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OTHER VIEWS PAGE SIX THE LIGHTNING STRIKE SUMMER 2005 HURRICANE KATRINA New Orleans chaos could have been prevented George W. Bush is an optimistic man, and it’s a good thing for a president to be. But there’s a difference between optimism and irresponsible naivety. In his four and a half years in offi ce, Bush has mastered the latter. Following Hurricane Katrina, which Bush accurately classifi ed as “one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history,” he gave a speech enumerating the many supplies which were being shipped to New Orleans. He mentioned that citizens could send over cash if they wanted to help out, and closed with his winning smile, promising that everything would work out in the end. His intentions, as usual, seemed good. But in the real world, right around elementary school graduation, good intentions stop being enough. While Bush no doubt feels remorse over the New Orleans tragedy, perhaps it was something he should have considered while he was slashing the budgets for hurricane defense projects. With all his love for “preventative measures” (read: “pre-emptive strike”), maybe Bush could have chosen not to ignore the local offi cials in Louisiana who long fought for federal funding to implement these hurricane defense plans. The chaos we see now could have been averted. Hurricane Katrina was not a surprise, and I’m not referring to the meteorological forecasts a few days prior to the disaster. For years, experts have warned of the potential catastrophe that a category four or fi ve hurricane could infl ict on the Gulf Coast. This is not simply a matter of hindsight fi nger pointing: the Bush administration knew about the possibility of a hurricane like this taking place and the results that would inevitably follow. Instead of acting, the administration cut programs essential to prevention and relief. Early this year, the Louisiana congressional delegation urged Congress to provide federal money for such an instance. The White House opposed this. Eventually, a deal granted Louisiana $540 million over four years. Coastal repair work is now estimated at $14 billion, over 25 times what Congress granted. The war in Iraq has also left Louisiana National Guard units short of gear and supplies. Now they are ill-equipped to take on what is probably the most diffi cult challenge they have ever faced. This, also, is no big surprise: the overstretching of National Guard Forces has been discussed for months. Discussed, of course, but not acted upon. Like having good intentions, discussion is easy. Now, regardless of the negligence of the Bush administration, hundreds of thousands in New Orleans are falling victim to profi teering and public health threats. Throwing around optimistic phrases is not going to return order to the city. Bush must construct a solid plan to restore confi dence in gasoline availability and take immediate action to ensure future Editorial Excerpts from high school newspapers around the country FROM CORAL GABLES, FL: In 1995, there dawned a new era… The X-Stop era. Innumerable students have suffered under the absurdly restrictive X-Stop limitations that seem to dominate almost every computer in public schools... Now owned by the 8e6 company, the X-stop homepage states that they prevent “threats and distractions such as inappropriate Web content, instant messaging (IM), peer-topeer (P2P), spy ware and spam [which supposedly] is improving productivity, reducing liability and preserving network resources.” -Cassio Lucio Highlights Coral Gables Senior High School FROM BLOOMSBURG, PA: If you think you are unattractive, only you can change how you feel. Sure, compliments and makeup might help, but the problem is on the inside rather than on the surface. As teenagers, we focus too much on physical appearance and materialistic things. To most teenagers, clothing, makeup and cars matter more than a sense of humor or a caring nature. That’s not how it should be. Our generation has to stop being so shallow and look beneath the surface at what really matters, because that will stick with us forever. Looks can change, but the person on the inside stays the same. It only builds upon itself. -Jade Galfas The Keystone Connection Keystone National High School FROM DALLAS, TX: President George W. Bush’s No Child Left behind Act was passed in 2001 to improve America’s public education system. The act states that by the 2005- 2006 school years all teachers must be “highly qualifi ed.” The law is silent however on how states should interpret what is meant by highly qualifi ed, meaning states have the fl exibility to lower the barrier in order to attract people who may not be willing to jump through the state’s certifi cation hoops. Texas’s interpretation of what “highly qualifi ed” means needs to be reconsidered…Although President Bush’s push for a better educational system is greatly appreciated, the way that Texas has defi ned “highly qualifi ed” is not suffi cient for promoting the hiring of teachers who are highly effective in the classroom. -The Hurricane Staff The Hillcrest Hurricane Hillcrest High School COMPILED BY SANDRA CALDERALO pro & con School Food Reform Products high in fat and sugar contribute to obesity By ANDREW FULLER Guest Writer FULLER Americans are dying, but not from terrorism. Today, a disease supported by our State Department of Education is ravaging the health of Florida’s youngest. According to the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey, 11% of children ages 6 through 17 are overweight. The danger is real: obesity plays a signifi cant role in causing heart disease, diabetes and high blood p r e s s u r e . Students need to be taught that proper consumption of food plays a pivotal role in their quality of life. Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida State Legislature have the responsibility to follow the leadership o f other state governments, such as that of Arkansas, to cut back on soft drinks offered in all schools, while prohibiting high in fat and sugar products from being offered in elementary schools. In their place, snack and vending machines could be fi lled with milk, bottled water and fresh juices. Milk, with 12 grams of carbohydrates per serving is far better than the 27 grams offered in a half-liter bottle of regular Coca-Cola. In protein content, milk still wins, with 9 grams per serving compared to none for Coca-Cola. What would be the consequences of not acting on this life and death issue? How many young adults would perish in the future with the arteries of a 75 yearold at the age of 30? While this question cannot be answered today, Governor Bush and our state legislators need to act now, so that this disturbing question will never be answered. Today’s opponents of school food reform tell us that people have the right to do what they wish, with no regard towards the effects of their desires. Libertarian argumentation such as this is like a delightful recipe for grandma’s homemade cookies. While people salivate today for the right to do what they want, acting carelessly and thoughtlessly will, like those cookies, harm the public in the long run. Many would like to duck their heads in the sand and pretend not to see an America in danger; but, while ignorance may be easy, it is not the right way to respond to a public health crisis. PECHENIK By PALOMA PECHENIK Staff Writer Vending machines provide funding for activites Principal Matthew Welker has proposed to replace the contents of the school’s vending machines with healthier alternatives. Currently, students frequent these machines; the revenue received by these visits is e x t r e m e l y benefi cial to the school, as it pays for a multitude of student activities, i n c l u d i n g graduation and senior trips. Stocking the vending m a c h i n e s w i t h h e a l t h i e r c h o i c e s w o u l d undeniably b e n e f i t student health, but would not be benefi cial to the student body as a whole because it would be under funded. Also, eating junk food is not forced on any student. The presence of junk food does not imply that all students must consume. But if a student craves them, they should be able to purchase them. Taking away a student’s freedom to eat the foods that they want is not going to reduce the amount of junk food they’re eating; it will only reduce the amount eaten in school. And, even if all the foods in the vending machines were replaced with healthful alternatives, the senior class and many clubs will still supply chocolate bars and other sugary candies. Welker has said he will make his decision based, at least partly, on the input of a student commision. If students wish for their candy to remain within the vending machines they must become a part of this conversation. The students that speak up will inevitably be the ones that get what they want. Unfortunately, this commission will likely be comprised only of students who want to change the machines; those content with them as they are will probably believe they are in the majority and see no need to get involved. The addition of healthy foods would likely increase the current income to the vending machines, without the risk of underfunding. The result of removing all the current items, however, would be catastrophic.
KROP CULTURE SUMMER 2005 THE LIGHTNING STRIKE PAGE SEVEN MUSIC ART New band preps to pep By KATIA PHILIPPEAUX Photo Editor After rushing into their band locker rooms and changing into shorts and t-shirts, students grab their instruments, scatter into the large band room and begin playing out of sync, making loud, cacophonous noise. One of the three drum majors, or band leaders, blows a whistle to quiet the musicians. They’re ready for band magnet teacher Bringle Cidel’s instructions. So begins a rehearsal for the new pep band. The pep band consists of students who are in magnet band courses like orchestra or jazz band. However, any students can join. Cidel originally intended to create a marching band, but because many students in the music m a g n e t program that live out of area, Cidel felt it w o u l d be too m u c h s t r a i n f o r them to stay back and practice for long hours a marching band would require. PHOTO BY KATIA PHILIPPEAUX “Academically we want our kids to excel,” Cidel said. The difference between a marching band and pep band is that a marching band participates in local parades and competitions, whereas a pep band plays at pep rallies and football games. Unlike marching bands, the pep band doesn’t have uniforms; however, they will be seen wearing their purple pep band t-shirts and black Dickies pants. After forty minutes into practice, the pep band is divided On those shimmering Sunday mornings that move in slow motion, I like to play Nick Drake. It’s a ritual of sorts; the melancholia emanating from the surround sound speakers echoes the hushed aesthetic of a fleeting ideal dawn. It’s not always Nick Drake. Mojave 3 or John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme replicate the effect very well. If you listen to music, you have your own traditions. I’ve seen you in your cars, idling at traffic lights, snapping to face your passenger with arms flailing into their sections with their section leaders outside of the band room. The drums, the loudest aspect of the pep band, practice on the patio behind the third building. “Music is my passion.” Geoffrey Leleau Most of the section leaders have been playing instruments since before they started high school and share a serious enthusiasm for music. “Music is