challenging the stereotype - Arlingtonian2 february 24, 2012 arlingtonian arlingtonian Connected to education At AEP, we never forget the value electricity brings to our lives. That’s

election 2012As the mArch ohio primAry ApproAches,

four republicAn cAndidAtes vie for votes, pg. 5

hockey teAm successteAm improves

throughout seAson, enjoys fAn support, pg. 7

ohio perceptionscolumnist reveAls

hidden chArm, positive Attributes of ohio, pg. 14

challenging the stereotypeStatistics reveal the truth behind UA’s stigma as a wealthy community

www.arlingtonian.com

februAry 24, 2012 ArlingtoniAn • volume 75, issue 6 1650 ridgeview rd, uA, oh 43221 upper Arlington high school

2 arlingtonian arlingtonianfebruary 24, 2012 arlingtonian arlingtonian

Connected to

educationAt AEP, we never forget the value electricity brings to our lives. That’s why we work each day to deliver affordable, reliable electric service. We’re more than electricity. We’re AEP, connected to education.

AEP is proud to support the Arlingtonian.

Recognizingsuccess. Inspiringhope. Encouragingdreams.

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Visit our blog at www.AEPCommunityConnections.com.

arlingtonian arlingtonianarlingtonian 3arlingtonian february 24, 2012

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cover and conTenTS deSign by KaTe magill and elizabeTh TzagourniS

cover phoTo illuSTraTion by Jacob ForquerconTenTS Top phoTo illuSTraTion by Jacob Forquer

Some conTenT courTeSy aSne/mcT campuS high School newSpaper Service

8 dispelling the myth: taking a look at the stereotypes surrounding upper Arlington

5primary pandemonium: students and teacher discuss upcoming elections and the

importance of voting6Bake sale Ban: student groups forced to find

new funding trending topics: students give their opinions

on current news

February 24, 2012arlingTonian • volume 75, iSSue 6

1650 ridgeview rd., ua, oh 43221upper arlingTon high School

7 spirit hits the ice: hockey team enjoys successful season and the influx of fans at recent games

13lighting up the oscars: A preview of this year’s nominees and which contenders students pick to win11 BearBook: meet junior

ben kompa, the top student at the research institute at

children’s hospital

15 ogt BriBe: columnist discusses new plans for high test scores editorial: students should take advantage of

their right to vote14 ohio: looking at perceptions

and talents of the buckeye state. yay or nay: students

vote on current trends of the day


U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S

• U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5

Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G

2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F •

C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F

• C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S • U A E F • C E L E B R AT I N G 2 5 Y E A R S •
















































Illuminating the StageAt the end of february, students, faculty, family, and friends of the talented cast and crew of how to succeed in business without really trying will assemble in the uAhs auditorium to enjoy yet another outstanding school musical. these award winning annual productions are expensive to produce, so the vocal music boosters are always looking for ways to keep production costs down. the boosters found out that if they purchased spotlights rather than rented them every year, they would save thousands of dollars in rental fees over the years, but it would require a large cash outlay, so they submitted a grant application to the upper Arlington education foundation asking if the trustees would partner with them to purchase the equipment. the uAef trustees quickly realized that all students, staff, and families who assemble for any reason in the auditorium would benefit from the new spotlights and happily approved the grant application in january.

this project is a great example of how the uAef partners with other school organizations to help turn ideas into realities. funding for grants like this comes from individual donations and from the uAef’s annual labor day weekend fundraiser, the golden bear bash! to learn more about the uAef, the golden bear bash! and how you may be a part of these important projects, please visit our websites uAeducationfoundation.com and goldenbearbash.com.

the upper Arlington education foundation is proud to have partnered with the uA vocal music boosters on the new spotlights and wishes the cast and crew of how to succeed in business without really trying the best! breAk A leg!

Celebrating 25 Years1950 north mallway • columbus, oh 43221 • 614-487-5007 ext. 1120 • [email protected] • www.uaeducationFoundation.com

empa


primary

T he constant noise of the presi-dential candidates—their policies, opinions, triumphs and failures—

seems to continuously stir up controversy among the two main political parties. As the primaries and caucuses draw near, new eligible voters consider who of the Repub-licans will battle current President Barack Obama for the presidency next November. As the voting date looms, students at UA stay in tune with the political battle, become more politically involved and embrace their voting privileges.

