CVII, No. 5 - My High School Journalism, The world's largest host ...

February 5, 2013 Walnut Hills High School 

Volume CVII, Issue 5 

Meet ALICE: CPS’ new lockdown procedure 

Jade Clark, ‘13 

Jonah Roth, ‘13 

The days of crowding up in a 

corner will soon be gone. 

With the Dec. 14 Sandy 

Hook Elementary shootings on 

everyone’s minds, school districts 

nationwide, including Cincinnati 

Public Schools (CPS), are on 

the road to preventing potential 

tragedies. ALICE is CPS’ new 

weapon to protect its students so 

that something like Sandy Hook 

does not occur within our own 

classrooms. 

ALICE is an acronym for Alert, 

Lockdown, Inform, Counter and 

Evacuate. 

This system is different from 

its predecessor in that escape is the 

first option. If an intruder enters 

the school, faculty and students 

will no longer have to wait for the 

police to arrive. Waiting for help 

proved to be tragic in the case of 

Columbine High School in 1999 

when the gunmen opened fire 

while the school was waiting for 

aid from the police. 

Cincinnati Public School 

Resource Officer Shawn George 

wants CPS students to feel 

empowered and to fight back if 

escaping is not an option. He 

remarks to WCPO, “You’re not 

going to just sit under a table and 

get shot.” 

ALICE has been in place in 

Robinson game to be a true test of character 

Walnut Hills faculty sit on the bench during last year’s Gabe Robinson game. 

Charlie Hatch, ‘13 

On Saturday night, Walnut will 

once again hold the teachers versus 

students Gabe Robinson Game. 

This time, however, it will carry a 

new meaning. 

Not only will this be the first 

charity game in the new gym, 

it will also mark the first game 

without either of Gabe’s parents, 

Jackie and Paulette, who both 

passed away within the last twelve 

months. 

“Since Paulette passed away 

and Jackie passed away, I realized 

it was their strength that helped 

us all get through it,” says current 

mathematics teacher and former 

coach of Robinson, Mike Herald. 

Although the first alumnivarsity 

game took place in 1996, 

the game took on a much heavier 

meaning after Robinson collapsed 

and died during the second quarter 

of a game at Northwest High 

School on January 30, 1998. 

The charity event on Saturday 

EMILY FRIEDMAN/CHATTERBOX 

Cincinnati Public Schools’ current lockdown procedure requires all the students to take cover in a corner of the room. 

will stand as a testament to the 

great character, player and member 

of the Walnut community that 

Gabe Robinson was. 

“So few people at Walnut still 

remember the intense pain and 

the dissolution,” Herald says. “Its 

awesome so many people maintain 

the spirit of the game; come 

together, have fun, raise money 

to help kids have a better chance 

of going to college, and make it 

easier on them, all in the memory 

of Gabe Robinson.” 

The festivities will begin when 

the alumni battle in an odd year 

graduation versus an even year 

matchup. Following that game, 

a team of SENIORS will take on 

the teachers and try to end the 

faculty’s long-standing winning 

streak. 

But first, in order for the 

games to take place, an enormous 

amount of time and effort is 

required. 

“I have to give of the credit to 

the alumni association, who have 

Sycamore Community Schools 

since 2011. English teacher 

Christine Miñano used to teach at 

Sycamore High School, and finds 

that the many options teachers are 

presented with can be very useful: 

“If teachers have other strategies 

such as fighting back, barricading, 

blocking windows, or [going] out 

SKYLER WARE 

done all of the work to maintain 

the incredible amount of time it 

takes to organize,” Herald says. 

“[I want to thank] the faculty, 

for being able to go out and play 

basketball, [and] the students, for 

wanting to play and raise money 

for this. [The game has] evolved to 

where it is a Walnut family thing, 

and its been awesome.” 

To principal Jeffrey Brokamp, 

Saturday night is an opportunity 

for Walnut to come together, and 

become closer as a school. 

“It was easy to run a memorial 

scholarship game when the family 

members were there to thank 

you,” Brokamp says. “Its a real 

test, to our character as a school, 

to continue on and make it even 

better, and raise even more money 

for the scholarship for kids. 

“The old theory that character 

is demonstrated by what you do 

when no one is looking. No one is 

looking now.” 

the window, the chance for survival 

is much higher.” Mathematics 

teacher Michael Wathen adds 

that “any new lockdown procedure 

needs to be well-rehearsed.” 

Walnut teachers seem to have 

differing views on the current 

lockdown procedure and ALICE. 

Wathen does not believe the 

Test scores = teachers’ salaries? 

GRAHAM FOWLER/CHATTERBOX 

Do these students know their test scores could affect their teacher’s paycheck? 

Graham Fowler, ‘13 

By the 2013-14 school year, 

teacher pay in Ohio will be linked 

to student test scores as a result 

of legislation signed by Gov. John 

Kasich. 

Though the law could still be 

changed before going into effect, 

it currently requires that Ohio 

public school districts give each 

teacher a grade determined by the 

new state budget. Half of each 

teacher’s grade will be based on 

how much their students have 

learned, as determined by their 

test scores. This grade will aid in 

decisions regarding salary, promotions 

and firings. 

Confusion among the teachers 

and administration revolves 

around this grading system (which 

will affect all teachers) and which 

tests will be scored. “In my case, 

I teach 11th grade English and 

French. There are no standardized 

tests for these [classes],” teacher 

Francesca Bownas-Rayburn states. 

Many teachers will find themselves 

in similar situations. 

“What I understand is that it 

is in house bill 555,” says English 

teacher Dawn Wolfe. 

“This is all very difficult and 

current lockdown procedure is 

effective: “The red and green cards 

are asking for trouble.” Teachers 

are currently required to slide 

cards under their classroom door 

to signal whether or not they are 

safe. He is also concerned about 

his classroom specifically: “I’m 

concerned about how secure the 

courtyard is because anybody 

could come right through the 

window.” 

Science teacher Dr. Rajni 

Harsh thinks that the current 

lockdown procedure is effective: 

“They check all the rooms and 

make sure there’s no noise.” She 

adds that “leaving the classroom 

will not be effective.” 

In addition to ALICE, CPS 

plans on implementing several 

other security measures, including 

an employee card system, safe 

school entrances, camera systems, 

an automated system for checking 

in visitors, also known as a “lobby 

guard”, lockboxes, safety kits, and 

walkie-talkies. 

complicated. We didn’t make this 

plan, all we can do is adjust as best 

as we can,” art teacher and Union 

Representative Pearletta Williams 

says. 

Currently, the way that Art, 

Physical Education and Music 

teachers will be scored is not 

explicitly explained in this plan. 

“Many changes will be made 

before the dust settles,” Bownas- 

Rayburn predicts. 

At this point, student awareness 

on this upcoming plan is 

mixed. SENIOR Andrew Schmalz 

says that “it seems like there would 

be trouble enforcing this new 

law; there are many cases where it 

doesn’t even apply.” 

Katie Chase, ‘16, adds that “as 

a freshman, I haven’t heard much 

about this. I think many freshman 

find themselves in my position. I 

know that there aren’t any standardized 

tests that apply to me as a 

freshman though.” Several Walnut 

students admitted to knowing 

nothing about it at all. 

