4 Feature

December 2012

Heading Into the Branches

Emily JonesReporter

“No idea,” Tristan Logan , senior, says when asked about what happens after joining the military. There are four main branches of the military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. In 2010 7,063 people joined Army, 3,291 Navy, 1,789 Marine Corps and 2,894 joined the Air Force. With such a large number of people joining the military, it is a wonder that people have “no idea” what happens after signing up for something that will be life-changing. Each branch has different requirements and specifications that a recruiter can help with. It is important to remember that seventeen year olds will need parental consent before being allowed into the military. An eighteen year old is free to sign without parental consent. Each military branch has equal pay, despite common misconceptions that the Air Force or certain other branches get special treatment or pay. Navy recruiter Todd Ellis assures, “Military pay is regulated throughout the branches and is decided yearly.” The pay is regulated each year. The President suggests a higher or lower pay and this is ratified by Congress. When the Employment Cost Index goes up, so does military pay in order to keep it steady with civilian pay. Pay is designated by rank and amount of service in years given to the military. After signing up, one is obligated to give eight years of military service. For active duty a military member must serve three to six years active with two remaining years in inactive ready reserve. In the reserves one has to have six years reserve and two years inactive ready reserve or IRR. When joining the military after talking to the recruiter, every branch of service has the recruit go to the Military Entrance Processing Station or MEPS. MEPS is a day-long experience which includes many tests. Once at MEPS recruits the ASVAB( Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). The higher the score the more jobs that open up. Eight subtests are included in the ASVAB. The AFQT or Armed Forces Qualifying Test are scored separately and decide enlistment eligibility. The subtests that make up the AFQT are arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, and mathematics knowledge. The four other tests are general science, auto and shop information, mechanical comprehension, and electronics information. At MEPS, recruits take a physical that includes vision testing, hearing, blood pressure tests, a blood test, a drug and alcohol test, and a pregnancy test for females. The name and number of a family physician is also required.

Once through the physical, a liaison or counselor will help with a job search. ASVAB scores, medical tests, and job availability will all affect what job is offered. In the military picking a job is essential. Making up a list of jobs with a recruiter may be beneficial before going to MEPS. There are a plethora of jobs in the military for all different interests. After completing the day at MEPS, recruits take an Oath of Enlistment. Family members are allowed to attend the oath. Afterwards the

recruits will sign a contract, either the Delayed Entry contact or the Enlistment contract. Talking to a recruiter could be a potentially scary thing. Army recruiter Tiffany Langley encourages students to, “Go prepared with

questions. Write them down to remember what they all are.” Before boot camp, the Army offers weekly future soldier training as preparation. They offer physical training as well to help prepare for boot camp. When heading to the nine week basic training, it is important to remember the values recruiters have taught and the ones a recruit has grown up with. In the Army a score of 31 or higher is required on the ASVAB. Graduation from high school

is required in the Army. A GED is accepted on a case by case basis with a score of 50 or higher on the ASVAB. For the Navy, a score of 50 or better is required on the ASVAB if the recruit has a GED. With a high school

diploma a 35 is accepted. Basic training, or boot camp, is eight weeks long. Things to remember: 11 general orders, the Sailor’s Creed, and the chain of command. The Navy looks for recruits who are willing to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They must also possess the core Navy values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Navy ROTC is excellent training to do before bootcamp. Todd Ellis, Navy recruiter, encourages taking hard classes and getting good grades.

The United States Marine Corps requires a minimum of 31 on the ASVAB. Marine recruiter Ryan Corbett says, “Remember why you’re joining when going to bootcamp. Remember your address in order to write to your family during boot camp.”

The Marine Corps have a tattoo policy placed into effect in January of 2010. This bans all tattoos on hands, fingers, wrists, and inside the mouth. This policy also covers the previous one that prohibits tattoos on the head or neck. Four tattoos are allowed to be visible when in training uniform. The tattoos must not be bigger than your extended hand with all fingers touching. In order to protect the Corps values and image there are no racist, sexist, drug related, vulgar, or anti American tattoos permitted. Sergeant Ryan Corbett says, “The Marines have recruits train once a week on Thursday with recruiters to prepare them for bootcamp.” If a highschool student has a dependent they may be ineligible to join the Marine Corps. Something that seems to be mis-represented is that the Marine Corps is actually a Department of the Navy. The Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress in April 1798. It was used to provide a government organizational structure to the U.S. Navy. This means that the Marine Corps is a service within the Navy.