Senior Alex Rosen plans on voting this year, and is looking forward to taking advantage of his voting eligibility.

“I think what made me really want to vote is the fact that this is the first election I have been able to vote in,” he said. “Also, because of my government class I’ve taken a lot more interest in voting and politics.”

The government classes have begun pushing students who might not otherwise be interested in the election to represent their voice by voting this March.

Senior Abby Dugger’s belief that it is necessary to vote in the pre-elections was inspired by her current government class.

“I have a lot of fun in government; I think it made me see how I can make an impact,” she said. “It has sparked my inter-est in politics and made me more politically aware. I don’t know if I would have voted had I not taken the class.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 71 percent of eligible voters registered in the 2008 presidential election, and only 64 percent cast ballots. Government teacher Chris Swartz believes that lack of voting is a result of apathetic and ignorant attitudes and loss of interest in the political process.

“I don’t think young voters take advan-tage of their voting rights and I don’t think most Americans do either,” he said. “They don’t care. They don’t think [the process] af-fects them. They don’t think that they could have an impact; therefore, feeling powerless, they do nothing.”

While the number of voters between 18 and 24 years of age increased to 49 percent in 2008 from 47 percent in 2004, it still represents the lowest voting rate out of all voting groups. In response to these statistics, Swartz shared why it is so important for young students to get their voice out, and to represent their beliefs during the politi-cal elections.

“The problem is, as we age we get much more set in our ways,” he said. “We don’t worry about the political process as much and so we allow these kinds of problems—like wars and excessive spending—to put Americans in greater harm. Young people today have similar opportunities to what I had when I was young: to change policy.”

Swartz elaborated on the inevitable danger America will face if citizens refuse to take their voting rights and responsibili-ties seriously. He said that without prompt change, the country’s economic welfare and standard of living will hang in the balance.

“I don’t want to see this country fall into such a tremendous mediocrity of negative political energy,” he said. “I think we’re in danger, and the current political landscape and those who are running for office are the proof of it. We need to find a way to an-nihilate some of these issues so that we can move forward.”

He believes that the most effective method to increase youth voting is to re-mind voters of the gravity of the country’s current economic situation and how cru-cial their ballots will prove in both March and November.

Rosen emphasizes how America is unique in allowing all citizens the right to vote, signifying the importance of voter participation.

“Voting rights are important to me because it gives me a voice,” he said. “Al-though at times it may not feel like your vote really has a say in government, the fact that we have the right to and that we truly have a voice in government is what makes our country great.”

a quartet

candidates of

As the March 6 Ohio primary approaches, students examine the importance of their right to vote

Republican candidates take position on a range of issues

by carlytovell, ‘13 and victoriaslater, ‘12

newt gingrich

Former house Speaker (1995-1999)

plans to mini-mize spending on programs such as the Fda

against national-izing health care

mitt romney

Former governor (ma) 2003-2007

Suggests reserving 4 percent of the gdp for national defense

Supports uni-versal health care without increasing taxes

rick santorum

Senator (pa) 1995-2006

argues that mili-tary intervention in foreign nations should occur only if there is a direct threat on the uS

calls for lower tax rates for individuals and corporations

ron paul

uS repre-sentative (TX) 1997-present

believes that the deficit is the highest priority and that uS spending should be based on the constitution

advocate of free-market health care

phoToS courTeSy Joe burbanK/orlandoSenTinel/mcT and STeve JeSSmore/myrTle beach Sun-newS/mcT


Are you looking forward to march madness?

“yes, i’m looking forward to it, since i will be winning my pool this year. i’m pulling for the minnesota gophers to get into the tournament.”

Junior Scott Smith

Trending TopicS compiled by caSSie lowery

“yes, i’m excited to see ohio State go from team to team and dominate this year. i will always have ohio State first on my bracket, but that’s just because i’m a true ohio State fan.”

who would you like to win the ohio primary?

“i’m a democrat, so i wouldn’t vote in the primary. but if i could, i think the best republican candidate is mitt romney.”

Senior Kelcey Laylin

what do you think of the rich stereotype uA has?

“i think that a lot of people are rich here, but some people aren’t. i think people should get to know us before they judge us.”

