In the aftermath of Gen.

David Petraeus’ extramarital

affairs, President Obama

named John Brennan as the

new Director of the Central

Intelligence Agency.

Brennan has worked at the

CIA for 25 years and is, in

President Obama’s words,

“one of the hardest working

civil servants I’ve ever

known.”

Since 2009, Brennan has

served as the President’s Ad-

visor for Counterterrorism

and Homeland Security. He

is noted for his role in the

campaign of unmanned drone

strikes against key al Qaeda

operatives in Pakistan and

Yemen.

The drone campaign itself

has drawn immense contro-

versy and scrutiny from the

entire world, and certainly

from citizens and political

figures in Pakistan, who as-

sert that the drones may be

responsible for civilian

deaths.

In contrast, Yemeni Presi-

dent Abed Rabbo Mansour

Hadi expressed his support of

the CIA drone strikes in an

interview with the Washing-

ton Post. He acknowledged

their precision and reliability

in eliminating threats, saying

“The drone technologically is

more advanced than the hu-

man brain.”

Framed by this informa-

tion, it is unsurprising that

CIA drone attacks have been

occurring less frequently in

Pakistan and more frequently

in Yemen. However, as a

CNN report suggests, the

declining anti-terrorist activ-

ity in Pakistan may be be-

cause they have nearly been

hunted to extinction.

The report says “at least 36

militant leaders have been

reported killed by drones in

Pakistan since Obama took

office.” Keep in mind that it

was John Brennan overseeing

the drone campaign from the

White House’s perspective

that whole time.

Brennan’s role in the

United States’ national secu-

rity is undeniably important,

but already controversy is

building around his appoint-

ment to an even more power-

ful role in potential drone

campaigns. For example,

some citizens in Yemen have

protested a drone strike that

allegedly killed seven civil-

ians.

In fact, American human

rights groups have also pro-

tested some of the drone at-

tacks. A major player in al

Qaeda named Anwar al-

Awlaki was killed in a drone

strike, but so was his teenage

son.

Clearly there are viable

ethical questions raised by

pursuing this avenue toward

American security. Brennan

made his intentions and his

perspective on drone usage

clear last April: “[Never] be-

fore has there been a weapon

that allows us to distinguish

more effectively between an

al Qaeda terrorist and inno-

cent civilians.”

That is a stance that puts

American interests above all

others. Time will tell if it is

the right one.

Volume 46 Issue 5

February 2013

Freedom High School - 3149 Chester Avenue - Bethlehem, PA 18020 - www.fhsforum.com - @fhsforum

IINSIDENSIDE TTHISHIS IISSUESSUE

President Obama appoints new CIA director

By Bill Leeson

News Editor

Counterterrorism expert John Brennan is named CIA director.

Education in America:

a failing grade

It is no shocking fact that

the United States' education

system as a whole is lacking

from a global perspective in

some, if not many, areas.

However, to what extreme

should we be taking measures

to fix this? What measures

need to be taken in the first

place? Many educators and

students have their own opin-

ions, and agreeing upon any

specific set of variables is a

controversial task.

In 2010, former Chancellor

of D.C. public schools, Mi-

chelle Rhee, founded the non-

profit organization "Students

First" in order to advocate the

types of education policies

which she and many others

felt would improve the U.S.

school system insofar as their

growth and well-being on a

national level as well as their

competitiveness on a global

level. Each year the organiza-

tion gives every state a rank-

ing determined by how

closely their education system

compares to the Students First

platform by assigning grades

A through F.

The idealistic school system

for the "graders" at Students

First would be one that is

working to abolish or greatly

decrease the number of ten-

ured teachers and recognize

excellence in teachers, pro-

vides many schooling options

aside from public, such as

charter schools, and increases

parent awareness and involve-

ment.

(continued on page 2 -

EDUCATION)

“Students First” is trying to reform Ameri-

can education systems.

John B

rennan,

CIA

Dir

ecto

r

Clinton’s Blood Clot (p. 2)

Underage Drinking (p. 4)

Senioritis (p. 5)

Les Miserables Review (p. 10)

Superbowl Results (p. 11)

By Kate Dawson

Editorial Editor

U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. “At the edge of the fiscal cliff” article on page 2.

Students First, an independent

organization for reforming edu-

cation.

Photos courtesy of wikimedia.org

Students First gave a poor re-

view to American education

policies.

Q and A article about the

BASD mini-THON on page 9.

2 News The Forum February 2013

The Freedom Forum A Publication of

Freedom High School,

Bethlehem Area School District

3149 Chester Avenue

Bethlehem PA, 18020

(610)867-5843

www.fhsforum.com

Managing Editor of Print

Amanda Molinaro

Managing Editor of

Digital Media

Zachary Ward

News Editor

Bill Leeson

Editorial Editor

Kate Dawson

Pates’ Post Editor

Samantha Lutz

Entertainment Editor Kirat Randhawa

Sports Editor Greg Adams

Photo Editor

Trevor Watlington

Assistant Editors Kristen Dalton

Sabrina Castaneda

Faarah Ameerally

Adviser

Mrs. Karla Erdman

Principal Mr. Michael LaPorta

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy

For our editorial statement and

corrections policy, please go to

www.fhsforum.com/about.html

Follow us on Twitter, like us on

Facebook, and subscribe to our

YouTube channel!

http://fb.fhsforum.com

@fhsforum, #fhsforum

fhsforum@gmail.com

Upcoming Events At the edge of the fiscal cliff

As the Dec. 21 Armaged-

don doomsday passed with-

out disaster, another dooms-

day loomed on the horizon,

“Taxmageddon.”

More formally known as

the “fiscal cliff,” the first day

of this year would have

sparked a series of tax hikes

and deep budget cuts to many

federal programs that would

be altogether unfavorable if

Congress had not come to a

deal to organize the country’s

finances.

These drastic measures

were a mechanism put in

place two years ago at the

end of Congress’s debt-

ceiling crisis and were in-

tended to pressure the Con-

gress to compromise more

quickly upon a new budget

for the country. Indeed, the

consequences if they hadn’t

would have severely im-

pacted the fragile economy,

and many predicted that if the

country fell off the “cliff,” it

would once again be plunged

into a recession.

Dire the circumstances

were, however, the final

agreement was approved by

the Senate only hours before

their New Year’s Day dead-

line. The primary cause for

the delay was an inability for

the Republicans and Democ-

rats to come to a compro-

mise. Among the hotly con-

tested topics were renewing

tax cuts put in place by Presi-

dent Bush, repositioning the

debt ceiling, and allocating

money to various federal pro-

grams.

In the end, each political

party had to make conces-

sions. As per Republican

wishes, tax cuts were re-

newed permanently for most

Americans. However, those

earning $400,000 a year

would have their tax rate in-

creased from 35 percent to

39.6 percent, a proposal put

forth by President Obama.

