They are open to any-
This Purple Onion page is sponsored
by the
Central School Board
Have a safe and fun summer!
Offi cer Shia Cruciani talked about the effect drugs and alcohol can have. “Think about what it’s like (for offi cers) to drive to your house and tell your mom or dad that you’re badly injured or dead,” Cruciani said. She said students need to practice what they’re preaching by being at Opera-tion Prom: not driving drunk. “Wouldn’t it be a great feeling to know that you saved somebody else’s life?” Cruciani said. Not driving drunk could do that.
After the speakers were done, Operation Prom proceeded with a memorial service for Courtni and Jenny. Morgan Crosthwaite read a poem and spoke about her loss. The Chamber Singers participated and sang I Can Only Imagine and Tears in Heaven.
Next was Alex’s funeral. A wooden cas-ket was brought in with her picture placed on top of it. Weston attended with one arm missing and Tessa with her right leg gone. After the casket was brought in, students read poems and talked about their memo-ries. Brandon Jasper read “The Best Night, The Worst Night”, a poem a man wrote in prison about the guilt he had of killing his girlfriend, her best friend, and her date. Alli
Cavanaugh read another poem titled “I’m Free”.
Soon after, a slideshow of Alex’s life was shown and Mackenzie Wing gave a speech. She and Alex were cousins but also best friends. She talked about how Alex was always there for everyone and how they had the future planned out. “We had plans that have been ruined by one big mistake,” Wing said.
Will Hunter, Alex’s older brother, said it was diffi cult to be there. “It was hard to watch,” Hunter said. “It makes you think you think about what can actually happen and it’s not a good feeling.”
The simulation prom accident opened some students’ eyes. “When they said to imagine the cops had to go to your house and tell your mom and dad really affected me,” Haley Kreiter said. Kreiter was also a participant in Operation Prom.
Whether or not students will choose to use drugs or alcohol on Prom night is their decision, but now they know what some consequences may be: a loss of a friend, loss of a ligament, or even just the loss of a license.
Fighting the law. Matt Daniels and Brennan Ketelsen argue about who was re-sponsible for the car “accident.” Daniels was drinking and driving while texting. Ketelsen was sober at the time of the wreck. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler.
A fi ght for life. Eryca Schebler and Scott Burke, who were in the fi rst car on the scene, try to revive Jenny Kruger by performing CPR. It’s mandatory to recertify each year in the health classes at Central. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler.
Disaster. Weston Maass “lost his arm” in the mock accident. A variety of injuries can occur in a car accident. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler.
Land of heroes. Four fi refi ghters carry Courtni Poell to the ambulance after using the Jaws of Life to retrieve her from the vehicle. Photo contributed by Eryca Schebler.
—Continued from Page 1
one who wants to come. “Everybody can come,” Alex Barr said. “I think this is more important and helpful than walking around the school.”
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 54 ON CAMPUS
Katie MinickStaff Writer
This Purple Onion page is sponsored by Tom and Sandy Meade
Specialcongratulations to our daughter Rachel MeadeClass of 2010
and her classmates
Everybody knows the rules and restric-tions on cell phones in class and everybody has a different opinion on it. Some students would like to see the rules stay while others wouldn’t mind having them lifted. “We should be allowed to have our phones at certain times and if they’re on silent,” Alison Rekemeyer said. Whitney Roth added, “We should get our phones in lunch and in between class-es. That’s our own time.” Every student has his or her own pur-pose for cell phone use in class. “It helps
me focus on my schoolwork when music is playing,” Dylan Hance said. Some students feel teachers are often too hard on them for cell phone violations. “Sometimes teachers will take your phone even when it falls out of your pocket by accident,” Holle Michoski said. Many complain of the punishments the school has to offer. “I don’t think teachers should be allowed to take our phones and the office shouldn’t be able to keep them overnight,” Tyler Olsen said. Some agree with the punishments be-cause they feel teachers have a good point. “They give the rule for a good reason,” Abby Schneckloth said. “Cell phones are only distractions if you let them be,” Megan Schram said, “I think cell phones should be taken away from kids who make it obvious that they are dis-tracted from school.” Students have often questioned why the school doesn’t allow phones in class.
“I think it’s because teachers think we are cheating on tests,” Jeremy Fuller said. Students have referred to their phone as a good key to success in school as well. “Some phones have internet and it helps for when we need to look something up,” Emily Kremer said. “Most phones also have calculators.” Outside school, kids everywhere are crazy about cell phones. “My phone has improved my life because it can let me talk to people I haven’t talked to in a while,” Alexis Jackson said. Ryan Daniels added, “It makes life not so boring.” People all over are having a blast with today’s new and improved text messaging. “I love to text,” Tiffany Parker said. “In-stant communication is the best.” For social life, 57 percent of teens say their cell phone is the key. “Without my phone, I wouldn’t know what is going on,” Daniels said. Texting is the new trend for teens, par-
Cell phones: Motivator or menace?
Katie MinickStaff Writer
Every year the Iowa Egg Council has a cook-off that is offered to all students across Iowa. Central was lucky enough to have three students qualify. “I was proud we had three out of five students qualify in the state of Iowa,” said Mrs. Valarie Betz, head of the Family and Consumer Sciences department. Alison Hansen, Chris Schmidt and Mag-gie Dolan were the contest winners who continued on to Des Moines March 20. In order to qualify, a student must cre-ate his or her own recipe that contains 12 ingredients and four eggs. The recipe is sent in and five finalists are chosen to continue and make their recipe for the council. “I was really excited when I found out my recipe was chosen,” Hansen said. Every qualifier automatically wins a cash prize between $100 to $500. Hansen took second place, Schmidt took third, and Dolan took fourth. “Even though the kid that won had a good presentation, his food wasn’t that good,” Dolan said. Hansen added, “My recipe was compli-cated so I’m glad I got second.” The money was a bonus for the students because each one of them had a lot of fun with this experience. “Not only was there the egg cook-off but there was a lot of other stuff going on that day,” Dolan said. The students whisked, stirred and sau-téed their way to a fun and scrumptious day of egg cooking. “They all had very creative ideas,” Mrs. Betz said.
ents, and just about everybody. Why is tex-ting such a big deal all of a sudden? “It is more private,” Roth said. Daniels said, “Texting is so much easier because you can multi-task.” Cell phone use isn’t as negative as some believe. Six out of 10 teens say their phone has improved their life for the better. “My phone is a gift sent from God,” Schneck-loth said. Kids often wish their phones had cool features that would make everyday life more simple. “Instant meals would be nice because I’m always hungry,” Parker said. Michoski said, “I use my phone as a mirror sometimes.” Phones are also a sense of security when somebody leaves home. “People need phones for safety, such as zombie apoca-lypse,” Roling said. Phones can be viewed as having a nega-tive or a positive impact. It just depends on how you look at it.
Iowa Egg Council selects three for state competition
After great success the first time around, planning is already under way for the sec-ond issue of the school’s literary magazine, The Muse, put together by Ms. Sue “Nor-dy” Nordstrom. The magazine is sched-uled tentatively to come out sometime in the fall of next year. “I’m just now getting works from the LA teachers, and I’ll be working on getting all the art and literature together pretty much for the bulk of May,” Nordstrom said. The first issue of The Muse turned out to be a huge success, winning a silver in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association competition out of Columbia University in New York City, but if Nordstrom gets her way, this Muse will be even more inspir-ing. “The magazine was 33 pages last time, but I want to double it this time around,” Nordstrom said. “Last time I gathered the writings myself, but this time the LA teach-ers are submitting them to me, so it’s more of a collaborated effort, like we’re in it to-gether.” Nordstrom does not receive any supple-mental pay for undertaking the project at hand, a fact that doesn’t faze her in the least. “I was surprised to find that I really love doing this,” Nordstrom said. “I really en-joy doing layout and design and I’m really looking forward to doing the second issue this summer.”
Jordan LarisonStaff Writer
Upcoming issue of Muse will featureart and writings
Stir to perfection. During her portion of the egg cooking competition, Alison Han-sen boils a fresh batch of eggs to the perfect heat in order to make her recipe com-plete. Photo contributed Mrs. Valarie Betz.
A new crop of cooks. Iowa Egg Council participants went to Des Moines March 20: sophomores Maggie Dolan and Alison Hansen, senior Chris Schmidt, and Mrs. Valarie Betz. Photo contributed by Mrs. Valarie Betz.
New-age debate rages on about ever-present cell phone use
ON CAMPUSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 5
Day in Des Moines. Students from Mr. Mercado’s Leadership class travel to Des Moines to participate in Capitol Day. The students met with with state legislators and discussed current issues in Iowa. Left: Mr. Eddie Mercado, Easten Lovelace, Rep. Steve Olson, Ethan Nelson, Carrie Demmon, Mary Broadfoot, Mitch Emer-son, Garrett Lass, Jenessa Kyarsgaard, Kameron Cain, Will Hunter, Brooke Crater, Courtney Jackson, Rep. Shawn Hamerlinck, Albert Aguirre, Heidi Stofer and Brigitta Meyer. Photo contributed by Mr. Mercado.
Food for thought. After a long morning committee meeting, Alan Buttars enjoys a Pepsi while on lunch break in the UNI student union. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
Bryan ConnellSports Editor
Model UN teaches real-life problem solving
The danger was imminent as the man-made hurricane tore through Southeast Asia killing thousands and causing billions in damage. The world community wanted answers, Saudi Arabia was furious and Hungary was hungry, for blood. Finally, China stepped forward and admitted that they had been experimenting with cloud seeding technology, and it may have caused the hurricane. The United Nations stepped in and legislation was passed to deal with the threat of another man-made disaster.
The events that unfolded, however, were not real. The hurricane scenario took place at Model United Nations held at the University of Northern Iowa. Each year, students from all over the state converge in Cedar Falls to represent their country’s view on topics ranging from political and security, legal issues, social issues and the world’s economy.