Freshman Lindsey Meredith

Sophomore Michael Sengelmann

by abbygodard, ’13

As the members of student council gather for their monthly meeting, they are shocked to receive a

nearly 10-page packet full of grant requests, from senior capstone projects to student clubs. Student council co-president Hussein al Khatib said he only remembers about four or five grant requests per year in years’ past.

With such a drastic increase in applicants, clubs like student council have had to become more selective during the grant giving process.

“When selecting, we try to look for [clubs and capstones who] have spent the most time trying to raise money through other expenditures” he said. “Also, we look at where specifically the money is going, if it is a good cause, or a program that has done really well in the past.”

With a strong annual income from yearly Homecoming dance ticket sales, which average $8,000 each year, the increase in applicants was one that student council could accommodate with careful budgeting.

This was not the case for many smaller clubs, such as Model United Nations, a club dedicated to exposing students to interna-tional relations. Model UN counts on the funding it has received in the past from student council grants. The group uses the money to supplement the funds club mem-bers raise throughout the year, which is then used to pay for their travel to competitions.

Senior Rohit Menon, a three-year member of the Model UN team, said that because Senate Bill 210 prohibits the sale of processed goods, the team’s annual sale of Anthony Thomas chocolate candy bars, a fundraising tactic that raised the majority of the club’s revenue in the past, was severely impacted. Although members of the club attempted to loophole the bill’s regulations by selling before and after school rather than during school hours, their time for selling was extremely limited.

The main concern for members of the Model UN team is that now students

must pay out of pocket in order to participate in competitions. In years’ past, all members could attend meets for free through successful candy bar selling, bake sales and grants. This year, some students pay nearly $1,000 for plane tickets alone, not including food and hotel bills.

“We had to pay for our flight and stuff, [a total of $800] out of our pockets,” Menon said.

Menon said that this is the first time Model UN has had trouble fundraising in order to be eligible to participate in competitions.

“Model UN is a club that has been running successfully for 16 years. It has never had funding problems until recently,” Menon said. “Without bake sales, Model UN has still managed to raise funds for its trips; however, coming up with money has definitely been more of a challenge.”

Not only have clubs suffered from Senate Bill 210, but seniors have also struggled with trying to find alternative ways of fundraising for their capstone projects. Senior Emmie Piscopo found that T-shirt selling was the best substitute for bake sales.

“I sold T-shirts for my project,” Piscopo said. “They were reasonably priced at $5 a piece, so I easily sold 200.”

After paying for the printing of the T-shirts, she raised roughly $350, all of which went to Amor Ministries, an organization in Mexico that helps build houses for homeless families.

Piscopo said that although the loss of bake sales has been a set back, it has allowed seniors to come up with more creative and original ways of fundraising.

“I think that losing bake sales has defi-nitely impacted capstone, because it forces people to find other ways to raise money that may be more expensive and compli-cated for the senior student,” she said.

Although the ban of bake sales and baked goods through the enforcement of Senate Bill 210 intended to impact childhood obesity, it also impacted student fundraising tactics.

bake sale bluesWith the recent ban of bake sales, grant requests for student clubs rise. Grant-providing sources, creative fundraisers fill the gap.


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Senior Spencer Luallen passes the puck to a fellow teammate at a game against St. Charles on Jan. 23 at the Ice Haus. Luallen was one of many seniors who contributed to the hockey team’s success this past season.

hits the iceSpirit by katiehosket, ’13

w ith so many successful athletic programs at UAHS, it becomes a struggle for

students to show adequate support for each team. However, this school year a new sport is sparking the interest of high school fans: ice hockey.

Sophomore JV player Carter Braet said the team has had more student involvement than ever this past season.

“There are definitely more fans this year than I saw last year. It’s cool to see people come out and watch,” he said.

Many factors contributed to the amount of students attending games this season.

With a solid record and a senior-heavy team, the sport’s popularity has grown. So far, this season the team has gone 12-2-1, and players agree that fans are a huge factor.

As more fans go to the games, the team feels more support. Word of mouth generates even more fans. Both fans and players agree that more people makes for a better performance.

Junior Jack Warmolts, an avid hockey fan, said people should go to hockey games and support the team.

