THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 12 20 October 2010

Features

By: Nicholas BielWhile many students frequent

sites like Pandora, AOL Radio, or Youtube for their music listening needs, few seem to know of the 2002-launched Web site, Last.fm.

Like Pandora, its online radio plays music based on a user’s listening history and favorite songs. Though Last.fm’s recommendation system seems less refined, its radio is ad and interruption free.

Where the site really stands out, though, is its extraordinary statistics collection abilities. It records not only play counts, but when those tracks were played. Last.fm uses this data to generate weekly favorite lists or even graphs of a single

track’s listening history.While Last.fm can collect this

data from the site’s integrated radio, users can submit information directly from a their media players in a process called scrobbling.

Scrobbling allows usersto track their listening history from any

computer on well over 60 media players as well as from Xbox 360s and PS3s. This is done either with plug-ins that directly modify the media player, or with a small program called Audioscrobbler, which acts as a bridge between media players and Last.fm’s website.

Users can even record play counts using portable media players such as iPods or Zunes.

Alternately, if users rely on websites

for music listening, but still want to track their plays, they can use Firefox scrobbling plug-ins for YouTube and Pandora that can be found and installed with ease.

The real value of this ubiquitous scrobbling is the feedback it gives to the user. Last.fm records not only the number of plays for each track, but the date and time of each scrobble down to the minute.

With this data at hand, users can view their most popular songs and artists, as well as trends of listening for individual tracks.

If this data is still not enough, there is a plethora of Last.fm and user created programs specifically designed for tasks like calculating listening diversity or making colorful graphs of a user’s most

listened artists. There are even programs for charting users’ most common listening times on weekends and weekdays.

Furthermore, users know that the data truly reflects their listening habits (unless they leave their media player on) because scrobbling only occurs halfway through the song. After only a few weeks of listening, new users will discover that they have listening patterns that they were unaware of. For example, users may find that although most of their scrobbles come from one band, their top tracks could be from a completely different artist.

Even though all these new programs, plugins, and listening methods may take a while to set up and get used to, they are well worth the effort.

Time Change continued from page 4

care or nanny costs. The shortened week could also interfere with after-school ac-tivities. Although Lech is open to new ideas, he doesn’t believe the four-day school week could be enacted in North Dakota right now. “I know of at least one school district in the state that has attempted to do it. They were denied by the Depart of Public In-struction. Their [the school district] plan, according to the DPI, would not meet their goals for education. Such a plan is a waiver to the set of accreditation rules set down by the state. As of now, I don’t see them [DPI] waiving those accreditations.” If the thought of school lasting until June is stomach churning, chew on a third option open to schools: just abolish the entire idea of a summer altogether. With an entire month of school added to the year, July and part of August would be the only summer months. Instead of letting students off for such an abnormally short break, schools could instead break up those days and disperse them throughout the entire year. Christmas could be three weeks. Holidays like Easter or special times of the year like spring break would also snatch up valuable days. The lack of summer, besides the drastic cultural changes it would bring, would steal an opportunity for student to hold

Four-day continued from page 4

Biel recommends Last.fm to music fans of all genres

an overwhelmingly bad reputation. Algebra II teacher Connie Schmidt called them “goofy” while freshman Dan Harildstad said they are “stupid.” “I think shutter shades are dumb. Just because Kanye West wears them doesn’t mean we have to,” freshman Rachel Funkhouser said. While sunglasses that block the wearer’s view are considered impractical, nothing beats the functionality of Ugg Boots. Made from twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside and a tanned outer surface, they are the epitome of Eskimo chic. The female population of Beulah High School is absolutely smitten with them. Senior Kayden Candrian and sophomore Kaitlyn Grad said they are “super comfy.” While these fads may seem perfectly acceptable now, they will soon become cringe worthy. Most students consider Crocs, a type of rubber sandal with a covering over the toe, to be the worst current fad. While not technically fashion, Dwyer said the worst modern fad is “sparkly vampires.” She raises a good point. Saggy pants are considered equally bad. Schmidt specifically objected to these

Fads continued from page 9

“I love to listen to my iPod loud and long and I haven’t noticed any problems with my hearing,” Zimmerman said. However, she said she thinks even small amounts of hearing loss in teens can cause problems later in life. “I think that the earlier hearing loss starts, the faster it will deteriorate later in life. But, it really isn’t a huge issue to just ask ‘What?’ a lot more often,” Zimmerman said. Although Zimmerman isn’t worried about hearing loss later in life, that exact point is the real concern surrounding this study. When this generation gets older, the prevalence of hearing loss will be at unprecedented levels. This means more money will be spent on expensive surgery and hearing aids. This can lead to higher health insurance costs (because of the increase in claims) for this generation and the generations that come after us. This study does not suggest that MP3 players should never be used. The study simply shows a serious and evident correlation between their excessive use and hearing loss. Apple acknowledges their product can cause hearing loss. The official iPod user manual says: “Permanent hearing loss may occur if earbuds or headphones are used at high volume. Set the volume to a safe level.” Unfortunately, Apple does not give a specific volume level or percentage to follow. But, according to Dr. Ness, the volume should be kept below 60 percent of its potential volume to avoid damage.

Hearing loss continued from page 9time slots. However, this would create scheduling conflicts in the other schools in the district.” With all of the adjustments necessary for a successful switch to Central Time, a change on Nov. 7 would be nearly impossible. “I would really like to see the school on Central Time after the semester break,” Lech said. “We will do everything we can to make that happen.” From Nov. 7 until the end of the first semester, or more likely until the end of the school year, an interim schedule will be put in place. The plan Lech brought before the board is for the school to run from 9:25 am to 4:20 pm, keeping the same daylight hours as Mountain Time. This temporary solution, while it puts the school on the right track for change, causes more problems than the school is facing now. For one, none of the issues addressed by the time change will be remedied until the school actually begins to run on Central Time. Furthermore, since the school will run an hour later than it did on Mountain Time (with respect to area businesses), students and parents alike may have difficulty reconciling work and school schedules. First, any parents whose work schedule allows them to drop off their kids during their commute will now be leaving them at school an hour before it starts. To address this, Lech proposed a supervised, before-school period for the students to wait until the school day begins. “We feel that it is our responsibility to provide a place for our kids to be,” he said. “Parents should not have to take on any additional costs or responsibilities for morning childcare.” Additionally, students with after-school jobs will lose an hour of potential work during the week since school will cut an extra hour out of businesses’ operation hours. Senior Zach Femling, who tries to work every day after school to make his car payments could lose five hours per week of work. “That loss will really add up quickly,” he said. “I might have to pick up more hours on the weekends.” Kim Kessler, co-owner of Bronson’s Super Valu in downtown Beulah, said she will have a tough time adjusting her work schedule to allow for students working one less hour per day. “Bronson’s employs 10-12 students,”

she said. “It will be very difficult to fill the hour from 4 to 5 pm. I’m not quite sure what we will do.” While the time zone change may not be the ideal solution, the fact remains that it has been approved and the change is coming. One thing that students and faculty alike can find comfort in, though, is that the Beulah School District is neither the first to go through the change nor alone in the process. “The Center school district went through this process already,” Lech said, “and two of Hazen’s administrators were there during the process. Our school will have lots of resources.”

summer jobs. Mr. Wold, one of the counselors at Beu-lah High School, sees the benifits of not having three months off. He has seen the downward slide in NWEA test scores in the spring in comparison to the fall scores. But, he isn’t entirely against the idea of summer. “I also see the benefits of part-time jobs and the opportunity to travel. It really depends on what you do in those three months to determine if those three months off were worth it for the development of the brain,” Wold said. Whether they are for or against the idea of a four-day school week, people know that if the financial situation in this coun-try doesn’t get better, changes will have to be made to ensure that every American child gets the necessary education to be successful.

when worn in conjunction with bright colored boxers on males. Bodell advised guys not to wear revealing shirts with the sleeves excessively cut off. Every generation makes collectively bad decisions. It’s part of growing up. Maybe twenty years from now students will look back and be appalled by these decisions, maybe they’ll think these were the greatest decisions of their lives, but, right now, putting on a purple V-neck with gray skinny jeans, flip-flops, and a neon hippy bandana is definitely awesome.

