September 13, 2011Volume CVI, Issue 1

Walnut Hills High School

Letter from the EditorsMia Manavalan, ’12 Tanner Walters, ‘12 Editor in Chief Senior Managing Editor We’re back! While the rest of the school seems barely recognizable to some of the veteran students and teachers, the Chatterbox returns to its faithful newspaper format. But don’t gear up for a familiar face. Reflecting the renovation, the Chat-terbox has made some changes. The publication is now supported by a class of 30 students, as well as the traditional after-school club. This allows us to produce eight print editions and eight online editions. We’ll be able to keep you up to date on current school news on a regular basis.

Welcome back Walnut Hills! The Renovation: An Overview

Schedule MishapsAlina Tashjian, ‘14Staff Writer

This summer, chaos arose in the guidance office. Scheduling prob-lems resulted due to the staggering number of students who enrolled during the summer. Therefore, the schedules had to be redone in order to put the new students in their classes. However, it was primarily a miscommunication error. There were many students this year that had to make multiple changes to their schedules. One of those students was sophomore Meredith Bailey. “I optioned for Spanish 1 and was put in French 1AA,” she says, “and although I had taken summer gym and my cred-its were fulfilled, I was put in gym again. Due to that I did not have a study [hall] first semester like I had specifically requested.”

Garret Oester, ‘14Business Manager

In approximately three years, Wal-nut Hills High School will be housed in a state-of-the-art building which will provide an environment more suitable to the school’s renowned educational experience. The cost: 67 million dollars and three-and-a-half years of construction. The reward: a LEED Gold certified, eco-friendly building. (LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is certification system created by US Green Building Council to quantify the innovativeness and eco-friendli-ness of a building.) The building will feature new competition-sized athletic spaces, including a natatorium, a music wing with five classrooms that contains built-in sound systems, a music library and private offices for the teachers. A performance hall that seats 120 people will also be in-cluded. Essentially, the renovation of the existing space will bring the 1931 building up to the level of excellence that will be seen in the new construc-tion. To allow the continued occupation of the existing buildings, the plan is split into multiple phases. By 2014 this project should be in completion–the North Wing and the new Aca-demic Wing by next fall, and the new music and athletic spaces by January 2013.

However, all of the timelines are subject to change due to the nature of working on a building built in 1931. In fact, the first issue has already been discovered: the need to run an electrical conduit through several closets in the South Wing to provide the construction crews with power. Construction began on August 4, three months behind schedule be-cause of issues in selecting a contrac-tor. The project has many goals, one of them to unify the decor between the current and future buildings. The color scheme inside will be synchro-nized with black, cream, white and blue colors, and the spaces will use tile and poured solid surface flooring throughout the building. Most es-sentially, the architecture will remain classic and simple, similar to the Arts and Sciences Center completed in 1999. This year the Chatterbox will be bringing you another series of in-formation on special and unknown areas of the future campus. This first article will highlight the Plaza, a long paved area that will run the entire length of the new construction and provide a place to relax after school. The next article will focus on the process of designing the building. Questions can be emailed to whhsrenovation@gmail.com.

English teachers Samantha Gerwe-Perkins and Dawn Wolfe serve as our advisors. We hope to maintain the reputation of the Chatterbox as a reliable reference to student life at Walnut Hills. In order to fund this endeavor, we need support from advertisers. Interested parties should contact sophomore Garret Oester, the busi-ness manager. Like the rest of the school, the Chatterbox is in a period of transi-tion, but our goal remains the same: to serve as the voice of the Walnut Hills student body. Sincerely,Mia Manavalan & Tanner Walters Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

“The paper that was sent to all of the students in July was only meant to verify the classes, nothing was set yet,” guidance counselor Mr. Gru-eninger explained. “The students were to make the corrections and send them back so we could come out with the final schedules that were to be put on Powerschool.” When asked about the schedul-ing problems junior Austin Railey comments, “To be honest, schedules are never that crazy. It’s just us stu-dents have a tendency to overreact to things having to do with school in general. The schedules are just there to overreact to.” Although this year’s schedules seemed to have more errors, Mr. Grueninger assures things have been pretty normal so far. He also adds that for the next school year, optioning will be done in Power-school–but will the problems that happened this summer be avoided?

An artistic rendering of the new plaza. Photo credit: SHP Leading Design

Visit the Chatterbox online, updated daily. Check for exclusive content!www.walnuthillseagles.com Illustration credit: JP Schmitz

Page 2 Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

iPhones, or other smartphones are per-mitted to connect to the wireless network because of their camera feature. This rule, Mrs. Barringer says, was put in place for student safety. In a time that seems endlessly connect-ed, some students still lack Internet access at home. In February, between 11%-15% of seventh graders didn’t have connection to the Internet from home according to a survey conducted by Mrs. Baldwin. Nev-ertheless, with Walnut’s new technology Mrs. Barringer is hoping to assist students with this situation. Now that Walnut has gone wire-less, how many students will truly take advantage of this academic opportunity? According to a poll, only 21% of 136 stu-dents intend to bring their personal laptop or tablet to school. The new hotspots bring a modern upgrade to the study environment at Walnut. However, it is only the first step toward a completely wireless campus – a goal that will supposedly be achieved after the renovations.

