page 7

Popular e-readers bring books into digital age

page 3

Saturday Sunday

High: 21Low: 16

Partly Cloudy

High: 26Low: 22

Partly Cloudy

Hats OffFindlay Indoor Drumline won first place in the Scholastic A Marching category at Olentangy-Liberty High School last Saturday. “It is great to start off with a win,” senior Jake Kiene said. “It gives us that drive to keep working because we know we can get better.”

things to make you look smart today51. Avatar, now the highest-earning movie of all time, only places 26th in the list of most tickets sold.

5. “Hope for Haiti” raised $58 million for seven charities.

2. Groundhog’s Day was first celebrated in 1841.

3. Ohio’s record low for Jan. 29 is -39 degrees.

4. Sweethearts Valentine’s Day candy will add “Text me” and “Tweet me” hearts.

&blue goldVolume 87, Issue 4

&gbFriday, January 29, 2010

After 100 days, Swartz looks back, plans for future

1200 Broad Ave., Findlay, Ohio, 45840

Drug testing could end athletes’ substance abuse

page 8

Music Tech is offering open auditions for all students for its annual concert, Reverb, on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

Interested students should attend auditions either Feb. 1 or Feb. 3 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the band room.

The concert, with around 15 acts, will offer a variety of music.“Based on past Reverbs, it has been anything from classical to rock,”

teacher Craig VanRenterghem said. “People that come should expect to hear different genres of music and different styles.”

Although it is a concert meant for entertainment, there are also important lessons the class will learn from the show.

“I hope the students learn a sense of responsibility and what it takes to put on a concert,” VanRenterghem said. “Some of these students may want to major in something like this, so it’s an important experience for them to have.

“We’ve done so much planning for this. My favorite part will just be seeing the show up there on stage and happening and being proud of our accomplishments.”

The class is confident they will put on a successful show.“Last year’s show was a big success, but if we all try pretty hard we

can top it,” Williams said. “It’s a really fun show. It will be cool to see people they know (performing) and it’s fun seeing what people can do.”

Tickets can be purchased in the cafeteria during lunch periods Feb. 15-19 for $3 or for $5 at the door.

Cast members of Kiss Me, Kate are begin-ning to learn lines and dance steps for a March 19 opening.

Audition week saw an increase in students trying out for the musical, bringing the cast list to 65, including nine principal roles.

“We love having as many people involved as we can because it’s great sound-wise,” co-director Andrew Cantrell said. “But directing-wise it creates problems because we do the show at Central, which has a small stage.”

With the cast list set, junior Lucy Anders received the role of Lilli Vanessi/Katherine, a part which fits her personality.

“Kate is a fiery soul who is difficult to control and outgoing,” Anders said. “I can connect with the fiery, passionate side of her.”

Playing opposite Anders is junior Brady Miller as Fred Graham/Petruchio, Lilli’s ex-husband whom she still loves.

tepping off the plane at the Port-au-Prince airport Jan. 9, Julie Bishop had absolutely no idea her seemingly routine mission trip to Haiti would be turned upside down — literally.

Bishop, public relations director for the Findlay organization Mission Possible, led a team of 12 regional volunteers to photograph students at a school

in Montrouis, 40 miles north of the capital.

Just three days after their arrival, the group survived a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the island nation.

“It felt like the walkway we were standing on was rocking and it got really loud,” Bishop said. “Part of our team was in a building and they said it was like elephants crashing through.”

Bishop was on her second trip to Haiti with Mission Possible, which operates six schools, a Bible school and vocational center on the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Of the six facilities, only one sustained damage and will need to be rebuilt.

The Jan. 12 earthquake rocked the densely populated country at 4:53 p.m., leaving a confirmed 150,000 people dead and many more possibly still buried under the rubble.

Bishop and her team caught a glimpse of the devastation as they left the country.

“There were some bodies on the side of the road covered by sheets,” she said. “We looked out across the bay and we saw smoke rising from the city (Port-au-Prince).”

While the quake dominated the news in recent weeks, Haiti is no stranger to natural disasters. Records of earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis battering the country date back to 1770.

The nation has faced poverty, homelessness and starvation since its founding, but some fear the earthquake could ruin the progress made in the last decade.

“Haiti was in crisis to begin with,” Kurt Bishop, Julie’s husband and president of Mission Possible, said, “this just compounds it dramatically. All of their systems are broken—they have an economy in shambles, 80 percent unemployment, 50 percent illiteracy—and then this earthquake comes and leaves 1.5 million people homeless. It’s a tragedy, it’s a huge setback.”

While the stories of destruction and devastation in Haiti continue, Julie Bishop believes she is lucky to have helped the country in its time of need.

“What happened down there, it’s scary,” Julie Bishop said. “I talk to people, and they tell me they could never go there. But all of us (volunteers) were glad that we went, and we are glad we were able to help.”

“Playing a love interest with my best friend is going to be awkward, but we’ll both be professional and it will work out,” Miller said. “But at times we have to fight during the show, and that’s going to be like normal life between Lucy and I because we argue all the time.”

Senior Derek Schadel can’t wait to see how

Mission group survives deadly quakeVolunteers see Haiti destruction firsthandn By John Sisser

Charities offer ways to help nation in need

n By John Sisser

Students and community members are stepping up to donate money to disaster relief organizations helping in Haiti.

Special education classes at the high school are collecting money for International Services of Hope/Impact (ISOH/IMPACT), a Northwest Ohio organization helping survivors on the island.

“I encourage my students to donate to this cause because it is important to help others in need,” teacher Lisa Baer said. “ I would hope everyone could go beyond their own lives to help people who are in such desperate need.”

Those wishing to support relief efforts can also donate to Mission Possible.

Members of the organization stationed

S

Cast begins rehearsals for Kiss Me, Katen By Michaela Marincic

Music Tech plans ReverbOpen auditions are new featuren By Emily Rivest

SINGSophomore Spencer Wood, seniors Jarred Korecky, Tim Welker, Andrew Kerns and junior Sam Misamore rehearse Act I songs for the upcoming musical, Kiss Me, Kate. The show runs March 19-21.

HELPA girl clings to her mother as a food handout line surges forward near the United States Ambassador’s residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 20. Volunteers from Mission Possible, a Findlay-based charity which operates schools in the country, were in Haiti at the time of the quake.

Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT

in Findlay have worked in Haiti for decades, operating six schools in the country. The group is now trying to rebuild facilities.

“Money donated will go to help rebuild our school that collapsed, taking care of housing problems and providing medical supplies,” Kurt Bishop, president of Mission Possible, said. “We are also expecting a rise in the price of food, so we will need more money to provide meals to the students.”