Commons continued from page 1provided they don’t have food. The Commons is a trademark. It must be appreciated as a privilege and it must never again be so abused. The most optimistic approach for students is to hope the privilege will be returned to them. This may not occur in the near future though. While a reversal of the decision is not at the top of his list of priorities, Kaylor urges students to nonetheless “keep it clean.”

THE MINER

INCIDENTS

October 20, 2010

Volume 59 Issue 1

Lunch no longer allowed in Commons

Bomb threat puts high school on edge

Sophomores Megan Battest and Kourtany Koch celebrate Space Jam day during Homecoming 2010. P6

The Fellowship of Christian A th le tes p rac t i ces team-work by passing marshmal-lows wi th toothpicks. P8

Cross Country runners out-pace competit ion on steep hi l ls with hometurf advan-tage. P11

On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the administration moved high school students to the elementary school gym following a bomb threat. Principal Todd Kaylor addressed students concerning the threat. (Photo by: Staff)

By: Megan Muscha On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the students and faculty of Beulah High School had an experience like no other. During fifth period, Principal Todd Kaylor made an announcement to the school that everyone was to be escorted to the elementary school gym. When the entire school was evacuated and in a safe location, they were told by Kaylor of the bomb threat. Confusion and a list of questions spread throughout the room: Who would do this? Why? Is it serious or is it just a prank? Everyone wanted answers to questions that no one could solve. When the noise died down in the elementary school gym, Kaylor announced that the school had received a bomb threat via an anonymous letter. Although the chances of it being a prank were ninety-nine percent, Kaylor said he was not willing to risk that one percent. The students of BHS were held in the gym until regular dismissal at 3:20 pm. Police closed off the four streets surrounding the high school for students’ safety. Students were not allowed to go back into the school to retrieve homework or any of their possessions that they had left behind when they were told to evacuate. Vehicles in the parking lot or parked on the streets surrounding the high school were also off-limits to students. Although vehicles were allowed to be retrieved later that night many students were forced to walk or find other means of transportation to their homes or that of a friends. The police force did a thorough job of

searching every “nook and cranny”; they investigated every classroom, searching behind books and even removed ceiling tiles. No ‘bomb’ dogs were brought in, but the police “did everything physically possible to make sure it would be safe for the students to return to school,” Detective Jim Wenning said. The police officers’ attendance was continuous through the rest of the week. The students’ reactions ranged from cautious and slightly nervous to complete annoyance. “What if something happens during the pep rally? That’s where everyone’s going to be at one time,” senior and student council president Kendra Seibel said. Although this was a concern for most of the on-edge students, the pep rally went on with no disruptions.

Other students were more annoyed at the culprit than concerned. “I’m fine with missing Latin class and all, but let’s be honest…whoever thought they should write a prank bomb threat to get out of school is uncool,” senior class president Marisa Kritzberger said. As for the consequences, the responsible party could face anything from a fine to jail time. “This offense would be charged with a felony,” Detective Jim Wenning said. Felonies can be on a person’s record for life. They can also result in probation, loss of occupational licensing, loss of the right to possess deadly weapons, and the loss of voting rights according to Legalmatch.com. Classes continued according to schedule on Thursday, with no new updates of the guilty party.

By: Andrew G. Heller

All great peoples have a personal sanctuary. Batman has the Batcave, the ancient Greeks had the Parthenon, and Beulah High School students have the Commons. But tragedy struck on August 25, the first day of school, when students were told they could no longer eat lunch in the Commons. This was expected to be a major disturbance in the traditions of BHS. Contrary to what many students believed, having lunch in the commons is not a long-standing tradition. Food Service Director Janet Dschaak said students have only been allowed to eat in the commons for less than ten years. The original change was brought about due to a large student body that was unable to fit comfortably in the lunchroom. The change is an administrative rule that was enacted at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year. This is not to be confused with a policy, as policies are written segments that can be found in the Beulah High School Handbook. “It was a privilege that was not maintained. The Commons wasn’t kept

clean,” BHS Principal Todd Kaylor said. “Garbage was left. Trays, glasses, and silverware were left on tables and put in garbage cans,” Dschaak said. Since the policy’s introduction, students have questioned why a blanket rule was necessary. Most are respectful and clean up after themselves. It leaves them curious as to why the entire student body should be punished for the misbehavior of a few people. At some point, the problem became uncontrollable and the unfortunate decision had to be made. Kaylor said he regrets having to make the decision but felt it was the only way to police the situation. “The very last thing I wanted was to punish the whole school,” Kaylor said Last year, Kaylor made considerable warnings. Attempts were made to find the individuals responsible but the misbehavior continued. This blanket rule was the last resort for the administration. “After several warnings, it wasn’t working out,” Kaylor said. Since coming to Beulah four years ago, he has noticed a “steady decline” in the attention to care of the Commons. Whether this was the result of an influx of food fights or simple disregard by students is unknown. While students are eager

to claim innocence, no one is willing to confront any known guilty parties. Perhaps none are known. Or perhaps this decision hasn’t majorly impacted the student body. Just weeks after its introduction, the new rule is nothing more than a ghost of a thought to most students. Lunch continues to occur day to day without incident. The student body has decreased in number from the size that required students to be allowed to eat lunch in the Commons. Dschaak said that the lunchroom has room for everyone. Several of the tables are left relatively empty and no one is bumping elbows. Everyone is able to pick out a place that accommodates them, as well as their peers. The change doesn’t seem to be negatively affecting Dschaak or the other cooks. She has notices some positive changes taking place. “Kids are sitting with people they don’t normally sit with,” she said. The processes of lunch continue as usual. The new accommodations may bring about a more integrated and friendly school. Although this notion can be called “cheesy,” it is a positive one. Students can still enjoy the Beulah High School Commons at any time,

A school board decision to change to Central time will affect schoolhours. P4

See Commons page 12

INSIDE

The Miner Incidents:

News ..................................1 Editorials ............................2 Opinions . .........................3 News ..................................4 Features .............................5 Miner Focus.....................6-7 Features ..........................8-9 Sports ..........................10-11 Features ...........................12

Beulah High School204 5th Street NW

Beulah, North Dakota 58523www.beulah.k12.nd.us

(701) 873-2261

THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 2 20 October 2010

Editorials

Auto-Tune allows creativity, fraud Here at The Miner Incidents, we love our music. We write while we listen and we listen while we write. Even among our small staff of five journalists, we all have drastically different music tastes. After several hours of continuous Facebook chatting and arguing about music, specifically Auto-Tune, we found that it cannot be simplified to the point of calling it either good or bad and to do so would be an injustice. We decided two schools of thought exist on the value of Auto-Tune: it either allows for great amounts of creativity for Internet users or it is a destructive technology, allowing any Tom, Dick, or Faith Hill to sound like a rock (or country) god without any talent, all the while making oodles of money. We would love to assume that everyone knows what Auto-Tune is, but we know that some imitate Patrick Star and live under a rock. So, to completely clarify, here is the exact Google definition of Auto-Tune: a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio that uses a

phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal instrumental performances. Essentially, it fixes the wrong pitches in a person’s voice so that anyone’s voice can sound awesome. On the positive side, it is a wonderful and powerful tool for tech-savvy Internet users to use to create media. Anyone with access to the Internet can buy and download a simplified version of the Auto-Tune software and create music. A perfect example of the proper application of Auto-Tune is the popular “Auto-Tune the News” channel on YouTube which was created by a musical group called the Gregory Brothers, consisting of three brothers from Redford, VA, and one girl from Brooklyn, NY. These viral videos are a mixture of humor, pop music, and political information in an easily digestible package. If it weren’t for Auto-Tune, such videos could not exist. Granted, if these videos did not exist, the world wouldn’t stop turning, but, a great amount of creativity went into creating these videos. This private usage by small, indie groups to make silly YouTube clips is the proper use of this technology. It gave these musicians

a tool to express themselves with in ways they never could have before. Auto-Tune has a dark side to it though. Major recording artists should never use Auto-Tune. Musicians should be highly talented people who possess singing voices that few others possess. If Auto-Tune can magically fix anybody’s voice, then nothing separates the musician from the masses. Aretha Franklin became a superstar because of her amazing child-prodigy like piano playing skills and her soulful singing voice. With her talents and hard work, she earned the title as “The Queen of Soul.” Auto-Tune steals all of those gifts and talent and gives them to anybody like some sort of instant gratification machine. If an artist is to be respected and lauded, he must possess the talent and willingness to reach music nirvana Auto-Tune is both a superhero, allowing any person to rise to Internet stardom in a frenzy of self-expression, and a menace, allowing lazy, money-bag artists to consistently put on fake perfect performances.

