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Out of 214 West students surveyed, 79% are considered competitive on the Hyper-competitive Attitude Scale. Of these stu-

dents, 74% are athletes, 54% have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, 25% are single and 75% are in relationships. In a dog-eat-dog world, it can seem necessary to differentiate or die. However, the line between necessary and unnecessary com-petition can be blurry, causing some teens to add

corroding stress to his or her life. In Generation Y, are teens too

competitive?

During a recent s o c -

cer game, a player on se-nior Robert Hasselfeld’s team scored a goal, mak-ing the score

seven to one in their fa-vor. The goal provoked a c e l e b r a t i o n by Hasself-eld’s team, but gener-

ated frustration within their oppo-

nents. The oppos-ing players began to

hack at the ankles of Hasselfeld’s team as

the game progressed, and Hasselfeld was even-

tually struck in the left calf by an opponent’s cleat. Are teens too athletically com-

petitive?Since the ancient Grecian invention of the

Olympic games, athletic competition has served as a neutral means outside of the battlefield to answer the age-old question: “Who’s better, faster and stronger?” In modern day athleticism, high school sports teams provide a preview to an ath-lete’s future as either a collegiate or professional player, and oftentimes, if an athlete is not the best, fastest, strongest and the most competitive, he does not make the team.

“Athletes need to have a competitive nature, and if they don’t, they’re not athletes,” coach and physical education teacher Tiffany Sawyer said.

According to the LiveStrong foundation, ath-letic competition teaches a player how to cope with victory and failure, and athletic accomplish-ment creates confidence and assurance for the winners. For these reasons among many others, parents instill a competitive nature by encourag-

ing their child to compete in sports at an early age. The coach then maintains a player’s competitiveness by conditioning and drilling the athlete throughout the athlete’s career.

“The most competitive athletes are the ones that had board games at home,” coach and physi-cal education teacher Tracey Kornau said. “[The family] won’t let you win just be-cause you are the youngest and cutest. Whether it was Scrabble, Monopoly or even Hi-Ho Cherry-O from way back when, [the family] played to win.”

Ultimately, the goal of athletic competition is to win the game or beat the oppo-nent, and Simon Fraser University researcher Mario Liotti explains los-ing or even reliving past failures can produce stress, causing an athlete to be anxious for the next competi-tion. Performance anxiety can be beneficial to an athlete short-term because it releases a bout of adrena-line. However, long-term, this anxiety can cause an athlete to “lose his cool.”

“If I don’t win, I can’t eat, sleep or think,” Hasselfeld said. “It’s a horrible thing, but that’s why winning is so important to me. That way, I don’t have to deal with the emotional stress.”

To prevent stress of defeat that 59% of 88 West athletes share, players will use various tactics to create an obstacle for their opponent, most nota-bly “trash talking.” Used to gain mental edge over an athlete’s rival, trash talk is used to either glo-rify a win (“My best is better than your best”) or to recover from a loss (“By the end of the season, your players will be sacking groceries”).

“On a football field, you can hear players shout-ing from the sidelines, sometimes cursing at play-ers,” junior football and baseball player Derwin Jamison said. “I think if it’s between your friends on a different team, it’s okay, but not between people that you don’t know.”

When an athlete is too competitive, competition can

lead to a desperation to win, provoking unsports-man-like behavior, such as cheating.

“Cheating is not okay,” Kornau said. “It’s not okay to use performance enhancing drugs. It’s not healthy. I think a truly competitive person is

competitive in all aspects of their life, they can’t just turn it on and off. As long as they are staying out of obsession and they are a balanced per-son, it’s fine.”

Arguably, the reason some-one plays a game is to compete. Without competition in sports, there would be no star athletes and teams that are better than others, but instead everyone would be the best, the fastest and the strongest.

“If there was no athletic com-petition, I would cease to contin-ue my career as a soccer player and probably become a lawyer so I can compete in the court room,” Hasselfeld said.

Senior Kevin Miller’s friend Blake* got into a conflict with his friend

Erica* when she told him of her high ACT score. After a couple weeks of bragging and fighting, Blake finally told Erica she was annoying and they would never be friends again.

Are teens too academically competitive?

According to the 2000 US census, 17.5 million students were enrolled in college dur-ing the previous decade, a tenfold increase from 1940. In other words, the teens of this generation are ten times more likely to attend college than their grandparents. With an increase in student appli-cation to college and a limited enrollment in universities na-tionwide, some high school students find the need to be academically competitive.

“Everyone I know, we are always trying to do our best,” junior Ben Rubinoff said. “If you’re not number one [in the class], you are going to try to be number one.”

Starting in junior high, class placement deter-mines a student’s academic future. Teachers rec-ommend students for either college prep or higher level courses, determining whether a student will go through high school as a “regular” student or an “honors” student.

“I think that kids in honors programs take aca-demic competition for college much more serious-ly,” junior Jess Trygier said. “Those are the kids who expect the most of themselves and want to push themselves into the best possible college.”

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*This is a false name used to represent a source that wished to remain anonymous.

Parents may also have a role in pushing their students into top colleges. According to a study by Leicester and Leeds University, parental involve-ment has a greater impact on a student’s grades than the school or the child him or herself. In other words, an academically competitive parent can sometimes lead to an academically competi-tive student. Unlike parents, a teacher may not be an active participant in student competition.

“I don’t think I actively encourage students to be competitive with one another in terms of grades,” English teacher Lori Zugelter said. “In actuality, I’m frequently disheartened when I hear some conversations students partake in with one another concerning grades. I think there is much more in this world to value - happiness, activi-ties, working to be a better person on this planet - than to have your whole soul emerged in: ‘My GPA is better than yours.’”

Citing grades with other classmates can either motivate or dis-courage a student, and for some students, one bad grade can become a detrimental affair.

“One bad grade isn’t go-ing to ruin everything,” se-nior Kevin Miller said. “You just make the necessary ad-justments and go back and make up for it. After twelve years, it’s something ev-eryone should have fig-ured out by now, but I’ve seen some honors kids lit-erally cry upon receiving a C or a D.”

For academically com-petitive students, grades serve as the means to compete. However, ac-cording to Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards, grades are merely extrinsic moti-vators that should be eradicated. Without grades, schools would be on a pass-or-fail sys-tem, and instead of a student seeing success and failure as reward or punishment, he or she would see it as in-formation regarding his or her academic strengths and weak-nesses. An abolition of grades could invariably cause a decrease in stu-dent competition.

“In my philosophy, I’d rather have pass or fail,” Zugelter said. “You’re gaining or you’re not, but without that competi-tion, those colleges will not be able to sort through students for entrance. It’s a sad thing, but I also think without the competition for grades, quite a few students would lose interest in their learn-ing and would not continue to do as well as they currently are without grades. In order to have a pass/fail system to work, you have to have moti-vation beyond grades.”

In reality, high school grades are actively used only for college entrance, and competing among other students may bring unnecessary stress for a student. According to Zugelter, the best type of academic competition is within oneself.

“You challenge yourself to do the best you can do,” Zugelter said. “I don’t necessarily see the value of comparing my grades to your grades or someone else’s grades. If I am doing the best that I can do, then that is enough.”

Sophomore Sarah Klimek and her friend, Emily*, liked the same boy. Emily eventu-ally dated the boy, hurting the girls’ friend-

ship. “I feel as if there are some sort of chemicals

that make me feel a strong dislike towards her [Emily] even if I don’t want to,” Klimek said.

Are teens too competitive with relationships?In a 2010 Australian survey released by War-

ner Home Video, half of the 1,000 people polled blamed “gushy” and un-realistic romantic com-edies for ruining their personal romances. One in four felt as though they were expected to know what their part-ner was thinking with-out communication and one in five stated the movies made their partners expect gifts regardless of the occa-sion. In an age where the media has notable influence over the lives of young adults, Holly-wood’s idealistic story lines of “finding your one true soulmate” may be selling some teens an embellished version of love.

“I think there are a lot of movies that show a best friend falling in love with his friend’s significant other,” youth minister Kendahl Lund said. “It’s the romantic thing or the right thing, and they leave the per-son that they’re with for the person that they love. I think teens may be influenced by the me-dia [to be competitive with relationships].”

Unlike males, fe-males are more likely to pair their genes wisely rather than widely, and when searching for a po-tential boyfriend, girls look for not only a tem-porary date, but a life

partner. A female’s conquest for her “destined” life partner may make teenage girls more com-petitive with relationships than teenage boys.

“I think girls view it more important to com-pete for relationships,” Lund said. “Girls just in-nately have a need to connect emotionally and when they see someone else doing that, they need to compete for attention: ‘This guy likes this girl, I need to get his attention away from her.’”

In a 2008 study conducted by Joyce Benenson at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts, it was concluded that girls are just as competitive as boys in social situations — they are just more subtle. Benenson explains that boys use aggres-

sion to get what they want while girls rely on the pain of social exclusion. Starting gossip, spreading rumors or threatening opponents are weapons to avoid aggressive competition with the girl out to get her boy.

“Other girls get up in my face and tell me that boy is theirs and theirs alone,” sophomore Kiri Madaris said. “They say, ‘Get away from him, don’t try anything, he’s mine.’ One of the weirdest ones I’ve gotten is, ‘I had a dream we got married, so it’s destined to be.’”

When friends share similar love interests, even more competition can ensue. 72% of 179 West students would be jealous if their friend dated his or her crush or ex.

“There’s always an emotional high when it comes to relationships because you feel close-ness with that person that is impossible to feel with your friends,” junior Ryan Ulrick said. “It’s just a different kind of feeling that can only be achieved through a relationship.”

Lund explains that there would be a lot more friendships and a lot less dating relationships if there was no romantic competition. If the need for dating lessened amongst teens, a better sense of individuality and indepen-dence may arise.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with hanging out and enjoying other people’s c o m p a n y , ” Lund said. “I don’t see any problem with dating as a teenag-er, but when you are do-ing it spe-cifically to beat some-body else out, or when you are doing it to show that you are loved or appreciated and not really because you want to be with that person, I think it’s unhealthy.”

Give two professional soccer players a soccer ball and they will see which

one will shoot the goal first. Give two academic students a standardized test and they will aim to get a higher score than the oth-er. Show two girls a charming boy and they will compete for his affection. Competition is a natu-ral part of life, and without it, many advances in technology, politics and business would be non-existent. However, competition that destroys the life of oneself or one’s opponent is unhealthy, and it should be used in moderation. After all, in order for one to succeed in competition, some-one else must fail.