Students in French Honor Society began working with Mission Possible before the quake, but are broadening their project to include collecting relief supplies.

Mission Possible and ISOH/IMPACT aren’t the only groups helping in Haiti. The local chapter of the American Red Cross raised over $15,000 for relief efforts.

To give to the Red Cross, text “Haiti” to 90999 and the message will be accepted as a $10 donation.

Students collect supplies for devastated country

the musical comes together.“I’m anxious to get things together and to

see the show take shape,” Schadel said. “Ev-eryone is excited, and if they are excited, they will be more productive. When you like what you’re doing, it will show on stage and the audience will like the performance better.”

graphic by Emily Rivest

When the deadly earthquake struck Haiti, 12 regional volunteers with Mission Possible were already in Montrouis. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Leogane and most of the devastation seen on television is in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Disaster zone

page 6

junior Zack Climes

Shaken up

The aftermath

A country in ruins

photo by Katie Trinko

Wowing the crowd

Staff policy

Blue & Gold is a monthly student

publication for the stu-dents of Findlay High

School. Blue & Gold is a public forum which is

funded by advertising.

Letters to the editor

As an open forum for students, letters to the

editor are welcomed by the staff, but we request that they be 300 words

or less due to lack of space. All letters must

be signed. Blue & Gold staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing the meaning. Letters may be dropped

off in room 286.

Staff editorials

All editorials without a byline reflect at least

two/thirds opinion of the Blue & Gold staff

but are not necessarily the opinion of the

administration.

Contact us

Blue & Gold 1200 Broad Avenue Findlay, OH 45840

(419) 427-5474

About us

Blue & Gold is a member of the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the

National Scholastic Press Association,

Quill & Scroll and the Ohio Scholastic Media

Association.

The staff

John SisserEditor in chief

Kim MaplesFeature editor

Emily RivestNews editor

Lexi PerraultSports editor

Katie TrinkoTaylor McGonnellCo-photo editors

Sam MalloyAdvertising editor

Hannah GrayKatie LogsdonMorgan Grilliot

Abby KehresKieley Ray

Photographers

Maggie MalaneyLeah Cramer

Michaela MarincicReporters

Emily LentzAutumn Simmermeyer

Artists

Jim McGonnellAdviser

“There is a lot of diversity, we just

don’t notice it. We don’t come together enough

to realize our differences from each other."

sophomore Grant Risner

Would more diversity at the high school be a good thing?“There is a lot of diversity in the opinions, styles and who people hang out with at the high school.”

freshman Rachel Cruea

“There isn’t enough diversity, and it would help if there was more

because it will help individuals not get singled out.”

“More diversity would be a good thing because Findlay has always been a

white school and it will give students

the chance to experience other cultures.”

opinionFriday, January 29, 2010

“The snow-covered parking lot is a danger to the students’ safety and it (snow) makes the parking lot very hazardous.”

senior Annelise Kostyo

1.5 million car accidents blamed on wintry weather each year in the United Statespage2 op

junior Diehl Miller

VIEWOUR

VIEWYOUR

senior Alyssa Matre

“It would be good if there was more diversity,

because it would make Findlay more accepting, respectful

and caring.”

freshman Alex Montgomery

“We don’t have much diversity right now, but if we did, we would learn more about other cultures and have more knowledge of the world in general.”

junior Leah Zelinsky

Community should embrace diversity

With a 5 percent increase in the minority population at the high school in the last 10 years, students can benefit from being exposed to more diversity than in the past.

Some ignorant and small-minded citizens cling to racism in the face of rising minority rates, but more African Americans, Hispanics and Asians have a positive impact by contributing to cultural diversity.

At the moment, there is very little diversity. Census informa-tion from 2008 shows Hancock County is 95.2 percent white.

Fortunately, that may be changing. A recent increase in the minority population may be partially attributed to Brown Mackie College, a private, for-profit educational system with a local campus minority rate of around 40 percent.

This increase is being reflected at the high school, which now has a 13 percent minority rate.

Higher minority rates will help prepare students for college life. Around 36 percent of college students are of a different race, much higher than the city’s 11.3 percent minority rate, leaving students unprepared for life on a college campus.

Minorities can also benefit by living here. Senior Jamael Hitson believes his move here from inner city Detroit has had a positive impact on him by setting his sights toward college and staying away from trouble (see related story—page 5).

Unfortunately, more minorities also bring some negatives by exposing hidden racism in the community.

Some citizens insist on bad-mouthing Brown Mackie Col-lege as a way to mask their intolerance of other races and shortly after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, anonymous racist comments appeared on The Courier’s website.

These hateful and bigoted people should not overlook the positive impact minorities can have on the city.

As students and community members, we have the choice to let more minorities bring out the best or the worst in us. Hope-fully, we choose to embrace our diversity rather than focus on racism and hate.

don’tbe

ridiculous

Driving in wintry conditions is stressful, es-pecially for new drivers, but trying to maneu-ver the icy maze that is the student parking lot makes a slippery season even more frustrating.

It seems like once the lines disappear be-neath the snow, the lot becomes a free-for-all. Students park wherever they choose and don’t care if it makes it difficult for other drivers.

Rows of cars taper inwards like a hallway straight from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. I turn in thinking there’s plenty of space and soon find myself wondering if I need to fold my mirrors in to fit through.

What’s worse is when some students box in others, preventing them from being able to move in any direction.

But parking is hardly the scariest part. What’s really frightening is the driving.

I know from experience and one too many battles with anti-lock brakes that snowy roads are not to be underestimated. Yet every morn-ing I see people doing doughnuts and skidding on purpose in the lot, even when there are students walking nearby.

Snowy roads call for slower and more care-ful driving, not a rousing game of “how many times can I spin my car.” The fun ends as soon as you truly lose control and hurtle towards the rows of parked cars or walking students.

Security guards can use security camera footage to catch reckless drivers and cite them. They could also solve the parking mess by pinpointing those who start it.

n By Kim Maples

Student drivers must learn to park in snowy conditionsWriting tickets for viola-

tions like parking at odd angles or box-ing other cars in would keep students in line.

But until we see improvements like these, just employ common sense. It isn’t something that can be taught, but it’s a crucial part of safe driving and it seems like some students need to recon-sider whether they are using theirs.

to theletters

editor

Dear editor, The right to freedom of speech is being

taken away at high school sporting events. Students want to support their team, but

at our high school, you’re not allowed to show up with your chest painted because some feel it is inappropriate, but really they are just showing their school spirit.