“Bryan and I represented South Africa in political and security,” Bree Dunkel said. “We talked about lending and leasing of military arms and transparency of arms.”
Dunkel was one of seven students who represented South Africa. The others, Alan Buttars, Justin Block, Bryan Connell, Nic
Elsea, Courtney Rickard and Melanie Saunders, represented South Africa in other committees.
Block, Elsea and Saunders represented South Africa on the disarmament committee. All three students enjoyed both the real world issues that were discussed and the debates over resurrecting Michael Jackson.
The final two students from Central, Buttars and Rickard, represented South Africa on the Legal Committee.
“I really enjoyed seeing how other countries viewed issues,” Courtney Rickard said. “I also liked how the process was like the real United Nations.”
Apart from the meetings and politics, the students had a lot of free time. At night on the first day, Block and Elsea trekked across town to a grocery store. The trip ended badly when Elsea unknowingly grabbed a case of root beer and had all of the glass bottles fall on the floor. After letting loose a few choice words , Elsea had to apologize to a mother and her daughter standing next to him.
A baby also made the trip to Cedar Falls with the students.
“I knew Mr. Butler wasn’t a big fan of President Obama,” Buttars said. “So I thought bringing a baby whose parents couldn’t afford him would be funny.”
The whole experience was a good one for all seven students. All of them were able to see current global issues from another prospective.
“I’ll take away that world issues are important for our generation,” Melanie Saunders said. “We can’t ignore the world’s problems.”
State reps meet with student councilEryca Schebler
Staff Writer
State Representatives Shawn Hamer-linck and Steve Olson visited Central to meet with student council members and talk about local issues on Wed. April 14.
Budget cuts have been a big issue here with the assistant principal job on the line and funding for many other areas jeopar-dized. With the 2 percent allowable growth, the assistant principal’s job is now funded, but students had many other questions for their state legislators
“The representatives had a coffee talk open to the community so Matt Daniels, Courtney Bauer, Rachel Meade and Ryan Hamby went to invite the representatives personally to our school,” Mrs. Denise McAleer said. “They put together some-thing appropriate and polite to say to them to try and get them to come for a more pri-vate meeting.”
“At the coffee talk I learned about a lot of issues outside of education,” Rachel Meade said, “like agriculture budget cuts
Seven students trekto Cedar Fallsfor conference
World-saving technology. A lap-top helps students Justin Block and Nic Elsea pass time during a long disarmament committee meeting. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
This Purple Onion page is sponsored by the
Girls’Soccer Moms
Go Sabers!and NASA, too.”
“They talked about how there are job cuts in law enforcement, too,” Courtney Bauer said.
“The reps did a really good job of an-
swering all of our questions about our community,” Meade said.
Bauer agree. “We really prepared what to say to accomplish our goal of getting them to come,” she added.
Hamerlinck, Olson talk about budgets, local issues
FINE ARTS6The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5
Sarah StoferStaff Writer
Katie PetersenStaff Writer
Paulsen receives ‘Outstanding Performer’ at state ensemble, solo contest
Doors opening by themselves, briefcas-es fl oating, and other unexplainable hap-penings: there’s only one thing it could be. Ghostly beings.
Those unexplainable happenings were exactly what audiences experienced during the school production of Sight Unseen on March 5 and 6 at the Operahouse.
The cast consisted of Fletcher Paulsen, Hanna Harlson, Kameron Cain, Kristen Dierickx, Eleni Boesch, Shawna Becker, Easten Lovelace, Logan Brundage, Sam Biggart, Chloes Myers, and Carly Bau-man.
“Sometimes it’s just stupid or dumb to do something like that (a play with super-natural elements) but now it’s easier to do
because it’s in the books and movies,” Mr. Tom Dean, director, said.
It seems to be a craze sweeping Amer-ica, supernatural and fantasy such as Twi-
light, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, Alice
in Wonderland and The Eclipse. Sight Un-
seen has an interesting plot. Lady Judith, owner of Barnsley, played
by Kristen Dierickx, is trying to keep her beloved home from being confi scated for taxes.
The only solution she can fi nd is selling the manor, but her relatives, none of whom are actually alive, do not wish to be sold and are set on making sure that Barnsley is undesirable to anyone who dares to even consider buying it.
Through a twist of romance, suspense, some British humor, and an attempted ex-orcism, Barnsley is not sold.
Lady Judith fi nds true love, and Henry Malone, an American science professor played by Kameron Cain, and Mrs. Mil-licent Malone, an American supernatural enthusiast played by Hanna Harlson, come to the shocking realization that ghosts do, in fact, exist.
“My favorite scene is at the end when Chloe, Lady Hortense, confronts Hanna, Mrs. Malone,” Mr. Dean said. At the end Lady Hortense, the fi rst Elliot to haunt Barnsley, is fed up with Mrs. Malone’s doubting of their presence and suddenly appears to Mrs. Malone prompting an all out ruckus.
School play haunts audiences
Where’s my cue? Kameron Cain waits for his next line as Hanna Harlson stares at him in disdain. Cain and Harlson, a mother-son combo in the play, provided many laughs at the school’s production of Sight Unseen. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
Haunted? Why, of course not! Fletcher Paulsen tries to reassure Shawna Becker that there are no ghosts in Barnsley Manor. What she doesn’t know is that one of the ghosts (Logan Brundage) is in the room with her. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
If you go to Central, you’re more than likely to know who Fletcher Paulsen is. He’s an All-State vocalist and speech participant and this year he’s adding Outstanding Performer at State Solo & Ensemble to his repertoire.
Participating in five performances while at Solo & Ensemble, two solos and three groups, Paulsen is the epitome of achiev-ing above and beyond. With practically perfect pitch and steadfast motivation, he shows the dedication needed to succeed in his musical endeavors.
“I have private lessons every week,” Paulsen said, “but I was surprised when I found out; so was my grandma (Joyce Fletcher).”
While some people think of performing in front of other people, especially judges, as frightening, Paulsen was not affected. “I had the same judge that I already had at local contest,” Paulsen said, “so I knew what to do to improve from my previous performance that would impress him.”
Along with his title of Outstanding Performer he will be going to Iowa State College and performing along with all the other Outstanding Performers from across the state on May 11.
Creative ways to show personality
This Purple Onion Page is sponsored by
Publications Class
A Class Act
Alexandria NaughtonStaff Writer
Is getting a tattoo a life change? Is it a way of rebellion? Or is it just for fun?
Many of the student body, more girls than guys, have body tattoos and body piercings.
People are known to get tattoos as a sort of label of who they are or of someone special in their life.
“My tattoo is my last name DAHL with a crown on the D,” Kody Dahl said. “I
chose it because I am the last Dahl.”There are also tattoos that can sym-
bolize a certain ethnic descent. “I have a clover with swirls and leaves,” Mariah Reed said. “I am Irish and I’ve been to Ireland.”
Some get tattoos for personal interests. “Mine is a star,” Amanda Chance said. “I just have a huge obsession with stars.”
“I don’t think getting a tattoo changed my life,” Chance added. “I am still who I was before I got it.”
What is the best size tattoo to get? “Go big, or go home,” Dahl said. “You don’t want to get it too small and then be disap-pointed.” For some, too big might not be the right way to go. “Medium sized,” said Reed. “Big enough to be seen, but small enough to be hidden when needed.”
“I think it really depends on the tattoo,” Chance said, “where you put it, and what it represents.”
“If you notice a lot of girls have their belly button pierced,” said Charity Reese, “and I like piercings, so I thought I’d just get it.”
You also have to be aware of problems that may occur in getting a tattoo. “I had to be careful and take good care of it when I first got it,” Mariah Reed said.
Another consideration is having enough pain tolerance to get a tattoo. “It hurt like a long, deep cat scratch,” Reed said. “It didn’t hurt like wanting to cry, it hurt like I wanted to smack someone.”
“It was a little painful,” Chance said, “but not as bad as everyone told me it was going to be.”
Some people think it’s much easier to pierce themselves instead of going to a shop. “I have pierced my lip, nose, and all of my ear piercings,” Reese said. People
Check out my sweet tat. Brooke Crater shows off her tattoo in the school park-ing lot. Many students get tattoos that are large, but are in a place that can be easily hidden for work or school if need-ed. Photo by Alexandria Naughton.
still go for the challenge.“I tried once to pierce it myself,”
Paarmann said. “It worked, but it was risky.”
Every once and awhile you may be in the grocery store, or any public place, and see people with piercings that you think are crazy.
“The bones in the nose remind me of cavemen,” Megan Everett said. “Not attractive, at all.”
Reese and Paarmann agreed that private piercings are crazy.
If you had an oportunity to get another piercing done, where would it be?
“(Ear) Cartilage,” Paarmann said. “It’s cool, and sort of different for guys.”
“Dermals (piercings pushed into the skin),” Schram said, “because I heard they don’t hurt and I already have everything else that I want.”
Others already have many piercings, but still would like more. “My lip and my nose,” said Valerie Pierce, “because I already have, like, six body piercings.”
There are also those who want to add up. “I would get a lot more piercings like my nose, lip, and cartilage,” Reese said. “I don’t know why, I just would
It is important to notify your boss if you decide to get a tattoo because some busi-nesses don’t approve of showing tattoos.
Overall tattoos and piercings are part of our appearance and how our personality is revealed through it. Most tattoos have special meanings specific to the person who chose it. They can be a way to show the world who we are or just a way to have some fun.
FINE ARTSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 7
This Purple Onion page sponsored by
Mrs. Jeannie Dean
Mr. Tom Dean
Mr. Josh Greubel Vocal Music, Drama & Speech
Instrumental Music
Music-makers belt out the I’sTalented kids bring homethe hardwarefrom state fest
Seven schools, three buses, 120 student participants, 30 Division I ratings, 36 Di-vision II ratings and 10 Division III rat-ings. With more musicians from both choir and band, students spent most of their day March 13 at Solon High School perform-ing or listening to other groups.
Students don’t just show up and per-form, though, there is a lot of preparation put into their solos or groups.