News and FeaturesEditor: Josh Medrano

The Chatterbox Editorial StaffMia Manavalan, Editor-in-Chief

Tanner Walters, Senior Managing Editor Emily Friedman, Junior Managing EditorAyana Rowe, Copy Editor Jonah Roth, Design EditorKemarca Wade, Web Designer John Butler, Assistant Web DesignerLuke Kloth, Print Photo Editor Signe Schloss, Online Photo EditorGarret Oester, Business Manager Akilah Phillips, Subscription Manager

Page Editors:Josh Medrano, Print News & Features Editor Jessica Fan, Online News & Features EditorJessica Heines, Print Viewpoints Editor Sierra Kingston, Online Viewpoints EditorJenna Weber, Print Fine Arts Editor Amanda Dias, Online Fine Arts EditorCharlie Hatch, Sports Editor Joe Neidhard, Style & Culture EditorDominick Clark, Print Just Nuts Editor Jaylen Hill, Online Just Nuts EditorJP Schmitz, Cartoon Editor Cody Stayden, Chatterbox Archivist

Advisors: Samantha Gerwe-Perkins annd Dawn Wolfe

Front page header from the Chatterbox of 1945. Photo by Jonah Roth.Masthead illustrated by Sarah Davidoff.

Kayla Boggess, ‘14Staff Writer

This year students are acquainted with overcrowding problems. Classrooms are congested and some are even occupied by more than the thirty-student limit. The tightly squeezed hallways prove to be most problematic, though–especially for students who travel from the mods to the other buildings. Getting to places is harder this year because of Walnut Hills’ massive popula-tion and the existing construction proj-ects. Many students are upset about the modulars and how crowded our school has become. “I feel like my teachers can’t pay at-tention to each student,” sophomore Eli Davis commented, “and if someone needs help, they can’t get it.” Even with construction and crowded hallways, most teachers expect students to be in their seats when the late bell

rings. Mr. Maddox, a Spanish teacher with thirty-eight students in one bell, said, “To make larger classes run smoothly, it involves team effort and keeping things moving and positive.” Mr. Maddox knows with a larger class results in more late stu-dents, but he tries to keep his class under control and started as soon as possible. Although there are many new enrol-ments this year, guidance counselor Mr. Grueninger claims, “There are more students than there have been in the past, but construction made it seem like a lot more.” Thus, new plans are being made to find a better way for students to travel back and forth to their classes. For example, Ascendo teacher Mrs. Schmidt tries to help seventh graders by meeting them at their previous bell and navigating them around heavy traffic. She says, “Kids need to understand that Walnut moves at a faster pace and that there is more volume.”

Walnut’s Wi-FiJessie Heines , ‘12 Viewpoints Editor

When Mrs. Barringer walked into the library at the beginning of the year, she was overjoyed to find the newest addition to Walnut fastened to the wall: a wireless router. That’s right: Wi-Fi is now acces-sible for all students on campus. Wireless technology already existed in some parts of the school, but it was used primarily to conduct electronic business in the cafeteria and auditorium. So when Cincinnati Public School’s technical sup-port offered to put more hotspots around campus, Mr. Brokamp jumped at this opportunity to enrich student life. With an Wi-Fi password obtained from the library, students can now bring their personal laptops and tablets to school and connect to the network in the cafeteria, auditorium, forum, gym and library. While students are encouraged to bring these electronics, no iPod touches,

Mia Manavalan, ‘12Editor-in-Chief Mr. Greg Loomis, a former advisor of the Chatterbox, died unexpectedly from a sudden heart attack on August 5, 2011 at the age of 57. In addition to being the Chatterbox advisor, he was the managing editor of Cincy Magazine. He is also the father of two Walnut Hills alumni: Neil and Evelyn Loomis. Sam Dubin ’11, former managing editor, said of Loomis: “He was always helpful with understanding what the stu-dents wanted to do and how to reach their goals. When there was a task that required a lot of specified knowledge, he was will-ing to teach the necessary skill to students and do so patiently.”

Loomis’ commitment to helping the community was endless. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, he served in Parents for Public Schools, an organization that worked to help Cincinnati Public Schools improve the educational value. He was also the executive director of the Wal-nut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, a non-profit corporation aimed at bettering the status of business and residents in the neighborhood. Greg Loomis went to great lengths to make sure that the Chatterbox would always be available to the students. Many who have worked with him would agree that without his knowledge and experi-ence, the Chatterbox would not have been able to live up to the standard that is expected here at Walnut Hills.

Seventh and eighth graders eat lunch in the crowded lunchroom.Photo credit: Alina Tashjian

The Chatterbox Policy Statement The Chatterbox has been guaranteed the right of freedom of the press through the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The administration of Walnut Hills High School is thus bound to support and protect The Chat-terbox’s inalienable rights as a free press. As an integral part of the Walnut Hills High School community, The Chatterbox has the re-sponsibility to report in the most comprehensive and objective manner possible. Students, parents, faculty, and administrators are encouraged to use this publication as a forum to express any ideas or concerns, whether they be personal or of lo-cal, national, or international scope. Journalists are required to work under estab-lished guidelines. Invasion of privacy as a means of news gathering is prohibited. Articles found to be discriminatory, libelous, or unnecessar-ily obscene (as determined by the editors or the advisor) will not be published. Finally, journalists are granted the right to keep private the name of a source from whom they received information with the understanding that the source was to remain anonymous. The role of the newspaper advisor will be to provide counsel and criti-cism pertaining to the newspaper’s content and production. Although both the advisor and the administration hold certain powers regarding The Chatterbox, both must respect the paper’s autonomy. No student shall be prevented from joining the staff on the basis of sex, race, creed, or national origin.

A Sad Loss for the Walnut Hills Community

Too Many Nuts in the House

ViewpointsEditor: Jessie Heines Page 3Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

Tanner Walters, ‘12Senior Managing Editor

The new school year brings with it an army of new students to the school and though 497 of them are the plighted seventh graders, many new upperclassmen join the ranks of the juniors and SENIORS this year.

