The Bolt October 2008 Edition

8/7/2019 The Bolt October 2008 Edition

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The BoltEdsel Ford High SchoolOctober 2008 Dearborn,MI

Unified Banquets?

The newest bright idea of the Booster Club is cer-

tainly causing a stir among

Edsel Fords athletic commu-

nitymost importantly, the decision to

combine sports banquets has not gone

over well with most athletes.Ever since most students can remember,

sports teams celebrated their banquets in the

cafeteria with their sport only. This year, a newpolicy instituted by the administration and the Booster Club has forced

teams to deviate from tradition in an effort to support school unity.

This fall, there will be three banquets, and three banquets onlyone

for boys sports, one for girls, and

one for football and cheerlead-

ing. The teams will all eat together

(catered food), listen to a few words

from our principal and Athletic

Director, acknowledge general team

accomplishments, and then split off

to designated areas in the school (i.e.

the auditorium, media center, etc.) for individual team awards.

Boys soccer, boys tennis, girls and boys cross country were com-

binedthe girls cross country team was added to the boys banquet to

keep both cross country teams together. Girls eld hockey, volleyball,

swimming, and golf also have a combined

banquet, while the football team and the cheer-

leaders have to change nothingthey get their

own banquet, same as previous years.

The banquets were combined to share the

success of all the student-athletes with the

rest of the students, said Mr. Picano, Athletic

Director.

What Mr. Picano said is very true. Its

nice to let other people know your accomplishments, but lets be honestherewhen athletes attend their banquets, its supposed to be all about

them. Its not necessarily that they dont care about the other sports, but

theyre eager to get to their own awards, not listen to how well the other

teams did. Thats what newspaper articles and morning announcements

are for.

By MIKE BOETTGER and LAUREN VALLEEEDITORIAL

continued on page 4

Gas Goes DownBy AMBER KOLTST

he decline of gas prices has nally arrived as hur-

ricane season ends and oil prices drop.

Just last month, gas was hitting record high

prices of $4.19.These days their dropping down to about

$2.88 a gallon, more than a dollar less.

I pay $10 less than I did last month to ll up my car,

said Rosie Hartshorn, 12.

Researchers are saying this could be one of the largest

drops in history. The average

price has dropped below $3 agallon in seven states: Iowa,

Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma.

In these states gas was selling

for $2.83 a gallon, on average.

Gasoline is highest in Alaska,

at $4.133 a gallon, with Hawaii

at $4.079 the only other state

above $4 a gallon.

I almost peed my pants when it

cost only 30 dollars to ll up my car! said Nina Toupin,

12.

Crude oil plunged to a 13-month low on Friday, Oct.3. Dropping down from $88.89 to

$77.49 a barrel. Thats a far cry

from the $147.27 a barrel seen in

July. The lower the price of crude

oil, the less we will pay at the

pump. The co-founder of a gas

monitoring website, Jason Toews,

predicts that gas prices could drop

down to $2.50 by the end of the

year.

With the prices continuing to

go down, more people will be able

to afford more important things.

For example, more food can be

purchased during a grocery shopping trip, or doing more

family oriented activities. This is a hard time for our

economy and these changes are helpful to those that are

struggling.

NHS Helps Out pg. 2

College Help pg. 3

Blue Division Champs pg. 5

Change is on the Way pg. 7


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Page 2october 2008

Current EventsEdsel Ford High School

Depression or Not?By RANA ALHADIEDITORIAL

Is history repeating itself?

From our economy causing many cuts in programs to its many

failures in stocks, it seems like we are heading towards a second

Great Depression.

Right now we are facing the worst economic conditions since the

1930s. About 9,000 banks failed in the U.S. during the Great Depres-

sion.

How many banks will fail in todays economy? Are we in a

depression, and how long will it last? These questions are running

non-stop in our minds and more questions are sure to come.

Just when the people have begun to have faith in the banks once

again, our economy heads back to the past reminding the people oftheir losses during the Great Depression.

Even with the new Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

plan, which is increasing the FDIC deposit insurance coverage to

insure the peoples money is safe if there is a bank failure.

