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Inside

the roar

FRIDAY, December 4, 2009

The Loveland High School Student NewspaperThe Loveland High School Student NewspaperThe Loveland High School Student NewspaperThe Loveland High School Student NewspaperThe Loveland High School Student Newspaper

www.lovelandschools.org/theroar

Page Editor: Natalie Siddique

Editorials

Sports

News

Center

Entertainment

Dec. 1-31: Chris Wells’slight show from 7 -10 p.m.each night at his house at 256Glen Lake Rd.

Dec. 8: The first boys homebasketball game (vs. IndianHill) starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18: The last day beforeWinter Break.

Dec. 18: The Trans-SiberianOrchestra is performing atU.S. Bank Arena at 8 p.m.

Dec. 19: The HoHoHo Dancestarts in the cafeteria right afterthe girls basketball game.

UpcomingEventsHere and around the ’Nati

Get ready to getdown at theHoHoHo DanceBy Casey Baker

Staff Writer

Read what Roar staffers thinkabout tattoos on page 3.

Get to know the face behindthe Tiger on page 4.

Find out what Officer Rod isdoing now on page 7.

Check out holiday fun on pages8 and 9.

A fan of New Moon? Read ourreview on page 12.

Imagine turning on the radio and hearinga catchy new song. You make a mental noteto download it on iTunes later. When thehost announces the artist, you’re shockedbecause you remember him from one of yourclasses in high school. This just may be in your future, becausesophomore Tom Schickel is already on hisway to a successful music career. Thistalented singer-songwriter released hisdebut album, Living On, in June. All thesongs on the album were either written orco-written by Tom. He performs most oftenat The Works. “I decided I wanted to make an albumone day when listening to a song by noneother than my idol, Billy Joel,” Tom said.“About a year and a half ago, my dreamstarted to become a reality. The first song I

recorded for my album was a song called‘Shadows of Time,’ which was written for agirl I went to school with for a long timeand ended up dying in a tragic accidentabout two years ago.” Tom says his album is a mixture of manymusic styles, but could be classified asalternative rock. Billy Joel is his biggestrole model. “I am also inspired by Elton John,Ben Folds, and a few family members, suchas my cousins Dan Dorff and JC Heisler,”he said. Tom recorded his album locally at FoxChapel Studios, owned by one of his formerteachers. He described the recording of thealbum as both “organized chaos” and “fun.”He said the most difficult part of recordingwas dubbing over each instrument everytime he recorded a new track. Singing and songwriting aren’t Tom’sonly talents. He also plays the piano, which

he practices between one to eight hours aday. He also participates in theater. You mayremember seeing him as Cogsworth inBeauty and the Beast here in October. Hehas also participated in plays with theLoveland Stage Company and MasonCommunity Players. Tom hopes to further his performingtalents in college, majoring in either musicor acting, and would love to someday be aprofessional songwriter. “I hope that one day I’ll be playing mymusic around the world. It’s a long shot butthere’s no shame in going for it,” he said. Tom’s album is available for purchase attomschickelmusic.com, so make sure youcheck it out and maybe even ask him to signan album. Who knows, one day it could beworth millions.

By Bridget Sova

Staff Writer

Singer-songwriter Schickel releases album

Tom Schickel released his first album in June Photo courtesy of Tom Schickel

LHS students, it is time to startbrushing up on your dance moves. It hasbeen a while since Homecoming, and youdo not want to embarrass yourself at thesecond annual HoHoHo Dance. Just like last year, the dance will takeplace after a girls basketball game, on Dec.19. The girls will be playing Harrison,starting at 7:30 p.m. The dance will directlyfollow the end of the basketball game. Thisis the first Saturday of Winter Break. Everyone should dress in their countryapparel, but don’t worry, the music willnot follow the dress code. Tickets will be$5, with all proceeds benefiting localfamilies in need. Student council is asking each studentto bring a toy to the dance for charity.Make sure these are new, high-qualitytoys. Brush the dust off your cowboy bootsand get ready for the HoHoHo Dance onDec. 19.Image from hlpproductions.org

Santa Claus dancing with the Mrs.

The Roar is the official studentnewspaper of Loveland HighSchool. The Roar is producedby students in Journalism. Editorials reflect the staff’sopinion but do not necessarily re-flect the opinions of the schooladministration or the LovelandCity School District. The Roar is published monthly.For information regarding adver-tising in The Roar, call 697-3749. As an open forum for stu-dents, letters to the editor arewelcome, but are subject to beedited for length, libel, and clar-ity. Letters to the editor may bedropped off in room 109.

Staff Policy

Editors-in-ChiefSander DiAngelisErin Randall

Advertising ManagerBridget Sova

Business ManagerCasey Baker

Section EditorsMichael Lawson, EntertainmentSam Burpee, SportsEmilee Kraus, Light News

Staff WritersBecca BlackHailey BoothJosh BrennockEmma GoetzKatie HenkeKelsey KerkhoveEllen MackRegan MeinkingSara MullowneyDiana ReeseJohn RossNatalie SiddiqueAustin StahlMadeline VanceAbby VargoSammie WheelerMatthew Worsham

If you are interested in financiallysupporting The Roar but have noneed to advertise, please contactus and we will thank you in thisspace as a sponsor.

Thank you to Mrs. Wexler for herkind donation to The Roar.

Editorials2FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Hailey Booth

Contact Information

The RoarLoveland High School1 Tiger TrailLoveland, Ohio 45140513-697-3749theroar@lovelandschools.org

It’s the holiday

season, whichmeans nearlye v e r y o n eEVERYWHERE isfilled with holidayspirit. The peopleat the grocerystore, the mall,restaurants, and

just people in general are always excited tospread the holiday cheer. Usually they say,“Have a good day” or “thanks for stopping

in,” but when the holiday time comes, thequestion is what should be said: “MerryChristmas” or “Happy Holidays”? As a Hanukkah-celebrating Jew, I wouldmuch rather hear “Happy Holidays” than“Merry Christmas” when I walk out ofKroger. I’m not going to blow up on thepeople who are just trying to spread thecheer by saying “Merry Christmas”, but itdoes make me a little bit angry. They meanwell and many times they don’t know anybetter, but they should consider choosingthe safer option by saying, “HappyHolidays!”

Although Christmas is celebrated by themajority of the country, there are thousandsof people who celebrate other holidays.Everyone should be more considerate andmaybe think twice before shouting “MerryChristmas” to the stranger bagging yourgroceries or the waitress giving you yourbill. Who knows, they might celebrateHanukkah or even Kwanza, and they’ll feelso much better if they know you made thechoice to say “Happy Holidays” instead.

After theT h a n k s g i v i n gpumpkin pie is servedand the top button ofmy pants unclasped,there is only one thingrunning through myhead…CHRISTMAS!Images of Santa,lights, and Christmastrees flash in my head.

My adrenaline starts pumping, because Iknow that the day after Thanksgiving is whenChristmas festivities begin. The Scrooges believe that Christmasshouldn’t start until a week before Christmas,and I would know, because my dad is one ofthese party poopers. But for me the day afterThanksgiving is when the radio station ischanged in my car and the decorations startto go up. The Christmas season should start at theend of November, because there is so muchto do to prepare for it. There is shopping todo, lights to hang, stockings to fill, trees todecorate, songs to sing, and movies to watch.All of this cannot be squashed into one week. The song “All I Want for Christmas is You”by Mariah Carey and the movie Elf with Will

SinceMarch, theworld hasbeen washing,s a n i t i z i n g ,cleaning, andgoing into ana b s o l u t efrenzy aboutthe H1N1 flu.W h a t

probably frightens me more than thisvirus is the scale to which society hasblown the situation out of proportion. Swine flu has so far fallen far short ofthe predictions that arose from the hypein the past few months. If the diseasehad lived up to the expectations of many,and thank God it hasn’t, millions wouldhave died by now. So far, the virus haskilled 8,000 people worldwide. As horrible as this is, it also has to beput into perspective. On average, 36,000people in the United States are killed bythe seasonal flu each year. This meansthe worldwide deaths by H1N1 have onlymanaged to equal a little over one-fifthof the deaths caused by the seasonal fluin the United States alone. This is an even smaller amount whencompared with some of the other dangersin the world today. For example,approximately 16,000 children die dailyfrom hunger. More than 40,000Americans are killed each year in caraccidents. There are obviously thingsin this world that pose a greater dangerto us than swine flu. Many are worried about the effects itwill have on people with preexistinghealth conditions. While it is true thatthe virus can be dangerous to them, it isstill not a large risk for the majority ofthat population. Two of my familymembers have asthma and cardiacdefects, and both of them contracted thevirus and survived. They are now doingjust fine, back to their normal selves. Even the many precautions we takeevery day now are a complete waste oftime. Most of the wipes we use to cleanour desks are useless against the virus.And if we’re truly concerned about thevirus, why do we share bathroomlanyards? The one thing we have done that doeswork is being vaccinated against H1N1(well, at least half of us were). Did I getthe shot? Yes, I did. It’s not that I’mworried about dying or anything, but Idon’t enjoy getting sick. And if thevaccine doesn’t work? That just meansthat I’ll have a few days off from school.

Ferrell should not just be sung andwatched once, but every day. While the Scrooges are lame and preferstaying indoors and being mad at theworld, I have been spreading holidaycheer since Nov. 27. Anyone who lovesChristmas as much as I do is welcome tojoin in.

There is no such thing astoo much Christmas

Don’t be a Scrooge this holidayseason!

