Special services teacher receives Golden Apple Award
May 15, 2008
Indianapolis Power and Light awarded special sevices teacher Mike Meyer the Golden Apple Award for creatively using “math, science or technology in the classroom to inspire and motivate improved student achievement,” according to the school district.
“Since its inception in 1991, this program has recognized more than 400 public and private school educators who have developed and implemented a wide range of innovative projects using math, science or technology.”
Students win top honors at IUPUI math contest
May 13, 2008
Freshman Michael Luo and sophomore Reid Watson tied for first place in the IUPUI High School Mathematics Contest. Both received a $2,500 scholarship renewable at the IUPUI School of Science, and the Carmel math department received a $250 prize.
Students who participated answered four math questions and wrote an essay applying math to space exploration. Luo wrote about communications to and from a spaceship or satellite, and Watson explored how classical mathematics can be used to explore the gravitational pull of planets on a spacecraft.
Over 450 students from nine different high schools participated in the contest, which is open to all high school students in the 15-county area of central Indiana.
Bart Ng, acting dean of the School of Science at IUPUI, said, “While the contest solutions only require the use of high school algebra or geometry, the problems are much more sophisticated than typical textbook questions. Our faculty are always pleased at the number of students who accept the challenge the contest offers and are impressed at the originality that is evident in their answers.”
Submitted by Brenda Bishop.
Females take risks in sports, too
May 6, 2008
By: Stephanie Hodgin <shodgin@hilite.org>
As she packs up her equipment, sophomore Jamelynn “Jaymo” Callahan remembers that day’s practice. Practice not for gymnastics, volleyball, or even cheerleading, but for football. Currently she is the varsity football manager and said she believes that even girls can become a part of the football family here. She even wants to try out for the football team her senior year and hopes to play if her coaches let her.
“I was welcomed instantly as a freshman girl being a part of the team,” she said about becoming manager. She also said she believes that girls can take risks in sports as well, and that if is not just a masculine trait. According to the Web site oxfordjournal.org, females take just as many risks in sports as males do, the only difference being females asses risk in sports more accurately.
According to the site, “girls may be more accurate than boys in assessing risk in sport. Additionally, it may be socially desirable to perceive less risk in sport, in accordance with the prevailing masculine stereotype for boys in sports.”
The web site also states that another reason for this difference could be because of how females grow up learning to play sports. “Parents and coaches have traditionally socialized female sport participants away from the aggressiveness, physical contact and risks that are considered necessary in contact sports,” it states.
Callahan said she believes that all players form any sports should take risks if the need arises.
“Yeah, definitely they should (take risks) because your whole team is out there for you and putting in their whole effort for you. You should do the same for them,” Callahan said.
Megan Renninger, tennis player and junior, said that she believes that risk-taking is understandable for the most part.
“Risk-taking is understandable to an extent because all athletes want to help their team, but you also don’t want to ruin your career (with an injury),” Renninger said.
Callahan said one risk females take is choosing to play more masculine sports, such as football.
“(The players) accept you really fast with open arms. I started (being a part of the team) freshman year and I was welcome instantly,” she said.
She said that it didn’t matter that she was a girl, either.
“I love everything about the sport now, from the bonds made to being part of a team and feeling like you’re meant for something,” Callahan said.
Renninger said that she believes that girls can play the sports that they are able to play.
“Girls can play all sports if they are physically capable to competing with either gender in that sport,” Renninger said. Some people have criticized IndyCar driver Danica Patrick of this up until her first win at the Indy 300 Japan race. But according to cbssports.org article by National Sports Columnist Mike Freeman, Patrick believes that racers are racers, no matter their gender.
“What you really need is endurance. And some tests have shown that women have more endurance than men. But that’s not the point. I’m not trying to establish the superiority of one sex over another. I’m a good driver, but I’m no superwoman. What I’m trying to emphasize is that a driver is primarily a person, not a man or a woman, and that is a great deal of driving is mental,” Patrick said according to the article.
According to a 2006 ABC News article titled “You Go, Girl–to Football Camp” by Blair Soden, more and more females are deciding to take that risk and play football. According to this Web site, women have been playing organized football since the 1950s. The Independent Women’s Football League currently boasts a roster of 35 all-female teams.
Callahan said, “(Football is a masculine sport) because they think that guys can hit a whole lot harder than girls can. If I am a guy I can prove how tough I am by hitting a person as hard as I can. If a girl wants to play, it should be her decision.”
Going, Going, Gone…
May 6, 2008
By: Tommy Sneider <tsneider@hilite.org>
How did you start go-carting?
My dad is an IndyCar engineer and he’s with Andretti Green Racing.
Have you been in any competitions?
Yeah, I had a competition two Sundays ago. It was my first Senior Class race, and Thomas Scheckter was in that race and he qualified third, and I qualified second so that was pretty cool.
Have you placed in the races.
That was my first race of the 2008 season, but last year I went to Daytona and I qualified 14th and finished 12th.
What kinds of awards have you won from racing?
In 2006 I got my first win in TAG Junior Class. All you have to do is touch the car and it starts. In 2007 I won the Yamaha Junior Can. I won two races at Newcastle and Motor Sports Park and that’s where I do most of my racing. In 2007 I came in third place out of 24 in my class, so that was pretty big.
What’s the most challenging part about the sport?
Probably just staying consistent and getting the cart set up right. The track is always changing and you have to adapt to the track. Since there’s sprint races, it’s pretty important to qualify really well. You want to qualify in the front row to have a chance to win.
Do you have your own cart?
