The saying “good things come in small packages” is proven false in regards to Portage High School’s National Honor Society. NHS has 95 members this year opposed to around 60 last year.

History teacher Catherine Nye is in charge of the program for the first time this year. Nye has not only been involved in NHS for the past four years at PHS, but was in charge of the program when she taught in North Carolina as well.

Having such a large group of students is one aspect Nye expects to pose a chal-lenge this year.

“It’s going to be harder in some ways getting things accomplished this year. We’re going to have to work a lot more on dividing responsibility. We don’t need all 95 members showing up to every event, so finding service opportunities for such a large group of people will be a challenge,” Nye said.

The four pillars used in the NHS selec-tion process are scholarship, character, leadership and service. The scholarship portion involves having the qualifying 3.3 grade point average to receive the application letter. A student’s character, leadership qualities and service to his or

her community also play an important role. According to Nye, students without extracurricular activities are typically not considered.

Having a high GPA, however, does not guarantee entry into the program. The selection process has been made to be as unbiased as possible. The Faculty Council is unaware of the student’s name,

grade and GPA. Nye is the only one who knows this information.

“I am not eligible to vote for members inducted into NHS. The last thing I want people to think is that it is a group of Ms. Nye’s favorites,” Nye said.

See HONOR SOCIETY, page 7

Pow Wow Covering Real Issues for the Students of Portage High School

Portage High School Issue 4 November 2, 2012

NHS inducts new members

While the Presidential debate rages across the nation, two local groups are making every effort to impact Northwest Indiana voters.

One of the Barack Obama for America offices is located on Calumet Avenue in downtown Chesterton, while the Portage Township Republicans have set up an office in Valparaiso.

The Chesterton for Obama office’s mission is to register voters, make phone calls and go door-to-door campaigning for the reelection of incumbent Democrat Barack Obama as he

opposes Republican Mitt Romney. “I think just being a presence and creating

awareness keeps President Obama in people’s minds,” Chesterton for Obama Team Leader Danielle Vogedes said. “They think more about the election when they see a sign in a window; I think that’s the impact that a local office has.”

Vogedes believes that Obama’s election will have a positive effect on Northwest Indiana.

“I think Obama intends to do everything he can to invigorate the national economy, which will affect our local economy here in Northwest Indiana,” she said. “I think that President Obama will stick to his guns about

fighting for women, women’s health and women’s issues and for veterans and their families.”

According to barackobama.com, Obama has dedicated himself to putting Americans back to work and restoring economic security to middle-class families. Vogedes pinpoints Obama’s support of the middle class as the biggest reason that Americans should give him their vote on Election Day.

“I think that one particular reason is that he stands for the middle class: middle class values, middle class jobs, he’s the one stand-ing up for the middle class. If the middle class is to thrive in the United States, Presi-dent Obama is going to see that happen,” she

said. Vogedes also said that she assesses

Obama’s performance as “excellent” during his first term and that many of his accom-plishments have received little media atten-tion.

“I really hope that people in Northwest In-diana, and Indiana as a whole, can seriously consider President Obama as a candidate that will really fight for the middle class,” Vogedes said. “Put aside their prejudices and really take a good look at the man who has been very honest with us and has been fight-ing for us.” See PRESIDENT, page 2

Brandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

Junior Gabby Ziulkowski lights her candle while her sponsor, Senior Mackenzie Barcelli looks on. Photo by Jessica Marquez

VS. obamaRomney

Four vye for SchoolBoard seat

Education is not only a national issue, but one that hits home for many local communities, including the city of Portage. Deb Ekdahl, Ken Lorenz, Len Clark and Rex Hood are running for the position of 1st District Seat in the Portage Township ard election.

Ekdahl graduated from Andrean High School in 1976 and is an Indiana University graduate with her Bachelor of Arts in English. She is one of 16 teachers in Indiana appointed to the Indiana Department of Education Reform Cabinet and has also served as a member in a vari-ety of educational groups.

Ekdahl believes that the budget is the Portage Town-ship School District’s biggest problem. She intends to work with local and state govern-ments to come up with a

solution for the PTS deficit.“There are programs in our district that

need to be re-evaluated. We need to look at the data and ask if the program is good for our students and if it can be ran more effectively,” Ekdahl said.

Ekdahl’s main goal is to gear middle school and high school students towards tech-nology for educational purposes. She plans on doingw this with a blended approach, which consists of face to face classroom instruction several days per week along with online in-struction taking place on the remaining days of the week.

Lorenz’s main goal for PTS varies com-pared to Ekdahl’s. He would like to work together with PTS leadership to increase and improve vocational training in order to provide students with the skills necessary to secure gainful employment upon graduation.

See AT-LARGE , page 3

Katie PeksenakNews Editor

Katie PeksenakNews Editor

Girls cross ends strong season

Since its launch in 1981, the girls cross country program at Portage High School has put together a winning tradition unri-valed by any other Portage sport. The lady-Indians finished sixth in this year’s New Prairie Semistate to advance to the State Finals.

According to head coach Jay White, this accounts for the team’s fifth consecutive state finals appearance and 16th trip to state overall. Portage has only missed

one state meet since 2004. White said that the success at the high school level stems from a strong

feeder system.“We’ve had a really

good, strong middle school program throughout the years,” White said. “Once you start having a little suc-cess at the middle school level, they want to keep it going. When they enter high school, they see the tradition there. Every girl wants to continue that tradition of getting to the state finals.”

Despite the tradition

that the Portage girls cross country team has estab-lished, the lady-Indians exceeded expectations for this season by qualifying for the state meet, where they finished 21st overall on Oct. 27.

“At the beginning of the year, nobody really expected us to do much of anything,” White said. “The so-called experts on Indiana Runner didn’t even have us ranked in the top 50; they didn’t have us in the top ten of our semistate.” See GIRLS XC, page 4

Brandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

A Portage girls cross country runner catches up to a Merrillville runner in a meet earlier in the season. Legend stock photo

Clark

Ekdahl

Lorenz

2 News Issue 4

Top: Senior Kim Coffey conducts the Pride of Portage marching band during one of its performances at the homecoming football game on Sept. 28.Bottom: A trumpeter performs in the marching band at halftime of the homecoming game. Photos by Olivia Forrester

An election is approaching rapidly and not just for the title of President. David Czilli, Jessica Bailey and Billy Coker will be vying for the title of the 3rd District School Board Seat.

Czilli holds a degree in criminal justice, is a Team Leader in the Portage SWAT division, has been a Police Officer for 23 years and is a 1987 graduate of Portage High School. He has also been involved with various cop programs, speaking to students about being a police officer and teaching children about safety matters.