I do not think that people will trust the banks, after what happened

to their parents and grandparents during the Great Depression.

The FDIC is a federal agency that insures deposits in the savings

accounts of qualifying banks. But is this agency really able to insure

every savings account?

By having a deposit insurance of $250,000 rather than $100,000,

it is not possible for the FDIC to insure every depositors deposit.

However, this FDIC plan is a good start to head our economy to

recovery and away from recession.

Sight FrightBy KAFAH HUSSIEN

What is better than the gift of sight?

Edsel Fords National Honor Society

(NHS) is participating in a charity event col-

lecting old or used eyeglasses or prescription sunglasses.

The collected eyeglasses will go to people in Africa

and the needy. No, NHS is not going to give them broken

glasses; LensCrafters has offered to work their magic

and restore the glasses.

Its awesome that Edsel Ford is participating in this

charity because I know that I need my glasses and this is

going to help the people who need glasses so much, says

Roxy Musaad, 12.NHS members will be responsible for collecting the

glasses. All glasses are due by Oct. 31, and in honor of

Halloween the fundraiser has been named Sight Fright.

So get up and search for some old glasses and help a

person see the world more clearly.

Members of Edsel Fords NHS have always been

volunteers around the community and this year is no

exception. Upcoming events include raising money for an

animal shelter and gift wrapping at Barnes and Noble.

Rollie Pollie InvasionBy MAY ASKAR

Edsel Ford High School has been recently invaded by Ar-

madillidium Vulgars.

Most of us know them as rollie pollies, pill bugs, or

sow bugs. They are now roaming the halls of Edsel Ford and are

calling C-Hall their new home. I nd it to be incredibly funny

that their only in one

hall, says Hanan Murshed,10.

If you dont know

what they are, you have

probably spotted them in

our halls. Armadillidium

Vulgars have a light

shell-like exterior that is

usually a draby earth color, and they are famous for curling up

into a tight ball as a defense mechanism. They have a life span of

ve years.

Though it may be humorous watching the little bugs try to

make it from one side of the hallway to the next, is it sanitary? To

most, it probably isnt.

It bothers me when I hear the crunch crunch when the kids

pass through the hall, said Mrs. Reiter.

These Armadillidium Vulgars feed on fungi, live or dead

plants and animals.

Why are they in our hallways? They must have their reasons,

but were not sure why.Their habitats are usually in damp places during the day, and

they are active during the night.

One of our security

guards, Marlo, heard

that the school may use

an organic tuniper plant

from Southeast Asia to

get rid of these bugs.

The custodians knew

nothing about this.

It is still Edsel

Fords little mystery.

Rollie Pollies in Edsels hallway

Pill Bug


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Page 3october 2008

Current EventsEdsel Ford High School

Application AnxietyBy HANAN MURSHEDC

ollege is the number one priority for most seniors, but it

still is a challenge all students will face.

Some of us are wondering if we will get accepted to

the college of our choice but for others its a question of how to

pay for college.

Seniors should be prepared to guard against disappointments.

It really does help to have ones paperwork in order and a backup

plan. Dont be surprised when lling out an application that

youll need to write a check for an application fee ranging from

$30 to $60. Try not to waste time and get your applications in assoon as possible.

There are two ways to submit your application: online or by

mail. If you do submit your application online, then you need to

tell your counselor to send any required tests scores and tran-

scripts.

That sounds simple, but paying for college might be a bigger

problem. There are three ways to pay for college.

One of your options is to pay by loan; you could apply for a

private loan or see what is available from your college. You will

repay your loans by paying after graduation with low interest. For

nancial aid, your parents can ll out FAFSA after Jan. 1. The

money received is based on your parents income.

Second is by scholarship, which you must earn or be eligible

for. To see if you are eligible for any scholarships, visit these

websites: www.wiredscholar.com,

www.scholarships.com, or www.

fastweb.com. If you apply for a

scholarship online, and you are

asked to pay for itit is a scam.

Watch out for those, there are a

lot out there.