Many students can recall their first days at Walnut Hills as full of excitement, nervous-ness, and acclimation. For this year’s “effies”‒the class of 2016‒this has not changed.

“It’s a big school with long walks, high expectations…and a ton of homework,” says seventh grader Omar Zayed. This sentiment is one voiced by many seventh graders eating lunch in the crowded rose garden, including Zach Siegel, whose first impression of the school was a brief “more homework.”

Homework is not the only obstacle new students must adjust to. The current reno-vation, while a hassle for returning stu-dents, can be a nightmare for those already unfamiliar with the labyrinth campus. “I’m always late!” says seventh grader Sam Ferre. The “mods”‒known to many students by other less than affectionate names‒have made it impossible for many students to get to class on time, especially those without the hallway-shoving finesse of returning students.

While no one doubts that seventh graders can have a rough time adapting themselves to Walnut, it can be harder for students entering later, into an environment where many have already shared classes, lockers, and memories with one another. For junior Emily Burke, who just moved to Cincinnati

from Chattanooga, Tennessee, making the adjustment encompassed all aspects of her life.

“I don’t like not having the time to get to know everyone,” said Burke, who made the move from a school of less than 500 students. However, being new did not pre-vent her from quickly immersing herself in the school; Burke plays first singles on the women’s varsity tennis team.

Of her teachers, Burke had this to say: “I love all of my teachers so far. As a whole, the teachers seem to actually take interest and care how you do in their classes. If you apply yourself and all your effort, it seems that they will do the same.”

Like Burke, SENIOR Jackson Sechrist is learning what it feels like to be “the new kid.” Sechrist transferred here from St. Xavier High School-a private, all-boys high school, and in many respects, the opposite of Walnut. But Sechrist embraces this with open arms.

“I want to have a clean slate,” he says. “I love new experiences.” While he admits it is hard to spend his last year of high school without familiar faces, he is not fazed. A “Theatre Xavier” alumnus (last appear-ing in The Phantom of the Opera), he will perform on the Walnut stage as Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun.

There is no doubt that Walnut Hills can be unforgiving at times to its students, and there is no exceptions for “newbies”-but if these students are any indication, they seem to be adapting well.

Life of a Latin TeacherAn Interview with Mrs.Wasem

Brittany Barrera, ‘13Staff Writer

Here at Walnut, Latin is a required subject for all seventh through ninth grade students. Ms. Laura Wasem has been teaching Latin here for 9 years. The Chat-terbox interviewed Ms. Wasem to get a bet-ter understanding of what it’s like teaching a batch of 21st-century seventh graders an ancient language.

Chatterbox: How do you like teaching new 7th graders? Ms. Wasem: For the most part, I love it. Many of them are super sweet, and I can’t help but feel sorry for the rest as they adjust to The Nut. CBX: Are they hard to handle? LW: No, not in the classroom, but I have a hard time dealing with how unorganized they are.

CBX: Do you pass or fail most 7th graders? LW: Well, I don’t do either because they earn their grades, but most 7th graders pass.

CBX: Is Latin hard to teach because it is a dead language? LW: Not because it’s a dead language, but it’s hard to get past the misconception that it is so hard.

CBX: Are you the summer school Latin teacher? LW: Yes, for the 9th year! But I’m not the only one.

CBX: Are you easy on the 7th graders because they’re new? LW: I try to be, up to a point. Part of my job is teaching them responsibility, so eventually I have to use tough love.

CBX: Have you ever had a student try to change their schedule? LW: Only so they could have me!

Photo credit (right): Brittany Barrera

What’s Wally? 100 Years of Vox Studentium

Jonah Roth, ‘13Design Editor

I am not Wally Hill. Wally is taking an extended vacation and will be back next issue. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at Walnut’s traditional anonymous column, and examine where it comes from. By a strange coincidence, this is the hundredth volume of the Chatterbox in which an anonymous column will appear. Three days of perusing old Chat-terboxes and an enlightening interview with a former Wally has cleared up ev-erything for me, and revealed some very interesting facts about the history of the anonymous column, the experience of writing it and the dangers of anonymity.

On September 19, 1927, Issue VI.12 of the Chatterbox, there appeared a column entitled Vox Studentium - Latin for “the voice of the students”. This column con-tained letters from anonymous students discussing topics from the Chatterbox’s unfair coverage of boys’ vs. girls’ sports to lengthy essays about the benefits of going to school at all. The 1930’s saw the first regular anonymous column, which, though called the “Silent Witness”, was very vocal in spreading all the the latest gossip.

Wally Hill first appeared by that name sometime during the 1940’s, when it was still a gossip column.More recently, it has become an opinion column—a

soapbox for the SENIOR who has the magical power to criticize the school without attaching his or her name to the criticism.

Rachel Chung, who had this duty last year, had and stiull has a lot to say on the matter. By her design, Wally was “a perfect villain. . . . [who] should give the student body something to be inflamed about.” When an opinion is expressed anonymously, Chung has learned, it tends to receive harsher, more honest criticism: “People feel much more comfortable using word like ‘hate’ and ‘terrible’ when there is no face to an article.” At the same time, however, the positives seemed to outweigh the negatives, at least for this Wally: “This is what Wally Hill is all about. . . .a great shield to hide behind while I made jabs at respected Walnut Hills institutions.”

When the new Wally picks up this traditional column in October, no one on the Chatterbox staff will know who he is, save for our faculty advisers. We do know, however, that he or she will have a great reputation to live up to, and will carry on this school’s great tradition of being the vox studentium-- criticizing and questioning authority.

No pressure, Wally.

To read the full version of this article, the full interview with last year’s Wally, and to see more snapshots of Chatterbox history, visit the Chatterbox online at <www.walnuthillseagles.com>.