According to Czilli, safety is the biggest issue facing Portage Township Schools. His main goal is to find ways to end the bullying situations that are occurring.

“I have seen what bullying over time leads to. We must put programs in place and set strict punishments on bullying. Early child-hood education on this subject is a must. We must change the attitude that a person is less of a person because they are different,” Czilli said.

Czilli believes that his dedication to the Portage schools, teacher’s union and com-munity makes him a great candidate for the position.

“This race is about moving Portage forward responsibly and making sure our teachers are top-notch so every student, re-gardless of race, education ability or financial situation can receive an exceptional educa-tion,” Czilli said.

Billy Coker has been involved in the PTS through the Real Life Community Church, PHS Alumni Association and as a bus driver from 1980-1987. Coker supports Portage ath-letics and graduated from PHS in 1965.

Coker claims that the biggest issue facing PTS is funding for grades K-12. His main goals are to fix the issue of funding, better education for students along with the wages for teachers and increase safety for students.

“Funding being taken away and the treat-

ment teachers have received by the state prompted my decision to run for office. I have a niece and nephew and want them to get the best education possible,” Coker said.

Bailey also believes that funding and budget concerns are the most prominent is-sues facing PHS.

“Schools can only work with the funding provided to them. It is the School Board’s responsibility to ensure that every dollar is spent with the best interests of the school system and the students in mind. We are here to give the students the best education possible while providing the teachers and staff materials they need to help the stu-dents achieve,” Bailey said.

Bailey plans on tackling this issue by encouraging members of the School Board to explore opportuni-ties in securing available grants and by reas-sessing expenditures. Bailey wants to ensure that every expenditure is in the best interest of the students.

Bailey is an adjunct professor at Ivy Tech Community College and is a local business owner. Some of Bailey’s experience includes being a Girl Scout volunteer for three years and an Activity Chairperson for the Parent Teacher Organization after previously hold-ing both the Vice President and Secretary positions. She has also been a Little League volunteer for multiple years.

“I believe that in order to build a strong community we need to have a strong founda-tion. Our schools are the foundation of our community and we need to work together to help them continue to grow and prosper,” Bailey said.

Katie PeksenakNews Editor

Third district School Board seat up for grabs

Two men who already have seats in their own households are competing for a seat in a different house, one that is separate from their personal lives.

On Nov. 6, Republican Joel Phelps will attempt to earn the seat in the United States House of Representa-tives from the first district and end the run of Demo-crat Pete Visclosky, who has been re-elected for 14 consecutive terms.

An industrial engineer by trade, Phelps believes he is the better candidate for the job because he is not aiming for a new career as a politician. He feels career politicians “are the problem” and that they “have one goal: To stay in Washington.”

“[Visclosky] hasn’t left himself much time to do the important work, the hard stuff, that creates jobs and creates economic growth,” Phelps said. “I’m looking to make a better region for us, and our kids and for our future; and then I want to come home and I want to live with my family under the laws I passed with the people I represented. I’ll be proud to do that.”

Although he is running for an important seat in Congress, Phelps is not relying on getting elected in order to live comfortably.

“I’m going to make sure that my kids have a better American experience than I had, and that’s the entire reason that I’m doing this. I don’t need this job. If I lose,

I’m going to go back and I’m going to make money. That’s why I’m perfect for it. The people you want are the people that don’t need government,” Phelps said.

According to Phelps, his main goal, if elected, is for Northwest Indiana to become the center for intermodal transportation, or taking freight that enters the country and transport-ing it several different ways to its destination. He said an advantage of the loca-tion of Northwest Indiana is with its proximity to the east coast, trucks are able to travel to any state in the eastern U.S. in a day or less.

“It allows you infinite flexibility with break-down and distribution of freight throughout the United States,” Phelps said. “That’s a $6 billion a year business that we could be bringing here. That’s $6 billion of new revenue that we could bring to Northwest Indiana. That’s 15,000 to 20,000 new, good-paying jobs that you could send kids to college on.”

Phelps said another goal he has for Northwest Indiana is to consolidate the economic develop-ment boards. According to Phelps, Northwest Indiana has 27 of them altogether.

“When a company comes to Northwest Indiana, they don’t know who to talk to,” Phelps said. “There are 27 different agencies and none of them have the power to really do anything. If we can consolidate our economic development boards into one or two that can respond at the speed of business; that responds the next day

with a proposal, then that helps with jobs too.”

Along with Phelps’s goals for Northwest Indi-ana, he feels the nation’s biggest concerns, at the moment, are education and national debt.

“Our education numbers continue to slip,” Phelps said. “We have to do a much better job funding schools, funding teachers, making sure that we pay well enough to get the best minds in the country, ones that want to teach our kids. That’s how you ensure the United States for future generations.

“The most clear and present danger, however, is our national debt because the education issue isn’t going to sink our country in the next ten years; our debt will. We’ve incurred almost as much debt under Barack Obama as we have in our last 237 years since we be-came a nation and we can’t continue to spend money like that.”

One way Phelps believes the economy can be helped is by the recent discovery of 1.5 trillion barrels of oil in the Green River Basin. He said it costs about $80 per barrel to remove it from the ground and if the country is able to stabilize the price of oil at $80 per barrel, Americans can look forward to cheaper gas prices.

“That gives us $2.25 gas forever,” Phelps said. “There’s so much we can do to fix things.”

Several phone calls made to Visclosky’s campaign office were not returned.

Eric MesarchContent Editor

Incumbent Visclosky facing challenge from newcomer

PresidentContinued from page 1

Mittromney.com reports that Romney would bring intimate knowledge of how our economy works with him to the White House. U.S. Congress-men Paul Ryan is Romney’s running mate, while Obama is running alongside current vice president Joe Biden.

According to Portage Re-publican Chairman John Har-rison, The Portage Township Republicans have set up a call center in Valparaiso to call on behalf of all republican candidates, national and local, and have been placing calls for several weeks.

“We believe with Mitt Romney’s experi-ence in the business, he knows what it takes

to create jobs in the private sector,” Harrison said. “We still have too many people either unemployed or underemployed. Also, we believe he would do a better job at attacking the budget deficit.”

Harrison said that Romney’s policies would create more jobs in Northwest Indiana

by cracking down on illegal trade tactics on China, which could have a positive impact on the steel industry.

Both Harrison and Vogedes agree that local groups can make an impact on a national presi-dential election. They also both stressed the importance of voting on Election Day.

“The main objective for this election and any election is to get people out to vote,” Harrison said. “This is done through the phone fdoor-to-door representing our local candidates. Anything we can do to get the word out, we do.”

