2 THE OPTIMIST October 26, 2012Sports

ALEXIS CRAWFORDJacqueline Forney, setter, jump sets the ball to middle hitter

Amy Zwissler, senior, during a game this season against Seymour.

Forney’s Fun Facts

What pumps you up before a big game?“Before a big game I listen to some ‘Jock Jams’ and ‘It’s Tricky’ by Run DMC. These songs pump me up because they’re really high energy and fun which gets me ready to compete.”

How would you describe your relationship with Justin Bieber?“Justin and I go way back. I usu-ally go to him when I’m lonely. He really knows how to bring me up when I’m feeling down. He’s just the perfect boyfriend.”

What are your favorite types of candy?“I like Sour Patch Kids, Zours, Skittles, Starbursts, jelly beans, Chewy Sprees, Carmel Apple Suckers, and Sour Punch Straws.”

South junior Jacqueline Forney somehow finds time to balance school, friends and sports. Her primary athletic focus is volleyball, which she starte to her when she was in seventh grade. “I play basketball, volleyball, I’m also in Dance Marathon, I’m in Habitat for Humanity and [the] Spanish club Amigos,” Forney said. Though she dedicates herself to both volleyball and basketball, Forney has a bigger interest in volleyball. “I’m hoping that [volleyball] starts getting bigger here in Bloomington, we have a new club for travel and I think that the director will do a good job establishing it for younger kids and I hope it can start building up to be something like basketball in this town,” Forney said. South’s volleyball coach Eugene Kim has nothing but great things to say about Forney and the team. He is excited to see what is in store for the rest of the season, and admires the respect that Forney receives from her teammates, as well as the respect he and the team receive from her. Kim described Forney as one of the “nicest young ladies” and “most intense competitors [he’s] ever had a chance to know.” “Above all, Jacqueline leads by example. Her actions always speak louder than her words. She is a fantastic young lady and understands that the total team effort wins matches and she begins by doing it herself,” Kim said. Forney wasn’t born with these mad volleyball and basketball skills; she has acquired them over years of practice. Reminiscing on her basketball career when she was still getting used to playing, Forney tells about the time when she wasn’t so great of a player. While Forney was sitting on the sidelines at the national tourna-ment watching her third grade travel basketball team play, a girl on her team had to sit out. The coaches put Forney in the game with 10 seconds and to her dismay she had to shoot the ball. “I was the last person you wanted in the game,” Forney said, “and I was getting ready to shoot a three pointer with three seconds left and one girl on the team was like ‘NO DON’T SHOOT IT!’ and I shot it and I made it and that was probably my best memory in basketball.” Forney hits the gym frequently to keep her game top notch and gives her all during practice with her team. According to Forney, the basketball team shares a connection that she feels is important in bettering the season from last year. Working hard individually is also the key to success for the team. Forney’s exemplary work ethic does not go unnoticed. “She’s a hard worker, she’ll get everything done and she’ll do it the right way. I think that’s the most important part, that she’ll do it the right way and won’t slack off,” said Forney’s best friend, and basketball teammate, junior Lauren Whitlatch said. Forney’s most important focus ultimately comes down to her education, and making sure she maintains good grades in school. She hopes to receive a volleyball scholarship for college when she gets out of high school. Volleyball is a newer sport to Forney, which she started when she was in seventh grade, versus her experience with playing basketball since she was 6 years old. However with her dedication, it is obvious that she continue to get better. “From my standpoint she’s a great student, she’s very assertive in class and you can tell she’s prepared because she does pretty well on the exams. I think she’s a top notch student I’ve also seen her as an athlete and she’s a top notch athlete as well,” AP U.S. History teacher, Phil Kluesner said.

Olivia LancasterStaff Writer

THE OPTIMIST3October 26 2012 Sports

Kara CieplyCo-Editor-In-Chief Varsity volleyball assistant coach Kelsey Hall sits on the bench watching intently and making frequent notes as her team plays against Shelbyville High School. Last Friday, the first game of sec-tionals, the Lady Panther volleyball team fell to No. 8 ranked Shelbyville, ending their so far successfull season. As a former college volleyball player, Hall’s experience gives her valuable insight as a coach, but the transition from the court to the bench was a difficult one. “Sometimes I wish I could go out there and play when I know we’re more capable of some of the stuff we do,” she said. Including Hall, exactly two-thirds of all athletic coaches at South are former collegiate athletes. Even South’s athletic director J.R. Holmes played basketball at Indiana State University during his freshman year and has been coaching boys basketball for 42 years. Hall, who played volleyball for the University of California Los Angeles as a freshman and Indiana University for her sophomore through senior years, is now an assistant coach here at South. Hall had also been surrounded by “some really good coaches” who influenced her decision to become a coach, including former UCLA head coach Andy Banach-