Much needed clarification 

regarding this new grading system 

is still unavailable, but when it 

comes down to it, Wolfe says that 

“it’s the law; it’s coming whether 

we like it or not.” 

http://my.hsj.org/chatterbox Jade K. Clark, News & Features Editor 

The Chatterbox

FEATURES 

Josh Medrano, ‘13, Editor 

Fixing Cincinnati’s “brain drain” 

IT Students gear up for first TechOlympics 

The INTERalliance club tours Kroger’s data center. 

Josh Medrano, ‘13 

Soon, students will have the 

ability to search the WHHS 

Library catalog through a mobile 

appication, just one of the biggest 

projects of the newly-formed 

INTERalliance club. 

Walnut Hills is one of the 

only six high schools who have 

been with this organization called 

INTERalliance from the start. 

Founded in 2005, the program, 

sponsored by locally, 

nationally and globally-renowned 

firms (such as Procter and Gamble, 

Kroger, Microsoft), reaches 

out to high schools in the tri-state 

area and has achieved plenty of 

accomplishments. 

In the program’s most recent 

annual report, executive director 

Doug Arthur reported more than 

83 percent of the students who 

have participated in the INTERalliance 

have selected STEM 

(science/technology/engineering/ 

math) courses of study at local 

universities within 100 miles of 

Cincinnati. 

Such is the vision-come-true 

of Arthur’s INTERalliance: to 

identify students with interest in 

information technology, nurture 

and train those students’ IT skills, 

employ them with internships and 

job opportunities, including those 

from Fortune 500 companies and 

most importantly retain them as a 

part of an evolving IT workforce 

in Cincinnati. 

The company also addresses 

the issue of brain drain, or human 

capital flight, the movement of 

people with special (usually technical 

or scientific) skills to other 

areas. According to the executive 

director of INTERalliance, 

Doug Arthur, people ultimately 

will come back to the Cincinnati 

area but only once they have 

gone and started their careers in 

other places. Arthur explains in 

the article released by PRWeb last 

year, “They did not realize what 

they sought was right in their own 

backyards to begin with.” 

INTERalliance alumnus and 

associate director Kyle Gundrum 

started participating in 2008, 

became the webmaster for the 

organization’s official website and 

is currently attending University 

of Cincinnati with a major in 

Information Systems. 

“INTERalliance exposed me 

to all of this and influenced my 

decision by showing me what’s 

out there,” Gundrum says, “connecting 

me to prominent people 

in Cincinnati, and giving me an 

amazing base of experience that 

makes me feel qualified as an IT 

leader going forward.” 

The INTERalliance club 

at Walnut, led by Simerlink, 

Cameron Vaské, ’14, and Peter 

Huang, ‘14, has been active since 

it started meeting this school year. 

Members have done activities such 

as team-building and problem 

solving activities and coding and 

app-building contests. On Decem- 

Student Band Profile: The Social Rejects Club 

Emily Friedman, ‘13 

While some of us are listening 

to music after school, these 

students are making it. 

The Social Rejects Club was 

formed by lead vocalist, songwriter, 

and guitar player Nathan 

Katkin, ‘14, who wanted to play 

at Walkathon and since then has 

stayed together to play concerts, 

wrote music and released a 

19-track album. Katkin says the 

band’s name comes from a “misguided 

belief.” SENIOR Jaylen 

Hill, drummer, says “we were just 

spitballing names and that one 

eventually stuck.” 

The rest of the band is comprised 

of Jillian Kavinsky, ‘14, on 

harmonica, backup vocals and 

guitar; Julian Vanasse, ‘15, on bass 

and guitar; and Jacob Lovins, ‘14, 

on piano. 

The band makes a mixture of 

avant-pop/rock/folk/punk music. 

“One of the great things about 

our group is that we all come 

from completely different musical 

backgrounds,” says Kavinsky. “We 

have songs with punk melodies 

that have folk finger-picking lead 

guitar parts, or songs with rock 

melodies and honky-tonk piano. 

Even space-cowboy songs. We just 

play our instruments, and that’s 

what comes out.” 

“We started as acoustic folk 

punk....Then all the instruments 

went electric,” Hill says. “We 

have pianist now, and the songs 

are a bit tighter.” When it comes 

to writing songs, Lovins says the 

band has a background of music 

theory to write the sheet music 

and chord progressions. Katkin 

adds sarcastically, “Yes, I found 

Mackinder’s heartland theory 

JOSH MEDRANO/CHATTERBOX 

extremely instructional in the 

composition of several waltzes.” 

The band members are influenced 

by various artists including: 

The Beach Boys and Regina 

Spektor (Hill); “anything with slap 

bass” (Katkin); Radiohead, Dave 

Brubeck and Bill Evans (Lovins); 

and Bruce Springsteen, Patti 

Smith, and Paul Simon (Kavinsky). 

Kanye West has also been 

influential in all of Hill’s musical 

career. 

The Social Rejects Club has released 

one album, entitled Climb 

a Tree. Katkin explains, jokingly: 

“The first CD is about trains and 

JAY HILL/CHATTERBOX 

(From left) Jillian Kavinsky, ‘14, Nathan Katkin, ‘14, and Jacob Lovins, ‘14. 

ber 13, they toured Kroger’s data 

center in Blue Ash. 

Currently students are working 

on an app for one of the biggest 

events INTERalliance holds each 

year: TechOlympics. 

This three-day event will assemble 

INTERalliance chapters 

and other high schools in the 

tri-state; it will feature a career 

fair, round-table discussions, 

keynote presentations and master 

classes. There will also be games 

and competitions among students 

Olympics-style. The school or 

team with the most points win the 

coveted TechOlympics Cup. 

Also counting for the Cup is 

a special tech showcase (such as 

video, app, science/engineering 

project) that will be presented by 

each member to a panel of judges. 

The Walnut Hills chapter is currently 

building a Walnut Hills 

Library app, which will contain 

teacher’s websites, class assignments, 

online resources and the 

library catalog. 

“We’ve decided to build the 

app because we think it’ll benefit 

the students by making the 

access of library resources easier,” 

says Huang. “Not to mention we 

thought it would be a fun and 


Students were challenged to make 

a tower solely made of paper. Nick 

Abbott, ‘15, builds one that contains 

almost 30 levels. 

flowers, and the various interactions 

which the two have away 

from the prying eyes of man,” 

while Kavinsky says it’s about 

“four teenagers playing music in a 

basement.” 

The band is at work on releasing 

a second album. Their process 

is pretty simple according to Hill: 

“We learn the songs, perform the 

songs, record the songs, [and] eat 

pizza...” but it doesn’t mean the 

whole process is smooth. 

“There are tech issues galore,” 

says Hill, “but it usually all works 

out eventually.” The band records 

in Vanesse’s basement and mix 

the final tracks on his computer. 

If there are any problems, they’ll 

overdub and redo individual parts. 

“[Then] we have manufacturing 

days where we start sort of an assembly 

line of CD burning, insert 

folding, case opening, and paper 

cutting,” Kavinsky mentions. An 

AP Studio Art student, Kavinsky 

designed the first album artwork. 

See the rest of the article at 

. 

News & Features Staff 

Emily Friedman, ‘13 



interesting challenge.” 

Matt Altman, ‘14, adds, “The 

club has a vast set of skills which 

is good because it means we can 

all teach each other, but on the 

other hand it can make it difficult 

to finish or even simply involve 

everyone effectively in projects.” 

By the end of the year, in addition 

to the library app, the Walnut 

Hills INTERalliance branch plans 

to build an app version of Walnut, 

which will feature “Walnut life,” 

with aspects such as morning announcements, 

after-school activity 

schedules, Powerschool and the 

Chatterbox, to name a few. 