Picture from sileo.com

Don’t sweatswine flu

It’s not all about you during holidaysDon’t be offensive and say “Merry Christmas,” just say “Happy Holidays” instead

Abby Vargo

Matthew Worsham

Emilee Kraus

We don’t have time for you Scrooges, Grinchesand party poopers ... Xmas season should start assoon as Thanksgiving ends

Editorials 3

Making the

GradeLockers too small, or books too big?FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Regan Meinking

CONTRACONTRACONTRACONTRACONTRA

16-day Winter Break: AThis year, the last day before break isDec. 18, and we’ll have 16 days to chillout and relax. We will then go back toschool on Jan. 4.

HoHoHo Dance: AThis year, we will have the HoHoHoDance again! It was a hit last year. Dustoff your cowboy boots and get ready todance.

New Moon: A+For all you Twilight Fans, New Moonwas a hit! This is the movie everyone istalking about. (Girls, that is.)

Dodgeball: A+++The Roar’s dodgeball fundraiser wasawesome. Thanks for supporting yourstudent newspaper!

Cold weather: DCold weather is on its way. All studentsneed to bundle up and prepare to scrapethe frost off their cars. (Bus riders: doesnot apply.)

Someone walks in with arms bulgingout of his shirt, a grim expression enhancedby a scar that runs down the side of hischeek, and tattoos all over his body. Thefirst thing that comes to mind: “What aB.A.” The second thing: “Do I run?” Ifwanting this kind of persona, tattoos arethe perfect body accessory. Yet in all seriousness, tattoos are not aslife-threatening as some people (andparents) might let on. Various people usethem as a means of expression: a tattoo of

your girlfriend’sname here, a trampstamp there. Hey,you are who youare; don’t hide that. Now, I agree: Tattoos that span the entirebody may be a little over the top—no oneneeds that much expression—but tastefultattoos can be cute. Often times, people gettattoos to symbolize something significantin their lives, whether it be love, faith, or amistake. Just because a person has a tattoodoesn’t mean he or she is a rebel or a badperson. One small thing like a tattoo doesn’tdefine who you are. Some people will judgesomeone with a tattoo because of his or hertattoo; that may be true. But we all judgeand are judged by countless other thingstoo. It is my opinion that the people who areagainst tattoos probably will not get them,So why should it matter what other peopledo to their own skin? If you want one, gofor it!

Tattoos can bevery appealing.According to a 2006study by the Journalof the AmericanAcademy ofDermatology, 24percent of

Americans ages 18-50 have tattoos. This isalmost one-fourth of the population, andthe popularity of tattoos is becomingincreasingly more apparent. However, when getting a tattoo, you runthe risk of infection, disease, andpermanence; you are also puttingunregulated chemicals into your body. Unsanitary equipment is most often thecause of infection. If an artist does not cleanhis or her materials, you could acquire staph,fungal infections, or viral warts, among otherlovely illnesses. Disease is also a risk of tattoos.According to the Mayo Clinic, tattoos cancause blood-borne diseases such ashepatitis, skin disorders, and allergicreactions.

Tattoos are permanent, unless youwant to be overcharged for laser removalsurgery. You may get a tattoo at 18;however, are you going to still want it at70? It will stay with you for the rest ofyour life, even if you decide that getting itwas a mistake. Now, at 17, I am notprepared for that kind of commitment. Manufacturers of the inks andpigments used to create tattoos are notrequired to disclose the contents, and thecontents are not regulated by the Foodand Drug Administration. Tattoo inkconsists of a pigment and a carrier. Thepigment provides color, while the carrierinhibits growth of pathogens and ensuresthat the pigment is evenly distributed. Carriers can be made from toxic andcorrosive denatured alcohols, ethyleneglycol (antifreeze), and toxic aldehydes.Some of the chemicals used to createcarriers are mutagens and carcinogens;these could cause irreversible damage tothe body. For these reasons, you will not find mein a tattoo parlor anytime in the future. I’dsimply prefer to be aware of the chemicalsI am putting in my body, and I recommendthat you take the same precaution.

Swimmingseason has startedup and everyTuesday, Thursday,and Friday, I ampresented with aproblem: How do Ishove my swim baginto my extra-skinny

locker? There is no easy solution, but therewould be if my locker was not so skeletal. The majority of lockers in this schoolare the tiny maroon-ish ones, which meansthat the majority of us have to use theseannoyingly miniscule lockers. They are bestdescribed as a good dream turnednightmare. In middle school, when youlearned that you would be getting full-length lockers in high school, everyone wasoverjoyed. The celebration was quickly cutshort, however, when students first sawthem. They are skinny. Did you know thatin the elementary school, students havelockers that are admittedly much shorter,but are surprisingly about the same width? Have you ever heard of the companyAmerican Girl? It sells dolls that are 18inches tall. For one of these dolls, it sells aproduct called Julie’s School Locker. Theselockers are 8½ inches wide. Our lockers,however, measure up to a little less than 8

inches. Think about this for a second… ourlockers are skinnier than lockers made fordolls. I find this infuriating! Okay, it’scomical at the same time, but if you thinkabout it for a bit, it just gets moreaggravating. When the builders built this school, Iwonder what they were thinking. Did theywant to prevent kids from being shovedinto lockers? Did they think we would have

Tacky sweaters rock the holidays Everyoneremembers thoseholiday sweatersour mothers wore toclassroom holidayparties back whenwe were kids. Theywere atrocious.They had a multitudeof appliqué

snowmen and Christmas trees with sequinsand 3-D objects coming off them, and they

had absolutely no shape. I remember beingso embarrassed when my own mother worethem. Now that we’re older, I think we’vegained a new respect for these sweaters.Every year there are countless tacky holidaysweater parties across the country athundreds of colleges. These tacky sweatersbring joy and laughter to the holiday seasonwith their crazy designs and funky baubles.These sweaters are so obnoxious andoverbearing that it’s almost as if the sweater

Photo from Flickr.com

Emma Goetz

Student body can’t help but feel hostile when working with LHS’s miniscule lockers

Erin Randall

Becca Black

Are tattoos tacky or cool? Two Roar staffers debate the merits of getting a tattoo

is wearing the person, rather than the personwearing the sweater, which makes them allthe more hysterical. People can sing and give presents andshare the eggnog, but without tacky holidaysweaters, the holidays just wouldn’t be theholidays. I vote that every school year theday before Winter Break should be TackySweater Day. All students should deckthemselves out in the tackiest holidaysweaters they can find and spread thelaughter throughout the halls.

Logan Cornett attempts to shove hishuge backpack in his tiny locker

Photo by Casey Baker

Photo by Casey Baker

no homework and therefore wouldn’t needbackpacks? Did they not realize that we arein Ohio, where it gets cold in the winter,requiring coats? Did they not take intoconsideration the many sports played in highschool and the numerous pieces ofequipment that would need to be stored inour lockers? Our lockers do have the box over them,for which I am grateful. But as a short personwith the top box, I find it difficult to use easily.Whoever decided that these lockers wouldbe the right choice for our school needs tospend four years using a locker. Or betteryet, they need to be stuffed into one.

Hannah Claybourn at her locker

PROCON

Regan Meinking

Photo from ehow.com

A man wearing a fabulous holidaysweater.

A man sports a sleeve of tattoos

Sports4FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Austin Stahl

Comedian Conan O’Brien was running a“triathlon” before his show with his guest,actress/triathlete Teri Hatcher, when heslipped and fell backwards onto theconcrete floor of his studio. He slid, andhis head bounced off the floor. “Actually, Idon’t remember much,” he said on a laterepisode. As they tried to continue filming,he experienced memory loss, confusion,mood changes, and stubbornness. O’Brienwas taken to the hospital in an ambulanceand later was diagnosed with a concussion.He jokes, “For five seconds, I actuallyunderstood the plot of Lost.” O’Brien experienced exactly what manyhigh school athletes, as many as 25 eachyear at LHS alone, have felt. Not only areconcussions scary to teammates, coaches,parents, and the injured (if they remember),but too many can lead to a vast array ofhealth issues. A concussion occurs when a blow to thehead or jaw causes the brain to literallybounce off of the skull. The injury occursin the bruise that forms on the brain tissue.The victim often experiences symptomsincluding headaches, confusion, memory

loss, and unstable emotions. Unless the injury is very serious, a personcan usually recover easily from aconcussion. However, if a person sustainsanother concussion within seven days ofthe first injury, they are at risk of suddendeath. Two concussions within six monthstypically result in a player being considered“high risk” and being pulled from the sport.Too many concussions over a person’s lifecan lead to early Alzheimer’s and dementia. As anyone who plays a sport at Lovelandalready knows, all athletes in a contact sportmust take an ImPACT Test. This online testis administered at the start of the season toget a control reading for the player withouta concussion. If at any point during theseason the athlete is suspected of having aconcussion, the test is re-administered andthe results from the two tests are compared.If the student is believed to have received aconcussion, they receive medical aid. Missi Fischer, the trainer at LHS, is thefirst to treat Loveland athletes suspectedof having received a concussion. Her advicefor anyone who is worried about theirteammate after a hard hit? Tell someone.“A coach, a parent, any adult,” she said. “Ifthey seem to be acting funny and you’reworried about them, tell an adult so theycan get medical help.”

By Matthew Worsham

Staff Writer

orders 1,020 rolls of tape each year. NoTigers team is more thankful for theabundance of tape than the football players.According to Ms. Fisher, as many as 35players come to her to be taped up on gameday. Ms. Fischer usually arrives to LHSaround 1 p.m. to begin preparing for theathletes to come in after school and thegames at the high school that night. She isat the school until the last game of the nightconcludes. Ms. Fischer is at the high schoolsix days a week covering all Loveland sports,including lacrosse and the new boysvolleyball team. With all of these sports it isno wonder she is at the school so often. Ms. Fischer says football Friday nightsare her busiest nights of the year, with thelarge number of players and the addedresponsibilities that come with football. Ontop of that, varsity football is the only sportthat Ms. Fischer travels with. “FootballFridays are crazy around here,” she says.

