In the past, Facebook was a common way for students and teachers to communicate, but now, the district has recommended that teachers terminate friendships with current students. The state of Missouri has banned teachers from adding current and former students on Facebook and other social media sites this year after arrests in Georgia and New Mexico were made, one involving an eighth grader and one involving a 17 year old. Both were shown to stem from student/ teacher relationships on social media sites. While Principal Judy McDonald hasn’t seen any issues with Facebook at Rider, she believes the new WFISD recommendation will be good. “I don’t think any of our teachers have an ulterior motive,” McDonald said. “It’s more of a prevention. It was put in place for the safety of the students.” Teachers who did add students say some educators used their Facebooks to remind students of tests and projects. In an anonymous survey of Rider teachers, one said that the recommendation has caused teachers to lose a valuable tool to connect with students, but some have already found alternative solutions. “Most of the teachers I’ve talked to that are tech-savvy said they will set up separate pages, like the yearbook, cheer and football pages,” McDonald said. “They can post and everyone can see it.” While the district only recommends that teachers not be friends with current students, McDonald advised that Rider faculty follow the recommendation, though one, who did follow the recommendation, is upset about being told what they can and cannot do in their spare time. One teacher that responded to the survey only adds students after they’ve graduated while another adds former students to a separate account than non-former students are added to. “I was of the opinion that adding students to personal Facebook accounts was a conflict of interest,” a different teacher said. “Professional distance must be maintained as long as the kids are in your class. Keep yourself safe, thereby keeping those you have been paid to safeguard safe.” Baby, Baby, Baby She is Justin Bieber’s biggest fan page 13 Financial Aid College costs rising pages 8 & 9 Burning Up Heat causes morning practices page 7 Online limits for teachers Faculty stopped from adding students on Facebook by Jordan Campagna Occupation: Teacher Activities: Deleting students, teaching, traveling deleting students today... Photo illustration by Jordan Campagna Did you add teachers on Facebook? Yes No It was put in place for the safety of the students. “ ” Judy McDonald Rider High School Wichita Falls Midwestern ‘06 Rider High School Wichita Falls Midwestern ‘06 Email: jdoe@wfisd.net Wichita Falls, TX %55 %45 *Based on a poll of 145 students 4611 Cypress, Wichita Falls, Texas, 76310 Rider High School Chronicle The Volume 50 Issue 1 www.theriderchronicle.com October 2011
Transcript
In the past, Facebook was a common way for students and teachers to communicate, but now, the district has recommended that teachers terminate friendships with current students.
The state of Missouri has banned teachers from adding current and former students on Facebook and other social media sites this year after arrests in Georgia and New Mexico were made, one involving an eighth grader and one involving a 17 year old. Both were shown to stem from student/teacher relationships on social media sites.
While Principal Judy McDonald hasn’t seen any issues with Facebook at Rider, she believes the new WFISD recommendation will be good.
“I don’t think any of our teachers have an ulterior motive,” McDonald said. “It’s more of a prevention. It was put in place for the safety of the students.”
Teachers who did add students say some educators used their Facebooks to remind students of tests and projects.
In an anonymous survey of Rider teachers, one said that the recommendation
has caused teachers to lose a valuable tool to connect with students, but some have already found alternative solutions.
“Most of the teachers I’ve talked to that are tech-savvy said they will set up separate pages, like the yearbook, cheer and football pages,” McDonald said. “They can post and everyone can see it.”
While the district only recommends that teachers not be friends with current students, McDonald advised that Rider faculty follow the recommendation, though one, who did follow the recommendation, is upset about being told what they can and cannot do in their spare
time.One teacher that responded to the
survey only adds students after they’ve graduated while another adds former students to a separate account than non-former students are added to.
“I was of the opinion that adding students to personal Facebook accounts was a conflict of interest,” a different teacher said. “Professional distance must be maintained as long as the kids are in your class. Keep yourself safe, thereby keeping those you have been paid to safeguard safe.”
Baby, Baby, Baby
She is Justin Bieber’s biggest fan
page 13
Financial AidCollege costs risingpages 8 & 9Burning Up
Heat causes morning practices
page 7
Online limits for teachersFaculty stopped from adding students on Facebookby Jordan Campagna
A publication of Rider High SchoolThe Chronicle is a student-run publication. The content and views are produced solely by the staff and do not represent Rider High School or the WFISD faculty or administration.
Judy McDonald Mary Beth Lee
(940)235-1077 ext 31061
We serve as the voice of the student body and encourage letters to the editor. Deliver letters to room 247 or email to
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Are cheerleaders skirts too short?
Do you have your own opinion? Comment on this article on www.theriderchronicle.com or send it to us as a Letter to the Editor! Drop it off in room 247 or email it to [email protected].
While students are kneeling, their skirts or shorts must be six inches from the floor. Want an exception to this rule? Be a cheerleader. If the dress code is going to stay the way it is, then it needs to be enforced for all students with no exceptions.
The dress code is said to be in place to protect the students, but every week the cheerleaders get a break from this protection. However, the dress code is not just for protection. It also cuts down on students being distracted. When students come to class out of dress code, other students notice. Not just because they can see areas of a person that should not be shown, but also because that student has not been asked to change clothes. Most students feel that if they were not abiding by the dress code, they would get in trouble; they feel the school’s enforcement of the dress code or lack thereof is simple discrimination. They’re right.
No other sporting teams wear their uniforms to school, so cheerleaders shouldn’t either. There is an appropriate place for every dress, and theirs is not at school. The cheer uniform should be reserved for pep rallies and football games, nowhere else. If cheerleaders are allowed to defy the dress code, then every student should be allowed to on game days.
A small change would be for cheerleaders to wear their windbreaker outfits or leggings so their uniform fits within the dress code. That way students can still tell who belongs to the cheerleading squad. This small change would be a leap in the right direction.
Too short for school?Cheer skirts call for compromise
53% 47%YesNo
*Based on a poll of 145 students
Cartoon by Michaela Rutledge
Short-shorts, athletic shorts...tank tops...miniskirts... are not permitted.
