RampageWednesday, August 29, 2001 SE Polk High School, Runnells, IA 50237 Vol. 37, Issue 1

by MARISOL LOPEZAs classes opened Aug. 20, students

grabbed their sparkling new plannerbooks and began penciling in events thatwill highlight the upcoming school year.

Students got a reminder first thing thatmorning that the daily schedule has beenmoved up five minutes, making start-ing time 7:55 a.m. Classes are dismissedat 3:06 p.m. daily.

Another major change which studentswill welcome is that the first semesterwill be concluded before winter breakon Dec. 21. Students will not return forclasses until Monday, Jan. 7, althoughteachers will return for staff develop-ment Jan. 2-4. The 2001-2002 schoolyear is set to end Friday, May 24 (pro-vided we have no snow days), withgraduation now scheduled for Sunday,May 26, at the Knapp Center of DrakeUniversity.

Two-hour late starts have been sched-uled for Sept. 19, Oct. 24, Dec. 12, April10 and May 1.

Homecoming festivities centered onthe theme “Country Hoedown” havebeen organized for the week of Septem-ber 17. The annual parade and corona-tion ceremony will be Thursday, Sept.20, in the west gym. The Rams will playDM Roosevelt HS at 7:30 p.m. on Fri-day, Sept. 21. The annual Homecom-ing dance is scheduled for Saturday,Sept. 22, in the east gym.

Winter Formal will be Feb. 9 in theeast gym and prom is scheduled for

April 27 at the Convention Center.The annual college fair will run from

9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, inthe west gym. Juniors and seniors willhave the opportunity to visit with rep-resentatives from a wide variety of post-secondary institutions, including com-munity colleges, liberal arts institutionsand military branches.

Other events students may want toplace on their calendars include TechExpo, Friday, May 10; the Bill Burch(Honor) Breakfast, Wednesday, April10; and honors night, Wednesday, May15, in the auditorium.

Backpacks now disallowedBackpacks are now banned from

classrooms after policy changes thissummer.

Ed Flynn, director of student ser-vices, says students will still be al-lowed to bring book bags, backpacksand duffel bags to school, but all suchitems must be left in lockers through-out the day.

“Twenty-five or 30 book bags orbackpacks in a classroom make it dif-ficult for teachers to move around theroom delivering instruction,” Flynnsaid. Dangerous objects and otheritems of contraband are also too eas-ily concealed in opaque bags.

“Five minutes of passing time be-tween classes is adequate for studentsto exchange books at their lockers,”Flynn added.First scholarships awarded

Three 2000 graduates will be car-rying the district’s first Dollars forScholars awards to college as theyenter as freshmen this fall.

The first scholarships, each for$500, were awarded to JessicaSchweer, Sarah Bowen and ShanonDeJoode at awards night in May.They are headed to Iowa State, Iowaand UNI, respectively.

The Dollars for Scholars commit-tee is continuing its fundraising ef-forts throughout the year with hopesof boosting the fund until it will bevirtually self-supporting. The na-tional Dollars for Scholars programmatches funds at participating insti-tutions.

Applications for these funds fornext spring’s graduates will becomeavailable during the second semes-ter. Donations to the program can bedirected to the district’s central of-fice.New meds policy enacted

Medications for attention deficithyperactive disorder (ADHD) mustnow be transported to school by anadult, according to new districtpolicy.

Drugs such as Ritalin, Concertaand Dexedrine will now be countedupon delivery to the school andlogged on a transport envelope whichmust also bear a parent signature.

The district has enacted the newpolicy to protect students and theirfamilies in addition to continuingtheir past practices of utilizingdouble-lock cabinets for drug stor-age and charting of all medicationsdispensed.

Antibiotics and other non-con-trolled substances remain under pastpolicies requiring a labeled prescrip-tion bottle and a medication releaseform from the parent.

Families affected by this changeshould have been contacted over thesummer regarding the change. Ques-tions about this policy should be di-rected to nurse Patti DeRaad.

by CHRIS MCDOWELLThe opening of school brings differ-

ent experiences for all grade levels.When freshman Nicole Cunningham

recalls her first two days of school, sheremembers, “I thought the first day wasscary and I was afraid of getting lost.”

Cunningham also said that it was anexciting but different experience fromany other school.

Sophomore Marissa Lamberti saysshe felt “It was exciting to get to seemy friends again; I like all my classes.

“ I can’t wait for the school year to beover.” Lamberti also said that all she didin her classes the first day was go overrules.

“It was fun to see all of my friendsthat I didn’t get to see this summer. Ienjoyed goofing around,” junior ElyssaHall said.

“It sucked being back in school butit’s cool being an upperclassmen be-cause now we rule the school.

“I did behave on the first day and Ididn’t get in any trouble. The boring

thing was going over rules,” Hall said.The second day was better because wedid stuff in class, but I have homework.”