New students share first impressions of Walnut Hills

Effies of 1974 share their first impres-sions. (above) Photo credit: Jonah Roth

Wally Hill predecessors of 1927 (above), 1935 (right), and 1945 (below). Photo credit: Jonah Roth

SportsEditor: Charlie HatchPage 4 Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

The NFL is ‘Back to Football’Charlie Hatch ‘13Sports Editor

On September 11, the majority of NFL teams will take the field for the first regular season game since the lock-out ended a few months back. The game in Cleveland between the Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals will not only deter-mine who is the better team, but who will likely have a top five pick in next years NFL draft in April. Due to the lock-out, many of teams have found themselves far behind their goal of not only being up-to-speed, but being contenders in the league.

Upcoming Football Games

Friday Sep. 16 vs. Norwood High School @ SHEA STADIUM (NORWOOD) 7:30PM

Friday Sep. 23 vs. Winton Woods High School @ Winton Woods Hi School 7:30PM Interview With

Kamree MaullCharlie Hatch ‘13Sports Editor

Just before the first football game against Wyo-ming, The Chatterbox interviewed SENIOR Kamree Maul on the upcoming season, as well as the pressure the Eagle football team faces with this year.

Chatterbox: The last couple of years, you’ve been injured and have been unable to play. How does it feel to come into your SENIOR season healthy?Kamree Maull: It feels great to be able to overcome the obstacles placed in front of me. The injuries made me mentally tougher and allowed me to become bigger, stronger and faster so that I can be an asset to my team.

CBX: What are your expectations for the team this year, and what are your expectations of yourself?KM: As you may know the conference that we are in, the FAVC, is going to become a new conference with new teams. Amongst the team we have a motto of “TLC”. It stands for The Last Champions. We want to be The Last Champions of the FAVC Cardinal Divi-sion. For myself, I expect to beat the man over me every play and every series of each game. With that, I’ll put my team in the best position to win games.

CBX: After two straight 5-5 seasons, do you feel as if there is any pressure on you or Coach K. to make it into the postseason this fall?KM: There is definitely pressure placed on Coach K. as well as the team. Coach K. and

the rest of the coaches put us in the best position to win each game and its up to the team to execute. As a SENIOR captain, I feel a lot of pressure because the younger guys are looking up to me expecting me and the rest of the SENIORS to work our magic to come up with a victory.

CBX:What does the football team have this year that will make them more competitive than in previous years?KM:We have the desire and dedication to win. Other teams in the past were weak, soft and dispassionate for the game. There was no real camaraderie and everyone seemed to play selflessly. On this team, there is not one player who wouldn’t sacrifice for the next and there isn’t one player on our team who missed days in the weight room. We all love each other as a family and we take care of business. Also, our numbers are way up. As a fresh-man we had 40 guys at the end of the year. Now we have 65 guys. The competition amongst ourselves heighten the produc-tivity of each player which makes up a great football team.

CBX:What are your goals after you gradu-ate this fall?KM: After I graduate this fall, I plan to attend the University of Cincinnati and study Biology and possibly play football. This year I need to have a great year so I can continue football into college.

Against Wyoming, Maull helped lead the team during the final drive and had the go-ahead score with 52 seconds left to seal the first win for Walnut Hills High School this season.

Football Forecast

(NFL cont’d) The Bengals are coming into the 2011 season with a rookie quarterback (Andy Dalton), a #1 rookie receiver (A.J. Green), and a new offensive play calling system under first year Offensive Coordinator, Josh Gruden. Cincinnati will have a hard time put-ting up points, because of the inexperi-ence of main-role players trying to adjust to the NCAA-NFL transition. In the Northeast corner of the state, another team is full of new schemes and challenges. The Cleveland Browns will start their 2011 campaign with a new head coach trying to fix a decade of blunders and mistakes, with a West Coast offense (short passes and runs). On the bright-side for the Browns, 2nd year quarterback Colt McCoy will be able to connect with veteran receivers. Many are interested to see how Madden 12 cover-boy Peyton Hillis runs against the defensive line and linebackers of Cincin-nati. All in all, fans cannot expect much from either team this season, but they hope for improvements so that their pre-ferred teams might be contenders in the tough AFC North division. The reality is that both teams are so far behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers that, collectively, the Browns and Bengals might have as many wins as the Ravens or Steelers combined. So as the season passes week after week, don’t think about how bad each team is. Think about all the past years when they have been much worse.

Got Spirit? Sean Wood ‘15Staff Writer

Do you want to be served hot pizza by another grade’s class representatives? If your grade wins The Nut House’s “Most Spirited Class Competition,” that could happen! The competition pits grade levels against one another in a race to buy the most t-shirts and tickets for sporting events, and to prove who has the most school spirit. Every time you buy a game ticket or Nut House T-shirt, you receive a ticket. This ticket can be deposited in boxes labeled with each grade’s name, on the night of the sports game. The winning grade will be served pizza by the class representatives of the losing grade. “The Nut House has been doing very well,” said Nut House member Arin Gen-try. “I have great expectations for future sales.” Gentry, a junior, said that over 100 T-shirts have been sold. Currently, juniors are winning the competition, so other grades: buy your shirts and tickets or else !you will be serving lunch to the class of 2013!