Also in favor of the wishes of

the Democratic Party, unem-

ployment benefits were ex-

tended for a year. Other poli-

cies agreed upon include a 5-

year extension of tax breaks

for middle- and lower- in-

come Americans, a 9-month

bill extension for farms to

prevent an increase in milk

price, and an increase in es-

tate taxes from 35 percent to

40 percent, excluding the first

$5 million.

While many compromises

were made and several budg-

etary issues dealt with, sev-

eral large issues were alto-

gether left out. Resolving the

scheduled spending cuts, for

example, has been put off for

two more months during

which the debt-ceiling must

also be dealt with. It was a

close call, avoiding the ma-

jority of the fiscal cliff dan-

gers. However, when the new

Congress convenes, they will

have an equally difficult task,

and hopefully can come to a

compromise with time to

spare.

By Tiana Van

The Freedom Forum

U. S. Congress makes last-minute economic decision.

Bethlehem Area

School District Mini-

THON:

April 27, 2013

at

LHS Memorial Gym

Hillary Clinton: on the road to recovery

On Dec. 17 Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton fainted

after becoming dehydrated

and suffered a concussion

from the fall. The dehydra-

tion was most likely caused

from a stomach virus Clinton

was battling.

Fortunately, the doctor’s

examination of Clinton’s con-

cussion allowed them to dis-

cover a more serious matter

rather than let it go unno-

ticed. Clinton was diagnosed

with cerebral venous throm-

bosis. Cerebral venous

thrombosis is described as a

blood clot on the right trans-

verse venous sinus, which is

found on the occipital lobe,

or lower back on the brain.

The transverse venous sinus

allows the brain to drain

blood, and could be life

threatening if not treated im-

mediately. It is possible to

recover with the correct treat-

ment.

In Clinton’s case, she was

promptly put on blood thin-

ners after her neurologists

discovered the clot from her

concussion examination,

which dramatically improved

her prognosis. Her doctor

also observed how the blood

clot could have easily trans-

formed into a brain hemor-

rhage or stroke, which could

have been fatal. Clinton left

Columbia Presbyterian Hos-

pital on Jan. 2.

Normally this blood clot is

not formed from a skull frac-

ture, and made Clinton’s doc-

tor question her clotting

situation. In addition to her

current blood clot, Clinton

also suffered from a deep

vein thrombosis in Sep. 1998,

which could be related to clot

predisposition. The previous

and present blood clot will

definitely convince Clinton’s

doctors to evaluate her for

hypercoagulability, which is

defined by an abnormality of

having a tendency to form

blood clots. Though, the test

for hypercoagulability cannot

be completed until Clinton is

completely off Coumadin, an

anticoagulant that prevents

blood clots from forming.

On Jan. 27, Clinton ap-

peared on CBS’s “60 Min-

utes” where she answered a

few questions about her

blood clot and her status for

the 2016 election she was

previously planning on bid-

ding for. Clinton responded

to a question about running

with “I really don’t believe

that is something I would do

again.” This comment disre-

gards her initial plan for the

2016 election, which defi-

nitely could have been final-

ized with her recent health

conditions. Clinton also con-

firmed that her health issues

will recede, but explained

that she is wearing glasses

because of “lingering effects”

from the concussion and

blood thinners.

By Noah Gonzalez

The Freedom Forum

Rumors of Clinton’s 2016 campaign bid are quieted due to fall.

Hillary Clinton at a press conference.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org

(continued from page 1 -

EDUCATION)

According to the website,

StudentsFirst.org, the concept

is laid out as such in their

mission statement: "Together,

we'll demand that legislators,

courts, district administrators,

and school boards create and

enforce policies that put stu-

dents first. We'll make sure

politicians and administrators

recognize and reward excel-

lent teachers, give novice

teachers the training they

need, and quickly improve or

remove ineffective educators.

We'll work to ensure that

every family has a number of

options for excellent schools

to attend..."

Not many people would

argue with these proposals,

but with the extremely low

ratings given this past year, it

is apparent that Students First

might be setting some un-

reachable standards.

If a photo credit is not

present, the graphic is

credited to Microsoft

Office ClipArt.

FHSTC Production

Les Misérables

April 4-7

Editorials 3 The Forum February 2013

As you may know, what

is now a winter formal here

at Freedom was originally

going to be a Sadie Haw-

kins dance, which has its

roots in a comic from 1937

in which an undesirable

woman declared a holiday

in which whomever she

caught in a race was to be

her spouse.

The Sadie Hawkins

dance often brings up a

discussion of gender roles

in society. That is certainly

a conversation worth hav-

ing, but in this article I am

going to focus more on

sexism as a whole and how

it could feed into gender

roles.

Women have come a

very long way since the

1930’s. They can now oc-

cupy front-line combat

roles, and the number of

females in college actually

outnumbers that of males.

Negative preconceptions

about women are especially

prevalent concerning edu-

cation. Every student, at

one point or another, has

heard that males are better

at math and science while

females are better at the

humanities and dealing

with feelings.

How wrong is this? Let

me count the ways.

You see, multiple stud-

ies have been done by sci-

entists and universities that

debunk these myths.

In one study, males and

females went into separate

rooms and were asked to

evaluate the emotions of

the face that was shown on

the screen. Originally, the

females did much better

than the males, but when

the males were offered

money for correct answers,

their scores ended up

matching that of

females.

It was con-

cluded that the

females origi-

nally did better

because attention

to emotion is

what society ex-

pects from fe-

males.

In another study, males

and females in multiple

high-level math classes

were asked to take a stan-

dardized test. On one ver-

sion of the test, the students

were asked to identify their

gender beforehand. On the

other, the students were

not.

The males outperformed

the females in the class-

rooms where the females

had to remind themselves

of their gender and the pre-

conceptions that come with

it. In the classrooms where

the students did not have to

mark their gender, the fe-

males and males performed

equally.

It was concluded that

the labeling of themselves

as “female” dredged up

stereotypes concerning

women and math, causing

females to do worse on the

test.

There is much more to

write on the subject of sex-

ism, and I have barely even

scratched the surface, but

the message I want to get

across is very simple.

Ladies, don’t let what

people tell you about your

gender stop you from suc-

ceeding. People have the

capacity to be very igno-

rant. Gentlemen, instead of

spending your time making

kitchen jokes I suggest you

take the time to work

through your prejudices.

If you’re interested in

reading more about gender

myths, I would recommend

checking out “Delusions of

Gender” by Cordelia Fine.

By Sabrina Castaneda

Editorial Asst. Editor

Is Advanced Placement worth it?

Juniors, seniors, and

maybe a few sophomores:

you can skip finals for the

small fee of $89 per sub-

ject. Interested? Me too.

All you have to do is take

a much more rigorous

course than you’re used to

with unforgiving nationally

enforced standards. Also, if

you don’t want that $89 to

go to waste, you’d better

do well.