Bailey

Coker

Czilli

The Portage High School band finished off the fall season by earning a gold division rating in the Indiana State School Music Association district contest at Concord High School. There were six different categories and six different judges for each one. The six categories were music individual, music ensemble, music effect, visual effect, visual individual and visual ensemble. The marching band also went on to the regional contest and earned a silver rating. There was a require-ment of 60 points in the dis-trict contest in order to move on to regionals. The regional contest was held in Lafay-ette Jefferson High school on Oct. 13. In the end, the marching band came out in 12 out of 14 teams. “I am extremely proud of the band. It has been a great season and I look forward

to the future success,” Music Department Coordinator William Timmerman said. This is the third year the marching band has made has gone on to regionals; hence the marching band’s program is called “Third Time’s the Charm.” The program was named this in honor of music depart-ment faculty member Drew Rhoda. According to Timmer-man, the band prepared for the district contest by march-ing in the Concord High School Invitational and the Penn High School Carnival of Bands. The band prac-tices from seven to 15 hours per week. Sometimes it even comes in on Saturday for an eight hour day. “Marching will be the best memories that I have of high school. Of course, there was a lot of arguing and a few fights but we got past it and came together to reach our goals to regionals,” senior Regina Lopez said.

Mallory LopezNews Writer

marching band finishes season placing at regional

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“Anything we can do to get the word out, we do.”-John Harrison

“I plan on reaching out to local industries to find out exactly what skills we need to equip our students with to make them attractive candi-dates for employment upon graduation,” Lorenz said. Work was put into the University Center by Lorenz to secure the building’s opening. He hopes that it will serve as a tool to help stu-dents prepare for college. Lo-renz plans to make himself open and available to ideas along with auggestions from the citizens of Portage Town-ship. He also plans to be highly visible at the schools and school events. This, ac-cording to Lorenz, will keep him informed on what is tak-ing place and what is needed within Portage Township Schools. “I have spent several years of my life dedicated to the City of Portage as well as our school system. I know my heart is in the right place

to make a positive im-pact within our school system once elected,”

Lorenz said. Len Clark is a 1982 graduate of Portage High School holds degrees from VincennesUniversity, Butler University, Indiana State University and the Universityof Notre Dame. Clark’s main goal for the Portage school system is simple. He wants to work with academic administra-tors; those who Clark says have “dedicated their profes-sional lives for the good of our school system”, in order to realize a model learning environment. Issues regarding second-ary education are Clark’s priority. “Learning from the administrators of the issues that are in the interest of Portage Township Schools are the issues I am most concerned about, as opposed to creating a personal agenda

of ‘What I want to do with my candidacy’,” Clark said. Clark claims that the qualities that make him the best candidate for the job include his background in higher education, media, and sports. The majority of Clark’s professional career was spent teaching at the University of Evansville and he has first-hand experience on what is needed to prepare students for the challenges of higher education. Clark also has what he considers a “global perspective” and “experience in the profes-sional sector”. There are issues facing PTS and Clark has an ap-proach that will solve one of the main issues. “In my opinion, the big-gest issue facing PTS is the attraction and retention of good, quality teachers. A tradition of excellence cannot be built around a revolving door. An investment in our greatest resource, teachers, will pay dividents tomorrow,” Clark said. Multiple attempts to con-tact Hood were unsuccessful.

The battle for which party will control the United States Senate may come down to generally Republican-safe Indiana.

Democrat Joe Donnelly, a Representative from Indiana’s 2nd congressional district is facing Republican Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock to replace Dick Lugar in the United States Senate. Lugar, who has served in the United States Senate since 1977, lost his primary battle to Mourdock by a 21 point margin.

The battle for control of the Senate may come down to Indiana as it would be a gain for Democrats if Donnelly would win the seat that the Republicans have held for 35 years. This race could very well come down to just a few counties, including Porter and Lake.

According to Jeff Chidester, the Porter County and District One Democratic Chair-man, Northwest Indiana is very important to any Democrat seeking statewide office.

“The First District plays a very impor-tant part in electing Democrats that run statewide,” Chidester said. “Any Democrat who has won in Indiana did well in Lake,

Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph Counties, along with Marion, Monroe and Van-denburgh Counties.”

Donnelly’s main focus in the race has been jobs. Donnnelly, a former small business owner from Grang-er, Ind., has reiterated his small business experience.

“I have the small busi-ness experience to know what challenges Indiana job creators face, which is why I have a plan to help Indiana businesses create Hoosier jobs,” Donnelly said in an email from his staff. “I have the bipartisan, Hoosier common sense approach to get things done for middle class families. I will work across party lines to create jobs, lower the debt and balance the budget.”

With Indiana currently holding an 8.2 percent unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Donnelly believes that both sides working together to create jobs is vital and the most important issue facing Indiana and the nation in this election.

“I have the bipartisan record of reaching across the aisle to pass an extension of the Bush tax rates, joining Republicans to sup-port a Balanced Budget Amendment, and opposing Cap and Trade,” Donnelly said. “Increasing job creation and strengthening the economy are the most important things to focus on. We need to make sure there are job opportunities for students like you when you graduate from high school, college, or trade school.”

Meanwhile, the Republicans are fighting hard to keep the seat in their hands and possibly aid their attempt to regain control

of the Senate. Richard Mourdock, who is currently

serving as Indiana’s State Treasurer, won the Republican nomination after defeating six term incumbent Richard Lugar. The Porter County Republican Party is working to ensure that the seat in the Senate remains in Republican hands.

Michael Simpson, the Vice Chairman of the Porter County Republican party, says that his organization has been working around the clock for voters to hear Mour-dock’s message. Multiple attempts to contact the Mourdock campaign were unsuccessful.

“Richard’s conservative principals and his financial knowledge as our State Treasure gives him the tools to assist the U.S. Senate in the task of actually producing a budget, specifically a balanced budget,” Simpson said.

Northwest Indiana is vital to both party’s campaign for Senate. According to Simpson, Northwest Indiana provides the second larg-est voting block for Republicans in the state.

“It is extremely important at all levels,” Simpson said. “The Region is a critical economic engine for the entire state and this election is all about the economy and job creation.”

3NewsNovember 2, 2012

Student Council is an Honor Council and is part of the Indiana Association of Student Councils. Portage has been considered an Honor Council for 25 years and is working on its 26th year.

Honor Council has to meet at least ten leadership standards to be considered a part of the IASC. A membership has to be held with IASC, as well. Student Council is judged by different requirements to be considered an Honor Council and part of the IASC.

The PHS Student Council will be attending a convention for IASC Nov. 3 and 4. Only 12 members from the Student Council will be able to attend.

“It’s a bunch of games with a dance at the end of the day,” senior Nicole Alberts said. “There probably won’t be a difference because it’s the same attitude every year, which makes it fun.”