The LHS fall athletes had a great seasonthis year, and there were many notableawards given out. The Roar would like tocongratulate these recipients and all otherfall athletes. Go Tigers!

CheerleadingCaptains- Kelsey Kerkhove, CourtneyAllen, Katelyn FergusonMost Spirited- Courtney FarrellLeadership- Courtney Allen

Boys Cross CountryMost Valuable Runner- Wil FisherMost Improved Runner- Ryan SchroerHardest Worker- Michael Scherpenberg

Girls Cross CountryMost Valuable Runner- Sarah FisherMost Improved Runner (two recipients) -Renee Koth, Sarah Blumberg

FootballTeam MVP - Adam EngelDefensive MVP - Randy MullinsMost Valuable Offense- Dustin Brown, J.C.Mayerle, Bubba Williams, Brandon Burks,Kyle Chezem, Mason Scheeler, AlexFacklerSpecial Teams MVP - Joel MaryGung Ho- Andrew DowdScout Team Player of the Year Offense-Collin SchulkeScout Team Player of the Year Defense-Robby MulveyMost Improved- Nick Chaney

By Emma Goetz

Staff Writer

Stan McCoy 100% Tiger- Andrew NewboldRookie of the Year- Joe MoranIron Tiger (Four Recipients) - Sean Gilligan,David Moran, Zach Elias, Wesley Kyles

Boys GolfTiger Award- Mitch LouisMost Valuable Golfer- Ryan DenneyRookie of the Year- Matt Mautino

Girls GolfLowest Average- Elizabeth OrsinelliMost Improved Golfer- Jennifer WallsBest Attitude- Julie GriffinRookie of the Year- Casey Baker

Boys SoccerMVP - Brian KuramotoCoaches Award- Jake Nye

Tiger Award- Austin KluehMost Improved Player- Andrew Schuster

Girls SoccerMVP - Mollie KuramotoBest Offensive Player- Autumn OakesBest Defensive Player- Abby VargoMost Improved Player- Ariel FischerTiger Award- Ellie Iaciofano

VolleyballM.V.P. - Amber PetersMost Improved- Molly BarnellBest Offense- Sam BurpeeBest Defense- Amber PetersTiger/ Team Spirit- Ashley Dundes

(Note: Girls tennis did not present individualawards)

Concussions can causecatastrophic effects to health

LHS honors its fall athletes

On cold fall and spring mornings as Tigerathletes battle on the field towards victory,one person can be found on the sidelinesshivering underneath a Winnie the Poohblanket. While at times it looks like she coulduse a doctor or trainer, she is one herself.Her name is Missi Fischer, and she isresponsible for keeping our Tiger Athleteson the field. Prior to coming to Loveland, Ms. Fischerworked in Birmingham, Ala., and thesurrounding areas, explaining why she mayfind Ohio a little chilly. She says Lovelandprovides her with better resources to treatthe injuries of athletes, telling a story aboutone school that provided her with one rollof tape for the entire year. Tape is the most common item thatMs. Fischer uses to help our athletes. She

Fischer fixes athletes’ woes, spares them pain

Eye of the Tiger

By Josh Brennock

Staff Writer

Ms. Fischer saysshe likes working withthe kids, even if, attimes, they can makethings difficult.Working with so manydifferent athletes, shesees many differentinjuries and manydifficult situations.“The hardest part of thejob is telling an athletethat he/she can’t playthe rest of the season,”she said. Despite theoccasional hard times,Ms. Fischer likes herjob and the Tigers areglad to have her. Shegets our athletes readyfor every game.

Courtney Farrell, posing in hermascot suit

Chances are you have seen our hard-working mascot, Courtney Farrell (12),patrolling the sidelines at LHS football andbasketball games. The LHS Tiger is acombination of a mascot and cheerleader,having to attend all cheerleadingpractices andparticipating inmany of the cheers,as well as playingthe role of mascot.She started thisyear, when shethought it would befunny to try outand did. Since thenas our mascot, shehas doneeverything fromgiving little kidshigh-fives to ap h y s i c a lconfrontation withthe Milford Eagle.We caught up withthis tenacious Tigerto find out what itis like to be amascot.

Courtney said, “My favorite parts ofbeing mascot are being with mycheerleading friends and having theopportunity to interact with kids in thecrowd.” However, these same kids can beannoying, as they often try to pull off thetail, which she says is easily the mostannoying part of the job. “The mostdifficult parts are not being allowed to

talk when wearingthe suit and whenlittle kids annoyme and call menames like the‘mean puddy cat.’It can also getvery hot insidethe suit,especially duringthe first fewfootball games,”she says.

Unlike manym a s c o t s ,Courtney has notrouble walking inher suit and caneven run with thatlarge tail laggingbehind her. Shesurely is a supersenior mascot.

By Austin Stahl

Staff Writer

Photo by Erin Randall

Photo by Josh Brennock

Missi Fischer, right, tends to the injured Ariel Fischer

Farrell’s mascot work shows school spirit

Sports 5FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Sam Burpee

By Diana Reese

Staff Writer

A day in the life of a swimmer

Perhaps you don’t realize who exactlyMrs. Ashley Brothers is. She’s not only ahigh school mathematics teacher andvarsity girls basketball coach; she’s aformer college basketball star. She alsomade All-State in2001 at McNick. She spent hercollege career atIndiana StateUniversity, whereshe played powerforward and center.During Mrs.Brothers’ senioryear, theSycamores wereranked in the top 25in the nation. Beingable to meetteammates from allacross the countrythat shared thesame passion asshe does was oneof Mrs. Brothers’favorite thingsabout getting toplay college basketball. “Having to lift weights at 5 a.m., and a14-hour bus ride through a blizzard, nevergetting a Spring or Winter Break to gohome and see your family” were thehardest things, she said. Along with herlove for playing basketball, her favorite

thing was that basketball was one of thebiggest sports at ISU, and everyone knewher name and came out to support herteam. Mrs. Brothers has advice to those whowant to follow in her footsteps: “You haveto be willing to put in the time and effort.

You have to put inthe time outside ofpractice and reallybe able to motivateyourself to bebetter. There are alot of sacrifices. Youmay not be able togo out to that partyyou wanted to goto, or you may bestaying up extra latefinishing yourhomework becauseyou had practice,but the rewards willbe worth it. Youhave to ask yourselfif you’re willing togo the extra mile thatmost people aren’t.” Mrs. Brotherssays this year the

LHS varsity basketball program has agreat group of girls. She predicts that itwill be able to dominate the Fort AncientValley Conference this year with all theextra time and effort it puts in, in and outof the season.

Mrs. Brothersleads the ladies

“Our team, our show,” said junior WesKyles, when asked about the start of a newbasketball season. The boys basketball team is busy prepar-ing for the upcoming season, with somefresh faces aiming to take the mantle fromthe stars of last year. Departed are BobbyCapobiancoand BrianWozniak, aswell ass t a r t e r sChris Stahland RyanCobb. Inare a num-ber of play-ers who areaiming totake up theslack to-gether. Thecoach, Mr.Partin, em-phasized the importance of everyone step-ping up and playing together as a team. Mr.Partin said, “We will probably have a newleading scorer each night. We can no longerrely on two players to carry the load.” Thisbeing said, Wes and senior Tony Hamannwill be counted on to lead the way. This year’s team is going to play a newstyle. This version of the Tigers will be pe-rimeter-oriented and pressure opponents alot. The team has been working out sincethe end of last season to make sure it is inshape and prepared to play an up-tempo

Boys hoops goes for repeat

By Josh Brennock

Staff Writer

By Regan Meinking

Staff Writer

style. You can expect to see a rotation of 10or more players with time on the court. Last season was a remarkable season.The team finished 16-3 in the regular sea-son, including a perfect 9-0 record in theFort Ancient Valley Conference BuckeyeDivision. With last year’s success, onemight think the team would be feeling pres-sure to have similar success. However, the

opposite isthe case. Wessays, “We feelno pressurebecause noone expects usto be good thisseason.” In fact, theTigers werepicked fifth inthe six-teamFAVC Buckeye,ahead of onlyHarrison. TheTigers are carry-ing a chip on

their shoulder from the lack of respect. Evenwith low expectations among outsiders, theteam remains confident it can win the FAVCBuckeye. Senior forward Greg Pitman ad-mits that every game is going to be a chal-lenge but is confident that the team will opensome eyes this season. The Tigers open up the season at homeon Tuesday against Indian Hill, and willbegin defense of their conference title nextFriday when Glen Este visits LHS. Greg echoed Wes’ comment, saying,“Our team, our show, two-peat fo-sho.”

CategoriesA pound of pasta, twolarge ham & cheesesandwiches with mayo onwhite bread, and 1,000calories of energy drinks.

Wake up Workout Breakfast Lunch Dinner

MichaelLawson

MichaelPhelps

“Mondays are the best”:sandwich, chips, water,circle pizza, and chilicheese fries

Another pound ofpasta, an entire pizza,and even more energydrinks.

“Chicken, vegetables ...nothing specific … Iusually snack during theafternoon though.”

Skip’s bagel’s bacon, egg, andcheese on regular bun, “part of agallon of Arnold Palmer” (aka “thedrink of Zeus,” half iced tea andhalf lemonade)

Three fried-egg sandwiches loadedwith cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, friedonions and mayonnaise, two cupsof coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowlof grits, three slices of French toast,and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Walks to and from classfive to six times a day, fivedays a week (and swimstwo hours a day, fourdays a week)

Swims six hours a day,six days a week.