Voice graphics by Tyler MullinsVoice infographics by Tyler Mullins

Voice graphic headline by Tyler MullinsVoice subheadings by Tyler Mullins

Voice cover picture by creating-yourlife.comVoice cover illustration by Kelsey Johnson

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French Club meets every month and their last meeting was scheduled for December 13, but because of the snow day, the event was canceled. At this meeting, members of the club were going to have their annual December contest. French Club is a chance for students to interact with students from other French classes and from the freshman building.

The December meeting was going to con-sist of a building contest for students. Stu-dents form teams and compete against each other to make the best model of a French monument.

“We lay out pictures of French monu-ments and students choose which building they want to build,” French Club advisor Kelli Phillips said.

In March, there will be a Mardi Gras cel-ebration. In the spring, the French and Ger-man clubs will compete against each other, and the winner of the contest takes a trophy until the next contest. The contest is un-known as of right now.

“It usually involves some type of food,” Phillips said.

There is a fee for the club that covers the price of food, activities and the t-shirts that a few of the French Club members designed.

Bullying can be defined as aggressive verbal or physical behavior of a single person or group of people directed at an individual. However,

bullying is much more intricate than just a simple dictionary definition. Students who bully often have behavioral problems that stem from the need for power and dominance in a relationship, as well as giving themselves a psychological reward for their actions towards others. According to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, approximately one in five students in an average-sized classroom is cur-rently undergoing a bullying predicament. So, if one were to look at a room of around thirty students, then an estimated amount of six students within that classroom alone would be currently undergo-ing a bullying crisis.

Many parents and vic-tims of bullying debate the causes of this form of abuse. Some say that it’s created by a child’s sense of seeking power, and others believe that a child who bullies does so due to low self-esteem and confidence issues. Ac-cording to the “Stop Bully-ing Now!” website, people who bully often do so be-cause they either want to fit in with a certain crowd or want to prevent themselves from becoming targets for bullying.

“There are often incentives that individuals benefit socially among their peers in the form of popularity and reputation,” psychology t e a c h e r Bryan Skoog said.

Both a bully and its victim are exposed to the neg-ative psychological effects of bullying. A person who bullies often experiences frustration and low self-es-teem issues, whereas a victim of bullying becomes emotionally battered and cautious of situations where bullying could arise. Sometimes, a victim of bullying becomes so distorted by these experiences that he himself will turn into an aggressive bully. Ac-cording to mentalhelp.net, bullying victims usually experience the following: anger, depression, anxiety, a difficulty trusting others, interpersonal relation-ship difficulties, self-esteem issues and the increased tendency to be a loner in social situations.

“I have been a bully, and I can’t deny that I still find myself being one occasionally,” junior Tori Guthrie said. “I’ve found that I generally bully others

and put others down when I myself have felt vulner-able. I think that people, myself included, use it as a quick fix to our own issues. Bullies are all cowards inside; afraid to face their own images in the mir-ror that keep reflecting their problems back onto them.”

Bullying can lead to a lifetime of paranoia, as the effects seem to be permanent for its victims.

“Personally, I believe that bullying has a major effect on whether or not a person later develops psy-chological issues in their life,” Guthrie said. “Though most people don’t think of it as so, bullying is an ex-tremely traumatizing experience for a lot of people.”

Besides the common effects of bullying, some kids find the abuse too much to handle. Suicide has become common for victims of bullying in today’s society as an attempt to escape the torment.

“There certainly are a lot of examples of that lately with in-dividuals who have committed suicide,” Skoog said. “The teen-age years are a critical stage of identity development and have significant impacts on one’s perception of self and self-es-teem.”

Many children and teenag-ers see their peers undergoing a bullying epidemic, yet choose to do nothing about it. This passive attitude plays a key role

as to how bullying has been allowed to reach as far as

it has.“There are social

norms of behavior that must be fol-

lowed and stepping up to a bully could jeopardize one’s standing or image,” Skoog

said. “It also takes a lot of courage to act on one’s beliefs in the moments of bullying.”

However, there are some solutions for bullying. Schools and parents have begun to set up bullying prevention programs in an effort to stop this never-ending cycle of children bullying one another.

“I think the district should create a zero tolerance policy about bullying,” senior Sam O’Connell said. “When bullying occurs, the school can’t do much but give a slap on the wrist because it’s hard to generate evidence on the subject.”

Learning how to recognize the signs of bullying and teaching children how to react in such situations are effective first approaches to bullying. From there, let authority figures handle the rest.

Bullying local, national issueDanielle DeanStaff Reporter

French Clubcompetes

-CJ Reckner

The yearbook staff has been distributing the yearbooks that many West students or-dered. During the first week of school, the yearbook staff worked to stay on schedule as-sembling the upcoming yearbook.

They have made multiple layouts and fin-ished many pages of events that have already occurred, such as homecoming.

“We get our pictures from just taking them at events,” senior student interest lay-out director Tori Yelton said. “Parents and students bring in pictures, and we take some off Facebook.”

Yelton, a staff member for two years, helps new yearbook students, lays out pages and searches for pictures.

“I really like being on the yearbook staff,” Yelton said. “It looks good on my college application, it’s a lot of fun, I meet people I never thought I would and have made a lot of new friends.”

There are several different jobs involved in creating the yearbook. Each section is run by multiple people; they need layouts, pic-tures, quotes and much more.

“This year’s yearbook will not be forgot-ten,” Yelton said. “There will be something everyone will like. We are working hard and they are going to look awesome.”

Yearbook in progress

-Megan Downs

Voice infographic by Tyler Mullins

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Every weekday we wake up early and go to school, where we spend seven hours of our

day. That’s seven hours a day for an entire school year, or 179 days. Do the math and you’ll discover that you’re spending 1,253 hours at school a year. You’re probably spending more time at school than you are sleeping in your bed each night. So why is it that we wreck the campus where we spend much of our time?

On your way to the building in the morning, you may notice the refuse scattered all over school grounds. Many people seem to have forgotten that littering is against the law. The grass is covered with all sorts of garbage: bottles, empty cigarette boxes (so much for a drug-free zone), dried-out pens, papers, gro-cery bags, drive-thru packages and much more. However, it doesn’t seem to bother many of us that we are receiving our education at the same place where we’re tossing our junk. It’s embar-rassing that visitors to our school have to see the mess we’ve made when they pull into the parking lot. If we had so-called “West pride,” we would care enough to clean up the junk covering Fire-bird property. Or, better yet, we would throw our trash away in the first place instead of chucking it on the ground.

This is just the beginning. As soon as you walk in the school, there are many other scenes that display our inability to keep our school clean. Let’s say, for example, that you are about to burst because you forgot to go to the bathroom before you left home. That means you’re going to have

to use a nasty school restroom. There are many people that refuse to use the school restrooms because of the disgusting floors, sinks and stalls. And the thing is, it’s our fault. We toss toilet paper all over the floor, leaving it to stick to the bottoms of other people’s shoes. Everything from gum wrappers to hair is left on the sink, which can lead to the sink getting clogged. Then, of course, there are the people who leave the toilets stopped up so that there is only one usable stall remain-ing. There are over 2,000 people that go to our school. Eventually, someone is going to need to use the restroom. If we keep them clean, people won’t be afraid to do their business.

At lunch, the tables always seem to be cov-ered with leftovers from the people who sat there before you. In D lunch, it’s nearly impossible to find a table that isn’t slathered with ketchup, sprinkled with salt or caked with some mysteri-ous food. It’s not the custodian’s job to pick up after you once you’ve finished eating. Parents tell their children to clear their place at the table af-ter dinner. The same rules should apply at school. Slopping your food all over the place means that your best friend in the next lunch has to suffer, and who wants to disgust their friend with a pile of pudding on the table?

At the end of the day, the hallways are clut-tered with discarded notes, gum wrappers, flash cards and many other items. This mess could eas-ily be prevented if people are responsible and re-spectful of the school. When someone is too lazy to throw something away, it reflects on all of us. A few people’s indolence makes us all look like slobs. We’re in high school now. We should be able to learn from what we were taught in first grade: to be responsible for our own actions—in-cluding those as simple as throwing garbage away and not trashing our school.

Voice illustration by Eric Bosse

Ever since seventh grade, students have been dreaming about one thing.

That’s right—senior year. Senior year is put on a pedestal as the time for prom, driving around with friends and finally putting a lid on that can of worms that people call high school. Another crucial event that comes along with being a senior is the noto-rious senior prank. All our lives we’ve read books,

skimmed magazine articles and watched movies that show one of the milestones of senior year is putting on a show for the rest of the school through the senior prank.

Sadly, this rite of passage is con-demned at West. When the spring months roll around, one cannot stop hearing the buzz about how the faculty is reinforcing the fact that a senior prank is unacceptable and will result in fourth quarter exams for seniors. These words are serious because, though seniors have spent their high school careers idolizing a high senior prank, they also don’t want to be presented with an as-sessment when they could be treating their sum-mer fever with some Brewster’s.

However, last year a ripple of excitement spread throughout West. The seniors had decided to throw caution to the wind and conduct a senior prank. Despite the hubbub this gossip caused, the problem became quite apparent when unknow-

ing sophomores and juniors were suddenly pelted with binders and papers at the end of last year. Not only was this prank dangerous—death-by-binder would be a tragic end to a young sophomore’s aca-demic career—it was also incredibly lame. Luckily this “prank” didn’t result in fourth quarter exams for seniors, but it did result in the 2010 class be-ing known for an awful senior prank.

Here’s the proposal for both the seniors and administration of West—the seniors of 2011 should take initiative to compose a truly tremen-dous senior prank without being threatened in the

process. A senior prank is a harmless bit of fun that not only allows seniors to make their mark on the high school, but also to promote school spirit. The virtues of a creative senior prank are endless and should not be preached against.

The prank would have to be imaginative, but within boundaries. For example, there was a high school that let pigs loose numbered one, two and four. The faculty spent hours looking for the third pig. This may just be urban legend, but even so, the seniors at West should try and exemplify that kind of cunning.

This does not mean I want to see swine— or any other kind of animal for that matter— skit-tering around West. There’s a fine line between clever and catastrophic, and a senior prank would have to stay on the right side. The school should give the seniors a chance to show their discretion. While some seniors are “some kind of stupid,” it isn’t fair to condemn all the seniors because some people don’t have self-control.