my passion,” said trumpet section leader junior Geoffrey Laleau, who has been playing the trumpet for four years. Because the pep band consists of a large amount of people, behavior plays an important role in organization. Three drum majors were assigned positions to keep order in the group. “ I n the past we’ve had disciplinary problems with the students in band. We felt that it was necessary to have these positions so that we could have discipline in the pep band,” said senior and David Hosking, one of the pep band’s drum majors. At the end of practice, the drum majors discuss with the students how practice went and what they need to work on. Before leaving, lead drum major Glenn Miller begins to shout one of the chants he wrote: “You know we don’t stop, because we run Krop!” The pep band repeats the chant while moving left to right with their instruments in hand. and shrieking, “This is the part where it goes … !” I would tell you that I am not much for singing in cars, but The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” gets me every time. W hen your favorite jam pops out at you, it takes over. When you’ve tried for the thousandth time to nail “Ah-ah-I neeeeeeduh your love!” and your failure underscores the beauty of the notes the singer hits, you may understand why the icons say music is a way to communicate with the unknown. By SAMANTHA MINSKI Business Manager After dusting off the pencils, paint brushes and cameras, creativity has returned to Krop. With the start of the school year, the art magnet program has begun molding its new students into cultured artists. “The art magnet has given those students with talent the ability to excel and has helped them prepare for college,” said magnet drawing and painting teacher Ernesto Montes. Despite the shortened summer, the art magnet program, which includes classes in painting, drawing, ceramics and photography, is prepared to begin the year with its students. Selecting these students, however, was a challenging. To enter the magnet program you must first audition and be judged by the magnet art teachers. According to ceramics teacher William Kidd, a portfolio is required with representations of a student’s creativity. They are also required to sketch a still life and create a drawing of their own. Once accepted into the M u s i n g s o n m u s i c STAR FOCUS: The Art Magnet There is no study that adequately explains the power melody and rhythm hold over us. When your favorite jam pops out of the speakers, it takes over. My four year old sings with the radio now. His first attempts were tuned shrieks and he gradually worked his way to singing nursery rhyme words over broadcast songs. The day I noticed he was singing verses and following meter stands out, though. He was enlisting in a noble tradition. Soon, there will be loud sing-a-longs with Mom. There will be a car packed with teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs. Maybe, just maybe, there will even be a duet on “Unchained Melody.” Whatever may come, the torch has been passed. PHOTOS BY KATIA PHILIPPEAUX AND DALIA SABBAGH, COLLAGE BY JACOB NELSON program a student must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in their core classes and a 3.0 in their art classes. An average day in the magnet art program is quite similar to an academic class. Teachers create a lesson plan, students are issued directions and they begin their assignments. “My normal day would be making a still-life drawing, critiquing it and eventually perfecting my work,” sophomore Garret Whittles said. “We also start a new assignment every week and are given the chance to experiment with different types of art.” The similarity between the magnet program and other classes ends there. “Unlike other classes, the formula these kids are plugging in is their own and each students ends with something different,” photography teacher Mirtha Funcia said. The magnet students welcome the challenge of balancing their courses when given an outlet for their creativity. “School has become really hard because I don’t have the time for other classes like English that I need help with, but it’s worth it since I really like art,” Whittles said. Though magnet students may struggle to manage their schedules, which requires an additional two periods a year, some believe the art classes actually help students improve in other subject areas. “The program helps students with critical thinking and encourages them to be diverse and open minded,” Funcia said. “It also helps them to become more culturally and aesthetically aware of their surroundings,” The students enrolled in the magnet are also made eligible for scholarships such as the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, which grants full tuition to deserving artists. “The school in itself also has benefited from the reputation of excellence [the program] has earned in the six years it’s been running,” Montes said. Senior art magnet student Jericah Zabielinsky summed up her experience in the program: “This is my fourth year in magnet photography and I love it. It’s really time consuming but it’s what I love to do.” PHOTO BY RYAN SPRECHMAN Senior Anfredo Lujan (left) recites the monologue “Degas C’est Moi” at the Coffee House performance, held Sept. 1. “Coffee house is a laid back show that provides students an opportunity to perform in a relaxed atmosphere,” drama teacher Andrea Kidd said. These shows, held monthly in the Little Theater, host any students who would like to perform anything on stage, including songs, dances and monologues, as long as it is appropriate for school. Any student is allowed to auditon. Tickets to the show cost $3. Next month’s Coffee House will be themed for Hispanic Heritage month.
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