Last is by workstudy, which is a pro-

gram that gives students

the chance of working

and making more mon-

ey than normal employees. For example, the government pays for

the extra money, so if McDonalds hires a work study student and

a normal employee they will actually pay the work study student

less, so the business benets. But dont get excited, your check

goes directly towards your college payments.

Application deadlines are approaching quickly. Dont be afraid

to ask your counselors questions because they are here to help

and refer you to the best possible options.

80-20 Impact On StudentsBy DANIELLE AGUIRRE

The current change in the grad-

ing policy at Edsel has students

distraught over the decline of

their GPAs.

The new policy requires that 80

percent of a students overall grade is

summative and 20 percent is forma-

tive. The summative grades are made

up of assignments evaluating what one

has learned. In contrast, the formative

grades consist of the everyday work that

a student does.For example, now that 80 percent of

a students grade depends on test scores,

while only 20 percent of a students

grade is based on homework, so

students now have to rely on tests and

quizzes more than they have in the past.

It affected my history grade the

most. Last year, I used to just get by

when I took tests and quizzes, but I

relied on homework to keep my grades

up, says Abatesam Elmathil, 11.

Certain teachers have noticed that

not only do students rely on homework,

but other peoples homework. Students

are going to have to change their work

ethic and study habits to improve scores

on tests and quizzes, or in other words

be more productive because tests make

more of an impact on grades.

Its an experiment, and we just have

to see how they do, says Mrs. Sullivan.

Im probably the minority, but I dont

have a problem with it.Grades can change dramatically

and thats why most students and some

teachers dislike the new system.

I dont like it because its bringing

my grades down. Not a lot, but enough.

Im just worried its going to affect my

GPA. I have to keep a 3.5 to stay in the

National Honors Society, says Stepha-

nie Jefferies, 11.

Some students have said that the

summative-formative grading could

also have a negative effect because they

might start asking themselves, Why

even do homework if its such a small

part of my grade?

I dont really like it because it

makes kids not want to do their home-

work or feel like they have to. Its such

a low percentage now; its like whats

the point? said Christian Ryan, 11.

Some students are saying that instead

of getting more students to study and do

well on tests, this new grading policywill encourage more and more students

to decide to neglect their homework.

Although some students view the

new system as something negative,

other students say this new way of grad-

ing will change the way they prepare for

tests.

Now studying and retaining informa-

tion is becoming the main focus. The

emphasis is on what is learned instead

of just doing the work.


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Page 4october 2008

SportsEdsel Ford High School

Combined Sports BanquetsBanquets are already too long for most peoples liking. Nowthey will take forever to nishlets add three more teams to any

given banquet, and now instead of a two-hour banquet, we get to

experience a three-hour ordeal.

There are points that can be argued for or against combining

banquets, but here is the thing that everyone somehow for-

gotwhat do the athletes actually want? For some reason, the

decisions were made to combine the banquets without even ask-

ing the opinion of the athletes. We were simply informed of the

switch, not asked whether or not the idea appealed to us.

Correct us if were wrong, but isnt the Booster Club supposedto support the athletes? It sure doesnt feel that way when were

being told that we have to give up our traditions for something

that they have deemed to be necessary. If combining banquets

makes the administration and soccer moms happy, but upsets the

athletes themselves, then what have we achieved here? Weve

stepped back from unity, not towards it.

This year, the eld hockey team voted on whether to have the

banquet here with the other teams, or to have a separate banquet

without the other sportsnot one person voted to attend the

combined banquet.

However, the team was told that exclusion from the combined

banquet is non-negotiable. However, the Boosters were, in

fact, open to incorporating some traditions into the combined

banquet instead (seniors eat rst, etc). So basically, well throw

you a couple bones, but youre stuck with the combined banquetwhether you like it or not.

And so the teams will force themselves to attend the combined

banquet and make the best of it. If we were shooting for unity,

were sorry to say that its too little, too late.

Student-Athlete Reaction to Unified BanquetsThe unied banquet takes away from the

team unity that the individual sports teams

work on building all seasonhowever,

this does not apply to the football team,

because they have a larger team and are

more important that all the other teams. I

was looking forward to my last volleyball

banquet, but now that half the school is

invited, I am absolutely dreading it. My

only hope now is that others feel the same

way I do, so that future banquets will not

have to be held this way.

