I N S I D E
Do you Google?
p. 4
Break for a
Movie
p. 6
Lightning
THE
PRESS
Ride for Hope
p. 7
VOLUME 7,ISSUE 5
SERVING THE EASTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY SINCE 1997
Student
Council
Springing for
Changes
TRENDS IN EDUCATION: Gender in Sports
Eastview Girls Got Game
New bicameral system to
replace current council
setup next year
by Ryan Flugaur
Front Cover Editor
Next year sweeping changes are set
to take place in the structure of Eastview
High School’s Student Council.
Although plans for the change are not
final yet, the change is certain to split
the Council into two groups. A Student
Council will give a voice to regular
students, and a Student Senate will be a
venue for those who want to be extra
involved in the process.
The Student Council will be the larger
of the two. It will meet every other
Thursday morning before school.
Membership will be open to any students
in grades nine through twelve. All
students interested will be accepted, but
there still will be a general application
process.
The Student Senate will be a more
selective group. There will be eight to
ten members for each grade ten through
twelve. There will be a more extensive
application process for those interested
in this group. The Student Senate will
meet every Thursday morning before
school. On weeks the Student Council
meets the Student Senate will meet with
them.
The Student Senate is to be
composed of the most dedicated leaders
in Student Council.
STUCO continues on page 2
APRIL 2ND, 2004
GIRL POWER: A variety of athletic opportunities are available for Eastview
girls. Above, Becky Bauer, Natalie Yarborough, Katie Makjrzak, and
Meghan Williams demonstrate stellar athletic ability.
by James P. Hohmann
Editor-in-Chief
Eleven female high school hockey
players sued the Minnesota State High
School League last November claiming
that boys were unlawfully given access
to the Xcel Energy Center for their state
tournament while the girls’ state
tournament was scheduled for the much
smaller Ridder Arena. The girls sued
under a provision of the landmark Title
IX legislation, passed in 1972 to give
girls and boys equal opportunities in
athletics. The Minnesota case is just one
in a string of lawsuits filed across the
country by feminist organizations over
recent years.
The federal district court has upheld
the State High School League’s
position, but the lawsuit shines light
into an important issue that affects how
schools across the country (including
Eastview) really manage their athletic
departments.
Gender equality remains a real
consideration of the Eastview
administration. Girls and boys seem to
be getting equal opportunities when it
comes to athletics at this high school.
Eastview proudly stands behind a seven
year record clear of any complaints and
full of certifications by the Minnesota
State High School League and the US
Department of Education.
The Women’s Sports Foundation
recently rated Minnesota as one of the
five best states for high school girls to
compete in athletics. The state and its
schools have been historically
progressive in efforts to ensure girls can
be involved with any sports whatever
sport they want.
Eastview designers anticipated the
needs of a 21st century high school that
would accommodate males and females
equally when the high school was
nothing more than an idea on a drawing
board. Multiple gymnasiums were
constructed to accommodate all
athletics. As a result, girls and boys get
equal resources today.
Eastview Athletic Director Bruce
Miller points to a 2003 public disclosure
filing which shows unduplicated
participation in athletics (based on total
number of students and not total entries)
to be 343 girls and 357 boys. The female
number does not include the eighty plus
students who participate in dance or the
more than thirty involved in competition
cheerleading. The 500-600 students who
participate in intramural activities are
about equally divided between males
and females.
Sadie Williams, a softball player, has
been happy to find in her three years at
Eastview that “girls have an opportunity
to do whatever they want.” Williams
furthers that “Girls have a choice to
pursue the opportunities. The school
itself can do little to force someone to
try out for something.”
The District tries to make sure that
everyone gets comparable opportunities.
Each major male sport has been paired
with a female sport. The district has
created female divisions of basketball,
hockey, swimming, softball (to parallel
baseball), soccer, track, and cross
country. Males dominate in football and
wrestling, but females compete
exclusively in volleyball and figure
skating.
GIRLS continues on page 8
Bond Blooms on Ballot
Poll shows voter support for June 8 vote to approve $68 million facilities bond
by Grant Anderson
Staff Writer
Voters will go to the polls on June 8th
to decide whether or not to endorse a
$68 Million bond referendum that the
District School Board unanimously
approved last Monday. The $68 million
would affect the majority of the 28,500
students that are part of the school
district, including those in middle
schools and elementary schools. There
would be relatively few benefits for new
schools like Eastview.
The bulk of the money will be used
for teaching and learning needs ranging
from new classroom construction to new
tables and desks. New construction,
renovations and furnishings will
constitute approximately $50 million of
the $68 million in the bond. Of that $50
million, the five high schools would get
around $20 million, the six middle
schools around $7 million and the 18
elementary schools around $18 million.
Rosemount high school, the oldest
high school in the District, would receive
14 new classrooms and multiple
renovations. If the bond issue passes,
Eagan and Apple Valley High Schools
would receive new classrooms and some
classroom renovation. Renovations and
additions would also be made at the
District’s middle and elementary Schools.
Eastview, the District’s newest high
school, would not receive any new
classrooms under the proposal. Eastview
would be updating auditorium sound
equipment and improving the acoustics
in music and technology labs.
Technology needs account for about
$17 million of the bond. This would
include the installation of a fiber optic
area network to greatly increase data
transfer speeds. It would also include
updates to building local area networks,
student computers and computer labs,
printers and video projectors, and the
district wide telephone system.
Improvements in safety would
account for the remaining $1 million of
the bond. These improvements would
include adding more security cameras
at each of the high schools and adding
security cameras at every entrance of
the 18 elementary schools.
Superintendent John D. Currie points
out why this bond should be passed,
“An investment now will address our
needs over the next five to ten years.”
An unsuccessful bond proposal last
year called for $98 million – this year the
district managed to cut about $30 million
out. District leaders point to the
improving economy, saying that it
should make district residents more
receptive to this bond issue.
The bond calls for an increase in
property taxes. The District estimates
that an owner of a $200,000 home would
pay around $45 more per year for the
next 20 years.
The District conducted polling to get
a sense of how receptive voters would
be to a bond. The survey results
generally favored the proposed bond.
Without any information about the
District’s specific needs, 50.7 percent of
400 randomly surveyed respondents
were in favor of the bond. When given
information about the specifics of the
bond, the results showed a 59.1 percent
favorable response. When informed that
the projected cost of the bond would be
$45 per year for a $200,000 home, the
approval rating
LEVY continues on page 2
Page 2
NEWS
LEVY continued from page 1
jumped higher to 66 percent. District
spokesperson Tony Taschner notes of
the study that, “The more information
people got, the more said that
they’d support it.” The
district plans to inform
residents
as
many
residents as possible
about exactly what the
bond issue does before the
June 8 vote.