Furthermore, a senior prank is not quite given credit for all its merits. A senior prank promotes school spirit in a way that only teenage tomfool-

ery can: by appealing to its main audience. I know that even last year the entire school was filled with anticipation at the thought of a se-nior prank, and I’m sure the senior class united at the prospect. Also, how great would it be to beat East? Our sister school pulled out a “flash mob” (a bunch of people dancing seemingly spontaneously in amaz-ing synchronicity) last year. Our

senior prank paled in comparison. It was unfor-tunate but I’m sure, given an opportunity, the tal-ented seniors of West would get together to make something more creative. Halls lined in bubble wrap? Musical outbreaks throughout the school day? The possibilities are endless.

I’m not attempting to rabble rouse here, but to have an amazing senior prank would be a great addition to the 2010-11 school year. With all the bad news that has come about lately, it’s time for some classic senior hi-jinks.

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No matter how long you’ve gone to Lakota West, you’ve been hearing the

same plethora of pouts, moans and groans since you’ve been here. These graying grievances come from all students, spanning from the simmering sophomores who are still coming to terms with the inevitabilities of high school to our dear, slothful se-niors whose alleged academic

“condition” merits them to mope over the same issues that haven’t been fixed in the 13 years our high school has been around.

Throughout this time, there has been a set of subjects that every student despises. They’re old. They’re dull. They put the perfectly monoto-nous blah in blasé. The bulk of the student body knows precisely what you’re going to say if you talk about these topics. And yes, you’ve got your First Amendment rights. And yes, this is coming from the opinions editor. But under no circum-stances do the same nausea-inducing nags need to be brought up whenever the same unalterable issues arise. They follow (if you’ve shown up to school, you know them well):

1. The rooms are too hot/cold: Yes, your math class is always too hot. And yeah, the cafete-ria is as cold as the milk cartons. And there is some rumor going around that our ventilation system is controlled by someplace out-of-state—which can be pretty believable when your flip-flopped feet turn purple during lunch in the last week of

school. But nevertheless, everyone knows that all the classrooms have different climates—none of which ever complement the outdoors quite right. The solution? Apply deodorant in the morning and bring a hoodie to lunch.

2. The food is gross: There’s an understood running gag that has been blud-geoned into our brains since we could watch TV: school is scary, the homework is hard and—the most classic of all—the food is bad. In all honesty, it’s traditional for the quick-fix meals provided to be less-than-gourmet and hardly heart healthy. Food has to be fast to serve 2,200 students, and in that rush, the chefs tend to neglect garnishing our trays with parsley. If you can’t handle that, find some peanut butter and whole grain bread. Make a sandwich.

3. The dress code isn’t enforced: On a regular basis, there’s a defamatory dressing-down of our students—a volley of “vamp” and “tramp” and other assorted insults. And, granted, plenty of attire worn to West isn’t particularly respect-able, but acceptance is the only answer. If some-one chooses to dress a certain way, not much can be done. Students are well aware of what they’re wearing, so telling them—or your nearest BFF—

that you don’t approve won’t change much. That sort of gossip leads to dead-end drama, and even if people’s names are smeared, they still pick the pretense of “self-expression” when it comes to their plunging peek-a-boos and blatant boxers. As for teachers, they pre-fer not to get involved—anything beyond say-ing “pull your pants up” could be warped into

sexual harassment. Bottom line: you’ll get by even if the girl in your math class hasn’t found the top three buttons on her blouse.

4. School Starts at 7:15A.M.: Yes, it’s still dark outside when you get up. Yes, you’re tired. I know. I also go to bed late. I get here the same time you do. I, too, wake up weeping to go back to bed. And yet, the administration is not about to push back the start of first bell just because high school students haven’t grown out of the need to break bedtime. Just wait till January. You’ll have 15 whole more minutes to grope for your coat and find your keys.

Voice graphic headline by Jordan Taylor

Voice graphic headline by Emily Bamforth

The seniors of 2011 should take initiative to compose a truly tre-mendous senior prank without being threatened in the process.

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Tis the season. Hope-fully we’ve all pur-chased and wrapped

gifts to stuff under trees and into stockings by now. Holiday spirit is in the air. Christmas trees line the corridors and menorahs sit on tables in every mall, but the only saying that is printed on banners is “Happy Holidays.” Sensi-tivity typically runs high

during the holiday season because every religion must fight to have equal representation in décor. This sensitivity, however, has expanded too far and is now making it wrong to put a denomina-tion on your well wishes for the holidays.

Somehow, it became politically incorrect to wish a stranger a “Merry Christmas,” without al-ready knowing his or her religious affiliation. The fact of the matter is, however, that there should be no sensitivity to well wishes, no matter what religion is suggested. No one wishes another a “Happy Hannukah” with mal-intent. These peo-ple are simply filled with holiday cheer and want

to spread joy. If they were trying to be rude, they would be rude, and there is nothing rude about wishing someone a ‘happy’ or ‘merry’ anything.

I can understand the desire for every religion to have holiday decoration representation in public places, but the debate over greet-ings is ridiculous. Having an ambiguous greeting for the holiday season discredits the diversity that is the key characteristic of the United States. There are too many religions to count, and expecting each reli-gious person to celebrate the holidays with the same two words is a futile effort. There is nothing offensive about saying “Happy Kwanzaa” and therefore when you hear it, you should not take it as an insult to your own religious celebrations.

The reactions some peo-ple have to these comments are completely unnecessary. Living in the United States, it isn’t unusual for a person to come into contact with any number of ethnicities and tradi-

tions on a daily basis. We all know that the entire country isn’t made up of Christians or any other single religion, so the thought that you wouldn’t

encounter holiday cheer for a differ-ent celebration is irrational.

The sensitivity that has surfaced about this in recent years is unacceptable, and the solution to the problem is simple. Instead of demand-ing the vague and insincere wish of “Happy Holidays” from everyone, accept the personality and individualism

of a specific holiday cheer. If you encounter a Jewish person who offers

you “Happy Hannukah” and you your-self are Christian, respond with a “Merry Christmas.” We must accept and embrace

the many different cultures that are present in our country and remember that there is no ill will when someone wishes you a good

holiday, no matter what denomination it takes.

Imagine, if you will: a student named Steve is taking College Prep

pre-calculus and comes to his friend, Sally, who is taking the same course but has a different teach-er, with a question about how to figure out a trigo-nometric word problem. Sally says that she has the same homework and can show what they did

in class. Steve realizes it’s exactly what he did in class and understands how to do the problem. Steve’s class and Sally’s class are maintaining the same pace since they are both College Prep and therefore, they can always help each other. Oh, how great the world of education would be!

Now, snap back to reality. Steve asks Sally for help. Sally responds with the fact that they did not have to do the same homework and are not even learning the same information. She is still finishing chapter four while he is on chapter five. She has had one test while he has had three quizzes. They were taught how to set up the word problems differently. It takes Sally nearly fifteen minutes to correctly solve one word problem while Steve was taught how to do five problems in the same amount of time.

How can students’ performances be evaluated equally when the same course is teaching differ-ent methods and therefore are taking different paces?

It is understandable that different ways to solve questions do exist, but the school curricu-lum needs require teachers to cover the same les-son plans in a uniform manner. Certain methods may be easier or more difficult, quicker or longer;

we’ve all spent hours doing a problem and then realize there’s quicker alternatives. If one teacher tells their students to solve a question this way, and another teacher says do it this way, the re-sults on tests will be quite different despite the exact same material being tested. Students will also become frustrated and end up going to other teachers for advice in order to gain a level playing field.

Another aspect of this issue is subjective grad-ing. Take a look at writing an essay for English class. There are no rubrics that all teachers teach-ing the same course must use. One’s grade on an essay depends on the teacher’s opinion of the pa-per or the teacher’s own rubric. A student could

submit an essay to one teacher and receive an “A”, and then submit it to another teacher and receive a “B”. The same amount of effort and work put into an essay will get different results simply due to the teacher. Yes, English papers cannot avoid the subjective evaluation, but there is a way to make it at least a little fairer. One rubric could be set up for each level of English. Honors English classes would have a tougher rubric than the English 101, 111 and 112 classes. Every teacher in charge of a certain class would grade essays using the rubric for that course. Whether or not an essay scores all the points on the rubric would still be subjective, but the basis would be more standardized.

The newly enforced common assessments show that the Lakota School District is well-aware of this problem. The one confusion I have in re-gard to this procedure is that they were made for

quarter exams and nothing else. Quarter exams are the one and only area of testing in the district that is the same for all students. A more accurate evaluation of all students’ learning for the quarter is recorded as a result. Sounds like a success. So what is holding the district back from minimally trying to keep this consistency across the board? Nothing.

The point here is that students’ success in certain classes merely relies on the luck of what teacher shows up on their new schedule in August. One person could work hard all year and receive a solid “B+”, while another could take the same class and slack off and receive an “A”. Transcripts don’t show the fact that the person with the lower

grade had the harder teach-er. Of course there is the idea that the person who received the “B+” was challenged more and may have learned more. But let’s be honest, in this day and age when grades are so competitive and criti-cal to get into college, stu-

dents won’t look at the learning aspect; they want the GPA. Colleges also look for the GPA, not the extent of learning.

Until a more uniform curriculum is created, these discrepancies will continue to build up. Stu-dents’ transcripts and records of the student body will continue to fluctuate due to differences in teaching styles and curriculums. Steve and Sally, best friends forever, may not be able to both at-tend The Ohio State University together because Steve had to persevere through difficult classes and teachers, emerging from high school with a 2.5. Sadly, Steve is the future of education in the Lakota School District—that is, unless consistency can be found.

Bari SchwartzManaging Editor

Voice graphic headline by Jordan TaylorVoice illustration by Ryan Kelly


Amy Rubenstein

Features Editor

So what is holding the district back from minimally trying to keep this consistency across the board? Nothing.

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Strolling into Barnes and Noble upon a brisk winter day, I

revel in the variety of in-formation before me. Sev-enteen Magazine, books on the history of mod-ern warfare, the works of Poe—everything is within my grasp. Wandering about, I stumble upon the Nook desk where an

employee is displaying all the advantages of the Nook. He explains the portability and ease of using an electronic reader. I look at him with disdain—how could a Nook ever compete with books? How could something so cold replace the texture and connections one has with a paperback? This, however, is the reality: printed materi-als such as newspapers, maga-zines, nonfiction books and printed novels are becoming an aspect of the past.