WFISD Student Handbook
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check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 3Opinion
Some people say the GPA system needs to be changed from the current system which allows every AP class taken to count as a 5.0 to a new system that would only allow four classes to count as 5.0's. It is a fact that the current system is fine as is.
One may argue that a person shouldn't be hurt gradewise for doing an extra-curricular activity; however, a person who's taking more than four AP classes most definitely should be awarded the extra grade points.
Currently AP and pre-AP classes count five points whereas most extra-curricular classes count four points. The students in multiple AP classes make a choice that they want to be the top of their class even if it means they can't be involved in many extra-curricular activities. The students who are involved in many extra-curricular activites make a choice that they are going to be more well-rounded students rather than being at the top of their class. Everyone has to make important choices in life. You can't be a touring musician and be
a full-time employee at a business. They contradict each other.
Some students think that they can't be involved in extra-curriculars without it hurting their GPA, but students can actually be involved in many extra-curriculars that won't take away from their AP classes' GPA boost. Besides, there are numerous extra-curricular activities that aren't connected to school at all like the Wichita Theatre and Pink Darlings.
If the "GPA race" is eliminated, then students won't have the motivation to have the best grades they possibly can. Students would only focus on four of their classes instead of pushing themselves to have the best grades they can get in all of their classes. Students' grades will drop and they will suffer for it in college because they won't be used to studying vigorously in all of their classes.
Students need to learn to make choices and the current system needs to stand as is.
Should the GPA policy be changed?Various schools throughout Texas have moved to a grading scale where only four AP classes count toward extra grade points. This system is a good model of what our schools should move toward. If this type of system were put in place, the "GPA race" would be more than just scheduling and figuring out which classes are going to boost your grade. The top 10 will still be the same kids who always make those top grades, but there will also be room for exploration of other classes if students so desire. The kids who say they are taking extra AP classes to benefit from them in college will still be able to take those classes and benefit from them, just without an extra grade point for more than four APs. Sure GPA is about choices, but the choices GPA should be about shouldn't be refined from the question "Am I going to give up a passion of photography or basketball for extra AP classes?" The choices should be centered on whether or not you study, not whether or not you give up something you love in order to earn a higher GPA. While grades are important, they are not everything. A 4.28 is really not that big of a difference from a 4.67 in the big picture. Does that mean be lazy and give up assignments? No. Does it mean give up on studying? No. But you can't tear yourself up over a number and a comparison to classmates. Grades don't necessarily show how much a student knows or how hard they've worked to get the grade they have. High GPA is due 50 percent to planning out a schedule of GPA boosting classes and 50 percent to the grades made in those classes. The argument that GPA is good because it gives students competitiveness and builds their work ethic which can be taken into a work
place is an invalid argument. There are plenty of students who work really hard, but no matter what they do, their grades will never be even close to that of the valedictorian. Now, I'm not saying that these people should be valedictorian, but what I am saying is those kids have the work ethic without the GPA race. They know what it is to struggle, they've had to work as hard as they can at everything in school...and they've overcome. That is going to be a more beneficial life skill to them in a work place than giving the Valedictorian speech. GPA builds competitiveness? Sure it does. But so does football and basketball and all the other sports. GPA builds work ethic? Sure it does. But making B's when you're a C student builds work ethic more than a student who is and always has been an A student and never has to study. GPA doesn't really build leadership. Being elected FFA president? That builds leadership. Being in charge of a newspaper staff? That builds leadership. Being in the top 10 is a huge honor and I am in no way trying to undermine the work those top students put into getting where they are because I know they have worked hard. What I am saying is that GPA is not everything. It's a game that students get caught up in. If the grade system is changed to where only four classes count as 5.0's, then students have the opportunity to be more well rounded while still being rewarded for their high grades. They can explore things that they've never tried before: cooking, photography, journalism, soccer, acting, art, choir, guitar...you never know if a class that you take in high school may lead you to a new passion. For me it did. And if all you take is AP classes to reach that GPA, you may miss out on reaching and pursuing that passion.
Crossfire
Change needed for excess of 5 point classes
(Left to right) Sophomore Kyler Norman and senior Meghan Myracle prepare for a debate. Norman says keep weighted GPA the same, Myracle says 5 point classes need to be reviewed. Photo by Callie Cunningham.
Students deserve extra point; leave 5.0 alone
Showdown
by Meghan Myracle
by Kyler Norman
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 20114 News
2663 Plaza Parkway
Orthodontics
(940) 691-9504
D. D. S., M. S
English teacher Yvonne Baker-Kistler and Math teacher Cheryl Wuthrich were two of 20 teachers who won the West Teaching Excellence Award.
Both said they were “completely shocked” when they got the news.
“I’ve been teaching since 1994, and I’ve never won any awards,” Baker-Kistler said.
Baker-Kistler said she enjoyed getting to meet all of the members of the West Foundation Board and the WFISD board.
Wuthrich was “really touched by the whole thing.”“Every day I do my best and put in a lot of hours,
just planning and helping students, just like many other teachers,” Wuthrich said. “I don’t go the extra mile (i.e., Taco Bell tutorials) to be recognized; I do it because it’s an opportunity to get to know the students and help them.”
Students of both teachers say positive things about them winning the award.
“I love English class more than anything. Mrs. Kistler makes me happy,“ freshman Jonathan Kazanas said.
“I am extremely honored to have been nominated for this award,” Wuthrich said. “Teaching - it’s the toughest job you’ll ever love.”
In an effort to help improve grades and help keep students from skipping, changes have been made to freshman and sophomore advisories.
Administrators say this year’s changes to advisory, including no advisory on Friday mornings, videos and not being able to leave the class are hopefully going to improve student success.
“The reasons for the changes are to help get the at risk students the help they need for grades,” Vice Principal Synthia Kirby said. “We want to figure out the ones that are struggling in certain classes, and get them to an advisory to get them that help they need.”
These changes will also keep students from getting passes from teachers and then never going to the class.