Superintendent Currie
finds the poll results very encouraging.
“The results of this survey, as well as
input from our recent public dialogues,
demonstrate that our citizens
understand the need to reinvest in their
school facilities.”
Despite the favorable poll numbers,
the bond faces opposition. Many
District residents are still unsure if the
expensive renovations are really as
urgent as the district
claims.
“I think that the quality
of education in this district
is far beyond what anyone
in my day could have
dreamed of,” complains
Eastview parent Ron
Johnson, “certainly some
renovations are important, but I don’t
think they deserve that much more
money. They are trying to tackle too
much in the same proposal…next year
they will probably expect more money
from us.”
Speech Team Ends Season On
A High Note
The competitors competing at State
by Hilary Novacek & Molly Jabas
in
April
will be Nick Bundt in Creative
Staff Columnist and Staff Writer
With winter ending, spring sports
are starting to unthaw and get ready
for competition. As Eastview athletics
begin their Spring seasons, Eastview’s
intellectual sports are slowly winding
down and ending on a high note.
In keeping with Eastview’s tradition
of excellence, the Eastview speech
team ended its historic and record
breaking regular season, taking first in
the school sweepstakes award for
seven of eight invitational
tournaments and placing second in the
Region 6AA tournament at Chaska
High School this March. This year has
also marked a record in champion
finalist and sweepstakes points.
The speech team set school history
by qualifying seventeen participants
for state competition. Participants are
welcome to support Eastview speakers
at Centennial High School on April
16th.
Expression; Sean Olson in Discussion;
Cory Stewart in Drama; Scott Menk,
Maria Robideau, Kevin Burke, and
Chad Ries in Dramatic Duo; Amy
Ferguson in Extemporaneous Reading;
Ishanaa Rambachan in
Extemporaneous Speaking; Scott
Peterson and Julia Higginbotham in
Humor; Pat Kallal in Informative; Jer
Maskel in Oratory; Amy Gates in
Prose; Jon Heinemann in Poetry; and
Neal Beckman and Brittany Parker in
Storytelling.
Eastview students are now busily
preparing for both the State
tournament and the District
tournament, where speakers compete
to go to Salt Lake City, Utah in June
for the National Forensic League
Speech and Debate National
Championship. Eastview has already
qualified three students to the national
tournament (Dane Sorensen, Jeff
Walls, and James Hohmann).
Congratualtions to the Dakota United PI Adapted Floor
Hockey Team on winning the State Championship
STUCO continued from page 1
responsibilities will include chairing
committees and coordinating and
organizing various projects with the
Student Council.
The Student Council’s
responsibilities will be lighter. It will be
expected that members meet minimum
attendance requirements and participate
in various service events and planning
committees. The most
dedicated members of the
Student Council will have
higher chances of being
selected as Student
Senators in future years.
The Student Council
officer positions will
remain the same. There
will still be a President,
Vice President, Secretary,
Communications Director, Volunteer
Coordinator and Historian. They will
meet every Tuesday morning and attend
Senate and Council meetings on
Thursday mornings.
“[We hope that this change] will draw
in more people to Student Council and
make for a more diverse group of
students,” explained current advisor
Jodi Hanson.
In addition to the format changes, a
new staff adviser, Joy Hanson, will join
Jodi Hanson and Michelle
Dumonceaux.
The new format to Student Council
will be different from what is in place
now at Eastview. Currently there are
approximately 80
members in Student
Council that meet every
Thursday to organize
sprit events and various
projects.
“The thing that I am
most excited about is
the opportunity for
different kids to
demonstrate their
leadership skills in the Senate,” notes
Ms. Dumonceaux.
For students interested in joining
the Student Council next year the
application process is already under
way. Applications can be picked up in
the main office. All applications must
be turned in by April 14th.
Japanese Exchanges
Aid Students on
Both Sides of the
Pacific
by Daniella Voysey
Staff Writer
For 27 Japanese students,
yesterday marked the conclusion of a
thirteen-day experience in American
culture. For the visitors, sixteen and
seventeen year old high school
students, the trip was an exciting
vacation before starting the equivalent
of their junior and senior years this
April. While living in a foreign country
for two weeks provides plenty of
challenges, the chance to improve their
language skills and form new
friendships was an incredible
opportunity for Japanese and
American students alike.
The visit was filled with great
memories for both the visitors and
their newfound friends. From attending
last Sunday’s Minnesota Wild game to
learning how to rap to American music,
both the Japanese and American
students enjoyed the chance to
experience and learn from another
culture.
The Japanese students also
welcomed the opportunity to take
classes with their host student at
Eastview. Taking classes in another
language proved to be quite a
challenge as visitor Kanako Towatari
explains, “I like everything, but I don’t
know what the teachers are saying.”
Aside from the language barrier, the
environment at Eastview is quite a
contrast from their own Seinan High
School in Fukuoka, Japan where the
students are required to wear uniforms.
After many years of this requirement,
most students chose to wear their
uniforms to Eastview despite the fact
that it was not required, bringing a
little bit of their own daily routine to
the school.
The cultural experience was not the
only reason for the visit; the Japanese
students were also here to improve
their English skills.
In Japan, all students are required
to learn English but despite five years
of study, speaking English is, as one
student Manami explains, “far harder
than I expected.” Japanese students
are required to pass a written test so
their teachers spend time on reading
and writing rather than oral activities.
While the Japanese students
sought to master the English language,
Eastview’s own Japanese scholars had
much to learn from their Japanese
peers. As Eastview Japanese teacher
Ms. Norman, nominee for Minnesota
Teacher of the Year, explains, “There’s
a new spirit among all my students.
Not just the ones hosting [Japanese
students] but all of them. They have
learned so much from talking to these
students that I feel like my classes
have been to Japan.”
Eastview has hosted Japanese
teachers before but this is, according
to Ms. Norman, is “the first, but
definitely not the last time that
[Japanese exchange students] will
visit.”
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
Lightning
press
VOL. 7 ISSUE 5
APRIL 2, 2004
Editor-in-Chief
ƒ James P. Hohmann
College Editor
ƒ Betsy Mraz
Entertainment Editor
ƒ Laura Wylie
Feature Editor
ƒ Lizzy Hang
Front Page Editor
ƒ Ryan Flugaur
Opinions Editor
ƒ Jeff Walls
Editor-at-large
ƒ Alison Soldner
Staff Columnist
ƒ Jon Friedman
ƒ Hilary Novacek
ƒ Megan Prosen
Staff Writers
ƒ Grant Anderson
ƒ Molly Jabas
ƒ Daniella Voysey
Reporters
ƒ McKenna Belgarde
ƒ Dan Fitzgerald
ƒ Rebecca Griffith
ƒ Robert Hambrock
ƒ Joe Klinkner
ƒ Lyle Newman
ƒ Nick Palmby
ƒ Wes Szempruch
ƒ Grace Welter
Staff Photographers
ƒ Mike Fangmeier
ƒ Lyle Newman
Advisor
ƒ Ms. Jessica Crooker
Publisher
ƒ Shakopee Valley Printing
Graduation issue:
Publish: June 7
Stories Due: May 16
Story Idea Meetings: April 21/
22 at 2:30 in A200
Please see Ms. Crooker if
interested in applying to be
an LP Editor for the
2004-05 school year.
