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CHTV to report all weekend

By: Tommy Sneider <tsneider@hilite.org>

With Homecoming just two days away, CHTV and its crew prepare to cover all the events for the day. “It should be a really great time,” junior Kyle Borcherding said.

Borcherding and senior Andrew Chernoff will announce the events throughout Homecoming day as well as the game versus Warren Central that night. “It’s really a great opportunity to announce these games. “I’ve been looking forward to (announce) this game for a long time,” Chernoff said.

CHTV teacher Hal Espey said that the staff will tape the convocation for Homecoming, send someone to do interviews and another person taping the parking lot activities. Parts of the dance also will be taped. “I’ll go through the Homecoming dance and go through there and tape the dance,” Espey said.

According to Espey, other activities taped include the playhouse building, the Homecoming convocation, trike races, the parade, and the game later that night.

Although there is much to cover during the day, Borcherding said that it’s fun nonetheless. Borcherding said, “Like other Homecomings, it’s going to be a fun day like it always is.”

Q&A with Carmel Clay teacher of the year: Janice Mitchener

By: Jaclyn Chen <jchen@hilite.org>

What was your reaction when you found out that you were Carmel clay Teacher of the year?

“I was totally surprised. When Carmel Clay Teacher of the Year was announced, I felt very honored to be selected because there’s so many great teachers here at Carmel. Then, when I made it into the Top Ten, I was extremely excited.”

Why did you decide to become a math Teacher?

“I had a very positive experience in high school and my teacher had a very positive influence on me in high school and so I wanted to model that. I wanted to be a math teacher because it was something that I find challenging to myself and I was good at it.”

What do you think is the best part of teaching?

“The best part of teaching is that I get to know so many students and help them to prepare for their college education. I feel great accomplishment when I see students in my classroom succeeding and understanding the mathematics that I know they are going to need in college.”

I heard that you did something with Texas Instrument. Can you tell us a little about that?

“ I am a regional instructor for an organization called Teachers Teaching with Technology and that’s sponsored by Texas Instrument. I am a trained instructor so that I can train other teachers on the latest Texas Instrument technology or how to use that Texas Instrument technology in the classroom.”

What is your best memory as a teacher?

“I will never forget a student who must have just printed out his college grades, running into my room, so proud that he had to show me his report card because he was doing so well in math. It’s memories like that where I have students coming back and saying ‘I really did good at college, thanks to what you did.’ ”

Have you ever worked as anything other than a teacher?

“ Years ago, I worked for Kodak during the summer during the Pan Am games and was the person that worked in the photo center and worked with the slide machines. You know, do little things every now and then to break up the monotony.”

Tuning In

By: Tommy Sneider <tsneider@hilite.org>

As stars on CHTV, senior Andrew Chernoff and junior Kyle Borcherding get ready to announce at Homecoming.

How did you earn this gig?

KB: Basically the way it goes down is last year I was enrolled in TV Lab, which is the basic TV course, and then the spot was already taken, and they had the spot pretty much taken up? Andrew and I last year did the girls basketball games, so we took this opportunity and we did four or five games last year. So then when this year came around, Andrew is a senior and I was a junior and it was pretty much up to (CHTV adviser Hal) Espey, and he picked us.

What do you do to prepare for announcing the games?

AC: I always get information and statistics from the Internet. It’s always better to get more than you need to in order to fill the “downtime” that there is in games. The IHSAA has good stats. Also, before this season, I passed out a questionnaire to all the players that they could fill out. This gave me an opportunity to learn more about them. Plus, I usually interview Head Coach Mo Moriarty each week.

Are you excited about the chance to announce at the Homecoming game this year?

KB: Oh yeah, first of all it’s always a huge game for Homecoming, the atmosphere of the game makes it exciting no matter who we play. But this year we play Warren, and in my mind, it’s a chance for revenge and a chance to see exactly how good our team really is because, even though they have had a slow start to their season, they are still a really good team. It should be a great game, both on the field and in the booth.

AC: You bet I am. I’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time. There’s just a different environment at any Homecoming game. This one has so many story lines from last year that it should be very exciting. Both teams are very good too.

What awards have you earned for your work?

KB: I won the award last year for most outstanding TV lab student, which is where the teacher (Espey) picks one student from all the lab (first year) students.

AC: Last year at the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters awards, I won second place with Brian Weinheimer(’07) in basketball play-by-play on the radio. I also won first place for a sportscast I did. Inside the school last year, I won the sports broadcaster of the year for WHJE.