Also being put down is yelling at the oppo-nent, but all you can do for your team is yell.

It is also a problem because you cannot stop the opposing section from yelling at our players, so it is only fair that they let our stu-dent section be as creative as we want to help our team win.

junior Brock Romantic

Administrators crush spirit

Time for administrators to consider implementing random drug testing

You hear about it in the halls every week.

That athlete was caught with marijuana. Those players were drinking at a party.

The sad part is, a lot of these stories are true. Administrators should implement random drug testing of athletes before these stories get worse and more frequent.

Unfortunately, the idea isn’t being given enough consideration by administrators and

the board of education.Drug testing should be considered and

implemented because it would not only find out which athletes are using illegal substances, but it could also prevent them from starting in the first place, for fear of getting caught.

It could reduce the number of athletes using drugs because they could be tested at any time, not just during their sport season, preventing athletes from using all year.

However, administrators give excuses, claiming the cost is too high and the contro-versy would be overwhelming.

The cost of testing is expensive, but not impossible to implement at the high school. There are ways to cover the cost (around $27 per test), from adding to athletic fees to apply-ing for grant money.

Controversy with high schoolers doesn’t

seem to be an issue because 76 percent of stu-dents supported drug testing in a random poll of 100 students in our December issue.

Principal Victoria Swartz believes parent controversy might be an issue because they could claim it was a violation of a child’s right to privacy. However, she believes athletics are a privilege and if a student can’t follow the rules, they shouldn’t be playing.

I agree with Mrs. Swartz. These athletes don’t realize the harm they’re doing to them-selves as well as to their team.

The high school is poorly represented by those athletes who use illegal substances. The fact that administrators haven’t considered drug testing to help these kids and restore Findlay’s image is disappointing.

Instead of implementing drug testing, the school board started drug dog searches to

n By Lexi Perrault

perrault’spoint

combat the use of illegal substances.Unfortunately, this isn’t the most effective

way to fix the issue.With drug dog searches, the substance

must be left in a locker for the student to get caught. Maybe I’m giving students too much credit, but most are smart enough not to leave substances in their locker.

Drug testing will tell if a student has had illegal substances in their bodies, so they don’t need to bring the drug to school to get caught.

Also, drug dog searches don’t find alcohol, where random drug testing does, and hon-estly, alcohol use is a big problem among our high school athletes.

Random drug testing will prevent or pos-sibly even eliminate drug use among athletes and get them the help they need.

Problem solved.

eentertainment

tFriday, January 29, 2010

“I helped build Pirates Cove, and I love how Findlay has nothing else unique like it. My favorite thing to do was play laser tag because you get a chance to meet new people and have a friendly competition.”

freshman Laura Deall

25,000 square feet of space in the Pirates Cove warehouse page3

Power up the pagesTechnology revolutionizes reading

There’s a battle brewing and it isn’t between countries or athletic teams. It‘s for consumer domination in the emerging market of e-readers.

Electronic reading devices, namely the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook and more on the horizon, are tak-ing books into the digital age.

Around 2.5 million Kindles have been sold to date and another 6 million digital reading devices will be sold in 2010. Even Apple is jumping into the market, with Wednesday’s release of its touch screen iPad, a device with digital reading capabilities and so much more.

There’s no doubt e-readers are rapidly gain-ing popularity, and librarian Debbie Reynolds is glad more people reading.

“Anytime a student is reading I am excited,” Reynolds said. “I don’t care if they are reading a Kindle, a book, a magazine or anything.

“One of the big ways I am seeing students using the Kindles is that several schools are writing grants, because they are so expensive, to purchase five or six of them for either book clubs or English classes so they can do group reading projects.”

Kindles and Nooks sell for around $259, while the Sony pocket version starts at $199. Books can then be added to the device by purchasing them from sites like amazon.com and ebooks.com.

Most e-books sell for under $10, though some are priced at closer to $15.

While Reynolds is excited about the new trend in reading, she is concerned about the price of the devices.

“The only negative is that this seems to be a very expensive way to get kids reading,” she said. “It is quite the market, so I’m worried that it could limit reading to the kids who can afford it.”

Higher prices don’t seem to be impacting

Pirates Cove offers teens downtown fun

Pirates Cove, the city’s newest entertainment center, is hoping to bring teens downtown with themed laser tag and arcade games.

Owner Bob Shuck has wanted to help revitalize downtown for years, and thinks Pirates Cove is a start.

“I have shared the desire many have had to help bring our down-town back,” Shuck said. “I’m kind of trying to make it (downtown) a tourist destination.

“A restaurant would have been too expensive, so I thought about do-ing black light mini-golf. When I contacted someone about doing that, he said what really draws people is the laser tag.”

Upon entering the former warehouse, guests can view a black light mural painted by local artist Oscar Valasquez. Customers must then watch an instructional video before participating in the 12-minute laser tag game.

The laser tag room features a two-story pirate ship surrounded by old, New Orleans-style buildings players can climb and hide in.

According to Shuck, there are also plans to open black light mini-golf, a parent lounge and a room of inflatable play structures for younger kids.

Junior Ryan Bridenstine thinks everyone should try Pirates Cove.“I would definitely recommend it (Pirates Cove) to others,” Briden-

stine said. “It’s a really good way to spend time with friends without spending a lot of money.”

Pirates Cove, located at 230 E. Front St. downtown, is open 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, 1-9 p.m. Sundays and 4-9 p.m. Tues-days through Thursdays.

Looking for a new place to throw your next party? The center is also available for rent every Monday.

profits, however. Digital reading device sales skyrocketed over the holiday season, making them one of the hottest gifts in 2009.

Junior Cody Ramsey received an e-reader this Christmas and has used it ever since.

“I wanted one because it would be a good tool in college,” Ramsey said. “Rather than car-rying all my textbooks around, I can keep them on it (the digital reader).

“It’s also good in high school, because if I leave a book (printed copy) at home I have it backed up on here. I actually don’t read that often. I use it (the e-reader) as more of a tool to make reading easier.”

That means the days of toting jam-packed book bags may be coming to an end. At five college campuses across the country, Amazon gave 200 students a larger screened Kindle DX to download textbooks.

While some found the small keyboard inconvenient, most appreciated the portability of the 1-pound device and the lower prices of digital textbooks.

Along with their usefulness, digital e-readers are expected to have a positive impact on the environment.

By 2012, the Cleantech Group estimates approximately 5.27 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions would be prevented by us-ing digital reading devices over printed books.

