Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2000, Page 150

Description:	thebeat&AAA //&v/lAC/L^LWhat would you like toget for Valentines Day?114 students surveyedA Kiss 23%Flowers LL /oPoetry. I 9 ^Jewelry. 15/0Dinner 1 3 /OChocolate O /ORumor of the IssueNews BitsAcademic DecathlonWalking into room A123, the initialsight was nine students musing over apint-size tub of ice cream and eatingpink sugar cookies while speakingwords distinctly non-academic. Thesenine students are anything but thetypical stereotype of boring, school-driven nerds; they are the select fewwho were chosen to represent thebest academic knowledge that ourschool possessed. They devotedthemselves to not only representingour school as the AcademicDecathlon team, but also in showingthe true side of knowledge throughlearning.Ice cream and studying are theperfect combination. Whether it wasBen & Jerrys Phish Food witheconomics or classic vanilla beanwith language and literature, theextra calories always helped theconcepts stick in our minds. It wascertainly an enjoyable study habit!senior Jennifer Axsom said.Discussing, debating and finalizingtheir plans to prepare themselves forthe rigorous Regional and Statecompetitions, the AcademicDecathlon team met in mid-November and practiced Mondaythrough Friday from 2:30 p.m. until 5p.m. leading up to the Statecompetitions in early February.Its a good thing we are very smartas a group, because we got almost nowork done at our meetings. Still, itmanaged to be a very interesting year,senior Tom Rampley said.The team was divided into threedivisions; Honors: senior Will Baude,senior Leanne Dodge and seniorJennifer Axsom; Scholastic: seniorMatt Hengeveld, senior Tom Rampleyand junior Mike UnderwoodjVarsity:junior Kolya Divine, senior Dan Eilenand senior William Freeland. In everycompetition each team membercompeted in all of the 10 events:Speech, Essay, Interview, Language andLiterature, Mathematics, SocialSciences, Economics, Super Quiz, Artand Music.TheAcademic Decathlon coach,Mrs. Janet Nichols, special education,ecouraged the team to reach for greatexpectations in order to prepare forthe matches at the state and regionallevels. Intent on winning State, theteam placed first at the Regionalcompetitions, but fell just short oftheir goal when they placed second atState. by Jessee HahnLauren Demmingby Karl StevensonThe abolishment of backpacks in schools hadbecome a national trend; but despite rumors, it wasstill undecided whether BHSS would follow suit.The ban would be a precautionary measure, notjust a rule for the sake of having one. Principal Mr.Mark Fletcher said the proposed rule was not beingconsidered because of the behavior of the student body, but instead because my numberone responsibility is to do the very best job I can to ensure the safety of our students ... Idont want to not follow the national trend and then have something negative occur thatcould have been prevented.Other concerns involving backpacks were also voiced. Backpacks make a walk down theaisles of desks in the classroom a hazardous task, and both teachers and students havetripped and been injured. Mrs. Shirley Thickstun, foreign language, had firsthand experience.The previous spring she fell backwards over a backpack and was still experiencing backtrouble. Its been a nightmare; it really has, Thickstun said.Moreover, with the change from a hybridto a traditional schedule next year, hallways maybecome too crowded with both students and theirbackpacks.Fletcher didnt think the change would bea problem. I think students would adjust in a shortamount of time to using their locker and notcarrying everything they own in a book bag, he said.150 GothicLauren DemmingJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2000Discovery of:: Starbucks::Mocha Frappachlnos. Gourmet scones. Tallvanilla lattes. Bloomington has now joined thethousands of cities across the globe bybecoming home to the coffee shop of all coffeeshops: Starbucks. Although there were somethat feared the large chain would squeeze outsmaller local coffee venues, many were pleasedto see the chic west-coast hangout arrive. Itsa good place to get together with friends andsocialize, sophomore Michelle Stevenson said.Starbucks could be found downtown in theformer location of The White Rabbit, on IndianaAvenue. The coffee shop offered many specialtydrinks, ice cream and gourmet bakery itemsalong with sofas and chairs for lounging.Starbucks also held various exhibits and musicevents throughout the year. , ^7 . „by Claire Barwisem
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/6662
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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