What’s the best part of being an announcer?

KB: Well, obviously the chance to be on local cable TV multiple times every week since the games are aired more than once.

AC: The best part in my mind is that it’s fun. What can be better than talking about the game while it’s going on? You go to many games and meet many people. We are both fans too.

Do you plan on competing in the contests this year?

KB: Yeah, I’m planning to attend the State competition for broadcasting with Andrew. Johnny Mangano (’07) and Craig Lyon (’07) won the last two years.

Is it tough to follow in their footsteps?

KB: A little when I think of all they accomplished and how great they were, but when I’m announcing I don’t think too hard, I just think football. I do think it is an honor to have the same position they had after they graduated. They were great at this. You don’t know how many of their games I watched so I could learn from them.

Why did you decide to get involved in CHTV?

AC: I decided to get involved in CHTV because of the fact I do have such a love for broadcasting. I read the description about the class and heard stories from past students who had taken it and it sounded neat to me. I got involved at WHJE for the same reason.

What does the Advanced Communications class do differently than the other ones?

AC: We are the ones who make a lot more productions than the other classes. For example, we film shows with Superintendent Barbara Underwood and Principal John Williams. We also produce the “Sports Edge” show and put together the “Greyhound Memories” video.

What’s the toughest part of the job?

KB: Well, at first it was thinking so quickly about what to say without sounding redundant. It’s a lot harder of a job than people realize. A lot of people think that if you just know a lot about a sport that it is easy, but that’s not quite it. Obviously that is important, but to think that quickly and analyze the game as it is happening is difficult as well. However, those things come easier with practice. I would say it is equally tough to research all the teams especially all the MIC teams. It’s not like professional sports or colleges who have Web sites all over and statistics on the Internet, newspaper and in books. I have to find the stats either in the Indy Star or online. It’s hard enough to find the starting lineups. When I get the roster, I compile the numbers from all the games to get season stats. I try to stay up to date with all the MIC teams, but that’s eight teams and it’s a lot of work. There is so much work that goes on before the game itself.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you when you were on the air?

AC: Well, there’s been a couple of things and those probably involve seeing some things in the crowd that are pretty funny. It’s hard to control your laughter sometimes. Also, when either you or your partner mispronounces a word badly, it’s hard not to laugh.

Why did you decide to broadcast and/or get involved in television?

KB: Well, I love sports. I still play and I’ve always seen a possibility of a career related to sports for me. I mean I’ve never been good enough to consider getting into pro sports, so this seems like a really cool alternative. That’s why I decided to take TV. It was pretty much a flip of a coin as to TV or radio; I just wanted to broadcast. This way I get a head start if I decide to go to college for broadcasting because hardly any high schools, even in the whole country, have their own cable TV station. It’s just another great benefit of a huge school.

Do you think you would like to work on television when you’re an adult?

KB: I’m not really sure. As I mentioned the thought has come to my mind many times. I think it would be a great career. However, that being said, I have also considered doing statistics with sports or working for a church as a youth director. My faith has always been the most important thing so I’ll continue to pray and see if God leads me to sports broadcasting.

AC: Without question. Ever since I was kid, I had this dream to do play-by-play at major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series, Indianapolis 500, etc. on a network like ESPN or CBS. It’s one of the goals I have set for myself to work on. Announcing in high school already has been amazing and has given me a taste of what hopefully is still to come for me one day.

Bigger school, better opportunity

By: Jaclyn Chen <jchen@hilite.org>

Ridiculous.

That’s the word that senior J.C. Pankratz uses when she describes her home-base at school, the performing arts department. Describing in terms of resources, that is.
“It is kind of ridiculous when you think about what we have,” Pankratz said. “I mean, just think about it.”

And so I took her advice and brainstormed a bit: the multiple stages, the extensive backstage, the shop where the technical crew builds the set, the costume shop that houses all the sparkly outfits that probably clothed the Ambassadors in 1976… the list just goes on and on, and those are just the resources that I, a non-drama student, am privy to.

Pankratz said, “The resources that we have access to are just so extensive – most people don’t understand. We are so blessed to have all these things.”

A member of several clubs and organizations, she is active in the drama productions, both behind-the-scenes and on stage. This fall, she is testing her directing skills with the Studio One Acts. In addition to theater, she is involved in speech team, WRAP, Amnesty International and SAGE; those are just her “main” activities, as if to say there are more she did not name.

“I guess all of those interests are creative outlets,” Pankratz said. “You don’t really get time during academic classes to be creative.”