owski, who currently has the most wins of any Division I women’s volleyball coach. “He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” she said. Abby Boatman, sophomore and middle hitter for South, has the upmost respect for Hall. “When she scrimmages with us, we trust her to do what’s right. She really knows the game,” Boatman said. However, “It’s a lot different,” Hall said of college versus high school volleyball, “but you do integrate parts of college to high school.” South’s girls cross country coach, Allison Fife, ran cross country at IU for four years after walking onto the team her freshman year. In high school, she had two cross country coaches who made a great impact on her life: “As a result, I wanted to pass that on,” she said. As a coach, Fife is an active member in the girls’ practices. “We still run every day with them…we’re out there with them, we know how much it can hurt; physically and mentally,” Fife said. Former IU soccer player Kevin Sparks, who coaches South boys soccer, believes that his players “respect what [he has] to say” because of his collegiate playing experience. “He has more knowledge of the game,” said sophomore soccer player Benji Ipsen, “and he really shows that he knows what he’s doing.” After playing at IU for four

years, Sparks said, “I’ve seen what it takes: I’ve seen guys at the top level who are on the national team.” The boys soccer team made history this season, winning the conference for the first time ever and a sectional title for the first time in 16 years. “I try to teach my boys how simple the game can be. A lot of times, especially in soccer, you try too much. The best players are simple and smart,” he said. “I’m hav-ing a great time here, [coaching here] was the best decision.” Although some coaches have used their prior collegiate experiences to their benefit, others deem it unnecessary.Girls basketball coach Larry Winters played basketball at Montana State University. Of prior coaches’ influence, Winters said, “You take a lot of things into what you want your coaching style and philosophy to be, not just your college experience.” Now coaching high school girls, Winters “[doesn’t] coach the way [he] was coached,” referring to the “in your face” way that boys are typically trained. Although the expectations to com-pete and win are the same for girls and boys, the way they are motivated is quite different, he explained, boys handle being yelled at better than girls, where challenging them is sometimes not enough. In an opinion piece pub-

lished on The New York Times’ website about a year ago, David Bornstein stated that “while youth and professional sports look alike, [it is] forg[otten] that they are fundamentally different.” South football coach Kirk Kennedy, who played football at the University of Louisville for four years, agreed, referring to college football as “a totally different animal.” “You can talk about it all you want but until you’re actually there doing it…noth-ing prepares you better,” he said. “The insight you gain as a player helps in your coaching, but I don’t really think playing at higher levels will necessarily make you a better coach.” Senior and quarterback of the football team Matt Henderson said that he would “definitely prefer” a coach who had col-legiate experience. “They understand the game better as players and have been in the same situations as us,” he said. Although student athletes seem to enjoy having coaches with experience at a higher level, Holmes said, “If they’re qualified and we could get them a job in the building, that would come before being a college athlete. You don’t have to play in college to be a good coach.”

Boys soccer coach Kevin Sparks (left) directs his team in a drill during a practice.

Girls basketball coach Larry Winters (right) jokes around with sophomore Annie Gillard before an open gym.

Assistant girls volleyball coach Kelsey Hall (middle) hits balls at the team during warm ups.

ELI STIDD ELI STIDDCOURTESY PHOTO

From college athletics to high school coaching

4THE OPTIMIST OCTOBER 26, 2012OPinion OCTOBER 26, 2012 Opinion THE OPTIMIST5

The Optimist Co-Editor-in-Chief and Business Manager weigh in, evaluate and debate issues behind the 2012 presidential election.

What matters most in your life? Hopefully family, however you personally define it, ranks toward

the top. A cornerstone of any family is financial stability. What is a significant key to financial stabil-

ity? Employment. Under the Obama Administration, the fiscal stimulus plan was carried out, costing us more than

$775 billion. From this “revival plan,” the unemployment rate was projected to be just under 8

percent. However, after the stimulus was rushed through Congress and carried out, an additional

2.5 million people lost their jobs. This amount is roughly half the population of Indiana. As a direct

result of Obama’s policies, unemployment skyrocketed to over 10 percent. This job loss affected

almost all sectors of society, from what started as ripples in local economies to the wave which over-

took our national economy. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are Republicans (the party of Abraham Lincoln) and under their vi-

sion for our country, the economy will be redirected. The American economic engine that cunningly

led the U.S. through the 20th century will be restored, encouraging free enterprise and investment.