“We have great school pride here, and typically pretty big audiences at sporting events,” he said. “But the vibe hockey

players get from fans being there is awesome. You can tell they appreciate our presence.”

The boys finished their season with a first

place final ranking in their division of the Capital Hockey Conference, which categorizes skill levels of high school teams in central Ohio.

The conference consists of three divisions: Red, White and Blue. Red signifies the top teams of central Ohio, White the second best and Blue the

third-ranked teams.UA belongs to the White division,

beating out Olentangy Orange, Thomas Worthington, Olentangy and Gahanna Lincoln in the standings.

The top four Red teams, top three White teams and top one Blue team advanced to the 2012 Blue Jacket Cup.

Senior captain Brian Helscel said that without the fans, the team’s success this season wouldn’t have been possible.

“I feel like the growing popularity of the sport and our success is because of the people involved,” he said. “We are a senior-heavy team, so I feel like that has grown in the popularity and support of students. Currently being 12-2-1 in the league, I think that student support and fans coming to watch us helps tremendously.”

Helscel thinks Spirit Club overall does an good job of encouraging students to get to hockey games. He said the fans really do help their performance.

“Whether it’s just a handful of students, or even an arena-full, a game is a game,” he said. “And no matter what, we love support because it helps us win.”

With increasing support for the team, hockey comes out with the wins

phoTo by hannah harper

‘‘i feel like the growing popularity of the sport

and our success is because of the people involved.”

Senior Brian Helscel


r ich. Preppy. High socks. Sperry’s. Hunter boots. Jeeps. UA shag. “Mad flow.” Lax bro.

Such terms portray some of the common stereotypes of the typical UAHS student. While these stereotypes assume that all UA students embody the same characteristics, the demographics of the community show more diversity than such stereotypes suggest.

Outsiders’ Opinions

Throughout the central Ohio suburbs, stereotypes differ from school to school. People from surrounding communities have varied opinions of the traits a UA student may exhibit. Worthington Kilbourne 2011 alumna Kelsey Hanna shares her perception of UA.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘rich’, but [UA kids] definitely get a lot from their parents,” she said. “UA kids don’t really work, [they] live off their parents and think of themselves more highly than others because they are privileged.”

Compared to the state of Ohio, statistics exhibit that UA students are clearly “privi-leged.” According to the city-data.com Web site, which compiles data for U.S. cities, Upper Arlington’s median household income from 2009 was $87,557, while Ohio’s average was $40,956; UA had over double the amount.

While numbers show that UA is well above the state average, Hanna said UA’s wealth is similar to that of other suburbs, but that UA community members are more forthcoming about their affluence.

“UA has just the same amount of money as schools like Dublin Jerome, Dublin Coff-man and Hilliard schools, but they are more ‘showy’ about it,” she said.

Although Hanna said the majority of UA is privileged, she knows financial status can vary.

“I think it’s a case-by-case situation, but I think UA definitely makes it more of a point to flaunt their money,” she said. “UA is more

‘old money,’ while Dublin and Hilliard and Olentangy are ‘new money.’”

By “old money” Hanna said the commu-nity has accumulated wealth from genera-tions of UA families.

Jenna Hochman, a junior at Columbus School for Girls who lives in New Albany, associates UA students’ “privileges” with large, lavish homes.

“I think of old, pretty brick houses that are traditional-looking, nice and expensive,” Hochman said.

Hilliard Davidson junior Molly Jackson also has stereotypes of UA, expressing a sense of dislike for UA students.

“When I think of UA students the words rich, preppy, rude, and stuck up come to mind,” Jackson said. “I dislike them because they think they’re better than us.”

While some students from other schools seem to dislike UA due to its wealth, Hilliard Davidson freshman Matt Waters focuses on other aspects, such as sports.

“I don’t like Upper Arlington students very much because of the rivalry in sports between UA and Davidson,” Waters said.

Students from other schools mainly base their stereotypes of UA on wealth, but others derive from sports, academics and attitude.

CSG junior Helen Gianakopoulos, who lives in Bexely, bases her opinion on these qualitative aspects.

“When I think of UA, I think of how huge it is, the good reputation of sports, and how outgoing and nice the people are,” she said. “I think the school has a reputation of having a close-knit com-munity despite how big it is.”