The Lightning Press is an open forum for
student expression. This paper is dedicated
to the free expression of the thoughts and
opinions of the students of Eastview High
School. However, the articles and opinions
of the bylined author(s) do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of Independent School
District 196, the administration of Eastview
High School or members of the Editorial
Board. All information is current as of March
29, 2004. Our mission as the Editorial Board
of the Lightning Press is to provide a quality
publication for Eastview High School that
reflects the thoughts and opinions of the
students currently attending EVHS.
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
COLLEGE
Page 3
National American University: The College Behind the Song
by Lyle Newman
Staff Writer
“One day, one night, Saturday’s all
right…” Keep humming and you’ll have
the song stuck in your head for the next
week. Although everyone’s heard this
ad most people don’t actually know what
goes on at National American University
(NAU).
Probably the most important
aspect of this university is that it is one
of the closest college to Apple Valley.
The nearest campus is on the first floor
of the Mall of America. Besides unlimited
free parking, there’s also the factor that
the public buses run there regularly.
NAU remains a family owned private
university. It was started in 1941 as a
National School of Business in Rapid
City, South Dakota. After the end of
WWII, many veterans of the war got
degrees through NAU, and even today
many soldiers attend NAU over the
Internet through the “education without
boundaries” program. This allows them
to get degrees while serving in the
military at the same time.
During the 1960s, Harold Buckingham,
who is considered to have been a pioneer
in private proprietary higher education,
helped make NAU multi-campused. Now
there are many campuses in six different
central states including: South Dakota,
Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico,
Colorado, and Minnesota. There are also
affiliate universities in Chile, India,
Japan, United Arab Emirates, Kenya,
Malaysia, Brazil and other foreign
countries.
There are plenty of choices for
classes; the most recent catalog includes
over 200 pages of classes for which to
register. The choices range from legal
studies to business management to
veterinary technology. There is an
emphasis on new, modern technologies
being used in the real world to work
smarter, not harder. This emphasis on
new technologies also leads to many
local businesses hiring NAU staff to
train in their employees on new software
or other new technologies. All 800
employees of NAU are professionals in
their own field and teach very small
classes of students. This creates a more
beneficial learning environment than the
large public universities of today at
which professor’s assistants teach
classes of a hundred or more.
College Visit Tips
Important Reminders In Your Search for the ‘Perfect College’
by Molly Jabas
Staff Writer
In February I visited one of my firstchoice schools. After my experience, I
concluded that it still is my first choice
school. However, there were certain
components of my visit that, if I were
to repeat, I would definitely change to
make my visit a more positive
experience. So for all those who have
yet to undergo a campus visit, here
are some pointers:
1. Check out the school’s website prior
to your visit. Here you’ll find
information on dormitories, classes,
and activities, which will help you
structure what you want to do during
your visit.
2. Come with a list of questions for
your host. Current students have a
wealth of candid opinions and
information you won’t find on the
website, like how good the food
actually tastes.
3. If possible, contact your host
before you arrive. Find out what you
have in common and tell them your
expectations. The visit is supposed to
be what’s most accommodating for
you in order to make the most of it. If
you can’t talk to them beforehand,
make sure that you are getting the
experiences you want – don’t be afraid
to speak up.
4. Visit more than one dining hall
and dormitory.
5. Sit in on classes that are in your
intended major. If possible, attend a large
lecture and a seminar class to get a feel
for both types of learning environments.
6. Talk to other students besides your
host to get a variety of opinions on the
school.
7. Ask questions. I can’t stress this
enough. I was really shy during my visit
because I didn’t want to bother my host
with all my questions. In the end, I
regretted it because I missed out on
valuable information.
8. Be willing to see the positives and
negatives. If its your first-choice school,
it might look good on paper and be
entirely different in person. Be open to
other possibilities.
Besides being among the least
expensive of all private universities in
the country, there are also many
opportunities for financial aid at NAU.
These include grants, low-interest
student loans, work-study and merit and
need-based scholarships.
The setting of the campus feels
inviting and the representatives are very
efficient and helpful. The atmosphere is
lively and feels like a very comfortable
place to be.
There are also many student
organizations. The only athletics at
NAU, however, are located at the Rapid
City, South Dakota campus. Rodeo is
perhaps the most unique student
activity. What other colleges offer this
opportunity?!
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
VISITING COLLEGES
Date Class
4/13
4
Vermillion
4/21
3
Concordia
Moorhead
4/21
5
Army
4/26
4 UM-Twin Cities
4/27
4
U of M-Duluth
4/28
3
Duke Unviersity
4/29
6
No. Arizona
University
GOOD LUCK TO
THOSE TAKING
THE ACT TEST
ON APRIL 3rd
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Page 4
OPINION
Just Google It
Google is a Strong Study Tool
By Grant Anderson
Staff Writer
Zenodotus was the keeper of the
Great Library of Alexandria. His job
took him an entire lifetime, because
when he first arrived at the library he
found a half million papyrus scrolls in
no particular order. He alphabetized
them, a sorting technique that survives
to this day. Zenodotus learned an
important lesson: having all the
information in the world at your
fingertips is useless if you can’ t find
the information you want.
In the modern age we have only
recently learned Zenodotus’ lesson
once again with the advent of the
internet. The internet put huge
amounts of information at our
fingertips, but until recently, we had
no means to put a method to the
madness. Then along came Google, an
enormous search engine that has
become a modern day Zenodotus,
sorting much of the information on the
internet.
Just “Google it.” The search engine
Google has become a verb. And that
popularity (60 million Americans using
it in January of 2003) is what can make
Eastview English teachers cringe. If
you walk through a computer cluster
in Eastview where students are doing
research for upcoming papers you will
see more than one student using the
information goldmine to find what they
need. Google sorts through more than
4 billion pages to find exactly what you
seek.
Despite this huge fountain of
information many teachers are
opposed to using it for fact-finding
research. Some highlight the fact that
information found is not always
relevant.
I searched Google for “apple” and
it was not until the 71st result of the
more than 30 million results that I was
able to find a website about the fruit.
