december 19, 2008 300 richardson place, wilmington ohio 45177volume xvi

indexnews.......................1opinions.................2features..................3the eye...................4sports.....................7entertainment.....8

inside...h l hi

w i l m i n g t o n

Alternative Alternative activities for New activities for New Year’s EveYear’s Eve

Story p. 2Story p. 2

Gifts on a Gifts on a shoestring shoestring

Story p. 8

Dealing with family Dealing with family loss during the loss during the holiday seasonholiday season

Story p. 6Story p. 6

Different ideas for Different ideas for a snowy daya snowy day

Story p. 4-5Story p. 4-5

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Community gives backAshleigh Achoreditor-in-chief

The Clinton County Red Cross Chapter has been working to serve several during this holiday season such as the elderly and soldiers away from home.

On Saturday, Dec. 6 several students from Clinton Massie, East Clinton, Southern State Community College and volunteers distributed gift bags to 4,000 senior citizens in the area. The mission is titled The Warm and Fuzzy ProjectThe Warm and Fuzzy Project and also assisted disabled adults. The gift bags were fi lled with Red Cross health and safety informa-tion, food and personal items such as lotion and tissues. The four groups traveled to the nursing homes around Clinton County and presented the gift bags to those living in the homes.

The Red Cross collaborated with Pitney Bowles Inc to form the Holiday Mail for Heroes Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. This campaign works to bring holiday to cheer by sending holiday cards to soldiers, wounded soldiers, family members of soldiers and veterans. Beginning Nov. 21 several of the Clinton County school districts began collecting holiday cards and signing them during lunches, classes and meetings. Last year over 600,000 cards were mailed, but the goal for this year was to collect one million cards by Dec. 10th.

Although both the The The Warm and Fuzzy Warm and Fuzzy ProjectProject and Holiday Mail Holiday Mail for Heroesfor Heroes have ended, the Clinton C o u n t y Red Cross is always in need of help, to volunteer call ( 9 3 7 ) 382-0083.

“We are in need of volunteers and their are several different possibilities ,” Clinton County Coordina-tor Kelly Robbins said. “There is an advisory commit-

tee, a d i s a s t e r commit-tee, and a fund rais-ing commit-tee, so mon-ey isn’t the only way to help.”

The White Gift Campaign organized by the WHS student coun-c i l w i l l e n t e r its 38 year this year and attempt to reach the goal of 8,000 dollars to serve 150 struggling families.

The student council realizes that this year will be one of the hardest years for families and businesses to contrib-ute but there are more people in need this year, and now more than ever we need your help, according to student council adviser John Williams.

During White Gift, fi fth period classes donate money every day in while student council members also travel the commu-nity to ask businesses to donate. All the proceeds then go directly to purchasing food baskets for the families signed up at the Clinton County Ho Ho Shop.

Students are then selected by their fi fth period teachers to deliver the baskets to the needy families. Today, students will load up their cars and travel to the addresses across town.

“Unlike other charities that you [stu-dents] can just donate to, you actually get to participate,” Williams said. “This is im-portant because it gives y o u a chance to give back and see the affect your g i f t

has on an indi-vidual.”

The Interact Club recently formed a new project titled ‘Casual for a Claus’, that worked along with the high school staff to raise money for underprivileged children.

Over the past month teachers had the option of dressing casually in exchange for donating to the club’s cause. The money raised was then used to purchase toys at Wal-Mart on Dec. 12. The toys will be given to children that were signed up at the Ho-Ho Shop.

The teachers raised over $450 dollars and the Interact Club used $250 dollars of their own to buy the toys.

“This [project] makes me feel good knowing that I am helping children in need during this holiday season,” senior Interact member Brittany Reed said.

This Holiday season several groups around the community and the school district are offer-ing several ways to give back this year. Student Council, the Clinton County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Interact are only a few serving the underprivileged this season.

American Red Cross

White Gift

Interact Club

Charities to ContactAmerican Red Cross.....382-0083

Big Brothers/Sisters......382-2210

Help Me Grow.................382-

5899

Homeless Shelter..........382-6272

Humane Society............383-0703

Habitat for Humanity....655-9484

Sugartree Ministries.....382-8359

Senior Molly Linkous fills in the White Gift thermometers.

300 rich3 i h

SPEC

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photo/ashleigh achor

photo/karlee blanchard

S o p h o m o re Interact members Marcy Smith and

Kara Sikorski shop for needy children.