‘River Ridge’ Homeprice: $199,000 year built: 1952sq. feet: 1,326

‘Historic UA’ Homeprice: $775,000 year built: 1920sq. feet: 3,153

Upper Arlington has long been considered a community of the privileged few; however, the suburb’s demographics prove more diverse than many might realize.

dispelling the

by emmaklebe, ‘13 and mattiestevens, ‘13

the river ridge

zollinger road

north uA

Fishinger road

mccoy road

west henderson road

tremont center Area

riverside drive


Voices from Within

UA students have defensive re-sponses to these generalizations of their community. Junior Jacob Conrad said UA has many more middle-lower class residents than others may realize. However, he does understand the basis of other schools’ perceptions.

“In general, other central Ohio schools see UA as a center for preten-tious, rich kids with plenty of toys to keep them occupied,” Conrad said.

He said other schools’ students should have a more objective view of the typical UA student.

“I would question their [other schools’ students] open-mindedness,” Conrad said. “Upper Arlington has a variety of students of different financial classes. The majority of kids are middle-upper class; this is no surprise. However, I’m willing to say there are as many lower-middle class students as there are [upper]-class students,” he said. “You would also find a wide assortment of incomes, but by per-cent, the numbers are more evened out.”

According to taxfoundation.org, a Web site that summarizes area tax reports, the middle class income would range from $35,500 to $122,000. UA’s median of $87,557 classi-fies the suburb as upper-middle class. In essence,

these statistics support Conrad’s view of the community.

According to the city-data.com Web site, surrounding communities in the Franklin County area share a similar status. In Dublin, the median house-hold income from 2009 was $110,764, surpassing UA’s median. This wealth continues in the house value; the 2009 median Dublin home valued at $331,245, greater than the median UA home value of $316,768.

Another wealthy central Ohio suburb that is in close proximity to UA is New Albany. Their financial statis-tics also surpass UA’s wealth, with the

median home value at $500,410 and a median household income of $144,581.

District Divisions

Within UA, home size and value vary, causing stereotypes to arise based on the monetary worth of homes in certain neighborhoods. However, the community’s median home value is affected by mansion-sized outliers. The estimated UA median house value is $316,768, nearly triple the amount of the median Ohio house value of $134,600. While these numbers may lead people to assume all UA homes are large and expensive, UA residents have different views.

Sections within the community cause various stereotypes to arise according to house location. For instance, the difference between North and South UA is minuscule is to some; for others, a clear wealth separation exists within the community.

Realtor Mindy Farwick, who grew up in UA and is now raising a family and selling real estate in the community, explains the diversity of home values.

“Homes south of Lane [Avenue] are older, because that is where some of the first homes were built,” she said. “They are mostly two stories, have smaller lots, smaller basements and shared driveways. Some streets have very large homes and some do not.”

When comparing the two sections of UA, Farwick notes a difference in the home styles.

“Many of the homes in North Arlington are ranches, which was a very popular style in the 1950s and 1960s,” she said.

Sophomore Isaac Margard also notices subtle wealth differences between north and south Arlington.

“I’ve heard the stereotype that south UA has more money and larger houses than north UA,” Margard said. “I don’t see a huge difference until I’m really far south in UA.”

The community is generally stereotyped according to the north and south areas, but students are also aware of the middle neighborhoods.

The middle of UA, which is a vertical-ly-oriented suburb, contains two sections. One area term known to some students,

the river ridge

‘historic uA’(south of lane)

zollinger road

lane avenue

north uA

Fishinger road

Trem

ont r

oad

mccoy road

west henderson road

Kenny roadKenny road

North UA Homeprice: $514,900year built: 1976sq. feet: 4,170

Tremont Center Homeprice: $359,900 year built: 1956sq. feet: 2,460

northstar road

tremont center Area

phoToS and inFormaTion courTeSy oF King ThompSon realTy


Go to jostensyearbook.com. Click on Yearbooks. Click on Buy Your Yearbook.

It’s not too late to buy a yearbook!

the “Golden Ghetto,” alludes to a lower income area in Upper Arlington. Ironi-cally, while it may be the lower-class area of the community, in comparison to real “ghettos,” homes values there are roughly $35,400 higher than the state’s median home value of $134,600.