Michelle Gaedke, 12, volleyball

The banquet should be about cel-

ebrating team accomplishments, and a

separate banquet for each team would

help strengthen the bond that is created

between teammates during the season.

Drew Wydendorf, 12, tennis

Our team has grown and suc-

ceeded together, and at the end of

the season, we want to celebrate

together. We support the other

fall sports teams, but we want to

dedicate our banquet to only our

team.

Annika Doner, 12, eld

hockey

continued from page 1

Every sport should be separated.

Raven Dunn, 11, cross country

All sports banquets have their traditions, and

many athletes that I have spoken with, along

with myself, feel that the combined banquet is

intruding on our traditions. Edsel has always

been a school that is dedicated to tradition

why change it now?

Kelly Mihalik, 12, swimming

I dont like that the banquets are set up

this way my senior year. We split off for

each teams individual awards, so how are

we supposed to learn about other sports,

if that was the whole point of unifying the

banquets? Its really unnecessary to change

things up on us now.

Jeanine Connell, 12, cross country

I think the combined banquet promotes

unity and school spirit. Although Im

not personally affected by the change, I

believe its a good idea.

Cindy Wan, 12, cheerleading

Our team has grown so close this season, and

our banquets have so many traditions. We want

to end our season together, and the seniors es-

pecially want to continue the traditions that our

previous teammates have enjoyed.

Amanda Roush, 12, eld hockey

Parents with both a daughter and son in

fall sports are going to end up paying a

ton of money to attend multiple ban-

quets, especially if they bring relatives.

Twelve dollars per person is a bit much.

Leah Boileau, 11, cross country

I think that the combined banquetis a good idea, and I like how you

can recognize other sports accom-

plishments.

Holly Tebelman, 12, golf

The combined banquets are a

terrible ideaI just want to be

with my team. The only good

thing about it is more food for

everyone.Stephen Eads, 12, soccer

The concept of a unied banquet

is an overall bad ideait will be

expensive, time consuming, and

crowded. As if banquets werent

bad enough already!

Jordan Hunt, 12, soccer


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Page 5october 2008

SportsEdsel Ford High School

Worth theWait

The Edsel Ford girls volleyball team

ended an exciting season by winning their

league.After tryouts ended the newly formed team entered their

rst tournament at the University of MichiganDearborn

and they placed third, the rst time the team has placed in a

tournament in years. The team also placed third in their last

tournament before the district tournament.I knew when we put the team together that they had

lots of talent, but they should have won [the tournament],

said head coach Donna Schleif.

This years team is comprised of three seniors, seven

juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman. The team has

a record of ten wins and two losses. They started off the

season with a win, beating a tough Gibraltar Carlson team.

The wins would continue to add up after that.

[My favorite moment was] beating Gibraltar Carlson

in the rst game. It was like feeling holy crap we brought it

and we won, said Melinda Daniell, 12.

The team accomplished a great feat, winning their

league. It is the rst league win in over a decade.[This is] one of the best teams weve had in a long

time. If we decide we want to do it, we will, said Schleif.

The district tournament is right around the corner and

the girls could be playing cross-town rivals Dearborn High

in their rst game. Senior captains Megan Filipowski and

Michelle Gaedke are encouraging their team to do their

best and leave the court after the District tournament with

no regrets.

I know that we can win districts and our league. Its

been my best season so far, said junior Danielle Cowart.

By MEGAN FILIPOWSKI and GABBY TOUPIN

League Champs

The team celebrates after getting a point on a kill

By ALYSSA GIRARDI

To lose a Mega Blue

championship football

game is one thing, but to

forfeit it is absolutely embar-

rassing.

There were many questionsraised as to why Highland Park

High School decided not show

up to the football game against

the Thunderbirds on Oct. 10.

Athletic Director Mr. Picano

received a call just a few hours

before game time conrming

the suspicions that the opposing

team would not be attending.

The coaches chose not to

tell the football players that

Highland Park said they would

not come, riding on the slightchance that the team was bluff-

ing to mess with our players

heads.