Romney and Ryan plan to set honest goals for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), capping federal

spending to 20 percent by the end of his first term, as opposed to Obama’s 25 percent spending dur-

ing his term in office. The Romney/Ryan plan will reduce spending by $750 billion.

The families of the United States can no longer handle the burdens Obama and his misguided

policies have placed upon them. In order to regain the economic prowess the U.S. once held so

dear, new policies must be a priority and implemented with haste. We do not need four more years

of the same meddling government; let us return America to its exceptional position in the world. In

2008, over half the country asked for a prescription of Change. Now four years later, we all suffer

from the headache.

Sarah HoffmanBusiness Manager

Planning to go to college? Then Decision 2012 should be easy.

In 2010, graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of more than $26,000. Stu-

dent loan debt has surpassed credit card debt for the first time.

While the Grand Old Party (GOP) has wasted precious congressional time crusading against the

“czars” of the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama has worked to make college more ac-

cessible, affordable and attainable for all American families.

The president has raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,635 for the 2013-2014 school

award year - a $905 increase since 2008. Under the president’s leadership, the number of Pell Grant

recipients has expanded by 50 percent over that same time, making college an option for millions of

additional low-income and middle-class students across the country. Gov. Mitt Romney and running

mate Congressman Paul Ryan favor the elimination of Pell Grants altogether.

Obama has also focused his efforts on ways to encourage responsible submission of student loans.

The administration’s “Pay as You Earn” plan enables 1.6 million students to take advantage of a new

option to cap repayment of student loans at 10 percent of monthly income. Student borrowers can

begin using “Pay as You Earn” at the end of this year.

Finally, Obama established the American Opportunity Tax Credit in 2009 to assist families with

the costs of college, providing as much as $10,000 for four years of college tuition. More than 9.4 mil-

lion students and families benefit from the American Opportunity Tax Credit each year.

Today’s job market is more competitive than ever. The value of a post-secondary education is

sky-rocketing. Burdened by the rising costs of college education, middle class families are falling into

serious debt. If you care about your future, and the challenges facing our students, there is absolutely

no reason why you shouldn’t vote for President Barack Obama.

Hannah Alani

Co-Editor-in-Chief

9th Congressional District Represenative

IN Senator

IN Governor

Shelli Yoder (D) vs. Todd Young (R)

Think NationallyAct Locally

BHSS: Decision 2012

Joe Donnelly (D) vs. Joe Mourdock(R)

John Gregg (D) vs. Mike Pence (R) o Eliminate large contracts so that Indiana’s small businesses can competeo Support funding of full day kindergarteno Focus on equal pay for women

“I have always brought people together. As governor, I’ll do that again.”

o Supports the growth of Indiana agricul-tureo Lower cost of colleeo Increase K-12 success

“Let’s put the emphasis on jobs.”

o Increase Pell Grantso Raise deductions to 5 million-per-person

“It’s not unprincipled to be biparti-san and work together...to move our country forward.”

o Favors self-deportation o Favors elimination of inheritance tax

“Congress has failed...I don’t like the fact that goverment keeps growing...principle issues are at stake here.”

o Increase funding for sustain-able energyo Increase education funding

“I will work overtime to bring investments in civic and economic infrastructure to the 9th District.”

o Focus on balancing national budgeto Maintain defense budget

“I’m here to be your voice.”

6THE OPTIMIST October 26, 2012FeatureDisciplanary Referral

Bloomington High School South1965 South Walnut Street

Bloomington, IN 47401Phone:330-7714

STUDENT: Cristiaan Broderick CLASS-GRADE senior, writer DATE today SUBJECT Optimist explores referrals

Date of Incident Every day Time 2:55 Location Room A125 Teacher Mills

NOTICE TO PARENTS1.) The purpose of this report is to inform you of a disciplinary incident involving the student.

2.) Please note the action taken by the administrator.

Reason(s) for this notice:Blinding teacher

Throwing paper

Breathing

Excessive hugging

Stealing Spam

Comments:

Using pencil sharpener

Drinking water

Fighting

Showing too much skin

Wake up call continued from Pg. 1

as McKay explained, “If you fast forward your life a few years, the average person will be humiliated to look back on the things that they posted.” Freshman cheerleader Ryan Jessmer learned her lesson about social media the hard way when a friend of hers posted a picture of Jessmer in her cheer uniform in a South hallway for Instagram’s “Em-barrass your Best Friend” day. When Jessmer first saw that the picture had been posted, she didn’t think much of it. “I just thought it was funny,” she said.