Apparently, people just don’t have the time to go to a bookstore to purchase fresh novels anymore. In-stead, they just download them onto their Kindles or Nooks. Since when does reading mean pressing a touch screen to go to the next page I stead of flipping one yourself? Now, in-stead of holding your favorite novel in your hands and cuddling up with it on your sofa, you hold something that is cold in comparison to a printed

novel. A book seems more tangible as you rifle through the pages or stick in random Post-its. A Kindle or iPod touch only requires the lightest touch of a fingertip, not the love and attention a paperback requires. Your edition of Julius Caesar may have doodles of Caesar being stabbed repeat-edly and notes on the insanity of Brutus. The only special characteristic of the Kindle edition of this Shakespeare’s classic is a strongly lit screen. No annotations. No personality.

E-readers are just the beginning of the decline of paper. News is also gradually journeying from the page to the computer screen. Instead of crack-ing open an issue of the Times, most people get

day-to-day updates from little snippets on Yahoo or msn.com. Not only are these articles of-ten incomplete, but the writers tend to not have the same credibility as hard-hitting j o u r n a l i s t s . Many publi-cations are struggling to stay afloat as readers aban-don them for

their precious internet homepages. No longer do you walk down the street seeing paper boys on the corners of sidewalks yelling “Extra, extra! Read all about it!” Now you just spot the newest sex scan-dal as you pop open your homepage.

Computers are not only exterminating our

news publications, but they are also exterminat-ing the use of resource books. Rather than using encyclopedias or other nonfiction books, we often research online for papers or projects. We have entered into an unhealthy routine of researching most of our facts via the search engine, and the explanation for this behavior is simple. The peo-ple of the 21st century require the quickest form of everything in our day-to-day lives. We wouldn’t survive without, say, fast food restaurants where we can get a quick meal during our busy days. Electronic sources are like McDonalds: efficient but sometimes not very reliable and cheaply made. Sure, you get a few nuggets of usable info, but they aren’t as valuable as the delicious and plentiful homemade meal that is an encyclopedia.

I’m not exactly condemning the use of electron-ic resources. I admit to using multiple websites on uber-large projects when a seventy-pound text-book seems like too much of a hassle. At the same time, I try to utilize all the information available to me. But some websites are often cheaply made by sources that wouldn’t be considered credible. The school and public libraries are stashed with quick-hitting nonfiction books on Roman gener-als that cover way more on Gaius Marius than say, little Timmy’s website on “Roman dudes.” With-out books, credible sources would be harder to come by.

The idea of exterminating the existence of books from the face of the earth conjures up im-ages of a society like that in Fahrenheit 451, with fewer outputs for free speech and no trustworthy information. Not exactly the brightest future for our generation.

If you were to turn out your pockets right now, what would be

in them? A gum wrapper? An eraser? Of all the pos-sibilities, the one object that most students have in common is a cell phone. That cell phone means that whether you are in a car, at the mov-ies or at school,

you have the capability to call, text or Twitter what is happening in your life. Relationships have become dependent on new technology, such as texting and social networks. What has the world come to that we must be reliant on the instant connection with each other?

You text your BFF “Hey” at 2:25 right after school, and—“OMG!”— she does not respond un-til 6:13 that night. During those four hours, you tortured yourself with endless questions like: “Did I say something mean to her?”, “Did some-thing happen?”, “Did her phone fall into a lake?” stream through your head faster than a succes-sion of Facebook statuses. Ultimately, your best friend suffers a premature death in your head, all because of this compulsive need to be in touch. Less than fifteen years ago, people had to call someone’s house in order to contact them. Fur-

thermore, if the person didn’t answer, the caller left a message on a cassette tape and continued on with his day. Technology has come so far that you don’t need any personal connection with a person to talk to them.

On top of texting, there are websites that al-low you to update what you do every second of the day. Facebook was created to allow people to

connect with family members and

friends that do not nec-essarily live near you. Now, the only reason I hear about people using it is to “creep” on the cute guys that sit next to them in science. People spend hours upon hours “Facebook creeping” on people that they do not have any relationship with besides going to school with them or having a mutual friend. Think of it this way: how would you feel if the person who sits in the back of your English class knew ev-erything about you, from your favorite activities to the fight you had with your parents last week, and you were barely aware that the kid is in your English class? That is what Facebook is doing: al-lowing people to see into the lives of others and in all reality you do not even care about them. In el-ementary school, did you care if the person sitting across from you was bored when he went home?

No, so why do you now?Over-connectivity causes anxiety; you check

your phone, even when it is on vibrate, to make sure you didn’t miss a text. You reach for your phone every time it goes off with an eager look in your face like a little kid on Christmas. How do I know? Because I am one of the people who

check Facebook and my phone

every couple of hours to make sure I didn’t miss s o m e t h i n g .

It is disturbing, but at the same time, I feel

like I must respond to every text and check Facebook. Texting and Facebook are obsessions to which teenagers have grown attached.

While over-connectivity might be leading the human race to only interact digitally, the inter-net and texting have brought great things to the world. If something happens anywhere in the world, everyone can know in a matter of min-utes. In addition, it allows us to converse at our leisure. Technology is a great contribution to the world, however, sometimes we need to turn off the phone, turn off the computer and disconnect ourselves from people.

Abbi KearnsCopy Editor

Marisa YunkerSports Editor


Voice graphic headline by Jordan TaylorVoice infographic by Jordan Taylor


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Many students have some sort of passion in their lives, and it’s often reflected in the courses they take. Some students

are fascinated by the human psyche and decide to take up courses like Psychology or consider join-ing Peer Counseling. Others may find that they have a love for art and go on to create mas-terpieces. For senior Briana Bergen, her life is centered around choir.

Alto 1, section leader of Women’s Cho-rus, and a member of Chorale, and Musical Theatre Revue, Bergen is one of the most involved students in Lakota West’s choir programs. Since she entered Lakota’s choir programs in seventh grade, Bergen has quit both concert band and marching band to fo-cus all her time and efforts on choir.

“It’s been pretty extreme,” Bergen said. “Choir takes top priority.”

Bergen didn’t manage to become one of the most revered vocalists of West without any outside help. During freshman year, Bergen started taking private hour-long vocal lessons every Wednesday.

“[When I was a freshman] I realized I wasn’t very good,” Bergen said. “I’ve had to work incred-ibly hard to get where I am now.”

Rigorous practice alone isn’t enough to make a strong vocalist. Inspiration is needed, and Ber-gen owes inspiration for her music to a variety of sources.

“My parents and brother [inspire me],” Bergen said. “Composers are a big source of inspiration

for me, too. It amazes me how [they] can write such beautiful music. They put their lives down on paper before your eyes and you can make that into music. The transfer from paper to voice is amazing.”

Last year, Bergen traveled with the choir to New York City where the group had an opportuni-ty to sing at both Carnegie Hall and The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.

“Sound travels for twenty seconds [at Saint John the Divine],” Bergen said. “It was really cool, really fun. Close friendships were made, and we grew as a choir to see the world.”

Back in West Chester, Bergen also participated in the All State Choir, held small roles in West the-atre productions, and secured strong grades for a place in the National Honors Society this year.

But the prestige is only one of the rewards Bergen receives from being a part of Lakota West

choir. She also enjoys the camaraderie, the posi-tive spiritual aspect on her body, and, of course, the music.

“Music is such a mysterious, beautiful thing,” Bergen said. “I think it’s important for everyone to have music in their lives.”

As a senior, Bergen’s time with the Lakota West choir program is coming to a close, but she still has a full year to look forward to. Later in the year she will participate in year-round Chamber Choir, which combines two of the school’s choirs and is occasionally accompanied by a full profes-sional orchestra. Proceeds from that event will go toward breast cancer and Alzheimer research. Apart from that, Bergen will also be a part of the choir’s four scheduled concerts for this year, in-cluding the final May concert.

“I’m going to cry a lot because I’ll miss [choir] so much,” Bergen said. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Bergen is ready for life after Lakota West. If she could have a dream job after school, it would be to be a part of the all-male Grammy Award winning Chanticleer, one of the top A Capella choruses in the nation.

“It (Chanticleer) is some beautiful stuff,” Ber-gen said. “Their voices are so pure and they blend so well.”

Since joining Chanticleer isn’t a feasible option for Bergen, she plans on studying either music education, communication disorders or music therapy in college.

Tyler AxtStaff Reporter

West student winsAshley JeffersEditor-in-Chief

Briana Bergen poses with some of her favorite music.

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The greatest honor an artist could receive is having his or her art displayed for the public to marvel at. While some West students accomplish this on a small scale by having their work hung in our

hallowed halls, some take it one step further. Such is the case for junior Kiersten Fienning, whose sculpture was displayed in the A.B. Cohen Center at Xavier University along with 148 other local pieces. To be recognized as a worthy piece for the Regional High School Junior and Senior Juried Exhibition is one feat, but to win “Best in Show 2010” is another honor all together.

Her entry, “Mistress,” was a sculpture crafted out of a wooden vintage chair. Fienning’s inspiration for her sculpture was somewhat unortho-dox.

“It was a class assignment to make a sculpture out of a chair,” Fienn-ing said. “So I threw it [the chair] against a wall to break it apart, then I noticed when I was trying to piece it together, it made a womanly figure. So I did just that; I turned it into the silhouette of a woman.”

Throughout Fienning’s construction phase, she rarely let herself think of the competition since she didn’t even know if her piece was going to be accepted or not. So when her piece was accepted she was honored, but when she won the award, she was beyond ecstatic.

“I was overwhelmed with gratitude,” Fienning said. “I doubt that I would have won anything from the moment I heard of the contest, but with the way I think, there is always hope. I was so proud and honored I even got in the show, and was so impressed with other students’ work. It was truly a moment where you had to be there.”

Fienning plans on going into an art related field after high school and college.

“I could see myself in advertising, fashion, magazine layout editing, owning my own [T-shirt] company or just becoming an artist and most likely end up living in a box,” Fienning said. “Whatever makes me hap-py.”

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Jordan TaylorOpinions Editor

T he season for giving is here and you know what that means— migraines, marketing and malls. Sometimes you think Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch had the right idea. Buying gifts is often the most stressful part of the holiday season. However, swiping

gift ideas from others makes the process of picking out that perfect present a whole lot less ulcer-inducing. In addition, when you ponder “should I buy my best friend this super-cool Wiggles CD,” you can recall these handy holiday gift giving do’s and don’ts which will guide your seasonal quest through cluttered shopping centers. Keep this in mind, and spread more than your flu germs this holiday season!

DON’T give out art class projects: We’re not in fourth grade anymore. It’s super easy to take something you drew and gift it to someone, but unless that person will keep it on his refrigerator forever, it’s not a good idea. Gifts are meant to be something the person wants, and unless you’re Monet, no one wants your artwork. The exception to this rule is when the work is amazing (as deemed by objective observers, not your Grandma), and the person really would want a beautifully sculpted bracelet from your metal works class. In other words, use your best discretion when handing out anything you made yourself. If you wouldn’t want it, neither would they.

