Birchbark

As most of you may know WXEG 103.9 holds a concert where bands come together and play for the rocker fans. This year was X-Fest 13 was held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. There were ten bands scheduled to play: Avenged Sevenfold, Puddle of Mudd, Red, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Candlebox, 10 years, Black Tide, Buckcherry, and Saving Abel. Unfortunately, Avenged Sevenfold was unable to play due to the lead singer’s voice, so 103.9 found two other bands -- Hinder and Theory of a Deadman. Everything was going great at X-Fest until the wind came in, and it became too dangerous for the bands to play, and also very unsafe for the crowd. The X-Fest staff decided to cancel the show halfway through the event. However, there is a good side to this, 103.9 is saying keep your stubs. Apparently, they are planning to have another concert on December 14 to make the fans happy and get their money’s worth. So keep your ticket stubs, we may be going to another event!

X- Bust 13?

The Tippecanoe High School

On Sunday, September 14th, the Dayton area experienced the after-effects of Hurricane Ike, affecting many people in the process. Fierce winds clocked at 67 miles per hour uprooted many large trees and damaged a number of power lines. Some of the larger trees fell onto the power lines leaving many people without power for one to five days. The extensive damage is partly due to the fact that half of the DP&L employees were aiding relief efforts in the severely effected southern states Even the reluctant Dr. Kronour, notoriously known by Tipp students as the superintendant who hardly ever cancels school, decided the school district needed a two hour delay on the 15th. In some ways the storm was beneficial for the city because it made us get out of our comfort zones, forced us to be entertained in other ways, and also brought us closer together as a community.

For many, the biggest disappointment of the storm was not being able to watch NFL football on Sunday. You couldn’t even get online to check your fantasy team. Instead of watching television, getting on Facebook, or going out to eat, students had to find other things to do to entertain themselves. Some stayed inside and read for more than they have in a long time by candle light. Others went outside and played outdoor sports, cooked out, went on walks, or rode their bikes.

The community really showed its true colors by coming together and helping out those who were in need. Many families who did have power had other relatives or neighbors over for dinner and let them use their restroom facilities. The Lammers’ family had the Wray’s over on several occasions and the school administration even allowed Mr. Porto to take showers at school in the mornings. Some who did not have running water filled up large buckets from their own pool and shared it with their neighbors so they could flush their toilets. Neighbors also helped each other by cleaning out all the debris and brush that was left over in their yards.

Yes, the storm did cause temporary inconveniences, but that is simply what they were, inconveniencies. So what, we escaped the 21st century for a momentary period of time. Getting out of our comfort zones can be a good thing. We live in the best country in the world, and I think we sometimes take things for granted. We are very fortunate that we aren’t living down south where the destruction was much worse. The next time something like this happens we as a community will be better prepared to adapt to these inconveniences

October, 2008 Volume 06, Issue 01

Hurricane Ike slams Tipp

PAGE 6 check in on your favorite sports teams

Jason Salyer and Patrick FisherStaff Writers

Amanda HowardStaff Writer

Photo provided by the Indpendent Voice

In his song “New York, New York”, Frank Sinatra sang “These little town blues are melting away.” That was the idea that the homecoming committee had when they came up with this years theme of “A Dream in New York” for the homecoming dance.

On October 11 th, the gymnasium and commons area will come to life with light and decorations. The sounds of hundreds of bustling students will fill the air as will the music of the D.J.

Unlike the real New York, we don’t have the big name sports teams like the Yankees or the Giants, but we do have Powder Puff! The epic battle will take place the Thursday before homecoming and always puts the junior class girls against the ever-dominant seniors! Some of the other homecoming activities will be the pep rallies and spirit

week before the big football game on Friday.

The football game on Friday and the dance on Saturday are the exclamation points at the end of a week chocked full of fun

activities that most of the students have looked forward to since school started in August. Sami Eberhardt says, “I’m excited for homecoming week and all the exciting activities that we do.”

New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Tipp will be the high school that never stops having fun. As senior Abby Dowd says the only rule to this year’s homecoming is “Have fun and leave!”

This year was the 50th year for Tipp City’s annual Mum Festival. Like always there was the Junior Run for the Mums, the Parade down Main Street, and the delicious Firemen Waffles. But having a Mum Queen from our very own Tippecanoe High School doesn’t happen every year.