The Miner Incidents is published six times a year by the Journalism Department by and for the students of Beulah High School and does not necessarily represent the views of the administration. The Miner Incidents accepts signed letters to the editor, reserving the right to edit them for grammar and profanity. Student submissions may be given to Mrs. Heller.

Letter to the Editor of The Miner IncidentsDear Editor, I, as a student a Beulah High School, believe that if a student goes out for a sport he or she should get equal time on the fi eld or court as the other players, even if the student is unskilled or not as skilled. That is where fairness comes into play between each player on the team. The student may not be as skilled as much as the rest of the team, but at least he or she made the effort to go out for that sport and gave as much effort as a lot of the other teammates on the team. It shouldn’t matter if it’s the player’s fi rst year or fourth year in the sport, each player on the team should get an equal amount of time on the fi eld. Fairness to me is when two or more people have the same rights and equal pieces of a pie. If a person is left out of some activity or just doesn’t get as much time in during a sport season that student will lose morale against the coach and more importantly himself or herself. Once a student loses morale he or she will start to feel left out, give up, and the population of new students in sports participa-tion will drop.I know in a school district teachers, coaches, and students in sports try to encourage different students to come out for sports and make their school year better. Some students don’t have as much skill as other students, but the more those lesser skilled students are put in, the more skill they will gain. It’s just not practice where they get skill, it’s also in games. I believe that the coaches in the Beulah High School can make the school even a better place for sports if they give each athlete a fair share in the playing season. The sport itself would be more fun than it would be just sitting there not being able to play. Just sitting on the sidelines for games gets really boring to athletes. If the athlete is ready to play and worked during the weeks in practice, the athlete should get a chance to play in games no matter what the score or how much skill the athlete has. The more an athlete will play in games, the more skills he or she will develop. I, as an athlete, feel that playing in a game is better than practice because a chance on the fi eld would be a better way to work with my own skill than it would be in practice.Sincerely, Alex Gunsch

THE MINER

INCIDENTS

Staff

THE MINER

Carson Reinhardt: News Writer, Columnist, and Opinions Editor

Nicholas Biel: News Writer, Columnist, and Features Editor

Anika Jurgens: Sports Writer, Fea-tures Writer, and Sports Editor

Andrew G. Heller: Cartoonist, Features Writer, and News Editor

Megan Muscha: News Writer, Sports Writer, and Features Editor

By: Andrew Heller

Contributor: Photographer Jayme Pischel.

THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 11 20 October 2010

Sports

Cross Country prepares for state race on Oct. 23

Clockwise from top right: Freshman Randy Julson pushes up a hill during the the Beulah Cross Country meet at Black Sands Golf Course. Nessa Iverson sprints to stay ahead of competition. Beulah boys take off the starting line with hopes to establish a position early in the race. The girls cross country runners break away at the sound of the starting gun. (Photos by: Andrew Heller)

By: Megan Muscha

The North Dakota State Cross Country meet will be held in Jamestown on Oct. 23. “The team has a great work ethic and the season has been outstanding,” head coach Bruce Wold said. Specifically, the boys are rated third and the girls are rated fifth and sixth. The team credits its success to hard work, dedication, and good pairs of running shoes. “If the kids just keep working hard I think state will go pretty well. But the important thing is that they just do the best they can and have fun with it,” Wold said. Working hard is what this team does. The top three girl runners are Hazen senior Sarah Grimm, eighth grader Nessa Iverson, and eighth grader Alicia Aune. In the 2.5 mile run, Sarah runs a 16:00, Nessa runs a 16:40, and Alicia runs a 16:47. The top three male runners are Hazen sophomore Jaaz Catterall, freshman Cole Messerschmidt, and Hazen freshman Asher Catterall. In the 3.1 mile run, Jaaz runs a 17:05, Cole runs a 17:14, and Asher runs a 17:28. “I’m really excited for state this year because the bus rides are always a blast and I’m hoping we’ll do pretty good as far as placing goes,” freshman runner Connor Candrian said. After being involved in cross country throughout her entire high school career it was hard for Senior Kayden Candrian to just walk away. Although she can no longer compete she is still a vital part of the team as a statistician and is quite enthusiastic about the state meet. “We have quite a few talented kids that have a good possibility of placing high,” Candrain said.

What makes her come back year after year is the cross country crew, of course! “The best part about cross country is how close of a family we all become. Because we’re a smaller sport and travel long distances it is easy to get to know the people quickly,” Candrain said. Coach Wold encourages any and all interested to lace up their tennis shoes and come pound the pavement with the team next year. “Just do it! You will get in great shape, and there are really fun people on the team,” Wold said.

THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 10 20 October 2010

Sports

Minot-Ryan ruins Miner football’s playoff aspirations

Fellowship of Christian Athletes promotes faith, teamwork

The Beulah Miner football team holds up the coveted Coal Bowl trophy they won by beating Hazen in the season opener. (Photo by: Anika Jurgens)

By: Anika Jean Jurgens

Minot Ryan was the deciding factor of whether the Miners made it to the playoffs or not and losing to the Lions 21 – 19 knocked the Miners out of the playoffs with the game against Carrington left. Minot Ryan wasn’t the toughest team that the Miners played this season but they showed the team that it wasn’t going to be easy in the first half of the game. “ The turning point in the game was at half time when we all realized that we could pull through, what gave us hope was when we scored on our halftime opening play,” senior Stephen Kessler said. “The season did not go the way we wanted, we all wanted to win more” senior Colton Starr said. The Miners played Bottineau on Friday, Oct.1 for the homecoming game. They players worked for their win 35 – 6 over the Braves. Through the rain wind and cold, the game vs. St. Mary’s continued to a disheartening loss for the Miners. The end score was 30 -14 . The team traveled to Belcourt on Sep. 24 and won that game 41 – 10. In spite of a very cold night, the Miners had an outstanding game. Dustin Rueb was the last scorer for the team with a 97- yard rush that he intercepted. Devils Lake came to Riverside to play the Miners on

Sept.13. The Miners fought hard but couldn’t pull threw loosing the game 26 – 6. A.J. Rudolph had the only score for the Miners during this game. The Miners played Trinity in the new Dickinson State Bowl. With two overtimes, the Trinity Titans beat the Miners 20 – 26. In addition to practicing and playing games, the team is involved with a Character Counts pillar every week. Each player has to turn in a paper for the week on one pillar of character counts before Friday’s game or before they leave to play out of town. “It helps build us as a team and as friends, knowing that everyone has turned in a paper on how the specific character is that week makes us prove that we know what it is and that we all can abide by that,” senior Evan Entze said. Some of the best times together are winning and the starters’ nights. On most Wednesdays all the varsity starters go to a seniors place and eat supper and do various activities together. “My favorite thing about the season is the good food on starters’ night,” Bosch said. Others say the best part of the season is being with friends and that football is their favorite sport. “Hitting people is my favorite thing about the season” senior Frank (Austin) Smith said. With 11 seniors, upcoming underclassmen have a lot of pressure to work, play, and try harder.