DO personalize: If you and your best friend have an inside joke, use it to think of the perfect present. If you know your best friend loves funny T-shirts, head to the internet to scope out bustedtees.com for some witty apparel. If your friend is a complete Glee fanatic, buy them the first season on DVD. Everybody appreci-ates a gift when they can tell you’ve thought about it, and even more, when the gift is something that only a true friend could think of.

DON’T gift clothes: It’s happened to everyone. You get a shirt that your aunt Susie got you and it’s three sizes too big and in a horrible pattern. Don’t be the person that gives out ugly clothes. However adorable you think that reindeer sweater is, your ten year old cousin won’t appreciate being forced to wear it out of polite-ness. If you really do want to give friends clothes, give them a gift card to their favorite store. They’ll appreciate being allowed to buy clothes that are their own style, and you’ll have given a fabulous gift without that much thought. Everyone wins.

DO keep it simple, stupid: You could spend your time prowling around holiday sales and being sprayed by holiday perfumes in department stores, but, hey, who wants that? There is an easy method to buy-ing holiday gifts that most people don’t utilize. Step one: walk up to the person. Step two: ask the person what he/she wants for the holidays. Step three: listen to the response. Repeat step three as necessary until the person gives you something to work with. Step four: Go buy the item. The result: a wonderful present and no stress. Perfect.

DON’T crochet a sweater: Creativity only goes so far— plus wool is itchy.DO keep the receipt: It’s the awkward situation nobody wants to be in— your best friend opens your

carefully planned gift and a look of dismay crosses their face. Now, he’s not going to tell you that he hates your gift, but he’s never going to use it and you know this. Some stores even make special “gift receipts” without prices that you just wrap with the gift. If the recipient hates the gift, they can bring it back without knowing the price beforehand. If you even have an iota of doubt about your gift, include the receipt.

DON’T buy for yourself: Your girlfriend isn’t going to love the foam firearm that you’ve been want-ing forever, and she’s sure not going to appreciate it when you steal it for Nerf Wars. Think about the recipient of your gift when you’re buying it instead of buying something you’d want. Every person is different and more likely than not the person you’re buying for does not have the same wants or needs as you do.

DO buy with age in mind: As fun as it is to go to Party City or Spencer’s to cruise the crude T-shirts and bachelorette party favors, actually purchasing these items is frowned upon. And even though gag gifts are a great way to fuse friendships, there’s no logic behind giving a friend a set of pre-made shot glasses or phal-lic lollipops. Yes, it’s hilarious when he or she opens these things, but frivolous presents don’t serve a purpose beyond the photo-op. Save these items for when you’re older and they aren’t quite as scandalous, especially if the recipient is going to be opening them in the view of parents or children. On the other end of the spectrum, don’t buy something a sixty year old woman would like either. Save the cigar humidor, Civil-War era flask, or the sock subscription for your grandpa. Revel in being a teenager for a while and buy gifts that are appealing to a young adult.

DO think ahead: As fun as frantically wrapping and re-gifting can be, waiting until the very last minute (i.e. after the doorbell starts ringing for your Winter Solstice party) can give the impression that you never gave your friend a thought, much less a decent present. Handing a buddy the Blu-Ray disc the two of you watched last Friday is not going to make him jump with joy, particularly if you wrap it in tissues and scotch tape.

DON’T give anyone a fruitcake: Nobody likes fruitcake. Deal with it.

Senior

What gift would you buy…

A parent?

A new gold charm bracelet with a single charm

bearing my name and the words ‘I love you Mommy.’

A best friend?

A framed photograph.

A girlfriend?

I would buy a girlfriend chocolate and a necklace.

For “Secret Santa”?

The seniors are giving out mugs…Maybe I’ll steal some.

JuniorWhat gift would you buy…

A parent?I think it’s very important to buy family members some

thing that they will use so I would probably buy my par-

ents something practical like new silverware.

A best friend?For a best friend, I would probably make him/her something sentimental

like a scrapbook page with pictures of us.

On a budget?If I was on a budget, I would probably make something with extra odds and

ends from around the house which is cute without spending a ton of money.

Sophomore

What would you buy…

A parent?

I would buy a tool kit.

A best friend?

I would buy my best friend a gift card to

Hot Topic.

A girlfriend?

I’d buy movie tickets to go see together.

On a budget?

I’d buy candy.

Senior

What gift would you buy…

A best friend?

A gag gift, because best friends will understand

the joke. You can get them a real gift later.

A friend?

A souvenir from a trip, cheap but with meaning.


If it was within the school, I’d do a West t-shirt. If it was with a strang-

er, maybe a gift card to Wal-Mart.

JuniorWhat gift would you buy…A parent?Something about cooking, because they are both

interested in that.

A girlfriend?Flowers, I guess. But there aren’t any flowers in winter.

A best friend?A video game like Assassin’s Creed. That’s an easy one.

A friend?A gift card to wherever they like.

SophomoreWhat would you buy…

A parent?I would buy my mom jewelry.

A best friend?

I’d buy them an iTunes gift card.

A boyfriend?Something cute, like a picture together.


I would buy a fancy board game.

Voice photo by Tyler MullinsVoice photos by Jordan Taylor

Voice graphics by Tyler MullinsVoice photos by Emily Bamforth

Voice graphics by Emily BamforthVoice graphics by Amy Rubenstein

Voice illustration by Amy RubensteinVoice graphic headline by Amy Rubenstein

Additional reporting by Tyler Mullins

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Try to place yourself in the position of a mentor. You show up a few times each week at a junior high school, elementary

school, or even a completely separate organiza-tion to help guide younger children in the right direction. So many unfortunate kids these days are left exposed to a variety of nega-tive variables in their lives which can lead them down the wrong path in life. In layman’s terms, a mentor is a wiser and more experienced individual sent to become a friend and perhaps even a guardian angel to a confused and ne-glected child.

Mentoring is a volunteer opportu-nity which many people are misguided into believing is the equivalent of tu-toring. Mentors connect themselves with a child on a more personal level to help him build proper skills and to sit him down the right track in life. Students within West’s community are involved in programs that send high school students to junior highs and el-ementary schools to work individually with chil-dren, and some even volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club.

“Mentoring is helping with someone’s goals and giving positive feedback in order to boost the child’s self-esteem, while tutoring is helping someone with a specific subject that they need further guidance on,” junior Kevin Schwind said. “Mentoring, in a way, goes beyond the role of tu-toring.”

Often times, people have their own connotation

of the word ‘mentoring’ that fits their past experi-ences with role models, teachers, etc. Schwind’s definition of this word involves using life experi-ences and problems you as a person have encoun-tered.

“I would define mentoring as helping someone else using your own life experiences and sharing positive views on making the most out of one’s

life,” Schwind said.Junior Courtney Freeland has been a mentor

for two years now and is as involved and in love with it as ever before.

“My older sister was what got me interested in mentoring,” Freeland said. “She was in Big Broth-ers Big Sisters before me, and she told me about how great it was hanging out with other kids and being a friend for them. So I signed up, and I loved it.”

Mentors must be able to devote themselves to making sure that the child they are left in care of is properly accounted for. A mentor must play the role of a friend or an elder sibling to a child.

“You don’t always need to know the solution to someone’s problem, and you don’t always need to fix their problems,” peer counseling advisor Em-ily Granger said. “Most of the time a person just needs someone they can talk to, and have a per-son that will actually listen [to him].”

Mentoring not only positively influences a child’s life, but gives the mentor an opportunity to

grow, as well. Mentors typically receive emotion-al satisfaction through helping a young person grow; helping to mold them into the person they were destined to become. Working with another being on such a personal level almost guarantees a connection and bond between a mentor and the child he or she looks after.

“My most heart-warming experience while mentoring was during Big Brothers Big Sisters, when my ‘little’ first talked to me about her fam-ily and school life,” Freeland said. “For the first couple of times I saw her, she was very quiet. I felt very good knowing I was able to develop a trusting bond with her.”

Although mentoring is an occupation which requires a certain amount of patience and inter-personal relationship skills, it’s something that anyone can do, if he sets his mind to it.

“If you want to be a mentor, you need to be consistent with the person you are mentoring,” Granger said. “You need to care about the needs of others, learn how to have patience and be able to take the time to listen to them.”

If you are interested in helping a child grow as a person, then you may be qualified as a mentor. Checking around the community is a good way to start—a child in help could be searching for some-one like you to guide him.

Danielle DeanStaff Reporter

Friends, guardian angels: West mentors

‘Most of the time a person just needs someone they can talk to, and have a person that will actually listen [to him]. -peer counseling advisor, Emily Granger

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The men’s and women’s bowling teams are preparing for a great season with lots of hard work and practice, despite the small-

er team sizes. Both teams are coached by Marcy Peerless and Charles Gay.

The teams practice a few times a week and have matches anywhere from a few a week to one ev-ery other week. The men’s varsity team consists of seniors Phil Brinkman and Chris Gay; juniors Jeremy Krauth, Eric Meadors and Brandon Ross; sophomore Drew Gay and freshman Malik Grove.

Following an av-erage record of 7-5 last season, a GMC record of 5-4, a five-way tie for third in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) and a seventh place sectional finish, the team feels prepared for the upcoming season with the new talent on the var-sity team.

“This year we are going to have a great team,” Krauth said. “We have a lot of potential because we have a lot of sophomores and freshmen, and with the addition of [some] good freshmen we should be set.”

As well as helping to improve the team, bowl-ers are striving to raise their individual scores.

“My goal this season is to improve my average and overall help the team,” Krauth said.

Also, the men’s team just likes to kick back, have fun with the game and not stress too much over scores.

“It’s so chill, and people just have fun with it,” D. Gay said. “We want to win and instead of freaking out when we lose we just look forward to the next match.”

The men kicked off the season with a 2356-2281 (combined scores) win versus Princeton on November 30. On December 8, a new school re-cord was set at 2951 against Taylor with Grove bowling a perfect game.

Seniors Clair Pace and Karen Smith; juniors Brooke Losey, Ema Koch and Amanda Horne; and sophomore Charisma Harper make up the

women’s varsity team. Despite a smaller team and a record dominated by losses in previous years—a 1-11 overall record, a 1-8 GMC record, a ninth place GMC finish and a 16 place sectional finish last season—the women’s team looks stron-ger than ever.