In addition, Simerlink hopes to 

see all Walnut’s current INTERalliance 

club members attend 

the career camps and apply for 

internships in the summer, the 

Walnut chapter to branch into 

more non-IT fields and for future 

students to be more involved with 

INTERalliance program. 

Ed. Note: TechOlympics will be 

held from Feb. 22-24 in Millenium 

Hotel. For more details, visit 

. 


John Simerlink, ‘14. 

Upcoming Event: 

Senior Dinner Dance 

Who: Walnut Hills SENIORS 

What: An event that serves as 

both a dinner and a dance (hence 

the name) and gives SENIORS 

an opportunity to socialize among 

themselves. 

When: Saturday February 16 

from 6:30 pm-10 pm 

Where: A Touch of Elegance at 

5959 Kellogg Avenue in California, 

Cincinnati 

Why: According to SENIOR 

class president, Clara Smith, “It is 

very important for SENIORS to 

come so we can all spend a night 

together as a class and finish our 

senior year strong.” 

How: Tickets, costing $15, will be 

on sale from February 4 through 

February 6. 

Page 2 February 5, 2013 

Issue CVII.5

Viewpoints Staff 

Brendan Franke, ‘13 

Kyren Palmer, ‘14 

KeMarca Wade, ‘13 

Cohen Walker, ‘14 

It may have been two 

months since our last issue, but 

the Chatterbox staff hasn’t rested 

a bit. So much is happening 

around our newly-extended 

campus—our basketball team 

is the top in Ohio, students 

and superintendents alike are 

reevaluating our security and 

the OGT and OAA are about 

to be replaced. Heard about the 

new debate society? The changes 

to the theater department? The 

winner of the spelling bee? 

We’ve covered it all, and you 

Wally Hill 

Discursion 

Since I made my last appearance 

we’ve given closure to a 

tumultuous election season by 

inaugurating a president. Both 

candidates put forth plans, but it 

should be noted that we elected 

the guy whose numbers added 

up. Those of you who don’t think 

you’ll use math in real life should 

not get their hopes up about the 

whole presidency gig. 

Meanwhile we’ve put the topic 

of national politics into a compartment 

deep inside our brains 

and have focused our attention 

on surviving the rest of the school 

year. SENIORS are busy voting 

on superlatives, deciding, in this 

humanistic ritual, which of us will 

be remembered as the paragons 

of intellectualism, musicianship, 

obnoxiousness, and leg…-iness. 

A brief obsession with legs will 

grip the SENIORS as we finish 

the last leg of the race that is high 

school, as the other classes struggle 

through optioning, deciding to 

which disperse parts of the build- 

can always find our latest news online 

at . 

It’s optioning season, and as 

always, there’s plenty of the stress 

that comes along with any important-looking 

decision. Everyone 

has different advice, but ultimately, 

if you take the classes that seem 

the most interesting to you, the 

next school year will be that much 

more satisfying. Of course, if you 

take the new News Writing I class, 

your school year will automatically 

be awesome, because you’ll have 

the opportunity to make your 

ing their tired legs will carry them. 

A good English teacher will tell 

you to get to the point, to state 

your thesis right at the outset, to 

wield it like a big aerial view of all 

your subject matter. And you’re 

probably noticing now the degree 

to which I’m flouting this advice. 

Truthfully, my writing style 

mirrors a thought I’ve been having 

recently, a thought about school 

and classes and how much we 

compartmentalize our lives. We 

divide our days into seven segments; 

just when discussions get 

deep or big, important points are 

understood—ding!—the bell rings 

like a factory whistle and we’re off 

to a completely different discipline, 

halfway across the building. 

By the end of the day our minds 

are so mashed and jumbled that 

it’s difficult to zoom out and see 

that big aerial view, that thesis. 

I remember in physics class last 

year, as we got into the nitty-gritty 

(and sometimes boring) details of 

the subject, I had to remind my- 

Questions or comments? 

We would love to hear your thoughts! All feedback and corrections for the Chatterbox should be directed to 

. Written feedback and submissions can also be dropped off in Room 2307. 

The Chatterbox Editorial Staff 

Charlie Hatch and Jonah Roth, Editors-in-Chief 

Emily Friedman, Senior Managing Editor Garretson Oester, Junior Managing Editor 

Joe Schmidlapp, Design Editor Martine Williams, Business Manager 

Page Editors 

Jade K. Clark, News Editor Josh Medrano, Features Editor 

Jaylen Hill, Viewpoints Editor Jenna Weber, Fine Arts Editor 

Austin Railey, Sports Editor Hannah Shaw, Style & Culture Editor 

Celeste Kearney and Zoe Cheng, Peanuts Editors Brandon Wagner, Arcade Editor 

Advisors: Samantha Gerwe-Perkins and Dawn Wolfe 

Illustration by Sarah Davidoff 

The Chatterbox Policy Statement possible. Students, parents, faculty, and are granted the right to keep private the 

The Chatterbox has been guaranteed administrators are encouraged to use this name of a source from whom they received 

the right of freedom of the press through publication as a forum to express any ideas information with the understanding that 

the First Amendment of the United States or concerns, whether they be personal or of the source was to remain anonymous. The 

Constitution. The administration of local, national, or international scope. role of the newspaper advisor will be to 

Walnut Hills High School is thus bound Journalists are required to work under provide counsel and criticism pertaining to 

to support and protect the Chatterbox’s established guidelines. Invasion of privacy the newspaper’s content and production. 

inalienable rights as a free press. 

as a means of news gathering is prohib- Although both the advisor and the admin- 

As an integral part of the Walnut Hills ited. Articles found to be discriminatory, istration hold certain powers regarding the 

High School community, The Chatterbox libelous, or unnecessarily obscene (as Chatterbox, both must respect the paper’s 

has the responsibility to report in the most determined by the editors or the advisor) autonomy. No student shall be prevented 

comprehensive and objective manner will not be published. Finally, journalists from joining the staff on the basis of sex, 

race, creed, or national origin. 

VIEWPOINTS 

Jaylen Hill, Editor; Rico Blackman, Junior Editor 

Letter from an editor 

voice heard to the whole Walnut 

community. 

On a more serious note, last 

month marked the 25th anniversary 

of the court case Hazelwood 

School District et al. v. Kuhlmeier 

et al., in which the principal censored 

controversial articles from 

Hazelwood East High School’s 

student newspaper. This case set 

a precedent for schools: student 

papers which have not established 

themselves as an open forum 

have less protection under the 

First Amendment. Journalism 

self that the forces we were studying 

were not just letters in equations; 

they were what propelled 

our cars, our pens, the frantic 

fingers texting below the desks, the 

entire universe. This year I have to 

remind myself not to put the election 

and our politics totally out of 

mind; immigration reform or gun 

control or school security legislation 

could have dramatic effects on 

my friends or neighbors or family 

or myself. I have to remember that 

each line of poetry I read is composed 

of words laid out by a poet 

as carefully as a row of bricks by 

a bricklayer; each poem supports 

as much structure and meaning 

as Walnut’s red brick outer walls. 

And as I look at the pizza served 

at lunch in the cafeteria, I have 

to wonder what animal gave its 

life for the pepperoni (even what 

species—knowing school lunches, 

I suspect the source is some sort of 

test-tube-synthesized life form). 

