Rocketry and Aviation Club prepares for national contest
May 1, 2008
By: Nicole Buchanan <nbuchanan@hilite.org>
Recently, the Rocketry and Aviation Club members have continued to prepare for their next trip. The trip to the National Rocketry Contest takes place on May 17. May is the last month the club will have a chance to make any last minute adjustments to the rocket before the contest.
The club will travel to The Plains, VA for the contest, sponsored by the Aerospace International Association. However, club sponsor Tom Maxam said, “We are just getting started.”
The contest requires that the club build a one-stage rocket, which is the simplest rocket to make. It must lift two raw eggs up in the air, and it must stay in the air for 45 seconds.
The rocket must reach at least 750 feet. If the club happens to win the contest, they will win a share of the $60,000 among the other 100 winning teams. This event will be the wrap-up for the club.
Spring concert features senior solo
April 29, 2008
By: Min Qiao <mqiao@hilite.org>
After concluding its competition season at ISSMA, the orchestra will end the year with their annual spring concert.
According to Gizele Rubeiz, member of the Camerata orchestra and senior, this concert will feature all of the orchestras and will be held in the Dale E. Auditorium on May 15. This will also be a “senior night” for the orchestra.
“The senior line up on stage, they say where they are going, (and) they get their flowers,” Rubeiz said. “It’s just a way of recognizing the seniors.”
Orchestra director Rachel Tookolo said that in addition to honoring the seniors, there will also be a banquet on May 19 awarding the individual players with outstanding achievements.
Specific numbers for the concert are not yet decided, but Tookolo said that each orchestra will play about two or three songs, one of which will be from their ISSMA competition set. The Symphony orchestra will be playing some of the music they recycled, and in addition they will also feature three senior violinists.
“We will be featuring (senior) Erica Ting. She is going to be soloing on a violin concerto, and the whole orchestra will be accompanying her,” Rubeiz said. “It’s going to be amazing; she’s a very talented violinist.”
Additionally, Rubeiz said that she and senior Andrew Bloom will be featured in a double violin concerto by Antonio Vivaldi.
“I’ve gained so much from (being in orchestra). I’ve met so many new people, made new friends and bonded with them. We’ve had so many great times, and it’s the little moments that I am really going to take away with me.” Rubeiz said.
Tookolo said, “This has been a really good year. We tried a lot of new things this year, and this is our first year back at ISSMA. I am looking forward to next year. Trip year!”
Come and meet those dancing feet
April 29, 2008
By: Maria Lamagna <mlamagna@hilite.org>
The performing arts department will present its production of “42nd Street” starting next Thursday. Featuring tap dancing and traditional Broadway style, the show will diverge from the fairy tales presented over the past several years and return to Broadway basics.
Director Lamonte Kuskye said, “It is the epitome of what people think of as a Broadway show…the essence of musical comedy, very light-hearted and fun.”
This year, the musical differs from recent productions due to its ensemble tap routines and emphasis on dance. Kuskye said that before the show even began, many prospective performers signed up for after-school tap classes or participated in student-run tap workshops during SRT.
Senior Taylor Bossung will play Julian Marsh, a leading role in the production. He said that he feels the transition to a traditional show this year was a positive one.
“I think it’s just time for a change,” he said. “We kind of moved from Disney to get a better variety of productions.”
Bossung said he thinks the show will still engage a younger audience, similar to the fairy tales of the past several years.
“It doesn’t have all of the more ‘fantastic’ elements that the other shows had. But it’s a classic story that has held its own since it appeared on Broadway,” he said.
Opening night is May 8, and the show will continue until May 11. As of press deadline on Monday, many seats are still available for each show. Students may buy them in the bookstore for $15, $12, $10 or $8 depending on the location in the auditorium.
According to Kuskye, over 100 students auditioned for the musical. Though most were involved in choir, it was not a requirement.
They went through an audition process which included singing a selection from the show and performing a dance audition. The directors then invited some students back to read scenes from the show to potentially cast them in leading roles. The result was a talented cast of over 40 students.