“I worked for about two months,” Eleni Boesch said, “I have private lessons as well where I get help.”
Most band students did most of their practice the two weeks before state contest in class.
“I feel that the practices we had in class helped my section,” Mitch McDevitt said, “and all the other sections got individual help.”
Along with the preparation the students put into their performances, the teachers put in just as much if not more. Mrs. Jean-nie Dean has lessons for her all of her choir students.
Mr. Josh Greubel has lessons where so-loists can sign up to come and get help, as well as time within class that he works with the different groups going to contest.
Some feel there is more of an individ-ual growth through the process of getting ready for this competition.
“I think it helps people grow as musi-cians,” Anna Winkler said.
Boesch feels that it helps more with the performance aspect of being in music. “It helps people know what to do to present themselves well in performances,” Boesch said.
Having these performance skills will come in handy for a portion of the students who earned Division I at Solo & Ensemble and State Speech.
These students went on to perform at the STAR performance for the community April 11 at The Opera House. This perfor-mance had all profits go toward the Music Boosters to help buy things for both the band and chorus.
This includes music for both band and chorus, music stands for the band, risers for the chorus, and overall just more oppor-tunties for students to participate and thrive within the fine arts department.
Division I award winners: Front Row: Taylor McWilliams, Kali Nelson, Amanda Benson, Kristen Dierickx, Christine Wiese, Courtney Rickard. Second Row: Nikki Darland, Courtney Jackson, Jacob Wiepert, Nic Elsea, Melanie Saunders, Erica Dierks, Fletcher Paulsen, Jenessa Kyarsgaard. Third Row: Elyse Arensdorf, Darcie Farrell, Kaitlyn O’Leary, Ben Niemann, Shawn Paar-mann, Ali Necker. Fourth Row: Audrey Machovec, Alan Buttars, Beth Davis, Lucas Blondell, Chloe Myers, Shawna Becker, Mike Carr, Jordan Murray. Fifth Row: Mariah Driscoll, Ali Ruiz, Cheyenne Driscoll, Matt Volkens, Tommy Peterson. Back Row: Seth Johnson, Emily Browne, Colleen Tague, Sarah Stofer, Darian Spurrier, Rebekah Stofer. Photo by Mr. Josh Greubel.
Division II award winners: Front Row: Carly Bauman, Kristen Dierickx, Beth Davis, Lucas Blondell, Kris Alexander, Bryar Bloomer. Second Row: Ali Wiepert, Krista Duffy, Jasmine Kong, Austin Daniels, Lexi Cheney, Courtney Rickard, Rachel Meade, Brittany Jackson. Third Row: Derek Fox, Emily Benson, Nicole Mooc, Melanie Saunders, Erica Dierks, Fletcher Paulsen, Jen-essa Kyarsgaard, Nic Elsea. Fourth Row: Anna Winkler, Logan Brundage, Molly Keegan, Lexi Meggers, Katie Petersen, Shawn Paarmann, Rem Meggers. Fifth Row: Kaitlyn O’Leary, Melissa Huseman, Katie Blaser, Brooke Kindelsperger, Chloe Myers, Shawna Becker, Mike Carr, Jordan Murray. Sixth Row: Kaitlyn Ketelsen, Abbey Hansen, Taylor Donovan, Joanna Rasmussen, Jenny Kruger, Audrey Machovec, Dakotah Doolittle, Amanda Benson. Seventh Row: Ryan McAleer, Kaitlin Schmidt, Diana Tabor, Emily Browne, Ben Roberts, Matt Volkens, Tommy Perterson. Back Row: Abigail Cheney, Eric Newberry, Seth Johnson, Nick Bruckman, Colleen Tague, Cassie Sheehan, Darian Spurrier, Becca Walker. Photo by Mr. Josh Greubel.
Katie Petersen Staff Writer
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 58 FFA
Lauren WeirupStaff Writer
Lauren Weirup
Staff Writer
Lead out loudEvery year in April all of the FFA chap-
ters around Iowa come together for two days of competition, awards ands memo-ries. The 2009-2010 82nd Iowa FFA Con-vention was held in Des Moines Iowa April 15 and 16.
Participating in over 15 events, 42 stu-dents and 23 adults including Mr. George Pickup and Mr. Dan Ziesmer represented DeWitt during state convention.
After many hours of interviews and speeches it came down to the final mo-ment for Easten Lovelace. As his heart was pounding they called his name and he was pushed to center stage as the new Southeast District Vice President in the state of Iowa. Also, elected earlier in the year, Logan Kennedy and Lauren Weirup are the new Southeast District Reporter and Secretary. All three Central students will be serving on the Southeast District Officer Team for the 2010-2011 school year.
Who elects these new state officers? Each Chapter in the State of Iowa has two delegates who take time and listen to the candidates, decide who fits the possition best and vote on their representatives. The delegates who served from the DeWitt Central FFA Chapter were Chas Cahill and Lauren Weirup.
Those who participated in proficiency awards were Amanda Franck with 1st place in Dairy Production, Patrick Died-rich with 1st place in Ag Mechanics, Levi Hughes with 2nd place in Ag Placement, Logan Kennedy with 2nd place in Aqua-culture, Robin Culver, AJ McNeil, Nick McClimon, and Easton Lovelace.
For those students who have a 3.5 or more grade point average there is an Aca-
demic Achievement Award. Four students achieved this award: Mary Broadfoot, Amanda Franck, Matthew Costello and Carrie Demmon.
State FFA Degree is the second highest degree achieved in FFA. Those students who achieved this degree were: Easten Lovelace, Levi Wagener, Bill Borota, Mary Broadfoot, Levi Hughes, Shanna Spies, Lauren Weirup, Chas Cahill, Matthew Wi-ese, Logan Kennedy and AJ McNeil.
The Issues and Perceptions team finds an agricultural issue relevant to their area and has a meeting to work through the problem. This years team got 1st place in the state. On the team were Renee Christiansen, Pat-rick Diedrich, Morgan Diedrich, Carrie Demmon, Will Hunter, Jennifer Lane and Cody Kent.
ETA or Experience The Action is a skit that promotes FFA and recruits new students to join FFA. Participating in this event and receiving 4th place in the state were Erin Weirup, Nick McClimon, Taylor Griem, Albert Aguirre, Jenna McConohy and Caitlyn Griem.
Agricultural Marketing Plan is a contest where teams choose a product and come up with a presentation to market the product to agricultural businesses. On this team were Matthew Costello, Caleb Beer and Mitch Jebson.
Participating in the Chapter Display Event were Adam Goodall, Shanna Spies, Chas Cahill, Lauren Weirup and Natalie Shank. In this event the chapter gets to show off an event where the chapter edu-cated students and the community on what their chapter does. This year chapter dis-play was on the Clinton Kennel Club Dog Show held in DeWitt. Those who also par-ticipated in this event but did not attend State Convention were Scott Adams and Garrett Delaney.
To qualify for the State FFA Choir you
have to be a member of your school choir and be an active member in FFA. Eleni Boesch and Lauren Weirup were accepted and performed at the 2010 State Conven-tion.
State FFA talent consists of singing, dancing, bands, and judges. Members had to send in a tape or dvd of their per-formance and if they were selected they performed on stage. After coreographing her own dance and sending in the dvd, Erin Weirup performed in front of a panel of judges and over 4,500 people.
Being in their first year of ag qualifies all greenhands to partcipate in the greenhand test. This test is about basic knowledge of the FFA which is found in the student handbook. Jacob Reistroffer and Steven Connell represented DeWitt at both the sub-district and district levels and both of them made it to State. Reistroffer recieved a silver emblem and Connell Recieved a Gold emblem with Second Place overall in the State of Iowa.
Every year DeWitt hosts a dog show for the American Kennel Club Association (AKC). The dog show brings in tourism and shopping which in turn helps out the local businesses.
In order for this dog show to go on, the AKC needs ring stewards to work in the rings and help promote an efficient and successful show.
Only with the help of the DeWitt Central FFA Chapter can the show go on. The FFA chapter holds three workshops to train the students how to work in the ring. All stu-dents who wanted to help had to attend at least one of these mandatory workshops.
Even after going through the training process, the students were split into their rings: new students paired with experi-enced members, so that the new students got the chance to watch and observe how the experienced students did their jobs. Within a few hours of the show, the new students switched with the experienced ones and had their turn in the ring.
There were many different rings to par-take in. The fair grounds held the main
rings where they judged the different dog breeds. Stewards working these rings had the duties of handing out arm bands, an-nouncing classes, handing out ribbons, and cleaning up after the dogs.
In the school gymnasium the AKC set up their dog obedience rings, where stew-ards were to add up scores, set up and take down the obstacles and stand as posts for some of the activities.
The Chapter Alumni which consists of parents and other out-of-school members, holds a concession stand during the days of the dog show. All of the money made by the concessions goes toward scholarships and other expenses of the chapter.
It’s a chapter tradition to hold a pizza party for all those students who took time out of their busy schedules to help out their community by participating as ring stew-ards in the AKC Dog Show.
The pizza party usually takes place later in the year due to the packed schedule of the FFA chapter and the exact date is still to be determined.
The American Kennel Club Associa-tion hands out a scholarship as a thanks for helping with the dog show. This scholar-ship is specifically for those who have been stewards for at least three years and who are graduating from high school.
Dealing out the cards. Stewarding out-
side the ring, Dylan Kaczinski and Ca-
leb Beer hand out arm bands for the
breeders at the dog show. Different arm
bands were worn for each dog. Photo
contributed by Morgan Diedrich.
Hollerin’ at the dogs. Working in the
ring as a steward, Shanna Spies gives the
orders as she calls out the next class for
the dog breeders. Photo contributed by
Morgan Diedrich.
Strength in numbers. Representing Central by participating in several events and
winning many of them were First Row: Adam Goodall, Levi Hughes. Second Row:
Morgan Diedrich, Jenna McConohy, Caitlyn Griem, Heidi Andresen, Eric Weirup.