We wanted to still be

prepared for what we needed to

do, says Picano.

So why did the team not

come? Was the forfeit due to

fearfulness of losing, as many

Edsel players would like you

to think? Or was it something

as simple as bus trouble that

prevented them from getting tothe game?

After some investigation, it

turned out that Highland Park

coach, Cedric Dortch, can-

celled the varsity match due to

students breaking the code of

conduct in the form of hazing.

I guess the horse play-

ing went too far. Like I told

them last night: If playing

for the conference champion-

ship wasnt enough for you

not to horse around and violate

student-conduct rules, you dont

deserve to represent Highland

Park in no form whatsoever,Dortch told the Detroit Free

Press.

As far as the Edsel Ford

football team goes, they were

undoubtedly disappointed about

the game being cancelled, es-

pecially since there is only one

contest a week.

Although some players can-

not help but to feel that the title

was handed to them, earning a

conference championship title is

certainly still a major accom-plishment.

Well it feels great to be

Mega Blue champs. Even

though Highland Park didnt

show up it, it doesnt mean we

shouldnt have gotten the title.

We worked hard throughout

the season to be put into the

position to win it, says Sean

Haight, 11.

Dortch now claims that the

incident was not as serious as

they initially thought, and thehazing victim failed to suffer

from any critical harm.

Even though there is no way

to get that missed game back,

Highland Park will try to re-

deem themselves in the playoffs

while Edsel Ford nishes the

season off strong and heads into

the post-season with a brag-

worthy title.

The Edsel Ford football team tied with

Inkster to win its rst league championship

since 1993.


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Page 6october 2008

EditorialsEdsel Ford High School

Paying to ParticipateBy LAUREN VALLEEEDITORIAL

When budgets are tight, pay-to-participate costs and

activity fees seem to continuously rise, and once again

the heaviest nancial burden to bear has been given to

the most involved students.

The sports and activities fees this year are as follows: A $150

at rate for sports only, no matter how many a student plays, a

$200 fee for sports plus academic activities, like after school

clubs and organizations, and a $75 fee for academic activities

only. Each family has a maximum of $350.

This new setup does benet some students, specically those

who play multiple sports. Last year, it was $100 per sport, with a

$250 maximum fee per student. This year, with a one-time pay-

ment of $150, many students save.

Keep in mind that every club at Edsel has certain requirements

for membersfor example, National Honor Society students

must pay a $10 fee, since it is a nationally recognized society that

collects dues. The following list reects the clubs/activities that

require the $75 academic activities fee that is collected by the

districtfor the record, this policy was not created by the Edsel

Ford administration.

The activities that students must pay for are as follows (some

are clubs that Edsel Ford does not offer): BPA (Business Profes-

sionals of America), DECA, HOSA, Photography Club, Debate,

Drama, Intramurals, Model UN, Chess, Challenge Bowl, MOOTCourt, and Literary Magazine.

The following are considered classes, and are NOT charged:

Choral Music, Instrumental Music, Ignite, Yearbook, and News-

taff.

In addition, Student Council and National Honor Society are

NOT charged the activity fee, along with French, German, and

Spanish NHS.

During my freshman year, the fee to be a part of International

Club was a whopping $3. International Club does not charge the

activity fee, but Edsel

Ford clubs like Lit Mag

and Drama are; these

activities contribute to our

school pride, and involve-

ment may drop because of

the new fees.

Also, most ninth grad-

ers are shy and somewhat

reluctant to get involved

in the rst placethey

arent sure if they will like

a new club or sport, or if

their friends will be in it,

and a high price tag may

ultimately be the deciding

factor.

We can only hope that

the new fees dont shatter our school spirit.

For more information, feel free to speak with Mrs.

Noland, our Student Activity Administrator, or Mr.

Picano, for questions regarding athletic fees.

A $150 at rate for

sports only, no mat-

ter how many a student

plays, a $200 fee forsports plus academic ac-

tivities, like after school

clubs and organiza-

tions, and a $75 fee for

academic activities only.

Each family has a maxi-

mum of $350.