Yeah, I actually have two. I use one for the TAG class, and I have another class called the HPV cart and that’s just so I can get on the track.
How do you help in maintaining and keeping it running to its potential?
We send our engine to an engine builder, so you just bolt it in and go. For the cart, there’s a lot of grease involved, so after everyone season you have to clean off the cart. Also, between races you have to make changes to the cart. The way the cart is altered makes a big change.
When was your first race?
My first national race was in South Bend, but it was more of a regional race. My first big national race was in Daytona. I also raced at Charlotte, but I do most of the racing at Newcastle Motorsports Park. It’s one of the best in the U.S. You’ll see a lot of IndyCar racers out there. There’s a lot of top-notch competition.
What is your favorite place where you competed?
Probably Shawano, WI, just because the track has so many different elevation changes and it’s a big track with a lot of fast runs.
Have you had any bad crashes or injuries from racing?
I broke my thumb. What happened was there was a cart spun out in front of me and I T-bonded him and I got my finger stuck in the steering wheel and I fractured it. Another time I got loose and another cart drove over the side of my body.
What do you want to achieve in your racing career?
I just want to keep going as long as I can. Just see what opens up ahead. I would love to do some open wheel.
Describe your most exciting moment.
Probably my first big race a day after my birthday. It was a great feeling of accomplishment finally getting my first win and fighting for the next one.
What kinds of speed do you race at?
In the TAG cart you can get up to 70 plus miles per hour, and that’s about as fast as you’ll find me on any track. In the year before this, it was 65.
What racer do you idolize and why?
Marco Andretti just because he’s accomplished so much and he’s only 21 years old. He races flat out, no matter how the cart handles, he just drives.
How do you balance school and practicing for races?
The races are normally on weekends, and we’ll go occasionally to the track to practice. There’s a lot of down time on the track, so when other classes are racing I’ll do my homework then.
What do your practices usually consist of?
We test to see how the cart feels based on the changes we make to the cart. We’ll just test different components of the chassis, and we’ll test a qualifying run and try to cut down time making little changes. A race is only 12 laps, so sometimes we do 12-lap runs to see if the cart continually handles right.
What’s the most difficult part while racing?
Probably staying focused and making sure you do every corner completely right and hit your apex completely right and get on the gas completely right. Also, knowing what is going on around you.
Do you think you’ll continue racing later on in life?
Yeah, I would really love to. But if it’s not an option, then no; I just want to see how far it will take me and go through the different formulas and hopefully reach IndyCar open wheel or NASCAR, whatever presents itself.
(Exclusively Online) Sudoku Solution for 05/01/08
May 6, 2008
Second time’s the charm
May 6, 2008
By: Erin Lowe <elowe@hilite.org>
It’s prom season again which means it’s time to make hair appointments and find a date. But, like senior Kara Palmer, think people sometimes go too far.
“People sometimes make it get out of hand when they go all out,” she said. If they keep it simple it’s okay. I think it’s become a big deal. The biggest deal isn’t even the dance itself.”
Palmer has more experience than others with proms since last year as a junior she went to two. Her first prom was at Zionsville with her boyfriend Peter and then she went to this school’s prom. She plans to attend this year’s prom here.
“To make the prom’s different we went to different places and had completely different plans for each,” Palmer said.
Palmer said that each prom is different, but she said that she enjoyed Zionsville’s prom more than the one held by this school “For Zionsville’s we went to the Eagle’s Nest downtown for dinner. The prom was at the Marriott Hotel downtown and there was even an after party at the school. They had decorated the school and it was awesome,” Palmer said.
This school’s prom is coming up on Saturday at The Fountains. It lasts from 8 p.m. to midnight. Some other proms on Saturday are Hamilton Heights and Fishers.
To prepare for her prom here, Palmer went with the norm and had her hair done and nails done, but to change things up she used a different method when preparing for Zionsville’s prom.
“I did my own hair and nails when I went to Zionsville. I didn’t want to spend so much money since I was going to two proms,” Palmer said.
This year for prom, planning will be about the same. Many people have already made appointments for hair and nails, and some have already made dinner reservations.
“I think planning ahead is good and helps people to feel less stressed about anything,” Palmer said.
For people who have never been to prom before, the event can be quite exciting.
“The most exciting part of prom for me was probably the day of, just getting ready with my friends. When Peter and I first saw each other was pretty exciting too,” Palmer said.
One of the biggest parts of prom for a girl is getting the dress. Palmer can empathize with the girls who want to look like a princess for a night but doesn’t think they should go overboard.
“I wore two different dresses. For Zionsville I wore a dress that I bought for Homecoming but didn’t end up wearing and for Carmel I wore a new dress that I had just gotten. The Zionsville dress was bright green with a criss-cross in the back and beading down the front with a train in the back. The Carmel dress was hot pink and strapless with a skirt that swirled out at the bottom. I loved both of them,” Palmer said.
As for ideas for an after party Palmer said there are better ways to celebrate than having a party or going to a party right after the dance ends.
“I think it’s fun to do something the next day. This year I’m actually going to King’s Island with my friends the next day. I think it’s better to do something fun, relaxing and simple the next day rather than have a really late night,” Palmer said.
As some people may not know the prom theme this year is Arabian Nights. Palmer said that the first thing that comes to mind when approached with this theme may be Aladdin, and planning an outfit to go along with this theme could be hard. “I don’t really go with themes, I just enjoy myself and wear what I like.”
When asked if she had any advice for first time prom goers Palmer said, “Enjoy every minute of it because you won’t ever get to do it again. Also, don’t get so caught up in planning it.”
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