I think it’s a good deal,

but I’m not too concerned

with skipping a final, con-

sidering I’ll have to take

the AP test in its place any-

way. I’m focused on the

big picture. I take Ad-

vanced Placement classes

because I want to give col-

leges all the help they need

in seeing how “dedicated,

academically proficient,

and mature” I am.

I probably ripped that

awkward quote from the

course description of one

of the eight AP classes I’ve

taken at Freedom. These

Collegeboard people aren’t

kidding when they say only

skilled students should take

t h e s e

classes. No,

they are not

for every-

one. No,

they not

easy. They

are not designed to be easy.

How else would they be

able to sell those “5 Easy

Steps to AP Success”

books?

In fact, it was Mrs. Jenni-

fer Cierech’s introductory

spiel at the start of this se-

mester that piqued my in-

terest in who exactly

should be taking AP

classes such as hers, Span-

ish.

Mrs. Cierech told me that

AP success “depends on an

individual’s ability.” No

surprises there, but it’s still

reassuring to know that you

control your own destiny in

these classes.

She also reaffirmed that

the monetary cost is abso-

lutely worth it because

most colleges will waive

certain freshman-year

courses if you have the

proper AP record. Again,

I’ve taken eight AP classes;

I’ll get college credit for at

least five, depending on

where I go. That’s almost a

semester of college classes

that I will not have to pay

for.

That’s because I have the

proper AP record. I won’t

count my chickens though

– AP Spanish and AP Eng-

lish are still in progress for

me. I can already tell that

Spanish will be a demand-

ing course, even compared

to other AP classes.

There’s a reason for that.

Mrs. Cynthia Baylis, also

a Spanish teacher, ex-

plained that upper-level

Spanish courses have the

potential to be more diffi-

cult relative to other classes

because Spanish, or any

foreign language really,

relies on the previous

year’s knowledge even

more than other subjects. In

other words, my experience

with AP Spanish actually

began way back at East

Hills with Spanish 1.

Mrs. Baylis told me that

there are efforts to reorgan-

ize the entire Spanish cur-

riculum across all levels,

and that “it’s a work in pro-

gress.”

The point of my little

anecdote is that there is

overwhelming evidence

these AP courses are no

joke. There is a very real

possibility that I could

hand Collegeboard my $89

just to receive an inade-

quate score on their test. If

that happens, when I take

another language class in

college, at least I’ll be

heavily prepared for it.

My advice to anyone who

doubts their ability to han-

dle a difficult class is this:

handle it. Colleges want to

see your academic profi-

ciency and you want to

save money, and AP

classes are a gateway to

both.

By Bill Leeson

News Editor

…Is that a serious question?

Mass shootings have devastated

Americans and have taken away

innocent lives for far too long.

The question is: What will fix

this prevalent and growing prob-

lem in American culture? Since

taking away an American’s right

to self defense is against the sec-

ond amendment, what can we

expect from the government?

The solution being discussed in

Congress has been “stricter gun

control.” Since 80 million Ameri-

cans own guns, simply taking

them away wouldn’t be very real-

istic. The stricter gun control

laws being discussed involve

making gun availability much

more scarce and implementing a

stricter process in order to obtain

a weapon. In order to obtain a

weapon, an individual would

need multiple mental tests done,

and the knowledge that this per-

son owns a gun would have to be

easily accessible.

With shootings occupying half

of our morning news and with the

recent mass shooting in New-

town, Connecticut where inno-

cent young children lost their

lives, it is a clear concern and not

many people can argue against

stringent gun control. Both Great

Britain and Australia, for exam-

ple, have banned any sort of gun

ownership. Officials in Australia

wanted to prevent mass shootings

that were taking place constantly

in America. Prime Minister John

Howard commented after mass

shootings were becoming a popu-

lar trend in America that "we

took action to limit the availabil-

ity of guns, and we showed a na-

tional resolved that the gun cul-

ture that is such a negative in the

U.S. would never become a nega-

tive in our country."

(continued on page 4 - GUN

CONTROL)

Controlling the

Second

Amendment

By Kristen Dalton

News Asst. Editor

Mental test before gun

rights, or no guns at all?

All photos courtesy of ClipArt

Let’s talk about sex(ism), baby

Letter from the editor It is not surprising or un-

known to many people that

underage drinking occurs

often. In a country with the

highest drinking age in the

world, it is almost expected

that teenagers will rebel.

But, as the old saying goes,

“two wrongs don’t make a

right.” Simply because teen-

agers are willing to break the

laws and risk the conse-

quences of underage drinking

doesn’t mean their parents

should encourage or allow

these actions.

Freedom High School’s

principal, Mr. Michael La-

Porta, has written the follow-

ing article, “The Elephant in

the Room,” to bring his con-

cerns of underage drinking to

the attention of parents

throughout the Bethlehem

Area School District. This

article first appeared in a let-

ter from the Parent Teacher

Organization (PTO) of Free-

dom High School. The arti-

cle was later quoted and dis-

cussed in a recent publication

of The Express-Times and

many rumors of LaPorta’s

concerns have been milling

around the school and social

media websites.

Instead of reading this with

a biased opinion and assume

that your principal or your

child’s principal is simply

trying to crack down on an

issue that will never be

solved, open up your mind to

the possibility that you and

the people around you can

make a difference. Let’s

hope that addressing the

“elephant in the room” will

mark the start of that change.

By Amanda Molinaro

Managing Editor of Print

The elephant in the room

Recently I have had numer-

ous conversations about alco-

hol consumption and mari-

juana use with students

across the four grade levels at

Freedom High School. Simi-

larly, I have had these same

conversations with parents in

our community, staff mem-

bers of Freedom High

School, and administration

within the Liberty High

School community. The gen-

eral consensus is that these

behaviors are rampant, and it

is only a matter of time be-

fore our school communities

experience the catastrophic

loss of one of our students.

Additionally, many of these

conversations yielded the

unthinkable notion that some

parents, older siblings, and

older friends or relatives are

both the sources of alcohol

and providers of the locations

of these parties. Therefore, I

feel compelled to write this

article titled, “The Elephant

in the Room.”

Back in 1986, three years

into my teaching career, in

the area where I grew up, I

remember the tragic ending

of a Saucon Valley student’s

life that shocked the commu-

nity as he left an underage

drinking party late one night.

This young man was struck

by a car and eventually died

from his injuries. The days

following this most unfortu-

nate event revealed that the

victim was well over the le-

gal limit for alcohol con-

sumption. Additionally, it

was proven that the parent

and homeowner knowingly,

though reluctantly, supplied

the alcohol. In testimony at

the civil law suit, this home-

owner and parent stated that

he allowed the underage

party to occur because he

knew that his son would have

found another way to host a

party of this nature. The

moral of this story is to un-

derstand that as adults and

parents, we need to stand up

to our children and

say “NO” to these requests.

The consequences are huge

and life changing from a

negative standpoint.