Senior Chelsea Hanson gave a simi-lar evaluation. “The first day was OK. I

Director of Instructional Services Chuck Bredlow (center) does some direct-ing of traffic at freshman and new student orientation. For more photos ofthe early days of school year 2001-02, see pages 4-5.

Calendarfeaturescountlessactivities

Ram NewsIn Brief

Students react to first day of schoolliked getting to see my friends again. Itis going to be an awesome year. Thesecond day was also OK.

“I’m excited to see what will hap-pen.”

by BRAD KIESTERThe old show “That’s Incredible”

couldn’t have topped some of the eventsthat went on this summer in the nationaland international news.

Ex-president Bill Clinton is being paid$10 million for a life biography, eventhe little after-hour parties outside theOval Office. That’s just the money tostart off with; it grows with thepopularity of the book.

In Nigeria, an Islamic woman wassentenced to 100 lashes for having anextramarital affair. Also overseas, aPakistani doctor was sentenced to deathfor making insulting remarks aboutIslam’s Prophet Mohammed.

A man found guilty of possessing

child pornography appealed hissentence and was granted less prisontime because the judge ruled that he wasaddicted to it and couldn’t be held fullyresponsible for his actions.

The definition of the word “hero” wasfound in Pensacola, Fla. An eight-year-old boy, Jessie Arbogast, was attackedby a shark while swimming. His unclewrestled the shark to get the arm back.

Arbogast was sent to a nearby hospitalwhere his arm was successfullyreattached. He is currently in a “lightcoma,” responding only to the mostobvious stimili, but doctors believe hemay recover fully despite the significantblood loss. The news media continue tocover this kid’s progress.

Weird events highlight summer

It’s always toosoon to quit.

SE Polk salutes the classof 2005 with revampedfreshman/new studentorientation process--

photo essay, pp. 4-5

NEWSpage two Rampage, Aug. 29, 2001

by NICOLE VANCEPositive response has been

pouring in since a revampedfreshman orientation was con-ducted Aug. 15 and PrincipalWilliam Orcutt says staff in-volvement in the process hasmade the difference.

As freshmen and their par-ents assembled in the gym that

night, it was all-hands-on-deckfor the staff. After brief open-ing and introductory remarksby administrators and studentleaders, each teacher took aboutfour incoming students to hisor her room to discuss the fourparts of the school improve-ment plan and how it wouldimpact the new Rams.

Many freshmen, as well astheir parents, had questions andcomments about the new sys-tem. Parents and students alikeexpressed a bit of anxiety aboutchanges, but teachers presentedinformation and answeredquestions that helped them un-derstand ninth grade teaming,the eight-period day, the advi-

sor-advisee relationship andcompetency demonstrations.

Freshman Steve Fox said thatthe thing bothering him most isthat he thinks he’ll have to do alot more than other gradesahead of him had to with thecompetencies and more creditsto earn. A classmate expressedanother concern.

“I don’t think it (ninth gradeteaming) is such a great idea,”freshman Matt Adams said. “Ithink that high school should bea step up, but basically it soundslike being in junior high.”

The school’s four guidancecounselors, along with directorof instructional services ChuckBredlow, are busy helping thefreshmen and other new stu-dents get situated. Their trumpcard is the advisor-advisee sys-tem, which they say will assistin assuring that every studenthas a personal relationship withat least one staff member.

Counselor Rosemary Freelsays she is most excited aboutthe teaming concept. “It willhelp the freshman make asmoother transition to highschool.”

“Our goal is to help the fresh-men become aware of thebuilding and the issues thatarise,” freshman team Englishteacher Linda Holtgrewe said.

“It will provide a strong groupatmosphere.”

Orcutt agrees. “Ninth gradeteaming is a good thing,” hesaid. “It should help alleviatemuch of the ninth graders’anxieties.”

Over the weeks, advisoryteachers will also help fresh-men, along with the sopho-mores, juniors and seniors intheir groups, cope with theusual issues surrounding home-work, teachers, testing and dis-cipline issues. The groups willalso take part in group-build-ing activities and school-wideevents like Homecoming.

Response positive to revamped freshman orientation

by MARISOL LOPEZWe’ve been in school for only a week. For most

seniors, they’ve been making plans and predictionson how their senior year is going to be. Most are go-ing to continue to work hard and others are going toblame “senioritis” for their laziness.

One thing that all seniors should keep in mind thisyear is the question of what should become of themonce it is all over.

Though your senior year should still be one of thebest time of a student’s life, seniors also have to de-cide what they’re going to do with the rest of theirlives.

Whether it’s going to be college, working, or serv-ing in the military.

For those who plan on going to college, many coun-selors have tips on college planning.

The first step many students take is to sort throughthe heaps of mail from colleges and decide what iswanted from a college. All the information in the bro-

chures will allow anyone a better perspective on whatthey want out of a university.

