October 2009 issue

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Lexington, Kentucky

October 2009Issue I Volume XX

Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLamplighter

Illuminating the news for the students, by the students

Celebrating 20 Years

A c a d e m i c T e a mWon Governor’s Cup for • the � rst time in 2003Won Governor’s Cup in • 2007, 2008, and 2009

B o y s ’ B a s k e t b a l lReached the Sweet 16 in • 1993

B o y s ’ S o c c e rWon state title in 1992, • 2002, and 2005

B a s e b a l lWon state title in 2003 and • 2007

G i r l s ’ C r o s s Co u n t r yWon state title in 2005•

G i r l s ’ Tr a c k a n d Fi e l dWon Region 5AAA Cham-• pionship in 2001, 2006, and 2007

D a n c e T e a mWon national titles in 2006 • and 2007

M a r c h i n g B a n dWon state title in 1991, • 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007Performed in the 2007 • Macy’s � anksgiving Day ParadeWinter Guard won Tri-State • Championship in 2009

G i r l s ’ G o l fWon state title in 2001•

T e n n i sWon boys’ state title in • 2003 Won girls’ state title in 2004•

G i r l s ’ S w i m T e a mWon State in 2001•

Combined Swim TeamsWon state title in 2001, • 2002, and 2003

D r a m aWon Kentucky � eatre As-• sociation Festival in 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, and 2008Won Kentucky High School • Speech League One-Act Play Competition in 1991, 1997, 1998, and 1999

this month...

Illuminating the news for the students, by the studentsIlluminating the news for the students, by the studentsIlluminating the news for the students, by the students

Do the “Jerk” Step-by-Step Moves

page 9Don’t be frightened to go to pages

6 & 7

N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - 3O p i n i o n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 5D o u b l e t r u c k . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - 7F e a t u r e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 - 9A r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0E n t e r t a i n m e n t . . . . . . . . . 1 1S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2

COMMUNITY ARTS SPORTS CLUBSSesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up will be performed at Rupp Arena on Oct. 23, featur-ing the songs “I Love Trash,” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and with spe-cial guest Big Bird.

The Kentucky Wildcats will be facing o� against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday, Oct. 24. Come out and support your team as UK emerges trium-phant!

Find your way through a giant maze shaped like Henry Clay this October! It’s located o� of Richmond Road at Kelley Farms and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays until November 1.

Bring in your cans, Dunbar! Dun-bar’s Financial Center is spon-soring their annual God’s Pantry Canned Food Drive. The food drive lasts until October 30th. DFC students will be picking up cans during A3 blocks.

Follow us on Twitter atpld_lamplighter!

G e n e r a lFirst opened its doors in • 1990Spent half of one day • without power in 1990Class of 1994 was the � rst • class to complete four consecutive yearsFirst high school in Fay-• ette County to score a 90 on the CATS test in 2007Celebrates it’s 20th an-• niversary in 2010

M S T C P r o g r a mEstablished in 1991• Produced at least 61 Na-• tional Merit FinalistsStudents have average • ACT score of 31 and SAT score of 1400

C h e e r l e a d i n g Te a mFeatured in MTV’s “True • Life: I’m a Cheerleader” Featured in Lifetime • Television’s “Cheerleader Nation”Won UCA Nationals in • 1995, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008

J e o p a r d y !Fraser Woodford won • Teen Tournament in 1993John Zhang won Teen • Tournament in 2003Papa Chakravarthy won • Teen Tournament in 2006

P r i n c i p a l sJon Akers was principal • from1990-1998Ray Woodyard was prin-• cipal from 1998-2001Barbara Gateskill was • principal from 2001-2003Anthony Orr became • principal in the fall of 2003

D e c a t h l o n T e a m Won state division in• 2008

1990 2010 � is school year marks the graduation of the twentieth class from Dunbar High School. � roughout the years, Dunbar has had thousands of students and sta� members walk through its doors. However, there are several faculty members that have been at Dunbar for the entire 20 years: Mr. Todd Bretz, Ms. Melanie Brooks, Ms. Angela Bullock, Ms. Teresa Champe, Mr. Steve Cole-man, Ms. Donna G. Martin, Ms. Donna H. Martin, Mr. Wes Phelps, Ms. Michelle Waggoner, Mr. Phil Wilder, and Ms. Karen Young. In addition, librarian, Ms. Karen Higdon; guidance counselor, Ms. Pam Peace; and secretary, Ms. Gloria Tompkins have worked at Dunbar since its opening. � ese sta� members have chaperoned prom, support-ed clubs, memorized the Dunbar � ght song, graded hundreds of assignments, listened to endless excuses, and been exposed to far too many teenagers. So how does repeating the school cycle year a� er year stay interesting?

Many teachers feel this question is obsolete. “I love what I do,” said Ms. Angela Bullock, social stud-ies teacher. While these teachers do work at the same place each year, many say that monotony has proved hard to come by. “� e students keep it interesting,” said Mr. Todd Bretz, business education teacher. “Every year it changes. I get new students, we lose some people, but we gain new people with new ideas,” said Mr. Wes Phelps, German teacher.

� e � rst years of Dun-bar are hard to imagine for most students of 2009. Nowadays, the halls are crowded, policies are set, and tradition has been estab-lished. As the � rst teachers en-tered Dunbar 20 years ago, the building wasn’t complete, the hallways were empty, there were barely 12 students to a class, and

anticipation � lled the air. Ms. Karen Higdon, for-mer math teacher and current librarian at Dunbar, spoke of the � rst day of school in 1990. “It was de� nitely an adventure,” she said. Later on in the year, she said, a squirrel bit through a power line which resulted in no electricity for the rest of the day. “� e � rst year was very interesting,” said Mr. Phil Wilder, math teacher. “We didn’t have a stadium or a track or a lot of equipment,” he said. According to Mr. Bretz, the classrooms went without

blinds on the windows, and many teachers were forced to use shower rods to block the sun. � e changes Dunbar fac-ulty has made throughout the years have been bene� cial to creating this 20 year milestone. “I have loved seeing the school con-tinue to grow and change,” said Ms. Hig-don. When the doors of

Paul Laurence Dunbar were � rst opened, the students that attend Dunbar today weren’t even born. While it may be di� cult to imagine this school 20 years ago, students should appreciate the tradition of excellence that Dunbar has achieved. “You should always re-spect where you have come from,” said Mr. Wilder.

Amanda HancockSta� Reporter Throughout the years...

From top le� to bottom right: Ms. Michelle Waggoner, Ms. Karen Higdon, Ms. Angela Bullock, Ms. Karen Young, Ms. Melanie Brooks, Ms. Teresa Champe, Mr. Todd Bretz, Mr. Steve Coleman, Mr. Wes Phelps. Not pic-tured: Ms. Gloria Tompkins, Ms. Pam Peace, Ms. Donna H. Martin, Ms. Donna G. Martin and Mr. Phil Wilder.

Photo by Melissa Simon

Features

Jillian DunawaySta� Reporter

2 news

Editors-in-ChiefNicole SchladtVictoria Vasquez

Leah YinglingLayout Editor

Melissa SimonPhotography Editor

Sta� Members Alex Davis Alex Segnitz Amanda Hancock Anna Kiluba Annalise Michael Anuj Patwardhan Ben Wolford Carolyn Betts

Chase Bullock Clark Barnhart Doniya Soni Emily Avioli Gri� n Macdougall Jane Rawlings Jillian Dunaway Kelsey Randhawa

Business ManagerAlex Fleischman

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL1600 Man O’ War Blvd

Lexington, Kentucky 40513859-381-3546

[email protected]

AdvisorWendy Turner

National Scholastic

Press Association

Quill and Scroll

Honor Society

Kennye Smith Kristi McIntosh Louann Lopez Maxwell Ain Oriana Midence Samantha Meador Sarah Cornett Traci � omas

MEMBER

MEMBER

New Year, New Policies

� e new school year has brought several recognizable changes to policies at Dunbar. Perhaps the most dras-tic change is the new lunch policy. According to Principal Anthony Orr, the policy was changed at the beginning of the school year with the intention of keeping students out of the hall-ways during their lunches. Students were original-ly given ten minutes to arrive in the cafeteria a� er their departure from class. At this time, students were to stay in the cafeteria un-til there were � ve minutes le� in the lunch period. However, this new policy, which also included the option of going to the gym foyer during lunch, was even further amended later in the year once the original plan raised safety concerns. A � ve-lunch system has now been implemented dur-ing third block to address these concerns. To accomplish having � ve lunches during third block, � ve minutes were taken out of � rst block, and third block was provided with ten extra min-utes. During the new one hour and 40 minute third block class, students get a 25 minute lunch period and time to view daily announcements via WPLD. Dunbar students have mixed impressions of the new lunch policy. Some students are frustrated due to the reduced time during lunch. “I have dif-� culty with the fact that I can’t physically eat that fast,” said ju-nior Kate Hopgood. Other students see positive changes within the pol-icy. Senior Greg Hymas said, “I think the lunches are less crowd-ed, and lunch lines are more ef-� cient.”

Another modi� ed policy this year involves stricter dress code enforcement. Shorts and skirts must be “� nger tip” length, as always, but now there are di� erent punishments for re-fusing to comply with the rules. If the rule is now violated, the student will be asked to change into a pair of scrub-like pants. Also, the policy states that tops must have straps or sleeves that are the width of three � ngers. Midri� -revealing tops are not allowed. Rules involving cell phone use have also been amended. Since the beginning of the obsession with cell phone use among high school students, school faculty and sta� have prohibited the use of cell phones during class. However, the strug-gle to keep cell phones out of the hands of students during class has now grown into a battle. Sorry kids, the cell phones are still prohibited. In the past, when students violated the cell phone policy, o� enses were counted in each individual class. Now, the student’s cell phone o� enses will be tallied as a cumulative number for all of their classes. � erefore, if a stu-dent is caught with a cell phone in one class, it counts against them in all their classes. � is to-tal number is monitored in In� -nite Campus, similar to the way in which tardies are monitored. Furthermore, if a stu-dent refuses to give a cell phone to a teacher who requests it will subject a student to various pun-ishments, including suspension, depending on the student’s be-havior. Overall, new policies at Dunbar have created signi� cant changes throughout the halls, changes that students � nd both challenging and necessary.

H-Drive Expansion Takes Over Dunbar Many, if not most, stu-dents take computer storage space for granted. However, if student H-drives were to disappear, class assignments, college applications, and future portfolio pieces would all be gone. Miscellaneous word � les and PowerPoint presentations would be no more. What would students do to recover all of these precious documents? Don’t pan-ic! Rest assured that student H-drives are not being deleted; in

fact, they are being expanded. Mr. Jim Adams, the Student Technology Leadership Program advisor here at Dunbar, is currently helping Dunbar stu-dents understand what their H-drives do. Mr. Adams described student H-drives as “local re-sources accessible only while in school.” � ese personal student H-drives are all connected to a single hard drive that Mr. Adams monitors. � ey can be thought of as personal rental storage units in a storage warehouse because ev-eryone shares a bit of the space. Fortunately, this space

Dunbar has recently teamed up with the Martin Luther King Academy for Excel-lence in order to create care packages that will be sent to Ken-tucky military soldiers deployed overseas. “� e Beta Club will be working with the dance team and student council to send as many items as possible to Kentucky soldiers,” said Ms. Elizabeth Da-vis, Dunbar’s Beta Club sponsor. Student donations will be col-lected during B4 classes through the month of October. � e National Guard has suggested that students donate items such as candy, powdered drinks, dry goods, board games, and toiletries. Soldiers overseas

CSI Comes to Dunbar A whole new class is now being o� ered at Dunbar af-ter three years in the works. � is is the � rst year that forensics has been available. “It’s an interesting class and a good way to learn about the forensics � eld. I really like it,” said senior LaShon Louden. � e new class at Dunbar is an introduction for students interested in the forensic � eld. Mr. Damian Minarik teaches the class, which is available during three blocks on B days. � e class is so popular, however, that guidance counsel-ors weren’t even able to schedule the number of students who orig-inally enrolled in the class. What exactly is it, then, that makes this class so special? To begin with, the class is interesting to many Dunbar students. A few of the provoking topics that the class will cover are the history of forensic science, the analysis of crime scenes, the properties of matter and glass, and forensic toxicology (Mr. Mi-narik’s specialty). � e fact that

Mr. Minarik actually worked in the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s O� ce de� nitely contributes to his knowledge of forensic material. Forensics class is also di� erent from other science classes because students actually get hands-on training. For every topic that the class covers, stu-dents complete a lab to go along with the material. “We’ve had several good hands-on experiences. We used the program F.A.C.E.S to draw criminal Charles Manson and

other infamous villains,” said se-nior Lauren White. Students also used the program to draw Principal An-thony Orr. � rough this particular lab, students realized the di� cul-ties involved with being an eye-witness and remembering facial features. � e lab also gave them experience with an important computer program used in foren-sic study. Mr. Minarik does ask students who take the class to have high maturity levels because they will be discussing and view-ing crime scenes and even a hu-man autopsy. In order to get into the class, a student must have a C+ or higher in Biology and Chemistry. � e course also requires a strong grasp on logical think-ing. It is a di� cult class and only students that are really interested in forensics should enroll. “� is class is a chal-lenge, but a very positive one. We have the chance to learn some extremely interesting things that many other students don’t have the opportunity to,” said senior Laura Salyer.