This problem is in part because Google
bases its results on popularity (how
many other websites link to it) – not
necessarily on accuracy.
However it is that very popularity
ranking system that actually
strengthens the results. Generally the
most popular results are the most
accurate. If there is an article filled with
misspellings
and
inaccurate
information it is unlikely to be linked
to by many. But if there is a well
researched and accurate article it will
likely be linked to more often and will
in turn be ranked higher on Google.
Another argument that teachers use
is that the information found through
Google is far more likely to be
inaccurate than a book on the subject.
Once again this argument is correct only
in part. Anyone can make a website
and then say that Texas was never a
state or that you can cure a cold by
eating frog legs three times a day.
However one would hope that Eastview
students would realize that, yup, Texas
is a state. Still, other errors that could
be harder to catch include the incorrect
birth date of a historical figure or a
misspelled name. That is why it is
imperative that in doing research you
utilize more than one source.
But after using Google for the past
3 years for a number of projects I can
tell you that the overwhelming majority
of top ranked Google sites provide
accurate information. It can also do
the work for you (Perhaps the reason
teachers dislike it). Instead of wading
through hundreds of pages of
information in a book, you can find a
quick summary of the important
information you need. A search for,
“Isaac Newton Biography” will give
you a BBC History page that has a four
page biography of Newton. This
biography is well written and after I
gave it a quick look through all of the
information appeared to be accurate.
This is just one example.
Google can simply give more
relevant information than any other
source. A quick search on google for
the “second largest city in Mexico” is
simple and easy – the first result says
(in just the summary), “The second
largest city in Mexico is Guadalajara,
northwest of Mexico City, with a
population of 3.5 million.” The 5th
Google result for that search backs you
up, “A few hours inland from Puerto
Vallarta is Guadalajara, Mexico’s
second largest city with a population
surpassing 3 million.”
However a similar search through
the library is far more time consuming
and could possibly give you a
headache as you search through books
and encyclopedias on Mexico and large
cites. A 5 second answer versus a 5
minute answer.
Joseph Janes, an Associate
Professor at the University of
Washington, had a class study Google
and its accuracy. The students
concluded that Google was helpful the
majority of the time. With 60 million
Americans utilizing it a month there is
no question it is valuable. My
conclusion is simply that no matter how
much teachers complain, as long as
results stay relevant, students will
simply choose to (and should) “Google
it.”
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
Chipotle has Wide Appeal
Mexican Food, Local Culture
by Robert Hambrock
Lightning Reporter
The local Mexican restaurant,
Chipotle, has become a gathering place
for peoples of all social groups in our
local area. It has become a casual
environment
for work
gatherings,
a hang out
for local
youth, and
of course a
popular
eatery.
Chipotle
h
a
s
enjoyed a
nationwide
boom as well, with over 100 new stores
expected to open in 2004. In light of thisit seems proper to look at why Chipotle
has become so popular. The reason is
because it has something for everyone,
from the Mexican foodto the somehow
comforting social hangout feel.
While this wide variety provides
plenty of opportunity for people to
gather there, it is the wide variety of
people that gather there which makes
this restaurant a truly unique place.
Everyone from high school students to
construction workers to local political
leaders gather at Chipotle to eat, relax,
and hold informal meetings.
For many, visits to Chipotle have
become ritualistic and become their sole
beacon of light after working all day.
Some, like my own family, have an
intimate knowledge of employees and
use the time speaking Spanish with the
employees. It has definitely become a
fixture of life when you are expected to
arrive at a certain time on a certain day
and order the same thing.
The modern atmosphere of Chipotle
attracts many customers with a
different style of architecture than any
other local restaurant. It serves as a
multipurpose facility of social
gathering
of
all
types.
In reality, people love the food, the
atmosphere, getting away from fast
food, and the different kind of food
offered by Chipotle. People from
Governor Tim Pawlenty down to
average Joe from Eastview High School
enjoy Chipotle. While not everyone
finds their tastes in Chipotle, a large
population has chosen it as a melting
pot of our local culture.
If You’ve Got It, Don’t
Flaunt It
by Alison Soldner
Editor-at-Large
As we enter this era where pop stars
bear as much skin as they can, and the
“in-thing” is to be like celebrities, we
have to ask ourselves one question.
Why? In the 21st century our lives have
become ruled by stereotypes, and
fashion is a leading factor in this society.
The problem of fashion has not only
pervaded from the media to the general
public, it is entering our very own school.
There is a rising trend among teenage
girls where larger and larger amounts of
skin are expected to be shown. It is an
epidemic that we need to stop. There
are many types of clothing worn in our
high school. The first group wears the
most comfortable clothes they own.
They have been dubbed “scrubby”. This
choice of clothing is not worn every day,
and the days that the pajama type
clothing are worn are usually days when
the wearer is tired or having a bad day.
Then we have the in between group,
which involves the everyday jeans
and a t-shirt, which is regularly
accompanied by a large sweatshirt. This
is also a rather comfortable outfit, and it
is worn by many students on a regular
basis.
These clothing types are common
among high school students for various
reasons, from the early start time to
generally bad days. However, these
clothes are not the ones that are
causing the uproar. Teenage girls are
continually wearing fewer clothes and
showing more skin, making not just
parents and teachers upset and
uncomfortable, but students are also
feeling the pressure.
The see-through-shirts and the
short ruffled skirts are appealing for the
beach or the clubs, but school is where
we learn and many of us would like to
keep it that way. Many students don’t
see a need for uniforms to be worn, but
pehaps a stricter dress code should be
enforced. The “if you’ve got it flaunt
it” rule is now becoming a hazard, and
students need to realize that in school
they should never have it or flaunt it.
As the world looms closer towards
a nudist colony than ever, we have to
woner what it will be like when our
children are in high school? Will
everyone be naked? Is that how they
will learn? If we continue our current
pattern of nakedness we will cause our
offspring to live in a world where
nothing can faze them. It’s time for
society to put its clothes back on.
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
Page 5
OPINION
Nothing Makes for Great T.V. After Seinfeld
Three Years After Going Off-Air, Seinfeld still Quintessential Sitcom
by Joe Klinkner
Lightning Reporter
Seinfeld is the best show that has
ever graced the screen of our
television sets. For a show about
“nothing,” this show has many
complex plots, sub-plots, and is very
well written and put together. The
show is a timeless masterpiece that
will be enjoyed for years to come
through the modern day miracle
known as cable television reruns.
This timelessness is achieved
through a host of wacky off the wall
characters including Jerry Seinfeld,
AKA Kel Varnsen, Jerry Jerry
Dingleberry, Seinsmelled, Even
Steven and DiggityDog. Jerry is the
main character who makes
“observations” about life and uses
them in his comedy as an aspiring
comedian. Jerry is a big fan of the
show Melrose Place but only admits
it after taking a polygraph test. Jerry
is obsessed with superheroes and
cereal.