The many benefits of the e-readers are leading some experts to call them the books of the future. Others, on the other hand, aren’t ready to go digital just yet.

“A lot of people get Kindles instead of books because they see them as eco-friendly,” freshman book-lover Cara Schaefer said. “I would maybe consider getting one if the prices went down, but right now I’m just happy with the free books in the library.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The History of the Modern World

War and Peace LEO TOLSTOY

On the Origin of Species

WORLD ATLAS

Pride and Prejudice

Barnes & Noble NookRetail price: $259

Sony Reader (Pocket)Retail Price: $199

Amazon Kindle 2Retail Price: $259

to check out this week

5 82nd Oscar nominations:

The Oscars aren’t until March 7, but the world

will find out the nominees for the

most coveted awards in the

film industry on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Zombieland out on DVD: So you missed

the chance to catch this

horror/comedy in theaters?

Don’t worry. The popular movie

hits shelves Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Dear John: This chick-flick

tells the love story of a soldier home on leave and the college student he falls for. Be sure to

catch this movie, in theaters next Friday, Feb. 5.

Lost premiere: Don’t miss the premier of the sixth and final season of this

ABC drama on Tuesday, Feb.

2. The two-hour special begins at 9 p.m. after an 8

p.m. series recap.

52nd Grammy awards: Catch performances

from Green Day, Lady Gaga and

more at the 52nd annual Grammy

awards, broadcast live on CBS

Sunday Jan. 31 starting at 8 p.m.

Youth in Revolt worth seeing

Title: Youth in RevoltStarring: Michael Cera (Superbad) and

Portia DoubledayPlot: Nick Twist (Cera) is an awkward, shy

teenager who falls in love with the beautiful girl next door, Sheeni Saun-

ders (Doubleday). When his family moves, the two have an idea that if Nick becomes

“bad” he can get kicked out of his house and live near

her again. Nick cre-ates a suave alter-ego, François Dilinger, who leads him into plenty of hilarious trouble.

Why see it: Al-though it isn’t the hys-terical movie expected

when you walk in, Youth in Revolt still has plenty of laugh-out-loud humor. Overall, the film does a good job of combining teenage humor with a love story.

With his portrayal of François, Cera shows a different side of him than his usual awkward character. Doubleday is outstanding as well in her first real role.

Grade: B

n By Emily Rivest

Who should win the most Grammy awards this year?

Taylor Swift33 percent

Kanye West32 percent

Black Eyed Peas3 percent

Beyoncé14 percent

From the

survey on blueandgoldtoday.orgWEB

Lady Gaga18 percent

Cera

HIGH SCOREphoto by Katie Trinko

Freshman Drake Daniels aims at his target while playing an NFL arcade game at Pirates Cove. The pirate-themed entertainment center located down-town includes laser tag, a game room and food.

n By John Sisser

n By John Sisser

Pros: Color touchscreen, Google capabilites, smaller surface area then Kindle Cons: Heavier and thicker than its Kindle

counterpart, slower, more complicated software

Pros: Cheapest of all e-readers, smallest option for portability, good screen contrastCons: No wireless capability, smaller screen may make reading

more difficult, no color/touch screen

Pros: E-link anti-glare screen, lightweight, keyboard to leave notes in textCons: No color/touch screen, limited web capabilities

and smaller children’s book selection to download

$6First laser tag game

$5Second laser tag game

$4 Third laser tag game

$20All-day laser tag

$1.50Pizza slice

$10Full one-topping pizza

$1.75Large drink

Ready to check out Pirates Cove for yourself? Here’s what you need to know.

Name your price

A useful gadget

Going green

Amazon Kindle

E-reader quick facts• The first Kindle was released by Amazon Nov. 19, 2007

• Samsung’s recently released e-reader has touch screen and writing capabilities

• Google’s e-library includes over 1million volumes

• E-books outsold print copies for the first time Dec. 25, 2009

• The Kindle 2 can hold approximately 1,500 books

• Barnes & Noble’s Nook sold out before it was even released

nnewsfeaturef

Friday, January 29, 2010

“It’s a good opportunity to help your community by volunteering at the library. It provides a safe environment and programs for children, so helping the library do it job better is a good thing.”

freshman Anissa Pulcheon

15 employees were laid off from the public library due to budget cutspage

4

Findlay First Edition (FFE) will host and perform in the 17th annual Findlay Fest show choir competition, beginning at 8 a.m. Jan. 30 in the R.L. Heminger Auditorium.

Finals begin at 7:30 p.m., with six other choirs, followed by FFE’s performance at 10:30 p.m. and awards at 11 p.m.

“The best part (of the day) is seeing all the different groups,” senior Derek Schadel said. “As an audience member, it’s cool to see all of these different takes on what a show choir is.”

Tickets to see the preliminary competition and VIP performance cost $8. To attend the finals, FFE performance and evening awards ceremony is another $8. All tickets can be purchased at the door.

Show choir hosts festivaln By Michaela Marincic

Even before an earthquake struck Haiti, the French Honor Society (FHS) was improving the lives of children there.

FHS has been partnering with Mission Possible, which sponsors six Haitian schools, since the beginning of the school year and are currently collecting academic, medical and personal hygiene items.

Members will be visiting homerooms to talk about the project and collect donations next week. Items can be brought to room 281 any time Feb. 5-19.

“I like this project a lot because it helps Haitian children with their educations,” Society president Rachel Rustemeyer said. “So much can be achieved with an education, and with the supplies we are collecting, the children have a better chance at achievement.”

Honor society helps Haitin By Leah Cramer

KEEPITBRIEF

Swartz starts new programn By Emily Rivest

Students will be rewarded for positive behavior at school with a new program introduced by principal Victoria Swartz.

Under the Everyday Heroes Program, teachers will have five nomination tickets to give out each week to students.

Those students can put their slips in the jar in the Main Office to be eligible for a drawing to win either a $5 Ralphie’s gift certificate or a coupon for a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake at Max & Erma’s.

“The idea is to acknowledge when kids are doing something good,” Swartz said. “We have great kids but often times we pay too much attention to kids making mistakes. I felt we needed to do something more for kids who do good things.”

HELPING OUT Sophomore Mikayla Brown shelves books while volunteering at the library. Youth Advisory Board volunteers help out the library by arranging books and decorating the children’s and teen areas. photo illustration by Katie Trinko and Kim Maples

After facing a smaller budget, the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library board decided to put a 0.5-mill levy on the May ballot in order to restore library hours and services.

Over 90 percent of the library’s funds come from state taxes, which have decreased because of the struggling economy and cuts made at the state level. The library will receive $600,000 less in 2010 than it did in 2008 be-cause of this.