“Last year during advisory we would have students skipping class by just giving us a pass and roaming the halls,” coach LaKeith Grant said. “This will hold kids accountable for their actions.”
The changes have been met with mixed reactions.
“I don’t think the morning announcements are important really for the sophomore advisories,” marketing teacher Chris Marvel-Loskot said. “But, for the freshmen it is absolutely great.”
For all the positives, many students who benefited from advisory last year aren’t happy with the current system.
“The whole point was for homework help and for us to make up tests,” sophomore Marissa Thomas said. “It’s hard for us to make up tests for teachers that are coaches because they have practice after school.”
Sophomore Maci Baker was worried about volleyball when she heard the changes.
“My first thought was ‘hmm that’s going to be hard with volleyball’,” Baker said. “Volleyball makes it hard to make up tests.”
Thomas hopes there are changes coming to advisory.
“It’s okay this year,” she said “But I liked last year way better.”
Advisory movies, the inside scoop...
by Jaycee Burke
Cheryl Wuthrich Yvonne Baker-Kistler
Teachers win West Awards of Excellence
“We were hoping that we could give the students a foundation for the first six weeks of school. A foundation of good study skills, good habits.” —Diagnostician Peggy Rogers
Top of the classAdvisory changes made to help students succceed; more changes on way after first 6 weeksA+
Hours by appointmentMember American Optometric Association
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 5News
The race is on. AP classes. A averages. The goal: To get the highest GPA.
Many top students say they have sacrificed everything from extra-curricular activities to their health in order to achieve their goals.
"The only pressure is myself, what all I can do," senior Greg Gaskey said. "If I make good grades, I make good grades, but if not, it's my own fault."
Some students feel the pressure to be number one much like a requirement to be perfect, and many have gone so far as to stress themselves beyond necessary because of it.
"It's good to have a goal, but it's bad for it to make you so nervous that you're being eaten up by the fear that you might slip," history teacher Joe Pearson said.
As a result of the way that classes are weighted now, many students are dropping 4.0 extracurriculars in order to bump up their average with extra 5.0 AP classes.
Junior Travis Ford gave up seventh period swimming freshman year in order to get ahead, but says that the decision hurt him because he lost all that practice time. Adding swimming back into his schedule lowers his GPA, making it unlikely that he will make valedictorian, but Ford says that he doesn't expect to be first.
"My goal is to be able to go to State, and if I miss that first 40 minutes of practice time 7th period, then that's 40 minutes I lose from the competition, and that's just as important to me as school is," Ford said. "Three weeks in, I realized it was just too much. I want to be able to swim good and think good."
Some high schools have developed a limited, weighted grade system where high schools can recognize their highest-performing students, similar to the way colleges do, by placing them in
categories. It groups top students into Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude and takes away from naming just one person as valedictorian.
"To some degree it stems from the same idea of, 'well, let's just give every kid a trophy because they're all winners'," Pearson said, "but there is the advantage of reducing the pressure to be number one and students not just taking classes for the purpose of bumping up GPA."
This system would reduce the number of students who take courses simply for the reason of improving their GPA.
Students in the race for the top each have their own reasons to compete. Many are trying to receive state scholarships, prove to themselves that they can achieve it or prevail just because their parents expect it.
Junior Lindsey Taing knows the pressure that parents and having a valedictorian in the family can place on one person. Her brother's legacy challenges her to prove to herself that she can succeed too.
"My parents kind of expect me to be valedictorian, but I'm not really doing it for them," Taing said. "I'm doing it for me, even though everybody thinks it's for them. It'll be worth it in the future.”
Being valedictorian can result in a multitude of scholarships and some colleges will offer up to a full ride. However, outside of college, many jobs require other achievements such as volunteer hours or multiple non-scholastic activities.
"In the workplace I look for an employee candidate who has earned more than just amazing grades," President and CEO of Texoma Community Credit Union L. Wayne Mansur said. "An employee who has extracurricular successes in their
resume such as sports, journalism, theater, band and many other areas, but earns only modest grades often is as good of a performing employee as the one who earned straight A's, and diversification, experiencing failure, serving others and teamwork are best learned outside the classroom."
Mansur is a former high school and college educator who shifted careers 30 years ago to become a business manager and now is the president of a $100 million credit union. He graduated in the top 20 of his class...a class of only 83 students, earned a few F's, had more C's on his transcript than A's, and graduated with almost a 3.0 GPA from college.
"Some students graduate Magna Cum Laude, while I graduated ‘Oh My Golly’," Mansur said.
Despite his academic record, Mansur was able to become successful in life. Now he searches for the same qualities in potential employees, qualities like determination and diligence.
"I want a student who works hard,
and often that employee earned many B's and C's in school," Mansur said. "They have experienced failure. An employee who learned in high school that hard work is required to succeed is often a more desirable employee than an employee with a high IQ."
No matter what the results of the race are, the focus is on the students and their preparation for their future, helping them achieve their goals.
"I think it's important to have a sense of humility no matter what your status is, the realization that if you're valedictorian, if you are brilliant, then to a degree, it's because of gifts you've been given," Pearson said. "What determines your worth as a human being is not whether you were valedictorian, but how you used those gifts. Did you use them in a way that was destructive, life-affirming or in a way that helped other people and uplifted other people? Did you use your gifts selfishly or generously? I think that's what really determines the worth of your life."
The race is onStudents give up ECA classes for more APby Kayla Holcomb
Digging aroundSeniors (left to right) Neil Cox and Nathan VanDeVyver search for the brain of their salamander as senior Taylor Beeman looks on in their 2nd period Pre-AP Anatomy and Physiology class. As it is a pre-AP class, Anatomy and Physiology counts as a 5 point class instead of only 4 points. Photo by Meghan Myracle.
The Rider band has currently raised over $300,000 for their trip to London on Dec. 28 to play for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
“I’m really not sure why we got picked,” band director Loy Studer said. “We’re just a little band from Wichita Falls. In 2009, the band played at a UIL State wind ensemble. We were one of four 4A bands that were there. A member of the parade selection committee who used to be a band director at the University of Texas saw us perform and recommended us.”