“Our girl’s team seems to be better than ever, even though it’s smaller, so I think we have a good chance on winning games this year,” Smith said.

Many senior bowlers graduated last year, leav-ing room for new talent to step in and give some stu-dents the chance to learn a new sport.

“We have a very dif-ferent mix of people this year since we lost a lot of seniors last year,” Koch said. “Though not all of them have really bowled in the past, they show a lot of promise and have been greatly improving dur-ing practice. So I expect a pretty successful and re-ally fun season.”

Also, as with any sport, there is heavy competition

amongst teams and fellow team members.

“I love all of the team support from my team-mates, but it does get a little competitive some-times,” Smith said.

However, the main goal of the women’s team this year is to improve and learn.

“The girl’s team doesn’t focus so much on the wins and losses—we like to focus on doing our very best and getting as many pins as we can,” Koch said. “But I think we can snag a few wins this year if we keep practicing hard and putting in the effort.”

The women started the year with a loss against Princeton, 1619-1848. On December 6 versus Oak Hills, Pace set a new school record of 472 for two games.

Peerless hopes that in addition to having fun and learning about the sport, the team has a suc-cessful season.

“Our goal is to win most of our matches and to have the team or an individual go on to compete at the district and state level,” Peerless said.

The next men’s match is January 3 versus Reading, and the next women’s match is January 6 at Colerain.

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Katie JohangtesEntertainment Editor

During the past couple winter wrestling seasons, one individual has consistently been a standout, and that person is senior

wrestler Ty Davis. He has been wrestling for the past twelve years and just started his senior sea-son this November. Davis will bring a lot of expe-rience and leadership to the team. Using his hard work and dedication, he will help bring success to the West wrestling program.

“I like wrestling for West, love my coaches and I’m excited for my senior year,” Davis said.

Davis continues to work hard to be a tough op-ponent and hopes to keep putting up high num-bers in the “win” column.

“He is willing to work really hard on the small details and is a very smart wrestler,” West wres-tling coach Tim Kessler said. “He’s tough to beat.”

Davis has been on varsity since his freshman year and has produced results every season. As a freshman, Davis wrestled in the 119 lb weight class, was 2nd in the GMC and was able to make it to state. Davis’ sophomore year brought about an even better resume. He wrestled at 130 lbs, was the GMC Champion in his weight class and took home a second place state tournament trophy. Last year, the reigning GMC Champion wrestled at 135 lbs, took home another GMC Champion trophy and placed eighth at State. As if all those trophies weren’t good enough, Davis won Jr. Na-tionals, held in Iowa, three weeks after the state tournament. Davis will wrestle at 135 lbs this up-coming season. He hopes to take the GMC Cham-pionship for a third time and win at State as well.

“He ranks right up there with other great wres-tlers from West, like Bo Touris and Matt McIn-tire,” Kessler said. “It’s been fun to watch him be-come one of the best wrestlers in Lakota. He just needs to win a state title.”

For Davis, a state title is not far out of reach.From November to March, Davis is hard at

work cutting weight and preparing for his wres-tling matches. Since wrestlers have to be an ex-act weight the day before a match, Davis typically has to lose around five to ten pounds to make his weight class. However, that isn’t the only way he prepares for a match.

“I warm up, and I eat a ton,” Davis said. “I eat chicken noodle soup with a plain bagel, a blueber-ry bagel with peanut butter and banana, a ton of grapes and Gatorade with Sprite mixed in.”

The senior not only wrestles for West, but also for his club team called The Zoo. Unlike high school wrestling, the club team travels to out of town tournaments frequently. Last year, he went to many different places, like Florida and Virginia Beach.

Sometime during all this traveling, Davis found the time to make a college decision. Davis recently signed a letter of intent to wrestle for Central Michigan University.

“They’re a good Division I school,” Davis said. “They have a really good team and they have a smaller campus that isn’t in a city, which I like.”

Davis chose Central Michigan over Old Dominion, Ohio University and Virginia University. Davis plans on majoring in Sec-ondary Education with a minor in Special Education.

Davis looks to stateAlex AzeezStaff Reporter

Senior Clair Pace aims for a strinke during a match.

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West bowling rocks n’ rolls

The West men’s basketball team started the season 2-0 against teams outside of the Greater Miami Conference (GMC). Their

first GMC game was December 10 at Main Street Arena against Mason.

The Firebirds started out roaring by securing the jump ball as well as making the first three points of the night courtesy of sophomore Ali

Barnes. Senior Phil Cook performed his patent-ed two-handed dunk which surprised Mason but encouraged West’s student section to start chant-ing. The first quarter was low scoring with Mason leading 10 to 7.

The second quarter was overrun by Mason who created West turnovers which the Com-ets turned into points. Not only did Mason use West’s turnovers to their advantage, but they were shooting well compared to West’s 18.2% shooting percentage. The half ended with Mason

leading 26-11. Cook led the team at the half with six points. Barnes contributed three points and senior Justin Williams had two points.

After the half, Mason came out with the ball and made a three-pointer. However, West came back strong and created opportunities for the team to put up ten unanswered points. However, the momentum didn’t last long because of the Comets’ rebounding and defensive skills, which allowed Mason to pull ahead even more. The third quarter ended with Mason leading West

44-25.The fourth quarter didn’t improve for

West. Fouls, rebounds and turnovers seemed to be a recurring problem. The Com-ets continued to run the table even though West continued to fight. However, West’s fight wasn’t enough to overcome their poor shooting percentage of 29.8% in the second half. Mason ended up securing their first GMC win by a differential of 20, 61-41.

Cook led the Firebirds in scoring with 18 points as well as being the co-leading scorer of the game. Barnes contributed ten points whereas junior Chris Connell was a defen-sive help by blocking four of the Comets’ shots and by pulling down six defensive re-bounds.

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Mens b-ball falls short against MasonAshley JeffersEditor-in-Chief

After many helmet-to-helmet hits in the NFL this sea-

son, the Commissioner, Roger Goodell, wants to try to eliminate them. Helmet-to-helmet hits can lead to concussions and long term injuries. Week six had many gru-eling hits and just after the week ended, Goodell said that players may be

facing suspensions if they keep committing these hits. Previously players would have just been fined, but now the punishments will be harsher.

The NFL has a right to fine players for illegal hits. That being said, NFL officials should only fine a player if the hit is blatant. Some players’ hits in week six were very clean, like Atlanta Falcon’s player Dunta Robinson’s hit on the Philadelphia Eagle’s Desean Jackson. Also, the league has the right to review ques-tionable hits that didn’t draw a flag on a case-by-case basis. James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers commit-ted two illegal hits in the same game, but his hit on the Cleveland Brown’s Josh Cribbs didn’t draw a flag, and he was still fined $75,000 for both the hits. In week 13, the Baltimore Raven’s Jameel McClain delivered the nastiest hit all year on the Steeler’s Heath Miller. McClain was not penalized on the play but a few days after the game he was fined $40,000.

I do not believe suspending players over hel-met-to-helmet hits is fair. The league can try, but they will never be able to totally remove these hits from the game. An NFL game is very fast paced, so it is hard for a player to make adjustments mid-play so he doesn’t commit an illegal hit. If every-

one can see that the hit was illegal or the player making the hit has a history of illegal hits (Har-rison), then he should be fined more or perhaps even suspended. That being said, suspending a player over just one hit is ridiculous. Suspend-ing a player has a big effect on that player because when he is suspended, he is isolated from his team for however long the suspension lasts. Also, missing up to one game will cost a lot more money than a normal fine because some players get paid over $100,000 a game.

Some people may say that the only way to stop these hits is to start suspending players for them, but these hits are part of the game and it will be nearly impossible to make players stop.

When players decide to play football, they know the risk that comes with playing the game.

Players know they will get hit hard and

often. Trying to suspend players

for playing hard is ridiculous. It’s not like

players are trying to hit il-

legally, they are just trying to make a play on the ball. They are

paid to make plays and now suddenly they

may be losing money for do-ing their job. That doesn’t make

sense and is unreasonable. The Com-missioner is damaging the game of football.

Suspensions are making player’s second guess themselves during the game because they don’t want to make an illegal hit. This hesitation or sec-ond guessing for just a split-second can lead to a big play for the other team, which will completely change the game. At this rate the NFL is slowly

losing its reputation as one of the most physical sports.

Also, suspending players for helmet-to-helmet hits will lead to new types of injuries. Instead of hitting high, players will start to go low. This will lead to many leg injuries, like torn ACL’s or MCL’s. Knee injuries are already the leading cause among disabilities in football players, and suspending for high hits will lead to more of these knee injuries. Players in the NFL wear cleats which provide great traction. This traction, or grip, can make a players leg stay in the ground while he gets hit. This can cause torn ligaments because the player’s body will twist while his legs stay in place. Some knee injuries can be career-ending.

There is not anything the league can call to ac-tion that would take these hits to the head out of the game. The players are the ones hitting and get-ting hit, not the Commissioner. Therefore, if the players believe the hits are getting out of control then let them help decide a solution. Right now, many players have expressed their displeasure in what the NFL officials are doing. Why change something that the players, the ones bringing all the money to the league, don’t agree with?

Fans love seeing big hits, it’s part of the excite-ment that comes with watching the game. They don’t necessarily like seeing players get hurt, but they love the action and what the League is doing will start to decrease the action. The Commis-sioner and officials are not doing a good job keep-ing fans or players happy.

Instead of punishing players for doing what they are paid to do, maybe NFL officials should step-up and make better, more protective equip-ment. They could make more protective helmets, with better cushioning inside. The NFL officials need to find a solution to prevent injuries, not rely on the players to try and prevent them. Regard-less of what happens, the officials are slowly dam-aging the game fans love to watch and play.

NFL helmet-to-helmet, fines too harsh

CJ RecknerStaff Reporter

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The Lakota West Women’s basketball team will be starting their new season after ten consecutive winning seasons. The Lady

Firebirds had a record of 17 and 7 last season, and are hoping to have another winning record this year.

“I just want them to give great effort every day,” Coach Andy Fishman.

Fishman has been coaching the team since the school opened. He not only provides guidance out on the court, but also teaches the players how to lead.

“[Coach Fishman] teaches us how to be leaders out on the floor and do what we need to do to get the job done,” senior Mea Williams said.

Returning varsity players this year include seniors Williams, Claire Kozlowski and Ronni Grandison and juniors Olivia Wrencher, Bari Schwartz, Summer Reeves and Shabazz Reeves.