Eagles Soaring Through TwoCharlie Hatch ‘13Sports Editor

The Walnut Hills football team is un-defeated after two games, and has a better chance than ever to finally make the playoffs.Following a huge victory in the Crosstown Showdown against Wyoming, the Eagles continued their success with yet another win over Western Hills 36-12 on September 2. After failing to make the playoffs the last two seasons with five and five records, the

team faces a third-and-short situation and needs to convert if they want to be consid-ered one of the better teams in the city.Since Coach K has taken over as head coach, the team seems to be competitive with football powerhouses such as Turpin and Winton Woods. Coming into his fourth season leading the football team, Coach K has a chance to guide the Eagles into the “Promised Land” (the post-season), for the first time in a decade, and is hungry for a shot at glory. With SENIORS George Ross, Jason Star-gel, Kamree Maull, Kenny Davis and Chris Brown in their fourth and final season under Coach K, it is all or nothing. The team has a good chance at starting the

season 4-0, with Hughes and Norwood on their schedule. If the team could pull off that feat, they would be in the driving seat as they look to play the tougher por-tion of their schedule with confidence. When asked about the teams future, junior offensive lineman Austin Railey said, “I believe our running game and defense will get us [into the postseason].” Railey also believes that his upcoming opponents will have a hard time run-ning the football through the defensive line and the linebackers. “These are a lot of running teams and our front 7 is amazing.” The future may be unwritten, but this year’s football team has the opportunity to do something special, and leave their mark in the football program for others to aspire to. This can be the year, when Walnut can be the “TLC” (The Last Champions).

[Editor’s Note: This article was written before the third game against Hughes.]

The football team is off to an undefeated start. Photo credit: Luke Kloth

Photo credit: Luke Kloth

Fine ArtsEditor: Jenna Weber Page 5Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

Lunch with Jo Ellen Pellman

Jo Ellen enjoys first lunch out by the rose garden. Photo credit: Amanda Dias, ‘12

Effie DramaKahvah Yisrael, ‘12Chatterbox Staff Writer

Watch out upperclassmen—effies are gaining more and more ways to express themselves creatively. A new Creative Dramatics Class is being offered to seventh grad-ers this school year and is taught by our very own Mrs. Gerwe-Perkins. Students in this course will be introduced to theatrical performance as well as improvisation and script-writing. Creative Dramatics is a way for effies to be actively en-gaged in the Theater and Speech Department at a younger age. This could definitely be a positive in the long-run. Who knows, the next Johnny Depp or Halle Berry could be sitting in Mrs. G-P’s class as we speak!

The Talented David BrowerKahvah Yisrael, ‘12Chatterbox Staff Writer Walnut Hills is a home to several aspiring artists. SE-NIOR David Brower stands out amongst the rest as his cre-ativity and artistic ability come alive through his paintings. Brower was first inspired to pick up a paintbrush when he was 11 years old and maintains his love for art to this day. He plans on using his drawing ability to become an archi-tect and hopes to be enrolled in the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati by next fall. When asked to describe the artistic style of his paint-ings Brower replied without hesitation, “They are a mix of technical line drawings and a mess.” He insists that his inspiration comes from everyday experiences and simple objects. He is simply inspired by the opportunity to improve the scenery around him. “Your mind is like a parachute,” he said, “it only works when it is open”. A few paintings of David’s are currently on display in the glass cases in the Arts and Sciences building.

Joe Neidhard ‘12Style and Culture Editor

“So, singing, acting and dance. Am I missing anything?” “Well, I’m learning to play the piano.” Thus began my conversation with Jo Ellen Pellman. The talented sophomore is the epitome of a well rounded stu-dent. How did she get started? “When I was eight years old I auditioned for the King and I at the Covedale because I wanted enrichment,” she told me during her first lunch. “It’s funny because I’m the first person in my family to do theater.” After that she quickly took off into the world of the per-forming arts. By age 10 she started taking ballet lessons and soon after added tap. For four straight years she performed in A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park, playing the characters of Belinda and Martha Cratchit in different years. She came to Walnut last year and got off to a head start playing Louisa von Trapp in The Sound of Music. “I really wanted a school that would challenge me intellectually. The great theater department is a plus!” Most recently she played a “Zangler Girl” in Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre’s summer production of Crazy For You (which featured several Walnut Hills students: sopho-more Kati Beard, junior AJ Schwartz and SENIOR Tanner Walters). “It was the best summer of my life. The people were so much fun.”Pellman has performed in over 15 shows and gives no sign of stopping. On top of that, she is also a member of Senior Ensemble, Walnut’s highest level choir. With a busy academic schedule (she was in honors last year) and an active social life, one might wonder how she accomplishes all of this. “Homework always comes first. If you’re really passionate about something, you make it work.” And Pellman certainly is passionate about performing. She plans on becoming a musical theatre major in college. “All or nothing,” she said with beaming eyes.

Her biggest theatrical hero is, “definitely Kristin Chenoweth.” However, some might consider her their own personal hero. “She’s beautiful, wonderful, and a fantastic belter,“ fellow sophomore Eli Davis chimed in during our interview. Things certainly look bright for Ms. Pellman.

Photo credit : Amanda Dias, ‘12

A painting by Syndey Lister

Q&A with Syndey ListerKahvah Yisrael, ‘12Staff Writer

SENIOR Sydney Lister is an artist who participated in an interview with the Chatterbox in which she answered questions about art and everyday life.

Chatterbox: When did you first become interested in art and what inspired you to start drawing?Sydney: I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I have always loved drawing and finding new ways to create things. I used to spend hours decorat-ing school projects and creating things at home. I don’t really know what inspired me to start drawing, I guess a lot of it came from observing things around me and wondering why they weren’t more colorful, or interest-ing to look at.

CBX: How would you describe your artistic style?SL: I don’t know if I can describe my style because it still changes constantly. I have gone through phases where I focused on collages and mixed media, but more recently I’ve been interested in classical drawing and realism. Others have described my style as whimsical or femi-nine.