Staff cuts have already been made to help reduce costs.

Hours have also already been reduced by 23 per week and the library is now closed com-pletely on Thursdays.

“Full-time employee hours and pay were decreased by 10 percent and part-time em-ployee hours were decreased by 50 percent,” director Jeff Winkle said. “Fifteen employees were laid off and some benefits were reduced

or eliminated. “Without additional revenue the library

will not be able to restore hours or services to previous levels.”

In the meantime, one way citizens can help the library is by volunteering.

“Our volunteer program is just getting started, but we hope to grow a large team of volunteers who will help maintain the library’s tradition of excellent service,” Winkle said. “Currently we are having our new volunteers straighten shelves and look for misplaced items. I’m sure we will continue to add new duties as the volunteer program grows.

“During difficult financial times it is impor-tant that we look at every way to become more efficient and effective.”

For middle school and high school stu-dents who want to volunteer, there is the Youth Advisory Board, a group of teenagers who volunteer at least three hours a month and

who help plan and run programs.“We plan teen events and we help out with

shelving books and decorating the teen area and children’s area,” freshman Lydia Stump said. “Since we volunteer, they don’t have to pay us but we’re still able to do work for them. That helps the library out a lot.

“It’s a great way to help out your commu-nity by doing something fun.”

Volunteering at the public library is more than just fun, though. It’s important to the entire community.

“The library is a wonderful place to expand your mind, your heart and your imagination,” Winkle said. “Everyday children read magical books and listen to exciting story times. Kids grow a little bit each time they visit the library.

“The library is important to the community because we can serve the needs of Hancock County residents at many different points in their lives.”

Volunteers can help library’s budget woesn By Emily Rivest

We the People has a chance at winning their 20th state title as they compete in a mock congressional hearing at the Statehouse today.

The team is comprised of all Advanced Placement United States Government students who are divided into six units, each focusing on a particular aspect of the Constitution. Each unit competes in presentation and cross-examination segments.

If the team wins first place at state, they will qualify for nationals.

“This is a good group of kids so I hope we do as well as we did in the past,” adviser Mark Dickman said.

In order to win, they will have to impress the judges in six areas. Each unit competes separately and is scored by three judges.

“The most challenging part is the cross examination because they (the judges) could

ask anything and you have to be able to provide a lot of specific examples on a variety of topics,” senior Amanda Gerardi said.

The team works on their Constitution question answering skills during class, at weekly unit practices, individual meetings with Dickman every two weeks and on their own in order to be ready for state.

“It takes a lot of time and commitment,” senior Jacob Miller said. “You have to really work at your answers and participate fully so that the whole group can do well.”

They hope their combined efforts will lead them to a state championship.

“We’re a really well-rounded group in that we have knowledge in all areas, from current to historical topics,” Gerardi said. “Every person has their own unique strength and they come together with their teammates to form a strong unit.”

PRACTICESeniors Jessica Braddock and Luke Opperman prepare for the state We the People competition with the help of lawyer Garth Brown. The group is competing for a spot at nationals today at the Statehouse in Columbus. photo by Katie Logsdon

n By Leah Cramer

We the People competes at state today

Want to volunteer at the library?

Call:419-422-1712

Email:

Volunteer Coordinator Sharon Young

young@findlaylibrary.org

Library Director Jeff Winkle

winkleje@findlaylibrary.org

Applications will be available for all Community Foundation Scholarships starting Feb. 1 when the first informational meeting is scheduled at 2:45 p.m.

There will be more meetings Feb. 2 and Feb. 8 during 3A and Feb. 9 at 2:45 p.m. All meetings will be in the library.

“There are a lot of scholarships that try to meet the needs of those kids that are in the top 10 percent of the class (academical-ly),” scholarship coordinator Marie Swais-good said. “There are some geared towards athletics, art and volunteerism. There’s just something for everybody.”

Scholarships available Feb. 1n By Emily Rivest

1971 Tiffi n Avenue Findlay, OH

Sophomore Matt Price

13 percent of the the high school’s population are minority students, an increase from 10 years ago pagef

featuret

Friday, January 29, 2010

5“Findlay is not that diverse, it’s a fact that most people are white, but the high school is expanding the spectrum of ethnicity as more and more people are coming.”

freshman Sam Duling

America is changing.An African-American president is starting

his second year in office, the newest addition to the Supreme Court is a Hispanic woman and in 40 years, Caucasians are expected to drop to 47 percent of the nation’s population, making them a minority.

Yet, closer to home, it seems like the changes in diversity across the country have hardly touched Findlay, where the white ma-jority hovers around 95 percent.

But dig a little deeper and more recent figures emerge: the high school has seen a 5 percent increase in minority students in the past 10 years.

“Our community still has a ways to go in the appreciation and understanding of diversity and in building unity,” Nina Parker, founder of the Black Heritage Library & Multicultural Center, said. “I hear from some students how they’ve been misunderstood or mistreated, mainly being called names or not treated fairly.

“We’ve come a long way, but we have to come together and work in building unity.”

Coming together as a community may prove to be difficult for a town like Findlay.

“When you live in a society that is pre-dominately white, that’s what makes you feel comfortable,” counselor Greg Distel said. “If you had a hang up (issue) about race and then go off to college where the racial profile isn’t predominately white or isn’t as a predomi-nately white as you’re used to, that’s where the discomfort comes in.

“The more diversity we have here now, the easier it will be when students go to college.”

Growing minorities may just bring out more racism, according to senior Jamael Hitson, who recently moved from an all-black high school in Detroit, Mich.

“If you’ve lived in Findlay all your life, you’re just used to that certain group of people and you’re not really getting that feel for every other culture or minority,” Hitson said. “If they would have started off at birth being comfort-able around those people they wouldn’t have these (racism) problems.

Racial diversity important to build better community

“But since all they know now is what they’ve been around, it would be more of a problem if there were more minorities.”

Hitson said he has already seen a few instances of racism that may not be apparent to everyone.

“It’s a problem that’s hidden and a lot of people don’t see,” the senior said. “But if you see it like I see it: people driving with Con-federate flags on their car, a lot of people use the N-word and they don’t see it as a big deal because they were never taught not to use it.

“They make jokes like, ‘This shirt’s 100 per-cent cotton, I think your kind made it.’”

Students who make these jokes may not mean them in the same way they come across.