Clubs with Activity FeeBPA (Business Professionals of America)

DECA

HOSA

Photography Club

Debate

Drama

Intramurals

Model UN

Chess

Challenge Bowl

MOOT Court

Literary Magazine

Clubs without Activity FeeChoral Music

Instrumental Music

IgniteYearbook

Newstaff

Student Council

National Honors Society

French National Honors Society

Spanish National Honors Society

German National Honors Society


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Page 7october 2008

EditorialsEdsel Ford High School

Is Change on the Way?

We need change.

There is no other way to put

it. From our economy quickly

going downhill, to the

nearly impossible to get

healthcare, and foreign

policy on the forefront.

No matter who our

president is, our country

needs a leader to care

more about our nation

and its many troubles

rather than trashing hispolitical opponent.

But it seems to me

that John McCain is

more interested in at-

tacking Barack Obama

in desperation than focusing on signicant

issues that really matter to Americans.

Dont get me wrong, I know that presi-

dential candidates are supposed to point

out the aws of their opponents, but being

so disrespectful as to refer to your oppo-

nent as that one in a presidential debate

is going too far.

Senator McCain with all years of ex-

perience that he loves to publicize should

know better. His on-going personal attacks

on Barack Obama are uncalled for and not

in good taste.

To add fuel to the re, he did not once

mention the majority of those suffering

the middle classduring the Oct. 7 presi-

dential debate. Maybe he was

too busy preparing himself to

debate whether or not Obamas

middle name has anything to

do with Muslim extremists. His

constant eye rolls and smirks

during the Oct. 15 debate were

disrespectful and didnt

help him in the polls or in

winning the debate.So why do it? Why

make automated phone

calls to states and rant-

ing about Obamas ties

with terrorists instead

of about his tax or healthcare plan?

If McCain loves being the underdog

so much, he should stay there instead

of constantly looking for aws in

Obama that have nothing to do with

issues negatively affecting Ameri-

cans.

Barack Obama had several opportu-

nities to make personal attacks on John

McCain and his running mate, Sarah

Palin. From Palins rumored witchcraft

to McCains involvement with Keating

Five to Cindy McCains drug addiction,

Obama could have used any of those

things in his favor. But I guess he under-

stands that our country is in just in too bad

of shape to focus on such personal things

that have nothing to do with the suffering

of Americans.

I truly respect John McCain and all that

he has done for our country. But he has no

right to make accusations that dont have

any real basis and arent tangible.

John McCain

should put his

experience toogood use and

think about ways

to improve our

country, rather

than researching

his links to Pastor

Jeremiah Wright

when he once

called addressing

that subject out

of bounds.

I am not en-

dorsing any candidate, but I am endorsing

fair, respectful campaigning. My hopes are

that who ever our president is will focus

more on the crisis our economy is facing,

rather than the backgrounds of those he is

against.

Cheat Now, Pay Later

F

rom plagiarism, forbidden col-

laboration on assignments, copying

homework and cheating on exams,

statistics show that cheating among high

school students has risen dramatically dur-

ing the past 50 years.

The question is do students think its

acceptable to cheat?

Honesty and integrity are not only

values, but should be habits to students. In

high school, cheating is looked down upon

and if caught is usually disciplined for, but

students still keep copying and are getting

away with the bad behavior.

I know that all throughout high school

I have cheated on tests and homework, but

only when I was having a hard time with

the work, says an unknown source.

If you are a student who has been

cheating your way through high school let

me give you a little reality check. YOU

WONT GET AWAY WITH IT IN COL-

LEGE! Youre not helping yourself in any

way. Youre only hurting your chances

of getting a real education. Colleges and

universities are becoming stricter and

coming down harder on students who

think they can cheat their way through the

system. If caught cheating some actions

by the university may include: a warning,

probation, suspension from the university

for a designated period, or even expulsion

from the university.

I dont cheat on anything. When

I cheat I dont feel like I am learning

anything and I know that it wont help me

with my future education, says Dakota

Joseph,10.