Photo by Victoria Vasquez

Senior Jonathan Koshy arranges chairs and papers to recreate a crime scene.

Illustrated by Jane Rawlings

Anna KilubaSta� Reporter

Jane RawlingsSta� Reporter

Amanda HancockSta� Reporter

“ tudents should save all important school � les on their H-drives, to keep them safe.”

S J im Adams, STLP Adviser

also appreciate books, music, and correspondence. “You can contribute anything from t-shirts to chewing gum,” said senior Arlene Wang. “We also want to collect letters from high school students that we can send to the soldiers.” � e fact that this Soldier Drive is a collaborative e� ort by the Beta Club, student council, and the dance team makes it even more remarkable. Senior Arlene Wang is in charge of the Beta Club sector of the Soldier Drive, while seniors Melissa Simon and Louann Lopez are the student council representa-tives behind the drive. Ms. Teresa Champe and her dancers are also involved in gathering student do-nations and helping the project run smoothly. “So far it’s been easy to bring [these three groups]

together because we all share the common goal of supporting those who defend our freedoms,” said senior Rahul Joseph. Ms. Champe has also enjoyed bringing the dance team together with the other two groups. “My dancers are always involved in community service project each year,” said Ms. Champe. “I decided to partner with other groups in hopes of creating more interest and hav-ing a bigger ‘manpower’ base.” � rough this outreach project, Dunbar students have gained new perspective on those who sacri� ce their lives to pro-tect the United States. “Considering how much soldiers do for us, it’s refreshing to know that we can give just a little bit back to them,” said senior Louann Lopez.

DUNBAR STUDENTS FIGHT FOR DONATIONSNicole SchladtEditor-in-Chief

is now increasing to 80 mega-bytes— four times the previous space of 20 megabytes. � is means that each student will now be able to store more information on their H-drives, which is always helpful when teachers assign chem-istry projects or English pa-pers. While having more space available seems appeal-ing, some students are still wary of using their H-drives. � ey fear that assignments may be deleted from the H-drive and that there will be no way to access them again.

Something these stu-dents do not know, however, is that lost or overridden � les can be found again. Mr. Adams is able to check the hard drive backup for lost work. But be warned: the hard drive backup can only be

checked for two weeks a� er the original � le was lost. With so much school-work requiring computer ac-cess these days, it is bene� cial to have personal � le spaces here on school computers.

Eventually, Mr. Adams even plans on making student H-drives accessi-ble from anywhere in the world, as long as Internet access is available. “School � les need to be saved on H-drives,” said Mr. Adams. “Use your H-drive wisely, but most importantly, just use it.”

Many of the other people in charge of the Soldier Drive echo Lopez’s sentiments. “� ese are men and women that are risking their lives on a daily basis,” said Ms. Champe, “and if they need some cough drops or some other small convenience item to improve the quality of their lives, then we should gladly and freely donate to this drive.” � e care package dona-tions will be picked up on Octo-ber 30th, and students at MLK will sort and pack the items. � e American Red Cross will then ship the care packages to soldiers serving abroad. “Every student at Dun-bar should get involved in the Soldier Drive,” said senior Rahul Joseph. “It’s a great way to show our appreciation and gratitude for the armed forces.”

HOW TO HELP THE TROOPS:

Clothing: T-shirts for both males and females.

Food: Heat resistance can-dy, drink mixes, power bars, cereal, Pop-Tarts, Ramen Noodles, any � avor Ravioli, co� ee, co� ee creamer, and KoolAid bursts.

Correspondence: Sta-tionary, envelopes, pencils, and pens.

Activities: CDs, DVDs, books, newspapers, and magazines.

3news

“Turn your heads to the right,” Principal Anthony Orr said over the microphone at Camp Dunbar this year. “Now turn your heads to the le� . Either you or one of these people will not graduate with the rest of your class in four years.” While this may sound slightly dramatic, Mr. Orr is not too far from the truth. In 2007 alone, 30 students from Dunbar dropped out. In fact, Kentucky has such a big problem with dropouts that a two day meeting had to be called on September 11 and 12 to reduce the number of dropouts. � e proposed program is called Graduate Kentucky: A Community Approach, and will be the � rst step in a state-wide campaign to raise graduation rates. “Reducing our drop-out rate is as tied to educational achievement as it is to workforce development, economic develop-ment and the ability of Kentucky to o� er its citizens the quality of life they de-serve,” said the Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear the host of the meetings and the head of the Gradu-ate Kentucky Program.

Don’t Fear the Swine It’s been called the next bubonic plague, an epidemic, and the H1N1 virus, but most people simply refer to this new wave of hysteria as swine � u. � e swine � u has been the medical “hot-button” term over the past few months as it has torn its way through Mexico and the United States, and spread on a global scale. � e virus has common � u-like symptoms, including fe-ver, sore-throat, and a cough that can later escalate into severe vom-iting, myalgia, headache, chills, and fatigue.

Many people have mis-taken their cases of swine � u for the common � u, which has only helped the virus spread further. Even though this ill-ness has caused some world-wide panic with a death toll of about 3,200, the students of Paul Lau-rence Dunbar have never had a real reason to worry. “More people have died annually of the normal � u than of the swine � u. And you don’t get treated like you have leprosy when you get the regular � u,” said junior Megan Klein. “People just shouldn’t freak out about this.” She feels, like many students, that the swine � u isn’t really a big deal.

Unfortunately the swine � u has started to hit closer and closer to home. � e � rst reported Ken-tucky case was in Warren County on April 30, 2009. To date, there have now been cases reported in counties throughout the state and even here at Dunbar. With each new case, the panic level rises. � ere has been no news from the administration so far on whether or not schools will be closed due to the swine � u. � e decision to close schools or not is le� up to Fayette County Superin-tendent Mr. Stu Silberman. � e main concern now is that the virus could quickly spread since school is back in ses-sion. Generally, illnesses spread

faster during the school year.

� is, coupled with the fact that Ken-tucky school districts have a general lack of nurses, could lead to dangerous conditions in public schools. Although this is true, Kentucky’s swine � u numbers are nowhere close to pandemic records, so don’t hold your breath for a swine � u break anytime soon. As far as pre-vention of the H1N1 virus goes, treat it just like you would the � u during this cold sea-son. A common mis-conception is that the Swine Flu is deadlier than the regular � u, however this is not true. Vaccines for the swine � u are due out in the beginning of October and students are encouraged to get vaccinated. Until then, most Dunbar students are keeping a reason-able attitude toward the situation. “I think that students are making it into a bigger deal than it actually is,” said ju-nior Sara Michael. “As long as you wash your hands and stay healthy, you’ll be � ne.”

In the state of Kentucky, over a quarter of adults have less than a high school education. � is is a scary statistic that places the state near the bottom in national rank-ings for education. It means that Kentucky citizens face increased crime rates, lower economic gains, and shorter life spans. At Dunbar, Mr. Orr said that he wants to see a decrease in the amount of dropouts, which begs the question: would it be possible for a public high school to have zero students drop out? All students must achieve 26 credits to graduate from Dunbar. Most students at Dunbar will have the opportuni-ty to earn 32 credits, and Dunbar gives students who are struggling additional chances to recover credits through PLATO. Perhaps 20 years from now, Mr. Orr’s words at Camp Dunbar will be less dramatic: “Turn your heads to the right. Now turn your heads to the le� . All three of you will graduate with the rest of your class in four years.”

What’s going on? Every-one knows about the heated, im-passioned debates for and against di� erent forms of healthcare re-form, but it seems that most of us don’t know exactly what any of the ideas for reform actually will do. � e news is excellent about reporting particular parti-san perspectives, but a clear out-line of what everyone wants done, and why, is missing. If we as stu-dents and citizens want to � x this system – or stop it from becom-ing destroyed, depending on what you ultimately decide – we must thoroughly learn about the entire issue and every perspective. Only then can we make a wise decision and help the nation. � e � rst step in under-standing healthcare reform is to get rid of misconceptions pre-sented on both sides. If Obama’s reform plan is passed, there will not be any “death panels” or any-thing that treats patients poorly. � ere won’t be any gov-ernment takeover of all health-care, nor will there be mandatory funding for abortions. Both sides of the argument are ethically try-ing to improve (or maintain) the quality of healthcare for all. � e disagreement should spring not from the intentions of the debat-ing groups, but rather from the means they propose. On the other side, Re-publican plans are not trying to

be cruel to the nation’s poor. � e logic behind them is not mali-cious, but more in the spirit of trying to save money and mini-mize change. So what are the di� er-ent plans? � e Republican plans tend to want to leave the system more or less the same, except for possibly limiting the amount doctors can be sued for. It’s not a bad idea, and President Obama has partially incorporated the idea into his overall plan for reform. � e basic idea behind Obama’s plan is that it will cover all Americans. It will create a pub-lic option (not a requirement) in order to help the uninsured and, directly or indirectly, the insured- if you don’t have in-surance, you can get it, and if you do, it should get cheaper. It will make it illegal for insur-ance companies to deny you coverage based on pre-existing conditions, drop your insurance a� er you get sick, or change the amount of coverage you get. It will place a limit on how much you can be charged out-of-pocket for health issues. It will create an insurance exchange that private insurance compa-nies can participate in, and al-low individuals to bargain with companies as if they were a group. It incorporates John McCain’s plan of giving tax credits to those who have dif-� culty paying for coverage (so

you can take healthcare o� your taxes, if necessary). � e Obama plan will also require all individ-uals to have basic health care. It will allow many changes for those who are be-ing negatively impacted by the current system, but will not sig-ni� cantly change life for those who currently have insurance. It will supposedly be fairly self-su� cient and not cost taxpayers. Which is better? To pass reforms? Which reforms? Should we follow Obama’s current plan? Should we try to keep things the way they are? Should we try some-thing di� erent altogether? � ink about it. � e an-swer to this question may well determine how we all live our lives.

What KY is doing about itropping Out

Alex DavisSta� Reporter

Sarah CornettSta� Reporter

Anuj PatwardhanSta� Reporter

“ educing our dropout rate is as tied to educational achievement as it is to workforce development...”

Ris as tied to educational Ris as tied to educational

Jane Beshear, KY Fi rst Lady

Illustrated by Elise Beckman

� e swine � u has sparked an obsession with cleanliness with students at PLD, with people using the newly installed antibacterial soap dispensers and donning facemasks.

D

� is graph shows the number of dropouts by grade at Dunbar in 2007.

Graph by Doniya Soni

Obama Reforms Health Care

President Obama has been campaigning for national health care reform since his presidency began.

Illustrated by Elise Beckman

Teachers on Twitter

� is year, a new phe-nomenon has hit Dunbar. Many of our teachers have created Twit-ter accounts to communicate with students. Twitter is a social net-work that allows people to post 140 word “blurbs” about basically anything. Dunbar teachers have been using the network for more practical purposes; they post their class’s assignments so students will be reminded. “Twitter helps me con-� rm my assignments. It de� nitely helps me stay on top of things,” said junior Haesoo Jeon. Many teachers � nd this system highly e� ective because the amount of time students are spending online has been grow-ing rapidly. Some teachers use Twit-ter for all of their classes, but oth-ers use them for just speci� c ones. One teacher who uses this form of “tweeting” would be Mrs. Am-ber Faris, who has two separate Twitter accounts, one for her Ad-vanced Freshman English class and one for her everyday English class. “I use Twitter about ev-ery other day. Even some of my students now use Twitter. I wish more students would make ac-counts, though, so they could

keep up with their assignments,” said Mrs. Faris. Ms. Beth McKenzie also uses Twitter, but she uses it for all of her classes. Her tweets not only remind her students of the as-signments, but they also remind the WPLD anchors who is going to announce and when. “I like Twitter! It’s short and easy to use. Also, it’s easily accessible from my iPhone!” said Ms. Mckenzie. Mr. Kevin Faris uses Twitter to remind all of his stu-dents of their assignments, but he keeps it to a minimum. “Not a large number of students have accounts, so I don’t use it that o� en,” said Mr. Faris. Some teachers and stu-dents do not think that Twitter is bene� cial, however. “I think Twitter is a waste of time,” said senior James Mason. Mr. Damian Minarik agrees. “I don’t use it. It doesn’t provide enough information for me,” he said. Parents also bene� t from this new development. Many par-ents have now created Twitter accounts so they can follow their child’s teachers. � at way they can make sure that their child stays on top of all of their assignments. Whatever the views, Twitter is now a main part of many teacher’s routines. Hope-fully, students will use this to their advantage and stay caught up with all their assignments.

Doniya SoniSta� Reporter

4 opinions

day, each grade wore a cer-tain color (freshmen wore yellow, sophomores wore green, juniors wore blue, seniors wore tie-dye, and Dunbar sta� wore pink). When she was asked, Ms. Mckenzie, the student council coordina-tor, said, “I hope people will participate!” � is year, Spirit Week was more advertised and endorsed by the stu-dent council. As many stu-dents know, Spirit Week has almost been non-exis-tent these past few years. � e question is why? Dunbar is a spirited school, so the Bulldogs need to show their pride! Expressing school spirit is vital to the cycle of a regular high school; it boosts morale and builds bonds between all of the students. With a school of more

than 2000 students, it is hard to connect with everybody. Sharing school pride is imperative for the student body. � is brings us to the next question: how does the aver-age Dunbar student show school spirit?