Once that has been accomplished, take a campusvisit of the schools that are of interest.

“Use your visits,” said guidance counselor Jack Coo-per, “Students have two visits the second semester oftheir junior year and two per semester their senioryear.” It is recommended by college admissions coun-selors to do this during the fall. Also, plan to take theACT or SAT one more time during your senior year.

It’s now time to start applying to the colleges thatare ranked as your top three or four choices. Someuniversities have an early admissions program, whichgives added benefits for applying early.

Early admission may allow reserved enrollment,early financial aid analysis, and also early notifica-tion of scholarships.

“Applying early also helps with housing, especiallyat the larger universities,” said Cooper. Early admis-sions deadline is Dec. 1.

By January the Free Application for Federal Stu-dent Aid (FAFSA) form will be available in the guid-ance office. This form will help determine financialneed and eligibility for state and federal assistance.The FAFSA form does not have to be in until July 1,but the priority deadline is March 1. The priority dead-line insures that those student who sent their FAFSAform before this date, the amount of aid that they areeligible for. The student aid report (SAR) should comeback in four to six weeks of the form being mailed.

Between February and March, seniors should planto take a campus visit if they are still undecided, or toconfirm their decision on the institution they havechosen.

Closer to graduation, seniors should make their fi-nal decision on a school. Students should take any APor CLEP exam for which they qualify. From here ev-erything should be a breeze.

The guidance center may help any student with ques-tions concerning post-secondary options.

Best prepared seniors are the ones who start now

column by KYLE DILKSAll right, here’s how it is. Sometimes it appears

that we, at Southeast Polk High School, have nonews.

As the new news editor, I was thinking of ways toget news, news that people want to read about. Notjust what the Chess Club is doing, because often theonly people who care about what the Chess Club isdoing or who is even in the Chess Club are theChess Club members. No personal offense intendedfor the Chess Club; I’m just using them as anillustration.

Then the muses struck me and I realized the onlyway to get news for my page is to ask for it. So I’masking you, the student body of our school, to dothings that are newsworthy, news that people wouldwant to read.

It doesn’t really matter what it is. Whether youend up in a scuffle with the police liaison officer forinsisting that you carry your backpack into Room115 or you get elected president of the staterollerbladers association, we want to know about it.No matter whether it’s calf roping, trap shooting, orany number of exciting events, we want to know

about it and report on it in this publication.Then, of course, you have to make sure that we

know about it. That would involve dropping a notein Mrs. Henning’s mailbox or telling a Rampagestaff member like me.

Just do something for me to write about and put inthe paper and then the paper will be more interest-ing to read. Plus, you might have some fun at schoolfor once, since you’ll be out there trying to DOsomething; you know, make some news.

All right. The offer’s been made. No complaintsafter this, OK?

It’s time to go out and make some newsIt’s news to me

SMILEPRETTY!

School portraitsand the senior

class photowill be taken

tomorrow throughout the

day.

REMINDER:REMINDER:REMINDER:REMINDER:REMINDER:Seniors must turn in a

yearbook photo no laterthan January 15, 2002!

The Cleaner of ChoiceKim and Karen Bailey

109 8th Street SWAltoona, IA 50009

(515) 967-4425FAX (515) 967-4493

FEATURES page threeRampage, Aug. 29, 2001

column by MARISOL LOPEZAdonde esta el bano?For many students, “Where is the

bathroom?” seems the only reallynecessary phrase to learn in a foreignlanguage and anything past that is justpure academics and jumping throughhoops to get a credit.

What brain researchers and foreignlanguage teachers all know, however,is that learning a foreign language ismuch more than that; it is a steppingstone into the world of disciplining themind and becoming more effective inlearning things which are completelynew.

“It’s a college requirement” is thereason many students give to explainwhy they push themselves throughtwo or more years of a foreign lan-guage; students here have the choiceof Spanish or French. Little do these

Foreign language: A lot to be desired or a lot to be learned?students know that by going throughthe process of learning a new lan-guage they are exercising their mindto master even greater things downthe road.

“The thinking skills of learning aforeign language translate into otheraspects of learning,” French teacherDiane Larson says. “Students whohave taken a foreign language tend todo better overall in college entranceexams as well.”

Psychologists, sociologists andlinguists say that learning a newlanguage helps students shore upknowledge of their native languageand to make connections to manyother academic disciplines, along withbroadening their knowledge of othercultures’ practices, geography andhistory.

Larson said that since we don’t have

a very culturally diverse population,learning another language opens anavenue for students to become moreaware of the world around them andthe people who inhabit it.

One trend in foreign languageinstruction is to begin learning asecond language while the nativelanguage is first being learned; thiswould mean some “foreign” languageinstruction could conceivably begin inpreschool or kindergarten.