One may say, “Mr. La-

Porta, that was over 25 years

ago.” Let me fast forward to

more recent times and look at

more unfortunate events. In a

nearby community in 2008, a

mother was arrested and

charged with supplying alco-

hol to 16 teenagers who were

also arrested in this situation.

She was eventually sent to

prison. In Palmer Township a

group of 16-year-old young-

sters decided to have a beer

party in a barn. Unfortu-

nately, this party got out of

control and the barn caught

fire and burned down. This

historic build-

ing needed to

be rebuilt. In

our own com-

muni ty of

B e t h l e h e m

Township, we

have had two incidents of

underage drinking leading to

injury and arrest over the past

couple of years. The first in-

cident had an adult purchas-

ing alcohol for a group of

Freedom students. These stu-

dents became intoxicated and

inappropriate pictures were

taken. The second incident

occurred in June 2010 result-

ing in a youngster being

stabbed. In all of these cases

adults provided alcohol,

these parties got out of con-

trol, the misfortune could

have been prevented, and

adults were sent to prison.

Again one may say, “Mr.

LaPorta, the aforementioned

events are only a few over a

period of time.” Now let me

share some of my conversa-

tions and experiences with

students and adults during

this school year. Over the last

three years we frequently

have had to invoke our ath-

letic code of conduct for stu-

dent athletes who have had

alcohol or drug related of-

fences. One conversation I

had with a parent shared with

me that his child was at a

party where the parents pro-

vided the alcohol for many

underage Freedom High

School students. Unfortu-

nately, this parent was very

uncomfortable and unwilling

to share names. Additionally,

these parents indicated they

did not want to call the po-

lice.

Another conversation was

with one parent who stated

his child was invited to a

party. This parent called the

host parents and asked if al-

c o h o l

would be

provided

to the

children.

The host

p a r e n t

stated there would be no al-

cohol, and adults would be

present. After the party con-

cluded, the student of the

parent with whom I was dis-

cussing the incident shared

that his child said the host

parents provided alcohol.

This parent became angry

and confronted the host par-

ent. The host parent’s re-

sponse amazes me to this

date. He said, “Get your head

out of the sand. All kids

drink. We were supervising

the party and nobody got out

of control.” Another conver-

sation with some students

indicated that there are a

number of students who

“pregame” before our sport-

ing events. These “pregame”

events are occurring in

homes where there are rang-

ing levels of supervision

from some to none. In an-

other conversation with some

of our un-

d e r c l a s s

s t u d e n t s ,

they asked

me if it

were possi-

ble to have

breathalyzers at the prom.

They stated they are con-

cerned with the amount of

drinking that is going on in

our community. They said

they are afraid somebody is

going to get hurt or worse.

To be quite honest with eve-

ryone, so am I.

As Principal of Freedom

High School and as a parent

of a Freedom High School

student, I feel compelled to

expose “The Elephant in the

Room.” I implore all of our

parents to use common sense,

good judgment, and be re-

sponsible parents to their

children and their guests. To

those who do, quit supplying

alcohol to kids! Please don’t

be that parent who says, “I

will collect all of your keys

and nothing will happen.”

That is what the Saucon Val-

ley family said back in 1986.

If you are planning to be

away from your home for an

extended period of time,

please have a plan of supervi-

sion for your children if you

are leaving them home alone.

Have the courage to stand up

to your children and

say “NO!” Nobody said par-

enting would be easy. This is

one of those

times. If you are

tempted to allow

an underage

drinking party,

please know you

run the risk of

destroying your family, the

families of others, going to

jail, and being sued.

One of my greatest fears is

of having to make that

dreaded morning announce-

ment on a morning that we

have lost one of our very

own. Please don’t be that

parent who contributed to the

need for me to make this an-

nouncement. If you are aware

of underage drinking, don’t

ignore it. If you are aware of

a child, perhaps your own,

who is having difficulty with

alcohol or drug use contact a

teacher, guidance counselor,

or building administrator. We

can get the Student Assis-

tance Program (SAP) in-

volved with your concern.

And to all of those elephants

that disagree with this article,

don’t become an ostrich and

get your head out of the sand.

Together as parents –

we can make a difference.

By Michael LaPorta

Freedom High School Principal

“In all of these

cases...misfortune could

have been prevented.”

“Together as parents

– we can make a

difference. “

(continued from page 3 -

GUN CONTROL)

European countries suffer

low crime rates because of

their restriction of fire arm

weapons. Though Americans

should be granted the right to

protect themselves in the cur-

rent culture and world we

live in, there is no legitimate

reason for everyone to own a

combat rifle that was origi-

nally created for mass de-

struction and for military

purposes.

The media also plays a key

role in shootings. Gun con-

trol is an ongoing and contro-

versial issue, but it should be

clear to every American that

something needs to be ad-

dressed especially with the

recent events such as New-

town, the movie theatre

shooting, and more.

4 Editorials The Forum February 2013

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Pates’ Post 5 The Forum February 2013

Stop slackin’, seniors!

“Because I’m a senior” is

the infamous excuse that sen-

iors use to get out of doing

their work. This fails to ex-

cuse them. Senioritis is a

“disease” that strikes seniors

usually after they get ac-

cepted to a college. Some

cases are worse and strike

right as they become a senior

in high school.

“I’ve stayed home from

school more this semester

than my whole high school

career,” Grace Liparini, sen-

ior.

Some seniors decided they

do not need to do school

work since they have already

signed to a college and their

high school career is almost

over.

“Ever since I’ve committed

to the college I’m going to, I

can’t wait to graduate,” said

Jennifer SantaMaria, senior.

During the first semester,

many seniors are very in-

volved in their school work

and completion of home-

work; however, by the sec-

ond semester, they have used

all of their energy and are

ready to leave.

“I feel like senioritis kicks

in at the end of your junior

year,” said Brittany Michael,

senior.

However, seniors may not

realize that colleges look at

second semester high school

grades and can still put stu-

dents on academic probation

for lack of attendance and

unfinished school work.

“I could have gotten into

the college I wanted to, but

instead I slacked off and was

not accepted to my college

choice,” said Tanya Moller,

FHS alumna.

Some people claim that

high school fails to prepare

students for colleges, but stu-

dents cause some problems

for themselves by not manag-

ing their time well.

Advice: Do not slack off

your senior year, concentrate

on your school work and re-

member you have been ac-

cepted to college, but you are

not there yet.

By Erin Heaney

Journalism Student

Making melodies at Freedom

Enjoy singing? Think

you’re pretty good at it? If

you’re in 10th, 11th or 12th

grade, you should audition

for Les Chanteurs.

Les Chanteurs is an elite

group of upperclassmen sing-

ing in concerts in many

places. The only difference

between the amount of prac-

tices choir and Les Chanteurs

is Tuesdays after school.

“Les Chanteurs is a lot of

fun times: going on all the

trips and hanging out with

friends. It’s just an overall

good experience,” said Brady

Hill, freshman.