The Firebirds are expecting to go into this season with a lot of energy and a strong start. They hope to keep their success throughout the season.

“Personally, I look forward to every game,”

Wrencher said. “Each [one] is an opportunity for me to play to the best of my ability.”

Wrencher appears to be one of the growing stars of the team, with a height of 6’3” and a wingspan of 6’8” that help to cap-ture rebounds and make plays against the other teams’ defense. The other ju-niors are also improving their skills and stepping into leadership positions. They are able to learn from the examples that the seniors are setting up for them.

“As a whole [the seniors] are step-ping up a lot and progressing more as the season continues,” Williams said.

With the grow-ing skills of multiple players, the team is also learning their strengths together as one.

“The team’s strengths would be our drive to keep fighting no matter what the score,” Wrencher said. “And our experience, since most of our players are upperclass-men.”

All through the multiple practices, school and games, the Firebirds have also found time to contribute to the com-

munity by helping to organize Kristin’s Coats for Kids. Kristin was a former player at West who was in a car accident and passed away. In her honor, the school had a foundation game where

it raised money for kids in need. The team helped to collect old coats for these children during the winter season.

After the success of their community work, the Lady Fire-birds hope to also be successful on the court. Last season they made it to dis-trict tournament but were not able to prog-ress any further. This year, the players have high expectations.

“My goals [this season] are to help my team get to state,” Williams said. “[Also to] maintain a posi-tive attitude through-out any adversity that I many come upon.”

The Lady Firebirds won their second consecu-tive season opener against Mt. Notre Dame on November 26th. In their second game at Mason, they fell short. The Lady Firebirds also fell short this past weekend at Princeton.

After their careers with West are over, a few of the Lady Firebirds may be playing college basket-ball. Grandison has committed to the University of Massachusetts, and Wrencher has received of-fers from Butler, Akron and Wright State. Wil-liams is interested in both Wilmington College and EKU.

Lady Firebirds ready for competitionMarisa YunkerSports Editor

Turn on SportsCenter and popular sports like football, baseball and basketball are most likely being shown. Very rarely does com-petitive cheer ever make it onto the big name television channels.

Competitive cheer isn’t very well-known, but is clearly gaining popular-ity locally and nationally.

In the West Chester area, Midwest Cheer Elite has a gym near Skate-town USA that offers training and cheering for all ages and for both gen-ders. They also offer classes of “Tumble Tyme” for assorted ages to get down the basics of tumbling, a very important component of cheering.

The older participants of Midwest Cheer Elite are constantly busy with multiple practices each week and they participate in a large number of competitions each year.

“[We] practice two to three times a week and have at least 12 compe-titions a season,” Midwest cheerleader Stephanie Wethington said.

Competitive cheer takes much practice, dedication and work, but it is not considered a sport. A U.S. judge ruled that competitive cheer should not be considered a sport when volleyball players sued Quinnipiac Uni-versity after the school announced plans to cut the volleyball team for a competitive cheer squad. Competitive cheer does not qualify as a sport under the qualifications of Title IX, a determination of whether an ac-tivity is really considered a sport. Competitive cheer did not meet these qualifications due to it being underdeveloped, disorganized, and not meeting gender equity in education.

“I think that it should be a sport because it’s just as hard as any other sport, and you have to be in shape,” Wethington said.

For the time being, competitive cheer will not be considered a sport even though it is widely regarded as one in the cheer community and outside of it. It has an opportunity to one day meet the qualifications needed to be a sport and become varsity qualified.

Dylan SmithAsst. Operations Manager

Cheer demands recognition

Voice photos by Megan Downs

The team scrimmages after school at practice.

The Lady Firebirds practice vigorously.

This year, Cincinnati and the northern Kentucky area have

harbored the musical tal-ent of very successful, popular singers and bands amongst all ages. As we re-flect on the phenomenons of the past year, it’s ben-

eficial to recall some of the most commendable concerts our area of the US has had the privilege of viewing. I’ve researched and created my list of concerts that were “must-sees” of the year.

1) WarpedTourGranted, those of you who haven’t heard of

Warped Tour are more than likely living under a rock. Warped Tour is a concert on steroids. Mak-ing its way around the states each year, Warped Tour is an extreme music fest sponsored by the shoe company, Vans, and comprised of approxi-mately one hundred bands per showing.

“I got to meet Dillinger Escape Plan and Four Year Strong,” senior Jason Dittmeier said. “It was really cool and relaxed—we just talked and shared some laughs.”

For the affordable ticket price of forty dollars, teens and young adults alike received the chance to experience this cultivation of musical master-pieces in the course of one day.

Taking place each year at the Riv-erbend Music Center, this year’s Warped occurred on July 28. Filled with music enthusiasts from sev-eral towns, the concert was a chaotic mess of adrenaline-fueled madness.

“My favorite thing about a concert is just being able to forget about the world and all your troubles,” junior Madeline Owens said. “It’s like once that first note is played, nothing else matters.”

For those interested in viewing this mash-up, it’s a good idea to wear light, loose clothing, and to carry along extra money for water and merchandise.

“My advice would be: GO!” sophomore James Dean said. “It’s such a fun time. It’s just so over-whelming and awesome.”

2) MichaelBubleMichael Buble’s a jazzy music aficionado with

a smooth and entrancing voice who’s captured the hearts and ears of men and women alike. With vo-cal cords like the love child of Frank Sina-tra and Ella Fitzgerald, it’s no wonder that flocks of people scattered from around the Cincinnati and northwestern Kentucky area to attend Buble’s latest concert tour, titled after his hit single “Crazy Love.” His concert rolled around on March 24th and took place at the U.S. Bank Arena.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of Buble’s concert was his ability to connect with the members of his audience on a per-sonal level.

“One of my favorite songs by Michael Bu-ble is called ‘Home’,” junior Ashley Fox said. “If I recall correctly, I remember feeling as though I was melting in my chair. It wasn’t just that the seats were great—wherever you sat, it felt like he was singing to you person-ally.”

Not only did Buble successfully create an

intimate atmosphere, but he also managed to put on yet another fabulous performance for the hun-dreds of fans who enthusiastically attended that night to witness Buble’s baby face and listen to his powerful croon.

“The concert was unspoiled and perfect in ev-ery way; I was in heaven,” Fox said. “Even if you weren’t familiar with his music, you couldn’t help getting lost in his enthralling voice and the way he made his songs come alive and capture the hearts of all of us wannabe Mrs. Bubles.”

3) TheMaineThe Maine is an alter-

native rock group whose popularity has drastical-ly increased within the last few years. Their addictive beats and the soothing voice of lead singer John O’Callaghan has teens and young adults raving. So, when the sensational band rolled into Covington, Kentucky, on July 31 at the Mad Hatter, avid fans rushed to get tickets.

The venue for the band and opening acts were small, yet that didn’t stop the fans from gathering in groups—cramping up the small area set up for the concert.

“If I could relive one moment, I would relive the very last song they played,” Owens said. “It was just a fantastic finish and great way to end the show.”

According to sophomore Emily Grant, this concert was one which met her adrenaline-fueled expectations of what an ideal concert should be like.

“My favorite aspect of a concert is how alive it can make you feel,” Grant said.

“This is probably going to come off as terribly cliché, but concerts literally make you feel as if nothing can touch you. Every fiber of your being feels as if it’s on fire, and nothing else matters in that moment but singing along to every word.”

4)KingsofLeonKings of Leon is a band composed

of three members who smoothly work together to create a Southern Rock/Garage Band genre of music that is slowly but surely becoming the hot-test new trend in today’s music society. Taking place on September 4 at Riverbend, the Kings of

Leon concert was anything but a disappointment.The opening acts, Whigs and The Black Keys,

were a great success and played as popular open-ings for the famous band that so many packed in to see.

Junior Dan Willis attended the concert with higher expectations than that of normal concert-goers.

“My favorite part of a concert is the last song,” Willis said. “I get the feeling that it is very carefully chosen to be the most memorable

moment. Everyone onstage and off is exhausted, and then as soon as the song begins everyone is singing and dancing.”

Did the Kings of Leon meet these criteria? Absolutely. Exhausted and worn from all of the head banging and screeching at the top of their lungs, the Kings of Leon fans couldn’t help but get emotionally stoked as that final song started up.

5) NeonIndianFor those who are unfamiliar with this band,

Neon Indian is a Psychadelic Rock group who spent their summer touring around the states. Taking place on Fountain Square on June 11, the Neon Indian concert was a free concert that so many new fans had the privilege of seeing.

Do you know that rush you get at an outdoor concert? Where you feel the sun beating down and illuminating the band? That’s the kind of at-mosphere that took place during the Neon Indian concert.

“I’ve only been to one other concert in my life—it was mainly adults who just kept everything re-ally boring and dull,” junior Miranda Couch said. “But here, at the Neon Indian concert, it was more teen-based. Everyone was really at ease.”

Besides providing an exciting atmosphere, Neon Indian also successfully connected to their fans on a more personal level.

“I’d have to say [my favorite part] was when the lead singer got up right next to me—in my face—and started singing directly at me,” Couch said.

I would hope that you had the opportunity to attend at least one of these ground-breaking concerts in 2010. If not, well, there’s always next year.

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Voice illustrations by Kaitlyn Nelson and Meghan Styczynski

Danielle Dean

You know those movies that never get old; no matter

how many times you’ve watched them, a tear still jolts to your eye? Those movies are the reason we survived our childhoods. They are kids movies that

we, even as teenagers, seem to be still obsessed with.

1) Toy StoryWhen you were little, did you ever wonder

what your toys did while you were away? Well,

Pixar and Disney answered that with the Toy Story movie. Andy’s toys would always have some extravagant adventure that would land them in places like Pizza Planet, a suitcase, or a day care center. In the last movie, everyone gets a slight tear in his eye as the whole gang of toys is slowly sliding to their deaths together. These toys seem real and personal for the viewers, which makes all three movies spectacular.

2) Finding Nemo“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,

swimming, swimming… What do we do? We swim!” Sound familiar? Between the disagree-ments of Dory and Marlin and the adventures the

ocean brings while trying to find Nemo, this mov-ie will capture viewers. The characters, Dory and Marlin, fit the idea that opposites attract. Marlin is very uptight and follows the rules, where as Dory doesn’t have enough of an attention span to follow directions. In the end, Dory seems to teach Marlin a lesson as well as viewers: the value of persistence.