So to all the students at Edsel Ford

who think cheating is okay and you think

your being sneaky and getting away with

it. Keep it up and see what happens when

youre on your own and dont have any-

body to cheat off of. Its only going to hurt

you in the long run.

By LINDSAY FINNERTYEDITORIAL

By DEANNA SULEIMANEDITORIAL


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Page 8October 2008

FeaturesEdsel Ford High School

The Boltstaff is commit-

ted to bring the Edsel Ford

student body and adminis-

tration newsworthy articles

that will inform, educate,

and entertain in a reliable

and timely fashion while

maintaining the district-

wide core values, and con-

tributing to the overall pride

of our school.

The Boltwelcomes your

opinions on stories or

editorials featured within

the paper. The editorial staff

reserves the right to print

and to edit letters. Authors

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STAFF

2008

MISSIONSTATEMENT

Sex is a KillerBy MEGAN FILIPOWSKIChief

Rydzik

Editors in Chief

Megan Filipowski

Lauren Vallee

Copy Editor

Deanna Suleiman

Managing Editor

Lindsay Finnerty

Sports Editor

Amber Kolts

Layout

Rana Alhadi. Megan Filip-owski, Donovan Golich

Reporters

Danielle Aguirre, May

Askar, Mike Boettger,

Bianca Chiaravalli, Emilee

Curran, Alyssa Girardi,

Kafah Hussien, Safa Kaid,

Andrew Lyon, Cari Moore,

Hanan Murshed, Gabby

Toupin, Nina Toupin, Scott

Werth

An African child dies every 30

seconds from malariajust think

thats two kids every minute, 120

kids an hour and 2,880 kids a day.As a technologically advanced nation, we have

medical benets that allow us to do the small

things, like curing aches and pains, all the way to

the big things, like brain surgery; however, there

are places that cant do these things.

In Zambia, if one has a serious injury or dis-ease, the medical costs are outrageous, and if the

injury is really bad, one has to be own out of the

country.

Going into the trip, we were debriefed about

how Zambia is a nation that faces an AIDS epi-

demic. The rst reported case of AIDS in Zambia

was in 1984, and since then, more and more cases

have been reported. Zambia has a population of

almost 11 million, and more than one in seven

adults is living with AIDS.

As part of the trip, the youth team went on

trips to the schools to talk to the kids about Jesus,

but what I discovered was that the faculty of the

schools focuses on saving their students lives. At

one of the schools, painted on the wall was a sign

that bluntly said, SEX KILLS. This is because

17 percent of people aged 15 to 49 have contract-

ed AIDS or HIV.

Another AIDS prevention idea that I noticed

was placing a box of condoms in the public bath-

room in the hotel that we were staying in. It was

the rst thing that we noticed, and anyone was

free to take them.

Another part of our mission was to set up a

medical clinic. One day I worked in the clinic and

saw a woman who was living with AIDS. She

could barely move a muscle and the disease had

really progressed. Sadly, she will probably not live

to see the end of the year.

Here, we have the technology to live with

AIDS. The best example is Magic Johnson. He has

been living with AIDS for over a decade and has

been given the chance to live life to the fullest.

However, people in Zambia may not be so

lucky. In 2007, there were 600,000 AIDS orphans.These kids are forced to live out on the street with

no parent inuence and are at risk of spreading the

disease to others.

The medical developments in the United States

cannot compare to anything that they have in Af-

rica. Minor aches and pains are cured with some

Tylenol or Ibuprofen. In the villages of Zambia,

they dont have access to that, and the daily minor

aches turn into major medical issueseven poten-

tially fatal ones. We supplied people with medi-

cine for these aches and pains, and the amount

would last about two weeks before the pain would

return.

Doctors, hospitals, and medicine are all things

that we are lucky to have around. Edsel is around

the corner from a hospital that could take care of

any one of us if we were to get hurt. Take advan-

tage of that, because there are people that would

love to be able to treat their symptoms and bad

health.

Just think that in the time that it took to read

this article another three to four children in Africa

died from malaria.

One Zambia, One Nation, One Man, One Wife

Sex Kills Sign at Kosonga School

The Bolt October 2008 Edition

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Transcript of The Bolt October 2008 Edition