It’s spirit week, Dunbar! You know what that means-- it’s time to put on that red and black gear and start showing your Bull-dog pride. � is year, Student Council is under new guidance, and it has split into multiple com-mittees. One of the committees this year is the Spirit Commit-tee. What’s the � rst thing on their agenda? Spirit Week, of course! � is year, Spirit Week was more serious than it had been in the past with multiple in-centives to participate. Every day, students dressed di� erently ac-cording to the theme of that day. Monday was “Movie Star Mon-day,” Tuesday was “Twin Tuesday,” Wednesday was “Wacky Wednes-day,” � ursday was “Class Pride � ursday,” and Friday is “Dunbar Day.” On � urs-

Presidential Prize Winner?

� e United States began its ninth year of combat in Afghanistan on October 8th, continuing from the Bush to the Obama Administration. � e next day President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Presi-dent Obama re-ceived the prize at the same time that he is cur-rently rethink-ing the Afghan war strategy, not looking to end the war but rather looking for a di� erent way to go about combat. “� e committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons,” said Mr. � orbjørn Jagland, Presi-dent of the Nor-wegian Nobel Committee. “I didn’t know he had any plans to eliminate the world of nuclear weapons,” said Dunbar sopho-more Mitch Weber. If you didn’t know anything about President Barack Obama’s work for a world without nuclear weapons either you’re not alone. 54% of 25,147 people polled on www.nobel-prize.org had no idea of Obama’s e� orts for a nuclear weapon free world. Ironically, the United States government has made no plans to get rid of nuclear weapons here in the U.S. and the Obama Administration has not asked any country with nuclear weapons to dismantle their weapons. “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s at-tention and given its people hope for a better future,” said the

Norwegian Nobel Committee in awarding Obama. Hope was his campaign slogan— it was a big reason he was elected. “He gave me hope for a better tomorrow,” said senior Ty-ler Williams. But hope for a bet-ter tomorrow is not something that the Nobel Prize is typically awarded for. � e Nobel Peace

Prize is awarded for the ful� ll-ment of great feats for humanity. “To those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest bene� t on mankind.... shall have done the most or the best work for frater-nity between nations, for the abo-lition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” said Mr. Alfred Nobel in regards to how the Peace Prize should be awarded. In the past, this honor has been awarded to people like Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. � ose people achieved great things, having already brought about change in a peace-ful manner. � ey didn’t just make promises, they ful� lled dreams.

Past recipients of the award are o� en those that have made signi� cant gains in the � eld of civil rights and fought to end travesties like racism, segregation, and the apartheid. Great men like Martin Luther King Junior, Nel-son Mandela, and Desmond Tutu have received the award for their gains in equal rights.

Maybe Barack Obama won

the Nobel Prize because of the

fact that he has conquered one more barrier in

the world of civ-il rights. He has done something very challenging

for any person, no matter his

or her race, to be elected

President of the United States of

America. Being an Afri-

can American elected Presi-

dent of the U.S. is a great feat,

but it is not something that

makes one wor-thy of winning a

peace prize. � e Nobel

Committee in Oslo saw a man that has

redeemed the hopes of former

recipients and was too quick to

pounce on the opportunity to

award that redeemer, overlook-ing his lack of quali� cations in

the process. So far, President Barack Obama has been doing more talking than actually accom-plishing his ambitious goals. He needs to accomplish things that he has promised, like ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or making health care a free univer-sal right rather than a privilege. President Obama took the prize as “a call to action.” � ere is no doubt that President Obama can prove himself a wor-thy recipient by the end of his presidency if he achieves the am-bitious goals he promised during his campaign. But right now he needs to stop promising and start doing.

302

Get your Letter to the Editor published

in The Lamplighter!

True Life: Stairs Trip Me Up

� is is the true life of an insigni� cant freshman who is deathly afraid of stairs. Sure, every single fresh-man is intimidated by Paul Lau-rence Dunbar High School. � e imposing front entrance, the wavy-glassed-walled corridor, the hugeness of it all… it’s- it was- pretty frightening. But everyone got used to it by the second day. No big deal. And � ve minutes is plenty of time to get anywhere, right? Just � nd some stairs and push your way through. Well, maybe it’s not so easy for some, not if they have climacophobia- the fear of falling down stairs. It’s true. Okay, well, maybe I shouldn’t go that far. I am not scared. I have no problem with stairs. � ey are handy, if you want to get up and down some-where. But I still think there should be little signs at the top and bottom of every set of stairs, warning people of the risk of falling, of maiming themselves for life, of tripping others and injuring them as well, or, at the very least, making a monstrous embarrassment out of yourself. Over the summer, peo-ple would o� en ask me if I was scared about high school. I would immediately start rambling about the various dangers of stairs and the major health hazards they pose to unbalanced people. It’s just that I don’t want to fall down the stairs at school in front of hundreds of people. I don’t want to cause other people to fall and start o� a domino e� ect, one falling down a� er the other. Somehow, I know that other students would not be happy at all if I caused injury to them- or, even worse, be late to class. And it very well may be an-other reason for upperclassmen to become even more frustrated with the freshmen. My whole high school career depends on whether I fall down the stairs or not. It’s a pretty heavy burden, especially when stacked on top of my 70-pound backpack. So, it’s probably understandable that on the � rst day of school, in addition to the usual worries about where to sit at lunch and not get-ting lost in the crowds, I was panicking about the stairs. Sadly, the � rst time I would have to use the stairs would be a� er sec-ond block, when the halls would certainly be � lled with students lingering around to catch up with friends a� er the summer break.

As the � rst two periods � ashed by, I nervously bit at my nails, thinking of alternatives to the stairs. With utter horror, I re-alized that since the elevator was o� -limits and the ramp was far out of the way, I had no alterna-tives. I would have to face the stairs, a� er all. � e teacher dismissed the class, forcing me to slowly shu� e towards the stairs. All of a sudden, the stampede of students started to force me down the stairs. I slowly and gingerly tried to pace myself down the stairs. � e stairs seemed even more long, crowded, and unsafe- than usual- as I made my way down. Couldn’t they put some cushioning at the end to break falls or something? Why didn’t they put another ramp here instead? Why were the people around me in such a hurry, anyway? As all of these questions overwhelmed me, I realized I had made it to the bottom of the stairs. I had actu-ally gone down the stairs without completely losing my balance and falling! However, the momen-tary feeling of euphoria vanished in the wake of growing dismay at how many other trips up and down the stairs I would have to make. Now, here comes the big question: Have I fallen down the stairs yet? Well… yes. It was only once, though- and nobody was in sight, thank goodness! However, I’ve started to get used to hur-riedly rushing down the stairs be-tween classes- I think. Of course, the ramp comes in handy some-times, as well. Now all I have to deal with is how to get to my locker during the school day and being able to carry that humongous backpack all over school… Maybe I will embarrass myself during high school. But at least I know it won’t be falling down the stairs. Hopefully.

Please send all letters [email protected]

or drop your letter by Lab 302 during A3.

� e � rst step is

to attend at least

one foot-ball game. One thing about the

United States that

can be inferred

from mov-ies and

the media is that

football is an impor-tant sport

to many Americans. High school students

across the country all join to-gether at their home games and cheer their teams on to victory, so why don’t Dunbar students?

� e second step is to participate in school-wide

events. Whether it is something like participating in Spirit Week

or supporting the drama depart-ment by attending the plays they work so hard to put on, being an active member in your school is

bene� cial to not only you, but to the entire school.

� e third step is to keep an open mind. Many students display negativity when confront-ed about school spirit. Our school has so much to be proud about. Our cheer-leaders are top ranked, our band is phenomenal, our sports teams never disappoint, and our aca-demic excellence is outstanding. So, Dunbar, show your school pride by participating in Spirit Week! Also, don’t forget to at-tend the football game on Friday to show your support for our hard working senior football players on Senior Night!

Dunbar Kicks O� Spirit Week


59 students in the Introduction to Journalism classes submitted their articles to be chosen by the sta� for our True Life spotlight. Julie Graf’s article won a spot in this issue of The Lamplighter. Congratulations Julie!

Julie GrafContributing Writer


� e math department celebrates twin day. From le� to right: Mr. Balk, Mr. Young, Ms. Martin, Mr. Knapp, Ms. Reaguer, Ms. Clark, Ms. Brooks, Ms. Patterson, Mr. Lapresto, Mr. Kissner.


Alex DavisSta� Reporter

“He hasn’t had much time, but his work in changing the world makes him deserving.”-Audrey Linville, sophomore

“I think it’s good because he’s the � rst African American president.”-Rekenya Maupin, senior

“I don’t think he deserves it. His presidency is overly glamorized enough as it is. � e past winners have done more to deserve it.”-Wade Evans, junior

Sound BytesWhat Dunbar Students Have to Say Regarding

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize

5opinions

Confessions of a Closeted

NerdHarry Potter: the Essential Nerd Book

Pro- Up Tight


Alex FleischmanSta� Reporter

Photo By Melissa Simon

Ben says he started wearing his skinny jeans in the eighth grade.

Photo By Melissa Simon

Let’s say we’re playing a game of charades. I’m jumping up and down, I’m pointing at my forehead. I’m pretending to � y on a broomstick. What book am I? Harry Potter, of course! It is the book that is universally loved, but why is it deemed “nerdy?” Maybe it is typ-ical nerd behavior, but we Harry Potter fans go all out at book re-leases and movie premieres. We invest in Wizard Robes (bath robes), glasses (card-board-cutouts), and ties repre-senting our Hogwarts houses. How about our constant Harry Potter references? Calling our chemistry teachers “Snape” and our principal “Dumbledore” may also be considered nerdy. � e Dunbar Quid-ditch Team, you ask? You think

we aren’t serious. Why would a bunch of teenagers run around holding broomsticks and throw-ing dodge balls at each other? � at is the epitome of nerd! But let us reevaluate what it means to be a nerd. Is it normally taken in a negative con-notation? Yes. Should it be? No. Why do nerds have to hide in fear? We are everywhere, whether we are concealed in cor-ners reading books or if we are on stage dancing and singing— there is an inner nerd in every-one. Almost everybody has a so� spot for Harry Potter, and people shouldn’t be afraid to admit it for fear of being called a nerd. He is the boy who lived, a� er all. We refer to (don’t make me say it!) Voldemort as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” and we secretly wear big pointy hats at home humming Hedwig’s

At lunch a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine was explaining her plan for getting into college. She had color-coded the list of clubs in our agendas: ones that she was in, ones in which she had a leadership position, and ones that she would join before submitting her college ap-plication this year. O� cially, she could call herself a member of fourteen clubs. I was shocked. Four-teen? Did she know that the Common Application only gives you room for seven activities? Nevertheless, soon I be-gan evaluating everything I have done for the past three years. With my curriculum vitae com-pleted, this was not hard. I have been involved and hard-work-ing. In fact, I have followed the PRIDE acronym that’s been pounded into my brain on the � rst day of school since fresh-man year. But with the college ap-plication process becoming so much more competitive, I cannot help but feel like I do not have a chance. Under the tremendous pressure of this competition, I know some of my peers have sac-ri� ced their morals to get ahead. When every grade mat-ters, I understand why someone would want to ensure that “A” with a solid grade on the � nal. I may understand the pressure, but I could never condone cheat-ing. I feel cheating is the lowest of the low. If you aren’t capable of memorizing the material, don’t act like like you are. And I cannot help but feel that joining a bunch of clubs last minute is dishonest. Do we seniors really think we can fool the admissions o� cers with quickly-hashed resumes? Unfortunately, adding clubs is not all that students do to patch up their applications. Exaggerating volunteer hours and making ‘community service’ out of things that don’t actually serve the community is another common tactic of im-proving an application. Maybe you have even

heard about a senior last year who invented a non-pro� t com-pany in a foreign country, com-plete with a website to prove its existence. I do not know if this student’s fake website is gossip, truth, or a blend of both, but such dishonesty appalls me. � e college application process draws high school students into a harmful atmosphere. � e process is very stressful, some even claiming it brought the worst out in their personalities. Unfortunately, admis-sions o� cers see our lives in the two-dimensional pages we submit. � ey see who we are as ‘hours spent per week,’ and � lled-in bubbles on standard-ized tests. We are told that the es-say is the “face” of the applica-tion, giving the admissions of-� cers a chance to ‘see the real student,’ but asking someone to put who they are in under 500 words is impossible. I recently attended a seminar with representatives from � ve extremely competitive schools. An admissions o� cer from Duke University explicitly stated that schools do not want students to strategize in the ap-plication process. He said that we should just apply where we want to go and not think about helping our chances for getting in. I was tempted to ask if they strategize when admitting students. Asking us not to strat-egize is unfair when most top schools have acceptance rates under twenty percent. (Duke University’s rate is 17 percent). So I see a dilemma. I can revolt against the college ad-missions process, or pull myself together and try my hardest. I think I will choose the latter, despite any revulsion I bear for the current system. I wish I could keep my peers from being dishonest, or from stressing out about college as much as I have. I cannot, but I will not stop trying. No, instead, I will sub-mit my applications when I � n-ish them, and just hope for the best.

The Two Dimensions of the College Application

� eme under our breath. � ere is nothing wrong with being a nerd, I promise you. If you are reading this and furiously nodding, agreeing with everything I say, you have a friend out there! � ere are mil-lions of us, roaming the streets, disguised as normal everyday people. Do you think the old lady sitting across from you on the bus knows that you are going home to play your Harry Potter game on your Wii? Or how about your teacher? Do you think that she knows that you are writing down random Latin words trying to come up with your own spells? � e answer is no, but it shouldn’t be. We should be loud and proud of our nerdiness. Yes, we love Harry Pot-ter! Yes, we automatically connect everything in normal day life to it! � ere is nothing wrong with us!