4:30 a.m.

5 a.m.

Wes Kyles shoots the ball

Mrs. Brothers is ready to jamPhoto by Erin Randall

It’s 5 o’clock in the morning, the groundis covered withsnow … andyou’re in aSpeedo. Cold?D e f i n i t e l y .Dedicated? Ohyeah. Insane?Just a little. Nowhop in the pool. It’s easy tospot a swimmer.The reddish,r a c c o o n - l i k em a r k i n g saround their

faces from wearing goggles give them away.They typically sport wet, possibly green,hair. If all else fails, just follow the puddles

around theh a l l s. But hey, Ihave nothinga g a i n s tswimmers; Iam one. Iknow wewake up at 4a.m. to swimlaps at BlueAsh orSycamore (orthe pool onthe roof,f r e s h m e n ) .

After that, we rush to the locker rooms, taketwo-minute showers, squeeze on a pair ofjeans, and head to school. If we fall asleepin class, we typically wake up for dry landpractice at theend of blockfour. Contrary topopular belief,being aswimmer is morethan watchingm o s q u i t o e sinstantly die ofc h l o r i n ep o i s o n i n gwhen they landon your skin.

Waking up that early teaches you someimportant life skills. For example, did youknow you can stretch a swim cap so far youcan fit three freshmen in it?

Welcome tothe life of aL o v e l a n dswimmer. Thebus to the poolleaves at 4:45sharp. So don’tbe late. Andplease don’tcomplain aboutwaking up earlyaround aswimmer, even ifyou get up at

5:30 to straighten your hair.

Photo by Wiley Kyles

Photo from randalsimonssausages.comMichael Phelps

The Roar compares the average days of Michael Lawson, Michael Phelps

Michael Lawson Photo by Diana Reese

New faces hope to lead Tigers to victory

Carli Bachtell

News6FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Diana Reese

Kenwood’small has it all

They didn’t teach us this inDriver’s Ed In Oklahoma City, Okla., a coupledriving home from church nearly slammedinto a giant elephant that had escapedfrom a nearby circus. The driver, BillCarpenter, said he swerved his SUV atthe last second, sideswiping the 29-year-old female elephant on U.S. 81 in Enid,about 80 miles north of Oklahoma City.The couple, who own a wheat farm,weren’t injured, but the eight-foot, 4,500-pound elephant suffered a broken tuskand leg wound. (source: msnbc.com)

Guess he ran out of patience? A 38-year-old man named MarkAnthony Johnson, of Tyler, Texas called911 and reported that he had justcommitted a homicide and was armedwith a weapon. The officers sped toJohnson’s location, and once theyarrived were told that the homicide wasjust a ruse to get a speedy response fromthe police. Johnson’s real problem was asimple assault complaint. Johnson isnow being held at the Smith County Jailwith a bond set at $3,000 for filing a falsepolice report. Guess that’s the price ofimpatience. (source: cbsnews.com)

A human hardware store Doctors removed 1.5 pounds of metalfrom Requelme Abanto’s stomach inCajamarca, Peru. The 26-year-oldconstruction worker ate the metal formonths and may even do it for fun. “Iswallowed 17 nails once and didn’t die,”Abanto said. “Five-inch nails, all in oneday.” Needless to say, specialists areexamining Abanto’s mental health as herecovers. (source: cbsnews.com)

Gesundheit! Twelve-year-old Lauren Johnson ofChesapeake, Va., has mystified doctors,specialists, and even a hypnotist. Shecan’t stop sneezing. This little girlsneezes ten times a minute, 12,000 timesa day. She says it started after having acommon cold for two weeks, and nowshe just can’t stop. (source: msnbc.com)

By Sammie Wheeler

Staff Writer

Say What?!

Some receive a magical feeling when theystep onto the cobblestone steps ofKenwood Towne Centre. These 1.2 million square feet of stores sitroughly 15 miles away from our very ownschool. After eating a meal at TheCheesecake Factory, you walk up the rampand enter the mall. Crowds of people rushto the next big sale, carrying bags fromMacy’s, Forever 21, the newly openedH&M, Coach, Sephora, Lacoste, Oakley,Ilori, Apple, and Lucky Brand Jeans on theirway to Nordstrom. This year Kenwood hasadded 20 new stores, and this month a GongSushi restaurant will open as well. BourbonSt. Grill is expected to be added this spring. According to the Kentucky Enquirer,Kenwood Towne Centre is “still known asGreater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’spremiere retail spot.” Nordstrom opened atthe end of September, bringing in more than3,000 customers on its opening day. Thetwo-level, 138,000-square-feet store offerscustomers a high-end selection of quality,luxury, and designer fashion brands forwomen, men, and children. People havetrouble even getting past the shoe section;it’s that big. A Vera Bradley store has alsoadded to the high-end Nordstrom wing ofthe mall.

Think you know all about the news? Youhaven’t seen anything yet. Wait until youread these bizarre stories.

Photo from files.myopera.com

By Sara Mullowneyand Emilee Kraus

Staff Writers

With new stores likeNordstrom, KenwoodTowne Centre is readyfor the holidays

An elephant obstructs the road

On Dec. 22, 2008, Carli Bachtell wentfrom being a high school junior to being ahigh school mother. Andrew Alan Duermitwas born that day to Carli and her boyfriend,Adam Duermit, a 2009 Loveland graduate. A year later, Carli’s life looks like this:school, work, day-care commutes,homework, diaper changes, and mommytime. It’s different from that of an averageLHS senior, but she is making it work withthe help of Adam and their families andfriends. Carli and Adam have been datingfor over two years. They have defied theodds, and are happily raising a beautiful,healthy baby boy. Her hectic day begins at 5 in the morning,when she and Andrew wake up for school.She changes his diaper, picks out his outfit,then sits him in his high chair while they eatbreakfast together. Cheerios are usually afavorite. Then Andrew is buckled in his carseat, and they drive down the hill toYouthland, where Andrew starts his day. Atthis point, it’s only 7 a.m. Even if she’sexhausted from a sleepless night, Carli stillmanages to hop in her little Ford Taurusand make her way to Honors Calculus.Honors English and Government follow, andher school day is complete.

Thanks to early dismissal, Carli leavesschool at 12:50 p.m. and goes back toYouthland to pick up Andrew, where hegreets Carli withhis smiling facebefore they headhome to rest. Carliworks three days aweek at CVSPharmacy inMilford. If it’s aworking day, Carlileaves for work at4, and Andrewstays home witheither his dadAdam or hisgrandparents. Carli says shefeels fortunate tohave support inraising Andrew.Adam is there forher and Andrew100 percent, as heworks a full-timejob to supportthem. Both Carli and Adam’s parents arehappy grandparents and are always willingto babysit. “I couldn’t do this without thesupport of my family and friends; I’m sothankful to have them in mine and Andrew’slives,” Carli said.

The National Campaign to Prevent TeenPregnancy states, “Less than half ofmothers who have a child before they turn

18 ever graduate fromhigh school.” Carlirefuses to become partof this statistic. She said, “BeforeAndrew, schoolwasn’t a top priorityfor me. It is harderthan I could have everimagined being amom, but now I feel somotivated to get agood education tosupport my family.” The NCPTP alsostates, “Less than twopercent of motherswho have childrenbefore the age of 18have a college degreeby the age of 30.” Carliplans to defy theseodds, includinggraduating from high

school with early credit completion so shecan attend Raymond Walters College in thespring. She also has hopes of a successfulcareer in real estate. Carli plans to work hard and finishschool to give Andrew the best life he canhave. She is determined not to become partof these statistics and overcome thedifficulties of being a teen mom.

Bachtell balances life with babySenior juggles school, job, new responsibilitiesBy Emilee Kraus

Light News Editor

Photo courtesy of LHS

News 7FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Matthew Worsham

By Erin Randall

Editor-in-Chief

Tiger Bites: Board members elected; students honored

Christine Olsen and Linda Penningtonwere reelected to the Loveland School Boardin voting Nov. 3, while Katie Bontrager wasnewly elected. Board member JudyMcClanahan did not seek reelection.Michael Lubes, another candidate, was notelected. AP AWARDS: Eight LHS studentsqualified for the AP Scholar with DistinctionAward by earning an average grade of atleast 3.5 on all AP exams taken back in thespring, and grades of three or higher onfive or more of these exams: CalvinBudinger, Samantha Cardwell, NathanDall, Angie Gutierrez, Ben Hinchman,Jenny Klein, Emily Kowalchik, and ChrisStahl. Thirteen LHS students qualified for theAP Scholar with Honor Award by earningan average grade of at least 3.25 on all APexams taken, and grades of three or higher

on four or more of these exams: MattDykstra, Katherine Foster, JeffreyKamperman, Amanda LaCombe, SpencerLeamy, Matt Legg, Juliette Marcello, SeanMassung, Meghan McLaughlin, AnkitaSharma, Maria Stamatakos, Evan Storch,and Heather Winterhalter. Nineteen LHS students qualified for theAP Scholar Award by completing three ormore AP exams with grades of three orhigher: Jeremy Batterson, Trent Compton,Lauren Cupito, Wil Fisher, MattGarbarino, Evan Geist, David Hewitt, AndyJarc, Zach Johnson, Rachel Johnstone,Allie Lawson, Nathan McGlinchey, SarahMosby, Katherine Ramos, ChelseySaatkamp, James Schuster, MalvikaSharma, Jeff Varley, and Kevin VerHoef. NHS INDUCTIONS: The followingjuniors and seniors were inducted intoNational Honor Society on Nov. 4:Seniors: Sander DiAngelis, MattEltringham, Katie Jarvis, RachelJohnstone, Hannah Morrison.