I suppose the moral of this 

discursive tale is to collect your 

thoughts, to give your life a bit of 

a thesis, an aerial view. Or you can 

scrutinize other people’s legs and 

wonder what’s in the pepperoni. 

Whatever floats your boat. 

Discursively, 

Wally Hill 

classes like ours often look to the 

Hazelwood case as an example of 

suppression of free speech within 

public schools. 

This is as good a time as any 

to reiterate that the Chatterbox 

is an open forum for expression 

and communication by the entire 

Walnut Hills High School community, 

not just the 4th bell Chatterbox 

class. In the past three years 

we’ve published material written 

by students’ grandparents, brandnew 

seventh graders, administrators 

and more. Whether you are a 

KeMarca Wade, ‘13 

From bagging groceries at the 

local Kroger to waiting tables at 

Red Lobster, teenage workers are 

everywhere. Many students work 

and go to school, but does having 

a job help them or hurt them as 

they get ready for their futures? 

Jobs are shown to increase responsibility 

and help minors learn 

“the value of a dollar.” They can 

save for a new car, college or possibly 

rent for their own apartment. 

According to The College Board, 

“students who work are more 

confident and possess better timemanagement 

skills than students 

who are not employed. In addition 

to offering a paycheck, some 

independence and satisfaction, a 

part-time job can provide both 

training and experience. Working 

teaches students about responsibility 

and can also reinforce what 

they are learning in school.” 

In support of a job-free life 

for students, the study states 

that “experts agree that students 

who work more than 15 to 20 

Joe Schmidlapp, ‘14 

Following the Newtown, 

Conn. shooting, the question on 

everyone’s mind is “could this 

happen at Walnut?” 

Every school has the possibility 

of being attacked. The real 

question should be how we can 

prevent or minimize the threat. 

For any student, the chances 

of a school shooting are no greater 

than one in one million, according 

to the US Department of Education 

and the Department of Justice. 

At first glance, Walnut itself 

is fairly safe. There are a number 

of security guards, alarm systems 

and security cameras, but looking 

closer, one finds large gaps. 

Take the general layout. The 

school is spread out over a large 

campus, in order to fit a large 

and growing student body. With 

such a large campus comes many 

entrances. Currently, Walnut Hills 

has a large number of exterior 

doors. There is no way to guard 

every door, even if they remain 

locked during class. The large 

windows on the classroom doors 

provide an easy look into the class 

for administration. 

From the main building to 

student, teacher, alumnus, parent, 

friend or member of the Walnut 

community, this paper is your 

place to make your voice heard 

about anything related to Walnut 

Hills. 


Editor-in-Chief 

Submissions to the Chatterbox can 

be dropped off in room 2307 or 

emailed to 

. 

Jobs for students? 

Walnut and Sandy Hook 

hours per week often experience 

decreased school success, which 

can lead to dropping out entirely. 

Working long hours can also limit 

opportunities to build friendships 

and explore interests that enhance 

intellectual and emotional development.” 

Students, if you’re planning on 

working (or trying to work), ask 

yourself if you’re willing to make 

some sacrifices, determine whether 

or not you already manage your 

time effectively. Also, consider 

trying to fit both school and work 

into your schedule while getting 

a sufficient amount of sleep 

and decent grades. And when 

searching for a job, make sure the 

employer will accommodate your 

studying and exam commitments. 

Remember, school is still very 

important. You have to make sure 

you can maintain your grades and 

get enough sleep. Balance is key. 

A job can be very beneficial and 

can help you establish points in 

your future, but only if you can 

control it. 

the academic mods, it takes approximately 

4-5 minutes to walk. 

In that time, a shooter could 

discharge anywhere between 150 

and 300 rounds. Besides, the 

security guards are not armed. The 

security guards do have communication 

devices, but if they witness 

something, it could take minutes 

to even alert someone else. 

The average response time 

for police officers is around 9 

minutes. In the 10 or so minutes 

before anyone could respond, a 

shooter would have ample time 

to escape through the nearest exit. 

The alarm systems are only active 

at night to prevent unwanted 

intruders. The cameras are not 

watched in real time. They are 

used as evidence after an event 

has occurred. Even if there was 

someone watching the cameras, 

they could not watch every camera 

at once. 

There is no easy solution to 

this problem. It is impossible for a 

school to efficiently handle a large 

volume of student traffic and still 

keep the school secure. There is 

no feasible way to guard the entire 

school. Every additional person 

needs a paycheck, health plan, etc. 

Who is going to pay for that? 

De 

Issue CVII.5 February 5, 2013 

Page 3

SPORTS 

Austin Railey, Editor 

Coach brings success to Walnut 

Austin Carpenter ‘13 

Five months ago, the Walnut 

Hills men’s basketball program was 

at a standstill after the announcement 

of the firing of former Coach 

Robert Moman. The program 

had to go through part of the 

off-season without a head Varsity 

basketball coach. As athletic director 

Tom Donnelly, assistant athletic 

director Joshua Hardin and 

principal Jeffrey Brokamp began to 

interview candidates for the spot, 

an unthought-of character came 

into the picture. 

“I have been playing basketball 

since I was ten years old, and I 

began coaching ten years ago,” says 

Ricardo Hill, current head coach 

for the Walnut Varsity basketball 

team. 

Born and raised in the Cincinnati 

area, coach Hill attended 

CAPE High School, then attended 

Western Kentucky and Ashland 

University where he played collegiate 

ball. 

Hill seemed to be the perfect fit 

to coach at Walnut. As well as being 

the head coach for the Eagles, 

Hill is also the coach for Ohio 

Western, a college team. 

Coach Hill says that high 

school basketball is very different 

from college basketball. 

“The high school game is a lot 

more teaching, which is what I 

absolutely love, and at the college 

level, it is more strategic, which 

has helped me grow as an overall 

coach.” 

Hill currently holds the 

record for most assists in a game 

at Ashland University with 19 

set in 1992, the year he was an 

Kate Warren, ‘14 

One of the easiest ways to 

make long-lasting memories at 

Walnut is to get involved in team 

sports. SENIORS who have been 

at Walnut since seventh grade have 

had the greatest chance to make 

those memories and bonds. One 

SENIOR who has had success in 

her sport is Caitlin Perry. 

Perry began playing basketball 

in the 1st grade and continued 

playing once she came to Walnut 

in the 7th grade. She has been on 

Coach Ricardo Hill Sr. poses prior to the Purcell game. 

All-American. While playing at 

Ashland, Hill led the Eagles to a 

43 game home win streak and he 

also led them to an Elite Eight 

appearance at the Hall of Fame 

National Invitational in Springfield, 

Massachusetts. 

In the midst of fifteen players 

on the team, there sits SE- 

NIOR Ricardo Hill Jr. Hill’s son. 

“Coaching Ricardo has been a 

wonderful dream,” says Coach 

Hill. “I have basically coached 

him his whole life and he is a 

coach’s dream. He is a coach on 

the court.” The father-son duo has 

been together on the court since 

Ricardo Jr. began playing AAU 

(Amateur Athletic Union) basketball 

as a kid. 

Coach Hill has had the privilege 

of also coaching not only a 

statewide but nationally recog- 

SENIOR Spotlight: Caitlin Perry 

AUSTIN RAILEY/CHATTERBOX 

SENIOR Caitlin Perry drives to the hoop earlier in the year against Purcell. 

the Varsity team since sophomore 

year and became team captain her 

SENIOR year. 