Guys Wearing Girl Jeans...?

It’s Wednesday night, and all I can do is wait for nine o’clock to come. It’s the premiere of Glee, the hit show that captured many during their pilot episode last year a� er the American Idol � nale. � e show was com-plete with a cast full of fresh faces, all with outstanding tal-ents. � e charm was undeniable. Even down to the camera angles, this show’s pilot was a ten, and Dunbar students are noticing. “It’s really fun to see all these people like Lea Michelle (Rachael) and Matthew Morri-son (Will) that got their starts on Broadway and now bringing that to the small screen for everyone to see,” said senior Kayla Bryan. � e plot of Glee shows members of a glee club with their struggle to � t in the social hierar-chy. Common, overused plot? Yes, but this show stayed away from

“High School Musical” territory by stomping over it with amazing renditions of Journey’s famous, “Don’t Stop Believin,’” as well as showing “Rehab” performed by a rival glee club.

During the second episode, aired on September 9, I kept wait-ing for that moment when the ep-isode took you to a di� erent place. � ere was great music that kept you wanting for more. However, it included every cli-ché that you could include rolled up into one episode. � e episode lost its sense of wit and charm. � e whole series ha become very vulgar and le� me glee-less. It became just like any other TV show, trashy and witless. Although completely disappointed, there was one good moment. � e music. My suggestion? Get the soundtrack to Glee, but don’t waste your time watching it. If the next episode re-turns to the charming glee-tastic ways that captured me in the pilot, I might return to reveal my inner Gleek. As for now, I’m hanging up my show choir shoes.


What goes around comes around, even in the realm of fash-ion. � e trend of guys wearing tight girls’ jeans dates back to the years before Elvis Presley, begin-ning in the 1950s, and it’s begin-ning to show up again in Dunbar’s halls. Some boys will tell you that they wear these tight jeans to set themselves apart from the “norm,” to be non-conformists. “It’s just di� erent,” said sophomore Randon Juanso. Other guys will say that they are wearing them because they just want to be themselves and they don’t want to � t into any particular clique or group. “It’s just the style I like. I see no harm in wearing [tight pants],” said senior Ryan Marion. If you catch a boy wear-ing really tight girls’ jeans, he may be trying to � t into the rock, al-ternative, or even “scene” style. � is style stems from the retro musical Grease set in the 1950s. In this movie, John Tra-volta sports some tight pants—see, wearing tight jeans is a part of male history! But for some guys, tight jeans are a conversation piece. Some boys like having others come up to them and asking “Hey dude, why are your jeans so

tight?” It gives them something to talk about— a way to stand out, to make their mark. Tight jeans complete a look, whether you pair them with Chuck Taylors or just a cool band T-shirt. Sometimes girls’ jeans simply help guys belong. � ey al-low a guy to join a group of peers who subscribe to the same ideas and interests as the wearer. Guys may also wear them for comfort. I personally don’t think that skin-tight jeans are the most comfortable � t, but a pair of pants worn around the knees isn’t either. Plus, girls’ jeans may provide extra warmth in the winter due to how tight they re-ally are, allowing heat to become trapped inside. Whether boys wear girls’ jeans for style or comfort, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with the style. � e decision to wear tight jeans may not even be made to portray anything in particular. I wear tight jeans the majority of the time, and it is not always such a monumental deci-sion. O� en I just wear what may be freshly laundered at the time. Not everyone likes them. But I’m used to it.

Guys at Dunbar don’t wear shirts that are too low-cut or shorts that are too short, but I � nd it strange that guys wear jeans that are intended to be worn by girls. I have always worn men’s clothes and I have never had the slightest urge to try on girls’ jeans, so I don’t understand what inspires the young men at Dunbar to wear girls’ jeans to school. If I were to ever wear girls’ or women’s clothes, I would do it in the privacy of my room where nobody could see me, and I would make it a secret that I would carry to my grave. � e boys that wear girls’ jeans to school obviously choose to wear the women’s clothes around 2,000 of their peers. I just don’t get it. I am tired of seeing stu-dents go for the “skater” look by wearing girls’ jeans. Real skaters shouldn’t have to show their tal-ents with clothes. I don’t like seeing tight jeans that are worn at the waist at the mid-thigh. And if you are wearing your jeans that low, isn’t your mobility limited for skating? Girls’ jeans are much too small for boys to wear con-

Ben WolfordSta� Reporter

Chase BullockSta� Reporter

Con- Hangin’ Loose

Chase says loose jeans are way more comfortable.

Guys at Dunbar don’t wear shirts that are too low-cut or shorts that are too short, but I � nd it strange that guys wear jeans that are intended to be worn by girls. I have always worn men’s clothes and I have never had the slightest urge to try on girls’ jeans, so I don’t understand what inspires the young men at Dunbar to wear girls’ jeans to

If I were to ever wear

worn by girls. I have always worn men’s clothes and I have never had the slightest urge to try on girls’ jeans, so I don’t understand what inspires the young men at Dunbar to wear girls’ jeans to

If I were to ever wear girls’ or women’s clothes, I would do it in the privacy of my room where nobody could see me, and I would make it a secret that I would carry to my grave. � e boys that wear girls’ jeans to school obviously choose to wear the women’s clothes around 2,000 of their peers. I just don’t get it. I am tired of seeing stu-dents go for the “skater” look by wearing girls’ jeans. Real skaters shouldn’t have to show their tal-ents with clothes. I don’t like seeing tight jeans that are worn at the waist

to wear the women’s clothes around 2,000 of their peers. I

I am tired of seeing stu-dents go for the “skater” look by wearing girls’ jeans. Real skaters shouldn’t have to show their tal-ents with clothes. I don’t like seeing tight jeans that are worn at the waist

worn by girls. I have always worn men’s clothes and I have never had the slightest urge to try on girls’ jeans, so I don’t understand what inspires the young men at Dunbar to wear girls’ jeans to

If I were to ever wear

to wear the women’s clothes around 2,000 of their peers. I

I am tired of seeing stu-dents go for the “skater” look by wearing girls’ jeans. Real skaters shouldn’t have to show their tal-ents with clothes. I don’t like seeing tight jeans that are worn at the waist

sidering that males, on average, have much larger and longer legs than girls. � is means that girls’ jeans don’t come up to the waist on boys because they are too tight and too short, which then exposes the boys’ undergar-ments. I don’t think I’m alone by saying I don’t want to see these undergarments, especially at school. I don’t want to see these undergarments anywhere. Associate Principal Andrea Tinsley manages the dress code, but mainly girls are a� ected. � e only thing that guys can really do to violate the dress code is wear their pants too low, which happens almost every time a male student wears girls’ jeans. I am not suggesting that pants should be worn at the chest, but I think somewhere in the middle would be a satisfac-tory change. If students at Dunbar want to wear girls’ jeans, why not go all the way and wear a dress to school? I challenge you, those who wear girls’ jeans, to wear dresses to school. � e skater look may be an individual style, but young men have their own section of clothing. So guys, stay out of the girls section.

Melissa SimonSta� Reporter

New Show Glee Hits a Flat Note

Wilson Shirley is no longer a loser... but a Gleek.


6 7features features

The Wild Things Have Arrived

Who You Gonna Call? Ghost Hunter

sider that these monsters exist outside of the movie screen. � e monsters that terrorized the in-nocent townspeople and limped away from empty graves are ob-viously � ctional. Or are they? Society has long accepted the idea that vampires, werewolves, and zombies could never be real. A mother would comfort terri� ed chil-dren with “there’s no such thing as monsters” in the same breath as she might o� er a band-aid for a paper cut; it’s a com-mon belief. People have turned down any thought or comment concerning the validity of monsters, perhaps to muzzle the fear that would ensue. Any truth as-sociated with monsters has always been con-sidered strictly myth or a fabri-cation. However, there may be a real scienti� c explanation for sightings and real life accounts of the creatures of the night. Scien-ti� c evidence has uncovered that the famous monsters movie go-

ers have seen in their nightmares, can be explained by… science. While watching Dracula, Spanish neurologist Juan Gomez-Alonso noticed that vampires be-have similar to people with rabies.

� e virus attacks the cen-tral nervous system, altering the moods and behaviors of those in-fected. Su� erers become agitated and demented, and their moods can turn violent. Rabies also causes insomnia, which explains vampires

Please, Not Another Vampire Sighting

If you asked me, “Have you read Twilight?” I would re-spond with a simple, “Yes.” If you asked me, “Do you like Twilight?”

I might not give the same answer. I’m probably not the only one. Unfortunately for me and other realists, the four books and movie about innocent, quiet, insu� erable Bella Swan are no longer alone in popular vampire � ction. Twilight’s vampire theme shows a surprising immortality, constantly inspiring new shows and popular-izing old books. In September of 2008, HBO began airing True Blood, a vam-pire drama based on Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mystery books. � e show stars Anna Paquin as Sookie, a Louisiana waitress who falls in love with a vampire. Unlike in Twilight, vampires do not live in secret; instead, they go out and drink fake blood in public. Even with Twilight and True Blood in the spotlight, the CW Network is airing � e Vampire Diaries, a series based on L.J. Smith’s books of the same name. Instead of Bella or Sookie, its protagonist is an innocent girl named Elena, who fatefully attracts two vampires. � e vampires happen to be brothers, one good and one evil. � e poorly-acted show is yet another manifestation of the obsession with vampires. Where is the interest in clichéd stories about � ctional creatures? And while this concept eludes me, I have no escape from the bombardment of airbrushed, pale models on movie post-ers and book covers. I can’t even walk into my neighborhood Kroger without spotting a shelf of cheap vampire romance novels. If I had a supernatural ability, it would be to drive a stake through the heart of vampire � ction. Like many others, I believe the year of the vampire should have ended in December, two years ago when Twilight’s popularity peaked. But it didn’t. And as the vampire � ction market continues to expand, I will have to � nd a way to retain my civility each time the student sitting next to me asks me if I want to bor-row her copy of Dead A� er Dark or hear about the New Moon, the movie, which comes out November 20. Other girls may swoon over Edward Cullen, but

I will stick to quality literature.

As the fall season rolls around, there is an assortment of new movies opening to kindle the excitement of cinema-going teens everywhere. Among these new � lms is Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild � ings Are. � ere is no doubt that this movie has been highly antici-pated. In my English classroom, one mention of the � lm caused an eruption of excited chatter from everyone around me.

“I am so pumped to see it!” said junior Katie Luy. � e � lm follows the story of a young boy named Max. His adventure begins one night a� er his mother invites her new boy-friend over for dinner. Mischie-vous Max is upset that his mother would rather spend time with her new man than play in the fort Max has built in his room, so he decides to cause some trouble. A� er a bit of yelling and � ghting, his angry mother sends him to bed without having any dinner. Instead, Max runs outside and escapes. � ere his imagina-tion takes him on an adventure to a fantastical island that is home to the “wild things.” He is crowned their king and the wild rumpus starts.

� e movie Where the Wild � ings Are is a live action � lm

based on

the classic 1963 children’s picture book by Maurice Sendak. � e movie script was immensely ex-panded and adapted from the orig-inal ten sentence story in order to be � t for the big screen. From the � rst suggestion of turning the be-loved children’s book into a movie, it has taken over ten years to � nally get the picture rolling. � ere were many setbacks due to changes in directors, changes in distributing companies, auditions for actors, and alterations to costumes. Just as in the Caldecott Award-winning book, Max is seen throughout most of the movie romping around in his iconic wolf costume and gold crown. � e “wild things” retain the crazy look that they had in the book, but in the � lm the “wild things” are

portrayed by actors in 6 to 8 foot tall costumes with computer-generated faces. � e Jim Hen-son Company, the same com-pany that created the Muppets and the creatures from Pan’s

Labyrinth, made the extraor-dinary costumes for Where

the Wild � ings Are. � e costumes were so huge and outlandish that it made you believe them to be

real. Also, it was nice to not be bombarded with the computer generated characters that seem to be in every other movie these

days. Having Max interact with actual actors in costumes rather than pretending to see them made the � lm so much more likeable and believable. � e movie had its funny mo-

ments, one of the best involving a random raccoon that is thrown onto one of the “wild thing’s” face, but it also had some serious and even creepy undertones. For instance, the root of all of Max’s feelings that led him to run away lie within his family life. He has an absent father, a mother who is always working and now is beginning to date new men, and an older sister who is growing up too fast to notice him. Max had a lot of troubles at home, but once he reached the island his troubles seemed to only grow, now including the worry of being eaten alive. A volatile “wild thing,” Carol, even goes on a ram-page in which he tears o� one of the other “wild thing’s” arms and then chases Max while threaten-ing to eat him. Considering that this movie was created based on a children’s book, the content of the � lm is not very child friendly. � e � tting audience for this movie would be teens and adults who are looking back on their child-hood fondness for the picture book. It would seem that much of the appeal comes from memories students have that are tied to the original book. “It was one of my favorite childhood books, and I am really excited to see the pages come to life,” said junior Vicki Harrington. Much like the book, the movie was very strange, with a lot of random things thrown in that at times just made me say, “What?”

What: � is creepy street lined with old aban-doned cars is extremely eerie!Where: Frogtown Lane o� Parkers Mill Road.When: Anytime!