Hayden Kessler and Logan Eisenbies pass a marshmallow with tooth-picks during an FCA team-building exercise (Photo by: Staff)

By: Megan Muscha Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) provides BHS students with yet another great reason to love Fridays. This organization gathers weekly in coach Loy Ham’s room to enjoy his legendary breakfast pizza bake and discuss scripture readings. But don’t let the athlete part discourage any anti-sweat students out there because FCA welcomes all who want to grow closer to God and their faith. “Anybody can come, it’s not only for athletes, it’s for everyone,” Beulah linebacker Erik Ham said. FCA began in 1954 by its founder Don McClanen and has been touching lives nationwide ever since. It is the largest Christian sports organization in America, according to fca.org. The Beulah High School FCA is currently on its ninth year. Loy Ham decided to bring this program to BHS for two reasons: he was approached by a member of the school board to start a local FCA chapter and his church sponsored a month-long movement to challenge its members to find unique ways to open their faith to others. “FCA’s purpose, at its absolute core, is

to combine people’s passion for sports with their passion for Christ, and teach them that those two worlds don’t have to be separate. FCA wants to give meaning to the athletic nature that all of us are born with and use it for something that stretches beyond sports,”wrote Nick Dunn in the “Beginner’s Guide to FCA” (fca.org, 10-7-10). “It is a non-denominational organization that allows athletes to use their unique position to spread the word of God,” Loy Ham said. This organization reaches out to as many people as possible. With its own magazine, “Sharing the Victory”, books, web pages, and other resources, it’s hard to ignore this continuously growing sensation. FACLife.com is one of the programs of this organization. According to fca.org, FCALife.com aims to provide all those involved with FCA a unique and more fruitful social networking experience. It unites all huddles across the country and give members a better opportunity to stay connected throughout the school year. “I enjoy the fellowship with the other athletes. I enjoy building each other up and helping each other grow closer to God,” senior and FCA huddle leader Ethan Bohn said.

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THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 3 20 October 2010

Opinion

Carson’s ConundrumsBy: Carson Reinhardt The debate over the proposed mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks has stirred up some almost disturbing anti-Muslim sentiments throughout the country. In Florida, Pastor Terry Jones and his congregation of 50 planned to burn Qurans for the ninth anniversary of 9/11while protestors in New York marched up and down the streets around the abandoned Burlington Coat Factory building where Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf wants to not only build a mosque, but, as they believe, a type of victory Mosque to spit in the face of 9/11 victims and their families. Opponents demand that the proposed building, which if built, would be two blocks from Ground Zero, be moved farther away from this “holy ground” because of the proximity to the attacks and the victims’ bodies that were found there. Some especially paranoid Americans believe that this will become a radical Islamist training center to facilitate the Islamization of America so that they can destroy everything we hold dear: apple pie, baseball, and Frank Sinatra. As a young citizen of the United States, I find this blatant abandonment of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion disgusting. But, opponents to the building would argue that they are not arguing the legality of it, but the fact that it’s in bad taste. Quite frankly, that reason is not good enough for me. Islam did not attack the U.S. that historical day. A small radical sect of the 1.57 billion Muslims

did. To blame an entire religion for the actions of a few is irresponsible. First and foremost, the mosque isn’t a mosque. Imam Feisal (who in fact is an American citizen) is proposing to build an inter-faith Islamic center to strengthen public relations with the people of New York and to increase Islamic worship space to accommodate the growing number of Muslims in Manhattan. Think of it as an Islamic YMCA, only it’ll have its own catchy song performed by the Village People. According to Rauf, It will also have separate worshiping areas for Jews and Christians so that people from all different walks of life and religions can come together for mutual peace and understanding. Next, let’s consider the controversy over the site itself. Opponents claim that two blocks from Ground Zero is simply too close. If Imam Rauf really wanted to be sensitive to 9/11 victims, he would move it farther away from this “holy ground” to be respectful to the memories of 9/11 victims and their families. I do not believe that this site is holy ground for two distinct reasons: 1. This area is typical New York, it has strip clubs, delicatessens, and McDonald’s; 2. The arbitrary number of blocks people believe it should be away is ridiculous, three, four, five, or six blocks away cannot be any better or less “evil” than two blocks. Even with these insights, I can still hear the screaming, “Just move the darn thing and everything will be ok!” In an interview with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien in August of 2010, when asked

By: Andrew G. Heller Proposition 19 is a ballot measure in California to be voted upon this November. If passed, it will legalize the sale and consumption of marijuana for recreational purposes as well as provide guidelines for its regulation and taxation. Opponents see Prop 19 as a grave danger to society. Supporters treat it as a major milestone in a fight for personal freedoms. California is far from North Dakota. This does not keep me from supporting it. I am in favor of Proposition 19 because of scientific evidence concerning marijuana. We were taught about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. In elementary school, guidance counselors, police, or other speakers would occasionally visit classrooms in an attempt to educate us. The most cartoonish deterrent was a book I got in fifth grade which used dinosaurs to show the dangers of different drugs. Each drug was a different species of dinosaur, but all ended up the same way. The book used the dinosaurs’ extinction to illustrate usage as a dead end (pun intended). The Cannibasauras, the pot smoking dinosaur, met its demise due to laziness and loss of brain cells from smoking too much weed. In the mind of my fifth grade self, this message was clear and persuasive. To high-schooler me, it comes off as transparently biased. High school was

where I would be tempted to become a Cannibasaurus, or any other species. Like any issue, I wished to be thoroughly informed of both sides’ arguments in order to form my own opinion. The first notion I studied was the idea that marijuana causes lethargy. In Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence, Dr. Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan refute this. “There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subject given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity,” Zimmer and Morgan said in their book. Other claims, like marijuana causes cancer, was disproved, most notably by a research study performed by the University of New Hampshire. Scientific America covered this in a May 24, 2006 article. ”We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use…would increase the risk of cancer,” Physician Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles said. His research proved to be the opposite of his hypothesis. My investigation led me to be resoundingly in favor of legalization. I was not alone in this opinion. The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, “supports the development of a legally controlled

Awesome Sauce

Biel’s BiasBy: Nicholas Biel Recently, as I sat in Mr. Yale’s AP Calculus class feeling my brain slowly tearing itself asunder, I finally realized that I have never really understood mathematics and am just starting to learn its underlying principles. Granted, I’ve learned enough processes and memorized enough tricks to breeze through almost all of my math courses leading up to calculus. However, the combination of new concepts with Yale’s unique teaching style has shown me that all I really know are workarounds that only hint at true mathematical concepts. For example, during the first few days of school, he explained that nearly every function can be graphed with only the knowledge of a few parent graphs and the effects of applying transformations on those graphs. As I absorbed this new information, I realized that the omnipresent slope intercept form is not only a simplified version of this concept, but that it is very limiting. While it is a helpful formula for working with lines, it is rendered useless with anything more complex than basic arithmetic terms. Looking back now, I wish I would have been taught concepts instead of tricks. I realize that learning such important and potent rules as a younger student would have been a challenge, but trying to learn underlying principles along with a whole new branch of mathematics feels overwhelming at times. Now, as I sit here thinking of ways I

can expand this article, I realize that this concept of thorough understanding can be applied to other subjects as well. In chemistry, for example, we should learn not just what happens when we mix two chemicals together, but why. Knowing the why allows us to predict future reactions, which gives us the ability to tailor the ingredients to get a desired result. Social studies, too, could benefit from this type of education. Learning dates and locations of events is fine, but it pales in comparison to understanding motives. If we could know and comprehend the motives behind historical movements, we could not only have a much better grasp of history, but also use that information to examine our present conditions. Even outside of school, this policy of comprehension is indispensible, for understanding is the basis of relationships. Two people can never become friends if they do not “get” each other. This idea can also be applied on a broader scale to interactions between groups or even societies. If different cultures only assume things about each other, there can be nothing but distrust and suspicion between them. Only when there is understanding between populations, can there be a true and lasting peace capable of weathering tides of ignorance and storms of xenophobia. We, as a society should emphasize comprehension, not rote memorization. If we base our learning on this idea, a better educated and more thoughtful populace is sure to develop.