George Costanza, AKA Arte
Vandelay, T-Bone, Coco, Boy George
and Lord of Idiots George is a self
proclaimed architect but in reality he is a
cheap, lying, spineless leech on society.
George boasts about his formidable
parallel parking abilities. His hidden
talents include being able to run like the
wind, hoist 100 pounds over his head,
and masterfully bait a hook. One of
George’s most gutless/pathetic schemes
was creating a fake charity known as the
Human Fund and giving his co-workers
fake donations to it for Christmas; he
was later exposed but avoided being
fired by telling his boss he did not
celebrate Christmas but rather
Festivus. George comes from a long
line of quitters and was raised to give
up. He states that his only reason for
waking up in the morning is to read
New York’s Daily News tabloid.
George doesn’t want to die with
dignity because he has lived his whole
life in shame and doesn’t want that to
change when he dies. In his spare
time he enjoys “reading” his mother’s
Glamour magazines. George Costanza
is Eastview teacher Jamey Wagner’s
favorite character on the show
because “his life is a complete lie.”
Cosmo Kramer, AKA Dr. Van
Nostrand, Assman, and H.G. PennyPacker. Kramer is Jerry’s “Hipster
Dufus” next door neighbor who
periodically “pops in” for a quick visit
and a look in the fridge. Kramer has a
bird face and hair like the bride of
Frankenstein. Kramer is a chronic
moocher who has a problem being master
of his domain. He believes there’s
nothing more attractive than a woman
behind the wheel of a semi.
Elaine Benes, AKA Lainey. Elaine is
Jerry’s ex-girlfriend turned good friend.
Elaine claims to have an IQ of 145,
though her scores range from 85 to 151.
Elaine is also anti-tuna because it
is not “dolphin safe”. In an article
on ESPN.Com that compared the
dancing ability of Elaine Benes to
Mark Madsen, writer Kevin Jackson
likens Elaine’s dance to “the funky
chicken gone wrong”.
These “Fab Four” make up the
main characters of the show, but the
real magic of the show comes from
the vast amount of sub characters
including Crazy Joe Divola, Lloyd
Braun, Ned Isakoff, David Puddy,
Slippery Pete, Yem Kasev, and The
Bubble Boy; these are seven of the
hundreds of sub characters in the
show.
Another great part of the show
Seinfeld is the use of language. At
least once in every episode you will
fall off your chair and spill your soda
laughing. What other show can
claim that it invented the phrases
“Master of your Domain”, “Yada
Yada Yada”, “germaphobe”, and
“Serenity Now”. In the show there is
even a new holiday that is invented by
Frank Costanza called Festivus.
Several Eastview students and
teachers reported spending upwards of
5 hours a week watching Seinfeld. It is
time well spent for the greatest TV show
of all time, as TV Guide magazine recently
called it.
Though Seinfeld no longer puts new
episodes on the air, any viewer can still
watch re-runs on TBS, and others every
weekday in early evening. Seinfeld is
certainly worth watching, because this
show about nothing has a huge
following.
Isn’t Student Accountability Better than Restrictions?
Pop, Food, and Headphones Should be Student Decisions
by Jeff Walls
Opinions Editor
I am busy. I am at Eastview almost
every day from 7:30 AM until 5 PM, and
oftentimes even a little bit later. Many
times, I forego lunch to keep working in
the hopes of getting a half hour extra of
sleep each night. Interestingly, if I did
not sign my name to this article, there
are probably over a thousand students
at Eastview whom those circumstances
could describe.
The busy lives that Eastview
students lead are exciting, sometimes
strenuous, and always fast-paced. We
do it because we have ambitions, goals,
and responsibilities. What many of my
peers and I can’t figure out though is
how the little signs that hang around
the school fit into this prototypical
student that Eastview breeds so well.
The signs explain, using a graphic that
no pop, food, headphones (or the newest
addition, cell phones) are allowed in the
academic wing.
Let’s put cell phones aside for a
moment, since it can be agreed by
virtually everyone that cell phones have
no place in school, let alone classrooms.
However, it seems that upon closer
examination,
restrictions on the
other three can safely
be loosened- and the
benefits of a policy
change would be
notable.
There have been
several times at
Eastview when I have
been forced to throw
food away by teachers
who pointed out to me
that I couldn’t have it
in the academic wing.
Since I’m quite sure I
have bordler line
Oppositional Defiance
Disorder, I always
seem to get a little
angry when this
happens. The policy
though does not stand up to close
evaluation.
First, one of the main purposes of
high school is to create responsible,
accountable civic minded individuals.
Allowing students to choose whether to
eat, and then holding them stringently
accountable for their actions is a far
better solution than
restricting
food
outright. Most of the
students at Eastview
are quite able to eat a
small snack without
leaving a mess, and
clean up their trash
when they are done.
The students who
want this privilege
should not let other
irresponsible students
wreck it for them. In
this way, Eastview can
cater to busy students,
students who happen
to get hungry during
3rd hour, and students
who arrive two minutes
before school starts
and want to get
breakfast.
The catchwords at EVHS should
become personal responsibility, rather
than restrictions. Admittedly, teachers
should not allow snacks in classrooms,
especially if they disturb classroom
learning, yet in the cluster areas it makes
perfect sense to allow students to eat,
provided they cleaned up as well, and
took responsibility for any spills, or
messes made.
The headphones rules is even more
nonsensical. Of course headphones
should not be allowed in classrooms,
since headphones restrict hearing, and
hearing teachers is important. Yet, in
the clusters before class, during study
halls, or even during worktime the
headphones rule makes no sense.
Music has been proven to make
students work more efficiently, or allow
them to think more quickly, most
recently by a University of WisconsinEau Claire study in 1999. I, for one, work
much better when I can listen to music,
and since the point of headphones is
to not disturb anyone else, they should
be allowed.
I think that allowing students to eat
and drink at their own risk outside of
classrooms, and allowing students to
use headphones would both teach a
valuable lesson about accountability,
and improve students study habits.
Changing policies on a trial base would
be a great test.
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
Page 6
ENTERTAINMENT
Treating a Case of Spring Fever
Five films to rent (or not rent) over break
Cabin Fever
by Laura Wylie
As we grow increasingly excited
about the developing spring season,
“Cabin Fever” would seem to be a movie
to which we can relate. However, this
would not be an effective choice to cure
anyone’s winter blues. This 2002 movie,
starring Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd,
James DeBello, Cerina Vincent and Joey
Kern, involves five college students
being stranded on a diseased mountain
for many days. The disease, a flesheating bacteria that kills the bearer within
a couple days, slowly spreads through
four of the kids. The details are much
too graphic, and the plot develops far
too slowly for the message to be
effective. Actually, the message remains
unclear. The five friends all turn against
each other, and before the movie is over,
all of them are dead. The closing scene
of the movie consists of a water truck
transporting the disease-infested water
to cities all over the country.