CBX: Do you have any plans for your art in the future? Do you plan to study art in college?SL: I hope to continue doing art throughout my life. I will most likely study art in some form in college, if I don’t go to an art school. My goals are to combine art with environmental or social issues so it can have more

of an impact on others.

CBX: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?SL: I don’t think I can say what my biggest accomplishment has been so far. I have had a few small successes, but I think what I learned at a drawing camp at Manifest Studios this summer was most rewarding for me.

CBX: How has being a student at Walnut helped you to be-come a better artist?SL: Walnut has exposed me to people with so many different backgrounds and perspectives on life, which I feel inspires me and gives me stronger intentions to create. Being a stu-dent at Walnut challenges me to be more creative and push myself to broaden my perspective because I am surrounded by creative, confident, and intelligent people. Even the qual-ity of education at Walnut has inspired me.

CBX: What other people/artists inspire you?SL: I love Leonardo da Vinci because of how intensely he observed the world around him before creating. Also, many of the more recent artists inspire me. My favorites right now would have to be Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Odilon Redon.

CBX: Do you find inspiration in everyday life? SL: I am most inspired by nature because it holds so much beauty and depth. I am also inspired by simple human hab-its and traditions, such as drinking coffee, because these are the things that tie us together.

CBX: Besides art, do you have any other hidden talents? SL: I guess another ‘hidden talent’ I have is Irish Dancing, which I’ve been doing competitively and for fun since I was four.

Subscribe to the Chatterbox today!For just $12 per year, you can have every issue of the Chattebox

(8 issues) delivered to your door.Contact us at cboxwalnut@gmail.com or in Room 8003 for more information.

Style & CultureEditor: Joe NeidhardPage 6 Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

The Death of Facebook?Jessica Fan, ‘12Online News & Features Editor

Will Facebook ever end up suffering the same fate that Myspace did? With the uprising of websites such as Google+ and Twitter, it looks that Facebook is at a grow-ing risk of being replaced by a more enhanced, sleeker social networking site. Although the daunting 600 million active users on Facebook seems impossible to supersede, Google Plus seems to be taking on that challenge, creeping up with a total of 20 million users. But because Google+ is still in the process of development, it has barred people from making accounts. Thus this 20 million is at a stagnant count. However, what does Google Plus have that Facebook is lacking? The appeal of Facebook over Myspace a few years ago ranged from having a cleaner layout with better privacy settings to a new way of IM communicating. With the jarring self-made homepages that individuals could make on Myspace, one was forced to visit a mixture of neon reds and purples with polka dotted patterns whenever visiting a friend’s page. Facebook set a seemingly plain but clean blue and white background as the universal layout and thus settled the eye throbbing problem. But Facebook has since then succumbed to the need for advertisement money and thus started to inundate the site with ads and outside apps. Furthermore, many have com-plained that Facebook has cut off actual communication within society, replacing it with chats and “likes”. On the other hand, Google+ aims to clean up the clutter-issue of Facebook by letting users group their associates into speci-fied categories. Google+ has also developed video chat, giving individuals the experience of a real life conversation. Will Facebook be replaced? Will it fix these mistakes as it has shown by implementing the new one-on-one video chat? Or will it be too late, such was the case with Myspace when it blindly copied many of Facebook’s features only to realize that its competitor was still three times its size?

Album Review Watch the Throneby Kanye West and Jay-Z

Jaylen Hill, ‘13Online Just Nuts Editor

On August 8, 2011, hip-hop heavyweights Kanye West and Jay-Z released their highly anticipated collaboration album Watch The Throne under their group name, “The Throne”. While their name may not seem very creative, the music on the album definitely is. West’s production is very much like that of his most recent solo release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, yet reminiscent of his earlier work, which heavily sampled old-soul. With production assis-tance from other famed producers such as the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Q-Tip, and The Neptunes, beats are created that serve as nearly perfect backgrounds for West and Jay-Z to bask in the spotlight which comes with their existence. While listening to Watch The Throne, one can clearly hear the pride they feel for this project. Much of their lyrics consist of them rapping about the high life. For example, in “Lift Off ”, Beyoncé sings, “How many people you know can take it this far?!” This theme is also conveyed in the songs “Ni***s in Paris” and the Otis Redding-sampling “Otis.” However, all the bragging seems a little obnoxious. Fortunately, the album goes beyond the bragging to deal with personal issues. In the song “New Day” Jay-Z (whose wife, Beyonce, is expecting) tells his unborn son: “Sorry, junior, I already ruined ya. Cause you ain’t even alive, pa-parazzi pursuin’ ya.” Overall, Watch The Throne is a celebration. The artists are making sure it is known that they own the top spot. This message is imparted through the production, the lyrics, and even the guest features by people like Beyoncé, Frank Ocean of Odd Future, and Swizz Beatz. It’s probably one of the most high-profile releases of 2011, but is it one of the best? That is for you as the listeners to decide.

Hannah Shaw, ‘14Staff Writer

Walnut Hills Junior Sylvie Hayes-Wallace rocks the hallways of our school with unique style derived from many sources of inspiration. The Chatterbox sat down and interviewed her to get an inside perspective on her eye-catching wardrobe.

CBX: Is there anything that has a significant influence on your personal style? SHW: Not really....but when I was little I was obsessed with catalogues and put stars next to the items I want-ed...maybe that?

CBX: Where do you look to ideas on what to wear? Do you look at magazines or watch runway or look some-where online?SHW: I look for ideas anywhere really. I look at maga-zines, but not religiously or anything. I go on lookbook.nu, which is just a compilation of outfits. But my favorite is just seeing people out on the streets and getting inspi-ration.

CBX: Does your style reflect your personality or do you find yourself more going with trends?SHW: I think my style reflects my personality more. I don’t really stick to one trend. I just wear what I like.