Ever since the band got the bid for the trip they’ve had numerous fundraising efforts.
“We started fundraising last year,” Band President Callie Cunningham said. “We did a March-A-Thon where we marched through neighborhoods and collected donations. We’ve done Raider cards and gold stars where any business can pay $400 for part of a kid’s trip and that makes them a gold star sponsor. They get their name on the back of our shirts and on our truck.”
The most successful fundraiser the band has done is Cow Plop Bingo.
“Cow Plop Bingo is where we [gridded] up a football field into 1ft x 1ft squares and [numbered] one through 48,000 and [sold] the tickets off for $10 each. On Sept. 16 we [sent] a milk cow out on the field and whatever square the cow placed the most cow pie in won a 2011 Toyota Tundra from Sullivan Toyota.”
In the beginning the band needed to raise $3,000 a person or $450,000 total.
“We are almost there at this point. We feel like we’re about $60,000 away from making sure that everyone gets to go,” Studer said. “When we started out on average we needed about $4 from each resident in Wichita Falls to get us there and now we need about 75 cents from everyone to get us there. Even though it’s a large amount of money, I think we can get to the finish line. I would be worried if all the money was ready right now because that would not be normal. I think this is something that should take to the very last day to complete.”
The band is fundraising more than before to ensure that everybody gets to go to London.
“We have about 25 to 30 socioeconomically disadvantaged kids and we’re trying to make sure
those kids have the same benefits as all the others,” Studer said. “We’ve been working really hard these last two months to work with businesses and local people to make sure that we get those kids taken care of.”
The band will travel by plane to London and then will be transported by the London underground and charter buses.
The wind ensemble which is the top concert band will perform Friday in the prime time spot at Cadogan Hall, which is where the London Philharmonic plays,” Studer said. “On top of that, the whole band was invited to play at the finale of the parade which will have five bands that are combining to do it.”
The band will also march the three mile parade route in London on New Year’s Eve, the opening event for the 2012 London Olympics.
“There are only 15 bands from the United States that are going this year. It’s the first event of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and it’s the first official Olympic event of 2012, so it’s a really big deal,” Studer said. “750,000 people watch the parade live in the streets, and it’s seen worldwide in 550 different countries by 220 million people.”
Once in London, the band will have plenty to do.“We’re seeing Windsor Castle, the British Museum,
the Natural History Museum, the Tower of London, a performance of Wicked, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Oxford University, “Studer said. “It’s going to be a very educational trip.” Studer said he believes school rivalries have hindered the band’s fund raising efforts.
“I’ve really been shocked at how much the community hasn’t come quite together, because we’re not just representing Rider, we’re representing Wichita Falls, Sheppard AFB and the state of Texas,” Studer said. “We’ve actually had more support from towns like Nocona, Petrolia, Seymour and Henrietta that don’t get caught up in the Rider/Old High/Hirschi stuff. We do have a lot of help from people in Wichita Falls, but it’s usually people that are associated with Rider. I’m just surprised because we were supportive of Old High when they went to the Gator Bowl, but you hear time and time again, ‘well I’m an Old High person I’m not going to do anything for Rider.’ I wish we could put the Rider/Old High/Hirschi rivalry aside for a while.
Cunningham said that it’s a common misconception that the district is paying for the trip, but the band is paying for every penny.
“Our strong points are that we are a very spirited group that loves our school, and we will work very hard,” Studer said. “No matter what, we’re going to outwork anyone else.
Cunningham said that this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to Rider High School.
“We are really appreciative of everyone at Rider who has been helping us out,” Studer said. “All the way from Mrs. McDonald, down to parents and students that I’ve never met before that are helping us because they understand that it’s a big deal for our school and our community. Mrs. McDonald and the school district have been very helpful with supporting us emotionally and getting us where we need to be. We can’t say to say thank you enough to everyone.”
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 20116 News
Band prepares to play at Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in DecemberPride of the Raiders to go to Londonby Kyler Norman
“Cowie Cunningham” is released onto the McNiel football field for Cow Plop Bingo. The rights to name the cow were sold at the fundraiser.The cow was named after band president Callie Cunningham. Cullen Ross won a flat screen television because he sold the winning ticket for the Toyota Tundra. Photo by Emma White.
Cow Plop Bingo
52
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 7Feature
‘Out of the frying pan, into the fire’
You survived the summer of 2011. It was a summer of miserable heat that the Weather Channel proclaimed as the Number One worst summer all over the U.S.
It was a summer that mentally transported people to deserts, the parched places of the world, gasping for a drop of water.
It was a summer that kept people inside where the unbearable rays of sun couldn’t touch them. It kept everyone inside except summer athletics, the marching band, and the colorguard.
Football two-a-days had to be rescheduled to the mornings rather than afternoons.
“We got [practice] done before it started getting majorly hot,” Coach Bill Davison said. “With the mandate that came down from the school district, we had to shut down practice once it got above a certain temperature.”
The policy for 100 degree weather to end
outside practice for all WFISD activities was put into place as Wichita Falls set triple digit heat records and student health came into question. The marching band, too, kept practices to the morning because of the new rule.
“We made sure we were not outside past about 10:30 because that’s when the temperature would sky-rocket from 90 to 100 degrees,” assistant band director Michael Walta said.
Each student had a different way to deal with the record setting triple digit temperature.
“I drank a ton of water and ate healthy food, like lots of fruit,” colorguard member Jennifer Patton said.
Football was also very aware of getting the athletes enough to drink.
“We had water breaks every 15 minutes and our trainers Coach Brown and Coach Winkles
did a great job of making sure everybody stayed hydrated,” Davison said.
As the months turned into the fall, things seem to be cooling off a bit. Rain has come back to Texas at least twice, and outside activities are beginning to feel the effects of welcome relief.
“It’s easier to breathe because the humidity’s not as bad.” Patton said. “When it’s cooler, [practice] is a lot easier.”
Also, because of that small bit of rain, a football player who gets sacked may get a helmet full of mud rather than a face-plant into short yellow-ish spikes of dead grass.