Witness a Ghost Visit the Scariest Street around See what Lurks in the Woods Get Ready to Screamat Night What: Trail of Terror and Terror on Tates Creek.Where: Trail of Terror is located in Jacobson Park and Terror on Tates Creek is located o� of Tates Creek Road. When: Trail of Terror is open from dusk until 10:30pm or later on Friday and Saturday. Terror on Tates Creek is open from dusk until 10:00pm or later from Wednesday through SundayAdmission: $10 for � e Terror on Tates Creek and $14 for � e Trail of Terror.

What: SCREAMPARK consists of three haunted at-tractions in a warehouse downtown.Where: It’s located o� of Manchester Street. When: SCREAMPARK is open from 7pm-10pm or later from � ursday through Sunday.Admission: $15 per person.

What: A nine-acre corn maze shaped like Henry Clay! Go through the maze to collect clues and win a prize.Where: It’s located at Kelley Farms o� Richmond Road.

Find Your Way Through a Maze

Dinner with Drac- John Zacherle

Don’t Fear the Reaper- Blue

Oyster Cult

Dragula- Rob Zombie

Ghost Busters- Theme Song

I Put a Spell on You- Screaming

Jay Hawkins

Witch Doctor- Toy Box

Thriller- Michael Jackson

Purple People Eater- Dr. De-

mento

The Addams Family- Theme

Song

The Monster Mash- Bobby Pickett

What: Visit these Haunted places around Lex-ington, and you just might see a ghost! Where: � e Highland Cemetery, � e Kentucky � eater, and � e Hunt-Morgan House.When: Anytime throughout the Halloween

Monster Music

Monsters Vampires and GhostsOh My Oriana Midence

Wild Reporter

Leah YinglingGhost Hunter

Top Movie Monsters

One of these things was a massive dog walking through the desert that is seen once, and then never mentioned again. It seemed like they were just throwing in anything that might be in a child’s imag-ination, even if it didn’t pertain to the story. Among all of the “wildness” that Wild � ings had to o� er, the meaning of the story seems to get lost. Max is struggling at home, but the action throughout the mov-ie doesn’t seem to bring any resolution to that. � e one moment in the � lm that hinted at any lesson to be learned was when Carol was out of control and Max was yelling at him to calm down, much like his mother was yelling at him in the start of the movie. � e events in the � lm le� me wondering what the point was. � is movie is de� nitely di� erent and bizarre, but it did have its funny points. Finally, the long awaited and highly anticipated � lm is in the-aters and everyone can get the chance to see the “wild” book come to life on the big screen.

Alex FleischmanVampire Reporter

being nocturnal. Also, rabies can create a person to su� er from mus-cular spasms that can lead them to spit up blood, which is triggered by bright lights, water, or strong smells, such as garlic perhaps. Do

you need a quick re-view of an e v e r y d ay v a m p i r e or is this s o u n d -ing pretty f am i l i ar ? In � e We re wol f D e l u s i o n (1979), Ian Woodward e x p l a i n s that were-w o l v e s may also be in-spired by rabies. � e

virus is transmitted through bit-ing, and the dementia and aggres-sion of late stage rabies can make people behave like wild animals. According to Costas J. E� himou, a physicist at the Uni-

The Scientif c Truth Behind Monsters

ington. She also owns � e Ghost Hunter Shop located in Porter Place. On a typical day, Starr an-swers e-mails asking her to look at photographs to see if there is a ghost present and phone calls where someone may ask her to perform an investigation at a house. She is currently writing a book and must make time for that, as well as make time for appoint-ments which include ghost inves-

tigations, seminars, and conven-tions. For those that do not be-lieve in ghosts, Starr will not try to convince them otherwise, but she has collected many types of evi-dence she � nds su� cient to prove that ghosts do exist. Proof that ghosts exist in-clude anomalies in photographs, unexplained moving in video, and shadows of people that do not exist. Ghost voices also serve as proof; these voices are known to ghost hunters as Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). Ghost hunt-ers use a recording device to cap-

ture the voices. Usually a ghost hunter will turn on the device and ask any ghosts that may be pres-ent some yes or no questions. � e EVP may reveal the ghost or spirit answering the question or another unexplained sound. Another commonly used device to determine presence of a ghost of spirit is an Electromag-netic Field Detector (EMF). � e EMF,such as one pictured to the

le� , beeps whenev-er there is a change in electromagnetic � eld. � is beep may signal to a ghost hunter the presence of a ghost. An infra-red thermometer may also used to determine the pres-ence of a ghost. � e

infrared thermom-eter measures the temperature precise-

ly; any sudden unexplained drop in temperature is possible evidence that a ghost may be present. According to Starr, there is a di� erence between ghosts and spirits. Ghosts haven’t learned to � nish their journey while Spirits have moved on but have come back to visit family for special occasions such as holidays. From each of her ex-periences with ghosts she had learned something new. Starr said, “I have learned more about life from the dead than I have from the living.”

versity of Central Florida, zom-bies may also be creatures of science. � is is supported by the story of Wilfred Docient’s death in Haiti and reappearance in his village more than a year later, looking and behaving like a zombie. Wilfred was poisoned with a powder from the liver of a species of pu� er � sh home to the waters of Haiti. � e powder caused Wifred to appear dead, without actually killing him. When he reappeared, he was brain-damaged, and wandered the countryside for months un-til ending up at his village. � is doesn’t exactly sound like Night of the living Dead; however the same basic principles are there. No, this is not a mock-up screenplay of the next hor-ror movie; it is simply the latest scienti� c conclusions that may legitimize a few fears. While these diseases and the particu-lar symptoms are rare, so are the chances of seeing a vam-pire walking down the street. A number of popular monster movies could actually be based on real people plagued by dis-eases. Maybe these movies just

Google Images Fair UseFictional vampires, such as Dracula, may be based on humans that have contracted rabies.

Google Images Fair UseSimilar to Dracula, Werewolfs, like the one seen in Teen Wolf, may also be based o� of people with rabies.

Interview with a Vampire (1994) - Louis de Pointe du Lac is a 200-year-old vampire who has encountered many struggles including falling in love.

Teen Wolf (1985) – Scott (Michael J. Fox) is your average teenage boy, until he undergoes a drastic change and becomes a werewolf.

Frankenstein(1931) - Fran-kenstein is a manufactured monster only knowing hate, horror and murder.

Monster’s Inc. (2001) - Sul-ley is the best at collecting screams.

A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984)- A ghost of a serial child murderer, Fred Krueger, haunts teenagers dreams, which then turn into reality.

Amanda HancockWerewolf Reporter

i

Patti Starr may see dead people, but they are nothing like what Haley Joel Osment saw in the Sixth Sense. Starr, a top ranked Lexington-based ghost hunter, said, “Hollywood and TV have demonized ghosts into something they aren’t.” A� er 30 years of experience Starr has never been scared by a ghost, only startled. Her � rst experiences with ghosts occurred when she was young. � e ghosts would come and talk to her at night. At � rst she believed it was just her imagination, but as she grew older she knew it was not just her imagi-nation, it was some-thing else. To be able to get where she is today, she had to undergo ghost hunting training which included a class, a ghost hunt and then a test. A� er years of experience, Starr is now teaching classes of her own. In the classes Starr teach-es she encourages students to ex-plore and � nd new methods of � nding ghosts and spirits. She also teaches safety precautions when participating in ghost hunts. Starr is president and owner of, Ghost Chasers Inter-national, which is based in Lex-

As the music builds into a blood curdling tune

and foggy shadow appears onto the screen, you can’t

seem to think happy thoughts. Eyes tightly shut, fearful of what gruesome scene you might get a glimpse

of, forehead drip-ping beads of

sweat, and now forced to re-strain the full � edged squeal that is rising in your throat; your thoughts

are very much the absence

of happy. � e single hope that

is keeping your skin attached is the fact that

the horrifying creatures on the screen have no chance of following you out of the theater. Yes, when the credits roll, you’re safe. Of course, you are far too old and experienced to con-

Illustrated by Chris Schenning

Photo b

y Jilli

an D

unaway

Infared thermometers, cameras, and electromagnetic � eld dectors are commonly used tools for ghost hunters.

Google Images Fair Use

, ,!

AHHWOO

8 features

Clubs at Dunbar

Get Ready For A Thriller! It will showcase a rare glimpse into the last few months of Jackson’s life that were spent in prepa-ration for his � nal tour. � e movie also take audience mem-bers through some of his greatest per-formances begining with the most popu-lar, “� riller.” Some of the per-formances featured will be presented in digital 3-D, giv-ing audience mem-bers a taste of what it would have been

like seeing Michael Jackson live. � e movie will also show the hard work and deter-mination put into making Mi-chael Jackson’s last tour some-

previews will be shown in 15 se-lect cities on October 27. “Hopefully, THIS IS IT can show a side of Michael that the media did not, until a� er his death,” said senior Richie Steph-an. Tickets to THIS IS IT went on sale September 27th to give fans an ample amount of time to purchase their tickets. Tickets are available at www.thisisit-movie.com. THIS IS IT will be playing at mos Lex-ington theaters. Whether you’re a die-hard Michael Jackson fan, or just have an appreciation for music, THIS IS IT is a movie you may want to see. Just remember it’s only in theaters for a limited time of two weeks, so don’t stop ‘till you get enough Jackson!

Fans raved as Michael Jackson announced his THIS IS IT tour on March 5 in London’s O2 Arena complex. Tickets � ew from box o� ces; everyone want-ed to see the King of Pop in what he had called “the � nal curtain call.” A� er Jackson’s death on June 25, bits and pieces of his rehearsals from his last few months began to emerge. AEG Live released more than one hundred hours of video captur-ing Jackson’s last three months of rehearsal. Kenny Ortega, cho-reographer for the tour and a good friend of Jackson, worked with Sony and AEG Live to edit the 100 hours of video down to a two hour movie documentary. Named a� er Jackson’s � nal tour,

� is year Dunbar seniors Tomomi Eguchi and Grace Tsai formed the Dunbar Letter Society. � e club sends care packages to soldiers over-seas, makes cards for local chil-dren in hospitals, corresponds with international pen pals, makes cards for local children in hospitals, and makes cards for people in nursing homes. Tomomi Eguchi said, “We started this club to help the community, and it’s a fun way to do it.” � e club is sponsored by Ms. Kate Marinangeli. � e intent of the club is to make a

positive impact on people’s lives globally and locally. � e club meets once a month on Wednes-days in room 711. Are you interested in helping the environment? � e re-cycling club meets every � urs-day a� er school in Mr. Lee’s room. At the meetings the members go to each room and empty the recy-cling bins, and brainstorms envi-ronmental projects that they can do for the community. Senior Kate Gardiner said, “I love recycling club be-cause I get to help the earth, and make the earth a better place for the future.” � e presidents of the club are seniors Arlene Wang and Jeremy Zhao, the club is spon-sored by Mr. Phil Lee and Mrs.

Heidi Anderson. � ere is another new club a Dunbar this year, it is a mentoring program that allows students to interact with the spe-cial needs students. � e club meets on Wednesday mornings in room 305 from 8:00 to 8:20 and also once a month a� er school. At the meetings, the students are able to interact with each other by doing activities together. � e club is sponsored by the special needs department. “Students should join this pro-gram,” said junior Marcie Bo-sworth, “It is a really ful� lling experience and it is a good way for students to get to know each other.”

A Speechie Life for Me

When most students are faced with the prospect of waking up early on a Saturday morning to dress up in a suit and drive to a high school across the state to perform in speaking events for an entire day, they wouldn’t feel it to be a good use of time. For a mem-ber of the speech team, however, it’s just another ordi-nary Saturday. Speech is a club where you compete with other schools in your state in speaking cat-egories. Anything from limited-prep speeches to impro-visational acting is done in speech team. But with so many schools hos-t ingtournaments across the state you usually have to wake up fairly early to get there on time. To prepare for a tour-nament, it takes a lot of practice and memorization, and it requires hard work and focus. All this hard work and focus starts taking place in the begin-ning months of the school year. With tournaments next month, teams have to start preparing for the upcoming season. Right now I have been looking for a new piece, and I think I found it. It is a personal narrative by David Sedaris, one of the many in his book Naked.

I have been cutting the piece and trying to memorize it. Another event I do re-quires me to know a lot about current events and politics. I have been reading the paper and watching the news trying to stay in the know.

Members are currently preparing by themselves, but as a team we have not practiced together. In actuality there is no practice at all right now; we haven’t even had our “orienta-tion” meeting. � e team is spon-sor-less. As math teacher Mr. Jason Reed told me and a couple members of the team, we are a

“homeless speech team.” � is is very true and until we � nd a sponsor, we cannot begin to pre-pare for the season. Don’t let the fact we are homeless make you think we don’t do anything. � e captains, Nicole Schladt, Simeon Kondev,

and Lawrence Rogers, keep the team together. We were very close last year, with all tour-naments excit-ing and full of laughs. � is year shows to be no di� erent. All the captains this year were on the team last year and they are the glue that holds the members together. � is is what’s great about speech team. � e camaraderie we have makes it really fun. But even without a sponsor, things need to be done, like recruiting. For such a large school, the Dun-bar speech team only had about 20 members last year. We lost six seniors to gradu-ation last year and we need

more members. As of now re-cruiting is a face-to-face activity. Currently, I have been talking to anyone who may have an inter-est. Now, if we speechies were typical high school stu-dents, we’d be bitter about wak-ing up early and going through such a draining day. But for us, it’s just another day in the life of

Clay Winstead has been a member of the speech team for two years. Photo by Melissa Simon

Annalise MichaelSta� Reporter

Clay WinsteadContributing Writer

Jillian DunawaySta� Reporter

thing spectacular. THIS IS IT hits movie theaters on October 28th, but only for a limited time of two weeks. Due to the anticipated high demand of the movie, sneak


Bargain HuntingLouann LopezSta� Reporter

Photo by Louis LopezLouann Lopez goes to yard sales to � nd good bargains.