Third Row: Jennifer Lane, Kalyn McMahon, Erin Weirup, Taylor Griem, Emily Kre-
Caleb Beer, Patrick Diedrich, Carrie Demmon, Renee Christiansen, Amanda Franck,
Anthony Burke, Jacob Reistroffer, Austin Kent, Logan Kennedy, Easten Lovelace,
Lauren Weirup. Back Row: Nick McClimon, Matthew Costello, Chas Cahill, Bill
Borota, Cody Kent, Steven Connell. Photo contributed by Mrs. Jackie Costello.
Showin’ off the top dogs. Brady Mc-
Neil, past State Reporter and a Central
graduate, recognized central adminis-
tration during one of the sessions at the
state convention. Those administration
members who attended were Mr. Dan
Zeismer and Mr. George Pickup. It is a
tradition for state officers to recognize
their administration and school to the
convention hall. Photo contributed by
Mrs. Betty Diedrich.
They’re workin’ like dogs
9PHOTO ESSAYThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5
Lots of Looks A person doesn’t have to say a word to convey an emotion. With just one shrug of the shoulders or wince, humans give away just what’s on their mind with the slightest of expressions. A furrowed eye-brow translates into frustration. An enormous grin translates into sheer happiness,so much you can see a person’s soul smiling. In one moment, you can capture a moment in time where the rest of the world is turning, but all that matters is one moment. And in the moment when a person lets their guard com-pletely down, you see just what they’re all about.
—Melanie SaundersPhotography Student of Mr. Eddie Mercado
Saber fans at their finest. Front Row: Principal George Pickup, Matt Daniels, Joe Feldpausch. Second Row: Brittany Jackson, Mariah Reed, Eryca Schebler and Preston Frick.
Birds of a feather. Katie Dorpinghaus was awarded highest scholar honors at the Governor’s Scholar reception in Des Moines April 25 with her “most infl uential”
teacher, Mrs. Christine Gilroy. Photo contributed by Matt Dorpinghaus.
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 512 GRADUATION
Community funds available for scholars
Becca Walker
Staff Writer
Students apply
for many local
scholarships
A community that stays together helps each other. In some cases, this is the way that the Central community is to the ju-niors and seniors in high school. Lending a helping hand to those who are planning on going to college and have the ambition to fi ll out the scholarships that apply to them, is the way that many community members support this community.
One of the scholarships that has an im-pact on the community is the Vernon “Gab-by” Fletcher Scholarship. Vernon “Gabby” Fletcher was born August 17, 1927. He graduated from DeWitt High School in 1946. He lettered in football, basketball and track.
Upon graduation he completed one year at Iowa State Teacher’s College. He mar-ried Joyce Krukow in 1949 and they had 10 children. Gabby was a World War II Army
veteran. He operated Fletcher’s Clover Farm Store in Calamus before moving to DeWitt in 1954. He then worked at Barnes Foodland in DeWitt for 37 years.
Gabby was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, Springbrook Country Club and the Hawkeye Bowling League. He played semi-pro baseball and helped develop Lincolnway Little League Base-ball. Gabby was an avid Cubs fan and ac-quired his nickname from Cubs’ catcher Gabby Hartnett. He also enjoyed fi shing, golfi ng, hunting, and most sports. He was a devoted supporter of Central Community High School athletics and fi ne arts. Gabby died unexpectedly on January 7, 1997.
“I signed up for the scholarships,” Ben Comer said, “because I wanted to get enough money for college.”
Another important scholarship is The Mitchell Ertz Memorial Scholarship. How do you describe Ertzy? He enjoyed every second of his life. Although he en-dured many struggles in his scholastic life, you would never have known that in his personal life. Ertzy was happiest sitting around a bonfi re, canoeing or tubing down a river, or working side by side with his grandpa mowing lawns. On July 24, 2007, Mitchell died of injuries he sustained in a car accident. He would have been a junior this year at Central High School. On behalf of the family of Mitchell Ertz, this scholar-
Ague-Fisher, Carrie:Hamilton Technical College, NursingAguirre, Albert:Scott CC and UI, Sports ManagementAnderson, Renee: Scott CC, Criminal JusticeBauer, Courtney: Hawkeye CC and UNI, Secondary EducationBenhart, Hailey: Scott CC, Surgical TechnicianBenson, Amanda: UNI, PsychologyBlock, Arianna: Kirkwood CC, Dental HygieneBlock, Justin: ISU, Construction Engi-neeringBlondell, Lucas: ISU, Construction EngineeringBloomer, Bryar: Plumbing Boesch, Ethan: Carthage College, Unde-cidedBorota, William: Scott CC, Diesel TechBousman, Adam: Scott CC, Diesel Mechanic Broadfoot, Mary: ISU, Animal EcologyBurke, Scott: Scott CC, UNI, EducationButtars, Alan: Creighton Univ., BusinessCady, Mitch: Scott CC, NICC, Unde-cidedKameron, Cain: Scott CC, Culinary ArtsCarber, Chris: Form not returned
Christiansen, Renee: Carthage College or Ashford Univ., Graphic Design/Com-municationsComer, Ben: Coe College, BiologyConnell, Bryan: UI, Political ScienceConway, Eva-Maria: St. Ambrose Univ., German/Information Tech.Costello, Matt: ISU, Dairy ScienceCrater, Brooke: Capri College, Massage TherapyCuesta, Kylie: Scott CC, UndecidedCulver, Robyn: Kirkwood CC, Equine VeterinarianCypher, Cory: UNI, UndecidedDaniels, Austin: Scott CC, Culinary ArtsDaniels, Matt: UNI, Education or Busi-nessDaniels, Ryan: UNI, Criminal Justice/BusinessDavis, Beth: Kirkwood CC, Human ServicesDemmon, Carrie: ISU, Chemical Engi-neeringDiedrich, Patrick: ISU, Ag. EngineeringDierickx, Kristen: ISU, UndecidedDierks, Erica: UNI, AccountingDohrmann, Tom: Scott CC, UndecidedDonovan, Taylor: UI, UndecidedDoolittle, Dakotah: Hawkeye CC and UNI, UndecidedDorpinghaus, Katie: Creighton Univ., Business Admin./LiteratureEganhouse, Cassie: Scott CC, Ultrasound TechnicianElsea, Nic: UI, Musical EducationFier, Erin: NICC, Business Admin/ Res-taurant MgmntFox, Dustin: Scott CC and ISU, Veteri-nary SciencesFox, Josh: Scott CC, NursingFranck, Amanda: ISU, Dairy ScienceFuller, Jeremy: Form not returnedGarton, Chelsea: Hawkeye CC, Early EducationGisel, Rebecca: UI, Assistive TechnologyGoodall, Adam: Muscatine CC, Ag. Busi-nessHappe, Devin: ISU, Interior DesignHarlson, Hanna: ISU, Early Childhood EducationHenningsen, Waylon: Clinton CC, Un-decided
Henscheid, Aaron: Form not returnedHenscheid, Alex: Le Cordon Bleu, Culi-nary ArtsHess, Brittney: Clinton CC, Child CareHicks, Spencer: UNI, Exercise ScienceHughes, Levi: Muscatine CC, Ag. Busi-nessHunter, Alexis: Working with animalsHunter, Will: Hawkeye CC, Open MajorJackson, Brittany: Emmaus, PsychologyJensen, Krystal: Form not returned Jones, Willie: The Berklee College of Music Kaczinski, Joe: Form not returned Kakert, Dylan: Clinton CC, UndecidedKetelsen, Brennan: UNI, NursingKnudson, Nolan: UndecidedKueter, Haley: Kirkwood, Equine Vet.Kyarsgaard, Jenessa: Form not returned Laaser, Jonas: School in GermanyLancaster, Jake: NICC and Loras, Crimi-nal Justice and Pre-LawLane, Jennifer: Kirkwood, Veterinary Tech.Larison, Jordan: Central College, Pella, Pre-Pharmacy, PsychologyLass, Garrett: U of Dubuque, UndecidedLawson, Tucker: Scott CC, UndecidedLeBlanc, Selby: UndecidedLovelace, Easten: ISU, Ag. EngineeringMaass, Weston: UNI, NursingMachovec, Audrey: Clarke College, Music EducationMcAleer, Ryan: Kirkwood, Liberal ArtsMcClimon, Nick: ISU, Animal EcologyMcGranahan, Brett: Emmaus, Bible Exposition and TheologyMeade, Rachel: UNI, Social work/ Psy-chologyMeggers, Lexi: Clinton CC and Ashford, Early EducationMinick, Katie: Scott CC, Criminal JusticeMohr, Mitch: U of Dubuque, UndecidedMooney, Sarah: Living at hone with her parentsNastruz, Lucas: Northern Ill. University, NursingNelson, Ethan: DMACC, UndecidedOake, Devin: Western Illinois, Criminal JusticeParker, Tiffany: Scott CC and Kirkwood, Nursing
Penningroth, Hailey: UNI, AccountingPoell, Nate: Scott CC, WeldingRasmussen, Joanna: Scott CC, Radiol-ogy and Synography Reed, Mariah: Scott CC, NursingReelitz, Jordan: UI, Biochemistry and Organic ChemistryReynolds, John: DMACC, UndecidedRoden, John: Form not returned Roling, Dylan: MarinesRoling, Ryne: UndecidedRooney, Amy: Living at home with her parents Rowland, Zach: Morrison and Ashford, Architectural DraftingRyan, Molly: UI, UndecidedSater, Alexis: Scott CC, Child CareSaunders, Melanie: Wartburg, WritingSchebler, Eryca: Kirkwood, NursingSchmidt, Chris: Navy Schneckloth, Greg: Scott CC, UndecidedSchram, Megan: Form not returned Schroeder, Cody: Kaplan , Computer ITScott, Adam: work at AgVantage FSSheehan, Cassie: U of Dubuque, Envi-ronmental ScienceSimpson, Charles: Form not returned Smith, Erin: UNI, PhotographySmith, Tyler: UNI, Graphic DesignSpain, Levi: Central College, Pella, UndecidedSpurrier, Darian: UI, AccountingStafford, Brett: Kirkwood, Liberal artsStocker, Tessa: UNI, Elementary Educa-tionStofer, Rebekah: Northwestern College, Chemistry/Music PerformanceStofer, Sarah: Northwestern College, Music PerformanceSullivan, Brandon: Scott CC, WeldingTague, Colleen: Wartburg College, Music BusinessvanDoormal, Thomas: Fontys Tifburg, Sports Economics and ManagementWalker, Becca: Trinity Christian College, Social WorkWanzek, Josh: Form not returned Wiese, Matt: ISU, Agricultural Systems and TechYoumans, Julia: Capri, Cosmotology and Esthetics
Where are the seniors going next year?Dakotah Doolittle
Staff Writer
ship is presented to a person who possesses some of the same qualities Mitchell had as a person. “A drive for life and the desire to help others.”