Unnatural heatwave swarms North Texas, burdens WFISD summer activities all aroundby Emma White
TH
AT’S
A R
ECO
RD
Heat Records Broken or Tied32Weather data from the National Weather Service and KFDX.
2008 2009 20112010
27.79 inches
29.15 inches
28.98 inches
5.49 inches
2007
34.05 inches
Years and Years of Rain...
oooo
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Drum Major Lydia White takes a water break during summer band. Photo by Emma White.
Quick Drink
Days Above 100 Degrees This Year(normal is 28 days)
Days in a Row of Above 100 Degrees
100
Because of the rising cost of college, seniors need to be prepared to face their financial situation in a serious way by taking advantage of scholarships, loans, and financial aid, but not biting off more than they can chew.
In the next few weeks, seniors will be busy writing essays and applying to universities, trying to cut the cost of their college education. Most students will apply for scholarships (local and national money given to a student who takes the time to apply and meets requirements) and grants (federal, state, and local money given to students based on FASFA applications).
“Financial aid is easy to apply for, but harder to qualify for,” College Counselor Julie Johnson said. “Universities are given a pot of money, so it’s first come first serve. When it’s gone it’s gone.”
Loans are another option for students who don’t qualify for grants or didn’t get enough scholarships to pay the price they wanted for college. But seniors should be wary. According to a National Post Secondary Student Aid (NPSSA) study in 2007-2008, 86.3 percent of four-year undergraduates had student loan debts of about $24,651.
“Graduates spend 15-30 years paying off student loans,” Kim Snodgrass, a Geometry teacher who recently taught a seminar for personal finance, said. “They don’t think that will affect them in buying cars and homes after college, but it does.”
Loans may be great for paying for college cost at the moment, but seniors shouldn’t forget that loans have to be paid off after college, with interest. The current interest rate for a student direct PLUS loan as of July 2010 is 7.9 percent which means if you take out a two year $5,000 loan, approximately $422 is added on annually to the price of the loan you took out. The longer you wait, the more money you pay.
“You shouldn’t have to take out your whole tuition in loans,” college advisor and Academic Success Program (ASP) director Jaclyn Muensterman said. “If you have no other option, that’s something you have to weigh. Take out a small amount, but be smart about it. Don’t take out more than feasible to pay back.”
There are also ways to stay on top of paying back your student loans by making
monthly payments after or even during college depending on what payment plan you decide to use. With a standard plan, students have a minimum of five years to pay back their loan after college but not more than ten.
“Students can pay on interest while in college to whittle down the cost of loans but don’t pay until after college,” Snodgrass said. “Most graduates only make minimum payments and don’t realize that their interest keeps growing.”
There’s also a way, if students have multiple student loans, to combine them and have only one interest rate to pay. It’s called “loan consolidation” and undergraduate students are able to apply for them after they graduate college or when they drop below half-time enrollment.
“The more money you contribute to the cost of education, the less you have to borrow,” Snodgrass said.
Keeping options open can also open doors to a lower cost of college. Depending on the schools students apply to, the schools can decide to give the student money to attend and cut the cost of college in a financial aid reward packet.
“They need to prepare themselves to apply to a wide variety and few different types of schools,” Muensterman said. “You don’t know how much college will cost until you see the financial aid reward packet from each school.”
Scholarships are the most essential in decreasing the price of college. They don’t have to be paid back, and students can apply for them year after year.
“Organization is critical,” Snodgrass said. “You can re-apply for scholarships every year, so keep a binder with essays and deadlines and reuse essays. It’s a lot of work but it can ease the pain in your wallet.”
If students wait too long however, scholarships can disappear fast and are hard to find out about. Students need to be on the ball to get the price they want to pay for college.
“Scholarships are hard to come by, but if students sit down one weekend and fill out scholarships, they’re more likely to get a $10,000 scholarship for their first semester of college,” Johnson said.
Don’t fall victim to payments on student loans. Make sure to take care of monthly payments on time and pay off loans as soon as possible.
by Morgan Dougherty
Seniors seek financial assistance opportunitiesStudents search for new ways to pay for college without going into debt
The Rider Chronicle. October 2011check us out at www.theriderchronicle.com10 Feature
No more ‘rite of passage’Extreme heat causes pre-AP biology teachers to cancel annual freshman insect projectby Emma White
Sneaking stealthily through the underbrush, the fearless freshman spotted a creature of rare beauty and excellence. Not waiting for it to escape, the freshman pounced on it with net and jar.
"Aw man, another cricket," the freshman sighed.Fortunately, this is the sort of situation that
was prevented by pre-AP Biology teachers Shara Humpert and Robert Novak this year. That's right. No you didn't read incorrectly, the freshman are not doing an insect project this year.
"[We're not doing it] primarily because of the drought," Novak said.
And indeed the drought this year has been tough. (See ‘OUT OF THE FRYING PAN...’, p. 7)
"The weather service tells us we're in the worst drought since 1921, and we've had 5.8 inches of rain since October 2010. There just aren't many insects," Humpert said.
It is very true. People who usually get eaten alive by mosquitoes, for one, will have noticed the considerable lack of the species.
"I was seeing maybe five or six orders in my yard, compared to what I used see. [I would] laugh at the kids and say, 'Yeah I saw 10 orders on the way to school today,'" Humpert said.
Novak was concerned about the difficulty of the project because there are so few insects to find.
"You'd have to go out looking really hard to find
anything that is the least bit unusual," Novak said. "The insect collections are hard enough as it is, but then when you factor in that you've only got a quarter of the insects that you normally have, it just makes it doubly hard."
Freshman all across the board are relieved that they don't have projects of their own to do.
"My friend who goes to Old High and is in pre-AP Biology there says they still have to do it. He came over to my house, and I had to help him look for some bugs," freshman Austin Laughlin said.
Humpert says the environmental scare was as much a factor as the new found difficulty of completing the project.