Coupon Clippers Anonymous

Name: Louann•

Hobbies: Penny Pinching•

Most o� en found: Yard sale-•

ing and thri� -store shopping

About me: I like a good bar-•

gain.

And quite frankly, who doesn’t? With the economy quaking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, most families don’t ex-actly have room in their budget for luxuries. Gas? Food? Check. Designer jeans? Rain check. Although restrain-ing your inner fashionista can be rough, there’s ways to work around the economic crisis with-out dressing like a rag lady until those jeans � nally go on sale. You see, spending a good � � y dollars on the newest handbag or doling out your most recent paycheck for a pair of spi� y shoes isn’t thinking thri� ily at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – it’s downright outrageous. Instead of heading down to Fayette Mall next time the fash-ion bug bites, why not try staying a little closer to home? Namely, in your own neighborhood? Each and every Saturday morning, my mother and I bust out the Lexington Herald-Leader and scope out the most promis-ing yard sales. We bravely traverse the greater Lexington area, armed with only a map, a wallet, and our optimism. Sound exciting? I regret to say that it actually isn’t. Most

yard sales bring along disap-pointment, especially when all you stumble upon is old glass-ware or moth-eaten quilts. About twenty minutes into your morning, disappoint-ment may hit. Should you call it quits and head back to your nice warm bed? Although the prospect of your pillow will grow more en-ticing, I guarantee that you will regret abandoning your mission. And look! � ere it is! Nestled under that tacky Christ-

mas sweater is the highlight of your morning – a � ve dollar Kate Spade purse. (Seri-ously, I can vouch – I have it hanging in my closet.) While yard sale-ing cer-tainly requires a great deal of persistence, those brief mo-ments of sweet, sweet success can make even the most discouraging of mornings worthwhile. And just think of the savings: handbag, new: $150. Hand-bag, used: $5. You do the math. Now if you aren’t an early riser, or

if patience just isn’t your thing, never fear. Discount clothing stores are a fabulous alternative to the art of rummag-ing. Goodwill is always a classic, followed by the traditional church-run thri� shop. Clothes will typically taper around the � ve-dollar price range, maxi-mum. Another one of my favorite alternatives to store-bought clothing is the teen-friendly Plato’s Closet, located in Zandale Plaza. From Ralph Lauren to American Eagle, each and every brand name possible is happily resting on its hanger for an even happier price. If you prefer a more adult look, right next door to Plato’s is a new franchise dubbed the “Clothes Mentor.” � is sec-ondhand store also buys and sells gently used clothing that targets a more upscale patron base. J.Crew, Banana Republic, Louis Vuitton, and Vera Bradley are some of the brands that the store supplies. With all of these bar-gains just waiting to be discov-ered, you’re bound to � nd some-thing worth your while. � e best deals are found a� er long morn-ings spent searching. Best of luck on your thri� y scavenging!


THIS IS IT, Ortega calls it, “a gi� to Michael’s fans.” � e movie gives fans the chance to give their last respects to the King of Pop and celebrate his life.

9features

Shoes were so precious to the children that they would play barefoot throughout the day, and then they’d put on, what was o� en their only pair of shoes, just for dinner. � e kids’ clothing was also terrible. Most of their clothes were rough and torn. “Even though the kids were there for three days, there were a lot of kids who only wore one out� t cause that’s all they had,” said Fitch. On the last day of camp, the Dunbar students � lled ten ta-bles with shoes, clothing, and toys that they had brought with them to give to the children. “When the kids re-ceived the goody bags, they were really shocked and excited. � ey

immediate-ly put their clothes and shoes on and named their toys a� er us,” said Fitch, “it was really cute and they were so happy.” � ese children were overjoyed at a bag of things that we take for granted. To them, having just one pair of

shoes is a luxury. A� er viewing the de-lighted faces of the children a� er they recived their gi� s, no one could resist giving them more. � e volunteers then proceeded to empty their suitcases. “I came back with only the clothes on my back, as did many others,” said Merchak. Many of the members who went on this trip have indi-cated their wish to help again. “It changes your out-look on what you have since the kids are just dying to have a re-lationship with you,” said Fitch. “I learned to appreciate life here because I have so much here, and they have such a serv-ing heart, and I want to be able to be like that in my life.” � ese Dunbar students came home with fewer clothes in their closets, but fuller hearts. Maybe we don’t “need” that new pair a� er all.

When she applied to stores or other businesses, she did not hear from any of them for a few weeks. She decided to take matters into her own hands and called the managers to ask about her application. Unfortunately all the managers gave the same reply: “We have many quali� ed appli-cants in our system at this time.

Try resubmitting an application in a few weeks.” A few weeks later, Zhu got almost the same response af-ter resubmitting her application and calling the managers. Zhu, a very good stu-dent, is involved in extra-cur-ricular activities and also does community service. She is an all-around responsible teen, the kind that employers used to love to hire. So why hasn’t she found a good job, or any job at all? Zhu believes the econo-my’s � ip has caused everyone to value higher levels of education over just being a good person or having good work skills. � ere are many more people in the job pool, and teens

How to Jerk— A Style, A Movement, A Habit

Calling someone a nerd and a geek is suddenly not an insult anymore, according to the hip-hop industry, all because of a simple west-coast dance— jerkin’. Over the past year, jer-kin’ has become a habit-forming sensation, opening the ears of hip-hop fans all around the world. Although it originated in Los Angeles, California, last year, teens are now jerkin’ inter-nationally, forming dance crews to battle each other. But what made this dance so popular? “You’re a Jerk” is the answer. Composed by the New Boyz, this is a song that made BET’s 106 and Park’s countdown over thirty times this summer. � e New Boyz’ single made the top 100 ring-tones list and was ranked seventh in addi-tion to their 4 time appearance on the Billboard Chart for hip-hop and R&B. � eir newest album called Skinny Jeanz and a Mic was released September 15 and features R&B star Ray Jay in “Tie Me Down.” Not too shabby for two 17-year olds. Because of the New Boyz’ success, other dance crews in Los Angeles, like the Power

Step Four: � en step down with your right leg. Alternate the process between both legs.

Step � ree: While coming back down from your jump, swing your right leg behind you.

Step One: Li� your right leg up to hip level, while keeping your leg bent at the knee.

Step Two: Jump up and start moving your leg, which is still bent, behind you.

Rangers, Jinc Entertainment, and the Pink Dollaz, who record themselves jerkin’, have become YouTube celebrities. Some have received thousands of hits in a matter of a few short months. From their videos, it’s revealed that this dance is made up of multiple moves. When you put all these moves together you get the dance sensation, jerkin’. Some of the moves in-cluded are the “dougie,” the “pin-drop,” and the dance move most people want to learn, the “reject,”.Which many say is the “running-man”, but backwards. � e clothing worn while doing the dance includes bright skinny jeans, plaid shirts, geeky glasses, and Vans. Many hip-hop and rap musicians, are shocked at the popularity of this new and sud-den movement. Such artists include Grammy-award winner, Jay-Z, who quickly made “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tunes)” to show his disapproval of this new twist on hip-hop music. “No lyin’, your…jeans too tight. Your colors too bright, your voice too light,” says Jay-Z in his new hit. Yet the fans of hip-hop seem to disagree and they are gradually accepting this new

style. � is makes them look to the south for good music to blast in their cars. “We can � nally listen to something from the West Coast now and not the south,” said sophomore Morgan Kelsey. But has Dunbar caught on to this trend? Not really. A survey con-ducted in September showed that 26 percent of Dunbar students can jerk, and only 52 percent of students want to learn. Dunbar, being located in a southern state, is under the in� uence of rap artists such as Gucci Mane, Lil Boosie, and of course Lil Wayne. � is probably accounts for these percentages. Still, the supporters at Dunbar seem to love the beat of their song and say almost any dance is doable while it’s playing. When asked about the song “You’re a Jerk“, “It gets you up and moving,” said junior Jowandalyn Fields. Hip-hop fans be warned: � ere will be a new style in a mat-ter of time, and movements like jerkin’ will take over by storm. If you would like to learn more about moves included in jerkin’ visit jusjerk.com. At this website, you can � nd di� er-ent dance crews, with their own styles, from all over the country.

Where Have All the Jobs Gone?

In July of 2008 men be-tween ages 18-26 had an unem-ployment rate of 15% and young women had a rate of 12.8%. In July of 2009 young men had an unemployment rate of 19.7 % and young women had a rate of 17.3% (according to the United States Bureau of Labor). � ese num-bers show an alarm-ing trend. Teens and unemployment are going hand in hand more frequently due to current low hiring rate of many compa-nies and businesses. Since the economy has taken a downturn, teens are su� ering a lot. As jobs are becomeing more rare and the number of unemployed teens rises, teens are getting lost in the madness. Employers are now able to be more selective in who they hire, since more people are apply-ing for jobs. � is causes a disadvan-tage for inexperienced teens. Even some summer jobs su� ered this year. Unless teens al-ready had jobs or had been hired before the summer, getting em-ployed was a grueling task. For one unlucky Dunbar student, the job hunt is not mak-ing any progress. Senior Mency Zhu has been searching since the end of June to � nd a job that works with her a� er school activities and around school itself.

are the ones who are drowning. A past Dunbar student, who worked at Chick-Fil-A and the Palomar clubhouse in high school, said, “It was not really hard to � nd a job.” He would � ll out two to three applications a week and hear back from at least one place as soon as two weeks. To him, it was easy be-cause many places were hiring.

Almost all his friends had jobs that worked around their a� er school activi-ties and were not stressful or less than they wanted. For present stu-dents, maybe the sights are set too high. Starting a job with high expecta-tions and little experience does not work out well. � e best way to get the job you want is to start somewhere lower and build your way up. If anyone is looking for jobs to help pay for col-

lege or any other important rea-son, don’t expect to get the best job that o� ers the most money right o� the bat. Try aiming for lower wages than your wishes for a few months and then switching up. � ere are not many openings at the moment and teens are the last people employees are looking at. � e counselors and the guidance o� ce post jobs on the bulletin board beside the front of-� ce when they become available. Talk to your counselor if you really need a job and can’t seem to get one anywhere. Check ads and ask friends to keep an eye or ear out for you. You never know when someone could be looking for an employee just like you.

Traci ThomasSta� Reporter

Anna KilubaSta� Reporter

How to Reject— a Step-by-Step Guide How to Reject— a Step-by-Step Guide

Photos by Melissa Simon

Kelsey RandhawaSta� Reporter

Shoes For Love

Photo by Monica Fitch

Children playing soccer at Camp UNPES just outside of the city of Quito in Ecuador.

� e start of the new school year means two things: summer work that you put o� until the last minute and back-to-school shopping, including shoes, a girl’s best friend. Girls cannot resist the allure of cute pumps and stylish sandals, and as summer comes to an end, new shoes are a must to complete their fall wardrobes. Junior Vicki Harrington said, “I have forty pairs of shoes.”But what about those less fortu-nate than us? � is summer, a group of Dunbar students traveled to Ecuador on a mission trip with their church. � ese students helped run a vacation bible school called Camp UNPES. � e camp was stationed just outside the capital city of Quito, � is camp was for poor children from remote villages. Dunbar students helped to maintain the camp and led recre-ation groups. However, before the kids could participate in any camp activities, they had to get there. Some kids walked six hours just to get to a bus that would take them to camp. Others took a 3-hour canoe ride just to get to a � at bed truck. “� e truck looked like it was used to transport animals, and kids were piled in the back of it,” said junior Monica Fitch. “Even though it looked very uncomfortable, the kids were still so excited to be coming.” While the children’s trek was already a daunting venture, it was even more di� cult in light of the fact that the kids walked six hours wearing shoes that had soles that were falling o� or even had no shoes on at all. In Ecuador, tennis shoes were unheard of, and the children sported dress shoes, jellies, and � ats from the U.S. to play in. “� ey took very good care of their shoes,” said junior Andrea Merchak.

Featuring freshman Trina � omas

Luke Marshall is Workin’ For Dough

� ere are numerous stu-dents at Dunbar with part-time jobs. But how well do they man-age their studies while working part-time? We interviewed junior Luke Marshall, who works at Pan-era Bread Co., to see how he deals with both.

Q: How did you get the job? A: � e application is online. Af-ter that there is an online ques-tionnaire. If you score well then you get an in-person interview.

Q: Is it hard managing school, and having a part-time job?

A: Only on Sunday nights when I have to work. I get o� at nine then have homework which can some-times be hard.

Q: Do you feel like working at Panera is a good experience?A: Yes. � e people are good and it is a good � rst job. It teaches you how to act and treat others at your place of occupation.

Q: Is it hard to work with peo-ple that you may not get along with?A: I mostly get along with every-one but it is hard when I’m doing a task with someone else and they don’t do their part.

Jane RawlingsSta� Reporter


Junior Luke Marshall is able to man-age school and a part time job at Panere Bread Co.