Senior Katie Mazzini will play Maggie Jones, a leading role in the show.
She said, “It’s probably the best mix of talent we’ve had in a while. All around, the dancing, the singing, everything. The set is going to be really cool too.”
Both Kuskye and Bossung said that the cast has been focused during rehearsals. “Now that the Ambassador competition show is all over, we know this is our one goal for the end of the year,” Bossung said.
Kuskye said much of his enthusiasm for the show stems from the cast’s dance talent.
“There aren’t a lot of tap shows that people can see,” he said. “To see high school kids that can sing and dance at this level, it’s amazing.”
Election to shake up school board, two seats up for vote on Tuesday
April 29, 2008
By: Grace Baranowski and John Shi <gbaranowski@hilite.org, jshi@hilite.org>
On Tuesday, the names of the seven candidates for the Carmel Clay School Board will appear on the Indiana primary ballot, along with the names of the presidential candidates (though voting-age Carmel Clay residents can opt to vote only for the school board).
The school board election is given through the Hamilton County Board, according to Superintendent of schools Barbara Underwood, and they generally know the results that evening. The candidates take their positions on July 1.
The seven members seek to fill two seats on the school board in this election held every two years. On alternating elections, according to Underwood, either two or three board seats are elected. According to Joseph Miller, secretary of the board of trustees and school board member, elections are staggered in order to prevent the complications that would arise should the entire school board change hands at once.
Underwood said, “The issues may or may not change because three members continue to serve. The majority won’t change.”
However, the policies examined on the board are “truly dependent on who is elected and what issues they want to address,” according to Underwood.
Miller said he is up for re-election, since it is the end of his four-year term. Campaigning as the experienced candidate, Miller said that although there is always speculation that the election will be easier for an incumbent, he doesn’t “take (the election) for granted at all.” But according to Underwood, a candidate running for a second time is a “fairly common occurance even though last time it didn’t happen.”
As a superintendent in her eighth year, this 2008 school board election is “either the third or fourth” for Underwood. She said she doesn’t involve herself, though. “The school board supervises me; that’s why I don’t get involved,” she said. “I have five bosses, and every two years they change.”
Senior J.C. Pankratz’s mother, English teacher Sherri Pankratz, was the campaign manager for the last school board election. According to J.C., her mother managed the campaigns of Bruce Calabrese, Stephen Backer and Greg Philips, all of whom ran together.
J.C. said, “I remember when the school board members won. I came home from rehearsal for the musical, and I called my mom because I heard that we had won, and she was hoarse from crying because she was just that happy. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment because she had worked so hard, and she was so happy.”
Underwood said she also finds significance in the school board elections. She said, “This is pretty important.” She also said that she hopes that the people who vote do so with knowledge of the candidates.
But to Underwood, fulfilling community obligations on the school board is also a valuable undertaking. “Serving as a member of a school board is one of the best service contributions someone can make to their school board.”
Administration changes
April 29, 2008
By: Michael Wang <mwang@hilite.org>
Starting on July 1, several administrative changes will occur here because Assistant Principals John Abell and Bob Grenda are retiring. According to Assistant Principal Kathy Luessow, there are eight assistant principals currently. John Abell, John Newton, Ronda Eshleman and Luessow are 12-month assistant principals while Bob Grenda, Amy Skeens-Benton, Doug Bird and Kerry Hoffman are 10-month assistant principals.
Luessow said, “The way it is set up, each of the four 12-month assistant principals (has) a 10-month assistant principal working with them.”
Under the current system, according to Luessow, she works with Grenda, Newton works with Skeens-Benton, Eshleman works with Hoffman and Abell works with Bird. Next year, though, as a result of Abell and Grenda’s retirements, Luessow will move to Abell’s position and Skeens-Benton will transition to Luessow’s position. These moves, however, still leave two vacancies for two 10-month assistant principal positions. One of those positions is already filled by newly-hired Kevin Gallman, and the other position was scheduled to be announced at Monday’s school board meeting, which occurred after press deadline.