Juniors: Rachel Antrim, Jessica Baas, TylerBeachy, Hannah Bisig, Becca Black, HaileyBooth, Joe Bota, Matthew Brown, MeganBruns, Hannah Burkhard, Tiffany Busch,Merry Bush, Adam Combs, ShelbyCopenhaver, Suzy Culbertson, TomDemers, Robert Demoret, Bailey Denzy,Brian Derrick, Jaclyn Deutsch, AidanDolan, Andrea Dubell, Anna Eltringham,Claire Ernst, Kaitlin Evans, CaraGenbauffe, Chase Giles, Katie Gilgen,Tyler Glenn, Megan Hadley, BrianHenderson, Jon Hoge, Shannon Knutson,Kateland Koch, Ryann Lally, HannahLeeper, Max Lehmann, Kevin Linnevers,Ellen Mack, Michael Massung, CJ Mayo,Taylor McDonald, Kelsey McGohan, ReganMeinking, Eric Michelfelder, RobbyMulvey, Emily Myers, Elizabeth Orsinelli,Drew Pickens, AJ Randall, Caleb Redslob,Diana Reese, Reid Relatores, NathanRobbins, Alex Robinson, Thomas Rooney,John Ross, David Rutter, Patrick Salay,Peter Samyn, Nolan Scheibel Alex Schmidt,

Leah Slyder, Austin Stahl, LindseyStalnaker, Lyndsey Stearns, KatieStenftenagel, Rachel Stewart, IanStreicker, Hannah Trate, Emilie Triot,Madeline Vance, Mackenzie Vizgirda,Jennifer Walls, Nicole Walls, LindseyWatson, Jacob Weiss, Matthew Worsham. FISHER EXCELS: Senior Sarah Fisherfinished 19th in the state in cross country onNov. 8. She was chosen to represent Ohioin the Mid-East meet, in which Ohio runnerscompete against runners from Michigan,Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. F.O.R. CLUB: The Friends of Rachel Clubis starting a lunch program for new students.Juniors Bailey Denzy and Claire Johnsonare organizing these lunches. BAND TRIP: The LHS marching bandgoes to Florida every other year to go toDisney World or a bowl game. This year,from Nov. 21-24, the band spent one day ateach Disney park. It even played in theparade at Magic Kingdom and got to seebehind-the-scenes action of the parade.

By Sander DiAngelis

Editor-in-Chief

Where is he now?The Roar catches up with Officer Rod

By Sammie Wheeler

Staff Writer Last year marked the end of the tenure ofone of Loveland’s favorite resource officers,Officer Rod Housley. After Officer Rodserved Loveland High School for seveny e a r s ,L o v e l a n dH i g hS c h o o l ’ sannexationi n t oL o v e l a n dforced him toleave thes c h o o l .Although wehave a news e c u r i t yofficer, Rodwill bemissed. So what’sOfficer Rodup to now?He’s a policeofficer forS y m m e sTo w n s h i pand typicallyw o r k sw e e k d a y sfrom 6 a.m. to2:30 p.m. Despitehis new job,being awayf r o mL o v e l a n disn’t exactlyeasy. OfficerRod says,“The mainthing I missis thecamaraderieof thes t u d e n t s . ”Rod says heloved being around students at LHS andthat it’s difficult to be away.

As well as working in a new location,Rod also has a different role. He feels thatbeing an officer in his new position makesit much more difficult to build relationshipsand really help people. He says, “Ratherthan helping others, now I’m doing morethings like arresting people.”

Other thanpatrolling thestreets andk e e p i n gcitizens safe,Rod staysbusy with thegym he co-owns, VisionMMA, wherehe coachesand trainsmixed martialarts fighters.He workswith severals t u d e n t swho havegone toL o v e l a n d ,and he saidhe trulyenjoys thisbecause itallows him toimpact othersand lend ah e l p i n ghand. So if yousee OfficerRod aroundtown, don’tbe afraid tosay hi. Hedoesn’t wantstudents tofeel likes t r a n g e r saround him. In themeantime, besure to

extend a warm welcome to our new staffmember, Officer Steve.

Thousands of children with runnynoses and coughs sit on their lap’severyday. With limited vaccinationsupplies available, mallSantas are having a hard timestaying jolly this holidayseason. The fear of contractingthe H1N1 virus has Santaseverywhere calling forpriority vaccination. Forinstance, ask Daniel Gromerand his wife, who have beenbringing Christmas cheer toSacramento, Calif., malls forthe past six years. Gromer isespecially worried thisseason, because his wife, Mrs. Claus, hasasthma and is at risk to get the virus. Hetold the Sacramento Bee, “I don’t wantpeople to stay away from Santa, but theyneed to bring their kids in healthy. Santacan’t deliver toys if he’s sick.”

The enormous onslaught of children isnot the only thing making Santas fearswine flu. Because of the underlyingdiseases obesity causes, overweightpeople are much more susceptible to

H1N1. Ernest Berger,president of the nationalorganization Santa America,told the Bee, “Most of ourSantas are over 100 poundsoverweight. This puts themat a very high risk.” The dangers that this jobis presenting are forcingGromer and his staff of elvesto take necessaryprecautions. This holidayseason Santa is getting amakeover. Instead of cotton

gloves, Gromer will wear latex underneathsafer nylon gloves, his velvety suit willbe laundered daily, and Mrs. Claus andthe elves will be scanning the line for sickchildren. No one is safe from the swine fluthis season, including Santa Claus.

Mall Santas say “no, no,no” to waiting for vaccineSt. Nick calls for priority on H1N1 lists

Ho, ho, hoPhoto from upi.com

Loveland’s former resource officer, Officer RodPhoto from Roar Archives

8

FRIDAY, December 4, 2009

C h r i s m a h a n u

Christmas

Take a look at the top 10 worst presents of all time

Buddy the Elf says “The best wsinging loud for all to hear.” For tmeans blaring Christmas music inso many good holiday songs out thgreat songs on it. The Roar decided to help spreaup with a playlist filled with the cmusic. So next time you’re tryiScrooge of a friend, you’ll have thhim or her.

1. “All I Want for Christma

2. “It’s a Wonderful World”

3. “Baby It’s Cold OutsideDeschanel

4. “Christmas Time is Here

5. “The Christmas Song” -

6. “Last Christmas”- Wham

7. “Nutmeg”- Stephen Colb

8. “This Christmas” - Chris

9. “Have Yourself a Merry Aguilera

10. “Merry Christmas BabyJean

11. “Where Are You Christm

12. “It’s Christmas Time” -

13. “White Christmas” - Ot

14. “You’re a Mean One Mr

15. “Mistletoe” - Colbie Ca

By Regan MeinkingStaff Writer

By Casey Baker and Kelsey Kerkhove

Staff Writers

Sleigh bells are ringing, Christmas trees are rocking, and stockings are hung. The holiday season has just begun. The Roar asked a few LHSstudents whom they hope to get caught with under the mistletoe. Here is what they had to say:

Sara Mullowney (12) hearts Jay Hubble (10)

Abby Vargo (12) adores Jonathan Williams(9)Hannah Claybourn (10) wants Randy Mullins(12)

Sam Burpee (12) desires Jo-Willie Frees (9)

Sara Sexton (9), left, and Lindsey Flaherty (9)wish for Spencer Vance (12)

Megan Slabaugh (10) is mesmerized by BrianKuramoto (12)

Natalie Brosz (12) crushes on JoeMoran (10)

Robby Malof (12) longs for Regan Meinking(11)

Bryan Gilligan (9) dreams about Kelsey Kerkhove (12)

Andrew Lay (11) likes Katie Swaine (9)Emilee Kraus (12) needs John Ross (11), left,and Michael Lawson (12)

You slowly force your eyes open and ashiver runs down your body as you toss yourwarm comforter aside. That’s when you realize:It’s Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa! You sprint down the stairs, wake up yourparents, and slide across the floor until youget to the tree/menorah/kinara. You tear offthe unnecessary wrapping paper, excitementflowing through your veins with the thrill ofmystery: What will it be? But your smile slowlyfades from your face. It’s not the BB gun youwanted, but a pair of pink bunny pajamas.This is a tribute to that awkward moment whenyou have too look up, smile, and fake it. Hereare some of the worst gifts received by LHSstudents:

· “A bell with ‘Number oneDad!’ written on it.” –TiffanyBowling (11)

· “Vacuum.” —MariePolicastro (10)

· “Homemade stuffed cats in abasket.” –Clare Ernst (11)

· “A treadmill; apparently Ineeded to lose weight.” –Mrs.Bush

· “Used underwear. They usedto be white.” –MichaelLawson (12)

· “Coal. No, really.” –AustinBessey (12)

· “Snowman poop (a bag ofmarshmallows).” –RachelPutman (12)

· “Microwave.” –BrianChristian (11)

· “A baby doll at age 15.” –Kayla Rhoades (11)

· “Bubble blower.” –AustinCoulson (9)

By Regan Meinking and Becca BlackStaff Writers

More crushes:

Other crushes:

Marie Policastro (10) obsesses over MattSierzputowski (12)

*Photos taken by Casey Baker and Kelsey Kerkhove

9

Page Editor: Emilee Kraus

u k w a n z a k a h

s Playlist

Here’s some holiday history

How to give back for the holidays

st way to spread Christmas cheer isr those of us that are tonedeaf, this in our cars and in our homes. Witht there, it’s hard to find a cd with all

read the Christmas spirit and comee classics and some new Christmasrying to spread the cheer to your the perfect list of songs to play for

mas” - Mariah Carey

ld” - Louis Armstrong

de” - Leon Redbane and Zooey

ere” - Vince Guaraldi Trio

- Nat King Cole

am!

lbert and John Legend

ris Brown

ry Little Christmas” - Christina

by” - Stevie Wonder and Wyclef

stmas” - Faith Hill

” - James Brown

Otis Redding

Mr. Grinch” - Deanna Kirk

aillat

The month of December is a time forcelebration. People all over the world celebrateall types of different holidays. Many holidaysare foreign to us, such as the Soyaluna, whichis celebrated by the Hopi Indians. Theholidays that the majority of our countrycelebrates in December are Christmas,Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. These holidayseach represent an important time in history andhave many ways to celebrate them. Here aresome fast facts about each of these holidays.Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah. Christmas- Christmas is celebrated bythose of the Christian faith who honor Dec. 25as the day that Jesus Christ was born. Tocelebrate this important day, those whoobserve this holiday usually decorate anevergreen tree and give out presents to theirfriends and family.