Seniors Emily Evans, Olivia Forrester, Taylor Searcy, Alberts, Katie Bylak, Alex

Pavlinac and Lauryn Sanders, along with junior Chris Klenk, sophomore Nick Bell and freshmen Jacob Evans, Lydia Gerike and Nick Blue will be the members attending accompanied by adviser Jolene Smith.

Student Council submits a book called “Honor Council Book.” It involves the events and organizations Student Council has done around the community. Portage has achieved this by holding Insomnia fundraisers,

homecomings, dances and Christmas donation fundraisers.

The IASC High School Division sponsors an Honor Council program every year to recognize outstanding student councils and provide motivation for student councils to achieve

minimum standards. Any school wishing to be an honor council must meet the standards and requirements established by the ISAC High School Division Executive Committee. ISAC High School division provides leadership training and opportunities from education to character development for High School Student Councils.

PHS Student Council head to state covention

Members of the student court are given numerous papers to look through prior to meetings. Student Court oversees the actions undertaken by Student Council. Photo by Taylor Searcy

Student court oversees clubs, activities at PHS

Clubs and teams are thought of as independent organizations, but, in reality, all organizations at Portage High School are overseen by the Student Court.

One of the Student Court’s main affilia-tions is with the Student Council and new amendments made to the Student Council’s constitution must be approved by the Student Court to take effect.

According to the Student Court By-Laws, no legislative actions made by the Student Council can be made final until they have been approved by the Court and copies of their decisions have been sent by the Student Court Parliamentarian, senior Hannah Glos,

to the Student Council sponsor and the assis-tant principal in charge of student activities.

“Our Parliamentarian acts as a liaison between the court and the council. New amendments do not become valid until the Student Court approves,” adviser Marjorie Slamkowski said.

Senior representative Jennifer Andersen is the only returning member of Student Court from last year, and this seniority has increased her responsibilities on the court.

“I feel a lot of responsibility to help new members understand the importance of what we do. My job as a senior representative is to set a good example for the other representa-tives and lead everyone else during our meet-ings,” Andersen said.

Being in the Student Court has taught An-

dersen the importance of the Student Court’s responsibility to oversee other organizations and keep them in line.

“I have learned the amount of work that goes into making sure other organizations follow their rules and the amount of work needed to keep other organizations running as a whole,” Andersen said.

According to Andersen, the Student Court meets every Friday before school and when there is an emergency that needs a decision made.

The Student Court is an essential overseer of organizations here at Portage High School to ensure that they are following the rules established in their constitutions and approv-ing decisions made by the Student Council to ascertain new amendments are just.

Joshua LewisFeatures Editor

Candidates spar in Senate raceCollin CzilliOpinion Editor

MourdockDonnelly

Ashley ConradNews Editor

At-LargeContinued from page 1

“It’s a bunch of games with a dance at the end of the day.” -Senior Nicole Alberts

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4 Sports Issue 4

The Portage boys cross country season ended in disappointment as the Indians finished 10th in the New Prairie Semistate, missing the cut for state qualification.

The Indians found success throughout the season, placing third in the Duneland Athletic Conference meet, second in the Chesterton Sectional and third in the New Prairie Regional. Portage finished 5-2 against conference opponents during the regular season. However, the team expected to be running in the state meet on Oct. 27 in Terre Haute.

“For this particular team, anything short of having an opportunity to compete at the state finals was going to be a disappointment,” head coach Tom Erickson said. “That is kind of the feeling we have as a team right

now.”According to

Erickson, Portage featured more runners under 17

minutes than it had during any of his previous years as head coach. The team’s roster also included 19 letter winners.

“A lot of positive happened, but at the end of the day when we look back and evaluate the season, it’s going to be how did we do at the semistate and did we do enough to get out, and ultimately the answer is no,” Erickson said.

Junior Dustin Balboa, freshman Tommy Martin, junior Anthony Best, junior David Clegg, sophomore Tylor Hudson, freshman Nick Solis and junior Jacob Thielbar led Portage throughout the postseason.

Thielbar underwent hernia surgery in June and made a speedy recovery in time for cross country season.

“We were dependent on him to be our five-six guy,” Erickson said. “I don’t

know if I expected that. I hoped for it, but I can’t say I expected it.”

According to Thielbar, he recovered quickly because he listened to his doctors and had the supported of coaches, family and friends. He finished fifth among Portage runners in the Semistate meet in a time of 17 minutes, 28 seconds.

“The effect the injury had on me at first was hard,” Thielbar said. “I thought that I was not going to be able to have a solid junior cross year, but once I really wrapped my head around things, I believed that I would be back on the varsity, running solid times.”

Sophomores Rigo Barrozo and Matt Marsh are among the other runners who performed well late in the season. According to Erickson, the freshmen trio of Monte Blane, Noland Belt and Jacob Kasarda “really figured it out.”

“You’re going to be hard up to find teams in the state

of Indiana that have more depth than us,” Erickson said. “We have a lot of depth as a program and we’ve improved a lot.”

Much of that depth will be back next season as the bulk of Portage’s roster returns. However, Erickson said that experience does not directly translate to success.

“I don’t know if it’s an advantage at this point,” he said. “The past two seasons, we’ve come back with guys and we’ve come back with a lot of guys. The nice thing is that those seven understand what it takes to get to the next level now.”

Erickson vocalized his high expectations for the 2013 season.

“When we go to look at our goals for next season, simply getting to a state finals will not be enough,” he said. “If we don’t come out of there with a medal, I think that we will be disappointed. That’s a good thing that we’re moving in that direction.”

Brandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

Boys cross season ends at semistate

Top: Portage cross country runners take off at the start of a meet this season. Bottom: Two athletes run during a cross country meet. Photos by Legend staff

Girls XCContinued from page 1

Juniors Paige Pizer and Keanna Crum have helped lead the charge as the team’s captains this season. Freshman Kyra Ball burst onto the scene and crossed the finish line first at the state meet, coming in 228th overall. White listed sophomores Rhyan Sloan, Erin Reynolds and Mariah Blackwell and freshman Stephanie Waters as other runners who stepped up this season.

Pizer represented the only runner on the roster with postseason experience prior to this season.

“They just all came together at the right time,” White said. “We’ve always talked about running our best in October. They wanted to keep the tradition going, get back to the state finals and compete well at the state finals.”

White credited boys cross

country coaches Tom Erickson and John Arrendondo, who he described as his good friends, for helping him this season. He also said that assistant coach Melissa Miller as done a tremendous job.