“Research shows that mastering asecond language is much easier whenthe learning begins at an earlier age,”Larson said.

Psychologists in recent years haveconcluded that it is much less effec-tive to begin foreign language instruc-tion in junior high or high schoolbecause the brain pathways whichgovern language acquisition are pretty

inflexible by that point.Nationally, the organizations which

represent foreign language instructorshave been calling for earlier instruc-tion for about the past decade, butschool districts have been hardpressed to revise their curriculabecause of increasing budget limita-tions.

The response to this situationoverall has been to point out thatstudents in virtually all other nationsof the world learn.

English along with their nativetongues, while the United Statespersists in offering a second languageonly as an elective to older students,thus, in many experts opinions,putting U.S. students in the newmillennium at a distinct disadvantageafter graduation when they enter theglobal workplace.

column by JOE HUGENBet your palms get sweaty

just worrying about all theprojects teachers are going tostarted loading up in a fewdays.

Doing research certainly iseasier for our generation; askyour mom or dad about totingaround armloads of books orwinding through yards ofmicrofilm in some mustylibrary basement. Hey, life’seasy for us, right? We’ve gotthe Internet.

But doing research on linecan be a hassle, especially ifyou don’t know exactly whatyou’re looking for and how tolook for it. While I can’t helpyou choose a topic, here are afew tips that might help youcut down the surfing and getto the point:

1) When looking for atopic, use “wild cards” whichhelp you get a broader searchof what the Web has to offer.To do this, type the word orwords you are looking for and

at the end of these characters,type the symbols (*.*) whichinitiates a search for anythingcontaining what you typed.This can be done on mostsearch engines (Yahoo!,Excite, Lycos, etc.).

2) “Brain dumps” areanother good resource; theycut time and effort out of yourresearch. A brain dump canbe found for many purposes,but it is most commonly usedon research papers and essayquestions. These are sites that

contain many different typesof writing which previousscholars have produced on aparticular subject. Just typeyour subject and after it type“brain dump.”

The idea, by the way, is toget ideas and good informa-tion, not to blatantly plagia-rize the material. I don’t thinkI need to tell you that thereare regulations against this atnearly every level of school.3) Those students who wentbefore us were particularly

attached to little yellow andblack books called “CliffNotes.” Well, good ol’ Cliffgot into the new millenniumand has put all his best stuffon a web site at (http://www.cliffs.com/). Bookmarkthis one on your computer forthose late-night crams. Thereare quick references to tons ofworks of literature as well asother stuff. It sums up themain points of the material.4) While you’re surfing websites, don’t overlook (http://

Let your fingers do the studying, research

by JILL CALLISONMany kids are reluctant when

it comes to expressing their re-ligious faith. Students arescared about what others mightthink of them if they show thisside or that it might limit theiractivities, but religion can befun and exciting.

Working this summer as acounselor at RiversideLutheran Bible Camp, Iwatched kids of all ages expresstheir religious beliefs throughskits, games, Bible studies, de-votions, activities and singing.

Activities paved the way for

growth. Each day there was aBible study and a skit that re-flected on the theme of the day.When asked about what was alllearned in Bible study thirdgrader Thomas Winkleman ofJohnston said that throughstudy he learned that, “Jesus isthe Son of God, our healer andteacher and he loves you nomatter what; he is our friendand our savior and the onlyway to get to heaven is to be-lieve in him.”

Many feel it is easier to ex-press their feelings about Godat a church camp. Sophomore

Claire Broze of Red Wing,Minn., said, “This camp expe-rience was exactly that, an ‘ex-perience!’ I was able to growin my faith and grow a lotcloser to God. It is so easy tobe open about what you believeand people don’t laugh or makefun of you.”

“It is definitely life chang-ing,” freshman Leah Robertsonof Waterford, Wis., said.“Learning about Jesus andpraising and worshipping himis so exciting and you also don’thave to worry about what otherpeople think.”

207 8th StreetAltoona, IA 50009 967-3453

I’m psyched

www.studyworld.com/). Itcontains loads of studymaterial on just about anysubject you’d be studying inhigh school or college.(Hence the name.) Whenvisiting this site, you can clickon links that will take you toeven more school-relatedtopics.5) Most importantly, keepreading Rampage throughoutthe year; I’ll be offering moreschool-related (and other)technology tips monthly.

School bytes

Senior Jill Callison (center, back) learned what it meant tohelp others grow spiritually and still have fun this summerat Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp in Story City.

Work experience allows for growth of campers, counselors alike

PHOTO ESSAYpage four Rampage, Aug. 29, 2001

Orientation welcomes classThe welcome mat was out for any-

body new to the building the night ofAugust 15.

Experienced students and staff wereall-hands-on-deck as the inexperiencedand uninitiated took to the gym, the class-rooms and the hallways in search of lock-ers and combinations and the best path-ways to get to class on time.