Even though Les Chanteurs

is very difficult to sing the

hard core songs it is worth it

and the trips are amazing.

One of the best trips is said to

be to Christkindlmarkt be-

cause of all the fun time that

the group had there. Les

Chanteurs only takes a lim-

ited amount of people so you

better hurry and warm up

your singing voice.

By Joe Rodgers

Journalism Student

A taste of Les Chanteurs.

Crossing the pond to Bethlehem

Vitaliy Ignatov, an ex-

change student from Russia,

came Freedom High School

last year. He is a senior and

he is currently 17

years old.

He lived on the

Border of Russia

and Ukraine.

“I came to

America because

my parents had

better job opportunities,” said

Ignatov.

In Russia, they only have

11 grades.

“It’s better to have 12

grades because I can learn

more,” said Ignatov.

Ignatov under-

stands how im-

portant an edu-

cation is and he

is grateful for the

extra year in

high school.

He has made

many friends at Freedom and

it the process was not diffi-

cult for him.

“Many students have been

nice to me, so it wasn’t very

hard,” said Ignatov.

Even though it was not his

choice to come to America,

he is happy with the decision.

“I’m glad because my par-

ents found good jobs and I

enjoy my new friends,” said

Ignatov.

Ignatov has to go back to

Russia, but his parents will

stay here in America. He will

stay with his extended family

in Russia.

The weather is also much

different here in America

than in Russia.

“It was much colder back

in Russia. It feels so much

different here in Bethlehem,”

said Ignatov.

Ignatov really didn’t have a

choice as to what school he

attended, but he is happy he

went to Freedom.

“I didn’t have a choice but

I’m glad I went to Freedom

instead of any other school in

the area,” said Ignatov.

Ignatov is happy he came

to Freedom, but he knows he

will not be in America much

longer.

“I will miss the people that

I’ve met and I will miss my

parents when I go back to

Russia,” said Ignatov.

By Ryan Nickol

Journalism Student

Russian exchange student joins the Freedom Family (and America).

Not in any clubs? Do you

enjoy singing? Well now is

your chance to join choir.

Choir is a group of Free-

dom’s talented voices all

coming together to perform

in concerts for the Freedom

Family. The best thing about

it is that all you have to do to

be part of this elite crew is

show up and sing well.

“Choir is a great experience

and something to be proud of

and it is very fun to miss first

block and hang out with

friends,” said Brandon Bur-

nette, freshman.

The choir practices every

day during first block. The

practices take up all of first

block and students sing and

have fun with friends during

the class. Plus choir is a great

way to meet new friends

while doing something that

you enjoy. Choir is asking for

more people to join, so now

is your chance. Take hold of

the opportunity.

Elect to sing in and out of class.

Bring the trip to the classroom. Mr. Troy Schoeneber-

ger brought wildlife animals into Miss Marney Caffrey's

class on Wed., Feb. 6. Mr. Schoeneberger volunteers at

the Pocono Wildlife Center where he cares for injured

wild animals until they are well enough to live on their

own. Mr. Schoeneberger brought a great horned owl, a

falcon, a snake, a possum and a skunk. He explained the

rescue, the care the animals receive and the return of the

animals into their natural environment after they are reha-

bilitated.

No time for field trips?

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Thai Thai II

Thai Thai II is a relatively

new restaurant located on

Main Street of historic Beth-

lehem, Pennsylvania.

As one could infer, authen-

tic Thai food is the specialty

and primary food served at

this restaurant.

Thai Thai II is conveniently

open every day of the week

except Monday which is a

positive for a family who eats

out a lot, for a night out with

friends or for even just for

take-out on any ordinary day.

Spicy food is conventional

in most dishes that are

served, but certain entrees,

like the Royal Chicken, are

flavorful in a different ap-

proach. The Royal Chicken

had a saltier taste with other

spices added to the appetiz-

ing experience.

The names of the dishes on

the menu are generally not

written in English, so if one

gets overwhelmed while de-

ciding what to order, a popu-

lar go-to dish is the Drunken

Noodles. Drunken Noodles

are a stir fried noodle dish

composed of rice noodles,

soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic,

meat or tofu, bean sprouts,

and various seasonings.

Along with impressive cui-

sine, the décor of the restau-

rant is very casual and quaint

providing a relaxed yet ro-

mantic ambiance for a date

night. The atmosphere made

one feel as if they were eat-

ing at a “fine dining” eatery

while still preserving the

comforts of a small diner.

Finally, the service was

very satisfying. The food was

served fast and in a courteous

manner.

Overall, I would recom-

mend Thai Thai II as a place

to consider when planning

your next date or even if you

happen to be in Bethlehem

and are in the mood for some

Thai food.

By Caitline McCadden

Revolutions

Entertainment

Revolutions on Route 378 in

the Lower Saucon Township is

an upscale bowling alley

which recently opened last

month.

More information at

www.revolutionsentertainmen

com.

Photos courtesy of Revolutions Entertainment

Photo courtesy of bethlehempatch.com

Lehigh Valley Laser Tag

Located on Airport Road

North, it is the area’s only

multi-level high tech laser tag

arena.

More

informa-

tion at

www.palasertag.com.

Steel Ice Center

One of two popular ice skating

rinks in the Bethlehem Area.

Located on East 1st Street in

South Side Bethlehem. The

Ice Center hosts a Skate Party

with a live DJ every Friday

night.

More information at

www.steelicecenter.com.

Photos courtesy of figureskating.about.com and steelcenter.com

Jumbars Looking for a quaint place

to enjoy a delicious breakfast

or lunch? Jumbars, located

on Greenwhich, serves grade

A cuisine for breakfast and

lunch.

Enjoy local favorites like

the French Toast, Grilled

Sticky Buns, or Jumble Berry

Pie in the charming and com-

forting atmosphere which

makes you feel like you

never left home.

Chef Paul Hoffert's house-

made breads, jams, and

baked goods combined with

the amazingly warm sur-

rounding will leave you long-

ing for more.

Be sure to check out Jum-

bars next time you’re in the

mood for a home-style break-

fast and you will not regret it.

More informat ion a t

www.jumbars.com.

By Faarah Ameerally

Photo

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Sette Luna If you're looking for a cozy

-chic twist on your classic

Italian Restaurant, look no

further than 219 Ferry Street,

right off of the circle in

downtown Easton.

Perfect for a romantic eve-

ning or just a fun night out

with friends, Sette Luna of-

fers everything from deli-

cious, one-of-a-kind, hand

made pizzas to a variety of

agnolotti (a pasta like ravi-

oli), salads and seafood. Ex-

pect to find zesty Mediterra-

nean ingredients such as goat

cheese, pignoli nuts and

blood oranges. All the food

is extremely fresh and never

lacking in flavor.

