6
January
Forum
Follow-up figures find football funding fail
u J on H elmkamp _____________
and the softball team has
just started providing
concessions for both
basketball teams' games.
For the football games,
all of the concessions are
provided by the parents of
members of the tearr^ not by
the school or by any sports
organization.
It was also m entioi^ pj
in last month's issue that
"it seems to be only right
to allow every team anc 11111
every player, regardless of
their sport, fair funding."
Each team needs different
levels of funding based on
its basic needs. For instance,
the football team needs
more funding because they
need expensive protective
equipment, such as pads
and helmets that other teams
don't need.
"The programs are given
budgets that reflect program
requirements with regards
to numbers of athletes, and
equipment needs," Holstom
said. Both the football
team and the Dance Team,
the two top funded sports
programs in the school,
need approximately $30,000
per year for basic expenses.
Everything else, including
jerseys, they must raise
funds for.
"Many of our teams
purchase new uniforms each
and every year and usually
have to do so through
fund-raising. Our football
team usually goes anywhere
from 6-8 years before they
purchase uniforms because
of the cost issue of replacing
them," Holstrom said. The
football team's current
uniforms are three years old.
Sexism was an issue that
was also mentioned in last
issue's article about sports
funding. After looking into
the matter as to whether or
not all boys' and girls' teams
are funded equally, I learned
that both teams of each
sport are funded the same.
(For instance, Baseball and
Softball each receive 5.5% of
district funding.)
The boys' and the girls'
teams rooms are not the
same size. But the matter of
members of the boys' teams
displaying their names on
their lockers is in reality,
written on stickers or pieces
What legacy will the Class of 2008 leave?
u M arilyn B aker _____________
co-Editor-in-Chief
Despite what some
people may think, funding
is distributed quite evenly
amongst sports teams.
Money from the football
concession stands does not
go directly to the football
program, nor do the ticket
sales. "The football team
doesn't see a penny from
either. All of that money
goes back into the pot for all
the sports programs," Ron
Chappell, Varsity Football
coach, said.
According to Rob
Holstrom, athletics director,
any sports team has the
option to use the concession
stand, but only the football
team decides to use it in the
fall. Both lacrosse teams and
track use it in the spring,
u R achel S eigneur ___________
Contributing Writer
Who can't wait to
graduate? Who can't wait to
be free from the routine that
encompasses four years of
our life? It's a big moment so
we go out with a bang: senior
pranks, senior gift and a very
spendy graduation party.
to parents who serve on the
committee and who spend
countless hours preparing
for that one night, seniors are
thrown an outstanding party.
All of the money is raised
through events such as the
auction at the Fashion Show
which brought in $13,037,
and the Holiday Home Tour
because we have taken it for
granted with our half an hour
hot showers, but it is a life
source for everyone.
A way to spend the
money more wisely could
be building a well in a small
village in a country such as
Liberia. This is a country
where 68% of the people
Graduates from the Class of 2007 grab for floating dollar bills in a wind filled "cash box” at Grad Nite.
Not all the bills were real, but close to $30,000 was spent on last year's celebration.
Photo courtesy of 2007 Yearbook
Every year the Grad
Party Committee spends
literally tens of thousands of
dollars on a one night party
for the graduating class.
Graduating is an amazing
accomplishment and a very
exciting time. But does that
mean that we have to spend
$30,000 to celebrate it? What
could we possibly need that
would justify spending that
much money?
Last year they gave away
plasma big screen TV's as
just one of the many prizes
which cost a total of $19,974,
the most spent in past years.
That did not include the
facility and entertainment
which adds to a total $29,400
for the 2007 Grad Party.
Raising money for this
annual bash is the result of
much hard work. Thanks
which totaled $2,961 in 2007.
How we celebrate our
graduation is part of the
legacy we leave behind,
and not everyone thinks an
expensive party is the way to
do it. "We want to be known
as the class that gives back,"
Michael Bemert, senior and
ASB officer, said.
There are, no doubt,
better ways to spend some
of the money raised for Grad
Nite. In an effort to give
back to society, we can look
to those less fortunate. For
instance, a child dies every
15 seconds due to unsanitary
water and 1.1 billion people
lack access to clean, safe
water. Just $1 can provide
decontaminated water to one
person for a year. We often
don't even think of water
as something so essential
rely on untreated water for
drinking according to a 2006
U.N./Liberia Comprehensive
Food Security and Nutrition
Survey. Unclean water
accounts for the deaths of
3,900 children, primarily
from water born diseases.
This is just one of many
areas of the world in dire
need of financial assistance.
This makes one wonder how
many lives could be saved
with that frivolous excess of
money we are going to spend
on our one night of revelry.
I'm not saying that we should
not have a party. I'm just
saying we may not need to
spend $20,000 on prizes for
generally well-off seniors.
We could save 20,000 lives
instead. Maybe that could
be the legacy we leave the
world.
of athletic tape. Nothing
there suggests to me that it
is a privilege only available
to the boys' teams.
Last issue's article
was written with the
best of intentions. The
facts that were presented
were misunderstood and
unintentionally skewed.
We as a staff acknowledge
that last issue's article came
off sounding like a direct
jab at the football program.
We would like to clarify
that we understand the
hard work and effort put
into the football program,
and would like to formerly
acknowledge that.
High school struggles to
accept student sexuality
It is the role of the school
to maintain an environment
that is safe and supportive of
every student, regardless of
religion, race, background,
or appearance, so why not
sexuality? As a nation, we
swell with pride in regard
to our freedoms as a people;
the freedom to speak as you
wish, think as you wish,
pray as you wish. So why
this fear attached to sex and
sexuality?
Perhaps it is because, as
how can schools truly
support all students when
sex-related curriculum is
limited, restricted, or in
many cases ban altogether?
The fear is that schools
will be held responsible for
condoning sexuality that
strays from the acceptable
norm. We celebrate a
constitution that demands
equality for all, thus we
must not compromise our
ideals for an outdated view
of human sexuality. How can
we contradict ourselves so
blatantly?
a country, the United States
cannot seem to address
sexuality honestly. In the
past, we have seen issues of
race and religion to be most
progressive when people
and government collaborate
on a national level. It is
understandably difficult for a
single school district to take
this topic head on without
upsetting the school board
or parents. It may be the
remainders of our puritanical
forefathers that cause us
to perceive sex as a sinful
act. We thus find ourselves
unknowingly demonizing
the beauty of sex and of
sexuality.
But at the very least,
students have the
opportunity to create clubs
supporting their cause
or interest. Gay Straight
Alliance is spreading
awareness and gaining
members. "They concentrate
on eradicating homo phobic
slurs. I really think they
reach out to all people.
It's about acceptance and
understanding," Sara Meyre,
senior, said.
But the question remains:
And yet, this issue
receives little or no attention
from most media. Perhaps
people fear their own
repressed sexuality and
would prefer avoiding this
uncomfortable subject. These
non-confrontational methods
result in a regression of
American culture.
Discussions about issues
of sex and sexuality, even
if potentially divisive, are
necessary to deal with
discrimination against gay
and lesbian students, to
show them compassion,
and to practice the ideals
of democracy, according
to Cris Mayo, author of
"Disputing the Subject of
Sex: Sexuality and Public
School Controversies."
As a school that strives
for progressive education,
I should hope we will
constantly seek to be sexually
supportive and maintain
well-educated opinions
towards such social issues.
A school that is more of a
unified entity, is a school
that will produce students of
confidence, independent of
societal pressures.
Contributing Writer