“I’m not going to lie, I probably have (made racist jokes) before. A lot of people have,” junior Matt Spragg said. “I was just jok-ing. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

Hitson said it’s best to take jokes in stride. “When I first got here, I was like, ‘You said

something racist’ and I was ready to fight,” he said. “Now I either go along with it or tell them that’s not cool.”

But the small instances of racism that oc-cur under the radar may just reflect a problem that the country as a whole is struggling with.

“Every community in the United States of America has a problem with racism,” Parker said. “People still do not respect people who are different than themselves. There’s still an issue of blacks and whites not being able to get along together. There’s still discrimination.”

Once the community comes together, Parker said, it will be a better place.

“Great achievements are not born of a single vision,” she said. “That comes from the contributions of many distinctive viewpoints, and that’s cultural diversity.

“It (diversity) makes the community the best it can be, because you have the best minds. You have people of different cultures, ideas, ideologies and perceptions. The diver-sity helps us come together so that we can solve any problem that we face.”

n By Kim Maples

n By Emily Rivest

Alumnus survives attempted terrorist bombing on Christmas flight home

Even after being in the middle of a terrorist attack on Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day, 2005 graduate Jasmin Samimi is not afraid to fly again.

Just five rows behind her, alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab at-tempted to blow up the plane just before it was scheduled to land in Detroit. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Even though Samimi could have died on this flight, she hasn’t let the experience stop

her returning to the air. A week and a half later, she flew again for a medical school interview.

“People need to remember that the pur-pose of a terrorist is to cause fear,” she said. “If people succumb to their emotions and choose not to fly, or to be wary of flying, then the ter-rorist has won.

“My major life goal is to be of service to humanity abroad. I want to travel to Third World countries as a physician, and the fastest method of travel is by air.

“I will not let this experience negatively affect my life. I hope that others learn to do the same.”

Knowing there would be extra security reassured Samimi that her next flight would be safe.

“I wasn’t nervous or scared about getting on a plane again,” she said. “I was very logical

about the incident. I knew that security had been heightened since my flight and there was probably less risk leaving the country than entering the country.

“Also, what are the odds that I would be on two flights with suicide bombers?”

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attack, which turned the 10-hour flight into world news.

“The fire was getting bigger, but it was still contained to the seat,” Samimi said. “In front of me and there was a woman from the middle first row; she had moved to the front right part of our cabin, just a few rows in front of me.

“She had tears streaming down her face and she was holding a baby in her arms. This image will stay with me for a very long time.”

Her sister, Amber, a junior, was not worried either about her flying again.

senior Jamael Hitsonphoto illustration by Katie Logsdon and Kim Maples

“I wasn’t really worried (when she got back on a plane) because I knew it’s not an every day event,” Amber Samimi said. “This was a really rare thing, I just try not to think about it and everything will be okay.”

After her experience on Flight 253, Jasmin Samimi believes there should be even more security in airports.

“I was flying out of Detroit again, and I was relieved that my bag was taken aside to be double checked by additional scanners,” she said. “Security had been increased at least a little, but I would still like to see more.

“I am 100 percent for every individual be-ing patted down by security officials. Women should be screened by a woman, and men should be screened by a man. Sure, this would increase the time before flights, but I feel it is well worth it.”

Jasmin Samimi

• Abdulmutallab was on a watch list for suspected terrorists prior to the attack

• A packet of explosives and a syringe were sewn into his underwear

• The suspected terrorist suffered second-degree burns from the explosive flames

Flight Facts

Main Store400 West Main Cross St. (Rt. 12 West)

Tue - Fri 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Sat 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Sun 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.CLOSED MONDAYS

419-422-4486

East Store1217 Tiffi n Ave. (Rt. 224 East)Mon - Sat 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sun 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.419-423-3221

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Find love this Valentine’s day at Walmart

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Choose from a wide selection of books, magazines,

cards, gifts, used CDs

Diversifying

A hidden problem

Coming together

page6 b

bigpicturep“I thought the men’s dance team was the best part of the pep rally because they were funny

to watch and Brandon Crawford’s solo was good.” junior John Calendine

11 senior boys performed at the pep rally as part of the men’s dance teamFriday, January 29, 2010

Freshman

Morgan Fulton

Senior Brandon Crawford rubs his belly during the men’s

dance team performance at the winter pep rally. The men’s

dance team has been performing since 2007.Yeah baby

photo by Abby Kehres

Granny styleSophomore Mark Sleasman attempts to make a basket in the pep

rally relay race. Contestants scrambled to put on winter sports gear

and then raced down the gym floor to make a three point shot.

photo by Taylor McGonnell

Shimmy

photo by Katie Logdson

Senior Rich Costello busts a move during the men’s dance team’s performance at the pep rally. The team

also performed at the boys basketball game against Sandusky.

Blue and Gold

Forever

SeniorRobert Miller

Base drummer Ryan Wilhelm plays the fight song at the winter pep rally. The Orlando Citrus Parade sticker on Wilhelm’s drum boasts the band’s recent trip to Florida.

photo by Kieley RayBeat it

47 percent of students said they would recognize Swartz if she walked down the hallway pagef

featuret 7

“She (Principal Victoria Swartz) has done a decent job. I know a lot of people that still don’t know what she looks like or see her around so she could do more to appeal to the student body.”

junior Paige Trafton

n By Kim Maples

Calorie counts on menus influence food decisionsIt’s already happening in states across the

country, and soon the entire nation could see the calorie counts on their menus.

Some people would rather not know how many calories they consume at a fast food restaurant. But for others, seeing the count can be eye-opening.

“It really changes your viewpoint com-pletely,” junior Lucy Anders said, “especially when you see the calories in a burger and fries and the calories in a salad.

“If it comes between a meal with 1,000 calories and a meal with 500, I’m going to pick the 500. But the calorie count won’t bother some people, and they will still continue to eat

in an unhealthy fashion.”Anders, who’s been to New York City since

the change, is familiar with the law passed there to force chain restaurants to post calories on the menu.

Following the Big Apple’s lead, states and cities like California, Massachusetts, Philadel-phia and Seattle adopted similar programs.

Recently, the Menu Education and Label-ing Act (MEAL) was re-introduced to Congress in May after being shot down in 2003. The idea of including calorie counts on the menu of major restaurant chains across the nation is still in question.

“They should put nutrition information on the menus so that consumers are aware how

many calories are in the food they’re eating,” Nancy Miller, a Blanchard Valley Hospital registered dietician, said. “That way they are able to compare different food items and make healthier choices.”

However, not everyone is willing to change.“If I like a food, I will still order it even if

it’s unhealthy,” sophomore Lyndzay White said. “People will still eat something if it tastes good, even if it’s 100 calories or 1,000 calories.”