“I applied for this scholarship and 16 others,” Kristen Dierickx said, “because I was qualifi ed for them, and so I fi gured that I would have a chance to get them.”
Another scholarship that the students can apply for is the Florence M. Schrader Scholarship. Florence M. Galitz Schrader lived for 83 years in DeWitt. She was ed-
ucated, married, and worked in the com-munity. Florence attended Dewitt Schools, married Charles C. Schrader and worked at the Iowa Mutual Insurance Company until her retirement in 1968.
Showing her appreciation to the com-munity, Florence included a Central Schol-arship in her estate. Central students can continue their education and increase their success for the future with Florence’s vi-sion.
Many other scholarships are available.
This Purple Onion page sponsored by
Senior Parents
CongratulationsClass of
2010
ON CAMPUSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 13
Nate CypherStaff Writer
When the alarm doesn’t go off in the morning and you don’t get up until noon or later, you know it’s summer.
But what does summer mean to most people? Is it going out with friends? Is it having to go to work?
Whatever the answer to this question is, you will find that it means either work or play.
When summer rolls around and there is so much free time, what should you do?
“I go and work at Thiel’s in town,” Tyler Olson said.
Many jobs around DeWitt are angled toward teens and for the jobs in the summer.
“I work at the Dollar Tree and it’s fun,” Shelby Arndt said. “Also, I love the money I get.”
For most, that’s all that matters. For those who don’t work during the
Eva-Maria ConwayCentralian Editor in Chief
German heritage is the foundation of DeWitt, evidenced not only by the origins of the people within, but also by a sister-city in Germany and an imported Haus-barn that sits firmly rooted in the center of town.
For about 17 years, the high school’s German curriculum has emphasized the European ancestry of the community, a vital resource to define, recognize and pay homage to the culture that is deeply inter-twined with the everyday workings of the population.
All this changes drastically, however, when veteran language arts and German teacher Mrs. Barbara Deutmeyer retires this year. Instruction in the German lan-guage ceases with her retirement. The heavy reductions in the school budget have now taken their toll.
“Unfortunately, with the cutbacks, the program will be eliminated,” Deutmeyer said. “I feel sad because students will no longer have this opportunity.”
Taylor Donovan, a senior, has ben-efitted from the German program for four years. President of German Club, she plans to pursue the language in college and un-derstands the personal and educational loss of such a shift.
“I feel that ‘Frau’ (Deutmeyer) hasn’t only made an impact on my German life but also on my school life,” Donovan said. “She has a passion for teaching and it makes me happy to see someone so happy with what they do.”
Future foreign language students will
no longer be able to choose their own lan-guage path, and instead will fulfill college requirements with Spanish.
“There were many students who wanted to begin their study of German,” Deutmeyer said, “and were unable to do so.”
Current students of German, however, will be able to continue with the program. Next year, a teacher will step into Deut-meyer’s place and assist students already participating in the classes who wish to fin-ish the program.
“There will be a teacher for them,” Deutmeyer said. “That way, the current German II students will be able to com-plete their four years.”
All grades have had to compromise. One such example is the combining of German III and IV students.
“The good part is that the class is big which means we have more opportunities to share and learn more,” said Becca Walk-er, a German IV student. “At the same time the German IIIs don’t know as much as we do, which means they have trouble under-standing sometimes.”
“It’s nice working with the German IVs because you pick up a lot more vocabu-lary,” Ethan Haley said. “It’s nice because Frau Deutmeyer teaches at a faster pace.”
Despite the elimination of the Ger-man program and the consequences it will leave in the community, Deutmeyer and her classes have made a lasting impact and memories for all.
“German is very important to me,” Don-ovan said. “Although I’m sad to see one of my favorite teachers and languages leave, I have had an amazing experience.”
“We have too many memories to say just one,” Deutmeyer said. “The laughs we shared have made this career precious.”
Say Aufwiedersehen to German
Get the verbs right. Mrs. Barbara Deutmeyer and her students play Sparkle, a game where you spell all of the German words out loud. With Mrs. Deutmeyer retiring this year and the German program ending, she tries to have some last minute fun before saying her final Aufwiedersehen to Central High, and before students have to say goodbye to German at Central. Photo By Eva-Maria Conway
Pizza Time. Allyson Schnoor and Paige Kruse get ready to make pizza at their part-time job for Jorgie’s Bar and Grill during the school year. Contributed Photo.
Summer jobs provide pleasant change of pacefor study-weary teens
summer what do they do?“I work like three or four days a week
and then I go out with my friends for the other days,” Cory Cypher said.
The last generation was all about working and doing whatever they want.
Our generation is about getting money and having fun.
“I love to get money and have fun,” Amanda Benson said, “but in the end we all want two things, money and fun.”
When the summer winds down and school starts again we have money in our pockets and good memories in our minds.
This page of the Purple Onion is sponsored by
Central’sSpanish DepartmentMrs. Cathy Paar & Mrs. Pam Burke
Best Wishes to Mrs. Barbara Deutmeyer
in her retirement
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 514 ON CAMPUS
Creighton Fox
Staff Writer
Future plans for the old science garden. The new garden will be used as an outdoor combination classroom and ampitheater.
As school ended ‘Johnny’ began Opera-tion: Find A Ride Home. The task consist-ed of finding his closest friends and kindly asking for a ride home. One by one each of his efforts of hitching a ride home was shot down and depression set in for poor Johnny. While he slumped around the back parking lot he noticed several students ex-iting on a strange motorized scooter. “If only I had one of those,” he thought to himself. Over the last year those ‘motorized scooters’ also referred to as mopeds, have become a popular method of transporta-tion. Several students at Central have found comfort in knowing that they can get from point A to point B without the aid of their parents or another student. “I can get around much faster than the kids who need rides,” said A.J Smith, a fel-low moped rider. Smith, a freshman at Central, not only saves himself the embarrassment of having to ask for a ride home, but also is able to build up on his social life. “On the weekends, I tend to use my mo-ped more often to get to a friend’s house.” A.J added. With the economy at one of its low-est levels in recent years, the moped also provides as a safe financial decision. A.J and his family are benefited by its low gas mileage that only costs approximately $1 to fill at any regular fuel pump.
Moped mania hits DeWitt “It helps knowing that I can pay for my own gas without having to rely on my par-ents for money.” A.J. commented. The experience of riding a moped is one that Smith will most likely never want to forget. “I feel like a free bird.”, he said But, along with many of these advan-tages there comes a downside in using a moped. The requirements of the moped bring many negativites to its overall val-ue. With a limited amount of speed, a mo-peds range of territory expands to only areas where the m.p.h. is below 45 and because of the lack of protection riders must use a helmet to protect them from any head injuries. To make drivers aware of their presence, an orange flag is posted on the back of the moped and gives it an even funkier looking appearance “I love riding my moped,” said Tom McClimon, who also is a frequent moped rider, “but, when I’m around my friends it makes me look silly and it’s not the best way to pick up chicks, either.” McClimon bought his moped as a way for him to get to baseball practice on his own in the summer while his parents were away. Even with all the benefits the mo-ped has to offer, McClimon is still aware of the safety precautions. “Mopeds are tough to ride and it can be difficult for on-coming traffic to notice you, “ McClimon mentioned. Not only does a moped allow students at Central to go where they need to be, but it builds their responsibilites as drivers and individuals.
Eva-Maria Conway
Staff Writer
On those blistering hot days that lull students into the all-too common stupor of daydreams galore, curious eyes seem to wander onward to the freedom just outside the window, where a delicate breeze rustles the leaves and birds tweet away. The dull scene of worn grass and drab landscaping, however, is soon to morph into something of grander fashion, of added purpose and more sparkle. The focal centerpiece of several sur-rounding classrooms and hopeful stu-dents who longingly peer out at it through windows, the inner garden property that now sports a twinkling pond and wooden bridge, is in the process of being complete-ly revamped. Such a task is being organized by the vi-sionary Ms. Sue Nordstrom, art teacher at the high school. Because her classroom has a clear view of the property, the idea came naturally. “I look at it every day,” Nordstrom said. “I knew it had great bones but that it was not being used to its full potential. Dur-ing a discussion about the topic with a few teachers at a meeting, one thing led to an-other and we decided to pursue it.” From the teensiest of details in the land-scaping plans to articulating the whole pro-cess, the project is quite the undertaking,
not including the issue of funding the job. “The Education Foundation rejected the grant we submitted,” Nordstrom said, “but we were so excited when we received an anonymous donation.” The square of property will be an outdoor combination classroom and amphitheater. Three separate corners will boast a themed garden, each of a distinct personality. Each 36 feet in diameter, the Woodland, Victo-rian and Zen gardens will add spice to an otherwise monotonous outdoor panorama. “What’s really neat is that it not only has aesthetic value,” Nordstrom said, “but also academic values in many disciplines.” Not only for the wandering daydream-er’s gaze, all classes will benefit from such an educational environment. Many teach-ers have drafted lesson plans to incorporate the gardens. Benches will support academic pursuits such as outdoor sketching, poetry writing, scientific endeavors, and countless other activities, which will all draw inspi-ration from the serenity of nature. “After we tweak the details, we’ll hope-fully get most of it done before we leave on the 26th of May,” Nordstrom said. “We will wrap up more details in the fall that we don’t have time for this spring.”In order to finish the task that will benefit so many, Nordstrom is calling out for any-one who can help. “There have been many responsive teachers and students that would be willing to help,” Nordstrom said, “but we’ll need all the help we can get.”