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2 december 19, 2008 opinion

To Mark Twain, New Year’s was an institution “of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.” It has become very common for the holiday season to be more than a time of fun with friends and family, but possibly a threat to many lives. New Year’s is a holiday where it is accepted to become drunk, and celebrate like there is no tomorrow.

The blow-out parties and the extravagant beverages should not be what make bringing in the New Year a special time. I n Las Vegas, the famous ‘strip’ is closed to cars and buses, for thou-sands of people to watch the ball drop in the streets. The majority of these people carrying their favorite mixed drink or beer.

In 2006, according to the Na-tional Highway Traffi c Safety

Administration there were 84 alcohol related car accidents throughout the county, com-pared to the 54 on a typical winter night. This num-ber isn’t in the hundreds, or thousands, but it is still 84 lives affected because of their poor decision to drive drunk.

It’s time for alcohol to not be the center of these parties. This ‘ideal’ party idea has been carved into

the minds of this young generation. Teenagers are

throwing parties, or attending them. This isn’t about underage

drinking, but trying to make-over the typical New Year’s Party, at least

for the teenagers.

A young child explodes out of their bed Christmas morning and the only thought on their mind is the brightly wrapped presents from Santa sitting, waiting, under the gleaming tree. Or, a young child wakes up, pictures flipping through their mind of the presents they bought or made for the family. Of course they are excited to open their own presents, but it’s not the only thought fl ying through their head. They imagine the faces of their family and friends when they open their meticulously chosen gifts.

What is the difference between these two children?

As a parent, they must make the decision of what to teach their child. Should a parent tell their children that if they are good, Santa will bring them whatever they want? Or should they tell their child that, even setting aside the fact that Christmas is a religious holiday, getting gifts isn’t the most important part?

See, I would be fi ne teaching chil-dren about Santa, if there wasn’t a major fl aw in this prominent Christ-mas fi gure.

Santa, while jolly and generous, doesn’t teach children that they should not only fi nd joy in receiving gifts, but giving them as well. When I thought of Santa, I thought, “hey, this is my chance to get the Furby my mom and dad won’t buy me.” My adolescent mind didn’t even waste a second won-dering what I would get other people. I o n l y c a r e d that San-t a w a s bringing me toys t h a t I couldn’t get any o t h e r t ime of year.

That’s the prob-lem with Santa.

H o w w o u l d one ex-p e c t a chi ld to find hap-piness in giving someone else a gift, if they believe Santa will bring them

How Santa stole ChristmasOur Editorial Policy is published online, and is on file if there are any questions please go to www.my.hsj.org/thehurricane to see our policy.

Editor-in-chief: Ashleigh Achor

Managing Editor: Chris Clevenger

News Editors: Katie Swindler

Opinions Editor: Karlee Blanchard

Features Editor: Madison Law

Sports Editor: Chas Wiederhold

Asst. Sports Editor: Jessica Maus

Entertainment Editor: Libby Wetterhan

Design Editor: Chas Wiederhold

Photo Editor.: Patrick Blouin

Columnist & Content Editor: Lauren Showen

Staff Writers: Zack McCune, Mercedes Welsch, Emilia Lander, LeeAnn Holmes

Adviser: Maggie Krohne

Letters to the editor should be sent to Wilm-ington High School room 214. Letters may dis-cuss previous articles or columns published in the hurricane, or other newsworthy issues.

hurricane300 Richardson PlaceWilmington, OH 45177937.382.7716

meone else a gift, if e Santa will bring them

fun toys if they act like angels?Presently, we have problems with greed,

do we not? Do we not shake our heads and sigh at the latest story that makes us won-der just how badly and quickly humanity is degenerating? Why not start fi xing that now? Start now with the children of today; teach them to be loving and generous ver-

Katie Swindlernews editor

Celebrate the New Year...sober Dear Editor,

Thank you for publishing the two articles regarding marriage between same sex couples in the December addition of the Hurri-cane. In a shop on Harvard square I saw a little purple button that said, "mommy isn't a gay marriage---a happy marriage?" I felt that was a sweet way of reminding us the sex doesn't make a difference. It's the caliber of the indiviual that defi nes whether he, she. or xie will be a good partener. I'm female and attracted to men, yet I may meet a woman who I want to "marry" for the support and care she and I could provide for one another. Marriage is for the couple who be-ing joined to defi ne.