White holds the distinction of being the longest tenure member of the Portage High School coaching staff with 29 years of coaching in the Portage Township Schools and 18 years of coaching cross country under his belt. In his many years on the cross country staff, White has helped the program maintain its status as the most successful Portage sport.

However, he quickly deferred the credit to the athletes.

“I think we’ve just been in a really nice situation,” White said. “We’ve had a lot of really good kids come through our program and have been pretty fortunate. We’ve just kept building the tradition that we’ve had.”

Girls volleyball made improvements throughout the second half of its season.

“The girls had made improvements by having greater mental focus and better consistency. Their work ethics are great,” head coach Brian Zofkie said.

The sectional semifinals were held in Valparaiso on Saturday, Oct. 20. The lady Indians went against Michigan City Wolves.

The varsity volleyball team lost the 3-2 of the games against the Wolves. The last game was a two point loss by the score of 16-14.

“The girls could’ve improved more if some of our players were not injured, that would have helped us a lot,” sophomore Abby Alexander said. “We got closer as a team after winning in the semifinals.”

The volleyball team may not have gotten past semifinals over the weekend, but according to Zofkie, they went down with a fight.

“This Saturday [Oct. 20.] was such a tough loss because it was such a close game, but I cannot be more proud of the kids this season,” Zofkie said. “Everyone talks about the buzz in volleyball and I am excited for that to carry over next season and improve the volleyball program.”

According to Zofkie, when he began coaching the team two years ago, the program was not as strong as it is today. The season may be finished, but Zofkie is excited for the team to climb in the conference standings next year.

Zofkie said the team is in a better place now and as long as it continues to work harder and commit to excellence, then it will be in good shape.

volleyball team puts together late surgeAlexis CoffmanSports Writer

Athletes have difficulty with the subtle feeling that they experience when turning in their uniforms at the end of the season. That is what the Portage Indians football team did last week.

“The kids went out there and tried their hardest so it is not only them that could have done better, it is the adults as well,” head coach Wally McCormack said.

McCormack said he considers that the senior night was most definitely the highlight of the season. He said it was really successful and exciting for the team.

In Portage’s first round

sectional game against Lake Central, it suffered a 16-0 loss.

McCormack said that in the beginning of the season the team had started getting better week by week, despite having coaches and directors hired late.

Senior Rashaan Coleman, one of the stars of this year’s varsity football team, was named Mr. Football.

“It felt great to be declared Mr. Football this year. I feel the season could have gone better though, but we tried our hardest. I am going to miss playing with the team,” Coleman said.

The Indians finished with a 3-7 overall record and a DAC record of 2-5.

Caleb IngersollSports Writer

Senior Devin Kludt runs during a kickoff play. The team lost to Lake Central in the sectional opener. Photo by Taylor Mlynski

Football ends Season at 3-7

Top: Michaela Miller sets herself to hit the ball in a match against Chesterton. Bottom: Alyssa Ronk lays out for a ball in the Indians showdown with the Trojans. Portage lost the match in five close sets. Photos by Taylor Mlynski

Top: Mariah Wright and Josie Auksel leap to block the ball in a match against Chesterton. Photo by Taylor Mlynski

5Sports November 2, 2012

Griffin Continues to Grow As Player

Participating in the Homecoming game is special for any varsity football player, but for senior Di’ondre Griffin, participation is an understatement. Griffi n said the nerves did not �ic� on homecom�Griffin said the nerves did not �ic� on homecom�aid the nerves did not �ic� on homecom�ing until the opening plays. Griffin did not let the nerves get the best of him, during the game he wor�ed hard against the offense to get not only one, but two game changing intercep�tions. Portage defeated Michigan City 24�21. Griffin said that ma�ing those two interceptions was his biggest accomplishment on the football field. “Everyone was at the game watching and it felt great listening to the crowd after ma�ing those big plays, and coming out with the win made it even bet�ter,” Griffin said. Homecoming was not Griffin’s only big game, on

Senior Night, Griffin snagged two more interceptions against LaPorte. Head coach, Wally McCormac� said that these were two huge plays during the game, but plays li�e that should be expected Griffin has been playing football since the age of eight years old and enjoys the sport for many reasons. “[What I love most about the sport is] my team. Everyone’s li�e a brother to me now and we always have eachothers bac�s,” Griffin said. With an overall record of 3�7, the season has come to an end. Even with the season being over, Griffin is thin�ing about seasons to come. Griffin said he plans on playing football next year, and plans to play at the college level. McCormac� said that Griffin has grown a lot as a player, he went from watching from the sidelines to starting varsity. “I wish we could have him again,” McCormac� said.

Peyton HulseSports Editor

The athletes’ hard wor� does not end with their season; ath�letes wor� hard year round dur�ing their offseason conditioning. According to Athletic Director Kelly Bermes, offseason condi�tioning can start as early as the coach wants it to start. However, there is Moratorium Wee�, which is a wee� during the summer when athletes can only condition and not actually play the sport. Strength conditioning coach Dan Clar� said offseason con�ditioning should not be ta�en lightly. Clar� also said that lifting weights is an important part of the offseason, it helps build

muscles that athletes will need during the season. Athletic Director Kelly Bermes said that the athlete gets one wee� between sports

to rest before going to condition�ing for the next sport. Bermes also said that she thin�s that offseason conditioning is very effective. “It is a time to wor� on indi�vidual s�ills that the athlete will need during season,” Bermes said. “I would li�e to see all of our athletes play multiple sports, it ma�es us well rounded.” Conditioning is usually three times a wee�. Athletes get wee�long bra�es during the Moritorium Wee�. These are mandatory brea�s established by the Indiana High School Athletic

Association. The same rules apply for athletes that attend conditioning during summer. “For offseason this year we wor�ed a lot on our fitness. We were timed while running so each time we had to improve our times. We also wor�ed on individual s�ills; we dedicated most of our time on shooting,” senior bas�etball player Hannah Glos said. Junior cross country runner and bas�etball player, David Clegg said that he feels that the harder athletes wor� in the off�season conditioning, the better they will do during their season because it prepares them to do well. Clegg said that he wor�s hard to improve his running times.