"What we were hearing from Wild Bird Rescue, was that some of the migratory birds and even our indigenous species were having trouble finding food for their young," Humpert said. "They were kicking their babies out of the nest. They had probably 40 [baby birds] turned in during one month's time, which is what they usually have over a whole summer season."
Novak's concern was not as much for the birds as it was for the students.
"I don't think it wasn't as much an environmental issue as it was that I didn't want my students to have to struggle to find those last 20 or 30 insects. I really didn't want to put them through that," Novak said.
Although they may have had different reasons, both teachers ultimately agreed that it was best to abstain from having the insect project this year.
Fall semester is off the hook. However, both teachers hinted at some sort of project for the spring semester. Freshmen, happy hunting!
Native Birds to Wichita Falls and their Diet
Items YOU can bring to Wild Bird Rescue of Wichita Falls:
MealwormsScience Diet Cat Food (Adult
Feline Maintenance) Facial Tissues (no color, oils or
perfume) Paper Towels
Zip-lock Bags (Quart and Gallon sizes)
Laundry Detergent (liquid only) Dawn Dish Soap
Toilet PaperTrash Bags (Tall Kitchen and 30 ) Heating Pads (no auto shutoff)
BleachScrub Brushes and Sponges
Copy Paper Postage Stamps
4611 Lake Shore DriveWichita Falls, TX 76310
Amercian Robin
Bluejay
Eastern Screech Owl
Red Tail Hawk
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 11Entertainment
Feb. 9, 2009. A text message from my cousin comes in. In it, she asks me if I’ve heard the latest news on Chris Brown
and Rihanna. I was fresh out of a long day at school, feeling exhausted as I sat on the couch. I had no clue what she was talking about while I stared at the phone curiously, so I asked her. When she sent a text back, I nearly dropped my phone in horror. Chris had hit Rihanna and the damage was bad. My face froze as I stared at the message. Was this real? She had to be kidding. The Chris I had loved since 2005 couldn’t have possibly laid his hands on Rihanna violently. I refused to believe it.
My cousin said it was all over the news, and when I turned on the TV and pulled up the Internet, it was. There were terrible images of Rihanna floating around with a face bruised red, as well as a harsh looking busted lip. My eyes watered upon seeing her face.
Coincidentally, I was a huge Rihanna fan. When the two of them began to date, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Two of my favorite artists were a pair. Together they could make amazing music and become a powerful musical super couple.
The media began to paint Chris as a monster as the days droned on, and if I saw anything related to the situation, I ignored it.
Chris and Rihanna both grew up in abusive homes. No one knows what happened in that car besides those two. Even before that fateful night, the two of them could have battled before.
I didn’t overlook the fact that what happened was wrong, but my opinion on Chris and Rihanna didn’t change. I didn’t stop listening to their music. I didn’t stop being a fan.
Chris and Rihanna are both human, but society and the media place them on a pedestal that almost takes their humanity away from them.
Domestic violence against men is just as likely to occur with men as it is with women. Rihanna’s injuries were visible, but who’s to say Chris also
wasn’t hurt physically?After the incident, Chris released his third album
Graffiti in which he lyrically expressed his sorrows regarding the situation.
In the remorseful song “Fallin Down” Chris sings, “Can you imagine the weight of a world placed on your shoulders, trapped in this world.” Later he sings, “Why is it so easy for you to blame? I’m only human, we’re all the same. I’ve given up everything in exchange for being alone.”
Chris also released a video to his song “Crawl”, where he is haunted by a famous ex-girlfriend, believed to model Rihanna, that always appears on TV and the red carpet. The video also shows how after the incident, the public turned away from Chris.
Two years after the incident, some people still aren’t willing to forgive Chris for his actions.
Negative outside opinions on what happened between the two are completely irrelevant and will remain that way. Those who can’t let themselves forgive Chris are simply wasting their time.
Chris is still selling albums, pushing out platinum singles, and succeeding at everything he does. It’s a waste of time to focus hate on someone who could care less about a hater’s opinion.
There aren’t too many people out there who care about someone’s negative views of Chris because his fans have forgiven him and as long as he has their support, as well as his family’s, no one else matters. The people that still care for some odd reason that Chris hit Rihanna are senseless.
Those people should put themselves in Chris’s shoes and see if they could handle all the negativity that has been thrown his way. Unlike Chris, I’m sure these people would crack under pressure.
For the people who can’t let the past stay in the past, why does it matter? What does the situation between the two of them have to do with you? Were you there? Did Chris hit you? Were you immediately affected by the incident?
I’ll never forget what happened, and I’ll never let it slide, but I will also never stop supporting Chris. In October, I’ll be going to the FAME Tour, which is Chris’s fourth headline tour. There are some people out there who think it’s ridiculous to support Chris and pay $100 to see him live, but to that I say it’s ridiculous to dwell on something that happened in the past, especially when it didn’t concern you.
Chris has paid his dues. He’s been under the scrutiny of the public eye, and sometimes he still is, but it’s time to let it go. While people sit around hating on Chris, there are 300,000 children at risk of dying in Somalia. There are people dying every day from deadly cancers. Someone right now at this very moment was just gunned down. And yet, the focus is still something that happened with Chris Brown two years ago.
It’s undeniable that Chris is one of the best artists out there, and he’s already a living legend. People can hate as much as they wish to, but it’s not going to stop the fact that Chris is an amazing artist, dancer, and all around person. Regardless of what anyone thinks, Chris is still sitting at the top of the game right now, and his reign will only grow from here.
You can hate him, but he’s still getting paperby Ashleigh Robinson
Look at Him Now
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Chris’ breakout single “Run It” becomes his first chart topping single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Exclusive debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200. Chris has a main role in the movie This Christmas.
Jordin Sparks’ single “No Air” becomes Chris’ fifth top 10 single.
Chris embarked on his Fan Appreciation Tour and also released his third album Graffiti.
Chart topper “Deuces” wasreleased. Chris also starred in the action film Takers.
FAME debuted at #1 on theBillboard 200. Chris also started his tour of the same name in Australia and North America.
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 201112 Entertainment
The media have you to believe that if you have all the right software, you’re safe, antivirus, antispyware, and other anti-whatevers.