Although students mainly refer to

this area as the “Golden Ghetto,” older generations know it as “River Ridge.” Farwick prefers the latter name.

“You hit a nerve with me calling the River Ridge the Golden Ghetto,” she said. “That type of student is what gives Upper Arlington a bad name. There is an area of Upper Arlington called the River

imageS courTeSy oF norweSTer, wiKipedia, worThingTon SchoolS, william b .TraviS elemenTary School,50 STaTeS.com, phoeniX.abouT.com, STaTiSTicS From ciTydaTa.com (2009)

Junior madiSon meanS conTribuTed To ThiS STory.

Ridge. Homes in that area sell between $150,000-$190,000. It is a great area where the homes are smaller so therefore sell for less than other areas.”

Conrad shares his opinion about common student misconceptions of the Golden Ghetto/River Ridge area.

“[It’s] really just a neighborhood of single-story brick houses with high prop-erty values,” he said. “I imagine people joke about these ‘low end’ homes because they don’t even realize there are much cheaper, less quality apartments for rent less than a mile away, still in UA. It’s an easy scapegoat for jokes.”

Stereotypical Truth

Division from within UA as well as comparisons between UA and other surrounding schools show the variety of stereotypes portrayed.

The “rich-preppy” stereotype may continue to hold true to Upper Arlington, but students and statistics will prove the diversity other schools often forget.

0

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OhioHilliard WorthingtonNew AlbanyDublin UA

$87,557

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$144,581

$75,629 $78,623

$40,956

bar graph illustrates the median household incomes for adjacent districts, state of ohio

Suburb by Suburb


2140 Tremont CenterUA, Ohio 43221

MOndAy - SATUrdAy8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

SUndAy9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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Event Invitations See All

St. Patrick’s DayIt’s the luck of the Irish! Be on the lookout for tiny, ginger-haired men dressed up in green ensembles.

you may be closer than you think to finding that pot of gold! Wear green or risk being pinched. March 17, 2012

rSVP: yes • no • Maybe

Spring BreakWhether you’re hitting the beach, continuing your vacation in a winter wonderland or

relaxing on a stay-cation, Spring Break is drawing near. If you’re stuck in C-bus and looking for something to do, check out arlingtonian.com and read Spring Break Blues, by Aly Gordon on how to spend your time in the 614.

March 16 - 25, 2012


March MadnessCheer on your favorite nCAA basketball team in the 73rd-

annual March Madness tournament. For ticket sales or more information about specific game dates, locations or “bracketology,” visit: www.ncaa.com/march-madness.

March 11 - April 2, 2012


Info

Wall

Notes

Photos

“Bearbook” will profile one student in each issue of Arlingtonian throughout the 2011-12 school year. Selected by the staff, the profiled person shares his or her views and opinions in a format similar to a Facebook page.

Ben Kompa Class of 2013 runs Track and Cross Country Has completed over 10 AP Classes Was named the top student at the research Institute, nationwide Children’s Hospital

Bridge Slaughter-house Five

The demon in the

Freezer

Inception Wayne’s World

21

30 rock The Office The Colbert report

Queen Coldplay Zuppa

Favorites

compiled by abby godard

BeArBOOk IMAGeS COUrTeSy OreGOn LIIVe, PAGAn PAGeS, rICHArd dAWkInS, rICHArd PreSTOn, dAnTe ALIGHIerI, kUrT VOnneGUT Jr., MASSACHUSeTTS InSTITUTe OF TeCHnOLOGy, nBC, COMedy CenTrAL, HOLLyWOOd reCOrdS, BeAr ALUMS.

Extracurricular Activities

In the know

Track

Science Olympiad

Math Club

Cross Country

Science research

About Ben Kompa

Interests Chemistry, Science Research, Bridge (a card game), Discus

Classes AP Statistics, AP Spanish, AP English Lit, AP US Government, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C

Future Plans Aspires to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or the University of Pennsylvania. He later hopes to become a medical scientist.