Lauren WinickySports Writer

Students participate in offseason conditioning

Junior Chris Klenk works hard during baseball conditioning. Photo by Taylor Mlynski

Leaving Portage High School is something that every student has in common, no one can stay here forever. However, what each stu�r, what each stu�dent does once he or she get out is completely unique, and past PHS athletes are beginning to see this. Abagail Trader is now a freshman and cross country runner at Purdue Calumet. Trader ran all four years for her high school career, and is now seeing the difference be�tween high school sports and college sports. “Right now the Purdue Calumet Cross Country team is still developing and because of that we do not have a full team. In high school we wor�ed together as a team and now training/racing feels self�driven,” Trader said. Ja�e Dixon graduated in 2011and now plays football at Fordham University in New Yor�. He said the biggest difference between the levels of playing is the speed and preparation for the games. Often, people build up expectations and these expectations do not match up to reality. But for Dixon, college football was exactly what he expected. “I expected there to be ups and downs and many challenges. It’s been a great time,” Dixon said. For Trader, it was a little bit of both. She said that she expected the teams to be smaller because the athletes have a desire to be there. However, she did not anticipate the competi�tion. “The competition from the big schools, li�e Purdue, Indiana University, Ball State, is insane. The runners from those schools are

better than I ever thought I’d see,” Trader said. Though the players are now done with high school, it does not mean that they are

done facing challenges. “The biggest challenge is the grind of the season and balancing school with practices and games and traveling for road games,” Dixon said. For Trader, the biggest challenge is staying motivated when everyone on the team has such different schedules. “It’s hard to really buc�le down and do what you’re supposed to do when it’s so easy to just s�ip the wor�out completely,” Trader said. Both athletes have wor�ed hard to get where they are, but they have not stopped set�ting goals for themselves. For Dixon his goal is simple; he said that his number one goal is to reach his full potential while competing for the national championship. For Trader, her goal is a little more per�sonal. “My number one goal would to get my 5K time bac� into the low 20 minute range, li�e I raced in high school,” Trader said. Although the athletes have reached a new point in their lives, they still �eep PHS in mind. Dixon said that loo�ing bac� he misses being a part of the team and wor�ing with the coaches the most. “I definitely miss my team the most,” Trader said. “Those girls are truly some of my best friends and running is nowhere near the same without them. I would give anything to run one more race next to those ladies.”

Peyton HulseSports Editor

Grads continue sports LEFT: 2011 graduate, Abagail Traider, competes at meet during her highschool years. Legend file photo

BOTTOM: 2010 graduate, Jake Dixon, getting ready to recieve the title of Football King with Homecoming Queen Brittany Doll. Legend file photo

Griffin snags picks in win

Senior Di’onder Griffin working hard on Senior Night against LaPorte. Portage grabbed the win with an overall score of 24-17. Photo provided by Legend staff.

Stress. It is a word everyone has heard and felt at some point in his or her life. Stress, regardless of the extent, is something people cannot allow to control them and, especially, define them.

Stress can range from the day’s agenda to the four advanced placement classes a student thought he or she could handle on top of extracurricular activities. Though stress is often overwhelming, eliminating it completely is nearly impossible.

Controlling it, however, is possible. Controlling stress is beneficial and something students must make time for.

There are three important steps that are vital in controlling stress. These are prioritizing, organizing and taking some time to relax. Yes, relaxing is possible if time is made for it. Prioritizing is key. When it feels like there is not enough time for everything, there probably is not. Eliminating unneccesaries, such as an extra class or activity, is sometimes a good idea.

Knowing how much a student can personally handle is the only way they can

be successful in controlling stress. Individuals must evaluate their priorities and distinguish between the necessary and unnecessary.

Organization is the second step in controlling stress. After a student’s schedule has been narrowed down to what they believe they are able to handle,

organizing this schedule is extremely important. For example, if this student plays baseball, is a member of National Honor Society and has a lot of AP classes, they must know how to balance their time. Using a planner to plan days in advance is a huge stress saver. If that student can complete an English essay a few days before it is due so they are not doing it the same night they have a baseball game, they are less likely to be stressed that night. Time management and planning ahead are two very important factors in controlling stress.

The final step to controlling stress is taking some time to relax. When students are overloaded with homework every single night, relaxing is likely at the bottom of their list. Though it seems like relaxing would only take time away from one’s priorities, it is actually quite necessary. I have learned this from personal experience.

As a senior, this year is surprisingly the

hardest I have ever experienced. With lots of honors classes, softball and dance going on, I have had little time to do anything else but homework in my spare time. Many seniors that I know are in the same boat and it seems that a lot of them are robots lately, only thinking about homework and obsessing an insane amount about grades. This is not healthy, but I am guilty of doing this as well. Being overwhelmed and not making time for personal pleasures not only makes people unhappier, but can totally change their personality.

At one point during the previous nine weeks I was way more irritable, pessimistic, and not my usual self. I have learned along the way that time needs to be made to relax. Whether it is making time to watch a favorite show or taking a nice, long bubble bath, time needs to be set aside to take a breather. This allows for a clear mind and not losing who they are.

Students who are able to control stress are much more likely to be happier people. Controlling stress is not an exact science of course, but something that is possible and takes learning along the way. High school should be an enjoyable part of one’s life, not the most stressful. We are still young and though getting good grades is very important, sometimes we need to take a step back and remember that who we are defines us, not the stress we take in.

On Tuesday, Americans will head to polling places and cast their ballots for the Presidency, Governor, Senator, House of Representatives and school board. Each of these offices are just as important as the others, and every registered voter needs to exercise his or her right to vote for whomever he or she choses.

Voting is one of the most sacred rights in the United States. Elections allow the people to determine their own destiny. If someone is unhappy about something, he or she can change it through voting. According to a study conducted by George Mason University, turn out for every presidential election among eligible voters since 1948 has been less than 65 percent. In every election after 1968, excluding 2004 and 2008, turnout has been less than 60 percent. Amazingly, in six

elections between 1948 and 2000, turn out has been less than 55 percent. The fact that just a little over half of all eligible voters actually vote is a catastrophe.

There are five amendments to in the Constitution in regards to voting rights. The 14th amendment guarantees

that every person born in the United States is a citizen and has all the rights guaranteed in the Constitution. The 15th Amendment says that no person can be denied the right to vote based on race, color or previous social status. The 19th Amendment builds on the 15th in giving women the right to vote. The 24th Amendment eliminates the poll tax from being required to vote, thus giving people that cannot afford to pay a tax the freedom to vote. Finally, the 26th Amendment lowers the voting age to 18 and allows any person who is old enough the freedom to vote.

Many people are quick to use the rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution such as freedom of religion or freedom of speech but why is that when it comes to voting, roughly 47 percent of eligible voters do not even bother to vote? If a person is registered and does not vote, he or she does not get to complain about the next four years.

It makes no sense whatsoever as to why people do not vote. It is a very simple process. The voter walks into his or her polling place, shows a government issued identification in states that require it, signs a book and gets a ballot. If a person is not able to go on Election Day, which is Nov. 6, he or she can vote early in person. Indiana allows voters to vote early one month before Election Day, Monday through Friday and select Saturdays. With so many opportunities, there is absolutely no reason

not to vote, regardless of who you are going to vote for.