Art teacher to revamp garden into outdoor classroom
This page of the Purple Onion is sponsored by
Mrs. Denise McAleer
Riding in style. Tom McClimon stops
to talk about his experiences with his
moped. Many students, like McClimon,
purchase a moped to get around on their
own when there are no other options.
Even though there are many downfalls
to riding a moped, the glorious benefits
of low gas mileage and freedom pay off.
Photo by Creighton Fox.
To all the student
council seniors:
Thank you for your hard work. Best of Luck!
ON CAMPUSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 15
The Cornerstone Assembly of God sits in a quaint little valley on the west side of DeWitt. It’s a small church located not far from Highway 61 and just off Highway 30. Curt Girod is the pastor of the church that is “building lives on the solid rock.” Pastor Curt Girod is a bi-vocational pas-tor at the Cornerstone Assembly of God. A bi-vocational pastor works outside of the church as well as in it. He teaches philoso-phy at Clinton Community College and has done so since the fall of 1998. Girod hasn’t
always been a a pastor. He left Bible school in his third year to enlist in the Marines and became a sergeant in a tank unit. In his last year, he was asked if he was going to re-en-list and he chose to go back to college. “Ultimately, it was simply a belief in my heart God had called me to serve in this ca-pacity,” Pastor Girod said. He said being in the Marines helped him be a better pastor. “There are two directives in the army. One: accomplish mission. Two: take care of your men. The idea being that you never quit,” he said. “It’s a good quality for a minister as well. Never give up hope.” Pastor Girod has many goals for the church. “My first goal is to simply be pleasing to God: both as individuals and as a church.” He also wants to be a church that would be welcoming and be open to share the gospel with as many people as possible. Girod wants to be able to bring in
‘Building lives on the solid rock’
Hold on to your hats. Prom King Bryan Connell takes a ride on his good friend Adam Goodall. Connell, along with Kameron
Cain and Matt Daniels was a king candidate. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
Editor’s Note: Last fall, a senior who was not a member of Publications Class asked adviser Mrs. Christine Gilroy for permission to write a guest column. Permission was granted. His subsequent article was a fabricated conversation with Pastor Curt Girod, whom he never interviewed for the story. The Purple Onion regrets including this student’s false article and we apologize to Pastor Girod. Above is a real interview of Pastor Girod written by Purple Onion assistant editor Bree Dunkel.
Pastor Curt Girod encourages youth
Bree Dunkel
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
new people and allow them to grow spiri-tually from the stage they’re at in life. The Cornerstone Assembly of God has three different types of youth groups: Chil-dren’s Church, Royal Rangers, and youth group. Royal Rangers is similar to the Boy Scouts but has a more religious aspect. The youth organizations have events they can participate in. “Primarily the weekly activities and oc-casional special occasions,” Pastor Girod said, “and possibly youth conventions, summer camping trips, and various activi-ties spread throughout the year.” Youth today are going through the same problems previous generations have been experiencing for the past 50 years. “The biggest era of sexual revolution and drug revolution took place in the ’60s,” Pastor Girod said. Although he didn’t grow up in the ’60s, he said his childhood wasn’t
easy either. “I grew up in a city. It was bad enough then.” Transitioning from childhood to adult-hood can be tough and at times may force youth to question their beliefs. Pastor Girod said it’s okay to question your beliefs but he would like to see kids transition from youth to adult without rebellion against them. “The wonder of the universe can be comtemplated to any desire,” he said, “but you don’t have to abandon your faith to think deeply.” Pastor Girod said if you’re not question-ing your beliefs then you aren’t thinking about them and if you’re not thinking about them, then that’s not good. “I do truly be-lieve if we live our lives in a relationship with God, that ultimately it will be a life that will be able to withstand the storms of life,” Girod said. “Life is not always easy but God is always good.”
It’s hard to be the queen. Katie Dorping-
haus and Molly Ryan try to nab Prom
Queen Eryca Schebler’s crown and flow-
ers. “I would have been glad if Cassie,
Taylor or I had won,” Schebler said. “But
I was really excited to be prom queen.
And I’m even more excited that Bryan
Connell got prom king because we’re
sort of related!” “No we’re not,” Connell
replied. Photo by Bryan Connell.
I’m too sexy for this picture. Oz Camara, Brennan Ketelsen and Brandon Jasper
strut their stuff down the catwalk. Photo by Melanie Saunders.
nell, Eryca Schebler, Taylor Donovan and Matt Daniels. Photo by Tessa Stocker.
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 516 SPORTSEryca Schebler
Staff Writer
Rigor mortis is defined as a recognizable sign of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles causing the corpse to become stiff.
In girls track, rigor mortis, aka “rigs,” are defined as a weekly workout the girls have to endure. The rig workouts started last year along with the much dreaded hills at Scott County Park.
“The workouts have definitely gotten harder,” Lindsay Smith said, “like rigs and hills.”
“They are a lot more intense,” Jenny Kruger said.
“We’ve also been lifting a lot more this year,” Smith said.
“We don’t do Monday abs anymore,” Amanda Benson said. “They were when we had to lay on our backs and have our feet six inches above the ground and we hold our feet there until Coach says ‘down.’”
“Since my freshman year,” Carrie Dem-mon said, “track has gotten more laid back. Another change has been in our distance coaches. My freshman year it was Ms. Carson, then the next year we didn’t have an official coach, junior year Mrs. Hoyer coached us and then this year it’s Mr. Eric Olson.”
Distance isn’t the only group that had a change in coaches.
“We had Mrs. Terri Smith my fresh-
man year, then Mr. Tom Meade, and this year coach Ashley Spain,” hurdler Lindsay Smith said.
There have been some benefits this year though.
“For about the first month we only had four practices a week,” Smith said. “It was really nice to have a day off.”
“We only went to the conference meet for the indoor season,” Kruger said. “We usually have about four indoor meets.”
“A plus this year is that we got new uni-forms and warm-ups,” Haley Kreiter said.
“We started doing team dinners this year which is definitely a benefit because the food is always really good,” Benson said.
Coach Eric Olson said there was some-thing that hasn’t changed.
“Our goal is that everyone meets their maximum potential by the end of the sea-son. Our goal has never changed, we’ve just changed how we have gotten there,” Olson said. “We give the girls more rest, taking it slower and easier at the beginning and then accelerating and adding more at the end.”
“We weren’t that great last year,” Kre-iter said. “But this year is looking pretty good.”
“Last year was a little rough because we lost some amazing girls and we had to make up for them. With only three seniors it was a little difficult. We had a young team and we were still learning,” Benson said. “But with eight of us seniors this year our whole team is coming together really well.”
Kruger said, “I’m not embarrassed to say I’m out for girls track anymore.”
Rebuilding the dynasty
Runs like a deer (top right). Perfect form gets Lindsay Smith over a hurdle during the girls’ shuttle hurdle relay. Smith is a returning junior who qualified for the state meet last season in 400 hurdles and 4x200 relay. Photo by Andy Risinger.
Ready to go. Amanda Benson, Eryca Schebler and Haley Kreiter walk toward the the start line for each of their races. Photo by Andy Risinger.
Team bonding (middle right). Marissa Meland, Emily Benson, Jenna McCono-hy, Amanda Benson and Holle Michoski talk about the coming races at the Ca-manche meet. Photo by Eryca Schebler.
On the home stretch (right). With only 100 meters left in her race, Holle Mi-choski sprints to hand off the baton to a teammate. Photo by Andy Risinger.
This Purple Onion page is sponsored by Mike and Sue Connell
Specialcongratulations
to our son Bryan Connell
Class of 2010and his classmates
Big boot. Lynn Dohrmann pummels the ball to the center of the field for a corner kick at the home game against Benton Community on April 12. They played a tough game, but it ended in a 1-2 loss for the girls. Photo by Andy Risinger.
Renee Christiansen Graphic Design
SPORTSThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 17Picking up right where they left off
Soccer is easy. This is a phrase uttered by many bystanders and haters during spring soccer season for both girls and guys.
But through many hard drills, long matches, and coaches screaming, players have learned how difficult soccer can be. Especially with a relatively young program on the field.
With the season well under way both teams have seen their share of ups and downs. The boys’ team has had a couple of
Lining up the putt. Brett MCGranahan gets ready to land another putt at the Saber Invite at Springbrook Country Club. McGranahan returns as a first team all-confer-ence and first team all-state. Photo courtesy of Ross Eberhart.
wins and a couple of losses for the begin-ning of this season.
An exciting game was played against Maquoketa at the home field. The boys played tough, but could not get a win in regular time, or in the two overtimes. Fi-nally the team went into a shootout and the Saber guys pulled off the win.
With another loss to Mt. Vernon, the guys came out and beat West Delaware 5-0. Then the boys had to face another shootout against Solon after a completely scoreless game. Unfortunately they didn’t come out on top in this shootout.
“It’s been a growing year for us,” said sophomore Ryan Hamby. “We’ve come
The Saber boys’ golf team is back for another great year, and their season is al-ready in full swing.
After narrowly missing making it to state last year, and six returning varsity letterman, the team has high hopes for this season.
The three returning seniors are Brett
Ethan HaleyStaff Writer
McGranahan, Ethan Nelson and John Reynolds. Together, they have eight years of combined varsity experience.
McGranahan comes back from being WaMaC first-team all-conference and 3A all-state first team. His season average last year was 38.9 on nine holes and his season lows were a 35 on nine holes and a 73 on 18.