This movie is an atypical “the world
is coming to an end” movie, and it is
definitely not one to see alone. In fact, I
wouldn’t recommend seeing it at all.
Serendipity
by Laura Wylie
Quite the opposite of “Cabin Fever”
is “Serendipity”- a cute romantic comedy,
starring John Cusack and Kate
Beckinsale. These two characters meet
by chance, and are very interested in
each other, but have to separate because
they’re both currently attached to other
people. Beckinsale’s character reasons
that if they are meant to be together, it
will happen by itself. Instead of giving
him her name and number, she writes
them in a novel and sells it to a random
bookstore, with the idea that only if he
finds the book is he meant to call her.
He searches and searches for the book,
but never finds it. Actually, it finds him.
The night before his wedding, his fiancé
gives him the book as a wedding gift. If
you are a fatalistic person, this movie,
no matter how unrealistic it actually is,
may be one you’d enjoy. It’s definitely
a good movie, one that can be deep or
light-hearted depending on your
perspective.
Final Destination
by Grace Welter
‘Final Destination” opens with 40
high school students on an airplane to
Paris. One of them, Alex, is afraid of
flying. He finally gets on the plane, falls
asleep, and has a vivid vision of the plane
exploding. He gets all sweaty and goes
kind of crazy and scares a bunch of
people on the plane. He and five other
people get kicked off of the plane.
Everyone is disgruntled, but lo and
behold, the plane blows up exactly as
Alex predicted.
Apparently, the six people who got
off of the plane were really supposed to
die on it, and you know what that meansthey cheated death. One by one, these
people start to die in extremely weird and
amusing fashions.
One example of a strange death is that
of the teacher who survived the plane
crash; Miss Lewton. After pouring
herself a vodka, she spills it into her
computer monitor while trying to plug it
in. She kneels down to do something.
Lewton stands up, only to be greeted
by a shard of blown-up computer monitor
in her throat. Naturally, she pulls the
hunk out of her neck, and it spews blood
all over the place. She stumbles into the
kitchen, trailing blood behind her. The
computer is on fire, and the fire follows
her to the kitchen. The explosion of the
stove knocks her to the floor, and she
decides that it’s finally time to stop her
bleeding. Naturally, she pulls on a towel,
and the biggest knife she owns lands
right in the middle of her chest. At this
point, the shelf above her stove falls
down, knocking a chair into her chest,
and thus, driving the knife in further.
The entire movie is totally ridiculous,
but I’d watch it just for the Miss Lewton
scene. With a title like “Final
Destination,” you’d think it wouldn’t
have a sequel! Guess they should have
named it Semi-Final Destination. I’ll
have to check out “Final Destination 2”
next week.
Dawn of the Dead
by Dan Fitzgerald
A remake of the 1978 zombie horror
classic of the same title follows most of
the same story line as the first. This
movie follows the life of Ana (Sarah
Polley) until the outbreak of the virus
happens and zombies start to walk the
earth. When the zombies start to walk
in her neighborhood, she decides to get
out of there so she drives away in her
car. She is stopped by a bus in the
middle of the street when someone tries
to get her out of her car, she steps on
the gas pedal and drives off of the road
into a tree where she meets up with
Kenneth (Ving Rhames), Michael (Jake
Weber), Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and Luda
(Inna Korobkina). They decide to go to
the neighboring mall to find shelter until
the zombies are dead. At the mall they
find three security guards that are also
there taking shelter and they group up
to preserve their lives from the zombies.
The soundtrack for the movie is well
thought out and has a wide variety of
artists like Johnny Cash, Richard Cheese
and Disturbed. I think that this is one of
the better remakes of a movie from
yesteryear then we have had in a while.
It utilizes the cast’s skills and a well
thought out soundtrack to pull the movie
together.
28 Days Later
by Grace Welter
Imagine waking up in a hospital in
London with nobody around. You get
up, and there are no patients, no nurses,
no nothing. You call out several times.
As you walk around, the entire city of
London is deserted. There are crashed
cars and trash everywhere. There is
nobody. There is no noise.
This is the aftermath of a virus. The
virus spread because animal rights
activists broke into a primate testing lab
and set an infected chimp free. Its disease
is known as rage, and is spread through
blood and saliva.
Jim, the main character, wakes up from
a coma after a bicycling accident, 28 days
after the primate was released. After
combing the city for a bit, Jim encounters
a church with dead bodies in it, and
stupidly calls out. A crazed man with red
eyes responds and starts to chase after
him. The man is animal like, and extremely
angry. Jim is weak from his stay in the
hospital and can barely run. He is saved
by a girl, Selena and a man, Mark. They
tell him what happened 28 days before.
The movie “28 Days Later” is
probably the scariest movie I have ever
seen. Because of the limited amount of
music in “28 Days Later” you really get a
feeling of emptiness when there is no
one around, and when the characters are
attacked by the infected, the highlycharged music adds to the fear.
Whenever someone is about to be
attacked, it is very silent, and you get a
view of whatever is about to attack them.
The camera was fast and close to the
faces of the infected, and it felt like you
were being attacked as well. I definitely
recommend this movie, as long as you
want to be scared out of your mind,
grossed out, and somewhat disgusted
with humanity. Just don’t watch it alone...
The Fascination of The Da Vinci Code
by Grace Welter
Lightning Reporter
A historian, Robert Langdon, is
supposed to meet with the famous
curator of the Lourve Museum,
Sanguiere. Unfortunately, Sanguiere is
murdered. Langdon is called to the scene
of the crime and is asked to comment on
the peculiar position in which Sanguiere’s
body is placed. Langdon is shocked. The
way Sanguiere’s body is arranged is not
told to the reader until a chapter or two
later. It is “cliffhangers” such as this that
keep you reading. The characters are
horrified, appalled at something
shocking, and it is necessary to read five
more pages to discover what was so
stunning.
To continue the story, Langdon turns
out to be the prime suspect of the
curator’s murder. The police officer in
charge of the investigation is Fache, who
does not like Americans.
Langdon meets the
granddaughter
of
Sanguiere, with whom he
constantly has to escape
from the French police.
Agent Sophie is a
cryptographer, which is
surprising because she
appears rather dense
sometimes. At any rate,
Sophie and Langdon go
on a quest to put together
the clues her Grand-pere
left behind before his
death. The whole
adventure turns out to
be a search for the Holy Grail.