Hanukkah- Whether you know it asHanukkah, Chanukah, or Hanika, this holidayis celebrated by Jewish people. Hanukkahlasts eight nights, representing the story ofthe Maccabees. Their oil lanterns had onlyenough oil to last one day but miraculouslylasted eight. This is why Hanukkah iscelebrated. The Jewish people light one ofeight candles every night on the menorah, andalso play games such as dreidel. They alsoreceive small gifts, one for every night ofHanukkah.

Kwanzaa- This holiday is fairly new; it beganin 1966. Kwanzaa is the first holiday meant forAfrican Americans to celebrate. It takes themback to their African origins over seven nights.Each night they learn one of seven principlesof Kwanzaa, or Nguzu Saba. Kwanzaa takesplace from Dec. 26- Jan. 1 every year. Tocelebrate, they light candles on a kinara andhave a large feast with gift giving.

By Hailey Booth

Staff Writer

The holidays end up being mostly aboutreceiving, and presents are one of the mainthrills. Yet giving back should be one of thethings we consider as the holidays are near.Helping those who need it the most may bethe joy we are looking for when the celebrationsarrive. So what can we do? Here are four ideas:1. Help the people around you. Your neighborsare the easiest people to help. Find your shoveland look to help out those who may not beable to help themselves.

2. Donate to local charities. Look to peoplewho are less fortunate than us. These peopleare the ones who will appreciate our gifts themost. Donating toys to organizations such asToys for Tots can help families in need to havegood holidays.3. Do little things on a budget. You may havefriends that you don’t have enough money tobuy gifts for. Make something for them.Peppermint bark is easy and cheap to make,and you can create plenty to go around.4. Visit the elderly. Family is a crucial part ofthe holidays. Surround those who are lonelyby visiting places like nursing homes. Bringcookies or just a smile to make their holidaysspecial.

Curious about the increased jolliness and spirit around LHS? Or maybe wondering why so many holiday notes dance in others’ heads? Here

at The Roar, we decided to take a dive into the magical spirits of a few students and find out what really gets their holiday clock ticking.

Check out some holiday favorites

Name/category Favorite song Favorite treat Favorite tradition Favorite gift

By Sam BurpeeSports Editor

Mariah Schweiger (10) “Dreidel” Latkes Eight days of gifts iPod!

Molly Barnell (11)“Rock’n Around the Christmas

Tree”

By Sara Mullowney

Staff Writer

Ginger bread Unwrapping gifts Cat

Alex Burpee (10) “Little Drumer Boy” EggnogI put the star on the top ofthe tree Socks

Justin Diaz (11) “Jingle Bells” Ginger bread house Putting up the Christmas tree Clothes

Bri Harris (9) “Jingle Bell Rock” Peanut butter roll Putting up the tree Xbox 360

Photo from http://mattwisdom.files

Image from http://mattwisdom.files

Photo from parenting.leehansen.com

A menorah

A kinara

Entertainment10 Page Editor: Madeline Vance

Secret to success: “Don’t worry aboutfollowing trends; just wear what you like.Don’t be afraid to wear something outsideof the ordinary.”

What others think of Sammie’s look:Elizabeth Orsinelli (11): “I hate it. It’s ugly.Just kidding! I love her uniqueness.”Micky Henskens (11): “Sammie always hasthe cutest clothes on, even if it’s a ‘casual’day.”John Ross (11): “Sammie’s style brightensme day, especially when she wearsscarves.”Marie Policastro (10): “She’s quirky andcreative without trying!”

Who Sammie thinks is fashionable: KatiePhillips (12)…you’re next!

WHAT is she wearing?

After visiting both Showcase and Regal,The Roar found that ticket prices tend to be

Categories RegalShowcase

Seat comfort

Kindness of employees

Food prices

Ticket prices

By Becca BlackStaff Writer

Some people could care lessabout what they put on in themorning, blindly picking up thenearest item of semi-clean clothingoff the floor (which might explainsome of the odd combinations wesee). Yet here and there you seesomeone with style, someone whocares what she wears in themorning: a fashionista. Sammie Smith (11) is one suchfashionista.

Her style: A unique combination ofartsy clothes.

Attracted to: Sammie is drawn towardsjeans, scarves, and anything with anchorson it!

Favorite outfit: Cute basic blue jeans, a niceblouse, a scarf, and a pair of ballet flats.

Where she shops: She loves Anthropologieand J Crew, but when she actually wants tobuy clothes without going broke, she headsto Target and Plato’s Closet.

Movies that inspire her fashion: Penelope,The Notebook, and Pride and Prejudice.

Pet peeves: Jeans without back pockets,skinny jeans with ugly running shoes, andthose annoying, sarcastic-comment T-shirts.

Photo by Becca Black

Atmosphere

By John RossStaff Writer

a little more expensive at Regal, though itsseats were much more comfortable. Theprices for food and drink at both venueswere pretty bad, but Showcase’s were a little

better. The employees at Regal were quitekind--one of them even wiped the water offthe side of my drink for me--whereas theemployees at Showcase were just average.

Both places had a great atmosphere, butRegal just has a certain flair that puts itabove Showcase. So there you have it: Regalbeats Showcase 20-18.

Sammie Smith in her fashionable clothes

By Matthew WorshamStaff Writer

After months of waiting, fans ofthe Call of Duty franchise rushed outNov. 10 to buy 4.7 million copies ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 inthe first day of sales, making it thefastest-selling video game of all time. “ZOMG I GOT THE GAME ANDIT SMELLS SO GOOD,” said oneproud owner of the game, juniorMichael Massung, via text messageupon receiving his copy. He added,“It’s the smell of a new romance...” Right you are, Michael. Theexperience is well worth the wait. The game begins five years afterthe end of Call of Duty 4: Modern

Warfare (COD4). Tensions between Russiaand the United States are high, and all ittakes is a slip up in the CIA for the twosuperpowers to come crashing down on oneanother. The storyline is deep comparedwith other games of the genre and adds tothe thrill. The game play is riveting. The graphicsare even better than they were in COD4,and new technology such as the heartbeatsensor and aerial drones add a newperspective to the game. Fans may be disappointed with the lossof the co-op campaign from Call of Duty:World at War, but the new “SpecialOperations” game mode gives players thechance to play with their friends in shortand challenging missions. Many favorite missions from COD4 werebrought to the new mode too, so now you

and a friend can sneak through theradioactive wasteland of Chernobyltogether, or he can cover you from an AC-130 gunship high above while you escapeyour crashed helicopter to safety. There are some disappointments with thegame, including the loss of the “NaziZombies” game mode or any kind ofequivalent, and of some realism from thegame. For example, you can now use twoweapons at the same time, which, whileenjoyable, doesn’t fit well in the context ofa Call of Duty game. Overall, the game is amazing. Playerswill quickly get over the loss of some realismand one game mode when they play thisincredible game. Call of Duty: ModernWarfare 2 receives a final score of 9.75 outof 10.

New Call of Duty in with a bangReview: Gamers should rejoice over new features,will likely hibernate until spring to play hot game

Face-off: Showcase Cinemas vs. Regal CinemasPhoto from blog-games.comNew Call of Duty game

FRIDAY, December 4, 2009

This month’s spotlight shines on Sammie Smith

Entertainment 11FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: John Ross

Each month The Roar is sent posters,CDs, and stickers from record labelspromoting their bands and musicians. Hereis a review of one of The Roar’s discoveries. He may be young and look like a littlekid, but 13-year-old rapper, dancer, and actorScooter Smiff is attracting some majorattention. After releasing his first single,“Head of My Class,” Scooter has his eyesset on success.

We received a sampler CD of ScooterSmiff’s music, and the first thing we noticedis that this little kid has songs featuring bothChris Brown and T-Pain. We popped theCD in the player, and couldn’t help but laughjust a little at first. Slowly, Scooter’s music will grow on you.His music is targeted at a pre-teen audience,but “Head of My Class” is catchy and mayjust make you laugh. For only $0.99 fromthe iTunes Store, this song is worth a try.Overall: 3.5/5 stars

Smiff takes world by stormReview: Child rapper’s first single is a hitBy Sander DiAngelis

Editor-in-Chief

The Roar has all of your holiday presententertainment needs here in a helpful listform:

Movies-Opening today: -Armored: Armored truck guards plan toheist the truck they guard. - Brothers: After thinking her husband(Tobey Maguire) dies in the Middle East, awoman (Natalie Portman) begins spendingtime with her husband’s brother (JakeGyllenhaal). When it turns out her husbandisn’t dead, things get very messed up. -Everybody’s Fine: A father (RobertDe Niro) takes his three grown kids on a tripto reconnect.Dec. 11: -Invictus: The true story of NelsonMandela’s (Morgan Freeman) attempt tounite his country using the 1995 RugbyWorld Cup, which was hosted in SouthAfrica. -The Lovely Bones- Peter Jackson returnsin the story of a murdered girl who watchesher family from heaven as they try to solvewhat happened to her.Dec. 18: -Avatar: Humans invade a distant planet,Pandora, and confront the indigenous race,the Na’vi. James Cameron directs the 3Dsci-fi epic. It’s rumored this movie willrevolutionize 3D. -Did You Hear About the Morgans?:Struggling New York couple witnesses amurder and are forced to move into thewitness protection program.Dec. 25: -Sherlock Holmes: Guy Ritchie (Snatch,and Lock, Stock, and Two SmokingBarrels) directs this tale about Sir ArthurConan Doyle’s detective, played by RobertDowney Jr. (Iron Man). -It’s Complicated: An older, divorcedwoman (Meryl Streep) enters into an affairwith her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin).