Opportunities like the creative ones presented to Pankratz best showcase our school’s increasing population. The 2007-08 school year’s enrollment is up by about 150 students in comparison to last. According to a February demographic study, the school population should level and start its decrease by the 2011-12 school year.

Many students complain about the congestion in the hallways, and while that is a valid concern, the upside outweighs those temporary moments of discomfort. Invasion of personal bubble aside, the overall increase in students equals an increase in resources and programs available to us.

Only at Carmel can students find eight different languages, 86 IHSAA State championships (the second closest is North Central with 55), a shop class that builds an entire house on campus and clubs that sprout by the minute. Only at Carmel can students access computer labs in every single department, not to mention the computers available in many classrooms, student-directed radio and TV stations and high-tech projection equipment in the Freshman Center.

Our school, which is the size of a small college, allows students to pursue nearly any interest possible outside of academics. We’ve all heard the speech about how easy it is to join a club or form one if there isn’t one palatable for a certain interest. For Pankratz, she said her extracurricular activities allow her to explore her interest in creative writing, something she hopes to pursue in college.

“You’re not really ever creative in, say, a science class. (The clubs that I’m involved in) are good ways to open up and let forth what (I) have inside,” Pankratz said.

Another resource is the pool of faculty members who contribute their own talents and interests, Pankratz said. She said that, for example, she credits much of the operations and continuity year after year of WRAP to Connie Mitchell, sponsor and media specialist. “It’s hard to find teachers who are so passionate about what they’re not paid to do. Without Mrs. Mitchell to sponsor WRAP, we wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things,” Pankratz said.

This is not to say that no sour grapes exist, but size is definitely not one of them. The size of our school allows for the best athletes to compete on the fields, a plethora of resources to fund almost any activity and a diverse student population not duplicated anywhere else in the state.

For college preparation, a large size is also ideal. Carmel sits on 55 acres of land, so come college time, there won’t be any freak-outs or complaints that one has to walk more than 100 feet to get to class or that a lecture has more than 20 people enrolled. Imagine what our school would be like if Carmel was a normal high school and half its size: students could only learn from half of the faculty members established here, athletes would not be able to access programs that might otherwise be currently available. There is much more to gain from size than to lose.

Let’s let our size speak for itself, and explore the resources that Carmel has to offer.

When gossip gets sticky

By: Bennett Fuson <bfuson@hilite.org>

Gossip: the fastest news syndication system around. It spreads like wildfire and delivers the “make-or-break” dirty details about various people. But gossip chooses to dominate girl culture and stay away from men’s lives. Or so I thought.

I play football for this school, and there are two words that are more profane than that word like “fire truck,” but missing some middle letters: staph infection. Staph infection is a skin irritation marked by little red bumps that turn into pus-like sores that plague athletic teams and can sideline whoever it happens to touch, be it the best varsity or worst junior varsity player. Tri-West High School in Hendricks County had to forfeit their game against South Putnam High School because most of Tri-West’s players had staph infection.

Staph infection spreads two ways: human contact, and not washing our uniforms. The latter is easily preventable, yet due to the lazy, apathetic attitude players have, uniforms don’t get cleaned as often as they should and the infestation begins. Having staph infection is like being that kid in third grade with the really geeky sweater. You just don’t want to be him.

Right before the first game of the season, I started to notice a few little red bumps on my knee. I was unfortunate enough to contract staph infection last year during a massive outbreak and knew the signs. Not wanting to put any of my teammates or myself at risk, I sought help from the training staff, got it medicated and bandaged, and went on my way. The little red bumps, fortunately, never evolved into staph.

Happy ending, right? Oh no, my friends, the story hasn’t begun yet.

A week later, my teammate started getting red bumps up and down his arm. A lot of them. Two other players also started showing signs that they were infected.

This should have had no effect on me. I had prevented my outbreak, and by doing so, I figured that it had been contained. I hadn’t touched anyone, especially making contact between my knee and their arms. But two of the players that contracted the infection had lockers next to mine.

Naturally, my two locker-neighbors and teammates were upset. Both infected players had to sit out one practice and make hasty appointments to visit doctors in order to find treatment. But, as human nature intends them to do, they did not think they caused the problem.