You are safe, they say.Tell me another one. Not a month ago, I was deeper
than quicksand into these hacking and criminal activities. It felt amazing, being able to be behind a modem, a screen and a keyboard, and to be able to look into any file I wanted. I would use simple methods that would take me minutes to get people’s private information. I even saw sites where other hackers had dozens of pages full of private information such as phone numbers, social security numbers, email log-ons, and other information that hackers use to steal money and information. Even though I wasn’t deep enough to steal information and post it all over a website, that didn’t mean I was innocent. I was involved in a largely organized hacking group, and I worked myself up to a pretty big and well known name on the internet. It was exhilarating, and it was fun. The rush of feeling like a secret agent behind the wheel felt amazing. It felt powerful to know you had the ability to get someone’s info and post it on the web and rule their internet life. But it was wrong, and after a while, it became an addiction, an easy trap to fall into. There was no way out it seemed. However, with the help of my family I was able to pull myself out.
Hackers use websites and their own methods to make false links sending you to their IP addresses (the electronic address of your computer, e.g. 123.45.67.890). When you click them, they use your IP address to remotely connect to your computer using something called telnet, or other such methods, to connect, where finding out a password isn’t hard. They can then decrypt the file it’s hidden in, and bypass your firewall like it’s a sheet of wet paper.
It’s no Joke.
Is your PC running slower than usual? Odds are you’re on someone’s botnet, a server that gives a hacker complete access to your computer. They can hack into your webcam and watch you, keylog you, and record every word that you have typed. If you are on something like that. Run a spyware scan, and if it tests positive, quarantine all programs that you don’t remember putting on your computer (kill them, or delete them). And start saving your pennies, because you are going to have to call programmers to come in and fix it.
Are there ways to prevent getting hacked? Yes! Read your email. If you have any spam, clear it, because hackers send spam e-mails to get access to your computer using botnets. Don’t click on any links that you don’t one hundred percent trust. Foil them. Check your files for any unauthorized changes, and if it is not a necessary program, remove the program or file immediately.
Go online and look up other ways to foil hackers. They are dangerous, they are out there, and they are watching you. You need to be afraid; they are often malicious. Occasionally you may come across a whitehat hacker, looking only to help you foil other malicious hackers. I would suggest chatting with one if you ever happen to come across one.
Be smart, be safe, and be cautious. The hacker subculture is increasing at an enormous rate due to several large groups of hackers attempting to lure more teens and adults to the myth that knowing how to hack will give you the ability to have power and rule over the internet. Don’t follow. If someone offers to hack something for you...say no. How do you know they won’t hack you at a later time?
The internet is a fun way of being able to connect to places all over the world, but watch out for those dark alleys, lurking beneath the mask of the internet, there may be a hacker hiding nearby.
Anonymous
From a hacker’s perspective...Deadline book review available at www.theriderchronicle.com
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet
The Teens’ Top 10 Books 2010-2011
8.
10.
6.
4.
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Family helped save sophomore from life of technology crime
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 13Entertainment
Sophomore Kayli Myracle is an expert on meeting celebrities. To name a few: Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Iyaz, Sean Kingston, Mario Lopez, Perez Hilton, Demi Lovato, Jasmine Villegas, Cody Simpson and plenty more.
She’s definitely not a stalker. Most of the celebrities she met at concerts, movie premieres and other different events. Kayli has been to L.A. three times, and during those times she took some chances and got lucky.
“I met a few just by running into them at random places in L.A.,” she said. “Nothing planned, just random encounters.”
Talk about being in the right place at the right time.Kayli’s favorite celebrities she met were Jasmine Villegas and Ariana Grande
“because they’re both so down to earth and such sweethearts.”The first celebrity she met though was the teen idol Justin Bieber.“I also loved meeting Justin Bieber because he was really sweet and funny,” she
said.Kayli enjoys singing and acting and aspires to be like them one day.
“I look up to a lot of them,” she said. “It’s such a high for me to see what they’re like in person and how they treat people around them.”
She has already made her “debut” in the Justin Bieber Movie, “Never Say Never.” One of Kayli’s close friends owns a popular Bieber fan site. Paramount contacted her, asked her to find a few girls who would be good that they could email, and Kayli was one of them.
“Paramount Pictures contacted me,” she said. “I signed the legal waivers and recorded my part to the audio clip that they sent to me, and sent in my video.”
Upon meeting these celebrities, she realized that some weren’t who she thought they were. “A few were really rude, and I don’t support them anymore,” she said. “My thoughts have completely changed for a few celebrities because of how they treated me and my friends or my sister who was with me.” Other encounters that were more pleasant helped her realize first hand that celebrities are every day people just world renowned.
“I learned that they’re normal,” she said. “I know that sounds dumb, because of course they’re normal, but some can get really materialistic and act like a diva and act like they’re better, but most don’t. It’s nice to know that you’re supporting someone who deserves it.”
Kayli goes to Hollywood 1. Kayli met Bruno Mars in Dallas, Texas through his fanclub. 2. She met Nick Jonas at The Grove in L.A. where they were filming Extra! 3. Kayli won a Twitter contest that allowed her to meet Selena Gomez. She used Chronicle editor Jordan Campagna’s iPhone to enter the contest since her phone didn’t have internet. 4. Kayli met Justin Bieber for the first time in Dallas after his manager called her and got it set up. 5. She met Justin again in Dallas after she won a contest. Photo courtesy of Kayli Myracle.
In the spotlight
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by Hannah Smith
She’s met more than her fair share of stars
yearbooksforever.comOrder your yearbooks & senior ads online now!
Rider Yearbook
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 201114 Photo
Lady RaideR VoLLeybaLLGoes
FuLL FoRceJunior Libby Lemley checks out the scoreboard. Photo by Emily Fuccio. (To the top right), the team gathers in between sets. Photo by Meghan Myracle. (Far right), Peyton Stivers and Libby Lemley get ready for the return. Photo by Emma White. (Bottom Right) Jackie Lamar, Haley Boydston and Amber Carlson prepare to block. Photo by Meghan MyracleDesign by Meghan Myracle
check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 2011 15Sports
The day was just like any other when Coach Mitchell Reece got to school. Until he found the paper.
