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 James P. Hohmann College Editor Betsy Mraz Entertainment Editor Laura Wylie Feature Editor Lizzy Hang Front Page Editor Ryan Flugaur Opinions Editor Jeff Walls Editor-at-large Alison Soldner Staff Columnist Jon Friedman Hilary Novacek Megan Prosen Staff Writers Grant Anderson Molly Jabas Daniella Voysey Reporters McKenna Belgarde Dan Fitzgerald Rebecca Griffith Robert Hambrock Joe Klinkner Lyle Newman Nick Palmby Wes Szempruch Grace Welter Staff Photographers Mike Fangmeier Lyle Newman Advisor Ms. Jessica Crooker Publisher 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