Megan’s MindUnderstanding trumps knowledge Halloween trick-or-treating evolves

Ground Zero mosque must be built Proposition 19 deserves support

See Mosque page 8 See Prop. 19 page 8

By: Megan Muscha When the word Halloween comes to mind, common thoughts associated with it are candy…costumes…and well, more candy! Although this is normal for today’s society, it was not always like this. Before preteens started dressing up like vampires and witches, Halloween used to be a time for honoring the dead. It was originally a pagan holiday referred to as All Hallows Eve, dating back over 2000 years, according to Halloween Web (9-17-10). HalloweenHistory.org states that in the ancient Celtic festivals, Halloween was known as Samhain (9-17-10). It was believed that on this day, the boundaries between the living and the dead overlapped. People thought that the dead would come back to cause mayhem such as diseases and bad crops. During these times, people would wear costumes and masks either to mimic the evil spirits or pacify them. Today, people do this for kicks and giggles. Whether it is dressing up like a Twilight character or simply copying the Teletubbies, trick-or-treaters have found many new and interesting ways of masking themselves for this event. Costumes, in this day and age, have significantly changed. Not only is less material is being used for “costumes,” but Halloween has changed from a horror movie into a fashion show of sorts. For girls, the skimpier the

better. Costumes such as naughty nurse or playful Playboy bunny are becoming more and more the norm, giving parents nightmares on Halloween. Nowadays, showing off costumes, or lack thereof, is more common than going door to door for candy that could just be bought in the store. Trick-or-treating is a concept known all around the world and dates back to the Middle Ages. Because the Celts believed that not all the roaming spirits were friendly, gifts and treats were left out to please the evil ones and ensure that next year’s crops would be plentiful states Halloween Web (9-17-10). This tradition evolved into trick-or-treating. This activity is popular in not only the US, but the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and other parts of Europe as well, according to HalloweenHistory.org. In some places it is referred to as “Beggars Night.” The saying goes: if you say “trick-or-treat” and a treat is not given, a trick is played on the homeowner. I have never actually seen trick-or-treaters get upset from their treats before…well unless they receive a toothbrush or something like that. Okay people, a toothbrush, that’s what you get from your dentist, not on Halloween night when all you really want is an intense sugar rush! Halloween has evolved; from appeasing evil spirits to trick-or-treating, things have changed a lot. So next time people are dressing up as Hannah Montana, Scooby Doo, or the occasional “nurse,” remember that Halloween isn’t just all about the candy…Who am I kidding…OF COURSE IT IS!

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News

By: Carson Reinhardt Individuals are not the only ones suffering in these terrible economic times. The local, state, and federal levels of government are feeling the squeeze, too. For most of the students at Beulah High School, the actions that legislators and board members must take to keep their respective institutions afloat are of no interest. But, school districts are one of these institutions, and students feel every decision first hand. In at least nine states around the coun-try, economically failing school districts are taking on the enormous task of con-verting their five-day school weeks into four. Such a drastic change in the way schools conduct business is a hotly de-bated topic among educators, legislators, and parents. And not everybody believes that the pros outweigh the cons.

The majority of school districts switch-ing are rural based. Rural school districts face huge transportation costs. Everyday a bus doesn’t run, it doesn’t use fuel, and the school saves money in a big way. Rob Lech, the Beulah School District superintendent, would be in favor of such a change if the structure of it reached the current education standards and if there was enough support for the measure. “I would be open to anything if it works. To me, there’s nothing that’s untouch-able,” Lech said. In addition to savings in transportation costs, schools save by feeding students one less meal per week, paying fewer substitute teachers, using less electricity, and using less heat/air conditioning to keep the building at a comfortable tem-perature. When the costs are tallied, the savings begin to stack up to such a sizable amount that, for some districts, the four-

day week becomes irresistible. Cost cutting is not the only benefit the four-day week generates. It also protects the amount of funding for every other cost the school incurs. It allows the busses to keep all of their routes running instead of cutting one. It protects the salaries of every staff member. And, it protects extracurricular activities. But, most im-portantly, it protects fine art classes, such as band, choir, and art. It also protects the physical education program. Since these programs are not essential to the required education of students, they sadly can be cut from the school curriculum completely to balance the budget. Unfortunately though, this new school week structure is by no means a perfect solution for every district. Those newly found days off do not simply drift away; they have to be made up somehow. The simplest solution available to most

schools is to make the day longer. This means that school could potentially last an hour later. Senior Lucas Schnaidt would strongly oppose such a change if it ever happened. “I think it’s a terrible idea” he said. “I don’t think I could focus for such a long time and give 100 percent in every class. With more time comes more classes and that also means more homework per night. Between my afterschool job, extracurricu-lar activities, and friends, I really don’t see how I could fit anymore onto my plate.” If the longer school day is not an option, districts could instead add more weeks to the year. Beulah High School uses a 36-week school year with four quarters of nine weeks each. Subtracting the five Mondays that are holidays, Beulah would have 31 days of school to make up, which would translate into more

Four-day week attractive to cash-strapped districts

Mercer County time change disrupts routines

The Beulah District School Board votes to put the schools’ clocks on Central Time. Beginning Nov. 8, students will attend school from 9:25 am - 4:20 pm. (Photo by: Staff)

See Time change page 12

See Four-day page 12

By: Nicholas Biel On Oct. 7, the Beulah District School Board voted to put the schools’ clocks on Central Time, but run from 9:25-4:20 pm beginning Monday Nov. 8, the day after the end of Daylight Savings Time. This decision came as a result of the Sept. 29 Department of Transportation ruling which will move all of Mercer

County into the Central Time zone at Daylight Savings Time’s end. This was spurred by a forum held earlier this year in Hazen where Mercer County residents met and discussed the proposed time change. In 2000, the Mercer County Commission put forth a petition to make the switch to Central Time, which, while supported by a simple county-wide vote, failed because of stated public sentiment according to the Federal Register: The

Daily Journal of the United States Government (10/4/10). This time around, however, there was much more support for change, not only from the general populace, but from area businesses and hospitals as well. Beulah School District Superintendent, Robert Lech, said that while he thought the school’s opinion was probably not the most important factor, they did declare themselves in favor of the change. “In an example year with 183 extra-curricular activities,” Lech said, “we had 122 take place in the Central Time zone. We were losing too much instructional time.” The problem with driving into another time zone, he said, is that buses have to leave an hour earlier than they’d ordinarily have to just to make up for the hour jump into Central Time. Another problem with the difference in time zones, Lech said, is the hassles it causes with Interactive Television (ITV) classes. Only periods two through six occur during the operating hours of two schools in different time zones. All others depend on early bird or late owl classes in one school or another. While the switch from Mountain to Central Time will ultimately fix several major problems, it will neither be simple nor problem free. “One of the biggest problems I see,” Lech said, “is with adjusting the school’s schedule to fit Central Time.”