The Da Vinci Code was interesting
but very predictable. I found myself
often waiting around
for
the
main
characters in the book
to come up with
painfully obvious
solutions.
The
historical aspect of the
story was probably
the most engaging
part of it. It suggests
many things about
Leonardo da Vinci,
such
as
his
homosexuality and his
paintings
with
double-meanings.
The Mona Lisa is said
to promote female prominance and that
females were equal to males in the
Catholic church’s early days.
Supposedly, they were allowed to be
leaders in the church, such as priests.
In the book there is a branch of the
Church, called Opus Dei. It promotes
male dominance and self-mutilation for
the purposes of penance. The people of
Opus Dei are the enemy in The Da Vinci
Code because they want to obtain the
Holy Grail as well. It is unknown whether
they want it either to destroy it for its
female significance or its powerful
properties of wealth.
Overall, the book puts the Church in
an entertaining perspective, and if you
are religiously inclined, I would not
recommend reading it. However, if you
are open-minded, The Da Vinci Code is
a fascinating read.
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
FEATURE
CANNED
SPAM
Page 7
MS. JOY HANSON
by Jon Friedman
Staff Columnist
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
JuNiOr
Jack Thurnblad
1)
“Cause I don’t think you want
to let in the Easter bear.”
“Tripping (because of the wet
grass)”
“Mash potatoes, they never
named a dance after pea soup.”
“Hooey. When someone lies
you say that’s a bunch of
malarkey.”
“I’ve got all the wrong ideas,
and the drive to get things
done”
2)
3)
4)
5)
sEnIoR
Molly Nee
5)
“It is a conspiracy against the
turtles.”
2) “Reproducing.”
3) “Pea Potatoes.”
4) “BS.”
“Swimming is not a sport; it is
something you do to keep from
drowning.”
Nick Olson
2)
3)
4)
Questions:
1) Why did they choose the
Easter bunny as opposed to
another animal?
2) What verb do you associate
with the season of Spring?
3) Mashed potatoes or Pea
soup?
4) What is Malarkey?
5) Quote.
1)
“Because little kids like
bunnies! And bunny sounds
cooler than rabbit.”
“Bloom.”
“Mashed potatoes!”
“Actually, it’s a game, and I
own it.”
“Only those that can see the
invisible can do the
impossible.”
SoPhOmOrE
1)
fReShMaN
Megan Hall
Hey everybody, Spring is in the air,
and you can almost smell the process
of a new edition of Spam! I’m sure you
all are aching to get on break because
I sure am. What better way to kick off
the break between quarters than an
issue of the newspaper? I’m sure you
could find better ways, but that’s
beside the point! I hope you all enjoy
break, and enjoy what some of your
classmates had to say about Spring.
“Because it’s furry, cuddly,
and nothing else personifies
the slaying of a demigod in a
better way.”
“Change.”
“French onion.”
“The type of speech I am
best at.”
“”When I watch a puppet
show, I’m not watching the
puppets...I’m trying to see
who’s pulling the strings.” –
Billy Corgan.”
by Megan Prosen
Staff Columnist
The teachers here at Eastview have
traveled far and wide to come
enlighten the student body. OK,
maybe not so much the far and wide
part. In fact, some of our best were
home-grown right here in Apple
Valley. Ms. Joy Hanson is one of
these local favorites of Eastview High
School.
Growing up in Apple Valley, Ms.
Hanson was involved in marching
band for two years at Apple Valley
High School. Her freshman year, she
had planned on trying out for the
volleyball team but was unable to
because her ankle was broken the day
before (from being hit by a car!). So
the next year, she decided to join
cheerleading instead. Her favorite
subjects in school were reading,
writing and her music classes. She
also says that, “After geometry, math
got a lot better.” She describes her
favorite memories from high school
as having an awesome time in her
gym class that combined archery,
bowling, and golf. “I had an absolute
riot in that class, mostly because I
hung out with brand new people. I
made a bunch of new friends.”
Overall, her most memorable times are
“hanging out with friends on
weekends, going to the dances,
football games, etc.” As a teenager,
Ms. Hanson calls herself, “Goofy.
And a bit on the emotional side. Ah...
hormones. I had much less selfconfidence in high school.” But it
wasn’t until she got out of Apple
Valley and even out of the country
that she was able to really discover
herself.
One of the things she learned
about herself was that she would
make a better teacher than a pilot, a
dream that she had for a while. In
fact, Ms. Hanson even considered
joining the Air Force. But, she always
knew she wanted to work with young
people. “My mom knew I loved
English, and she thought I would be
a good teacher. So she gave me the
idea.” After a few intensive literature
and writing courses in college, Ms.
Hanson knew that she would enjoy a
career in which she could have fun
and interact with her students and
discuss literature. “...even if it’s a
book I’ve read at least 9 times (like
The Great Gatsby), there’s always
something that I see for the first time.
And my students always provide
new insight into the novels.”
Ms. Hanson has been teaching in
the district for eight years and even
spent one year teaching in Japan.
Since at Eastview, she says, “Sounds
corny, but I always enjoy the first few
days of school. High energy, a little
nervousness... both in the kids and
me.” Her favorite memories at
Eastview include spring break trips
to England and Italy. “And
consistently winning the tug-o-war
at the Winterfest pepfest!”
Trek 100 “Ride for Hope”
What Will You Be Doing on Saturday, June 5th?
by Nick Palmby
Lightning Reporter
What will you be doing on Saturday,
June 5th? For some the answer to that
question may be sleeping, watching
Saturday morning cartoons or just
plain sitting around relaxing. Others
like me will be participating in the 2004
Trek 100 “Ride for Hope.”
The Trek 100 is a one hundred mile
bike ride founded by the Midwest
Athletes Against Childhood Cancer
Foundation (MACC) to raise pledges
for fighting cancer. It is the MACC
Fund’s largest annual fundraiser and has
contributed over 4.4 million dollars to
support cancer research.
The main reason for putting on our
biking gear and riding 100 miles is to
support those we know who have either
suffered or are suffering from cancer. I’m
riding in the name of a few people,
particularly Bob Palmby who was
recently diagnosed with Pancreatic
Cancer. I also ride for Howard Pilsner
who passed from Stomach Cancer and
Rachel Kent who also passed from
cancer.
When riders raise pledges, we come
closer to finding the cure for cancer for
our kids and ourselves. So what’s better
than raising pledges for the MACC
Foundation? Pledges are needed; if you
can and would like to pledge to the
foundation, I will be collecting pledges
for the next few weeks.
