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

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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 JOSH MEDRANO/CHATTERBOX 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 Charlie Hatch, ‘13 Jonah Roth, ‘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 . JOSH MEDRANO/CHATTERBOX 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. Jonah Roth, ‘13 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
Page 1: February 5, 2013 Walnut Hills High
Page 5 and 6: Fine Arts Staff Maggie Garrigan,
Page 7 and 8: Peanuts Staff Augusta Battoclette,

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