Ironically, one of the things the change will remedy is also one of the greatest hang-ups in bringing about a speedy switch. “The ITV classes are cemented,” Lech said. “We have to build our entire schedule around them.” Some people think that since the school will switch to Central Time, the schedule will mesh nicely with schools that have always been on Central Time. This is not so. ITV classes must stay at the same time periods, not necessarily the same hours. The problem created by the rigidity of the ITV system is exacerbated by the number of ITV classes offered at Beulah High School and the number of students enrolled in ITV classes. “Out of fourteen possible ITV slots, thirteen are filled,” Lech said. “This makes moving classes around very difficult.” The school can’t just drop ITV classes because some students will need courses taught by other schools to qualify for North Dakota scholarships. “The last thing we want to do is hurt the students,” Lech said. Another problem Lech foresees withschedule changes is the use of shared staff between schools in the school district. “Ideally,” he said, “we could simply move period seven in before period one and run the rest of the classes in the same

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Features

By: Carson Reinhardt Everybody owns one. It unassumingly sits in a person’s pocket or backpack throughout the school day. But, unbeknownst to Beulah High School students, MP3 players are machines of hearing destruction. A 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that teen hearing loss is dramatically increasing due to teens playing their MP3 players too loud for too long. In fact, it quoted Brian Fligor, an audiologist at Children’s Hospital in Boston, saying that teens listen to music more than twice as long as the previous generation. Senior Samuel Reinhardt who frequently uses an MP3 player, admitted he doesn’t feel completely confident in his hearing. “I haven’t been to a doctor, but sometimes I feel it [ my hearing ] just could be better,”Reinhardt said. Music has evolved from a primary form of entertainment to a secondary one. Today’s teens do not listen to music just for the sake of listening, they listen to music while doing other activities, such as running, driving, or doing homework.

“When I run for a long time and I’m really trying to pump myself up, I turn my music loud. My runs usually last 45 minutes and I can definitely tell that my hearing is not quite as good for a while afterwards. I also own both over-ear and in-ear headphones and I think that the in-ear style cause more problems for me than the over-ear style,” Reinhardt said. A study, conducted by the Center for Disease Control, used statistical information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which tested the hearing capabilities of nearly 1,800 teens between 2005 and 2006. They then compared those findings with a similar study that tested 3,000 teens between 1988 and 1994. Researchers found that the prevalence of hearing loss has jumped from 15 percent to nearly 20 percent, one fifth of the American teen population. Dr. Brady Ness, an audiologist at Medcenter One in Bismarck and the Coal Country Community Health Center here in Beulah found these statistics perplexing. “It [ teen hearing loss ] definitely isn’t going down, especially with the iPod and the music generation, we see as many as we ever have,” Ness said. “We know now

what we are doing to the ears and we’re educating, and yet, we aren’t seeing those numbers decline.” The CDC study classified the hearing loss as a slight impediment. In this instance, the word “slight” means the inability to hear sounds in the 16 to 24 decibel range.

“It’s by no means severe […] but enough to muffle speech so you have a lot of situations where you hear people talking, but not understand what they’re saying,” Ness said. Junior Heidi Zimmerman isn’t convinced about the findings of the study, nor is she worried about the quality of her hearing.

Turn it downTeen hearing loss rises nationwide

See Hearing loss page 12

Fashion fads fascinate Beulah High School students

Maiya Gerde sports Ugg Boots and skinny jeans as she searches her locker for books.

(Photo by: Carson Reinhardt)See Fads page 12

Ethan Bohn works on calculus in the commons while listening to his MP3 player. (Photo by: Carson Reinhardt)

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By: Andrew G. Heller A generation’s culture is defined by its fads. Farrah Fawcett hair and bell-bottoms dominated the ‘70s. ‘80s children wore legwarmers and a Flock of Seagulls haircut. Current teenagers will have their time to look back at their high school yearbooks and gasp in horror, but that time is not now. Now is the time of Converse All-Stars and cardigans. But students should be careful not to get caught up in the bright colors and cute boots. They should take a moment for a careful, constructive assessment of the situation. Beulah High School students and faculty are doing just that. This is the eye of the hurricane of fashion. Arguably the most eye-catching trends of the modern era are skinny jeans. These pants hug as close to a person’s legs as possible. Sophomore Cody Nelson said they are “comfy and exotic.” Several students agree with him, especially when females wear them. English Teacher Rachel Dwyer celebrates skinny jeans’ ingenuity. “What’s not to like about jeans that take extra effort to put on and take off? It’s exercise and fashion in one,” She said. Some think they may be too tight. “You shouldn’t be able to see the quarter in a dude’s back pocket,” senior Lucas Schnaidt said. As object to excessively tight articles of clothing as some may be, others are not satiated with simply making normal articles of clothing tighter. They need to wear

actual tights. Leggings are usually worn under a dress or skirt so girls can enjoy these looks even in colder climates. North Dakotans seem to be especially grateful. No one spoke ill of leggings. “Leggings are one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing ever!” senior Taryn Zacher said. While they seem to be perfectly acceptable when worn with a skirt or dress, it is a mistake to wear them alone. Junior Abby Baranick and sophomore Elle Pfenning said these are not pants. One of the more shocking trends is the neon flannel shirt. Grizzly Adams would be wearing one of these to the club. These have the traditional long sleeve, button up fronts and the flannel material, but the difference is the details. Most obvious are the striking color schemes. Other tweaks include breast pockets and military shoulder straps. “Flannels are the coolest. They will never go out of style,” freshman Ty Horning said. Others, like pre-calc teacher Ryan Bodell and freshman Connor Candrian, are baffled by the idea of neon and would like Mr. Adams to put away his peacock patterns and return to the woods, where he belongs. As peculiar as bright colored shirts may be, they are still tame compared to shutter shades. These sunglasses are defined by pieces of the frame that cross the lenses horizontally mimicking shutter blinds. This eyewear was made famous by rapper Kanye West, and continues to have a presence in celebrities’ wardrobes. While the stars love them, shutter shades have

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Features

FFA heads to convention

Frank Smith donates blood at the third Student Council sponsored Blood Drive. A total of 26 donors were interviewed, 14 of whom were fi rst time donors. Students gave 18 units of whole blood an 10 units of double red blood cells. (Photo by: Andrew Heller)

Beulah FFA members set up for the annual FFA BBQ kick-off meeting in the Agriculture Department. (Photo by: Jodi Boe)

Mosque continued from page 3about why he simply wouldn’t move the site of the Islamic center, Rauf responded that he cannot back down now because of national security. He fears that if the site is moved or, even worse, if the entire project is cancelled, the extremist Islamic world would respond harshly. The extremist Muslims would view this as an attack on Islam and could potentially react violently towards the United States. If the Islamic center were to be built, moderate Muslims could act as a sort of buffer between the radicals and American citizens. Unfortunately, some Americans view all Muslims as extremists and the previous paragraph probably didn’t help to rectify that view. Every religion has extremism in it: Christianity has extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the National Liberation Front of Tripura. Also, dark events in history, such as the Inquisition and the Crusades were directly ordered by Christian kings and queens. Islam has extremist groups like Al’Queda and the Taliban. It is simply wrong to say that any major religion is better than the other. In the United States, every religion has equal protection under the law. No single religion is the “normal” U.S. religion. To think otherwise undermines the freedoms everyone receives from the First Amendment; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof […].” Although the first settlers to America based their government heavily on protestant religious teachings, in the modern age, we have since moved away from these restrictive borderline

theocracies and built something better: a country where every ethnicity and religion has an equal right to exist and conduct its business unimpeded regardless of the actions of extremists. As a nation, we must not condemn an entire religion for the actions of a few. We must move forward, away from the pain and anger.

market for cannabis” on their Web site. Even countries are considering legalization. According to guardian.co.uk, Portugal decriminalized personal possession of all narcotics in 2001. Since then, drugs usage has decreased, most notably in the 13-19 year old demographic. From 2001-2005, it had the lowest marijuana usage rate in the E.U. Drug related disease and mortality rates have also decreased. On Sept. 8, 2010, McClatchy Newspapers reported that Mexico, weary froma long and bloody drug conflict, has begun to consider legalization options. Mexico said it would pursue these options further if Proposition 19 was passed. A vote on proposition 19 is coming in November. Passage would result in a dramatic cultural and political shift. But only exists California, although similar strides are being made in Florida and South Dakota. Students should not casually agree with me though. They should do their own research, in order to better form an individual opinion. Maybe they’ll reach the same conclusion, or they may find evidence that contradicts mine. It is because of these facts that I am in favor of Proposition 19.