“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying

the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men,” President Lyndon Johnson said in remarks, posted on pbs.org, following his signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

It is imperative all registered voters take the time to cast a ballot, whether it is for a Presidential election or for a municipal election. No vote is worth more or less than another. A

single vote’s power is the same among a poor person and a rich person. They each mean the exact same thing and carry the same weight. Never say that a vote does not count; they all count.

Stress can be lessened through time management, organizationKatie PeksenakNews Editor

kpeksenak@phsnewsonline.com

I do agree students need to take more pride in their school, after all, Portage is both large enough to accommodate for the stuadents and has enough people to run and hold classes that not many schools can. For example, we have classes for construc-tion and mechanics and we can afford to send our students to law enforcement classes. We have a highly decorated ROTC program, with a little over 300 cadets in it while also being ranked number one in our

region. Not all students have it as lucky as we

do and it’s sad to see it so mistreated and taken for granted. True, we have a lot of negative, but we still have more positive than most places. Some schools have about 50 to 60 students per class in one room. Some do not even have busses to run all their students.

When my sister attended Portage High School almost five years ago, things were

worse. We didn’t have a field house, stu-dents would ditch classes more to smoke and there would be at least a fight or two every day. To have such new equipment and have all the grade levels with at least a 93 percent attendance rate is incredible. It is even more incredible that our teachers do not threaten to strike every month. Our students do need to realize we have it lucky.

Matthew BolinSenior

Letter to the Editor: PHS Students should be more appreciative of school

Editor-in-ChiefBrandon Vickrey

Content Editor

Eric Mesarch

Design EditorEmily Evans

Opinion Editor

Collin Czilli

News Editor Katie Peksenak

Features Editor

Joshua Lewis

Sports EditorPeyton Hulse

Photo EditorOlivia Forrester

Sports WritersAlexis CoffmanCaleb IngersollLauren Winicky

News WritersAshley Conrad

Angela Dornbos Mallory LopezBrandon Weis

Features Writers

Tyra Allen Emily Hensley

Alexis Sosa

PhotographersIan DePerio

Taylor Mlynski Miles MottoTaylor Searcy

The Portage High School Pow Wow is a student-produced newspaper. As an open forum publication, we do accept letters-to-the-editor. All letters must be

grammatically correct, free from errors, 200 or less. Letters must include your name. Letters that include plagiarism, libel or false information will not be

printed. All decisions to print Letters-to-the-Editor will me made by the editor-in-chief. Please e-mail submissions to cczilli@phsnewsonline.com. Letters will run in the next available issue of the newspaper.

Collin CzilliOpinion Editor

cczilli@phsnewsonline.com

6 Opinion Issue 4

More Americans should exercise valuable right to vote

“Amazingly, in six elections between 1948 and 2000, turn out has been less than 55 percent. The fact that just a little over half of all eligible voters actually vote is a catastrophe.”

Pow Wow Editorial Policy

Unlike the common household cat or dog, some Portage High School students show spontaneity through their pets.

Senior Cloe Carda and sophomore Kirstyn Pedro both have hedgehogs. Although each pet has its own personality, they are each loved by its owner.

Pedro received her hedgehog from Exotic Pets in Chicago. It is a female named Shadow.

“ Shadow is shy like most hedgehogs and has a squeaky sneeze. She rolls up into a ball when she gets nervous. She’s white and really sweet,” Pedro said.

Carda received her hedgehog as a gift from her cousin.

“His name is Scooter and I’ve had him for two years. He’s nocturnal so he runs on his wheel at night and wakes me up sometimes. Everyone is always afraid to touch him when they come over because of his quills but he’s really friendly,” Carda said.

Freshman Myles Wright also owns what is said by some, unique pets. Wright says he adores his two ferrets at home, Neil and Little Paws.

“I was eight when I got them, and I still have them. They are funny and I love them,” Wright said.

As some students enjoy the individuality of their pets, some have adverse opinions. Senior Darko Temeski reports negativity within certain pets.

“I have a lizard, an iguana and a nile monitor. It isn’t very

friendly at all and it is a really bad pet,” Temeski said.

7Features November 2, 2012

Angela DornbosNews Writer

Students participate in mock presidential election to raise awareness about upcoming election

Election season is here in more ways than

one. Because the majority of high school stu-dents are not eligible to vote in the Nov. election, many students feel like their po-litical opinion doesn’t matter. The history

department and Patrick Moody’s Advanced Placement English class have a plan to change this by hosting a mock election at Portage High School. “We talked about having it at our first department meeting and we thought we could pull it off,” AP Microeconomics, Government and Sociology teacher Mark Marvin said.

Marvin said that the idea came from his days teaching a Fegely Middle School. Moody’s AP English classes are in the process of writing speeches on behalf of the presidential candidates and Government classes will be creating posters to display around the school. “My AP students have been studying rhetoric,” Moody said. “They are research-

ing, writing and presenting each candidates argument.” Junior Mackenzie Jones is currently enrolled in one of the AP English classes participating. “Four speakers are being selected to speak for both [Mitt] Romney and [Barack] Obama on defense, healthcare, economy, and energy,” Jones said.

The point system was altered last year and is remaining the same this year. A student needs six service points per school year as a member of NHS to make sure they are actively involved in their community throughout the year. Three hours of ser-vice equals one point, so 18 total hours contributed are necessary to remain in NHS. Service opportuni-ties range from recycling to helping out at study tables.

NHS officers are elected in the spring as juniors, then serve the role their se-nior year. Officers are Presi-dent Tiffany Woloszyn, Vice President Lyndsey Cun-ningham, Secretary Jennifer

Anderson, Treasurer Katie Bylak, Historian Briana Ammeson and Parliamen-tarian Jeff McElfresh.

According to Wolozyn, being named President of NHS was an honor. Wolo-zyn believes that having such a large group of people will have its advantages and disadvantages.

“Working with a large group of people will be stressful at times when it comes to organization or being quiet at meetings, but with so many extra hands I believe we can accomplish more. I have been working on gaining more leader-ship skills and managing my time better so I can be a successful president,” Wolozyn said.