CBX: What is your favorite outfit or clothing item? What makes it your favorite?SHW: My favorite clothing item is a green corduroy military jacket from a second-hand store.

Secondhand Chic: An interview with Sylvie Hayes-Wallace

CBX: If you could trade closets with one person, living or not, who would it be?SHW: I would have to say say Zoe Kravitz.

CBX: What about Zoe Kravitz makes her someone you look to as “fashionable”? How does her style relate to yours?SHW:I don’t really know what draws me to Zoe Kravitz, her whole aura always looks so good. She is always smiling and rocks the clothes she wears without caring because a lot of her stuff is really out there.

CBX: What is your favorite place to shop?SHW: My favorite place to shop is Valley Thrift

CBX: What do you like about shopping second-hand verses shopping at a store such as Urban Outfitters or Forever 21? SHW: Second-hand stores are a lot cheaper and a lot of the clothes are more unique. I get some stuff at big stores, like Urban and Forever 21. They have cute de-signs, but the quality is so poor and the price is so high.

CBX: How would you describe the overall style of Walnut Hills? Do you see any trends going on around school, good or bad, what are your thoughts on them?SHW: Dynamic. Very contrastingly different. There are so many different trends going on at Walnut-everyone pretty much does their own thing.

Watch the Throne, Jay-Z and Kayne West’s collaborative album, is “a celebration”.

From 1700’s Pantyhose to Walnut FashionJessica Fan, ‘12Online News & Features Editor

As hip, teenage students, we always keep our eyes pried for the new look. Perhaps we don’t dress our-selves like the outrageous vogue models, but we do remember to shed the skin of old fashion trends and brace ourselves for incoming crazes. May it be feath-ers stuck in hair, extremely tight pants, or suspenders, Walnut has seen its fair share of strange and fun styles that only make us more excited to await the new in-coming fads. For those who want to predict what could be flying off the rack next, it is best to take a journey through the fashion of history. Although now leggings are seen predominantly on women, for many centuries, a respectable man could

be guaranteed to be flaunting a good looking pair of pantyhose. Even the poor would strive to achieve this look. In contrast, in the Walnut hallways, girls strut their patterned tights and black leggings as if they are the new 16th century French princes proudly, signify-ing that tights are just one of those crazes not soon to fade. With the leggings came the wigs. As Louis XIV lost his hair and started adopting a fluffy poof for his bald head, commoners blindly followed by acquiring their own wigs. Bigger was better, and women adorned two-foot-high hairpieces for gatherings, enriched with miniature sculptures and jewelry. This draws parallels to teased hair and voluminous looks girls (and some boys) give to their locks. The admiration of chalky white skin was desired all throughout history until it died out in the 1900’s. Women back then used paint to bleach their faces, all the while knowing that the lead based cosmetic they utilized was poisonous. Although now lead paint isn’t used to dye one’s skin, the idea of milky face is still prized in eastern countries. Compare that to our ideal-ization of a bronzed tan from the beach! Just as one French aristocrat may prefer a sculpture of a dove over a sculpture of a battleship in her giant wig, Walnut style is diverse and some kids will always love overalls over shirts. Therefore there will never be one word to pinpoint Walnut’s fashion.

Online ExclusiveInspiring All Within It: The Architecture of Walnut Hills (Joe Neidhard, ‘12)

Look up from where you are. If you are at Walnut Hills reading this, there is a good chance that you are going to find something interesting. Walnut is home to some of the most eye-catching architecture that can be found at a public high school.

Read more online at <www.walnuthillseagles.com>.

The ArcadeEditor: JP Schmitz Page 7Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

HoroscopeAdapted from a work by Alfred Yankovic

Aquarius: There’s travel in your future when your back-pack gets caught in the door of a speeding bus.Fill that void in your boring life by playing Whack-A-Mole seventeen hours a day.

Pisces: Try to avoid any Virgos or Leos who might steal your money.You are the true Lord of the Dance, no matter what those idiots at school say.

Aries: The look on your face will be priceless when you find that forty-pound watermelon in your colon.Trade toothbrushes with an effie, then spill water on your teacher.

Taurus: You will never find true happiness - what you gonna do, cry about it?The stars predict tomorrow you’ll wake up, do a bunch of stuff, and then go back to sleep.

Gemini: Your birthday party will be ruined once again by your explosive flatulence.Your love life will run into trouble when your girlfriend hurls a javelin through your chest

Cancer: The position of Jupiter says you should spend the rest of the week face down in the mud.Try not to shove a roll of duct tape up your nose while taking your driver’s test.

Leo: Now is not a good time to photocopy your butt and staple it to your teacher’s face, oh no.Eat a bucket of tuna-flavored pudding, then wash it down with a gallon of strawberry Quik.

Virgo: All Virgos are extremely friendly and intelligent - except for you.Expect a big surprise today when you wind up with your head impaled upon a stick.

Libra: An excellent quarter grade is just around the cor-ner for someone much more talented than you.Laughter is the very best medicine, remember that when you fail all your classes next week.

Scorpio: Get ready for an unexpected trip when you fall screaming from an open window.Work a little bit harder on keeping your low self-esteem.

Student SubmissionsIf you have art, it could be anything (cartoon, poetry, etc.), that you would like to have featured in The Chat-terbox, submit it to the Chat-terbox Mailbox in the Main Office or, send a digital copy of your work to cboxtoons@gmail.com.(Print images will appear in black and white)

Fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers. In a 9 by 9 square Sudoku game:

* Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order* Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order* Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must in-clude all digits 1 through 9

SudokuGleam Preview: “Muse”Sarah Davidoff, ‘13Chatterbox Contributor

Give me your handSo that I may carve rivers in your name, Your fingers my canyons,Your skin my platinum falls.