The Top 50 Football Players in Rider History by Times Record News sports editor Nick Gholson appeared in the August 25 newspaper.
“I came to work and the newspaper was on my desk,” Coach Reece said. “I was shocked because there have been so many great football players that have come through in the past 50 years.”
Along with Coach Reece, Coach Morrison, Rider’s head JV coach, earned his spot on the Top 50. “I was pretty surprised to be selected to the list,” Morrison said. “It was an honor to be picked out of all the players that have come through the school.”
Looking back on his high school years, Morrison says he remembers many of his team’s successes. “My favorite memory was probably my sophomore year when we only beat Hirschi and Old High during the regular season,” Morrison said. “We still ended up making the playoffs with two wins by a coin toss. We then ended up going three rounds deep in the playoffs making the State Quarterfinals.”
Coach Morrison and Coach Reece have been associated through Rider for 11 years now.
“Coach Reece was a freshman when I was a senior, so we used to pick on him when he first got here,” Morrison said. “But we all knew he was going to be a good player.”
From being a player himself, to a coach here at Rider, Coach Reece said his time as a Raider is what made him want to pursue a coaching career.
“I didn’t have a strong father figure growing up, and many of the coaches here were as close to one as I knew,” Reece said. “It made me want to give back to the students as I was once given.”
You hear or see it every day. Our school stresses the concept. We are supposed to be “one family, one team,” but what does that mean? Go to just one cross country meet and you’ll find out immediately, just like I did.
In order to photograph the meet, I had to ride the bus with the team. The day started early, 6:45 to be exact. Everyone was very welcoming and very kind considering most everyone had just rolled out of bed.
We drove down a road that seemed fit for about one car, much less a bus, but we made it to the meet at Camp Perkins and set up our site under a large shady tree. Camp Perkins was beautiful and the weather was perfect.
The teams started warming up and pretty soon our varsity girls were preparing for their race. The gun went off, and the girls began their 2.3 mile run. The rest of the cross country team began walking up discreet paths to cheer on the Lady Raiders.
Everyone was really enthusiastic and encouraging, but at the same time they were all enjoying themselves. We would cheer on the runners or take a break and grab a popsicle to eat under the big shade tree we had claimed as our own for the day.
Pretty soon the guys were running. During their race a few of the girls and I began our trek up a hill to help out the boys. We were all laughing and having a great time, but suddenly one of our girls fell silent.
We all turned the way she was looking and sprung
Cross country reaches out
Football Top 50
Lady Raiders Jaylen Jones, Ashley Sissel, Skye Catletti and Michelle Ingle assist the injured Hirschi Husky. Photo by Montana Mooney.into action. We began running back down the hill towards the boy from Hirschi who was as pale as a ghost and collapsed on the ground gasping for breath. He was helpless, but our girls changed that. They immediately gave him their water and ice to cool him down until a trainer came to his aid.
In that moment, I saw the reality of “one family, one team,” and that reality goes beyond the walls of Rider.
After helping the boy, we all returned to the race and finished the day with quite the victory, on the scoreboard and not. Not only was this team kind and helpful, but they were good at what they did. The varsity girls ended up in fourth and junior varsity finished first with a perfect score of fifteen, and together both teams had eight girls in the top ten.
All day I could tell they were enjoying themselves and their time with their peers. The team was constantly laughing between seeing deer on the edge of the meet, to the bus ride, to bonding in Chicken Express before heading back to school. Everyone was happy and having a blast.
That day made me realize how lucky we all are to be surrounded by the peers whom we have. Be a Raider with pride; you might be surprised at the incredible effect you’ll have on others.
Coaches earn place on listOne Family,All Teams
by Montana Mooney
by Alexa Mauri
Helping out
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check us out at www.theriderchronicle.comThe Rider Chronicle. October 201116 Sports
The adrenalin-filled celebration after the miraculous victory may have been the most rewarding part of the state championship journey.
"There was lot of pandemonium and excitement,” Coach Scot Green said. “We were celebrating with our fans and jumping on each others' backs.”
After the game, the celebration the baseball players experienced was worth it.
With emotion building at the end of the game of 6 outs or 3 outs, the Raiders stayed focused and didn't take their minds off of the ultimate goal.
"We probably didn't sleep much anyway just cause we were so excited," Green said.
After the championship game, the players were both mentally and physically exhausted.
"Someone asked me if I had got off the high of winning the state championship and I said I don't know if I ever did," Green said.
Now that last year's season is over, the Raiders have high expectations to fulfill for the upcoming season.
"You know we lost a lot of our players, but we had a lot that got to experience a part of it [a state championship]," Green said. Last years seniors had a prominent contribution in the victorious attainment of the championship. Especially Cameron Allen who got after the Corpus Christi Calallen player he was
facing and made a heck of a catch. From the transition of the seniors leaving, this year's
starters have much to contribute to the upcoming season.
"We had a good group," Green said. "We have a great tradition here so each year something more is learned by some of our players, and that knowledge is passed down to newer players."
That knowledge is passed down each year to guide the new players in the right direction to achieve goals that last year's players could not achieve. This custom is a vital characteristic of the Raider team that ensures new players achieve goals that the previous year's players could not achieve. That's not so easy when the team before wins state, but Green says that championship will help this year's team.
"The expectations are just to play hard," Green said. "They know what it takes to get there, and they know what work they have to put into it."
The expectations enable players to look at what they must achieve throughout the season to work on their flaws to ensure the team's maximum progression.
"These guys have taken on the challenge of just sharing the tradition of just going out there and giving a hundred percent," Green said.
Baseball wins State, ready for new year, training new playersby Daniel Martinez
Hey, batter, batter, swingWe are the championsThe Rider baseball team, coaches and administrators stand before the state monument that they earned this summer for winning the 4A State Championship. The monument was delivered to Rider in September. Photo by Emma White.