But to Miller, even just posting the infor-mation is still valuable.

“Our goal is to educate consumers on their food choices,” she said. “I’m hoping it would make a difference. It depends on the person and their willingness to change.”

n By Michaela Marincic

When a president takes office, the first 100 days of their term is usually a crucial time to show the nation what changes they will bring with them.

But while Principal Victoria Swartz may not be moving into the White House, she has already started some new programs and faces important school issues to solve.

So today, on her 104th day as principal, we look back at her accomplishments, poli-cies and plans for the future.

Victoria Swartz

The first

100daysNew principal addresses school’s problems

Friday, January 29, 2010

of

This New York City McDonald’s menu board displays the calories in each food. National legislation could force restaurants to post the calorie count on all menus. photo courtesy of Google images

CALORIES

Panuto said. “Without Mrs. Swartz pulling this together, there are resources that we now have that we would not have had otherwise.”

Survey*: On a scale of one to five (one be-ing the lowest, five the highest) students rank Swartz’s effort to help students in need, on average, a 2.25. Teachers give her a 2.5.

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Accepting New Patients

Problem: Home issues such as unem-ployment and bad family relationships affect students’ performance in school.

Solution: Swartz brought social service organizations together to discuss possible options such as offering counseling or ways to attain food and clothing.

Staff members, students and parents met with groups such as the Findlay-Han-cock County Community Foundation and Hancock County Family First for a round table on Jan. 14.

Reaction: We were all collaborat-ing, working for the greater good of the students,” Freshman Principal Janice

Problem: Principals did not spend enough time getting to know students, ob-serving classrooms and monitoring safety.

Solution: Swartz advocates “coaching days” for principals, herself included. On these days they are not supposed to be sitting in on classes or talking to students.

Swartz also decided she and the assistant principals should go to soccer games, which they typically had not attended in the past.

Reaction:“Students don’t know who she is, so it comes off as if she doesn’t care,” junior Liza Schumacher said. “I know she does from working with her through Student Council, but she doesn’t come around to classrooms enough.”

Survey*: 80 percent of students and 100 percent of teachers said they had not seen principals in the hallways and classrooms.

*Random survey of 100 students and 25 teachers

Problem: Some teachers complained about students talking in the hall during Thursday morning teacher collaboration, forc-ing principals to supervise the hallways.

Solution: She decided students must stay in the cafeteria until 7:30 a.m. Thursdays.

To make the cafeteria more inviting in the mornings, Swartz and Director of Food Services Paulette Hartman have been working to add breakfast drink dispensers such as cap-puccino or smoothie machines.

“My hope is that next year we are able to provide students with a nice breakfast area in the morning so that students feel free to congregate there,” Swartz said.

Reaction: “It’s a school building, and if you are going to invite kids to be here at a certain time, you should allow them to occupy the school,” science teacher Tim Opp said. “Why

Problem: Students with unexcused ab-sences miss class time, which can negatively impact grades.

Solution: Swartz asked assistant princi-pals to identify students who had 20 or more unexcused absences last year and put them on medical letter at the start of this school year. This requires them to have a doctor’s note for all absences due to illness.

If these students had fewer than three unexcused absences by second semester, they were taken off medical letter.

Attendance improved about 1.5 percent from last year, although hindered by the H1N1 outbreak, according to Swartz.

Reaction: “I can see how the medical let-ter can be used to prevent truancy, and that’s great,” sophomore Kari Payne said. “But for me, who was actually ill and willing to accept the fact that I would have a large workload to catch up on, it’s insulting and makes me feel

Swartz’sto-do list• Set up co-teaching for mentally handicapped students.

• Provide after school OGT study sessions

• Introduce new technology to help engage students in the classroom

• Students think Swartz needs to be more available

• Teachers want Swartz to work on discipline

invite them to school if you are not going to let them in?”

Survey*: 80 percent of teachers agree with how Swartz handled Thursday mornings, whereas 82 percent of students do not.

like I’m unappreciated.”

Survey*: 88 percent of students and 80 percent of teachers do not notice a decrease in student absences.

Students in need

Thursday mornings

Increase attendancePrincipal visibility

sportsVolume 87, Issue 4

&gb Norway has won more Winter Olympic gold medals than any other country (98).

Ice hockey made its debut at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The Winter Olympics didn’t start until 1924.

?Did you know...? ?

The youngest athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics was 15-year-old American figure skater Tara Lipinski in 1998.

Winning week

The Trojan’s overall winning percentage for all varsity sports the week of Jan. 19-27.

70% 5

Friday, January 29, 2010

Testing could end drug usecel both on and off the field. It is important to understand that there are always consequenc-es to inappropriate actions and that rules must be followed.”

Principal Victoria Swartz sees there is an issue, but doesn’t quite have a grip on its mag-nitude at FHS.

“I know it is a problem, but I don’t have enough information on the issue to know to what degree,” Swartz says, “but I would be for investigating it with the athletic department and school board.”

Superintendent Dean Wittwer agrees with the prevention of drug and alcohol use, but said the option of random drug testing has not been discussed.

“It’s hard to say if I support drug testing because I haven’t done enough research on it,” Wittwer said. “The administration has started to talk about the problem of drug use.

“We’re trying to find a solution and when we are working to help students, any proposal is on the table.”

Many things will have to happen in order for drug testing to be implemented.

“Some tasks would be to collaborate with schools currently drug testing, seek the best practices to ensure safety and accuracy, educate student-athletes and the community as well as have a consultation with the school board,” Weihrauch said.

Another issue will be figuring out how to pay for drug testing.

In a single day last week, nearly 20 stu-dents were questioned by athletic director Nate Weihrauch about drink-ing and drug activities by high schoolers, yet random testing has hardly been discussed as a solution to this growing problem.

Although testing hasn’t been discussed, former substance abuse counselor Carol Clev-enger supports and believes it will help solve the issue of drug use.

“We truly need a drug-free campus and drug testing is one way to make that happen,” Clevenger said. “Athletes should be tested, as it is a privilege for them to be involved in sports. These students are representing Find-lay (FHS) and are required to follow standards set by the school.

“If drug testing does decrease the risk of athletes using drugs and alcohol, the school could take a serious look at how to facilitate a testing program.”

Another person who supports drug testing is Weihrauch.

“I support efforts targeted at keeping our student-athletes safe and promoting a healthy way of life,” Weihrauch said. “Drug testing is one way to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Athletics at the high school level are a privilege for student athletes who want to ex-

Boys swim team ready for postseason tourneys

After weeks of preparation, the boys swim team is lowering its intensity at practice to give the swimmers’ muscles a rest so they are in peak condition for sectionals, Feb. 12-13.