The Air Force requires a ASVAB score of 50. When heading out for 8 and a half week bootcamp Air Force recruiter Darrell Suazo advises, “It’s all a mental mind game. The TI’s aren’t picking on you they are doing their job. The Air Force provides $4,500

to each airman for education and college. Staff Sergeant Suazo says, “ When picking the branch for you, make sure it works for you. Don’t join just because someone told you to. What works for one person might not work for someone else.” Remember to be honest and committed when joining. Also remember to be physically fit and have no drug or credit issues. If interested in joining the military, be sure to talk with a recruiter to find out which branch would be most beneficial. Sergeant First Class Tiffany Langley says, “Recruiters are there to help, use that.”

5

December 2012

Feature

Bottom Right: Sophmore Trista Borandi poses dressed in an evening gown.

Bottom Middle: Senior Andrea Brown smile lights up while she’s dressed in her evening gown.

Bottom Middle: CHS represent the school. Junior Jenni Holthus right. Senior Andrea Brown left.

Top: Sophmore Trista Borandi, one from the left, and Senior Andrea Brown, three from the right, are dressed in business appropri-ate attire in preperation for the interview portion of the paegent.

Photo By: Deanne Barber

Welcome to the “ASSROOM.” Or the “POOAH” room. These are the quality names given to the classrooms around the building by students throughout the years. The small blue and white placards stating the original purposes of several rooms in the building have been vandalized and changed into humorous and generally inappropriate things like “ASSROOM” or just plain “ASS.” 17 out of the 36 blue squares marking rooms in the hallways, from the once “DATA” room to the “ADMIN.” offices, have been defaced (some more skillfully than others). The small white letters are pulled off by bored teenagers, waiting around for teachers or friends, changing words like “CLASSROOM” or “GYM” to “ASSROOM” and “YM.” While general hilarity ensues noticing that room A238 is an “ASSROOM,” it does bring

down the class of Conifer quite a bit. “They are (a low priority) and also costly to fix when they are not actually used anymore,” said the facility manager Gene Smith. There used to be blue squares next to almost every room in the school. Traces remain of the vanished squares. Where they once were, yellowed adhesive remains on the cinder blocks near classroom doors. The real questions remain though, are there no other ways to cleverly change the placards and what happened to the missing little white letters? Does somebody out there have a random CL or are they just now in the trash? Wherever they may be, remember Conifer, stay “ASSY.”

Putting Some Back in

Recently three CHS students took on the nerve-racking challenge of going up on stage in front of a 1000 pairs of eyes and competing for the title of Miss Teen Colorado. Senior Andrea Brown, Junior Jenni Holthus, and Sophomore Trista Borandi each participated in the pageant in Greeley this year. Miss Colorado is designed for teenagers to release their inner and outer beauty to impress the judges. The winner is able to represent Colorado and move on to compete to be Miss Teen USA. “It’s not just about being pretty, it’s about a girl’s commitment to the community and being a good role model,” said contestant Brown.

The ladies compete in three categories: interview, swimsuit, and formal. The contestants are able to choose their own outfits. According to Borandi, it was one of the most fun experiences she has ever had because everyone is looking towards the same goal. She said all of the girls had a lot in common and everybody was really nice. After one round the judges pick the top 15 girls to recompete, and ultimately narrow down to the top five girls. The top five are interviewed on stage by the judges. Questions usually concern their personalities and what makes them an admirable role model. Although none of the contestants from CHS

went on to the top 15, they all can agree it’s about much more than winning. “Going on stage in front of tons of people in a swimsuit and heels is not an easy thing to do,” said second year competitor Jenni Holthus. The competition is advantageous to helping the contestants work on their communication skills and getting out of their comfort zones. It provides real world skills such as being prepared for job interviews. “We are not Honey Boo Boo and we’re not Toddlers in Tiaras; these are classy respectable women,” said Brown. Some of the contestants had family and friends at the pageant to support them, too. Senior Brown said, “Seeing my friends and family after the show was something I’ll never forget. The support was overwhelming.” There was a strong representation from CHS this year. In the past years not as many participated in the pageant. Hopefully next year will be the same way. “It’s such an amazing experience that by the end you don’t care if you win or lose,” said Brown.

Conifer Girls Compete at Ms. Teen Colorado

Lena HarrisReporter

Karly MulloyReporter

The “Assroom” Room 238.

Photo by: Tayen Madsen