Perry has also participated on 

AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) 

teams in Cincinnati that include 

the Cincinnati Royals, the Cincy 

Legends and the Lady Mavs. 

Through playing on four different 

teams at Walnut, she has had 

the chance to get to know some of 

the girls really well. 

When asked who she has enjoyed 

playing with the most, Perry 

responded, “I’ve played basketball 

AUSTIN RAILEY/CHATTERBOX 

nized team. 

“This year’s team is a joy to 

coach because the basketball IQ is 

extremely high.” Currently, Walnut 

is ranked second in the state 

and top fifty in the country. 

“We try to stay level headed by 

maintaining our focus every single 

day and putting the team before 

any personal achievements.” Hill 

says. 

Hill and the Eagles are looking 

to continue the best season 

that Walnut basketball has ever 

had and take this team to a State 

championship for the first time in 

school history. 

“We are just having fun with 

everything and the guys know 

how to embrace the moment and 

believe that if we put the work in, 

we will get the results we want.” 

with Ashley Brewster and Dominique 

Jones since the 7th grade, so 

it’s fun playing with them because 

we know each other’s style of play. 

But this year’s team is the most 

talented team I have played on, so 

I enjoy playing with all of the girls 

this year.” 

Being a SENIOR, Perry had 

a long response when asked what 

some of her favorite memories 

were: “One is my very first high 

school game, we beat Purcell. 

Another is in freshman year when 

I was with the Varsity team when 

Phylesha Bullard and Tayler Stanton 

were SENIORS and winning 

districts,” she said, “Also, our first 

game in the new gym this year, 

when the crowd had so much energy 

and we played a great game, 

and just hanging out with the 

team at practices and games.” 

Perry plans to end her basketball 

career in high school and is 

looking to major in engineering in 

college and currently has her eyes 

on Purdue University, Ohio State 

University, University of Cincinnati 

or University of Michigan. 

More SENIOR Spotlights will 

be published in the online version of 

the Chatterbox, so stay tuned to get 

to know more about your SENIORS 

and their athletic careers at Walnut. 

Sports Staff 

Austin Carpenter, ‘13 

Isaiah Johnson, ‘13 

Kate Warren, ‘14 

Top ranked Eagles ready to 

pound the Bombers 


Next Tuesday’s clash between 

Walnut Hills and St. Xavier has 

been advertised as the “must-see” 

home basketball game for a variety 

of reasons. 

The Eagles will be coming into 

the February 12 game with the 

best rankings in the school history 

for basketball program. 

According to www.maxpreps. 

com, Walnut is regarded as the 

best team in Ohio, and at one 

point this season was ranked 44th 

in the country. The Eagles are also 

the state’s top team in the latest 

addition of the Associated Press’ 

Coaches’ Poll. 

Walnut has been in the USA 

Today’s “Super 25 Best of the 

Rest” list for the past month as 

well. 

The Bombers will come to 

Walnut boasting the seventh 

spot in the Cincinnati Enquirer’s 

Coaches’ Poll. The Eagles top that 

list. 

In addition, the Athletic Department, 

along with the studentled 

Nut House, have come together 

to create a wild atmosphere 

for the matchup, which is being 

advertised as a ‘White Out.’ The 

event is also being sponsored by 

O’Bryon’s Pub and Grill, Kroger 

and Steveco International Graphic 

Design 

Tuesday’s game will be televised 

locally thanks to Time Warner 

Cable. The company has already 

visited the gymnasium to help 

Academically undefeated 

Austin Railey, ‘13 

“We lift weights daily before 

and after practice two days 

a week..... It’s strenuous on 

the body,” says SENIOR Will 

Schweller, co-captain of the winningest 

athletic team at Walnut 

Hills: the Academic Quiz Team. 

Eagles have an outstanding 

record of (8-0) leading the ECC 

(Eastern Cincinnati Conference), 

winning their last competition 

against the previously undefeated 

Anderson Redskins where the 

Eagles were down in the lightning 

round portion of the competition 

and came back to recieve the win. 

Yes, Academic Team is a sport, if 

you’re wondering. It’s recognized 

by the ECC as a sport just as football 

and basketball are. But what 

gives it this title? When asked if 

COURTESY OF STEVECO 

The first 300 Nut House members to 

show up to the game will receive a 

free shirt with this design. 

find the best locations to place the 

cameras and audio equipment. 

The Nut House will also give 

out free special edition white 

t-shirts to the first 300 students to 

sit in it’s behind-the-hoop section. 

The shirts will be given out free on 

a first come, first served basis, so 

it is recommended that fans arrive 

early before the 7:30 p.m. varsity 

tipoff. 

Everyone in attendance will 

also be asked to wear white, to 

help all of the Eagle fans bolster a 

unified look. 

The Athletic Department also 

has another surprise they will 

unveil at the game, but for now it 

they plan on keeping it a secret. 

Walnut still has to play 

at Loveland of Friday before 

Tuesday’s matchup, but all eyes 

are looking ahead to ‘pound’ the 

Bombers. 

he thinks academic team is a sport 

SENIOR Kevin Snape member of 

the football team stated “I guess 

technically they are, but I mean, 

c’mon.” 

Our own academic team has 

had a history of “Sursum ad summum-ing,” 

in which they’ve gone 

undefeated in previous years in 

academic competitions. Averaging 

a score of 52.5 points per competition 

the Academic event with 

scores that nearly always double 

their competitors. The Eagles look 

to show off their academic ability 

at the end of the year when they 

compete in ECC Academic Team 

postseason competition. 

So to discount the academic team 

as a sport would take away the 

sport that has won most historically. 

Want more sports news? 

Visit the Sports page online at 

 

for SENIOR Spotlights, 

game updates, and more! 



Fine Arts Staff 

Maggie Garrigan, ‘13 

Karinne Hill, ‘15 

Walnut 

theater in 

flux 

Karinne Hill, ‘15 


When Walnut students 

returned from winter break, two 

facts loomed large for the theater 

program: The retirement of theater 

and music teachers Tom and Lisa 

Peters became common knowledge, 

and the small theater closed 

for renovation, leaving the final 

production of the year without a 

performance space. 

Throughout his final year, Mr. 

Peters has seen things from the 

closing of the small theater to 

changes to this year’s show lineup. 

The rooms surrounding the small 

theater also need new plumbing 

and electrical wiring, Peters says, 

meaning that holding classes in 

the small theater will not be practical 

for the remainder of the year. 

Fine Arts 

in February 

If you’re a fan of Arthur 

Miller’s The Crucible, visit the 

Playhouse in the Park for the 

new production of 

Abigail/1702 to see where 

Abigail ended up ten years 

after the events in Salem. 

Shows run through February 

17th and tickets start at $30. 

Staff picks: Photography feature 

HENRY SEVERDING/CHATTERBOX 

Lisa Peters (left) is currently the director of five different choirs. She and her husband will both be retiring at the end 

of this school year. 

“No one’s being negligent,” Peters 

adds. “Everyone’s working really 

hard.” Renovating a building built 

in 1931, however, is a complicated 

task. 

The news of the Peters’ retirement 

has been the source of much 

disappointment: “I really hoped it 

wouldn’t have been this soon,” says 

Behind the 

“brochet” 

movement 

Martine Williams, ‘13 

You walk into a room full of 

guys crocheting. Yes you heard 

right, and there’s a story behind 

this. 