Sincerely,Cullyn FoxleePort Angeles, Washington State

Letter to the editor

Karlee Blanchardopinions editor

sus greedy and selfi sh.Don’t get me wrong, I’m not call-

ing Santa a bad infl uence, selfi sh, or greedy, I’m just saying that teaching children that Santa will bring them whatever they want can be misleading, and harmful to their ability to mature into considerate and giving adults.

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Christmas without a father

Jessica Maussports editor

Its Christmas morning, my sister and I are in our room fast asleep and my brother is in his room snoozing away. We listen while we sleep for the sound of mom and dad’s bedroom door to open, then once we hear the squeaking of the door hinges rubbing together we w a k e u p quickly, run to the living room and sit down as a family and begin the Christmas festivities. O r t h a t ’s how it used to be.

I had just turned 14 when my dad was diag-nosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Over the next couple of months the cancer had spread through his body including his brain, with vigorous chemothera-py and radiation treatment, my dad begun his battle. Little did we know, he would lose the toughest battle of his life on June 15, 2006.

On that week, my dad was doing his regular summer tasks, getting the pool ready for the upcoming swimming season, planting fl owers, mowing the grass and tending to his vegetable garden in the far corner of our backyard, until the day came when he fell ill, we thought it was just another day when he would be tired from the chemotherapy, but we were wrong.

On June 15, 2006, the unthinkable happened. My father was 52 years of age and lost his battle to lung cancer 3 days before father’s day. My brother was work-ing, my sister was at drivers ed, and I was at soccer practice. I remember the last thing I said to my dad before

I left was that I loved him and I would be home at 6 o-clock. I never thought that would be the last time I saw my dad alive. When I came home from soccer practice that day to fi nd my dad gone, my life came crashing down in front of me and all I

could do was hold his hand, cry, and think back on the memories I had shared w i t h m y f a t h e r , o n t h e Thanks-giving’s a n d Christ-m a s ’

that were only a memory now.

Every Thanksgiving the whole family would head out to my grand-parents house and, we would eat until we couldn’t eat anymore, then take a nap eat some more, and play Phase Ten late into the night. My dad would sit back and drink his coffee, which he loved so

m u c h , a n d w a t c h everyone laugh and have a good time.

C h r i s t m a s i s s imi la r to Thanksgiving except Christ-mas is always at my house. My dad would get up really early

to have his few moments of peace and quiet while he drank his coffee before the chaos began, then the rest of the family would get up early and sit in the living room. My dad was always the one who would pass out everyone’s presents. My mom would sit, relax and

watch us open our presents. Then my mom and dad would sit down and the kids would give the parents their gifts.

After everyone opened pres-ents, mom would

start cooking French toast and dad would start cleaning up the wrapping paper covering the living room fl oor. Our grandparents would come over hours later and we would start round two, with gifts, cleaning then dinner.

My fi rst Christmas without my father around was so hard. The overall atmosphere in the house that Christmas morning was so dif-ferent from what I had become accustomed to every Christ-mas morning. I

didn’t wake up to the smell of coffee fi lling the house. Everyone had a kind of glossy look to their eyes, and it was extremely quiet unlike other Christ-mas’. I remember my mom wrapping the gifts Christmas morning, instead of usually wrapping them with my

dad on Christmas Eve. When it came time to pass out the gifts, I passed ev-

erything out to everyone i n s t e a d o f my dad doing

it. Breakfast was different: we didn’t have French toast like we always had,

mom wanted to start new traditions. When it came time to sit down for din-

ner, as I made my way to the dinner table I started to cry, it took me at least 3

tries to get to the table and not cry, and be able to eat my dinner. After dinner my brother and I went to the cemetery to

talk to my dad. I talked to him about everything from what I had gotten as gifts for Christmas and how much I missed him.

As a tear rolled down my cheek I realized just then that I would never be alone, he was physically gone, but spiritu- ally he would always b e with me.

“I realized just then that I

would never be alone, he was

physically gone, but spiritually he

would always be with me.” Jessica Maus

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“When it came time to pass

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The holiday season has always been a joyous time. But for those who have lost someone, it can also be the hardest.

hurricane | THE EYE | december 19, 2008 4 hurricane | THE EYE | december 19, 20085 hurricane | THE EYE | december 19, 205

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Coping through the season

Imagine Christmas Eve. Families gathered around the living room, talk-ing, laughing, and drinking eggnog. Now imagine a Christmas without that family. Or, missing a loved one. Think of the sadness, and how empty the holiday would suddenly seem.