Everyone and everything basicallycame off low-key, helpful and friendly, asstudents and parents spent some timetalking with staff advisers and thenwalked around the building to get readyfor the crush of humanity which wouldhit on Monday.

The longest lines were in places likethe Main Office and the Counseling Cen-ter and parents and students tried to clearup last-minute situations, pay bills andchange schedules...

PHOTO ESSAY page fiveRampage, Aug. 29, 2001

s of 2005 to Ram way of life

...Probably most amusing for the experienced people in the build-ing was watching the neophytes cope with jam-ups at the hallwayintersections and fumble with locker combinations which just didn’tseem to work. Plenty of introductions and instructions were given, butlike so many things in life, much of that information was missing-in-action when the test came on Monday. Some freshmen still wheeledin late to class gasping, “I got lost!” or “My locker wouldn’t open!” Theonly real question is, what would be the excuse for upperclassmen?

FEATURESpage six Rampage, Aug. 29, 2001

PAM SORENSEN, ABRRealtor®

psorensen@firstrealtyhomes.com

1225 Copper Creek Drive, Suite DDes Moines, IA 50317

office: 453-7389FAX: 453-7731

column by JESSE LOPEZThe July 24 release of “Celebrity”

by *NSYNC is already a bestseller.Sheesh; those 14-year-old girls musthave a lot of money!

I myself haven’t had the privilege tolisten to the entire album front toback. But I’m sure I’m not missinganything. However, thanks to thewonderful program director at KISS1075 for allowing me the opportunityto hear them 5 or more times an hourevery hour, of every day.

If you’re still looking to buy whatsome critics are calling a “moremature” effort by these guys (read:they’ve actually started writing someof their own material), it’s now

virtually everywhere, despite havingbeen in short supply at its release.

An upcoming release that I amlooking forward to is the Long BeachDub All Starts sophomore album,“The Wonders of the World.”

If you’re not familiar with thegroup, don’t feel ashamed; you’reprobably not the only one.

This act is a group assembled inmemory of Brad Nowell of Sublime.

The band was started by the tworemaining members of the group,bassist Eric Wilson and drummer BudGaugh, along with some friends whoinclude a horn player, a guitarist, anew lead singer, guest MC’s and a DJ.

If you’ve liked Sublime, you should

*NSYNC taps girls’ wallets;All Stars release second effort

Listen up

enjoy this band’s style which featuresa more reggae sound and muchcleaner lyrics.

If this upcoming release piques yourinterest and you feel you can’t waituntil Sept. 11, check out the firstalbum released in 1999, “Right Back.”

And if you’re looking for somethingelse to listen to, it’s well known that Irecomend any of Sublime’s work.

review by ELLA BODINPeople everywhere underestimate

most blondes’ intelligence simply bytheir own stereotypes.

The movie “Legally Blonde,”released in mid-July, probably didn’tdo a lot to improve on those stereo-types, but it did put a twist on thestereotypical behaviors and thoughtpatterns of those of us who suffer this“terminal” illness.

In the movie, everybody’s favoriteblonde, Reese Witherspoon, provesthat one can be smarter than oneappears, both in terms of street savvyand book learning. Good to see that; itcan happen in real life, too.

People think that blondes are ditzybut that trait has nothing to do withhair color, either natural or chemi-cally-treated. It’s all about a person’sattitude, not the hue. This moviehelped people see that.

“Most of the people that I wouldconsider ditzy don’t even have blondehair,” junior Ashley Dishman says.“It’s all just a generalization that mostblondes I know don’t even fit into.”

The movie illustrates that justbecause a person may seem a littlemore bubbly or happier than everyoneelse, it doesn’t mean that individual isclueless, gullible or easily persuaded.It just means they enjoy life andalways want the best and approach itin an optimistic way.

This is why the saying that“Blondes have more fun” is right.Maybe it should say, “Happy peoplehave more fun,” but that would be tooobvious.

The moral of this movie is that nexttime your hear a blonde joke or lookat someone who’s blonde and judgethat person before you actually haveinformation, maybe you should thinkabout how prejudiced you’re being.It’s so ridiculous to think someone’sintelligence comes from (or doesn’tcome from) hair color. C’mon; you’dbe gullible if you believed that!

by LINDSEY SCHARMOTAAs summer ends, so does the number

of good movies coming out. After aflurry of fairly enjoyable films whichhave been released in just the past monthor so, we’re going to have a long dryspell until Thanksgiving time.

So where did all our movie $$$ go?With only a few exceptions, they prob-ably went to comedies and films thatwere even appropriate for your little sis-ter.

“Shrek” was probably the first filmyou saw. With all the commotion thatwas made about it and the cute donkey,it was a definite must-see. The voicesof big names like Eddie Murphy andCameron Diaz didn’t hurt this one.