-The Roar’s Pick: Avatar- James Cameron,‘nuff said.

Music:

Dec. 8: -Snoop Dogg- Malice N WonderlandDec. 15: -Lil Wayne- Rebirth-The Roar’s Pick: Snoop Dogg’s Malice NWonderland

DVDs/Blu-rays:Dec. 8: - Public Enemies - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceDec. 15: -The Hangover -Inglourious BasterdsDec. 22: - (500) Days of SummerDec. 29: -District 9 -9-The Roar’s Pick: District 9

Video games: Dec. 21: - Guitar Hero: Van Halen Dec. 28: - Dead Rising 2-The Roar’s Pick: Dead Rising 2

By Michael Lawson

EntertainmentEdi tor

Hot entertainment items towarm up your holidays

Snoop Dogg looking flyPhoto from hiphop-n-more.com

An alien from District 9Photo from filmschoolrejects.com

An Avatar movie posterPhoto from thecutekid.com

How to kill zombies in Dead Rising 2Photo from consoleplanet.com

Scooter Smiff’s album cover for his CD Head Of My ClassPhoto from interscope.com

Bummed about being stuck in the ’Natiover Winter Break? Don’t fret, because thereare plenty of events and other cool thingsgoing on over the break:

-Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas CityChiefs game- Dec. 27 at Paul Brown Stadium.Get tickets at ticketmaster.com. Who Dey! -Festival of Lights- Nov. 27-Jan. 3,starting at 5 p.m. daily at the Cincinnati Zoo.Tickets are $13 for ages 13-61. Make sure

you take a trip down to the zoo this holidayseason. -Ice skating on New Year’s Eve atFountain Square. Rekindle old memories orstart some new traditions with free iceskating. -Chris Wells’ lights- Dec.1-31 at 256Glen Lake Rd., 7-10 p.m. daily. Don’t forgetto tune your radio to 106.9 FM whilewatching the show. You don’t want to missthe show of over 18,000 lights. -Spend a day at the theater with yourfriends viewing these new movie releases:Everybody’s Fine, Princess and the Frog,Sherlock Holmes, The Lovely Bones, andUp in the Air.

Staying home for theholidays isn’t so bad‘Staycation’ activities abound in Cincinnati

The light show featured at Chris Wells’s housePhoto courtesy of Chris Wells

TheRoarrocks!Keep

reading!

By Katie HenkeStaff Writer

Entertainment12FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Emma Goetz

As the winter months and cold weathercome upon us, here are the best movieswhere the cold climate causes crazyconundrums in the plot. 1. The Thing: John Carpenter’s storyabout an alien that begins killing membersof an Antarctic research base isphenomenal. The creature takes theshapes of living things. The charactershave to worry about the creatures andeach other, not knowing what form thecreature could be in. 2. 30 Days of Night: A story about atown in Alaska that has 30 days without

Looking for something to do thismonth? Check out these concerts. Rock: Shinedown with Papa Roach atThe Bank of Kentucky Center on Dec. 5,The Fray at Lifestyle Communities Pavilionin Columbus on Dec. 8, Sighlo at NewportMusic Hall in Columbus on Dec. 11. Jazz: Kenny G at the Aronoff Center forthe Arts on Dec. 9. Soundtrack: Star Wars: In Concert atU.S. Bank Arena on Dec. 11. Hip hop/ rap: Raekwon at Alrosa Villa inColumbus on Dec. 11. Bluegrass: Ricky Skaggs at PalaceTheatre in Columbus on Dec. 11. Alternative rock: Sick Puppies with RevTheory at Bogart’s on Dec. 15. Christmas: Trans Siberian Orchestra atU.S. Bank Arena on Dec.18.

By Michael LawsonEntertainment Editor

By Bridget Sova

Staff Writer

Michael’s Movies

The Roar’s pick: Are you getting sick ofconcerts yet? If so, then this month featurestwo concerts that offer more than just music.The first is Star Wars: In Concert on Dec. 11at U.S. Bank Arena. This concert is truly amulti-media performance. It features a livesymphony orchestra, a chorus, and a giantLED screen that will show footage from allsix Star Wars films while the live orchestraand chorus play the music from the movies.For all the Star Wars fans out there, this isone concert you don’t want to miss. Ifyou’re enjoying getting into the Christmasspirit, the Trans Siberian Orchestra at U.S.Bank Arena on Dec. 18 is the concert foryou. This concert features an extravagantlight show that is perfectly timed to all ofyour favorite Christmas songs, played by a60-piece orchestra and a choir. So if you’reready for a little something more, check outone of these concerts.

sunshine and gets invaded by vampires.This story is a real vampire story, unlike theabomination known as Twilight, thesevampires are hurt by sunlight. 3. Cliffhanger: Sylvester Stallone climbsmountains: MANLY! He fights bad guys:MANLIER! He fights in a man tank-top inthe snow on a mountain top: MANLIEST! 4. Dead Snow: Vacation in the Alps? Fun.Zombies? More fun. Nazis? Not so fun.NAZI ZOMBIES?! MOST FUN! 5. The Shining: Jack Nicholson’s classicperformance as Jack Torrance, who, with hisfamily, watches over a Colorado Hotel, theOverlook, in the winter. Definitely very cold.

The saga continues ...with werewolves

When the clock struck midnight onNov. 20, theaters throughout the U.S. werepacked with Twilight saga fans. NewMoon, the sequel toTwilight, was soldout in thousands oftheaters. Screaminggirls lined upoutside the theateras early as 9:30 p.m.The battle betweenthe main malecharacters, Jacoband Edward, addeda whole newelement ofcompetition to thismovie. Girls sportedtheir “TeamEdward” and “TeamJacob” shirts,excited to see theirfavorite hottie. Fans were verypleased with theclose parallel themovie has with thebook. The plot isnearly exactly thesame. Girls are raving about the memorablescenes where Jacob, played by TaylorLautner, rips his shirt off. The ultimate love

battle between Bella’s two lovers make NewMoon an exciting, romantic film filled withsuspense. This movie has a much largerbudget than the last movie of the series.The action is of much higher quality, and

overall, thismovie is a hugehit. EdwardCullen, played byRobert Pattinson,takes theaudience on anemotional ridewhen the plottwists, and hischaracter decidesto leave Bellaalone for her ownsafety. Jacob andBella’s friendshipand feelings growthroughout themovie, whichmakes itunderstandablefor girls to go wildover Jacob (that,and hisr i d i c u l o u s l ybeautiful body).

Fans have high hopes for the nextproduction, Eclipse, that premieres in sixmonths.

Team Jacob fans delight in the insanley buff wolfpack, which includesTaylor Lautner (front)

Pphoto from movies.yahoo.comTaylor Lautner gained 20-plus pounds ofmuscle for New Moon

Wintry films that make you turn up the heater

Photo from movies.yahoo.com

By Sara Mullowney and Emilee KrausStaff Writers

Two of The Roar’s “Twihards” review New Moon after the midnight premire

Upcoming Concerts

Light News 13FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Ellen Mack

By Madeline Vance

Staff Writer

(The Roar will feature a top 10 list eachissue. It’s completely up to the author, whois determined randomly, whatever he or shewants to count down). Food, glorious food! This sustenancekeeps us alive every day. I’ve eaten manymeals in my life, and after searching the city,these are by far the best places to dine inthe area. They offer fresh and flavorful foodand are known for their great service. Ifyou’re looking for a delicious meal, take myadvice andcheck out mytop 10 list,counting downto my favorite.These amazingrestaurants willnot let youdown, butinstead willleave youfeeling well-fedand happy.10. LonghornSteakhouseThe AmericanWest is truly brought to life through thisrestaurant’s great hospitality and invitingatmosphere. Personally, I enjoy munchingon its delectable bread and butter, as wellas ribs and mashed potatoes.9. T.G.I. FridaysI love its delicious appetizer: potato skins,topped with cheese and bacon bits. Fordessert, try its brownie obsession, a warmbrownie covered in chocolate-fudge sauce,vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and pecans.

8. First WatchGreat for every meal, but my favorite isFrench toast and bacon for breakfast.7. P.F. Chang’sAmazing Chinese food; its chicken-broccoliand egg rolls hit the spot.6. Culver’sSo good. Enjoy wonderful grilled cheese andchicken tenders, as well as perfectly madeshakes and malts in many different flavors.5. Panera BreadOne of the best bread and soup places ever.I always get chicken noodle soup, eventhough I found a floating fly in my bowl

one time.(Eww.)4. Red RobinI love its serviceand the freeballoons youcan receiveupon entry/exit.Its burgersleave as e n s a t i o n a ltaste in yourmouth andleave you with afull belly.3. Chipotle

A great Mexican place to eat. The perfectburrito consists of chicken, black beans,rice, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, and littlebit of salsa.2. Potbelly Sandwich WorksDo you like Quiznos? Potbelly has similartoasted sandwiches but with a taste qualityten times better.1. The Cheesecake FactoryThis full-service restaurant is known for itsremarkable and legendary cheesecake fordessert.