According to Skeens-Benton, she, Luessow and the two new administrators were chosen through a process of resumes, applications and interviews. She said that the candidates first went to four separate groups which interviewed them. Then, if they were selected, Principal John Williams interviewed them. After that, they went over to the central office where the central office staff interviewed them and forwarded their names on for school board approval.
As a result of the administrative changes, Luessow will now be in charge of buildings and grounds, which is anything that has to do with the facility, and also scheduling, a job she currently does. Eshleman and Hoffman will still be in charge of the school’s curriculum, and Newton will still be in charge of student services. Next year, Skeens-Benton will be in charge of anything related with the Freshman Center as well as keeping her current job working with student activities, and Bird will still be in charge of attendance.
Because there will be a number of administrative changes, there will also be room changes to accomodate. According to Luessow, Skeens-Benton will move into Luessow’s office, Luessow will move into Hoffman’s office and Hoffman will then move into Abell’s office.
As a result of these changes, Skeens-Benton said the incoming freshmen will be more connected to this school.
She said, “I think (by) tying in freshman activities with the Freshman Center, we will hopefully get a lot more freshmen involved and connected with (this school), and that is a big goal and just to make the transition and connection to (this school) even better.
Sophomore Shataakshi Dube said, “I think that all our administrators would be good no matter what position they take, and I am sure that the school has thought a lot about the decisions that they are making. So I think the administration will be in good hands, and it will be an overall positive change for the school. So overall I don’t think we will really notice the change if the transition is smooth.”
Luessow said, “There will be some shifting around. I bet it will take a little while for (the administrators) to get accustomed because it is a lot. I love what I do. I really do love my job, (and) it has been a great opportunity for me.”
Elections officials enact new policies
April 29, 2008
By: Michael Wang and Lexi Muir <mwang@hilite.org, lmuir@hilite.org>
For sophomore Adam Burns, his dreams of becoming Junior Class vice president are finally within reach because the elections for class officer and Senate begin next Tuesday and end on May 9. Burns said, “I really just wanted to get more involved in school. I have good leadership skills. I like getting involved and I like to think that I am a good person. I would love to get people to vote for me and win.”
Despite the excitement from possible candidates, like Burns, who are eager to begin campaigning, according to Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton, who has been in charge of student elections for two years, there have been several new policies implemented this year, which, including the upcoming class officer and Senate election also applied to last week’s Student Body President and Speaker of the House elections. Skeens-Benton mentioned these new policies to the candidates at a mandatory meeting on April 2.
She said candidates running for Student Body President and Speaker of the House could not spend any more than $150 for campaign materials and candidates running for class officer and Senate cannot spend any more than $75. According to her, this budget limit was enforced this year because in past years some candidates have spent lavish amounts of money on campaigning. After the election ends, she said all candidates, including the ones who did not win, will have to turn in a budget form to verify they adhered to the new policy. If a candidate wins but didn’t adhere to this new policy, Skeens-Benton said, “We may have to go with the next candidate.”
In addition to the new budget limit, students could only campaign beginning on April 21 if they were running for Student Body President or Speaker of the House and can start this Tuesday if they plan to run for a class officer or Senate position. Ways to campaign include T-shirts, posters, fliers, Internet, candy and freebies.
Under the new restrictions, according to Skeens-Benton, the Internet would be the best and easiest way to campaign.
Though some candidates have already made support groups on Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, Skeens-Benton said those new groups need to stay inactive until campaigning officially begins, which was agreed upon by all the candidates at the April 2 mandatory meeting. She said, “(Students) have already set up pages. We had to get people to agree that they didn’t have to put down the site but it had do be inactive for right now. Then they can reactivate it at the time of campaigning. You cannot be sending (any messages) out.”
Despite the new policies this year in regards to elections, Skeens-Benton said the voting process will remain the same.
In order to be eligible to run for class officer and Senate, candidates need to turn in their forms by tomorrow. Skeens-Benton said she will tell candidates who the class officers and Senate members are on May 9, and winners will be announced to the school on May 12.
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