I don’t know which one started talking, due to many less-than-accurate accounts, but one of these two teammates started saying I was the reason he contracted staph infection. He probably meant no harm; frustration can get to the best of men. Regardless, though, his one statement started a ripple effect. The day after he found out he had staph, I began to receive a bombardment of inquiries by other teammates. Some were sympathetic or questioning, others were rather opinionated statements that involved me staying a certain distance from them. In short, I became ground zero, the breeding ground of the infection that I had tried so hard to avoid.

I was shocked. It was as though the football field had become the women’s restroom during a passing period, judging by the level of whispered conversations and dirty looks. Out of all people, surely football players would be above petty gossip. Seeing to the fact that we had more important things to worry about, wasn’t it kind of juvenile and “girly” to be gossiping over who may or may not have a case of staph infection?

While my time spent as a gossip subject didn’t last long, it opened my eyes to what other people have to deal with everyday.

It’s not that gossip is a bad thing on the whole. Some gossip could possibly help in the long run (the kids from “Laguna Beach” taught me that), and Lord knows it can sell a lot of magazines.

But gossip here is used too much, too often and too out of context. As interested as I am to know who hooked up with who every five-ish minutes (I’m kidding, by the way), enough is enough. While there might be a small percent of gossip that has done good in this world, the rest of it is just wasted breath.

Being the center of attention is not always a good thing, especially if it’s for something bad that you might not have done. Sure it might be fun to talk about someone, especially about the shortcomings of that person; it’s only human. But it should still be avoided, since that type of conversation can lead to the downfall of that person’s reputation.

So here’s my advice, in the infinite wisdom that I imagine I possess. Do what your mom told you when you were five: “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Stay classy, Friday through Wednesday

By: Dan Frascella

I’m sure that by this time in the school year, almost everyone has heard the announcements from Mr. Newton that “Operation Cover-up” is about to hit the student body with full force. I have heard oodles of complaints regarding dress code slips or trips to the Dean’s office. However, I truly feel as though the administration is doing the students a great service by cracking down on inappropriate dress. The new efforts at CHS to enforce the dress code should be seen not as an attempt to subdue our freedoms as students, but as a way to preserve pride in ourselves and in our school.

Last Sunday, my family drove to Bloomington to visit my cousin from Rhode Island, now a freshman at IU. As I waited for her outside the McNutt Quad, I was appalled by the students’ absolute disregard for outward appearance. One girl was walking around (in public) with pajama pants and a ratty old T-shirt with a vodka advertisement. Almost every male wore a backwards baseball cap, blaringly saggy shorts, and a T-shirt that I wouldn’t touch with a six-foot rod, for fear of contracting Polio. As I watched in horror the throngs of students who looked like mops, I thought to myself, “Is this the image our generation will carry into adulthood?”

Hopefully not, and that is why “Operation Cover-up” should be seen as just one small step in promoting the decency and dignity of 21th century teens.

Certainly, I am not the only one who has caught on to the serious slob-fashion epidemic plaguing young people today. A recent act by the IPS School Board has implemented a stringent dress code for students, requiring them to wear collared shirts, dark slacks, belts, and proper shoes, with the intention of projecting a better image to the community, reducing distractions, and preparing students for situations later in life, such as interviews or meetings. According to the superintendent, the movement has been relatively successful thus far, and I have a feeling that “Cover-up” will produce similar results at Carmel.

With this said, you may have noticed a group of students, myself included, who participate in a weekly tribute to the noble ideals of respectful fashion, called “Stay Classy Thursday.” Conceived in the fall of last school year, the movement to promote pride in CHS and in our generation has grown from a small circle of my friends to a regular weekly following of about twenty people. I would strongly encourage everyone to take part in this weekly statement to society by wearing formal clothing to school on Thursdays. Although we learn to not judge a book by its cover, people do perceive what we wear as indicators of our values and personalities. I challenge you to join us, and I guarantee you’ll be surprised at the positive response. By taking one day out of the week to spruce up and put on a tie or a dress, our generation can improve our image in the eyes of the community and feel better about ourselves as well.

Picture our generation in about twenty years. We will be CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. We will be school principals or teachers. We will occupy high positions in the U.S. government. Can you imagine what our world would look like if all these people wore hooded sweatshirts and an old pair of jeans to work? Have you ever seen Bill Gates in a Corona Light T-shirt? Didn’t think so. It’s time for our generation to get serious about the image we project to everyone by how we dress, and “staying classy” on Thursdays is a great place to start.

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Cross Country State Meet - VICTORIOUS RUN: In Head Coach Chuck Koeppen's final season, the men's and women's cross-country capture both State titles, sending him off as a winner. NICK JOHNSON / PHOTOS

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