Brochet is a new club structured 

around more than just 

crocheting. Brochet’s founder 

SENIOR Jordan Butler has created 

an environment that is fun, 

instructive and social. When asked 

why he started the club, Butler 

Will Graber, ‘16, who starred in 

last fall’s production of Godspell, 

which both Mr. and Mrs. Peters 

worked on. “I was looking forward 

to doing a lot of other things, especially 

right after Godspell ended 

and I had just gotten to know 

him.” Although the search is on 

for a new director, Graber thinks 

said, “ I love community service, 

and volunteering, but I wanted 

to be different...I think the name 

and combining friends and service 

is what really made me.” Brochet 

meets Thursday’s in Mrs. Smith’s 

room during third lunch. But 

what if you’re a girl who wants 

to join? Brochet is open to girls, 

although Butler and club members 

prefer to stick to the “guy 

thing.” And if you can’t crochet, 

you’re still able to join. “None of 

[us] did, but we learned and we’d 

definitely teach anyone”. 

More importantly, Butler has a 

plan for Brochet’s longevity and its 

care for others. Instead of displaying 

their artwork in Walnut’s 

FINE ARTS 

Jenna Weber, Editor 

In every issue, the Chatterbox Fine Arts staff will pick two pictures submitted by students to feature on our page. The reason for this spotlight on photography is to bring attention to the 

talent of the Walnut Hillls student body in non-conventional media. All other submissions will be displayed on our online publication. To submit photos for future consideration, e-mail 

a JPEG file to . 

E.J. VEASLEY 

that Mr. Peters will be a tough act 

to follow: “He... embodied the 

way I think [directing] works.” 

Other students agree, but are 

excited to see what the future 

holds. “It’ll be weird not having 

Mr. Peters since he’s been my 

teacher since 8th grade,” says Erin 

Magner, ‘15. “But I’m excited to 

halls, Brochet’s club members 

have another idea in mind. “We’re 

donating them to [the] Ronald 

McDonald House”.Some of the 

pieces being donated include hats 

and headbands. There’s more than 

just learning how to crochet in 

store for club member of Brochet. 

When asked what he wants 

members to take away from their 

involvement in the club, Butler 

said, “Really just that volunteering 

and helping others is amazing, and 

it doesn’t matter how you do it 

but as long as you’re sincere people 

really appreciate good work.” 

Mrs. Smith describes the 

atmosphere of Brochet as “one of 

comradery and quiet conversa- 

have a new experience with a new 

director.” 

What does Brokamp have in 

mind for this new director? “Our 

vision is what it always has been,” 

principal Jeffrey Brokamp says 

of the upcoming changes: “To 

provide the best program that we 

possibly can.” But Brokamp’s vision 

for Walnut Hills theater goes 

beyond finding just one new theater 

director: he hopes to expand 

the theater program to match the 

new spaces, including hiring multiple 

directors and searching for a 

technical coordinator. 

Although the search for the director 

is being conducted through 

the district’s protocol, Brokamp 

has some special qualities in mind: 

“I’m looking for someone who 

gets students really excited about 

theater... who has a vision [and] 

energy to grow the program.” 

Students involved in the 

theater department also have 

thoughts about what they want in 

a director. “I really want someone 

who can still keep it fun,” Graber 

explains. “That’s basically what a 

high school show is about.” 

tion.” Club member and female, 

SENIOR Kelsey Cornett, said, 

“You can express yourself and 

you get to share it with others 

that have true appreciation for 

what we make them. I think it’s a 

wonderful club to join!” It’s not so 

much the mastering of crocheting 

that’s important, but the message 

behind the bros who crochet. 

Shout-out: 

Happy birthday 

Emma! 

-from all your fans 

Purchase shout-outs in room 2307 

or at . 

PHOTO COURTESY OF JO ELLEN PELLMAN 

Jo Ellen Pellman, ‘14, creates a miniature bouquet of flowers with the wax 

from Babybel Cheese. 


Page 5

STYLE & CULTURE 

Hannah Shaw, Editor; Abrena Rowe, Junior Editor 

Walnut Hills students are dressed to digress 

Neff and Schweller sport their signature looks. 

The tattoo trend 

Sarah Wagner, ‘14 

Teenagers with tattoos are 

typically stereotyped to be rebellious 

and careless. However, as 

this trend continues to grow, more 

students become accepting of 

the idea. Many students here at 

Walnut Hills have tattoos. When 

asked about tattoos, SENIOR 

Laine Kolesar said “Since so many 

people have them now, I think 

it’s just a way to be different... 

the tattoo you get can represent 

you and can be a way you express 

yourself.” Once eighteen, Kolesar 

designed and got a tattoo of a 

small sun symbol. It’s something 

she’s always drawn and liked as an 

artist. Because of it’s location (left 

hip) it can be partly covered up as 

to where she believes it looks like 

a rising sun. “I really like what a 

sun stands for: hope and life. It 

means a lot of different things in 

different cultures but that’s what I 

took it to mean,”she stated. “I just 

think it’s a really cool form of art.” 

She is definitely not alone in this 

thought. 

“I have two tattoos. I have a 

huge butterfly on my foot and 

another butterfly on my foreleg 

with a pretty little flower,” 

Danielle Hill, ‘14 told the Chatterbox. 

When deciding on tattoo 

designs she said, “You have to 

think long term when you think 

of these things and I figured a 

butterfly could never go wrong.” 

She continued, saying, “I mean 

who doesn’t want a butterfly?” 

Her ideas for her tattoos have 

changed but she’s wanted to have 

at least one for a long time. At 

age fourteen Hill went to Jag 864 

to get her first design, where she 

HENRY SEVERDING/CHATTERBOX 

needed parental consent for being 

underage. She later got her second 

butterfly body art at a tattoo party 

her friend threw. She describes this 

type of party to be one at which 

everyone invited has the opportunity 

to get a tattoo-even without 

parental consent. 

Parental consent and overall 

adult approval of teenagers getting 

tattoos is quite controversial. 

Although a teen’s friends and some 

family may approve of the idea, it 

is common for his/her parents to 

be skeptical. Hill’s parents on the 

other hand needed little convincing, 

however she did have another 

family member to bring around. 

“My grandmother rejected it, she 

did not like it at all because she’s 

really religious.” Hill explains 

how her grandmother “didn’t like 

the fact I was marking up my 

‘temple.’” She thought that wasn’t 

a good permanent idea but, now, 

she kind of says it’s cute in the 

summertime when I show it off.” 

As for Maurice Ivory, ‘14, he 

says in regards to his parents, “I 

had to warm them up to the idea.” 

He was told to wait until he was 

seventeen for his first tattoo and 

until he turns eighteen for the 

second. “It’s a two part thing” 

Ivory says as he describes his idea 

to eventually have both the dream 

catcher on his left shoulder and 

to add a crucifix on his right one. 

It will be “like a triangle, because 

symbolically in the middle is your 

heart and that’s where my personal 

belief lies, between spirituality and 

established religion.” He got his 

dreamcatcher done at Xplosive 

Mentality where he says ”you need 

an adult if you’re under 18 or else 

you’ll basically get kicked out.” 

Hannah Shaw, ‘14 

Kyle Chase, ‘13 

“I wear clothes because it’s 

unhealthy not to.” SENIOR Will 

Schweller explains. 

For Schweller and fellow SE- 

NIOR Carson Neff, their style is 

just an extension of who they are: 

Two friends with very different 

clothing preferences that amplify 

their equally different personalities. 

Personal style is a way to 

express yourself. The way people 

dress can consist of clothing they 

like, or what looks good on them, 

or maybe whatever was lying on 

the floor that morning. 