“It was supposed to be a joke.” Unfortu-nately for Jessmer, the cheer coach, the school administrators, and her parents did not find the picture to be amusing, and it was instead deemed inappropriate because her somewhat provocative pose. Jessmer sat out for the three remaining games of the junior varsity season, while all elec-tronics were taken away at home. “I wasn’t allowed to leave the house for two or three weeks after my parents found out,” said Jessmer. “It made me

Putting forth great effort, social studies teacher Matt Hoagland adamantly cautioned his student to refrain from giving him yet another hug. His attempts were futile and he was enveloped in an arm-pinning bear hug. The student was asked to leave, but he didn’t leave empty handed, in his hand was the dreaded white, yellow and pink slip…a referral. The hugger, senior Boyd Haley, made his way up to the main office. “Mr. Doyle was laughing,” Haley recalled. Referrals are just as much a part of high school as tests and homework. Referrals are written every day, some days more than others. “I probably get five new referrals a day,” said Assistant Principal Cindy Chrzastowski, “but that can vary.” A referral is typically issued to a student after the offense occurs, and a copy is mailed to their house within the next few days. The student is sent to the office with the slip and then discusses the situation with their principal where a consequence is determined. However a great number of referrals are automatically issued to students with too many tardies or truancies, which have predetermined consequences. “A standard referral is usually for failure to comply, which can range from not doing work to interrupting class,” said Chrzastowski. The limit of what quali-fies for a referral is determined by the tolerance of the teacher, but typically is a last resort. It seems to be negative for both: teachers don’t want to write them as much as students don’t want to receive them. “A referral to me is an admission of failure,” said social studies teacher Dan Combs. “I’ve tried A, I tried B, I tried C, and whatever plans I had didn’t work.” A lot of teachers use referrals as a final warning after first seeking other ways to provide discipline. Although South’s faculty is advised not to administer referrals for trivial incidents, some students think do. “[My teacher] told me not to [throw it] but I didn’t hear him,” said sophomore Jessica Cano, who received a referral for tossing a scrap of paper during math. “Actually I wrote some kids up once for stealing Spam. I feel rather good about that one,” said Combs on a group of students’ plot to steal his collection of canned meat. Although teachers do not typically find joy in writing referrals, principals and teachers alike agree that there is nothing wrong with punishing a deserving student. On a more serious note, math teacher Andrew McPheely said, “Most referrals I’ve written are because of an outburst or leaving class…or phones. I try to make sure they have fair warning.”

people don’t need to see.” realize that there are certain things that

THE OPTIMIST7October 26, 2012 FEATURE

Tony KangStaff Writer

the pledge. While noting that is optional to do so, she wants to “honor the situation that we have choices and the freedom.” Though some choose not to participate just because they do not want to, some have reasons to justify their sitting down. James Bower, junior, is a British citi-zen who refuses to stand up for the pledge. He cherishes his British identity and believes that “you don’t have to pledge allegiance to anything.” In addition, he commented that he “disagree[s] with some of the things like ‘under God.’” Bower’s latter comment brings out an-other controversial aspect of the pledge. In 1954, the phrase “under God” was added in order to differentiate the U.S. from its atheist rival, the Soviet Union. Although a substantial number of Americans believe

“Students and teachers please rise for the pledge and remain standing for a mo-ment of silence.” Every morning South students hear these words. Some stand up. Some sit down. Some do not care. Junior Austin Jolivette really cares. “It only takes 30 seconds,” he said. “There are so many opportunities in this coun-try and we should honor that.” He feels especially fervent about people standing up for the pledge because he was raised in a family that had been involved in the military and the government. “I was taught that it was the right thing to do.” South’s printmaking and ceramics teacher Stephanie Benham once told her class why it is respectful to stand up for

in God, some do not. Nick Martino, junior, is one of them. He thinks that including the phrase is “controversial, considering that separation of church and state is an important part of our country.” However, he does not understand how “two words could offend anyone. If you don’t like it, don’t stand or don’t say it.” No matter how people act during the pledge, one rule is clear: Stay quiet while others take the pledge. Jolivette noted that it is important to “be quiet and acknowledge that there is something significant going on.” Bower and Martino do not stand up for the pledge, but at least Martino “make[s] a point to be quiet and respectful.”