THS Senior, Cassie Denniston, was crowned this year’s Mum Queen. This means that Cassie will be called upon to be a good representative of Tipp City while going to other local festivals throughout the year. She also got to oversee everything at this year’s special 50th celebration!

In order to become Mum

Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine”, and was in the parade on Saturday along will fellow THS Senior, Megan Hunter, who received the 1st Attendant award at the pageant.

Now I will leave you with some parting advice for future Queen hopefuls from the Queen herself. Cassie’s best advice is; “be able to think quickly on your feet. Express your personality during the interview because that’s when the judges pick their favorites and if they like you, they tend to score easier… Oh and be prepared for really random questions!”

Students love New York for Homecoming

Mum Queen from THS

by Hallie Donathan and Emma Brown

Staff Writers

2 October, 2008 The BirchbarkNews

Queen, you must participate in a pageant where you are scored in various areas. Your score comes from a panel of judges and the girl with the most points at the end of the night wins. A third of your score comes from your presentation on stage including how you walk in heels and your overall stage presence. Another 1/3 comes from your choice of a talent performed on stage the night of the pageant. The last 1/3 comes from a one on one interview with the judges during the pageant rehearsal the week before the actual pageant night.

Cassie performed her talent from the pageant, a dance to

submitted photo

by Miranda LammersStaff Writer

I’m sure that this year’s students have noticed the change in the parking lot order. This year is the first year that students who drive to school have assigned parking spaces. Was this a good idea on the school’s part, or will it end up backfiring?

“I think that the parking system that we have now is a good idea because last year it was completely chaotic everyday to find a parking spot,” said senior Ryan Myers. “This year seniors were able to pick spots first and then juniors, etc. Now I can come to school at any time and still have my reserved spot.”

Being new to the Tipp City district this year, I am unaware of how the parking situation was last year. But at my previous high school there were not assigned spaces and it was very hectic. So I can only imagine it being just as insane at Tippecanoe. I think that the assigned parking lots are a very good decision on the districts part. Even though some sophomores get the low end of the bargain, the juniors and seniors get the respect of not having to rush for parking spots in the mornings. They get the up-perclassmen treatment.

“I think that either way it is fine. The upperclassmen will have their own spots,” says junior Dan Gibson. “Whoever else is able to drive will just have parking spaces that are further back?”

So, for the 2008-2009 Tippecanoe High School year, parking spaces will have been assigned. Will this new policy stick around for the next year? Or will the hectic parking lot ways of previous years return for good? Personally, I think that the new parking arrangements are make things a lot more sane. Juniors and seniors won’t have to leave for school incredibly early and rush to find a parking spot. I believe it will end up being a permanent decision for upcoming years.

Have you ever had your spot stolen? Have you taken someone else’s? Or are you just someone who wasn’t lucky and ended up not getting one at all? These are just a few of the problems over our school parking lot. Some people think that this is a fair way of doing our parking this year and others disagree.

I have heard a lot of complaints about how the park-ing spots were assigned this year. Is this the right way of doing our parking or is this just easier for the administra-tion? I personally like how we did it this year but for the underclassmen, they kind of got the bad end of the deal. The juniors should be parking behind the seniors and not in their parking area and the sophomores should be park-ing behind the juniors. I know that as an underclassman I looked forward to parking in the senior parking lot and I know that seniors don’t appreciate the underclassman parking in it.

The real argument though is whether or not we should have an assigned number. Last year you could take whatever parking spot you wanted. This year if you take whatever parking spot you want, you mess up the whole parking lot. Once you take someone’s spot, then that person has to take someone else’s and the chain reaction continues.

I know that many of the sophomore’s parents, or any parents who have a student that doesn’t drive until the end of the year, are very upset about our parking. Some of the sophomores that don’t drive yet have a spot and the ones that do drive don’t have one. That is a lot of spots open for students to park in that are going unused.

So for this years parking I guess this is just how it’s going to be. For the people who aren’t happy with their parking spot or don’t even have one, your just going to have to wait till next year. For the people that have one that you like, well you lucked out.