The Roar’s Top 10 listTop 10 places to eat around the ’Nati

Many of ushave had Mr.Conatser as ascienceteacher. Othershave had himas a football orweight trainingcoach afterschool. Haveyou everwonderedwhat he doeseveryday? Everymorning Mr.Conatserwakes up at 5to get in some sort of cardio workoutbefore school. His breakfast consists ofa bowl of Wheaties. Next he must gethis son, Brock, ready for school. “My wife is responsible for gettingmy daughter ready; she is too whiny forme to get ready in the morning,” Mr.Conatser said. He arrives at school at 7 and headsto the library for his planning block. Toget ready for his first class, HonorsEnvironmental Science, he drinks aprotein shake. Before his lunch, Mr.Conaster teaches an Environmentalscience class. His lunch usuallyincludes a turkey sandwich and fruitwashed down with a V8 or water. Lunch

is followed by another EnvironmentalScience class. After school you can find Mr.Conatser in the weight room until 5.After he helps LHS students get ripped,he lifts weights himself. At home, Mr. Conatser spends histime playing with his kids. Every nightfor dinner he eats meat, cheese, andsome kind of dark green vegetable. Hewill relax by watching ESPN programs,football games, and the History Channelor Discovery Channel. Before bed hewill read a backpacking magazine to getready for his weekend trips to Red RiverGorge.

By Casey Baker and Natalie Siddique

Staff Writers

A day in the life of Mr. Conatser

Mr. Conatser with a V8 Photo by Natalie Siddique

Photo from carnivore.tvA favorite of Madeline’s

Lolkatz get last laugh

Nov. 20 marked that beginning of a newtradition at LHS. In an effort to raise moneyfor our newspaper, The Roar, the journalismclass hosted a dodgeball tournamentfeaturing 13 teams and over 100 students. Lolkatz took the tournament by storm asit lost its first match to Blitzkrieg, butproceeded to win seven consecutive gamesand take the crown. The Fireballs also hadan impressive showing, winning four

consecutive matches before falling toLolkatz in the finals. Finishing third in the tournament wasShumakers.

Congratulations to Lolkatz!Shane Spring (12)Kevin Caines (12)Hunter Ewing (10)

Haley Shuemake (10)Nicolette Hayes (10)Dylan Bodley (10)

Ben Hill (12)Anthony Zamagias (12)

By Sander DiAngelis

Editor-in-Chief

Ben Hill (12) of the Lolkatzcelebrates his victory.

Photo by Sander DiAngelis

Andrew Schuster (12) and GregPitman (12), right, shake hands af-ter a game.

Photo by Sander DiAngelis

The Fireballs, above, were defeated by theLolkatz in the finals.

Photo by Sander DiAngelis

Buzz14 Page Editor: Katie Henke

Where’sSierz?Try to be the first tofind senior MattSierzputowski

Food FightBy Sammie Wheeler

Staff Writer

This month The Roar compared twopizza places: Mio’s and Cici’s. Both offer

Mio’s vs. CiCi’severything from pizzas to salads and more.Cici’s incredible deals make it much more

affordable than Mio’s somewhat priciermenu. It’s a close fight, but the atmosphere

FRIDAY, December 4, 2009

The monthly special of two strikingly similar-looking human beings caught on camera!

Look-Alikes

Variety

Taste

AffordabilityService

Atmosphere

CiCi’sCategoriesMio’s

Lauren Tipton (11), above,and right in center photo

Alayna Buescher (12), above,and left in center photo

and service of Mio’s just can’t be beat.Mio’s wins 21-20.

Provided photo

Photo by Sander DiAngelisPhoto by Casey Baker and Kelsey Kerkhove

Photo by Sara Mullowney Photo by Sara Mullowney

FRIDAY, December 4, 2009

People 15Page Editor: Kelsey Kerkhove

Abby Mullowney

ThomasMcCarty

MaggieStancliff

HannahMoloney

Liz Sullivan MariePolicastro

MK Fisher

Grade: Sophomore

Interests: Lacrosse, lacrosse, lacrosse, hanging out with friends

School activities: Lacrosse

TV shows and movies: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The

Hangover

Favorite class: AP History. Mr. Partin is awesome!

Hero: Probably my sister, Sara (a senior)

Pet peeve: I hate it when people are coughing, but it’s a really

light cough. It drives me crazy. Just cough!

Quotes: “Life’s a climb, but the view is great.” –Lucas Till

Fun facts: I had surgery when I was in third grade to get my

appendix out. If that’s a fun fact.

Can’t live without: Either my phone or my friends. If I had

my phone, though, then I could still keep in contact with my

friends.

November 19, 1993

Facebook is a fun way to get to know others. Each month, The Roar will pick a student at random(picking a name blindfolded) to help introduce you to a new face at LHS, Facebook style.

Do You Remember...?By Natalie Siddique

Staff Writer

Do you remember the must-have robottoy known as the Furby that spoke“furbish” and moved its eyes in crazydirections? Ofcourse you do. The Furbygained its famebecause of itsa p p a r e n tintelligence whichcomes from itsability to movewhen touched andits ability top r o g r e s s i v e l yspeak English. Distributed byTiger Electronics,Furby is famousfor its immensesuccess in its early

sales. The Furby sold over 40 million unitsin its first three years of originalproduction. Its creators, Dan Hampton andCaleb Chung, completed the robot in amere nine months, but nevertheless, it wasa hit.

If you still have anurge to rekindle theflame with a Furby,you’re in luck,because in 2005 a newgeneration of Furbycalled the Emoto-Tronic Furby wasreleased with voicerecognition, morecomplex facialmovements, and manymore changes andimprovements. It’s fair to say thatthe Furby was easilythe toy of ourgeneration.Photo from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/

“Maggie is awesome”

Roar around the school-The dodgeball tournament was awesome! Anyone who didn’t gomissed out.

-The girls SAY soccer team, the Loveland Pirates, finished secondin the state tournament on Nov. 22.

-Winter break is sixteen days long this year; be sure to make thebest of the holiday activities.

Sincerely,Your editors-in-chief

’12

Furby

Caboose16FRIDAY, December 4, 2009 Page Editor: Michael Lawson

Everyone wonders what goes throughthe minds of first graders. The Roar hadthe privilege to ask a Loveland first-gradeclass two questions about the holidays.

What does Frosty the Snowman do duringthe summer? “Stays in a freezer.” -Alex “He dies and makes a seed for nextyear.” -Josh

“He is in the North Pole.” -Joanna “At summer Mr. Frosty the Snowmanmelts and during winter Frosty theSnowman doesn’t melt.” -Ruth “Sleep.” -Spencer

How do reindeer fly? “They scrunch their feet.” -Josh “They eat something that makes themfly.” -Alex “They just fly.” -Drew

Kids say the cutest things “Santa puts magic on the reindeer.” -William “When I give them magic food.” -Babs “Magic sprinkles.” -Karson “Santa remote-controls them.” -Eliza “Santa says a magic word, and then theyfly.” -Luke “Feet.” -Emily “With their antlers.” -Helge “Magic corn.” -Lauren “By the wind.” -Josey

Frosty the SnowmanImage from mcwtoys.com

The Roar has created its very own Mad Lib. Fillin these blanks for a funny and entertaining letter toSanta. See the key below to see what type of wordto fill in. This works best when you ask a friend tosubmit his/her answers before reading the paragraph.

(1. noun, 2. adjective, 3. adjective, 4. verb, 5. noun,6. verb, 7. plural noun, 8. adjective)

Dear Santa,I have been a very good 1.)____________

this year. I have tried my hardest to be2.)___________ to my parents and 3.)__________to my friends. I 4.)____________ my chores almostevery night and haven’t missed a homeworkassignment yet. I ask for only a few things this year. I was hopingyou could get me a new pogo stick, a Barbie dreamhouse, and a 5.)___________. I made lots ofChristmas cookies and will6.) ___________ out the chimney for you. I also leftyour reindeer a few 7.) ___________. I don’t wantthem to get hungry on your 8.) _______________trip around the world tonight. Have a Merry Christmas, Santa!

By Kelsey Kerkhove

Staff Writer

’Twas the night before Christmas ... at LHS (Here’s a holiday poem with apologiesto the original author.)

Twas the night before Christmas, when allthrough Loveland HighNot a student was stirring, not even JakeNye (12)The stockings were hung by the front officewith care

By Abby Vargo

Staff WriterWith hope that St. Nicholas soon would bethere

When out on the roof there arose such aclatterThere was a splash in the pool, and jollychitter chatterWith a little old driver, so lively and quickThe whole school knew it must be St. Nick

“Now, Mrs. Grant! Now, Mrs. Woodruff too!I will fill their socks with crafts and glue!”A bundle of school supplies he flung on hisbackWent into classrooms of teachers andopened his sack

He was dressed all in fur, from his head tohis footAnd his beard was full of cafeteria cookiesand soot

His eyes how they twinkled as he enteredthe band roomHe laughed as the tuba made a sound like avacuum

Santa, once done, gave his team a loudwhistleAnd away they all flew like the down of athistleBut the school heard him exclaim, ‘ere hedrove out of sight,“Happy Christmas to Loveland High, andto all a good night!”

Color this snowman, drawn by Ellen Mack (11), return it to room 109, and we’ll deck the hall with it.

By Abby Vargo

Staff Writer

Mad Lib!Letter toSanta