Give me your blush,So that I may paint the skies in its manner.Its color my sunrise to hail the newborn day,Its delicacy the birds who float upon it.

Give me your lips,So that I may use them to mold the hills and the dales,Their curve the edges of my scrapbook mem’ries,Their hue the clay I shape with my hands.

Give me your eyes,So that I may embed them in the sky as my moon and stars.Their light the guide to my lost heart,Their allure the ebb and flow of the tide.

Give me your tresses,So that I may weave them into my grasslands.Your silken twists the patterns created by the wind;The shining plains of my dreamlands.

But give me your heart,For without it these all mean naught to me.Give me your heart so that I may make it my dreamland’s core,The center of my being.

Fill all the blanks with the correct numbers. In a 9 by 9 Sudoku Game.• Every row of 9 numbers must include all

digits 1 through 9 in any order• Every Column of 9 numbers must in-

clude all digits 1 through 9 in any order• Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9

square must include all digits 1 through 9

Sagittarius: All your friends are laughing behind your back.Stop cheating on your tests.

Capricorn: The stars say that you’re an exciting and wonder-ful person, but you know they’re lying.If I were you, I’d lock my doors and windows and neverleave my house again.

“Horoscopes” cont’d.

Running of the Bullsby JP Schmitz, ‘12

Student CartoonElanor Eberhardt, ‘15Chatterbox Cartoonist

Just NutsEditor: Domminick ClarkPage 8 Vol. CVI.1

The ChatterboxWalnut Hills High School

Shoeshine, partly because of his nickname and partly because he loves the sunshine.

Shoemaker was chosen by the Self Diploma Fan’s Choice Contest. To enter in the contest, musicians had to send in one song and a photo to Self Diploma. After it was approved, the competitor’s photo was added to the Fan Choice gallery. The next step was to obtain the most number of “likes” from the Facebook community. Shoemaker says, “I promoted it, and everybody really had my back.” He was up against 175 competitors, consisting of professional rappers, DJs, and other musi-cians. He was able to win the competition with about 1700 likes on Facebook.

He was given a 30 minute set, from 7:45 P.M. to 8:15 P.M. to show Cincinnati his talent. His performance mainly included remixes that he made, but his DJing wasn’t the only form of entertainment present on the stage. SENIOR Ruby Bachemin hula hooped throughout the performance. This was another method to hype up the crowd. While many have never seen this type of entertainment before, Shoemaker says that hula hoopers are actually quite common in the electric music scene and often dance on stage with the DJ.

Shoemaker spoke of his experience on the days leading up to the show, explaining

Dominick Clark, ‘12Photo credit: Joe Schmidlapp

Every year we introduce a new class of teachers and faculty. Without proper intro-duction Walnut can be overwhelming, and with our help we can make it . Have you met them yet?

Mrs. Smitherman

Mrs. Smitherman, an English teacher, has an educational back-ground that many stu-dents should aspire to have. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she received a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in Technical Writ-ing. Mrs. Smitherman moved to Cincinnati in 1996; now she has five children, two of which are Walnut students. Smither-man says, “The Walnut Hills staff is very friendly, helpful, and caring. Many have asked how my classes are going and offer suggestions to improve my experience.” Mrs. Smitherman is very thankful for the opportunity and is looking forward to help students exceed the curriculum require-ments as well as continuing her personal development in the teaching profession.

Mrs. Montenegro

If you think you see Dr. Harsh take a second look. On second glance you may see Mrs. Mon-tenegro, Wal-nut’s new social worker. You will see her on Fri-

days working with counselors, administra-tion and students. Aside from having been in the Cincinnati Schools district for 21 years, she is also the mother of two Walnut alumni.

Shoe Takes the Stagethat he was very stressed the day before and the day of the show, and received little sleep. However, Walnut Hills students barely seemed to notice, and if anything, were simply amazed. Junior Dan Steinberg says, “It was crazy seeing someone from my school performing downtown. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made my heart explode and yet come together in a beautiful musical harmony all at once.”

He is not exactly sure as to when his next performance is, but Self Diploma has already gotten in touch with him about performing sometime in the near future. But for now, Shoemaker is just glad to have received this opportunity. “It really was a life-changing experience. Just the feeling of being able to slide a crossfader and change the groove of over hundreds of people was truly incred-ible. The gig intensified my passion for electronic music and dance. I feel like it’s the first step towards my future.”

Meet New Kids on the Block

Joe Schmidlapp ‘14, PhotographerIn Character: Eli Davis

Mike Grabel: Spreading Awareness on TS Syndrome

Eli Davis is a sophomore and am active member of Wal-nut’s fine arts community. He dances, he sings and he acts. He also enjoys picnics and long walks on the beach.

You just found out you have to take another year of Latin.

You’re an art geek and you have a new idea on how to use the bricks in a new piece.

You’re staring into the eyes of Mona Lisa.

Mia Manavalan, ‘12Editor in ChiefPhoto credit: Chris Shoemaker

SENIOR Alex Shoemaker, better known as “Shoe” to many, had the chance to perform at Fountain Square on Saturday, August 27, 2011 in front of hundreds of people. He goes by the stage name of DJ

Michela Rahaim, ‘13Staff Writer

SENIOR Mike Grabel participated in the National Tourette Syndrome Association’s (TSA) annual Tourette Syndrome Youth Ambassador Program in Washington D.C. from March 29 through 31. Grabel was selected to partake in this event after com-pleting an essay relating his motivation to become an ambassador.

To read the full version of this article, visit the Chatterbox online at <www.walnuthill-seagles.com>.