New parking rules have made a positive impact

New parking rules have caused more problems

New parking rules affect student bodyOpinions

The Birchbark 3October, 2008

"ASSIGNED PARKING LOTS ARE A GOOD DECISION"

"UNDERCLASSMEN KIND OF GOT THE BAD END OF THE

DEAL"

by Sami EberhardtStaff Writer

by Maria CromptonStaff Writer

The BirchbarkOur Staff: Returning Members: New Members: Maria Crompton Bailey Arnold Nikki Richardson Caitlyn HaasEditor in Chief: Hallie Donathan Jesse Clark Jason Salyer Danae KingKara Brenneman Allison Hinde Sami Eberhardt Joel Slyman Amanda Howard Laura Haley Kayla Stucke Advisor:Assistant Editor: Melanie Walton Miranda Lammers Emma Brown Mrs. MahaneyMelanie O' Brien Wes Marsh Patrick Fisher

PRO CON

Cassie Denniston accepts her crown.

”We knew the band did well, and we were very proud of them.

Mr. Parks–

The DayTONYs are coming...

Tippecanoe High School’s drama program has recently taken on another venture for eager young thespians. The Daytony program has had a place in Community Theater since its begin-ning in 2002. However, this will be its first year being taken on by students. The program consists of student judges going to other area high school plays and ranking them on a system of 1-10. The judges take marks on everything from actors, set design, and technical details such as lighting. All categories have awards.

Jim Sagona, head of the Tippeca-noe High School drama program and member of the original Daytony com-mittee has spearheaded this student organization. “It was something they were interested in doing and asked me,” he said.

A unique point of the Daytony’s is the lack of a competition. As ex-plained by Mallory Miller, the student Daytony chairman, schools aren’t

in this to outdo each other. “You’re competing against your own ability,” she explained. “You’re pushing to be the best you can be. It’s a great opportunity for any student in the theater program to know it counts for something.”

Jim Sagona also sees positives in taking on the organization. “It’s an opportunity to see what other strong programs other areas are doing.”

Other schools participating are Troy, Vandalia, Northmont, Stivers School for the Arts, Springboro, Beavercreek, Centerville, and Car-roll. In all, there are 25 schools in consideration.

All involved agree the first year of the student Daytony’s will do well in fostering an eager interest in theater opportunities avail to drama students and give schools a chance for recogni-tion for their hard work.

EDIT

OR

IAL Life is about progression, about topping

everything you've already done. It is impossible to reach absolute perfection, but we all should be filled with a ravenous desire to do so when it comes to our passions. When looking at previous work it's good to be proud of yourself, but it's even better to be able to pick out your weaknesses and strive to strengthen them. Frankly, I know that last year's school paper was weak. While the best intentions were put into it, the results were not optimal. Things will change this year. We have a new layout, and a different name. "The Birchbark" is a reinstatement of our school paper's original name. We are going back to the fundamentals of what a school paper should do: print what's going on in the world from the perspective of your peers. We are determined to turn our paper from a joke into something respectable. Every article in this issue was written by someone who cared about the topic. They weren't just written haphazardly to avoid a bad grade. As a staff, we are out to create something that you will be interested in reading. If you like this issure, I'm glad we could please you. If you don't like it, keep playing hard to get but eventually we'll write something you can't resist reading. Also, feel free to tell us what you think of our work at the newspaper page on the school website. Don't worry, we are already hard at work on the next issue, and we are looking to progress and become better every single time.

-Editor in Chief: Kara Brenneman

Notice Anything Different?

4 October, 2008 The BirchbarkOpinions

Staff Writer

by Melanie O' Brien

FeaturesThe Birchbark 5October, 2008

SpeakOUT

The band performing at a football game

“Band rocks my socks!"Laura HerkinsSeniorBand goes to state in '08!

The 131 member Tippecanoe Marching Band has once again qualified for state! It all started with a long week of band camp at Rio Grande College in late July. Since then, they have worked very hard; performing at football games, competitions, and practicing three times a week. This year’s show is entitled City Nights, and it consists of three jazz songs called “Blues in the Night,” “Night in Tunisia,” and “Night Train.” On September 13, the Tippecanoe Marching Band hosted their 33rd annual invitational. Receiving a rating of II, they were determined to work hard to improve their score at the next competition. Their hard work seemed to pay off.

At the Springfield Shawnee

Invitational the following weekend, the band was all smiles as they came off the field because they knew it was one of their best performances. Directors Mr. Parks and Mrs. Marsh said, “We knew the band did well, and we were very proud of them.”