The soft lighting, warm

hues and exposed wood-fire

oven in this Tuscan trattoria

lend a rustic charm to the

atmosphere. The wait staff is

courteous and allows you to

enjoy a well-paced and relax-

ing meal while taking in the

decor as well as savoring the

delicious food.

Pricing is reasonable, but

can get expensive depending

on what you order. Dress is

casual to upscale. The res-

taurant does not

take reservations.

More information at

www.setteluna.com. By Kate Dawson

Photo

s c

ourt

esy o

f sett

elu

na.c

om

Lehigh Valley Laser Tag

Located on Airport Road

North, it is the area’s only

multi-level high tech laser tag

arena.

More

informa-

tion at

www.palasertag.com.

Photo

s c

ourt

esy o

f p

ala

se

rtag.c

om

8 Pates’ Post The Forum February 2013

Adopt a freshmen

Being a ninth grader is a

difficult transition, but be-

ing an “adopted freshman”

might make things easier.

The goal of this idea is to

help the freshman transi-

tion from 8th grade to 9th

grade. The upperclassmen

could relate to being fresh-

men and help them get

through school or problems

with teachers and friends.

“I like to teach my fresh-

men friends to get in-

volved, not

let peer

p r e s s u r e

i n f l u e n c e

them, and

for them to

be them-

selves,” said

Mike Salza-

rulo, senior.

M a n y

f r e s h m e n

believe that

having an upperclassman

as a mentor is a great idea.

It will help them get

through their problems be-

cause the upperclassmen

have been through similar

experiences.

“I believe it an amazing

idea because every time I

have a problem concerning

school and outside of

school I go to my upper-

classmen friends because

they give me great advice

on what I should and

shouldn’t do,” said Brianna

Brown, freshman.

Some students do not

have fresh-

men friends,

but they do

not look

down upon

having one.

“I don’t

have fresh-

men that I

hang out

with on a

daily basis,

but if I

found a freshman that was

up for hanging out with me,

I would love to hang out

with them,” said Gabrielle

Manganiello, senior.

There are positives and

negatives to having an up-

perclassman and under-

classman as a friend

though.

“A positive that I believe

is that my upperclassmen

friends teach me new

things and help me with

homework that they have

already done,” said Brown.

“The negatives to having

a underclassman as a friend

is that they are always

younger than you and can’t

do most things that I can

do,” said Salzarulo.

Even though there are

some negatives and posi-

tives to having upperclass-

men and underclassmen as

friends, it is still great to

hang out with different

people, and it is something

new for everyone to try.

You never know; your

best friend could be a sen-

ior or a freshman. All you

have to do is be open to try

new things and become

more social with your fel-

low classmates.

By Fyniss Frazier and Gabriela Wamba

Journalism Students

It’s that time of year again

when students go through the

process of picking electives for

next year. Students can choose

from electives in many different

categories.

One of the English electives

offered is Journalism. In Journal-

ism there are assignments that

teach students the rules of jour-

nalism and journalists’ rights.

Assignments

include writing

articles for the

school newspa-

per, reading,

and analyzing

articles.

“Journalism is a good class to

demonstrate and enhance your

writing abilities,” said Lucas Yer-

ger, senior.

An elective offered at Freedom

High School under the fine and

practical arts section is Photogra-

phy. This class teaches students

the different angles students can

use to get certain effects on a

photograph. Also, students in this

class learn about the history of

photography. Students get take

home assignments that usually

use the skills that they learn in

class. If students enjoy this elec-

tive, they can move on to photog-

raphy II.

“I like photography because

you get to embrace your creativ-

ity,” said Angela Prass, freshman.

Sociology is an elective under

the social stud-

ies category.

In Sociology,

students learn

a b o u t t h e

study of hu-

man relation-

ships. Students

that take this class participate in

group projects and use the text-

book for written assignments. In

addition, students get to look at

jobs that include the study of so-

ciology.

“It is a good class to take if you

are interested in mental health,”

said Jenna Dobos, freshman.

These are only a few of the

electives offered at Freedom

High School. When choosing an

elective, pick a course that inter-

ests you. Talk to a guidance

counselor if you need help choos-

ing.

Choose your

electives wisely

Get to know your

possibilities.

A step forward for the Freedom Family.

To party or not to party?

Many people believe par-

ties are awesome. People

would love to party 24/7 if

given the opportunity.

Unless of course we are

talking about political par-

ties.

Are you a Republican or

Democrat? Which political

party do you belong to?

These are the age old ques-

tions that come with poli-

tics. Political parties such

as, the Democratic and Re-

publican parties have been

around since before the

20th century. Although

those are the prominent

ones, there are many other

political parties including,

Whig, Libertarian, and

Green parties to name a

few.

Another well debated

topic in politics is whether

we should or should not

have political parties. This

has been debated for just

about as long as the parties

have existed. Everyone has

their own opinion, but my

opinion is that political par-

ties should be present.

One argument against

political parties is that they

cause too much argument,

because each party has

their own beliefs there are

way too many arguments.

This would occur either

way. Even if you didn’t

have parties people would

still believe what they want

and fight

for what

they be-

l i e v e .

Therefore

y o u

w o u l d

still have

a r g u -

ments if

not more because you

would have more people

running, simple logic.

“It wouldn’t work, the

way our system works, I

think its inevitable,” said

Frank Wiltraut, Freedom

High School teacher.

Wiltraut is into politics and

pays a great deal attention

to the current events in the

political system. I firmly

believe what he said is true.

If we didn’t have political

parties it would not work.

You would still have all the

same issues today. Too

many people would be run-

ning that we wouldn’t even

know all the candidates and

know who to vote for on

their ballots.

There are about 150 mil-

lion registered voters in the

United States. There are 63

million registered as De-

mocrat, 47 million Repub-

licans and 32 Independents.

An independent is someone

who be-

longs to

no politi-

cal party.

O v e r

t h r e e

q u a r t e r s

of the

U n i t e d

S t a t e s

belong to a party. There-

fore people believe in po-

litical parties. I think that

the only way you could get

rid of them is if people did-

n’t belong to them. They

are still popular and the

main topic in elections. We

have primaries and vote

who to represent the party.

We would have to change

the whole election process.

After asking many stu-

dents their opinion on po-

litical parties those against

it have no other argument

other than saying that they

are “stupid.” After further

questioning I’ve come to

the conclusion that these

students were not educated

on the topic enough to form

a valid opinion.

Political parties are what

drive people’s opinions and

what drives the election

process. If we dumped the

parties, we would have to

change the whole process.

We would still have as

much arguing, if not more.

Also, we would have way

too many candidates to de-

cide.

By Lucas Yerger

The Freedom Forum

The scoop on political parties.

By Elyse Sanford

Journalism Student

Mike Salzarulo, senior, and Kyle Giamportone,

freshman, have started an unlikely friendship.