Neff refers to his style as, “the 

material manifestation of the Dada-freak 

disco cherub that dwells 

within and animates my physical 

being every day.” Schweller 

describes it as “eclectic—accessible 

yet inaccessible. Every day 

he inches closer to chaos, and in 

doing inches towards the perfect 

wardrobe.” 

Even though they’re such good 

friends, Schweller’s style is quite 

different from Neff’s. Schweller’s 

dress-piration is ivy WASPS and 

the elderly, while Neff is more 

inspired by homeless folks and 

fire-flame chefs. Neff describes 

Schweller’s choice of dress as “sassy 

but sensitive despot in the guise of 

a posh and self-righteous member 

of the English landed gentry.” 

Clothing choices can reflect 

how people are feeling on a particular 

day. For example, Mondays 

the halls of Walnut are more 

populated with sweatpants and 

“house slippers” than any other 

day of the week. When Schweller 

is feeling down to business he’ll 

sport a jaunty blazer and penny 

loafers. He contrasts his “ivy wasp” 

look with duckboots accented by 

orange laces to be sure he never 

takes anything too seriously. 

High school is often a time 

for people to find themselves, 

and in doing so, they find their 

personal style. Sure some people 

wear the same jeans from freshman 

to SENIOR year, but most 

people’s style changes as they grow 

up. Neff’s style metamorphisis 

can be described in three stages— 

beginning with shirts and jeans, 

progressing to mantanks and 

tighter jeans, and currently he can 

seen wearing what he describes as 

“found objects that may or may 

not function as suitable garb for 

my torso and the TIGHTEST 

jeans.” 

Schweller’s sartorial coming of 

age began with corduroys from the 

SENIOR Heather Caudill (left) and Elise Knuckles, ‘14 (right), pose with their tattoos. 

When asked if he believes the 

age restriction should be lowered 

he said “Yes. It’s not that big of a 

deal if you ask me, it’s a personal 

opinion.” When asked the same 

question, Elise Knuckles,‘14, had 

a differing statement. 

She says the wait until 

you’re eighteen to get a tattoo 

on your own “forces people to 

think...’what do I really want to 

get that I don’t mind having on 

me until I die?’” Knuckles didn’t 

have to wait though, she got her 

tattoo when she was sixteen. She 

and Hill, being best friends, are 

planning on getting matching 

tats soon as well. “A lot of my 

friends and family have tattoos. I 

just think they’re cute and I was 

so eager to get one. I wanted to be 

like my friends and my family.” 

Knuckles’ wish to get one inspired 

her mom to get her first tattoo 

with her. While her mom got hers, 

Knuckles and her boyfriend got 

coordinating tattoos of their zodiac 

signs; “He got his actual sign 

and I got mine [Leo] in Hebrew. 

I think it’s a beautiful language 

when it’s written.” This script on 

her wrist has a special meaning 

for her because she was born on 

the eighth month, eighth day and 

eighth hour. 

SENIOR Heather Caudill also 

decided to model her tattoo after 

her horoscope, Scorpio. After seeing 

a similar design in her sophomore 

year, Caudill went to Beelistics 

at age eighteen and got an 

artistic rendering of a scorpion on 

her shoulder. When asked about 

her reasoning behind her body art 

she said, as far as horoscopes are 

concerned, she believes “they actually 

relate to the characteristics of 

the person.” 

“Stereotypes on having tattoos, 

that’s one of the things I argued 

Style & Culture Staff 

Kyle Chase, ‘13 

Grace Hill, ‘15 

Sarah Wagner, ‘14 

Gap purchased his seventh grade 

year. These pants caused him to 

realise that he had a fondness for 

clothes. He adds, “I also didn’t 

want my mom choosing how I 

swag.” He progressed to an appreciation 

of tweed and corduroy, 

as well as neckties which he 

exclusively ties with the four-inhand-knot. 

This culminates into 

Schweller’s current rugged, classic, 

L.L. bean-esque style. 

Whether clothes are a means of 

self expression or a way to avoid 

getting arrested for public nudity, 

personal style reflects the person, 

and personality, under the clothes. 

A sense of style gives a person the 

inspiration to be whomever they 

want to on any particular day. 

As Neff explains, “My style and 

personality are ideal companions, 

because whenever I feel the urge 

to live amongst the alpacas and 

hermits of rural Chile, everything 

somehow works out.” 

Want More? 

Check out the full 

interview and more 

pictures with 

Carson and Will at 

. 

SARAH WAGNER/CHATTERBOX 

with my parents about,” says 

Caudill. Even when about to get 

her tattoo, the artist asked her if 

she wanted it to be lower on her 

shoulder. (That way, it wouldn’t 

be as noticeable in job interviews.) 

However, she didn’t want him to 

alter the design and explains that 

“if a job can’t accept me for what 

I have then I don’t want to work 

there.” As Caudill talks about the 

idea of getting tattoos she says, 

“It’s just really cool. It’s a form of 

art. Your body’s plain, why not 

decorate it, make it look cool.” 

SARAH WAGNER CHATTERBOX 



Peanuts Staff 

Augusta Battoclette, ‘17 

Justeen Jackson, ‘18 

Adrianna Smith, ‘18 

Riley Taylor, ‘18 

Tatyana Woodall, ’17 

Kendall Young, ‘18 

Ask Piper Peanut: How to deal with bullies 

Hey Piper Peanut, 

I’m always being called a weirdo, 

getting shoved around, getting lost 

and everything else you can think of! 

Just the other day I got called a 

weirdo again. I was wondering what 

sort of advice you could give me to 

make some friends and avoid being 

pushed around! 

I really need someone to help me 

out here. I get so lost; I have a map 

and piece of paper in my binder so 

I don’t get lost! Funny, right? Well, I 

hope you submit this because it can 

help others with the same problem as 

well as me! So thanks in advance. 

Sincerely, 

The Lost Peanut 

Dear Lost, 

First, I just want you to know 

Junior high spelling bee attracts buzz 

Zoe Cheng, ‘15 

Beginning this year, the English 

Department is introducing an annual 

spelling bee for seventh and 

eighth graders. The bee, which has 

been broken up into two rounds, 

the first taking place within 

each English class, has become a 

several-week-long process aimed to 

educate students about new words. 

“The spelling bee is designed to 

increase awareness about gradelevel 

and above-grade-level words 

for students in the junior high 

grades,” says seventh-grade English 

teacher Marjorie Platt, who is in 

charge of organizing the event. 

“Not only [for] students [to] 

study spelling, but also [to] learn 

about various meanings, origins of 

words, and homonyms.” 

The words used in the bee were 

taken from study guides made 

available by the Scripps National 

Spelling Bee. Students were given 

these study guides to practice from 

before the bee. “Some [words] 

were easy, some were hard,” says 

David Flagg, ’18. 

There were two rounds in this 

year’s spelling bee; the preliminary 

round was overseen by each 

seventh and eighth grade English 

teacher during class time. Students 

who missed just two words 

or fewer were invited to the final 

round, which took place during 

second lunch in front of an audience. 

This year’s winner, Grace 

Gilbreath, ’18, is qualified for the 

2013 WCPO-TV Spelling Bee, 

which will be conducted at the 

National Underground Railroad 

Freedom Center on February 23. 

“I feel very excited and pleased 

that I won,” Gilbreath says. 