PHS students opt out of typical pets, prefer to own unusual animals

Honor SocietyContinued from page 1

Senior Lyndsey Cunningham lights her candle on stage at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Only those who meet the criteria for scholarship, character, leadership and community service are inducted into the National Honor Society. Photo by Jessica Marquez

ABOVE: Senior Heather Zengler signs the National Honor Society Induction Book. Photo by Jessica Marquez LEFT: National Honor Society President Tiffany Wolozyn speaks on stage at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Photos by Jessica Marquez

ABOVE: National Honor Society Adviser Catherine Nye pins senior Briana Ammeson at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Photo by Jessica MarquezLEFT: Junior Autumn Stevenson lights her candle during the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Over 60 new members were recently inducted. Photo by Jessica Marquez

Emily EvansDesign Editor

ABOVE: Cloe Carda’s pet hedgehog Scooter celebrates his birthday. LEFT: Scooter is a nocturnal animal that enjoys running on his exercise wheel at night. Contrary to popular belief, a hedgehog’s quills are soft unless the hedgehog feels threatened or scared. Photos provided

“Shadow is shy like most hedgehogs and has a squeaky sneeze. She rolls up into a ball when she is nervous. She’s white and really sweet.”

-Kirstyn Pedro, Sophomore

Every morning, students come to Portage High School where the hallways are spotless, the trash cans do not overflow and the bathrooms are not nauseating. The cleanliness of the school is credited to the custodial staff, which has a wide group of interesting individuals.

Myra Andrich, known by Monica to many, is honored with being the longest running custodial staff member in Portage High School.

“Monica is a very kind and funny woman. Seeing her brightens up my day,” senior Ethan Miller said. “She works very hard to help keep this school clean.”

Andrich began working for Portage 34 years ago and has been in the high school for 23 years. She vacuums the auditorium and hallways and works in the North Caf-eteria during lunch hours.

Andrich grew up in Lake Station with her brother, Nick Novakovich, who has become the head custodian for Alexander Hamilton Schools, and two sisters, who still live in the area. She has two children, a son, Pete Andrich, and a daughter, Nevenka Schumacher. Pete Andrich is the vice president of human resources for British Petroleum and currently resides in Luanda,

Angola. Schumacher is a first grade school teacher at Union Center Elementary in Valparaiso.

Working at Portage High School for the past 23 years, Andrich witnesses how the school changes over the generations.

“I’ve noticed that since I’ve worked at Portage, the building has expanded so much, and the students have become more casual with their clothing,” Andrich said. “They used to wear sweaters and skirts ev-ery day, now it’s mostly jeans and t-shirts.”

Q: How do you get into Ad-vanced Placement Calculus as a junior?A: I took 12 pre-calculus tests, testing out of pre-calculus, so I when straight into calculus.

Q: Is math your favorite subject?A: It is a very close second, physics is my favorite, but it is heavily math oriented.

Q: Why did you decide to take calculus?A: Math classes have been very easy for me over the years; I have known a lot of things already about pre-calculus and calculus. I knew if I took pre-calculus, it would have been basically a blow-off class.

Q: What do you think of being a junior currently in calculus?A: I think it is a thing of pride being one of the few young people in the class.

Q: How are you dealing with the pressure of the class?A: Not really that much pressure, if I do the work I do well in the class.

Q: Do you think you will take another math class as a senior?A: I am hoping to take a course at college like Purdue.

8 The Back Page Issue 3 | November 2, 2012

Meet the Indian: Junior Chris Perry takes calculus junior year in high school

Junior Chris Perry studies during his calculus class. Perry had to test out of pre-calculus before he could enroll in calcu-lus. Photo by Taylor Searcy

Emily HensleyFeatures Writer

Try one of the following career areasWHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL:

Porter County Career Center

Do you know what you want to do after high school?

Contact your counselor and visitwww.PCCTE.org

Auto Mechanics • Cisco Networking • CAD Animation • Construction •

Cosmetology • Culinary Science • Dental Health • Early Childhood Education • Electronics • Emergency Rescue •

Health Careers • Health Occupations • Industrial Mechanics • Landscaping •

Law Enforcement • Medical Terminology • Modern Machining • Printing • Sports

Marketing • Sports Medicine • Video Productions • Welding • Work Study

PHSNewsOnline.com

AT THE MOVIES‘Perks’ movie mirrors novelTyra AllenFeatures Writer

A wallflower is a person who doesn’t like to be part of the ‘in’ crowd, they pre-fer to blend in.

Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, the movie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is an intimate inside look at the main character Charlie’s first year of high school.

On his first day of high school, the only friend he made was his English teacher, Mr.Anderson. Then, at a football game, he meets two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who change his life. Sam and Patrick take Charlie under their wings and teach him the ways of the wallflowers.

The vision of the story is not only por-trayed on pages of the book, it can also be seen in a typical high school.

“Everyone should read the book and

see the movie. They will forever have a different outlook on life,” freshman Aubrey Basich said.

This movie is definitely worth seeing, although movie viewers may not com-pletely understand everything if they have not read the book first. The cast chosen for the movie reflects the image of the characters from the book perfectly.

It is a guide to high school and a guide to life. All ages can easily connect to the movie because everyone has felt out of place at some point in time.

Adults will reminisce on their memo-ries of going through high school, from the poor judgment to the greatest mo-ments. Teenagers going through high school now can relate it to their everyday lives, and let them know that high school is not something they have to go through alone.

NHS reworks appeal processThe appeal process for a National

Honor Society candidate has always been available, but it is becoming more known this year. Any student who is not accepted into NHS has the right to appeal the deci-sion and be reconsidered for admittance into the program.

First year NHS adviser Catherine Nye said that putting the process together in time for students was the biggest chal-lenge. Nye hopes to shape the appeal process and make it more specific for next year’s applicants.

“The appeal process is very thin as of right now. We’re still forming the process and working it through. Mrs. Swickard and I are really going to go over the National Constitution and view the NHS handbook to figure out what goes into ap-peals for next year,” Nye said.

Principal Caren Swickard believes that the NHS selection process needs to be more inclusive and less exclusive. She wants to improve the system greatly to de-crease the number of future appeals and what she considers to be built-in biases in the system.

“NHS needs to be based more on aca-

demics rather than community service. I think a 3.3 grade point average is too low to be considered for NHS, and that stu-dents with a certain GPA, such as a 4.0 or above, should automatically be admitted based on their academic achievement,” Swickard said.

Swickard also wants to redefine what is considered community service. Students are sometimes not able to go into a busi-ness or be part of an organization to perform community service unless they are 18 years old, which makes it difficult.

“Students that participate in sports along with extracurricular activities are, in my opinion, serving their community through the school. What is considered community service now in the selection process needs to be emphasized a lot less. I don’t want our highest ranked kids who are actively involved in the school to think that we don’t appreciate what they do,” Swickard said.

According to Swickard and Nye, the appeal process will be much more specific for next year. This year, five applicants ap-pealed and three of the five were inducted into NHS. -Katie Peksenak

Andrich continues to help keep PHS ship-shapeIan DePerioPhotographer

Custodian Myra Andrich takes a student’s lunch tray during a lunch hour in the North Cafeteria. Photo by Ian DePerio