Nelson finished third on the team last year in terms of season-average with a 41.7 and was one stroke away from making it to the district meet. He scored a 77, which was also his top 18-hole score of the year.
Reynolds had a spectacular last season, his first full year on the varsity team. He finished just behind Nelson with a season-average of 42.9 on nine holes. Reynold’s best scores were a 37 on nine holes at the Saber Co-Ed triangular and a 83 on 18 at a Tipton golf meet.
The other returning lettermen are ju-niors Mitchell Emerson and Tyler Olson, and sophomore Dylan Petersen.
Emerson shot a season-average of 45.6 last year, while Olson averaged a 51.5. Pe-tersen finished with a 49.4 average.
The golf team has a couple of other re-turnees, including juniors Garrett Delaney and Jared Urwin, as well as sophomores Tyler Arndt, Connor Murphy and Tommy Peterson.
With quite a bit of depth available on the Saber boys’ golf team, hopes are high for another great season and a shot at making that trip to State.
a long way since losing so many seniors from last year. We will continue to work hard to improve our soccer skills.”
The soccer girls have seen a bumpy start to the season with a mix of losses and wins. The girls began the season with a 2-1 win at Clear Creek Amana.
Then with a few losses under their belt, the Saber girls continued their hard work with a 3-0 win against West Delaware and a 1-0 win against Beckman. Next game was against fifth-ranked Solon. The girls played hard, but came away with a 0-5 loss.
“Our team has worked a lot more this year on working to get individual skill more advanced, but we have also been fo-cusing much more on working as a team,” Taylor Donovan said..
“It is great to have one person on the team that you can pass to and rely on them to score, but to have 11 people on the field who know how to move with each other and score because of excellent teamwork is so much better. Our team is working very hard to accomplish this. We have come a long way since last year,” Donovan said.
Both teams are hoping now to finish the season with some great wins to secure a high spot in the conference. Soccer state playoffs begin at the end of May and the teams have high hopes.
The overall soccer program at Central is also continuing to grow for the future. With summer, fall and winter league play for young teams as well as the high school group, both teams are committed to mak-ing the program better and tougher.
“With a program that is relatively new in comparison to schools that have had it for a while, Saber soccer has a strong start-ing foundation.” Donovan said. “We can expect great things in the future.”
Use all your might. Courtney Rickard chucks the ball into play at the Benton home game. Photo by Andy Risinger. While soccer may be difficult for some, many lucky high school students have learned the sport is what you put into it.
Perfect swing. Sophomore Dylan Pe-tersen takes a shot. Photo courtesy of Ross Eberhart.
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 518 ON CAMPUS
Ethan HaleyStaff Writer
Best of show. The Iowa 2010 Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Duck Stamp Contest winner was Haley Kreiter with this acrylic painting. Kreiter was the winner oveall of Iowa and will attend an awards ban-quet for this honor. Contributed photo.
Pubs class awarded journalism grant
Alex BarrStaff Writer
Graduation gifts
Your parents look forward to the day when high schoolers will graduate from high school. Just as an old chapter closes and a new chapter in life begins. Many of them will see kids clearing out of town to go off to college or to a job. Trying to make their graduating son or daughter’s gradua-tion day memorable with a thoughtful gift is quite tough, unless they know what you need. Whether the graduation present is a gift card, laptop, or cash, the day should be something to remember for a lifetime.
• Digital cameras. Graduates who are photography lovers of all different skill levels would love a digital camera for years to come. Dont forget to include a memory card!
• Laptop computer. The new smaller versions can fit in a purse.
• Students that attend their classmates graduation parties could give a card with about $20 included in it.
Senior Carrie Demmon has two sisters who have already graduated from high school. “I basically know what I’m getting and what I’m not getting. I pretty much know what I’m going to need. They’ll probably share some things of theirs with me. I know I’ll be getting towels, maybe a vacuum, and money,” Demmon said. “My family already has a microwave ready for me. The only thing I don’t have that I want is a mini-fridge. I’m not really sure when I’ll be getting that. I’m also thinking and hoping that I’ll be getting cookingand eat-ing utensils and things that will be handy around my dorm at college.”
Money from family and friends always makes a great graduation present for any-body. “The only thing I’m expecting or want really would be money, and lots of it! A new car, or like a sweet laptop or some-thing,” Erin Fier said.
Seniors look forward to graduation and the gifts that may come with it
Publications class has received a grant from the Central Community Education Foundation and funds donated by Bill and Shirley Homrighausen to the jour-nalism program. Mrs. Christine Gilroy applied for the grant, in hopes of receiving funds to cre-ate the yearbook DVD supplement. The DVD will include items occurring too late in the year to make it into the print yearbook, such as spring sports, prom, graduation, senior slideshow, PDFs of the school newspaper, and other items. The items that were included in the grant are two Nikon cameras, a DVD duplicator machine, 500 blank DVDs, and the Aperture 3 program for editing. The total cost for the grant ended up be-ing $3,526.26.
The cameras are top-of-the-line pieces of equipment, with 12.3-mega-pixel DX-format CMOS imaging sen-sors, the ability to capture video in HD movie mode, and high-resolution LCD screens to view your picture/video after you’ve taken it. They will provide high quality productions for years to come. The duplicator machine will be able to make five DVDs at a time, enabling the Pubs class produce the DVD sup-plement at a faster pace. The DVDs themselves are 8.5 GB each, allowing plenty of room for everything to be in-cluded. Aperture 3 is high-end photo editing program that is also very easy to use. It comes with all the tools you need, and even some you may have never thought over. This program will allow students to fix those photos that can screw up a spread, such as those which show red eye or are blurry.
With the library sealed off, and artworks practically bursting through the walls of the media center, eight schools came together at the annual WaMac Art Show at Central Tuesday, April 13.
Twenty of our most imaginative, aspir-ing artists braved judgment and their own dignity in order to compete in the event.
Each artwork was contemplated, but in each of the 15 consolidated categories, only up to three artworks were awarded with a first, second, or third place ribbon.
“The primary focus, as I understood from listening to the judges, was original-ity,” said Ms. Sue “Nordy” Nordstrom. “Even craftsmanship was second.”
Attendees who participated in previous WaMac Art Shows found the judging a little different from previous years.
With not as much focus being placed on craftsmanship, and more emphasis on ingenuity, some students were a little dis-appointed with the results of the awarding process.
“I do think the quality and technique are just as important as creativity,” senior Eva-Maria Conway said. “I realize the judges were highly qualified, but some of the works that won didn’t necessarily look like they were the most time-consuming or very skillfully executed.”
“I know, though, everyone’s going to have a different opinion on art,” Conway said. “There were so many pieces that I thought were gorgeous that didn’t receive any recognition, but I suppose that’s all part of the competition.”
Our beloved Nordy took the judging in stride, and even praised their constructive criticism.
“We have to find more ways for students to be more original in their concepts,” she said. “It’s absolutely the new criteria for art shows like this.”
Regardless of what anyone thought of the judging, no one can deny the extreme effort and planning that went into the show. Nordy spent months filling out paperwork and ironing out all the small details and any small conflicts that came up.
“It wasn’t difficult at all, just very deep,” Nordy said. “I lost track of how many hours I spent here at the school put-ting it all together.”
The art show also consisted of a guest speaker, Heather Aaronson, from the Fig-ge Art Museum located in Davenport. The students were bused over to the DeWitt Opera House, where Ms. Aaronson gave a lecture on the well-known American Clas-sic artists John Bloom and Grant Wood, and offered an example in differing styles between the two.
Jordan LarisonStaff Writer
Open to interpretation
Pretty as a picture. Cruising around the library looking at all of the artworks con-tributed by a collective 160 students from neighboring schools, CHS students Haley Kreiter and Amanda Benson stop to admire a graphic design. Photo by Jordan Larison.
Taking it into consideration. During the WaMac Art Festival, Students enter art-work to be judged but appreciated as well. Shawn Paarmann and Ali Necker took a moment to ponder over a peer’s hard work. Photo by Eva Conway.
Ariani OehrleinOn Campus Editor
LIFESTYLEThe Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 5 19
Alexandria Naughton
Review Editor
'ULQNLQJ��GULYLQJ��ZKR·V�DW�ULVN"
If you drive while you are intoxicated, it will increase the chance of getting in to a car wreck, injuries and even death. If you are the person intoxicated, you are not the only person at risk; you are also putting everyone else who is on the road in dan-ger. There have been instances, where the sober person has been killed by the drunk driver.
“Last April, a sophomore was driving late on his school’s permit, and he was intoxicated,” Emily Willis said. “He ran a stop sign and T-boned my cousin Ryan. He killed Ryan, and only got two broken bones. Later on we found out that the soph-omore that had been driving was another one of my cousin’s friends.”
The effects of drinking are staggering, poor coordination, blackouts and slurred speech. You do not have full attention when you are under the influence, which is what happened in the situation with Willis’s cousin. The sophomore didn’t have all of his full attention to what was around him.
“Your reflexes are a lot slower and you aren’t thinking clearly while you are drunk,” Tiffany Parker said. “You can’t be a defensive driver if you aren’t thinking clearly.” It is an obvious situation that you should know when it isn’t safe, and when it is safe to drive.
“You can’t walk better while you are
drunk, why would you drive better while intoxicated?” Megan Everett said. “There is just too much stuff on the line to risk. I would rather live another day, thank you very much.”
Another circumstance is living with knowing that something went wrong and you injured someone. “There was a teen party and drinking was going on, and the person I know decided to drive while in-toxicated,” Jenna Blondell said. “That per-son lost control of their car with three other people in the car, the car rolled and one girl in particular was seriously injured. This person now has to live with the fact that they made that decision and hurt someone they were with. Maybe now they know not to put others in danger by making a deci-sion that could end up fatal.”
Others need to understand that people are affected by the good and bad deci-sions people make. “Drinking and driving is bad,” Cheyenne Gonzalez said. “ I don’t want see any of my friends or people I go to school with be hurt or killed because of one stupid decision.”