Prop. 19 continued from page 3

By: Anika Jean Jurgens As the next National FFA convention came into view, FFA Adviser Tim Aichele and four of the 2010 -2011 Chapter Officers, (President Jodi Boe, Secretary Brooke Renner, Reporter Anika Jurgens, and Treasurer Christina Flemmer) packed their bags to travel to Indiannapolis on Oct.19. Janolyn Aichele, a former Beulah High School student, and FFA Chapter Officer will receive her American Degree award at this year’s convention. The national FFA convention is held each Oct. with nearly 55,000 FFA members and guests from across the country in attendance. Members participate in general sessions, competitive events, educational tours, leadership workshops, and a career show. It is one of the largest annual student conventions in the country. The students left on Tuesday, Oct. 19, drove down to Indianapolis to be at the convention at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20. During the week they are in Indianapolis, they will attend convention sessions, and leadership workshops and hear inspirational speakers such as Josh Shipp, Kevin Caroll, Judson Laipply. On Friday night members will attend the American Degree Reception with Aichele. “Along with an application, I needed to have a record of leadership activities and at least 50 hours of community service,” Aichele said. The community service had to be done at three different activities. These hours were in addition to and could not be paid or unpaid SAE hours. She had to have received a “C” or better on her high school records and have the principal and superintendent approve it to get the American Degree. Both country singers Lady Antebellum, who sings “American Honey,” and Eason Corbin, who sings “A Little More Country Then That,” will perform on Wednesday night for all the FFA students who bought a tickets to attend. Earlier this year, the FFA held its annual BBQ on Sept. 13. They started off with burgers and hotdogs and various other foods, went directly into the meeting and then went outside to play the games

Norwegian Skiing, wheelbarrow race, and food relay; then they wrapped up the BBQ with a pie eating contest in the shop. “The BBQ went very well and everyone that participated had a blast,” FFA President, Jodi Boe said. There were about 60 members in attendance. They voted on if they should give money to the alumni for the scholarships that the alumni hand out to the senior members and whether or not to donate an FFA jacket to the local creed winner. At local leadership night, held in Beulah on Sept. 23, FFA students competed in memorized and extemporary speaking , job interview, state and chapter quiz, and demonstrations. At the District Leadership Contest on Oct. 14 in Center. Kayden Candrian competed in Job Interview, Jodi Boe was the memorized speaker from, Beulah. The quiz team consisting of Jodi Boe, Linsi Boe, Brooke Renner, Brayden Dschaak, and Anika Jurgens. All these students will go to state in June. Mitch Matthias competed in the demonstration contest. Lauren Nelson competed in extemporary speaking and both left districts with silvers. The offi cer team has been at the school by either 6:30 or 7 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and some Wednesdays to practice Parliamentary Procedure and take tests on Dunbar’ Parliamentary procedure. With all the practice they qualifi ed to go to state on Oct. 6 in Bismarck. At state the team took fi fth out of sixteen teams.

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Features

students apply. Bismarck State College, for example, usually has more available scholarships than applicants said Kari Bitz, a BSC admissions counselor who has worked at the University of Mary as well as Rasmussen College. “Many don’t fill out the application because they think they won’t get any scholarships,” Bitz said. “We wish more

students would apply.” According to Bitz, BSC typically gives out more money for academic merits than athletic talent. “It’s not like the movies,” she said, “where every quarterback gets a full ride.” The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on the other hand, offers no merit scholarships, instead choosing to award money based on demonstrated financial need. “All that we require is that students fill out a FAFSA and submit it for review,” said Kim Hunter, MIT admissions officer. “We typically see students leaving MIT with less than $25,000 of debt.”

We are open Mon-Fri 6:00AM-8:00 and Sat 8:00-12:00PM

By: Nicholas Biel With many colleges refusing applications submitted later than December, seniors need to get their applications in to meet fast-approaching deadlines. The question plaguing most Beulah High School seniors is, “How am I going to pay for college?” The first step students should take is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is required not only for federal grants or loans, but also for consideration for many college scholarships. For North Dakota college bound students, Academic or CTE scholarships offered by the state should be considered first. Links for information and requirements of these scholarships are on the Beulah district home page. North Dakota also offers full instate tuition too the top five percent of in-state ACT scorers in the state. Any other scholarship options beyond those depend on the colleges to which

She also said that students should base their college choice not on cost, but on compatibility with students’ preferences. College selection should be more about finding the best fit, Wold said. “The first step in finding a college,” he said, “is to get to know yourself. Figure out the type of school that will make you happy.” He advises students to look at colleges

as early as sophomore year so they will have plenty of time to make their decisions. “By the end of their junior year, students should have their college choices narrowed down to about 3-5,” Wold said. When looking at potential schools, students should consider variables like location, campus size, diversity, cost, and student-to-faculty ratio. “The biggest thing is to choose your field of study first, and then find a college that meets your needs,” Wold said. The next step is to research the specifics of each college. Learning each college’s admission requirements is a vital step in

the application process. “Every school is different,” Wold said. For example, some schools like BSC or NDSU have rolling applications. They admit students until their programs are full, up until a week before classes start. Other, usually larger, colleges require application submission by a certain date. According to Hunter, MIT accepts applications no later than Jan. 1, and

as early as Nov. 1for Early Action applicants. “The Early Action route,” she said, “is for students who want to receive a

decision as soon as possible.” At MIT, the early route is not binding, unlike other schools, which give preference to early applicants as they are obligated to attend if accepted. Although students must fulfill different requirements for each school, one step is universally recommended: students should tour as many colleges as possible before making a commitment. “You have two school sanctioned days for college visits,” Wold said. And students should try to get their visits in as early as possible because as Bitz said, “Touring in the winter is no fun.”

College application, scholarship deadlines approach

McLaughlin brings new outlook to Beulah school board

“The biggest thing is to choose your field of study first, and then find a college that meets your needs.” ~BHS Counselor Bruce Wold

(Photo courtesy Stacee McLaughlin)

By: Anika Jean Jurgens New school board member Stacee McLaughlin was elected in early June. McLaughlin wanted to be on the school board to ensure that every student in the Beulah School System receives the best education possible. Although she has a full time job, she has made room in her schedule for the board. Even though to most students the position of a school board member may not look like much, it involves a lot of behind the scenes work and keeping up to date with all the happenings. McLaughlin said that the community has a wonderful school system here in Beulah. Stacee has three children in the Beulah school system at the moment. She is involved with the community and loves to be with people. She refers to her house as a miniature petting zoo. The McLaughlin’s have two Chinchillas, a bird, fish, and two dogs. “Being a parent of students in the school system gives me the opportunity to see it as a parent and try to improve on what we already have in place,” McLaughlin said. McLaughlin said when she was in high school, she loved it. “Prom was one of the funnest memories,” McLaughlin said. “It was when I went to prom with friends and not a boyfriend.” Stacee was not into sports the way most students are today. She focused more on the clubs in the time. “Students these days focus more on the sports and

friends and not so much on the grades. What they don’t know is that their grades will affect them when the time comes to fill out college applications,” McLaughlin said. McLaughlin thinks students in the high school have more to prepare for than what they think is coming toward them in future years. “Students nowadays have a nice balance between sport, education, and friendship,” McLaughlin said. “Enjoy your high school life; it goes by very fast.” Times may have changed, but McLaughlin keeps up to date on the fun side of things that go on now. She listens to the latest country and some hip hop music and loves reading romantic books. Styles by Stacee is the salon McLaughlin owns in town. She has owned it for thirteen years and loves what she does. Her job and personality go hand in hand. Every one of her traits reflects what she does for a living. McLaughlin is a mom and wife who loves to be with her family. She likes to read in her spare time and socialize with friends. McLaughlin said she believes if you do something, it should be done the fullest. “If you are only going to do part of a job don’t bother, give it your all or don’t do it,” McLaughlin said. McLaughlin’s positive outlook is reflected in her advice to students. “Have fun! Don’t worry about the small stuff; your high school years go by way too fast to worry,” McLaughlin said.

THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 6 20 October 2010

Miner Focus

The homecoming royalty (L-R: Ann Charging, Carson RZacher, Skye Littlesoldier, Rebecca Alt, and Frank SmithClockwise from above left: Taryn Zacher, Connor Candrtire for relaxation. Freshman Connor Candrian decoratedinosaur costume. Kayden Candrian, Kortney Koch, KTollefson huddle up on Space Jam day. Sophomore Trefor photo. Junior boys take a quick huddle during the bocombine their powers and take the form of photogenetr

Toon I

‘Toons have history

BHS Homec

By: Megan Muscha The 2010 Homecoming was full of crazy ideas; this year’s theme of choice was a week full of shows that most of the student body enjoys watching such as SpongeBob Squarepants. For those who are not the occasional or obsessive fan, these shows are packed with lively characters and meaningful topics. (Yes, even SpongeBob.) First off, on Monday students were to dress in outfits that would represent characters from SpongeBob Squarepants. Now although this show hasn’t been around as long as the others, it is still equally famous. This series was created in 1999 by a marine biologist named Steve Hillenburg. He once worked as a fry cook in a seafood restaurant. Hillenburg liked drawing marine life so much that he came up with the idea to draw SpongeBob (who was originally named “SpongeBoy”). According to About Infoplease (9-15-10), he thought that sponges were the “oddest of all.” “SpongeBob day was awesome because it was so tropical. I got to wear my most random Hawaiian clothes,” sophomore Kaitlyn Grad. On Tuesday the character theme was the Flintstones. Even if students were not fortunate enough to be born in the sixties when this show happened to premiere, they can still catch up on all the episodes thanks to re-runs on the Cartoon Network. This show was produced by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera. The Museum of Broadcast Communications states that it was the first and longest running animated situation comedy shown in prime-time television. Although The Flintstones was set in prehistoric times, it was easily relatable because the characters seemed to deal with the same work and family issues as its viewers

(9-14-10). There were many participants on this day because well…what’s not to like about a show that has character names such as Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. “I love the Flintstones because I always wanted to have Dino as a pet,” senior Dustin Rueb said. “Snorkasourus’s (which is Dino’s species) would definitely make a fun animal to play fetch with,” senior Taryn Zacher said in agreement. Wednesday was a day full of Space Jam. Students laced up their tennis shoes and broke out their jerseys, wearing them with pride. There were even the occasional few who represented the opposing side by dressing up as aliens. “This day was chill but sporty so I had fun with it,” freshman Leah Voigt said. Space Jam was made in 1996 and filled with many well-known actors, including Michael Jordan and Bill Murray. In this epic movie, Michael Jordan and the Looney Toons team up to play a basketball game against evil aliens. In order to gain their freedom, the Loony Toons needed a victory. This game turns

out to be quite a nail-biter. On Thursday the students at BHS

channeled their inner superhero complete

with flashy capes and neon tights. This resulted in

mini Batman and Spiderman look-a-likes wondering

the hallways, looking for any unjust

deeds. While the only evil they could find was the amount of homework they were given, it was still an action packed day. “I loved dressing up as a superhero because I could finally show my underwear and not get in trouble,” junior Kortney Koch said.

The Justice League television series began in 2001 and lasted until 2006. It was created by Gardner Fox, who started out as a lawyer but then switched when he found his calling as a writer. Justice League is an inspiring show full of action, teamwork, and awesome superheroes…an unbeatable combination. The dressing up came to an end on Friday, where the students were encouraged to look like the characters from the show Smurfs. According to Retro Junk, this animated television series aired in the US from 1981 to 1990. The Smurfs is about a bunch of little, blue characters that live in a mushroom village and try to avoid being captured by their greatest enemy: a wizard named Gargamel. The color blue officially took over the school on Friday. It was easy because of the school colors but some went beyond the typical blue jersey or t-shirt. Face paint came in very handy for those who wanted to go the extra mile by completely covering themselves. Although BHS had the “blues,” school spirit was not lacking. Beulah High School’s homecoming is eventful every year, filled with new and interesting experiences. This year was no exception. The ideas are great and the participation is outstanding. Student’s look forward each year to spending a week where they get to imitate another wacky identity, and where dressing up is only the beginning.

THE MINER INCIDENTS

Page 7 20 October 2010

Miner Focus

Reinhardt, Emmie Miller, King Blake Smith, Queen Taryn h) bask in the autumn sun following the pep rally Friday.rian, and Marisa Kritzberger demonstrate the proper at-es for homecoming. Ethan Bohn prowls the halls in his

Kendra Seibel, Kaitlyn Grad, Lauren Nelson, and Hailey evor Zacher takes a break from invigorating jog to pose oys volleyball match. Kendra Seibel and Megan Muscha ron. (Photos by: Staff; Artwork by: Andrew Heller.)

Beulah High School ‘Toons-it-up’

It Up

Monday: SpongeBob/Hawaiian Day•

Tuesday: Space Jam/Sports Day•

Wednesday: Flintstone/Caveman Day•

Thursday: Justice League/Superhero Day•

Friday: Smurf/Blue and Gold Day•

ecoming 2010

By: Anika Jean Jurgens

The week of Sep. 27 flew by with homecoming activities revolving around cartoons. On Monday, Miners dove under the sea to go jellyfish hunting. In their SpongeBob and Patrick (Hawaiian) attire, students played the game find-the-plankton-for-a-free-Dairy-Queen-blizzard On Tuesday the students were dribbling, throwing balls, and cheering as if in the movie Space Jam. Bugs bunny and his friends were found in all the high school hallways. The volleyball team finished up the Space Jam feel by playing hard and getting a win over Trinity. Dino the dinosaur was spotted in the school on Wednesday. The Flintstones were back in town. Dressed up in leopard print dresses and togas, with big white pearls and bones in their hair, students were more than happy to show off the old times. “The Flintstones day was the funnest day. I dressed up as Wilma and got to be ‘Pebbles’ mom, because a lot of my friends dressed up as Pebbles,” senior Kendra Seibel said.

The super hero seniors invited their friends Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Women, Superman, and Superwoman to join in the festivities on Thursday. Girls’ dodge ball and boys’ volleyball were played. The juniors won both the boys and girls games that night. “Super hero day was my favorite, because who wouldn’t want to be a super hero and the fact that we crushed the other classes in the games,” junior Heidi Zimmerman said. Smurf land erupted with the sea of blue on Friday. Although not having a blue attitude, the students dressed in blue to honor the Smurfs and to support the football team. On Friday during seventh period, the students went to the gym for the pep rally, where students played games and crowned the royalty. The seniors stomped on all the other classes in the relay. The relay was made up of people shooting a free-throw blindfolded, hula hooping, baby throwing, a box racing and girls dressing up as football players and boys dressing up in cheerleading uniforms. Student Council President Kendra Seibel helped Master of Ceremonies Colton Starr crown

the 2010 Homecoming King Blake Smith and Queen Taryn Zacher. The Bottineau Braves came to Riverside Park for the homecoming football game. The Miners won 35 – 6. Students attended the dance after the game at the middle school, which was sponsored by the BHS Student Council. “My favorite day of the week was Friday because of the football game and the dance. They were a lot of fun,” Skye Little Soldier said. There was a better turn out at the dance than in recent years. The student council was impressed and happy to have everyone there. “The dance was fun and went over well with everyone; it was even more controlled then past years,” Seibel said.