The top 32 swimmers from six sectionals will qualify for districts and team members hope to be among them.

“We’ve been reducing yardage, increasing speed and working on the technical aspects on the races,” coach Jeff Wobser said. “As we get closer to championships (sectionals, districts, state) we are trying to rest up their bodies so they can be in optimal shape and do their best at the tournaments.”

The team’s goal is to have everyone qualify for districts Feb. 20, where last year it placed ninth and its biggest competition will be a pair of Toledo schools.

“St. Francis won districts last year and St. John’s won the year before,” senior Jonathan Shaffer said. “They’re constantly battling and are everyone’s biggest competition.”

Hoping for a successful outcome at dis-

Wrestlers hope nine advance to districts

With the Greater Buckeye Conference (GBC) disbanding after next year, the varsity wrestling team wants to hold on to its league title to the end.

Winning the GBC championships last year gave the team and coach Ben Kirian confi-dence that they can repeat.

“It (maintaining title) is a big goal of our team,” Kirian said. “It’d be cool to win this year and next year and be the last GBC champs. We have a good chance to win it again, because we have the strongest team.”

The wrestlers overcame setbacks due to incorrect body weight and poor health, and are entering the league tourney at their best.

“In the beginning of the season, we had little things like minor injuries and people not at the right weight,” senior Michael Alexander said. “But now we are in the right weight classes and we have the strongest line-up possible, ready to compete at full strength.”

This strength can carry them into sec-tionals on February 20, where they will face defending champions, Oregon Clay.

“Oregon Clay is the team that keeps beat-ing us and they are very good,” Kirian said. “They’re deep top to bottom and very good in the lightweights, whereas traditionally we haven’t been as strong in the lightweights, so that gives them the edge over us.”

While Oregon Clay will be tough, Kirian

After defeating Bowling Green twice this season, the hockey team will get another chance to prove themselves against their long time rival.

The teams will face off Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Cube and coach Dan St-Jean isn’t expect-ing the Bobcats to surrender easily.

“We have the momentum on our side from winning, but Bowling Green is a team that challenges you,” St-Jean said. “They have a never-give-up mentality that we have to be prepared for.”

But this time the players will also have the home team advantage, unlike the last match with their rivals.

“When we’re at home, the student section

things to watch at the Vancouver Winter Olympics

1.

5.4.3.2. Alpine skiier Lindsey Vonn on Feb. 14

Halfpipe snowboarder Shaun White on Feb. 17

Men’s Canadian hockey team on Feb. 16

Short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno on Feb. 13

Ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto on Feb. 19

n By Michaela Marincic

n By Leah Cramer

n By Michaela Marincic

n By Lexi Perrault

Sidney Crosby

“A charge of $25 or so could be added to athletic fees to cover part of the cost,” Swartz said. “It could be possible that we could get sponsors to help cover the cost.

“Many organizations support policies to help kids kick bad habits.”

Board of education member Shane Pochard supports testing but also thinks the drug dog searches were a good first step.

“The administration is concerned and is doing things such as drug dog searches and making kids aware of the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse,” Pochard said. “Drugs are illegal and it really doesn’t help the athlete at all.

“If I were a parent of a student, I would want to know if my kid was using.”

Chris Franz of Sports Safe Drug Testing encourages school districts to begin drug testing athletes.

“What kids are doing is il-legal and harmful to them, and unfortunately we see it ev-erywhere,” Franz said. “So many lives are wrecked by drug use and it is amazing how many people turn a blind eye to the issue.

“If you can save one child from drug and alcohol use, it is worth the cost.”

in a seriesSecond

Boys basketball 9-4Girls basketball 9-6Hockey 9-4-2

Boys basketball blue 3-5 Boys basketball gold 10-0Girls basketball 11-4

Freshmen

Junior varsity

current recordsas of Jan. 26

8-4overall record

3rdGreater Buckeye Conference rank

Sum it up

15-7-1overall record

2-4-1league record

Sum it up

Senior Kian Lauth practices his freestyle stroke while preparing for the home meet against Lexington. The boys defeated the Minutemen, 97-89.

Senior Michael Alexander had his 150th win against St. Francis Wednesday night, the most by any wrestler at Findlay. The team beat the Knights, 48-28.

photo by Katie Logsdon

photo by Taylor McGonnell

tricts, the team will be ready to tackle states. Wobser is optimistic about the chance that

one of the relays, comprised of two-time state qualifier Shaffer, sophomore Nick Topel and freshmen Kyle Hopkins and Dietrich Hines-man will qualify.

“I have high hopes for the 200 medley re-lay,” Wobser said. “The boys are getting closer and closer to achieving the time we think it will take to qualify.

“Currently the boys’ best time is 1:43.79, so we will need to find 2.7 seconds to have a chance to advance to the state meet.”

In order to achieve the time they need, the relay team is concentrating on its form.

“We need to focus on our relay starts, get our timing down and work on our technique,” Shaffer said.

Aside from their relay speed, the swimmers also count endurance among their strengths.

“We’ve had a lot of hard practices so we can hold on to leads and not get tired quickly,” Hinesman said. “If we keep it up, all the work should pay off.”

is always banging on the glass, yelling, ‘Go Trojans,’” junior hockey player Jojo Brigadoi said. “It gets you excited, gives you chills down your back and makes you want to play as hard as you can.”

The team will lose this advantage February 13 when they travel to play Toledo St. Francis, the number two ranked team in Ohio.

In their previous face-off, St. Francis won by a single goal (5-4).

“They are a fast and physical team, so we have to match their speed,” junior Trey Bracy said. “It will be a close game.”

hopes to send many individuals to districts.“Last year we had nine (wrestlers) qualify

for districts, and this year we could go at least nine again,” Kirian said. “Our kids know they have the ability to win.”

Alexander not only hopes to win districts, he wants to be the state champ.

“I can definitely qualify for state,” Alex-ander said. “My big goal is to go out and win state. I’ve been wrestling for a long time, and my brother won state his senior year, so that’s been my goal since I started wrestling at the high school.”

4-12overall record

Sum it up

FREESTYLE

150

For more sports news, visit www.blueandgoldtoday.org

Hockey looks for third win against Bobcats

current recordsas of Jan. 26

Don’t miss these athletes at the 2010 Olympics airing on NBC. Opening ceremonies are Feb. 12.

Belbin and Agosto

Ohno

White

Vonn