Graphic by Sarah Cornett

10 arts

Has an unusually large painting of Paul Laurence Dun-bar caught your eye recently? Sophomore Maggie Owens was impressed when she saw it in the cafeteria. “It looks like it’s re-ally him,” she said. However, the painting retained an air of mys-tery because students did not know where it had come from, or why it was there. Last year, Jack Fogle, now a Dunbar graduate, worked on the project for the entire school year as an independent study art student. He got the idea at the beginning of the year from the abstract painting hanging over the main stairwell. He did some preliminary sketches and asked his teacher, Mr. Jacob Cecil, if they could get it approved. � ey took it to administration, and the idea went through. “I thought it was abso-lutely awesome,” said Principal Anthony Orr, explaining that

Student Art Displayed in Dunbar’s Halls

Dunbar Participates in All-State

The Hottest New Band Around

Senior Elise Beckman paints a portrait during her independent study hour.

administration was looking for something to give the cafeteria some atmosphere. Jack’s idea was exactly what they were looking for. Fogle spent most of � rst semester making his canvas and planning, with the advice and help of Mr. Cecil, Ed Kwiatkows-ki, Chase Dedman, Matt Dam-ron, and Mike Kendall. During second semester, he perfected his ideas and went to work painting. “Jack’s [painting] is 10 feet tall, so it was a big undertak-ing,” said Mrs. Debbie Eller, one of the art teachers here at Dun-bar. � e same year, Denise Hall, also a senior at the time, worked on a painting for the guidance of-� ce. Hers took a semester, which is typical for this sort of project. � is year, senior Elise Beckman is working on a project approved to be put up in the li-brary. She said that she “came up with [her] idea for a large proj-ect, thinking it would be [her] � rst assignment for independent study,” when Mrs. Eller and Mr. Cecil suggested displaying it here at Dunbar. Her project consists of four separate pieces, which work

Suggestions?Ben is open to suggestions. Send review requests to him at [email protected], or feel free to drop by Lab 302 during any A day lunch.

Suggestions?Ben is open to suggestions. Send review requests to him at [email protected], or feel free to drop by Lab 302 during any A day lunch.

REGGAETON!

Sammy MeadorSta� Reporter


Ben WolfordSta� Reporter

Clark BarnhartSta� Reporter

Rising Popularity of Raggaeton Music!

together to form a whole. � e idea was born of an expressive � gure drawing class that Beckman took over the sum-mer. She decided to choose some poses to � esh out, and found four that seem to have a sort of unity. She “wanted to really get an emotion across with these.” � e paintings represent four dif-ferent stages of a person’s spirit, showing how they go “from see-ing their self as small and insig-ni� cant to all encompassing … alive.” Fogle and Beckman both expressed surprise and excite-ment at having their art displayed so early in their artistic careers. � ere have, however, been less fortunate students whose ideas could not be displayed here at Dunbar. While administration has not established speci� c crite-ria, they look for pieces that are appropriate for school and that will not upset any students here at Dunbar. Nevertheless, they are willing to work with a piece, keep-ing its artistic value and purpose in mind while perhaps arranging it so as not to o� end anyone.

In the world of music, it is just about that time of the year when kids begin to build up their anticipation for the annual All-State performances. All-State is an event hosted by the Kentucky Musical Educators Association in Louis-ville, Kentucky where the � nest student musicians all across Ken-tucky congregate and perform incredibly di� cult, yet incredibly beautiful music. “It’s the greatest thing ever!” said senior Emily Robbins. To be accepted into All-State, all prospective performing students must audition.

Auditions for band are already in their second round and will take place at John Har-din High School on December 12, 2009. � e orchestra’s audi-tions will take place at Tates Creek High School on No-vember 7, 2009. � e chorus’s auditions will be in-house at Dunbar. � e music that must be performed for the auditions themselves typically consists of a few major and melodic scales as well as some excerpts from one or more compositions. When asked whether or not she was nervous about auditioning for All-State, senior Cindy Wong said, “It’s just like any other audition, really.”

When asked about whether or not they liked performing at All-State, several students gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” Even the assistant director of Dunbar’s orchestra, Nancy Stoner, had something to say about it. “It’s the most fun event. We get to stay in hotels, eat out, and a bunch of other fun stu� . � ere are even world-famous composers that are going to be there.” All in all, the KMEA’s All-State performance this year sounds like it will be quite the success. Band, orchestra, and chorus students are going to be practicing hard for what is sure to be outstanding auditions

With the prevalence of reggaeton music on the internet and in street culture, it is easy to see that reggaeton music is one of the most popular music types around. Reggaeton music has a combination of Latin and Carib-bean in� uences, and it is tradi-tionally a dance music backed by a heavy groove with a strong pulse. Supported heavily by a Caribbean beat, the Latin in� uences create the lyrics and melodies. Reggaeton’s roots go back to Central America in the 1980s and then to Puerto Rico in the early 1990s where it absorbed reggae in� uences. Reggaeton music is cen-tered around dancing. It is typi-cally performed very loudly, and it is usually quite fast. It shares

many qualities with hip-hop as in the culture that surrounds it generally promotes the messages in the music. � e lyrics are usually a combination of a singing and rapping. Junior Katarina Hoskins said that she “can really connect with the culture.” Culturally, it brings together the Latin community with the Caribbean community, and the music is played on the weekends at large parties or dance clubs. Personally, on a trip to Washington Heights in New York City several years ago, I stumbled upon the biggest street festival I have ever seen. � e streets were full of people, and reggaeton was blasting non-stop all night long. Dunbar students enjoy this music especially because of the hip-hop in� uences and how one cannot help but to “break it down” every time they hear the

thudding “boom pop boom pop.” According to a quick poll I conducted, several of Dunbar students’ favorite reggaeton artists are Daddy Yankee, Tito el Bamanio, Pitbull, and Don Omar. If reggaeton is new or unfamiliar to you, ask around school: chances are someone around you has some reg-gaeton music.

In the college town of Lexington, Kentucky, Cage the Elephant is not a new name to the indie/alternative band scene. Out of Bowling Green, Cage the Elephant has quickly become a popular band with hits like “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked.” � is mu-sic appeals to any-one that enjoys an upbeat indie genre of music. Cage the Elephant has made quite a sud-den impact on listeners of punk blues and indie rock. Quickly receiving a record contract with EMI records af-ter showcasing at the 2007 South by Southwest Mu-sic Festival, they then released hit songs and put out a self-titled debut album in 2008. Cage the Elephant should be proud of what they have achieved in such a short amount of time as a band. In just two years, Cage the Elephant was featured as an iTunes free single of the

week with “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked,” and the song reached number 32 on the UK singles top 100 charts. In addition, Cage the Elephant was number 67 on the top US album charts in 2008 with their debut album. In July, Cage the Elephant appeared on � e Late Show with David Letterman. � is band includes a vast array of band members. Matt

Shultz is the band’s vocalist. Brad Shultz is the band’s great guitarist. � e lead guitarist is named Lincoln Parish. Next in this line-up is the bassist, Daniel Tichnor. Daniel does not just play bass- he is also the band’s backup vocalist.

Lastly, the drummer is Jared Champion. He does not just play drums, though; he uses a variety of chimes and bells to make himself a distinctive drum-mer. � is makes the music of the band memorable as well. Anyone who is a fan of indie rock, funk, or punk blues would enjoy this band’s music. Of course, if you are in a good,

cheery mood, you will get more enjoy-ment out of this band. � eir songs are up-beat and catchy. If you enjoy happy music and want to listen to fun music, then this band will be a great choice to check out. � ere is not re-ally a bad song on any of their CDs but some may get repeti-tive to a picky listener. Matt Shultz’s vocals are easy to understand

and clear to hear above the rest of the music. Brad Shultz and Lincoln Parish’s intricate acoustic guitar ri� s will make you an instant fan of this band, and may even open your eyes to similar bands of the genre.



for an even more outstanding performance. All-State will give Dunbar’s musicians a chance to shine in the midst of the other musicians across Kentucky.

Alex SegnitzSta� Reporter

Good luck to all of those who will be auditioning! Hope-fully with all of the hard work going into All-State, it will end on a good note.

Photo By Nicole Schladt

Junior David Agtarap, senior Susan Creech, junior Wilson Shirley, and senior Catie Coldiron practice as a quartet for All-State auditions.

11entertainment

Take a look under the hood of Justin Demarcus’ tricked out Honda.

Dressed to Impress - Fall Fashion at Dunbar

Photos By: Melissa Simon

Across1. Sticky black substances5. South by west8. Strength13. United States of America 16. Hit17. Dined18. Wage getter

20. Bad, or beginning of name Harry dislikes21. Wards o� Dementors23. Performing artists24. Morsel25. Wand wood28. Exaggerate30. Indecent language32. River (Spanish)33. Pounds per square inch34. Journalist’s questions

35. Potions master38. Rent41. Adjoin44. Cause of sickness45. composer Johann Se-bastian46. Voldmort’s and Har-ry’s wands share this47. Man48. Intelligence50. Writer Bombeck

51. Against52. Districts of ancient At-tica53. Sorcerer’s ________55. Japanese money56. Excessively ornate58. Flirting60. Spiritual leaders64. What Malfoy is68. In possession of71. Cut of beef72. Association (abbr.)75. _____ matter76. Not many (2 words)78. Young Women’s Chris-tian Association79. M.D.80. Northeast by north81. Fred and George pull them82. Tons83. Cho Chang’s Patronus85. Also86. Centaurs’ tribute to Dumbledore87. Rubies88. Free of90. Kimono sash91. Goblet of _____92. Violent tree95. Unforgivable Curse (part of spell)97. Used in Trelawney’s class98. Less than two99. Planet near Neptune101. Hagrid’s motorcycle under him looks like this106. Halloween mo.107. Tom’s surname108. Mail transport109. Canal in U.S.

110. Digital audio tape (abbr.)111. Played112. Chinese sauce113. Not fake

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46. Used to rescue Harry in 2nd book49. Purple vegetable that makes you cry52. Wears a pillowcase, acts like a slave54. Finis57. Crookshanks59. Grawp, Hagrid’s little brother, is a ______61. Fudge is known for his ______62. What you earn63. Couches65. Tubspread66. Convex shape67. ____ Francisco68. Hogwart’s gamekeeper69. Far away70. Sego’s lily bulb72. Advertisement (abbr.)73. Swine74. ____ Ohara77. West southwest84. Nada86. Humble87. Nonsense89. Morose90. Small egg91. Last day of the week92. Quidditch captain93. Ancient Indian94. Legal document95. Comedian Gri� th96. Cedric’s father97. Simply100. Flurry102. � e other half of Jima103. Wrath104. Killed in action105. Snake-like � sh

Harry Potter (and various other things) Crossword

“I Can’t Focus Because...” Comic By Chongho Jeon

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Once in a while you walk down the halls of Dun-bar and you see someone and just think, wow that person really has style. � ere is that person who is always perfectly put to-gether, wearing the cutest new clothes, and following all of the latest trends. � en there is that person who has such a unique way of dressing, they try the cute things that you would never be brave enough to do, and they pull it o� like no one else can.

� ese stylish students are the inspiration and substance behind this fashion column. I was wondering the halls during 3rd block the other

day searching for these style icons of Dun-

bar. I happened upon Heather Buzard, a senior here, who was wearing an ex-ceptionally cute, yet chic and simple out� t. She was sporting a trend

that has been very popular dur-ing these � rst few weeks at school; a high wasted A-line skirt paired with a plain col-

ored shirt tucked in to the skirt along

with some ballet � ats. It was de� nite-

ly a � attering look. When I asked Heather how she

felt wearing this she said, “I feel pretty.”

� is particular out� t has been pop-

ping up in di� erent

variation since the � rst day of school this year. Heather, for instance, took a di� erent ap-proach by wear-ing the look with a long sleeved � t-ted shirt and a lacy tank underneath as oppose to the plain tank top that I have seen more commonly. Skirts that are worn in this style usually have a colorful pattern or in-teresting embellishment on them. Some girls have chosen to add a belt as well. However students decide to wear it, this is de� nitely a trend to watch. On my way to the cafeteria I spotted junior Allie Weber. She was looking espe-cially stylish on this particular day, sporting a new trend that is undeniably big for this fall. Allie was wearing a black and white plaid button-up dress with a pair of black leggings and

black ballet � ats. In her out� t she had accents of peace signs; a long chain with a silver peace

pendant around her neck and little peace signs

printed on the bot-tom of her leggings.

� is out� t was very fashionable. � e cute leggings made the out� t more school ap-

propriate as well as ideal for cool fall

weather. � e dress was not too tight which gave the out� t an overall more comfortable and relaxed

look. Plaid is the big thing to watch for the fall season. It is beginning to pop up ev-erywhere and in all sorts of

colors. Usually I have seen the

plaid in the form of a � tted button down long-sleeved shirt. Allie’s take on the

plaid in the form of a long-sleeved dress was a great choice.