As for others, junior high students 

seem to understand the bee’s 

good intentions. “I do enjoy the 

spelling bee, because it tests your 

skills and gives you a challenge,” 

says Henry Sofge, ’18. “Also, it is a 

great reward to win.” 

“It really improves your vocabulary,” 

says Camille Williams, 

’18. “Besides, competition is fun!” 

Because this is the first year 

that I am sorry to hear that you 

are getting bullied. NO ONE 

deserves this type of abuse. 

You need to go to Mr. Cabrera, 

Ms. Morgan, Ms. Savage-Gentry 

or another trusted adult immediately. 

So talk to your parents or an 

older sibling and tell them about 

what’s happening to you. If you 

can identify your bullies, great- 

-that way they can be stopped. 

An adult’s insight is helpful when 

dealing with problems. 

If you’re having problems coping 

with everything, don’t worry— 

that’s normal. At the school I went 

to last year, I got bullied. It wasn’t 

physical, but usually words hurt 

a lot more than actions. After it 

happened I did what everybody 

always tells you to do: tell the 

teacher. Yeah, you are actually 

supposed to listen to those antibully 

commercials. It works, and I 

stopped being bullied! 

You absolutely can NOT let 

people change you into something 

you are not. You are who you are, 

don’t let anyone change that. So 

you can change your hair, clothes 

or stop eating, but you’ll always 

have to be able to accept who you 

are. 

You have to love yourself and I 

learned that the hard way. I know 

how it feels. It doesn’t matter how 

much someone says you’re beautiful, 

smart, funny, kind, and the list 

goes on; you can’t hear them until 

you start listening. Deep down 

you know that you are funny, 

beautiful, smart, kind, and every 

single thing that some people may 

say. 

If someone calls you a weirdo, 

just think of it this way: you’re 

weirdly awesome, you’re weirdly 

kind, you’re weirdly beautiful and 

ZOE CHENG/CHATTERBOX 

Grace Gilbreath, ‘18, the winner of the 2013 Walnut Hills Spelling Bee. 

for the bee, some aspects, such as 

organizing rounds, are still being 

worked out. “We welcome any 

suggestions from students and/or 

staff about how we can work on 

establishing the spelling bee as a 

Walnut tradition,” says Platt, who 

plans on organizing the preliminary 

rounds earlier next year in 

order to set up a “word club” that 

will meet during lunch to prepare 

for the final round of the bee. As 

for her opinion of the process? 

“These are skills that students can 

take with them into the upper 

grades, which will hopefully help 

prepare them for higher-level essay 

writing and testing situations.” 

Through this event, the English 

Department continues to aid student 

growth and progress, ensuring 

success for Walnut’s youngest 

Eagles further down the road. 

Join the Peanuts family! 

What: The Peanuts section covers a wide variety of topics pertaining 

to 7th and 8th graders at Walnut Hills. 

When: Meetings are every 1st and 3rd Wednesday during 2nd lunch. 

Why: The Peanuts section is a great way to learn more about 

journalism. It will help you practice and develop your 

writing and photography skills that you can further in Intro to 

Newswriting. 

Contact: Email or come to one of 

the meetings. 

PEANUTS 

Celeste Kearney and Zoe Cheng, Editors 

that will never be something bad. 

You have to love yourself more 

than anything, more than... ICE 

CREAM (if you like ice cream)! 

You might be told this all the 

time, but love is power. In fact, it’s 

the ultimate power: you’re born 

with it, once you have it you can’t 

get rid of it. It may be hidden, but 

it’s still there; you just gotta dig 

deep! 

Don’t worry about not finding 

friends. There is a circle for every- 

Tip of the month: Valentine’s Day! 

Zoe Cheng, ‘15 

Pink cardboard paper slathered 

with cheesy sayings. Cheap candy 

taped to pop-out cards. Department 

stores festooned with paper 

hearts. Maybe you haven’t realized 

it’s coming, or maybe you’ve been 

prepping for weeks in advance. 

Yet whether you knew it or not, 

Valentine’s Day is right around the 

corner, and here are a few tips on 

how to celebrate it in an original 

way. 

1. Make cupcakes. Use red 

food coloring or strawberry baking 

mix, white icing, and heart candies 

to enhance these baked goods that 

you can share with your family 

and friends. 

2. Watch a romantic comedy. 

(Midnight in Paris, Pretty Woman). 

Or watch a romantic tragedy 

(Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, West 

Side Story). Or just watch Valentine’s 

Day. 

3. Catch up on your Shakespeare. 

The world’s most renowned 

poet is speaking – and he 

EMILY FRIEDMAN/CHATTERBOX 

one at Walnut. That’s one of the 

benefits of going to such a diverse 

school. 

By the way, I have a map too 

(it’s in my Latin binder), so you’re 

not alone. Nope. Never. 

Sincerely, 

Piper Peanut, ‘18 

Ask Piper a question at 

. 

CELESTE KEARNEY/CHATTERBOX 

Making Valentines for friends and family is a great way to spend Valentine’s 

Day! 

has a lot to say. Whether you have 

a complete volume of his works on 

your bedside table or have never 

heard of Shakespeare before, take 

time to look up a sonnet (you 

have more than one hundred to 

choose from!). His captivating and 

romantic writing style is perfect to 

celebrate Valentine’s Day. 

4. Surprise your family with 

gifts. Valentine’s Day celebrates 

not just romantic relationships 

but familial ones, too. Gift your 

family with candy, stuffed animals, 

novels, and the like. 

Valentine’s Day is a holiday 

often rooted in tedium and 

monotony. For some, it’s a day 

of tiring decorations that seem 

to revive each year over and over 

and over again – yet others keep 

the holiday unique and fresh by 

always coming up with creative, 

inventive thoughts. Try new things 

and brainstorm new ideas. But 

most importantly? Celebrate the 

day of love with the people you 

most cherish. 


Page 7

ARCADE 

Brandon Wagner, Editor 

The times are a-changing... 

Brandon Wagner, ‘13 

Brandon Wagner,‘13 

Acorn Hills #2: A.A.A.H.N.T.A! 

Shawntez Robertson, ‘13 

Student Poetry 

Arcade Staff 

T.J. Brame, ‘13 

Shawntez Robertson, ‘13 

Sean Wood, ‘15 

Chronometrophobia 

Amputee clock, just then 

cukoo, that is. 

Who, does refuse to 

proclaim 

the hour 

Lingering inside 

On account of rain 

Uncomfortable Umbrella, just now 

protruding through 

the victims head 

call it, no more 

Defective paramed watch, just now 

shock and observe 

Time is dead 

-Anonymous 

Sudoku 

Sean Wood, ‘15 

The object of sudoku is to place the numbers 1 through 9 in each 

column, row and 3x3 box without repeating any of them. Order is not 

important as long as they don’t repeat. 

5 3 4 8 

2 1 4 9 

7 

9 6 4 

2 5 

1 3 2 

8 

9 7 6 1 

6 8 9 3 

In Character From left to right: Will Strasser, ‘15; Griffin Roberts, ‘16; 

Geoff Schueller, ‘15; Sam Petersen, ‘16. 

BRANDON WAGNER/CHATTERBOX BRANDON WAGNER/CHATTERBOX BRANDON WAGNER/CHATTERBOX BRANDON WAGNER/CHATTERBOX 

My opera career is kicking off! I do not like opera. Beefaroni does terrible Looks like the medication 

things to me. 

is working great! 

Page 8 Februrary 5, 2013

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