Find course descriptions

online at http://www-

fhs.beth.k12.pa.us

Ph

oto

ill

us

trati

on

by G

ab

riela

Wam

ba

Entertainment 9 The Forum February 2013

Coffee addicts express themselves

Each and every morning,

many people travel to local

coffee shops to start their day

off just right. Whether it be

Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, or

even McDonalds, all compa-

nies receive the same coffee

rush in the morning. After

asking students around Free-

dom High School which they

prefer, Starbucks or Dunkin

Donuts, it was astonishing to

discover that Dunkin Donuts

was more popular. Despite

Starbucks good taste, the

prices are quite expensive.

However, students agreed

that Dunkin doesn't taste

nearly as good as Starbucks.

Things you didn't know

about Starbucks:

1. There are over 87,000

combinations.

2. The Cinnamon Chip Scone

has more calories than

Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder

3. Smiling is part of the em-

ployees job description.

4. There is a secret size not

on the menu.

5. The Starbucks name has a

literary inspiration.

By Kirat Randhawa

Entertainment Editor

What exactly is THON?

If you have been at Free-

dom High school the past

couple of months, you proba-

bly have heard the word

“THON” bouncing around.

Students and staff alike have

been hearing all about THON

in association with events

like “Stop-the-Bop” and

other activities like watching

Elf in the auditorium. But

what exactly is THON, and

how can you get involved? I

interviewed the brains behind

it all, senior, Eileen Seitz, to

get the scoop.

Q: What is THON about?

A: Since 1977, THON has

raised more than $89 million

for the Four Diamonds Fund

at Penn State Hershey Chil-

dren's Hospital. Each year

there are colleges and high

schools who participate in

THON and miniTHON's to

raise money that goes to-

wards kids with cancer and

the research needed to end

cancer. The biggest THON is

Penn State's which is for 46

hours. THON is about people

coming together, fighting for

the same cause.

Q: Where does the donated

money go?

A: The money we have/will

raise goes towards the Four

Diamonds Fund at Hershey

Medical Center.Since 1977,

THON has raised more than

$89 million for the Four Dia-

monds Fund at Penn State

Hershey Children's Hospital.

EVERY family who has to

go to Hershey Medical Cen-

ter has no cost, thanks to

THON. This money also

goes towards the constant

research in the battle to end

cancer.

Q: Where did the idea of

THON come about from

Freedom?

A: In 2011 I went to Penn

State's THON to see my sis-

ter Colleen dance for 46

hours. Which actually means

she had to stand on her feet

for 46 hours with 707 other

"dancers." The instant I

walked into the Bryce Jordan

Center, I fell in love with the

idea of everyone coming to-

gether to raise money for

children with cancer. Then

the following year in 2012 I

attended THON again, and

really felt the need to start

one at Freedom High School.

I felt as if we as students

needed to experience it since

it was so life changing for

me. And I thought if Bechai

High School and Notre Dame

High School can do it, so can

we. So I heard how Liberty

High School was having their

mini-THON March 8th and

had this absolutely crazy idea

to do THON with them. I

thought...rivals for decades

coming together to raise

money for children with can-

cer...that would be amazing.

So I met with their leader at

Liberty and we decided, let's

do it.

Q: What will the night en-

tail?

A: The motto is, "be a kid

again". We have activities

planned throughout the night,

we will have tables with col-

oring and arts and crafts you

can do, performances from

our co-ed cheerleading

teams, and a DJ with an awe-

some playlist. Also, we have

a "line dance" that begins at

each hour. The idea is to

have everyone memorize it

as the hours pass on and

eventually everyone will

sync. The "line dance" is a

recap on the past year with

easy dance motions to go

along with it. There are going

to be many little kids there

who have been affected by

cancer, so we hope that eve-

ryone who comes out to

THON will interact with

these kids and make their

night very memorable. Re-

member, BE A KID AGAIN.

Also, the last hour to 2 hours

is titled "Family Hour". This

is a very emotional, moving,

and inspirational time. We

will be honoring many fami-

lies and announcing them to

everyone. Then we will have

speakers who have been af-

fected by cancer tell their

stories to the crowd. These 6

hours will make you realize

how grateful you should be

for the life you live and that

you are healthy. It will make

you second guess a lot of the

things you complain about

when realizing what little

kids with cancer have to go

through each day.

By Bridget Silk

The Freedom Forum

Photo: BASD Mini-THON Twitter account

Photo: Penn State THON

Boy’s Basketball

Entertainment 10 The Forum February 2013

From Broadway to Hollywood

The 2012 film adaptation

of Schonberg and Boubil's

musical, Les Miserables, as

based on the 1862 novel by

Victor Hugo, has done very

well at the box-office this

winter, drawing musical

devotees and film fanatics

alike, and grossing $130 mil-

lion in the U.S. alone as of

mid January.

Directed by Tom Hooper,

the 2 hour and 38 minute

film includes all but two of

the songs from the original

stage musical. Though vari-

ous songs are either short-

ened or rearranged, all vocals

were recorded live on

set. For those who had the

great fortune to have seen the

musical during its time on

Broadway (where it will re-

turn in 2014), the vocals may

leave something to be de-

sired, if not the film as a

whole, but when viewed

purely as a major motion pic-

ture, all the elements are

there: quality acting, great

music, expansive and beauti-

ful scenery, not to mention

an action filled, yet heart-

warming (and hear t -

wrenching) story, thanks to

the great Victor Hugo.

The cast is lead by Hugh

Jackman as the immortal pro-

tagonist, Jean Valjean, Anne

Hathaway, Russel Crowe,

Amanda Seyfried, Eddie

Redmayne and Samantha

Barks, and supported with an

extremely strong ensemble,

including Helena Bonham

Carter and Sacha Baron

Cohen who perform the

much needed task of comic

relief in the forms of the hor-

ribly hilarious Monsieur and

Madame Thenardier.

As far as scenery and cos-

tuming, the the movie is a

feast for the eyes. The cine-

matography is captivating

and especially intriguing in a

story which has so often been

told on stage, where one can-

not examine the true depth of

emotion on the actors'

faces. Jackman plays his part

of the renewed and selfless

ex-convict with great dimen-

sion and believability, which,

in acting, is a simple but truly

wonderful complement. The

pre-battle scenes in the cafe

with the students such as

Marius (Redmayne) and En-

jolras (Aaron Tveit) were

some of the most riveting,

and capture the angst and

passion of the revolutionar-

ies, not to mention included

some of the best, though per-

haps under-appreciated, sing-

ers such as Tveit.

So far the film has won

three Golden Globes and has

been nominated for eight

Academy Awards. I highly

recommend catching the

movie on the big screen, and

also bringing a box of tis-

sues; Les Miserables, on

stage, screen and book, has

always been an infamous tear

-jerker.

By Kate Dawson

Editorial Editor

The new Facebook

The social networking site,

Instagram, which was re-

leased on Oct. 6, 2010, has

now reached over 100 mil-

lion users. For those who

don’t know, Instagram is a

photo sharing social net-

working site that can only be

used with Apple products

and Android products.