3) Elf“Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” If

you don’t know that line, there’s no hope for you. Everyone can find something to love about Elf. Through the gumdrops and candy canes, an ad-venture begins as Buddy, a human who was raised

by elves with Santa Claus, tries to find his father in New York City. Buddy is trying to share the happy holiday spirit with everyone he comes in contact with. The value of fam-ily is evident when Buddy’s father chooses to find his son over work.

4) AladdinFrom rags to riches is a classic story tale;

however, how often is it told with a street-rat named Aladdin and a Princess Jasmine? Once, in the Disney movie Aladdin. And where would Aladdin be without the hilari-ous Genie or the trouble making monkey Abu? From defeating Jafar, the jealous sorcerer who wants nothing more than the throne, to making three wishes, viewers are not disappointed with the final act of kind-ness. Aladdin ends with the selfless move of wishing Genie to be forever free.

When one thinks about an Asian restaurant, the

typical stereotypes come to mind: a nice old Chinese lady unintelligibly asking for your order from behind a counter, the sear and hiss

of oil and heat from the tiny kitchen a few steps away and fortune cookies arriving with your check and takeout boxes for the delicious and mildly ex-otic dinner that you didn’t finish. Budina, a new pan-Asian restaurant located right across the street from West, offers much more than simple Thai food at reasonable prices; they also serve Asian breakfast such as Thai coffee bread, Chi-nese doughnuts and Seattle’s Best coffee.

Budina is owned by the Lumsum family, who also own Arloi Dee, a more expensive, less casual restaurant in Mason. Budina is named after the youngest Lumsum daughter.

As I entered the restaurant on a Sunday after-noon, the factor that hit me the hardest was the fact that my three friends and I were the only cus-tomers in Budina. This could have been due to the awkward time of day—early afternoon on a week-end day where many may be enjoying brunch or a couple extra hours of sleep—but it was a bit unset-tling nonetheless.

The layout was contemporary and convenient with the ordering and menu counter located right in front of the entrance and a drink station across from the counter where customers pick up the

food. Wooden, cushioned booths can be found in the dining room and funky colors adorn the walls. The whole place was very inviting, clean, and pro-fessional-looking, save for the Sharpie-written signs telling diners where to place their tray, plate and utensils after their meal.

When our food was ready, I went up to the counter to pick up the tray. Each plate was bright and en-ticing, with colorful piles of vegetables next to each entrée. The fla-vors were what I’d expect from any Asian res-taurant. The sesame chick-en’s sauce was spicy and delicious, but some of the chunks of chicken weren’t too meaty or were too big to po-litely and neatly eat in a public place. The freshly prepared orange phad Thai noodles were flavorful and sweet, but the shells were still on the shrimp. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but the crunch that accompanied my first bite was a bit of a surprise. While it wasn’t the most visually ap-pealing, being mostly shades of brown and beige,

the chicken fried rice was tangy and tasty in the best way possible, and the big strips of chicken hiding in the rice made it a very substantial meal or a side dish to share.

Each dish was less than seven dollars—the phad Thai and sesame chicken were $6.95 each

and the chicken fried rice was $5.95—with foun-tain drinks priced at $1.85, making Budina affordable for lunch or din-ner.

While Budina didn’t offer any revelations by way of casual Asian dining, the food was fresh and hot, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the selection was huge with plenty

of surprising variety. So if you’re looking for an afternoon snack and you’ve been to Chipotle four times this week already, Budina is a nice change of pace.

Budina is bright and roomy, offering both booths and tables.

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The latest edition of the Narnia series is the Chronicles of

Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the fantasy novel by C.S. Lewis.

In the third film, the youngest of the kids, Ed-

mund (Skander Keynes, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) and Lucy (Georgie Henley, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), find their way back into Narnia, only this time they have an annoying younger cousin with them named Eustance (Will Porter, Son of Rambow). While they are in Narnia they start their adventures once again on high seas and a Dark Island.

The third movie gives all the fun that is expect-ed from a Narnia movie. The annoying Eustace will be seen becoming noble and viewers see an-other moral lesson being taught in the midst of a movie. Viewers will be surprised to see the Eu-stace turning out to be a true hero at the end.

The special effects used in the movie are unique and will take you to the world of Narnia. The movie keeps your interest intact with appeal-ing 3D effects and dragon fires.

Aslan and the White Witch are not seen much in action and might disappoint a few fans. How-ever, the film still stays true to the novel and will not affect any true fan’s view of the movie.

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Burlesque’s star-stud-ded cast delves into the glitz and glam-

our of performing on the Sunset Strip.

Ali (Christina Aguilera, singer) escapes her direc-tionless life in a small town by purchasing a one-way

ticket to L.A. There, she discovers The Burlesque Lounge, a dance club owned by former-performer Tess (Cher, Stuck on You). Ali realizes that this is where she is meant to perform. But first she must prove herself to Tess in order to make it into the spotlight. However, the fate of The Bur-lesque Lounge is in jeopardy because Tess is fac-ing financial challenges—and Marcus (Eric Dane, Valentine’s Day) has the money to take over the club.

Although the film has an extremely predictable plot, the Chicago-esque singing and dancing make the movie fun and entertaining to watch. With such outstanding divas as Aguilera and Cher, the soundtrack is a must-have. This movie is about as close as you can get to being at a live musical. The entire film is aesthetically appealing, with lots of flashy costumes, sparkling lights and impressive sets. There are times when the humor seems a bit forced, but is saved by the electric vocals that make your jaw drop.

If you’re looking for a movie with plot twists and turns, you’re looking in the wrong place. But if you’re looking for a show, you’ve found one—a show that will entrance you and transform you to a world of sequins, hairspray and the magic that is Burlesque.

BurlesqueStarring: Cher, Christina Aguilera, Eric Dane

Directed by: Steve AntinGenre: Musical

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn

Treader

Starring: Skandar Keynes, Georgie HenleyDirected by: Michael AptedGenre: Fantasy/Adventure

The Warrior’s WayStarring: Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush

Directed by: Sngmoo LeeGenre: Action/Fantasy/Western

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Delaney Orr

Karl Cunic

Evan Maxwell

Despite the title and plot of this movie, it is extraordinarily

boring and provides little entertainment. An Asian assassin, Yang (Jang Dong-gun, Typhoon), spares a baby from an opposing clan, which angers his clan,

so he flees to a 19th century western American circus town, where he must protect the town from repeated attacks, which includes his clan, who is chasing him.

A ninja movie in the Wild West sounds awe-some, but the writers decided we would much rather see the ninja gardening. I didn’t expect a good movie, but I did expect an exciting one, which was not the case. In place of action, the movie gives us atrocious comic relief piled on with a poorly executed dark revenge plot. Any attempt to be a dramatic movie ends in failure because the screenwriting is horrible. The acting is horren-dous and the director’s attempts to be “artistic” make him appear lazy with eye-numbing visual effects. These terrible special effects took almost three years to complete, as filming ended in early 2008. The only good actor, Geoffrey Rush (Eliza-beth: the Golden Age), is severely downplayed as a minor character, a town drunk, and makes little impact on the movie.

This movie is extremely uninteresting for an action movie, extremely unfunny for a comedy and extremely poorly written for a drama. Noth-ing about this movie is good.

1) “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift

T. Swift’s perfect lyrics in “You Belong With Me” are based off of overhear-ing a friend getting in an argument with his girl-friend and Swift longing

for an out-of-reach lover. This country pop song combines the guitar, violin and great vocals to create a varying melody.

2) “Alright” by Darius Rucker This mid-tempo country single portrays a hap-

pily married man not wanting the expensive ac-cessories. Hitting number one on the charts, the acoustic guitar and vocals dominate the song. It

creates one of those feelings that make me want to go driving on a perfect summer day with the windows down.

3) “Over” by DrakeThis hip-hop song, part of Drake’s debut al-

bum, Thank Me Later, contains an orchestra-type sound in the background. “Over” represents his introduction to fame. Reaching number one on

the U.S. Hot Rap Songs chart in 2010, this song tends to be on many warm-up CDs for sports teams; its beat pumps me up.

4) “Let Me Love You” by Mario“Let Me Love You”, written by Ne-Yo, is

the first single from Turning Point. The R&B track has a slow beat creating a calm feeling.The typical love song, a boy seeing a woman with another man, Mario’s perfect pitch and harmonious vocals create a soft and smooth song that any boy should sing for his girl.

5) “Free Fallin’” by John MayerJohn Mayer takes Tom Petty’s original

and transforms it. It was first performed by Mayer live. His voice and the sounds of the guitar combine to represent Petty’s music better than anyone could. The calmness and composure in this song puts me in a state of tranquility as soon as the song begins. 19

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The Black Eyed Peas have released their latest atrocity to music, The Beginning, an over-com-puterized, uncreative, migraine-inducing album that displays a lack of talent and intelligence.

The group has shown their absolute inability to write music with such headaches as “Do It Like This” and “Love You Long Time”, while the al-ready hit song “The Time (Dirty Bit)” is a musical train wreck that could have been good with a little effort. The repetitive, computerized sounds and will.i.am’s horrendously auto-tuned voice as the lead of every song make almost every track in the album sound exactly the same.

The only positive part of this album is “The Best One Yet (The BOY)”, which is a genuinely fun party song that sounds like someone actually put some thought into writing it. However, it can’t counter the painfully bad songwriting and lyrics from the rest of the CD.

The Beginning’s monotonous, mechanized music only serves to make my ears bleed. All should avoid this desecration of music.

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The BeginningThe Black Eyed Peas

$13.99 on iTunes

Voice graphic headline by Abbi Kearns

Bari Schwartz

The Beginning is Grammy Award-winning pop group The Black Eyed Peas’ sixth album. The Peas follow in the footsteps of their highly successful The E.N.D., moving away from the group’s hip-hop roots to a dance-floor style. However, repetitive beats, over-synthesized vocals and odd rhythm changes cause The Beginning to fall short.

The opening track “The Time (Dirty Bit)”, an obvious play on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”, is one of the better songs of the album. Though the Peas do an excellent job of taking an 80’s hit and turning it into contemporary pop song, the piece is hindered by Fergie’s auto-tuned voice. The remaining pieces may grace the radio waves for a short while, but they fail to be memorable. Although “Don’t Stop the Party” and “Xoxoxo” use aggressive, thumping beats that are pleas-ing on a foot-tapping level, they’re muddled by strange rhythm switches mid-way through, mak-ing it seem as if entirely new songs have started.

This album can be fun to listen to, but the Peas could’ve done better. If you decide to buy The Be-ginning, consider saving yourself a few bucks and download only the highlights.

Voice Vol. 14, No. 4

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Transcript of Voice Vol. 14, No. 4