Total cost: $75,000 including the original carTotal horsepower: 740Total weight: 1800 lbs.Times: 0-60 in 2.8 secondsQuarter-mile in 10.2 secondsFastest the car has gone: 190 mph

Modi� cations: too many to list, but ten most important are: 1. Garrett gt35r turbo2. Jet pistons3. Crower rods4. Brian crower built head5. Custom built manifold6. Synchrotech transmission7. Gator axles

� e Perks of Being a Wall� owerBy Stephen ChboskyMTV Books, 1999213 Pages At � rst glance � e Perks of Being a Wall� ower seems to have gotten its success among

teens as a result merely of its sub-ject matter. A coming-of-age sto-ry, its readers experience the wide variety of emotions described by one charming narrator, who we know by the alias of “Charlie.” However, reading the novel is a much more rewarding experience than that of reading your average story about high school drama and teen angst. � e story of Charlie’s freshman year in high school is revealed to readers through let-ters that he writes anonymously to … well, we don’t know who. � at’s exactly why Charlie is able to be totally open and honest. He can share his ex-periences with us raw, unaltered, because he knows that he won’t betray the trust of anyone he loves as he writes to a role model that he has never met, who doesn’t know his true identity.

Pictured Le� : Senior Heather Buzard Right: Junior Allie Weber

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Oriana MidenceSta� Reporter

So he tells it to us – the story of his life – in unpolished gruesome detail. As Charlie � nds his niche in the world, he con-fronts all sorts of situations that force him to think. He learns about love, drugs, suicide, violence, homo-sexuality, teen pregnancy, and the like. � e readers of the book are forced to think about these things vicariously through Charlie’s nar-rative. � ese are hard issues that high school students are still trying to sort out, as they are confronted with them nearly on a daily basis. For this reason, many young people feel a strong connection with Charlie and his experiences. Amidst all the questions of opinion and ethics, Charlie is faced with the most di� cult challenge, one that has le� him

standing on the sidelines for most of his life while he watched time pass him by. He is forced to probe his own mind and feelings, to sort out what he wants and what he doesn’t want. He learns that he needs to decide what people, places, and experiences he will allow to mould the person that he is becoming, and which of these things he will let go. � rough all of this contemplation, the wall-� ower must learn to participate. � e Perks of Being a Wall� ower makes for an enjoy-able read for any high school stu-dent. And if the question has been hanging overhead, it’s a quick read worth 14 Reading Counts points.


I would race almost any Honda Civic if I heard it revving it’s engine at a stoplight, but if I looked over and saw Justin De-marcus driving his Civic, I would think again. Justin Demarcus, a se-nior at Dunbar, has been build-ing a black 2000 Honda Civic with his brother, Josh, for several years. � e two have been piling money into the car in hopes to make it extraordinarily fast, and I think it’s safe to say that they have accomplished their goal.

Dunbar’sCarProfi le

Total cost: $75,000 including the original carTotal horsepower: 740Total weight: 1800 lbs.Times: 0-60 in 2.8 secondsQuarter-mile in 10.2 secondsFastest the car has gone: 190 mph

Modi� cations: too many to list, but ten most important are: 1. Garrett gt35r turbo2. Jet pistons3. Crower rods4. Brian crower built head5. Custom built manifold6. Synchrotech transmission7. Gator axles


The Skimmer Reviews The Perks of Being a Wall� ower

8. Tail blow o� valve9. Tail 44mm wastegate 10. Volk ce28's

Created By Kelsey Randhawa

C L U E S



Trends to Watch:•Scarves•Bright nail polish•Plaid•Pins and broaches• Belts worn at the waist• Purples •Dark jeans•Colorful cardigans•Bright colors•Embellishment•Tall boots•Ruffl es•Ballet fl ats•Skinny jeans

ReadSkimToss

Rating:

12 sports

from playing this season. Due to an incident in early August, � ve star players are no longer on the team. As if this wouldn’t slow them down enough, players have also been getting sick and injured in recent months. Before the season even began, sophomore wide receiver Andrew Caywood tore his ACL and junior wide receiver LaQuay-le Givens injured his shoulder at football camp. Both of these inju-ries have put the players out for rest of the season.

Emily AvioliSta� Reporter

Finishing a volleyball season ranked third in the state is an accomplishment to be proud of. Dunbar’s volleyball team has had no problem following last year’s successful squad. � e team actually posted a regular-season record of 29-9. Dunbar has had success under head coach Jennifer Mor-gan, highlighted by last year’s run at a state title which ended a� er the state semi-� nal match at Bel-larmine University. � e success of this year’s team is indisputable. � e Bull-dogs have already defeated their biggest rival, the Henry Clay Blue Devils, once this year. When asked about the games of the reg-ular season, senior captain Stefani Cleaver said, “Our biggest win was Henry Clay by far!” Cleaver, along with seniors Brianna Hill and Kelly Cole, are the captains who have guided the team to a current rank of ninth in the state. Dunbar defeated Lafay-ette in district play at Dunbar, and the win earned them a spot in the district � nals, which earned a seed in the regional tournament at Franklin County High School. In the district � nals, the team faced o� against a higher ranked Henry Clay squad for the second time in three weeks. Hen-ry Clay opened the night with a win in the � rst game, but Dunbar came back and won the next two games for the overall win. � e Bulldogs were ninth in the state and the Blue Devils were ranked sixth, making Dunbar the under-dog winner once again. “Henry Clay is still ranked higher than us in the state, and we’re always a little underap-preciated,” said senior Brianna Hill. � e team won their � rst game of the regional tourna-ment against Madison Central. � e Bulldogs won the � rst game 25-8 and the second game 25-6, showing their dominance in the region. Next for the Bulldogs is the regional semi-� nal against Scott County, which took place on October. If they win the semi-� -nals, they will vie for the regional title � ursday night at 7 p.m., and have a shot at competing in the state tournament at Northern Kentucky University.

Bishop Leads Dunbar Golf Team to Victory

Paul Laurence Dunbar has a new superstar a� er junior Will Bishop won the Champions Tour’s Wal-Mart First Tee Open over Labor Day weekend at Peb-ble Beach, California. “Will competed at a na-tional level, and proved to him-self that he can win,” said boys’ golf coach Mr. Seth Young. “He had to go through a lot of qualifying exams and in-terviews, as well as a qualifying match, to play. He’s a good stu-dent and a good athlete.” Bishop teamed with golf pro David Eger over the

course of the weekend to � nish 17 under par, and he also placed � rst by one shot. � e Open was televised nationally, allowing Bishop’s friends and family to watch and cheer him on. “We saw Will golf on TV,” said sophomore Trey Cox, a fellow member of the golf team. “It’s pretty cool when one man on your team gets so far; it’s a real in-spiration.” � e team is continuing to show support for Bishop, and they hope that he will continue to do well over the rest of his career at PLD. “Will is our best man, and he still manages to be a hum-ble, friendly kid,” said Cox.

� e Dunbar boys’ golf team did well last year, taking � rst place in a highly competi-tive region, and coming in fourth place at state. “We’re expecting an-other good season this year,” said junior Parth Parekh, the three man on the team. “We have really good players returning like Will Bishop and [senior] Eric Prince, and I think everyone got a little better this year.” � is year has been good to the team, with a � � h place overall team score at the GRC in-vitational. Senior Nick Grounds also had a strong personal � nish at the Lafayette invitational, as well as at other tournaments.

“We are having a pretty good year,” said Mr. Young. “We are in the top four to six compet-itors in each match, and I think that the trend will continue.” � e state tournament began on October 5 and con-tinued through October 7, but Dunbar was absent from the competition. “We didn’t make it through regionals, but we had a pretty good � nal tournament,” said Parekh. � e team � nished � � h in the region, tied with rival GRC high school. “� is was my � rst re-gional tournament,” said Cox. “� e team will do better next year, and so will I.”

Max AinSta� Reporter

and I’ve really enjoyed it.” Senior co-captain Stefan Slavov agrees. “It’s like a fam-ily,” said Slavov. “When you’re all out there working that hard, it makes you stronger. You learn to put a lot of faith in your teammates and yourself.” “Our team chemistry was great,” said senior Mary Giu-liani re� ecting on her last season as a defender on the girls’ team. � e close-knit attitude of the players could in part be cred-ited to their rigorous summer conditioning. Other group activi-ties included the many picnics, banquets, and other gatherings implemented to increase unity within both teams. Both inside and outside of school, a spot on either team demands a great deal of commitment and time. � e boys are hoping to continue their success in the games le� in the season. Discuss-ing the approach of districts, se-

� is year’s varsity soc-cer teams have steadily advanced in the state rankings, due to the continued leadership of their head coaches, Mr. Todd Bretz and Ms. Emily Coleman. Bretz and Coleman, directors of the boys’ and girls’ teams respec-tively, are very proud of the ac-complishments their players have made throughout the sea-son. Although the girls’ season came to an unfortunate close this past Monday night, the boys are still in the running as they look ahead to regionals. “We’ve got a close-knit group of kids this year who work hard to support one another,” said Bretz. “� is teamwork will help us succeed in the weeks ahead.” Both teams’ success-es are evident in their current standings. � e boys have either won or tied roughly 80% of their games played to date, a number relatively high in relation to oth-ers in their district. � e girls concluded their season with a win/tie percentage of approxi-mately 40%. � e girls’ decreased suc-

cess rate could in part be credited to the team’s composition. New members this year include four freshmen: Mackenzie Nichols, Rebecca Schladt, Baylee Dorman, and Madeline Walter, all of whom have made the di� cult leap from middle school soccer straight into a competitive high school league. Although the girls have for the most part managed to success-fully work with the older players, the overall youthfulness of the team still o� en proves di� cult. Despite these challenges, Cole-man remains optimistic, expect-ing Dunbar to be very strong in the upcoming years as the already talented freshmen gain experi-ence. In regards to the boys, with only one freshman, Kerek Plummer, and one sophomore, Jon Hurley, the majority of the team is upperclassmen-based. In light of this predominantly top-heavy makeup, Hurley addresses the challenges the transition from JV to Varsity can pose on younger players. “It’s been rough,” said Hurley. “� e speed of play is quicker, the power of the shots more accurate and harder. And the attacks from the other team are more di� cult to read and de-fend. But everyone has been great

Dunbar Varsity Soccer Teams are Kicking it Up

nior Zachary Walter is con� dent in their abilities. “We have been playing well lately,” he said, “but this is a good chance for our team to re-ally step up.” Co-captain Nick Marnatti agrees that their chances for success look promising. “I’m betting we can do some serious damage,” he said.

Zack Byrd, a junior, steals the ball from a Lex-ington Catholic player.


team has been through. “We’ve had to � ll in some spots with less experienced players, but those players have really stepped up and gotten good life experience,” said Coach Jason Howell. � e players who make up Dunbar’s football team con-tinue to compete. � ey practice almost every day, as they have done since conditioning started in early summer. Even the in-jured players show their dedica-tion by attending each practice, game and team function. “It’s sort

of like a brotherhood based on team unity,” said sophomore wide receiver William Henderson. Senior night was held on October 23, and was the last home game for seniors � ad Johnson, Kendall Davis, Rob-ert Givens, � ayer Burgess, and Spencer McGuire. “As a cheerleader, I know the team needed all the support they could get this season,” said sophomore Laura Banks. “Every-one should come to the last away game at Henry Clay,”

� ough some incidents have not been as serious, other athletes have been in and out of games this year due to injuries as well. Sophomore tight end Zack Barker tore his MCL and sopho-more running back John Rose su� ered a concussion this season. Sophomore o� ensive lineman Clint Bacon came down with mono, and was also unable to play for a few games. � e coach has an opti-mistic attitude towards the recent chain of unfortunate events his

With the � nal game on October 30, the Bulldogs’ season is coming to an end. � e football team broke their eight game losing streak and won two games in a row. “It’s the � rst time we’ve won back to back games since 2005,” said senior of-fensive lineman Matt Smith. A number of setbacks have prevented some athletes

Photos by Kristi McIntosh

Louann LopezSta� Reporter

Photo by Aimee Go� netHill and teammates celebrate a� er scoring a point against Henry Clay.

Volleyball Exceeds State Expectations

It’s been a long haul for the cross country team this fall. Both the girls’ and boys’ teams saw top runners graduate last year, and have been plagued with injury and illness this season. Luckily, they’ve also had young runners stepping up to help � ll in the gap. � e girls’ team in par-ticular has bene� tted from out-standing newcomers. “� e freshmen are great. We have one new sophomore and two freshmen running on varsity,” said junior Andrea Merchak. Prior to the race, many of the runners expressed con� -dence in their chances at the Fay-ette County Championship. All the extra e� ort seemed to be pay-ing o� .

Cross Country Faces Di� culty, Picks Up Slack “We have only won one race this year, which is dif-ferent from past years. It will be a close race between us and Lafayette [but] I expect to win,” said senior Samir Shah. As it turns out, he was right on target. � e meet, which took place on October 14 at Masterson Station Park, was a success for both the boys and girls. Both ju-nior Megan Klein and senior Rob Wahl won their respective races. Freshman Olivia � ompson, who

recently recovered from a knee injury, dropped three minutes from her personal record. Both teams took � rst place at city and will soon be competing at the re-gional and state levels. “We really came togeth-er and showed how dominant we are in the city,” said Lackey. “Hopefully we’re getting to where we need to be so we can rock out at state.” “� e future looks excel-lent for the team,” said Wahl. � e Bulldogs hope to see their times improve a� er drop-ping their mileage in preparation for the championships. � ey also hope to see some support from their peers at their most impor-tant race of the year. “� e atmosphere at state indescribable,” said Klein. Come show your support at the Horse Park on November 14!

Photo by Sammy MeadorSenior Quinn Lackey � nished second overall in the boys’ race with a time of 16:50.8.



Football Team Tackles a Better Season

October 2009 issue

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Transcript of October 2009 issue