The most exciting, yet nerve-racking part of competitions, is waiting in the stands to find out

the rating. After many cheers and getting pumped up, the band was told they received the remarkable rating of a I!

Ashley Stearns, like many others, screamed so loud she lost her voice. Along with this superior rating and qualifying for state, they received 7 trophies among other local bands. These trophies included 1st place Auxiliary, 1st place Percussion, 2nd place Field Commanding, 1st place Visual, 1st place General Effect, 1st place Music, and 1st place overall in Class A. This was enough to excite the restless group. Junior Shelby Rhoades explains, “It’s a relief that we received a I, because the previous week we didn’t do our best. And I was excited because we didn’t have to run for Chuck!”

by Bailey Arnold and Kayla Stucke

Staff Writer

“I would give it a two thumbs up!”

Kelsey StapletonJunior

The road less traveled

Have any of you been hindered by the road construction on Hyatt Street? Have any of you wondered why this road construction was started the week before students were sent back to school? We know we have! With everyone complaining about being stuck by a train on the way to school, having to leave early, and paying the extra money for the gas wasted while driving out of the way, we decided to do some investigation. We are here to give you the inside scoop! This project has been started to install sanitary sewers, waterlines and storm sewers. Hyatt St. will also be widened to three lanes, sidewalks put in and have curbs and gutters added also. We have heard a rumor that the reason this project was started the week before school was due to a property owner not signing off on the project. Since the city is taking land from the property owners, by law they had to have all owners sign off on the construction plan. We asked a THS student how he felt about the road construction and this is what he said. Aaron Evans, a senior replied, “I spend extra money on gas and now I have to cut back on my coffee intake so I can pay for gas!” So if you planned on taking Hyatt St. anytime soon, MAKE SOME NEW PLANS because the road is not expected to be open until mid to late November!

Staff Writersby Laura Haley and Nikki Richardson

Fall Sports Shorts To paint or not to paint… that

is the question. While some school administrators think that body painting is tacky and unsportsmanlike, we found that most of the students and faculty feel it is a great way to show school spirit.

As most of you know, body painting for sporting events has been a debate for over a year now. It was banned in 2007 when a select few were not appropriately dressed while sporting body paint. Administrators decided to punish the entire student body for the behavior of those few and we have not been allowed to paint since.

Most of the students, however, feel that they are responsible enough to be respectful of the other team and that they can paint their bodies while still being tasteful. “People should be allowed to paint because it shows school spirit. It also helps get the fans into the game. It helps the players of the game get excited too”, said Junior Alex Davis. Senior Michelle Merical expressed her thoughts as well: “I think that students should be allowed to paint for the games especially the Seniors. It is our last year and all we want to do is show school spirit. As long as it’s tasteful I don’t see any

problem with it.” Many of the students are even

willing to compromise. “Students should be allowed to paint for sporting events. It shows school spirit and is a distraction for the other team. If full-body painting is not allowed, the students should at least be able to paint their arms and faces as long as they are wearing a tank top,” explained Lindsey Raterman. Even some of the faculty think that it is a great way to show school spirit. Mr. Lavercombe put it best, “Body painting-when done properly-can really show school spirit. When a visiting school comes into

the gym and sees a group of crazy students with T-I-P-P on their chests, or D-E-V-I-L-S, it really shows the other team that we’re serious about our sports and that we are behind our athletes. However, this must be done with class and respect. There is a fine line that cannot be crossed. If given the opportunity, I think our students will rise to the occasion.” Actions of the few do not warrant punishment for everyone. We feel the administrators should give this group of students a chance to show our school spirit and prove that we can do it responsibly.

by Hallie Donathan and Allison Hinde

Staff Writer

To paint or not to paint?The limits on school spirit

Blake Trimble, Derick Allen, Daniel Gibson, Hunter Heck, Abby Dowd, and Matt Gioiello all painted for the football game before the rule was enacted.

photo by Amanda Howard

FAST FACTS

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Football Scoreboard

COACH’S CORNER

Hallie Donathon

Kevin Fink

Laura Murray

Allen Comer

Ethan Sphar

Top 3 in CBC in assists.

Huge improvement from last season.

CBC Champion and District Medalist

Second in CBC in all purpose yards.

Six shutouts this season

Tipp XC boys are ranked #1 in the state.

Volleyball is on 46 game regular season winning streak.

What are our coaches thinking?