For the car lovers, there was “The Fastand the Furious” with Vin Diesel.Flashy cars and hot guys made this agreat action-packed movie for guys andgirls.

If you were one of those people wholoved “Jurassic Park” and its sequel thenyou must have seen “Jurassic Park III”many times. Gross box office receiptsin its first week of showing was $146.8

million. Not too shabby for a work that’son its third go-round.

“Planet of the Apes” was another forthe sci-fi fanatics. Walking, talking apesoverpowering the humans is still a bigdraw, but the true fans wouldn’t evencompare it to the original.

“The Princess Diaries” with JulieAndrews was another big hit. It’s thesame old story of the unpopular girl whoends up a princess, but it’s been jazzedup for the new millennium and Disneyhit it big, at least in the first few weeks.It looked corny in the previews, but itwas actually fun for just about every-body.

Stunts were all that in “Rush Hour 2”featuring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.You gotta love these guys; it was an ac-tion-packed movie with great suspenseand grossed $66.8 million of our hard-earned cash in its first week.

Most recently, Jim and his dad cameback and the whole gang was ready fora summer vacation.

If you liked the first one, apple pieand all, you probably loved the secondone even more. It certainly illustratedwhat could happen to any of us a yearout of high school, especially if we hadover-protective parents trying so hardto be hip.

Legally blonde;or not evenblonde at all?

Summer theater action slows for fall

by APRIL WIPFA number of incidents over the sum-

mer put any number of kids at highschools across the country out of sportsand other activities because of code in-fractions involving alcohol.

Underage drinking is more than justa school discipline problem. Use andabuse of alcohol is one of the leading

causes of death and injury among teen-agers and young adults, according toErowid.org. The end result of this sortof bad choice can be final.

Why do so many teens continue todrink if they already know the conse-quences? “Maybe they don’t think it canhappen to them, although it can,” seniorEmily Gibbens said.

“Students with grade point averagesof D or F drink three times as much asthose who earn A’s,” according to thewebsite. “Approximately two thirds ofteenagers who drink can buy their ownalcohol.”

School districts always have casesbefore their discipline officers andschool boards involving the conse-quences of teen drinking activity,whether it’s just someone attending aparty that gets broken up, or someonewho actually gets stopped by law en-forcement officers for possession oroperating a motor vehicle under the in-fluence.

Senior Mackenzie Thorpe stronglybelieves that “most teens are going totry drinking at least once. They just needto be aware of the consequences anddrink responsibly.”

Eighty-seven percent of highschoolers have used alcohol, leaving a13 percent who don’t, according to re-search by the Maryland UnderageDrinking Prevention Coalition.

A new parental tool is in the works,

however. The town of Voorhees, N.J.,has made it possible for 1,000 alcoholtest kits available to parents for free.

“If they knew I had one of those tests,they’d think twice,” says Josie Zahn ofWilmington, Del.

“This is like telling your kids youdon’t trust them. I would rather you talkto me than come at me with a test out ofthe blue,”countered John Colucci, 16,of Edison, N.J.

Freshman Missy Hanson says this isnot a great relationship-builder for kidsand their parents. “I think that parentsshould trust their kids,” she said. “If thekids want to drink it’s their (the kids’)fault.”

One senior agrees. “If it takes a urinetest for a parent to know their kid isdrinking, their relationship needs work,”senior Nate Shortell said.

“Drinking is not the main problem,the relationship between parents andkids should be restored.” Alcohol, con’t next column

Alcohol, con’t from column at left

Alcohol trips up many on path to success

“Celebrity” was released July 24.

SPORTS page sevenRampage, Aug. 29, 2001

by JODY ANDERSONWhile summertime meant a

vacation or at least getting inmore hours at work for most ofus, the RhythAMettes stayedbusy with many activities thatpromoted dance and collabora-tion, along with fun.

Twenty-eight gold squadmembers traveled to KansasCity Aug. 12 to attend an after-noon clinic sponsored by theKansas City Chiefs DanceTeam. The clinic featured workon a routine performed at half-time of a Chiefs/Redskins gameat Arrowhead Stadium.

The coaches and the girls saythey all viewed this clinic as areal opportunity. “This is some-thing the girls will rememberfor a lifetime,” Coach TracyShaffner said.

The girls started in June withthe American Dance/DrillTeam School camp in Empo-ria, Kan. Shaffner said thatwhile the girls stayed in thedorms at Emporia State Univer-sity “Our team had a great timegetting to know each other bet-ter. We focused on team build-ing and unity during the hourswe actually were not dancing.”

During the five days, the goldand white squads learned manydances and had a chance to per-form for the camp instructorsas well as other participants.

The gold squad earned topawards in their dance andmarching evaluations. Thewhite squad earned a DivisionI rating in its parade evaluation.

The girls were voted GussieNell Davis team of the week by

their instructors and Most Ad-mired team of the week byother teams attending the camp.