ELI STIDD

Senior Riley Bland stands for the pledge of allegiance during his first period

Everyone learns how to ride a bike when they’re young and not everyone turns into Lance Armstrong; but at South there are a lot of kids that enjoy biking. Juniors Isabel Cullather and Ashley Judge recently answered the call for a biking club by founding one along with teacher sponsor Kathleen Mills. Student bike riders can now be a part of the club named Students Peddling in Indiana (S.P.IN.) The club is focused on “getting people involved in the community and keeping them healthy,” said Cullather. The point of S.P.IN. is to have fun while biking with people who also enjoy it. Cul-lather has ridden in The Hilly Hundred, a two-day, 100-mile bike ride, as well as Decycles, an organization for student cy-clists that takes summer trips. Of course,

not everyone joining the bike club needs experience with these kinds of biking trips to join. “A lot of people like biking but are afraid to do it on their own or don’t know the trails, so biking in a club would be more beneficial to them,” said Cullather. Another club that isn’t as adventurous but takes a look at the political side of things is Young Republicans. Until now, South lacked an organization for conser-vative students. “I was even thinking about starting a Young Republicans club but when I heard about it on the announcements I was ex-cited,” sophomore Brianna Boyd said. In Young Republicans, students are encour-aged to express their political opinions, assuming they support the Republican Party. The club has teacher Beth Smith as

their sponsor and senior Sarah Hoffman as president. As a club, Young Republicans plan to get involved with the Bloomington community by going door to door and talking to people about voting for Repub-lican candidates. Before, South only had a Young Democrats club; Boyd said “it made me feel limited in expressing my thoughts on politics.” Now, with the two main political parties in approved clubs, anyone can be a part of student politics. Sometimes South clubs focus on something one may know nothing about. The new “Doctor Who” club falls into that category. “Doctor Who” is a British television show that first aired in 1963. Art teacher Cynthia Leistikow had started watching the show about a year ago after one of her former students told her about it.

“I don’t even watch TV very much and it’s one thing that has me interested,” said Leistikow. The show, originally made to educate about history, incorporates the idea of helping humanity. To show this aspect of helping the community, group members have discussed a food drive or doing community service. Leistikow also plans to have club members make cupcakes, t-shirts and other symbols of “Doctor Who” along with possibly watch-ing a few favorite episodes. Whatever students are interested in, new clubs are always being added at South. It’s never too late to join a club, learn more or even try to start your own.

Claire LawStaff Writer

Clusters of new clubs class every day.

Back8 The Optimist

The Optimist is a student publication of Bloomington High School South, 1965 S. Walnut St. Bloomington, IN 47401 (812) 330-7714, ext. 2130. It is printed at The Herald-Times in Bloomington. All letters or other submissions should be signed and brought to A125. Editors in Chief: Allison Wilson, Kara Cieply, Hannah AlaniFeature/News Editor: Danielle RobertsonSports Editor: Kirby AnsteadCopy/Opinion Editor: Amanda Brooks-KellySocial Media Coordinator: Cristiaan Broderick Staff Writers: Alissa Aders, Megan Couch, Anna Cron, Julia Herrmann, Maggie Hopkins, Tony Kang, Addie Kautz, Olivia Lancaster, Claire Law, Ivy Moore, Evelyn RehreyPhoto Editor: Griffin Walter-BaileyPhotographers: Eli Stidd, Alexis CrawfordBusiness Manager: Sarah HoffmanAdviser: Kathleen Mills

End of first trimester

Halloween day before finals

No noodles in the pasta salad

October 26, 2012

The Optimist

OCristiaan BroderickSocial Media CoordinatorGriffin Walter-BaileyPhoto Editor

Julia HerrmannStaff Writer

South’s cafeteria cookies have quite a reputation. Freshman Ashley Kellar asked her brother Derek Kellar, who graduated in 2009, about the school’s food. “He wouldn’t stop talking about the cookies,” Kellar said. However, what South students aren’t sure about is the origin of the cookies. “Most people don’t think they’re made here,” Kellar said, “but we love them anyway.” The cookies are actually baked at South from frozen dough supplied by Otis Spunk-meyer, according to head cook Kathy Chitwood. “They really like our cookies,” she said. “We sell about 900 a day.”

The

“That one kid”

Biggest tool

Most likely to become a crazy cat lady

Most likely to be on a “Real Housewives” re-ality TV show

Most likely to join a nudist colony

40-year-old virgin

Most likely to push bathsalts

Most likely to appear on Springer/Maury

Most likely to be caught in an African elephant stampede

Most likely to join PETA

Ironically, the list of rejected senior survey questions were also the most creative.

Fact or FictionAddie KautzStaff Writer

Ingredients: 1 cup shortening1 cup sugar1 cup brown sugar2 eggs2 cups flour1 tsp. salt1 tsp. baking soda2 cups oatmeal1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. When the mixture is even throughout, spoon the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

(812) 336-Bake313 East Third StBloomington, IN

Optimist opinion: guidance counselor Joel McKay rightly jarred us out of our online privacy complacency with those guidance office photos.

Read the Optimist opinion by Amanda Brooks-Kelly online atwww.bloomingtonsouth.org.