ArlingtonianThis summer, you were chosen for a competitive seven-week internship for the research Institute at nationwide Children’s Hospital in which there were over 70 applicants, but only 20 students were accepted. Tell us what that experience was like.Feb. 24, 2012 at 3:15 p.m. Like • Comment

Ben KompaWe blazed through an introduction to med school and learned about everything from genetics to immunology to networking with professionals. In a typical class, we’d learn about one or two topics in depth, learn about a pathway of our body in depth, then meet with medical professionals. The kids in this class were academic all-stars: one got into Harvard, yale, Princeton, MIT, and Stanford and one won the entire national Spelling Bee!Feb. 24, 2012 at 3:18 p.m. Like • Comment

ArlingtonianOut of these 20 interns, you were named the top student of the program. That’s a huge accomplishment! How did you get to that point?Feb, 24, 2012 at 3:20 p.m. Like • Comment

Ben KompaI set being the top student as my goal from the start of the course and worked very hard to earn it. I studied ... about 15-20 hours per week over the summer. It was a part time-job completing all the projects and studying for the quizzes.Feb. 24, 2012 at 3:28 p.m. Like • Comment

ArlingtonianLooking back on your high school years thus far, what accomplishments make you most proud?Feb. 24, 2012 at 3:32 p.m. Like • Comment

Ben KompaQualifying for the regional track meet in discus, qualifying for the United States national Chemistry Olympiad sophomore year, and being the top research student at The research Institute, nationwide Children’s Hospital.Feb. 24, 2012 at 3:34 p.m. Like • Comment

Q&A With Ben Kompa

Frank Epitropoulos, highlighted in the first issue of the 2011-12 Arlingtonian BearBook, earned the MVP award in the International Bowl. He recently

signed with The Ohio State University to play football next year.


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demian bichir, a better life

Jean dujardin, The artist

gary oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

george clooney, The descendants

brad pitt, moneyball

2.9%

6.9%

11.8%

30.4%

49%

With the Academy Awards only days away, here are the top contenders for this year’s honors, as well as which nominees students picked to take the prize:

students’ choice: students’ choice:

The Tree of life

The descendants

The artist

midnight in paris

extremely loud and incredibly close

0%

1.7%

2.9%

3.9%

6.8%

And the Best Actor and Actress Nominees are:

And the Best Picture Nominees are:

imageS courTeSy oF columbia picTureS, Sony picTureS, dreamworKS STudioS, FoX SearchlighT picTureS, depTh oF Field, la peTiTe reine, STudio canal, paramounT picTureS, gravier producTionS, Film4, weinSTein company, brace cove producTionS

glenn close, albert nobbs

meryl Streep, The iron lady

michelle williams, my week with marilyn

viola davis, The help

rooney mara, the girl with the dragon tattoo

1.7%

14.7%

14.7%

30.4%

38.2%

hugo

war horse:

moneyball

the help

6.8%

12.7%

30.4%

39.2%

Source: volunTary Survey oF 102 STudenTS

oscar highlights


it is important for 18-year-olds to vote.

66% YAY, 13% NAY, 21% UNDECIDED

66%

spring break should be longer, even if it means a shorter summer.


facebook distracts you from homework.


56%

dAtA for this yAy or nAy compiled through A voluntAry survey of 10 percent of the student body.

compiled by olivia milTner, ’13

uggs are past their prime.


42%

you received or plan to receive tutoring for the sAt/Act.


78%

you plan to watch the oscars.


54%

48%

you are following your new year’s resolution.


39%

the uA stereotype of “rich, preppy” students is accurate.


41%

Columnist defends talent of the midwesterners

I went to colorado with a mission: to find out why our neighbors in Texas or illinois—or even way out in argen-tina—think ohio is where the game Farmville originated.

and to discover why the notion exists that cow tipping is our greatest form of entertainment. as trivial and obviously untrue as this all sounds, i was positive i would find at least some mea-sure of truth in these outlandish stereotypes by interviewing people from across the country about their thoughts on ohio.Turns out, nobody really cares or knows much about ohio. Shocking, right? Though i talked with people from arizona to australia, their responses did not include “land of the farmer” and “home of the hillbilly.” did this deter me from my goal to reveal ohio’s endearing charm anyways? of course not.

ohio is the home of aviation. where would we be without our friends the wright brothers? we would be cooped up in a minivan with our families for days, trying to make it to the beach before Spring break ended. nobody wants that. admittedly, cars have yet to go out of style completely, but i wouldn’t count it out for the future. who knows what our fellow ohioans will come up with next?

and, we all know what comes after planes: spaceships! ohio is home to 24 astronauts, one of the highest of any state, according to naSa. neil armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, took his first steps here in ohio. what other state can say that? now, our friends up in michigan may say we have the most men going into space because they’re trying to escape ohio—but i see it more as wanting to spread the buckeye Spirit to infinity and beyond.