It’s a loss countless people have gone through. Facing the holidays after a death can be especially dif-fi cult.

Business education teacher Nancy Price is one of those who know the wrenching feeling that losing a loved one brings, and the emptiness without them.

“My dad died on Dec. 23, twenty years ago. He had an ailment known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s always made Christmas a touchy time of the year,” Price said.

“It’ll sound kind of weird but I was sort of relieved because he’d been sick two and a half years. Sort of relieved, but sad too. Plus because of the time of year it was, every time you think about Christmas you think about that,” Price said.

Guidance counselors Linda Graham and Laura Bowersox both agree the holiday season is a painful time of the year for anyone coping with a loss.

“This time of the season is sup-posed to be so festive and everybody’s happy, if they’ve had someone in their life that was special to them that’s no longer there, this time of the year can kind of bring up memories of these people,” Graham said.

Sophomore Stephanie Clark also knows about the feeling of loss, and how different something as simple as Christmas can seem.

Madison Lawfeatures editor “My grandpa had an abdominal

aneurysm. One night, he passed out, and I called some family down the road, and the ambulance,” Clark said. “I was very scared. I was scared and I didn’t know what to do.”

After her grandfather’s death, Clark felt that the holidays have never been the same for her and her family.

“It was a really hard time for me…we were best friends. During Christ-mas time, him and grandma would open their presents fi rst. Now we don’t even bother with that,” Clark said. “We also had a small piece of coal that we passed back and forth,” Clark said, recalling her family’s traditions.

Graham believes that feeling sad is completely natural and okay, and that anyone who has lost someone needs to realize that.

“My father died fairly young and personally with my own experiences, I have tried to live in the spirit that I thought he wanted me to. I always asked myself would dad want me to be blue or sad?” Graham said. “He would want me to enjoy my family, be happy and be thankful for the things I have.”

There are countless organizations for those greiving. Healing Heart for Bereaved Parents is one of the many out there that provide online support for families who have lost loved ones.

Price’s children had been young when her father passed away, and she had gotten through the holidays by focusing on them, and making it special.

“I honestly do not like Christmas like I did before my dad’s death. I just don’t enjoy it in the same way,” Price said. “I just pick and choose

the parts that I like best and focus on that. I like the lights and just the commotion of Christmas.”

Price’s father was a veterinarian in Wilm-ington for most of his life, as was his father, and his grandfather before him.

“I find I’ll think about him at odd times, when something funny happens, or when I’m with the animals,” Price said.

Clark has never tried to forget her grand-father.

“I always thought about the good memo-ries. I don’t really have any bad memories ex-cept for the night he collapsed,” she said.

Clark believes it’s made the loss easier to remember him and Price thinks you never, “really forget a person.”

“I believe that my father is with me all the time in everything that I do. I think you forget the bad parts, like I’ve tried to forget the bad parts about him being sick, but you don’t ever forget the person,” Price said.

At fi rst she didn’t want to remember anything.

“I think I tried to totally ignore it, to make it easier, and I found that it’s better to think about it,” Price said. “I tried to stay busy, the quiet times were the hardest times and I think the more you keep busy the better you are.”

Bowersox believes that ignoring the pain is not a good way to cope with it.

“You can stay busy for so long, but there’s a point at the end of the day you’ll have to wind down and deal with it. It’ll all come back,” Bower-sox said.

According to Dr. Francine Roberts, a clinical psychologist in Loveland, ignoring grief, especially during the early stages isn’t healthy.

Above all, Roberts believes grief is a very individual process. Light exercise, a healthy diet and keeping everything in moderation all contrib-ute to a healthy lifestyle, especially while grieving.

To anyone who’s grieving over the holidays, whether they be young or old, Price believes keeping friends and family around is important.

“Try to keep around friends, family,

people that you care about.,” she said. “Just re-member that it is going to get better, it’s not going to get any worse but it will slowly get better and you’ll think of the good times instead of the bad times.”

Both Graham and Bowersox agree.

“It doesn’t take away the loss but it does start you to think about that person and their personality and their spirit and the good things about them,” Graham said.

Clark also believes time is the best healer.

“It’s gonna hurt for awhile,” Clark said. “Talk to others, and let it out. Keeping everything bottled in does not help. I promise it’ll get better over time.”

Stephanie Clark and her grandfather

Nancy Price’s grandfather, and her youngest son Zach.