Having friends who drink and drive may worry other friends. “I would be dis-appointed in my friend if they were driving under the influence,” Blondell said.
Parker added, “I don’t like it at all. It is dangerous and I am scared of losing some-one I care about to drinking and driving. It is not responsible and someone drinking should have found a DD (designated driv-er) beforehand.”
There are many options for what you
can do if you are under the influence: you can phone a friend or make plans ahead of time. Talk to your friends and family around you. Most likely all of them would rather you be safe than sorry.
“If I knew where my intoxicated friend was, I would go pick them up,” Emily Wil-lis said. “I would do everything I could for them to be safe, because I would not want them to drive.”
Another option is staying where you are. Keep blankets and an extra pair of clothes in your car to be prepared for every situa-tion.
“When people get behind the wheel and think they are okay to drive even if they have been drinking only a little bit,” Gon-zalez said, “they not only put their life in danger but they also put every person on the road in danger, too.”
Teens tan despite harmful effects
One in every four teenagers doesn’t use sunscreen at all. You think that’s surpris-ing? Teenagers contribute to more than 2.3 of the 30 million people who use indoor tanning beds each year. Yet teens read ar-ticles every day about the risks of indoor tanning. Kids as young as 15 are getting skin cancer from tanning beds.
“The articles written on tanning are scary! They make me not want to tan,” Paige Kruse said. “Tanning is a waste, over time it just fades. There is nothing to show where your money or time went,” she said.
“I’ve never tanned and some articles make me not ever want to,” Haley Rusk said. “Tanning isn’t necessarily a waste of time and money, but to me, I would just rather not pay for the risk of getting skin cancer,” she said.
Although the articles and studies are all over the media, many girls still choose to go tanning.
“I hate being pale, and tanning makes it easier to avoid that,” Mackenzie Wing said. Teens like to live in the moment and don’t worry about the later outcomes, but not every teen.
Names like Mischief and Kiss-Kiss are attractive names for tanning lotions, as well as bottle labels, which talk of fast-working dual bronzers. The smells are amazing and make the girls want to tan even more.
“I love my bronzing lotion, because it gets me tan so fast and it smells super good,” Natalie Shank said.
Tingle lotions attract even more con-sumers although not many teens use them due to the quick heating effect. But with these persuasive lotions, there comes a price. Shank spends about $25 per bottle, which is a cheap buy.
The minutes to tan are reasonably priced which makes it easier for girls to want to go tan. There are always specials at tan-ning salons to attract more people. During prom, tanning minutes are at a great price, which brings in girls faster and faster. “My whole tanning package plus lotion is prob-ably around $70,” Shank said.
There are a few alternatives for those who wish to be tan and don’t want to risk their young, healthy skin.
Is it worth it? Too many teens choose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. They don’t always get away with it. Photo by Alex Barr.
“With self-tanning lotions and spray tans, you get the same outcome without the risk,” Kruse said.
Shank disagrees, however. “Spray tan-ning makes you look orange and the color can turn out uneven,” Shank said. For some people, self-tanning lotions don’t work fast enough and don’t deliver the results needed to get the tan they want.
“I don’t understand why people make such a big deal about tanning, I choose to do it, and I just like to be tan,” Shank said.
There are girls who tan all year round, but for most girls, tanning is just for the prom and winter season.
“I think tanning can be useful,” Rusk said, “but a lot of people tend to take it
overboard as if it’s an addiction. “In the end I’m pretty into the whole
natural beauty thing, even if that means be-ing the palest kid around.”
It’s killing me. Girls who tan are 55 percent more likely to develop skin cancer. Beauty really is pain. Photo by Ariani Oehrlein.
This Purple Onion page sponsored by
Rick and Patti Christiansen
Congratulations to our daughter
Renee and the Class of 2010!
The Purple Onion
May 8, 2010
Vol. 23, No. 520 OPINION
Katie DorpinghausEditor in Chief
How to diet for prom
The chilling truth. Coming to realize that eating is more fun than dieting, Kristen Dierickx and Katie Dorpinghaus break from their prom diet for a little treat at the DeWitt Dairy Treats. Photo by Mrs. Christine Gilroy.
You bought the dress months ago, and then you had to worry about the date. Check. You’ve got the shoes, jewelry, flowers and hair appointment, and you’re as tanned as the boys’ soccer coach.
Prom is a week away and everything is set. Now all you have to do is try on your dress, just to make sure it still hugs the right curves and you haven’t grown two inches.
So you pull the dress out of the closet, toss it on and slowly ease up the zipper. And then. It stops. You call in your mom for help. She calls in your sister. After 20 minutes of repeated tries and two pounds of butter, the zipper is still stuck. You’re soaked with your tears, and chilled from the wind created by your mom’s cussing, but your back remains woefully bare.
Now you are starting to regret the five- piece chicken selects dipped in ranch (1,200 calories) you had for lunch. And then you remember the large cookie dough blaster you had for a snack after school and the two packets of Pop-Tarts you devoured for breakfast during first block.
You are beginning to think you might
This Purple Onion page is sponsored by
John S. Gilroy
need to eat a little healthier, at least un-til prom. So here are some helpful hints along with reallife experiences for the next time you get caught with the bare-backed blues.
Step 1: Make a plan. Let’s be realistic, you’re not going to go a full week without dessert, so maybe cut out two or three of the five desserts you have every day. Share your morning doughnut with a friend. Give them a bite, but not two. That’s just ridicu-lous.
Step 2: Stick to your plan. If your plan is to not get extras at lunch or eat at the DDT for a week, don’t get extras, and avoid driving down 4th Street at all costs. However, it might be a good idea to have a few exceptions to your rules to make it easier. For example, ice cream at the DDT might be off limits, but a baby cone or two isn’t bad. And if you find yourself at Sub-way, a couple of cookies probably wouldn’t hurt. And when you have 3rd block open, cleaning your plate at Golden Wok is much healthier than getting chips with lunch.
Step 3: Enlist your friends for sup-port. Your friends will help you stay on track, so tell them all about your goal. You could even ask your favorite teacher for words of encouragement, although his response might be “Buy a bigger dress” (thanks, Mr. Eberle). But you don’t want harassment from crazy health nuts. Only ask friends who realize that if the number of calories isn’t listed on the package that’s probably because there are none.
Step 4: Take drastic measures. If all else fails, and you still can’t squeeze into your dress, call in the brute squad. Get a team of trained dress sizers, or your five closest friends, and do everything possible to zip that dress. If it involves sprinting around the block 10 times and 50 jump-ing jacks, then so be it. The most important part is your friends’ reassurance that, “It’s not you, it’s the dress.”
Step 5: Take even more drastic mea-sures. Sometimes, no amount of dieting,
Kristen DierickxGuest Columnist
exercising or squeezing will enable you to slip into your dream dress. When this hap-pens, you need to appeal to a higher au-thority: your local seamstress. There’s no shame in having a dress taken out; a size three is still a size three no matter how many yards of extra fabric have been sewn into the bodice. And prom night will be so much more enjoyable if you can actually eat the dinner your date has shelled out $15 for. I mean, let’s face it: we’re only here for the food.
A box of chocolates from start to finish
Anyone who knows me well knows a few key things about me. I love the Beatles, I love to play my flute, I love photography and I love Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump…can I even describe how much I love that movie?
Well, for starters, maybe you’ve seen the set of keys to my car. On that set of keys is a “Run, Forrest, Run” keychain. Or maybe you’ve seen a little white Toyota Camry in the parking lot with a matching “Run, Forrest, Run” license plate in the
back window. That would be my car. Maybe you should know that whenever
I visit the Windy City of Chicago, it’s an absolute must for me to dine at my favorite restaurant. That would be Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. And maybe I should add that last year at speech contest, I had to speak in a twangy Southern accent, which was an extreme challenge. What movie did I study to perfect this voice transformation? That would be Forrest Gump.
I saw Forrest Gump for the first time on television. I laughed, I cried and I enjoyed every second of taking a peek into Forrest’s life. I immediately had my mom drive me to Wal-Mart, promptly went to the movie section and bought the two-disc special edition of Forrest Gump.
Forrest Gump is the story of a simple man with a simple plan in life: to live it. He goes from being a small boy with scoliosis living in Greenbow, Ala., to being a college football star, Vietnam war hero, shrimp boat captain, and a man who ran across the country just because he felt like running. He meets his best good friends in the Vietnam Conflict, and has only one true love throughout his life, Jenny. Jenny and Forrest are like peas and carrots and even when they’re apart, Forrest still remains devout and loving to Jenny. I won’t give anything away to those of you who haven’t seen it, but I will say that Forrest Gump would not be Forrest Gump without Tom Hanks.
Along with being a huge fan of Forrest Gump, I am also a huge fan of Tom Hanks.
I have seen all of his movies, and own 12 of them. He’s an amazing actor and it’s no wonder that he’s had five Oscar nominations and has won twice, previous to Forrest Gump in Philadelphia and of course in Forrest Gump. Who else other than Tom Hanks could have pulled off playing the role of the dim but lovable Forrest Gump?
You might be surprised to find out that both Chevy Chase and Bill Murray were offered the role before Hanks. Hanks read the script for an hour-and-a-half and
immediately decided to sign on. He earned $40 million for playing Forrest Gump. I think it’s safe to say both Chase and Murray probably regret turning that role down.
But you know, the movie is not about money at all. Forrest Gump is about living your life, regardless of how much you make. It’s about those people who matter the most to you, whether that be Momma, a best good friend, or the love of your life. My advice to you is: Learn from Forrest Gump. Take those lessons in the movie and make them relevant to your own life.
![...[2 Pineapple Black Beans Ch ickpeas Purple Cabbage [2 Red Onion Onion C] Diced Tomatoes DCucumber a Mushroom a Green Olives Black Olives Kalamata Olives a Peas a carrots a Celery](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/5f04c7d97e708231d40fabb2/-2-pineapple-black-beans-ch-ickpeas-purple-cabbage-2-red-onion-onion-c-diced.jpg)