Many individuals on bothsquads earned individual hon-ors. Seniors Chelsea Dailey,Lindsey Denning and StaciWall made the dance companyand earned gold ribbons. Daileyand Wall also earned places onthe kick company, with Daileybeing named Miss High Kickamong the 100 girls trying out.Denning was also a marchingfinalist and named OutstandingMarcher of the week.

Many girls earned spots onthe All-American and All-American Honorable Mentionsquads, which gives them theopportunity to perform at half-time of a major football game.

Both squads also took part in

the Marching Auxiliaries Campin Newton July 27-28. The goldsquad received a home routineaward and a grand championevaluation award. The whitesquad earned a superior awardfor camp evaluation. Bothteams were honored with a 110

percent given by instructors.Dailey was named first run-

ner-up in the solo competitionwith Denning being named asoverall winner. “Both girlsblew the other competitors outof the water,” junior MarissaCampbell said.

by BEN LOHMEIERA “most impressive show-

ing” is what Head FootballCoach Kent Horstmann hasbeen seeing in this year’s pre-season, leading him to antici-pate a truly different season inthe win-loss column for 2001.

Two last-second scores intwo different games are theonly things which kept thesquad’s record at 5-4 last year.

A win in either the Urbandaleor the Ottumwa game wouldhave propelled the Rams intothe state playoffs for the firsttime in four years.

Horstmann says his 14 re-turning letterwinners are the

difference and they’ll be led bytwo three-year starters in se-niors Brad Kiester and MattWills.

The coach says the squad’saccomplishment in the springand summer was exceptional.“The guys worked really hardin the off-season with our lift-ing program and trainerDarrin’s camp. It seems to re-ally be paying off.”

One big question looms:Who will replace Purdue-bound signal-caller Kyle Ortonat quarterback?

After taking a year off fromfootball, senior Justin Thomasis back and fighting for the

starting nod. Despite Thomas’seniority, sophomore ColeIngle may now have the job.

He has been working out withthe receivers and the rest of theteam all summer and also at-tended Central College’s foot-ball camp.

“I feel comfortable with bothQBs,” receiver Kiester said.“They both have confidence inthemselves and after having

Orton as my quarterback fortwo years, it’ll be nice to havea little less steam on the ball.Both have been good in prac-tice and I’m excited to see whocomes out on top.”

Fans will recognize many fa-miliar faces with the largegroup of returning players.

The offense returns six start-ers, while the defense, anchoredby second team all-conference

selection Wills, returning five.“This should be an exciting

season,”said Horstman. “Wehave the talent and the workethic; as long as we keep peoplehealthy, we should do justfine.”

The Rams scrimmaged for alarge home crowd last Fridayat Rams on Parade and will faceSioux City North on the roadFriday at 7:30 p.m.

Football team ‘impressive’ in early practices

RhythAMetteS promote dance over summer break

The Gold and White squads of the RhythAMettes took highhonors at the Marching Auxiliaries competition in Newtonin July.

by RYAN PRAYSo far this year the Southeast

Polk golf team is 0-1 with a lossagainst Ottumwa, who had ateam meet score of 144. TheRams had a score of 154, butfailed to beat Ottumwa on theirhome course, Terrace Hills.

“Our team hasn’t really got-ten off to a very good start thisyear,” senior J.C. Smith says,“and I know we can be a lotbetter than this.”

Junior varsity squad mem-bers are constantly pushing toget varsity spots, which maybring the team to higher play.One of the top JV players isjunior Nick Willson. Willsonshot a round of two over par forthe meet versus Ottumwa.

Earlier this year the Ramswere invited to the Marshall-town High School Cat-Bird In-vitational at the WestwoodGolf Course in Newton. Theyfinished right in the middle ofthe pack out of nineteen teams. “There was only one hole thatreally hurt the whole team,”

Head Coach Julie Juffer said.“You couldn’t really hit thedriver because of the road onthe right side and then there wasalways the fear of hooking theball in the woods on the left.

“But that’s not even the worstpart about number twelve,”Juffer added. “It’s the creek thatruns down the middle of thefairway, all the way to thegreen,”

The Rams face Fort DodgeHigh School Tuesday at 3:30p.m. in Fort Dodge.

Golfers vie for varsity spotsin early season meets

by AMY GARRETTThere’s little time between

the start of classes and the firstcompetition for cross countryrunners.

The teams hosted the RamInvitational yesterday. (Resultswill be published on theRampage web site and in nextmonths’ issue.) The girls’ teamhas six of their top sevenrunners returning from last yearwith additional help from acouple of freshman.

“I’m looking forward tohaving a close knit team andworking hard so everyone canhave an awesome season,” saidsophomore Lisa Stefl.