Opponent Score@ Graham@ GreenvilleRossIndian Lake@ Benjamin LoganBellefontaine@ StebbinsTecumsehKenton Ridge@ Shawnee

48–13 W45–19 W56–7 W21–10 W42–14 W21–14 W49--0 WNANANA

"It's going to come down to defense and special teams and whatever team doesn't allow the big play." on the highly anticipated Tipp vs. Tecumseh homecoming matchup.

7October, 2008The BirchbarkSports

Girls golf team advanced to state tourney for first time in history.

Boys soccer is undefeated in CBC.

Football: The Tippecanoe Varsity football team seems to be picking up right where they left off last year, reaching their current mark of 7-0. The game to watch for this year would have to be October 10th (Homecoming) vs. Tecumseh. This game could be as hyped as last year's Bellefontaine game.Boys Soccer: Led by Coach Scott Downing, the boys’ soccer team are speedin’ through the competition with a record of 11-3-1 and 10-0-0 in the CBC. The Red Devils are

by Wes Marsh, Jason Salyer, and Joel Slyman

Staff Writerleaving no prisoners behind as they are looking for a second straight CBC championship.Girls Soccer: The girls’ soccer team is on a roll these days posting a 10-1-3 overall record and 9-0-1 in the CBC. The girls are looking to roll into the Division 1 postseason tournament with a CBC title to their name.Volleyball: The girls are continuing to cruise through their schedule as they are riding a 46 game regular season winning streak and are ranked 2nd in the State AP poll. 1st game in the tournament run is Oct. 11th.

Boys Cross Country: The boys’ cross country team is currently ranked 1st in the state and is undefeated against D2 competition. The varsity team consists of seniors Jason Bruns, Jason Salyer, Matt Zuzolo, and Andrew Wharton; and juniors Kevin Fink and Tyler Fietshans. Girls Cross Country: The girls’ cross country team is currently ranked #18 in the state. The varsity team consists of senior Corrie Jones; juniors Allison Chin and Tracy Fujimura; sophomores Katie Landwehr and Jessica Bruggerman; and freshmen Peyton Miller and

Alex Mahan.Tennis: The 16-0 girls’ tennis team continues to dominate the CBC, obliterating their opponents day in and day out. The team is again led by Leah Donoff in first singles and Karen Allen and Kaitlin Patzek in first doubles.Golf: Both golf teams have been very successful this season, but the Girls golf team has had an especially awesome season. They are lead by sophomore Laura Murray, senior Catherine Reed, junior Megan Swan, junior Erika Asher, and sophmore Taylor Cook. The Girls took first place at districts

SportsThe BirchbarkOctober, 20086

NFL power rankings1. New York Giants 4-0

50pts.2. Dallas Cowboys 3-1

41 pts.3. Washington Redskins

3-1 39 pts.4. Tennessee Titans 4-0

35 pts.5. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1

22 pts.

6. Carolina Panthers 3-1 19 pts.

7. Buffalo Bills 4-0 18 pts.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1 15 pts.

9. San Diego Chargers 2-2 14 pts.

10. Denver Broncos 3-1 11 pts.

A quarter of the way through the NFL season, how do the teams stack up? Our sports staff of Wes Marsh, Jason Salyer, Jesse Clark, Joel Slyman, and Katie Haas analyzed all 32 NFL teams, and each of us made a top ten list. Using a points system that gives the top ranked team 10 points, 2nd ranked team 9 points, all the way down to 1 point for 10th place, we combined all our lists and created one list.

- Coach Burgbacher

In FocusThe BirchbarkOctober, 20088

RIGHT: Danielle Ernst and

Kayla Huelsman proudly display their

pumpkins during ceramics class.

BELOW: Senior AP Lit students

show off their Brave New World projects.

RIGHT: Corrie Jones and

Linnea Barnard obviously cannot

contain their excitement.

ABOVE: Some juniors aren't

paying attention when they should be. Patrick Fisher, what kind of a

look is that?

BELOW: Students diligently work in class to do their best. Way to try and keep up your GPA's!

Students in action!Fall 2008

You never know.. these pictures could also be in the yearbook..

Photo by Kayla Stucke

Photo by Bailey Arnold

Photo by Miranda Lammers

Photos by Miranda Lammers

Photo by Miranda Lammers

Photo by Miranda Lammers