If anyone is interested in the race
or pledging you can contact me at
(612)-207-9789. For more information
you can go to the MACC website at
http://www.maccfund.org. It would
be great to have anyone who wants
to join the team or simply ride in the
race! Please Pledge! Thanks for your
support!
Page 8
SPORTS
Softball and Golf Intramurals offer all
the ability to get needed exercise
by McKenna Belgarde
Lightning Reporter
This spring Eastview is offering two
intramural sports. These include both coed golf and co-ed softball.
Mr.Wagner will be the advisory coach
for intramural golf this season.
Registration for golf will begin after
spring break. Weather permitting, golf
will start up soon afterwards.
Mrs. Beckmann will be coordinating
intramural softball this season. Sign ups
for softball have already begun, but
students are still invited to participate.
The beauty of intramurals is that there
is no limit on how many can join.
The cost for softball is $40 and
competitors must have a physical on file
in the office to join. Students get fancy
shirts (to wear as uniforms) with the
participation fee. Teams can be
composed of only girls, but not only
boys; however, they are generally
composed equally of both boys and girls
(See article about gender equality
below). Students who have been
selected to be a team captain by the
coordiantor choose the teams. The
teams are often planned ahead of time:
however, in order to ensure a team for
everyone or to allow friends to play on
the same team. These intramural sports
will last approximately four weeks, or
into mid-May.
by Wes Szempruch
Lightning Reporter
There was a joyous celebration last
week when the nets were put up at
Eastview’s tennis courts. Last year, the
Lightning boys’ tennis team suffered a
devastating 4-3 loss to Edina at the
section championship. Derek Peterson
was the lone representative at the state
tournament last year finishing an
impressive fourth.
The boys are psyched for a fresh start.
They plan to dominate the conference
throughout the season. Sophomore
seniors Massoud Ghaffari and Bona Ku
form the solid base of this year’s lineup.
Coach Steve Paulsen hopes the team can
keep the Conference Title. He plans to
focus on matching individual playing
styles and technique as well as
developing team chemistry and
communication.
Massoud Ghaffari, varsity captain,
sums up the prevalent attitude on the
team. “Last season we lost eight
fantastic seniors to graduation, but
we’re definitely looking to JV players to
step up to the ‘baseline,’ so to speak,
and make things happen.”
BOSTON “BALLING” AFTER
BROBACK
TAKE
THE
SHOT:
Jamie
Broback
gets around
three
defenders
to score a
key jumper
in a game
against the
UMD.
Source: University of Minnesota
Tennis Team Plans to Avenge
Devastating Edina
Loss
singles player Derek Peterson along with
THE LIGHTNING PRESS
The Uof Minnesota Girls Basketball roster calls 2003 Eastview graduate Jamie
Broback “one of the most versatile player on the Golden Gopher roster.” She has
demonstrated strengh in being “able to play at the guard/small forward position
or inside in the post.” Broback scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 22
minutes of playing time during the Gopher’s whomp of Kansas State.
GIRLS from 1
Trend: Athletics practice
Continue
to be Friendly to Females at Eastview
as the boys. Posh practice times foundational level. Gender often does
The teacher’s union and district
attempt to pay comparable salaries are rotated to remain compliant with
between male and female activities. access laws. The Junior Varsity boys’
Compensation for co-curricular hockey team practiced at five in the
activities is divided into nine classes. morning every day this season. Next
year, the girls will
An unwritten rule
practice in the early
(known by both
morning slot and the
sides) says that a
boys will meet in the
male sport and female
afternoons.
sport must be paired
Title IX also
in each division
attempted
to rectify
when determining
inequality
by trying
pay. In the top salary
to
mandate
that
class, football and
sports
funding
volleyball are paired
between boys and
together along with
girls athletics be
gymnastics
and
closely correlated.
wrestling. Baseball
Some school districts
and softball are
carefully control
paired in the second
spending to make
tier salary class.
sure that boys’
Boys’ soccer and
THEY SHOOT AND
sports never get
girls’ soccer are SCORE: Young women
more than girls’.
paired in the second
are
being
given
the
opportuTotal budgets for
tier of pay as well.
nity
to
realize
their
dreams.
each
sport
at
This helps entice the
Eastview,
however,
are
not
based
on
best coaches to stay involved in both
male and female sports. The underlying gender but more on program needs.
idea is to give both genders equal School policy works to create equal
opportunities for students of all genders
access to the best coaches.
School administrators give female yet carefully avoids rigid requirements
divisions the same access to practice often evident in quota systems.
facilities as males. The University of Flexibility allows the system to
Minnesota, for example, would likely accommodate as many students (both
need to construct a new women’s crew boys and girls) as possible. Miller notes
facility if they were to construct a that realistically most “decisions are not
football stadium. The Eastview girls’ made on gender but on the situation.”
Each sport receives a ‘zero-based
hockey team gets the same number of
budget’
that helps work from a
hours and same facilities for ice time
court decisions uphold such a practice.
not come into play when the school Students are excused from school to
works with each coach to set a budget watch both male and female teams if they
based on need. Some activities qualify for the state tournament. Each
consistently require greater spending program is largely responsible for self
than their male or female equivalents. publicity.
Girls’ soccer costs more to operate than
Girls had to fight in some cases to
Boys’ soccer. Boys’
get the opportunities
basketball needs more
they have now. Eastview
funds than Girls’
girls are proving
basketball. The school
themselves in sports like
does not violate Title IX
softball by winning the
with
such
small
state championship last
differences because
year. Girls basketball
funding
tends
to
coach Paul Goetz takes
naturally balance itself
pride in the opportunities
out across the programs.
that girls have gained,
Many agree with the
“Title IX has done
technical
side
of DENIED: A Title IX
exactly what it was
compliance, but they complaint against the
created to do-- give
worry that the sports still MSHSL was turned
opportunities to females
are not considered on an down last year.
who want to compete.”
equal playing field. Briana
A high school
Hassett, a captain of the Girls’ Basketball athletics world traditionally managed by
Team, feels that “girls are getting an men has become more open to women
equal opportunity, but sometimes they over the last several years. Every athletic
are not getting nearly as much school director in the Lake Conference remains
support as boys.”
a male, but women are getting positions
The school acknowledges the they have never held before. Both
obvious fact that boys’ games often Bloomington and Eden Prairie school
have greater turnout than girls’ games. districts have a male athletic director
The school again has little control over and two female coordinators. As more
how much school support girls’ athletics women enter the athletic world, the hope
get. Athletic Director Miller admits that is that more girls will be inspired by
athletic events are scheduled for venues female influences in athletics.
that will best accommodate the crowds
Time will tell if the girls can hold their
expected to watch. This means that gains.
boys’ hockey sometimes will have bigger
arenas for the sectional playoffs. Past