Help Contacts*www.caringinfo.org*www.helpguide.org*grieflossrecovery.com*Clinton Psychological- (937)382-5515*Francine M. Roberts, Psyd- (513)357-7935*Bridgepointe Psychologi-cal & Counseling Services-(513)891-0650

december 19, 2008

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Chris Clevengermanaging editor

What is a team? Is it just a group that plays together or is it more than that? For most, a team is ideally a family, and like any family traditions are sure to arise.

For the girls basketball team their family tradition is a holiday photograph.

Over the last four years , under the coaching of Doug Rinehart, the girls basketball team started the tradition of taking a holi-day photograph as a gift for those who were supporting the team. With the help of Linda Rinehart, former WHS teach-er and photographer, the girls were able to start their own tradition.

“It was basically started because we wanted to show the community that we were happy for winning the Clinton

County Tournament for the fi rst time in quite a long time,” Rinehart said. “And that gave us an opportunity to show the trophy and our team and also in a spirited manner of wishing everyone a seasons greetings.”

“It was something fun… we sent them out to families that are supportive of the team,” senior Lindsey Crowe

said.The team originally start-ed with the typical group

photo, but it wasn’t long before it branched off into a wider vari-ety for the girls to enjoy.

“We went to the Murphy with Santa

hats and posed,” Crowe said. “Sisters with sis-

ters, cousins with cous-ins and then the different

classes.” “From there it just kind of

branched off into playful pictures,” Rinehart said. “The girls had fun. It just became a tradition that we sent all the individuals that helped us get to where we were a thank you basically

at Christmas time. “Besides all the fun, this tradition left

the girls feeling good about themselves and what they were doing for their supporters.

“It made me feel good, because

I was doing something good, and pretty,” Crowe said.

The Clinton County Tournament is set to take place on Dec. 27 at Wilm-ington College. The Lady ‘Canes rival East Clinton at 4 p.m.

Led by new coach Butch Hooper, the girls basketball team is off to a 6:0 winning streak.

Hooper is a graduate of East Clinton High School, which was then Simon Kenton High School, and is an alum of Cedarville University. From there Hooper pursued a coaching career.

“He had been a successful high school coach,” Athletic Director Mike Wallace said. “He happened to fi t our needs because we knew he wouldn’t be a teacher, and we had no positions open.”

Hooper served as a boys junior high coach for four years and coached fi fth and sixth grade girls for two years. He eventually spent fi fteen years as a head varsity coach.

Hooper eventually got out of coach-ing and went to work for Edward Jones. After being out for a short time he found Wilmington was looking for a coach and he applied for the position.

“I missed coaching and felt that this was an opportunity to build a good program,” Hooper said. “I like teaching. I like basketball. I like kids.

Also, it’s in the ‘genes’.”Wallace said he was excited about

the current turn out of the girls sea-son.

“I think there’s a lot of team unity established,” he said. “Our players re-ally enjoy playing under him.”

The girls basketball team is set to play at the Clinton County Tournament on Dec. 27 at Wilmington College. They will be playing East Clinton at 4 p.m.

* As of Dec. 15, 2008

New coach guides girls to victoryWith 16 games left in the season*, the lady ‘Canes are off to a

winning start to the 2008/2009 season

eam pictures a holiday tradition

photo/linda rinehart

2007 varsity girls basketball team posed for a holiday photo at the Murphy

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As the holiday season looms closer, the impending recession pulls the strings tighter on every-ones budget. Though this makes purchasing presents for everyone that you want to recognize this year more diffi cult, it is not impossible.

With a bit of shopping around and a pinch of extra time, you can easily find presents for all your loved ones with a price that will

not leave you in debt until next year’s holiday season rolls around.

In a survey conducted over the Wilmington High School students, 71% of students said that they had more than $60 total to spend on their holiday purchases this year. The majority of students surveyed also said that they will be purchasing be-tween six to ten presents this year.

Indieshirts.com of- fers a wide variety of unique graphic

tees that will only cost you around $20 each. Plus, each

t-shirt is customizable and you can even create your own

t-shirt.

Get scarves at Old Navy for

less than $15

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Put gifts on a

budget under the

tree

Get this enter-taining board game for less than $22 at Target.

This clever card game offers an interesting type

of competition with several different ways to play it.

Buy it from Amazon.com for $24.99.

fers a e graphic cost you

These wallets are eco friendly, made from recycled vinyl

records. You can find them at uncommon-

goods.com for $22.