“Never before has a girls’team qualified twice for thestate meet, but will the odysseycontinue,” girls’ coach Tom

Rosengren said.The boys’ team has everyone

coming back from the yearbefore plus a couple ofnewcomers to help bring themto state. “I like working withgood people and enjoy thecamaraderie,” boys’ coach Pat

Owens said.“Both the girls and boys

teams have run at state and havethe experience to go fartherthan before,” senior JillCallison said.

The teams run at Urbandaletomorrow at 4:30 p.m.

Boys, girls off to running start

Runners take a breather from practice. Jill Callison photo.

THE LAST WORDpage eight Rampage, Aug. 29, 2001

column by ERIK CHRISTENSENBoth you and I know that the past 10 years have been rather intense. I’m

ashamed to admit that I’ve been fooled by the seductions of violence and peoplewalking around with ugly auras; sometimes I’m even tempted to seek the adviceof Dr. Laura, but I ignore her.

Alone, these words probably seem rather odd and generally obscure. But tome, they’re not just words. They’re something more than that. They’re a wayfor me to feel a whole lot better about things when I’m frustrated or generallyannoyed with the world. And that’s really what music is to most of us, anoutlet.

Music is one of the few things in this world that can draw out such a widerange of emotions. Am I really “walking on sunshine”? No, I’m just walkingthrough the electronics aisle in Best Buy. But for those couple seconds, you getto feeling like you’re no longer in that drab stuffy store.

Sometimes music can make you sentimental. Who doesn’t know “Don’t You(Forget About Me)”, by the Simple Minds? You know; the song that plays atthe end of the movie“The Breakfast Club,” when Judd Nelson’s walkingthrough the football field and throws his fist into the air. Or “How’s It GoingTo Be,” by Third Eye Blind? “Here’s To The Night,” by Eve 6?

And then summer rolls around. Musical groups fight for the most overplayedsong of the summer (i.e., “Closing Time,” by Semisonic; “Outside” by Staind).But, you know you’re better off for having heard them thousands of times.Sometimes you catch yourself humming and abruptly stop before anyone elserealizes what you’re trying to pull (“Macarena,” anybody?).

Sometimes, though, music just hits you. Without thinking, you lean forwardand turn the volume knob until it won’t turn anymore. You pull up to a stop-light with your windows down and you’re more than likely singing along. Youdon’t seem to mind that the 76-year-old woman next to you has slowly creptforward, eagerly waiting for the light to turn green so she can get away fromyou and your heathen ways as soon as possible.

Music also serves as an instrument for people to promote their own agendasor ideas. Rage Against The Machine, one of the most popular rock bands in thelate 90’s, had lyrics that were almost entirely politically motivated. Look at the70’s. Protest songs all over the place. Music gives people something to believein a world that is increasingly confusing to deal with. It gives them an outlet.

“Music is the only thing in this world besides sneezing, and looking at thesunset that takes you above the mundane. Everything else is just bull…”-Stephan Jenkins, lead singer Third Eye Blind.

The LongviewThe LongviewThe LongviewThe LongviewThe Longview

Music affectsour everyday life

Editorial

High School Dance Night...

EVERY SATURDAY!8 p.m. - 1 a.m.

TRI POINT CENTER215 E. 2nd & Court Ave • Des Moines, IA

See you Saturday!

Saturday (September 1) isdedicated to

Southeast Polk High School

“Bring Your Bud”bring in this ad Saturday, September 1,

and receive one FREE admissionwith one paid admission!

Come dance to your favorite musicand meet new friends!

Come check out the awesome sound systemand electrifying light show!

EVERY SATURDAY we are giving awaybeads, leis, and glowsticks and shooting off

the CASH CANNON!For more information, call 280-3331

The advisor/advisee program promises to bring students closer to staffmembers, to ensure that every kid has at least one adult in this building tofeel close to.

The program was formed to answer research studies which show thatkids who feel disconnected from school get into all kinds of trouble, bothpersonal and academic. And taking time out from the busy week to nurturethis kind of relationship may very well accomplish this.

On the other hand, students who are already close to someone on the staffmay find trying to force a new relationship a bit diffucult.

Furthermore, there are both kids and adults in this building who are notreally into the idea of getting their warm fuzzies at school. It’s inevitablethat some folks are just going to sit back and do nothing. It will be interest-ing to see how the administration deals with these situations.

Many students are already considering this time to be a waste at worst orat least a way to shorten all of the other classes once a week.

One definite bonus of the new program, however, is getting to be in agroup which has kids of all grade levels in it. This should help upperclass-men get acquainted and help the underclassmen with situations that willarise over their four years.

For all of this to work, everyone involved has to want to be there, includ-ing the advisor. It will really be a tragedy to take that much time out of fouryears of high school and not use it to establish some genuine, helpful rela-tionships that will work to our advantage. Keeping groups small and re-taining the same advisor for years should go a long way toward makingthat happen.

Advisor groups holdpromise, problems