With its recent rise of

popularity, Instagram will

soon be able to take a seat

next to Facebook and Twit-

ter at the throne of the most

used social networking sites.

“I really like it because it’s

a way to show what you are

doing or seeing what your

friends are doing without

expressing it in words. In-

stead you use pictures,” said

junior, Rebecca Coriell,

when asked what makes In-

stagram different from other

sites.

Altogether, Instagram is a

mix of Twitter and Face-

book, but just more focused

on pictures rather than

words. You can like, com-

ment, put hash tags, follow

and unfollow on Instagram

just like Facebook and Twit-

ter.

What really gives Insta-

gram its originality and spe-

cific appeal is that it has

some features that others

sites cannot offer. For ex-

ample, it’s very simple to

use and it doesn’t make ex-

treme changes every few

months. Another reason

could be that along with tak-

ing the pictures, the app of-

fers ways of filtering photos

and making them look more

professional and pretty. The

ultimate reason could simply

be that the public is just

ready for a new social net-

working site to use.

Whether it is the photo-

filtering or Instagram just

being the perfect blend of

social networking sites, it

seems that Instagram is here

to stay. I have not yet seen

anyone that has gotten an

Instagram account and then

disliked the app. It has what

a social network needs, and

it is an excellent way to

physically see what your

friends are doing. Also it is a

great way to look through

your own photos just like a

photo album. Its like looking

down “memory lane.”

By Mitchell Coriell

The Freedom Forum

A new social network is on the rise, but why is it becoming so popular?

Band of the Month

Man Overboard is an

American pop punk band

from Mt. Laurel

and Williamstown, New Jer-

sey that began in 2008. Mem-

bers include Zac Eisenstein,

Justin Collier, Wayne Wil-

drick, Joe Talarico, and Nick

Bruzzese.

Since then, they have re-

leased two EP's, an acoustic

EP, a split with Boston pop

punk band Transit, two song

covers, and two full length

albums. Taking influence

from such pop punk acts

as Blink-182, Saves the

Day and Taking Back Sun-

day, Man Overboard

play a brand of up-

beat and poppy pop

punk with the emo-

tion of 90's emo acts

such as The Promise

Ring.

Well known for its

motto, "Defend Pop

Punk," the band is

currently signed

to Rise Records.

Man Overboard was formed

by childhood friends who

started recording music to

have a good time.

After spending the past year

touring the east coast, Man

Overboard has recently re-

leased a new album in the

New Year titled “Before We

Met.” This pop punk band

has come a long way from

where they started. You can

expect to see them again at

this year’s Vans Warped Tour

again after an exceptional run

last summer. This is an ex-

traordinarily lucky band to

have a very supportive fan

base which had allowed them

to accomplish, record, and

release these records.

By Faarah Ameerally

Entertainment Asst. Editor

imdb.com

Instagram icon

The workers under the sea

The Disney Magic was

rated the number one large

cruise ship in the world

by Condé Nast Traveler, but

for many of its thousand em-

ployees, the lull of the ship is

not luxury but easy money.

The boat plays host to hun-

dreds of workers from abroad

that compete for the elusive

four and a half month con-

tract to work on the boat.

Workers from more than fifty

countries come to the iso-

lated environment for a job

experience different from

nearly every other.

“We get a lot of foreign

people who work in the

cleaning department,” said

Louisa of Youth Activities.

“They work on the boat and

send their paychecks back

home. Some of them have

built whole villages for their

families, just with the money

they make here.”

There are many advantages

to taking a job on the cruise

line. The hours are long but

the work is rewarding. The

food is free, the crew sleeps

in small rooms beneath sea

level, and foreign workers

are not required to be Ameri-

can citizens or pay American

taxes.

“When we get paychecks,

mine will sometimes be 20%

larger than my American

counterparts,” said Arthur,

who hails from Brazil. Al-

though the wages may be low

aboard the ship, the lack of

expenses makes it easy to

save or send what they do

make.

“The important thing is to

work hard, and let yourself

be noticed for the good

things you do. I’ve been here

three years and it’s really a

great opportunity. I wouldn’t

change my decision to ap-

ply,” said Erin, the Manager

of Youth Activities and one

of the few on the ship who is

American.

By Walter Ogozaly The Freedom Forum

Photo courtesy of Man Overboard

Photo: Disney Cruise Lines website

Sports 11 The Forum February 2013

Ravens soar over 49ers

If one had to pick a word

to describe Super Bowl

XLVII , chances are it would

probably be something like

“interesting”.

The game had touch-

downs, technical problems,

and tense moments galore.

From the get go, the Ravens

came out of the gate running,

surprising many as the Ra-

vens had a less than stellar

record during the regular sea-

son.

At the end of the first

quarter the score was 7-3,

with the Ravens establishing

the lead they would keep for

the rest of the game. The next

touchdown didn’t come until

late in the 2nd quarter,

helped by Baltimore’s 75

yard drive over the next 10

plays.

Dennis Pitta caught a 1

yard pass to score a touch-

down, making the score 14-3.

However, the Ravens weren’t

done yet.

On the very first play of the

next drive, Ed Reed inter-

cepted a pass and Baltimore

tried to increase their lead.

However, it was not meant to

be. That is, it was not meant

to be until Jacoby Jones ran

56 yards on the reception for

a touchdown, breaking a re-

cord and bringing the score

to 21-3.

On the last play of the

half, the 49ers kicked a field

goal and brought the score to

21-6.

As for the halftime show,

the 49ers certainly could

have used some of the energy

Beyoncé was exuding during

her performance. In fact, it

seemed like too much energy

may have been put into the

performance. Almost as soon

as the second half started, the

power went out.

Thirty four minutes later,

the lights came back to life

and so did the 49ers. By the

time the fourth quarter came

around, the score was 28-20.

On the second play of the

fourth quarter, the 49ers got a

field goal, and the lead

shrunk once again. The score

was now 28-23.

Things quickly began

heating up, with the Ravens

raising their score by 3 and

the 49ers scoring yet another

touchdown. With the score

now 31-29 and a lead of only

two points, this game was

causing people to teeter on

the edge of their seats.

However with a final score

of 34-31, the 49ers amazing

comeback was simply not

meant to be. Yet, it was a

great game for Ray Lewis,

who finished his 17 season

career with seven tackles. Joe

Flacco also stood out during

the game with three touch-

down passes, and of course,

no one could forget Jacoby

Jones and his amazing 56

yard run.

By Sabrina Castaneda

Editorial Asst. Editor

Despite power outages, Ravens take the victory.

Juniors:

Carnival

Freshmen:

Little Tykes

Sophomores:

The Wizard of Oz

Seniors:

Nintendo

The Band:

Christmas

Volume 46 Issue 5 The Forum February 2013

Photos by: Amanda Molinaro, Managing Editor of Print and Ryan Bone, Special to The Freedom Forum