To some, ohio may seem like a mundane state with little to do and even less to appreci-ate, but they are wrong. Though 85 uahS students gave ohio an averaged rating of 6.5 out of a possible 10 for being an enjoyable state in which to live, pearson education revealed that columbus was number 15 by population and ranking as a place to reside. with 275 cities to beat out, columbus is in the top 5 percent. columbus also ranked higher than denver, washington d.c. and even ann arbor. (The home of the wolverines ranked at 228. no surprise there). ohio is a state that deserves respect and admiration. it is not only our home and state capital, but also a highly prestigious city. our state has turned out seven presidents since our addition to the union in 1803. a fellow ohioan has led this country for a collective 26.5 years. This is merely one more example of why ohio is more than meets the eye.

of course, i couldn’t go without mentioning one of ohio’s most obvious claims to fame: ohio State university sports. oSu produces more nFl players than any other big Ten conference school, with 47 buckeyes currently playing in the nFl, according to 10Tv news. The buckeyes have won seven national championships and have seven heis-man Trophy winners. what’s more, the oSu men’s basketball program has the number one standing in the big Ten and is ranked sixth overall (at press time) according to the buckeye grove web site. as you can tell, the buckeyes bring the game.

The buckeye State may vary for different people. if you have ever been near a buck-eye tree in autumn when the buckeyes were just ready to be picked, you would know that a spiky outer shell must be cracked before the smooth buckeye is retrieved. That’s what our mantra as ohioans should be. The weather is less than stellar and sometimes you may feel like there’s nothing to do, but when you take a minute to peel off ohio’s shell you just might find something special inside.

by elizabethtzagournis, ’13

phoToS by audrey hall


clearly, free Chipotle burritos were not enough of a bribe to get the class of 2013 to do as well on last

year’s OGT as hoped. According to the Ohio

Department of Education, Upper Arlington High School ranked fourth out of all Franklin County public schools, behind Grandview Heights, Bexley and New Albany-Plain Local. This was a disappointment, since we were challenged to score even higher than the previous year’s class, which received the highest spot among the same schools.

The kicker? According to the ODE, the class of 2012 had an 89.9 percent passing rate, whereas 90.5 percent of my junior class passed. We did improve, the only problem was that the three schools listed above improved more than Upper Arlington, reaching into the 92nd percentile.

So, if I were Kip Greenhill, I would be asking, “What do these teenagers want more than food?”

The answer: Less work.Instead of appealing to our innate

tendency to fill ourselves with carbs and calories, he decided to give this year’s sophomores the opportunity to exempt themselves from final exams, provided that they score in the top 10 percent in the corresponding section of the OGT.

So, if a student ranks in the 95th percentile in the mathematics part of the

test, they won’t have to take their math final exam, and instead will have their course grade calculated only with their

quarter grades.Of course, when I first

heard this, I was jealous. I said to myself, “This isn’t fair!”

But after I started thinking about it, I realized that my negative attitude was completely irrational. Of course I wish we had that opportunity but, hey, life isn’t fair. And if this is enough encouragement to motivate the 10th graders

to meet these high expectations on their OGTs, then that benefits everyone in the school, not just the class of 2014.

The OGTs were designed in response to the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2001. According to the Legislative Service Commission, the tests became one way to determine how well a school is performing, and whether or not they meet federal education requirements set by the act. This is one of the reasons why there is such pressure on students to perform well on these tests. The OGTs are

also the only determining factor in ranking high schools in the area. Other statistics that show a school’s progress, like SAT or ACT scores and graduation rates, are not taken into consideration.

Because there are such important consequences riding on the results of the OGTs, they put pressure on teachers to educate students first and foremost on what will show up on the tests. This is the ‘teach to test’ approach, and instead of students learning core aspects of education, it limits the range of the school’s curriculum.

Fortunately, Ohio’s state legislature passed an education reform bill in 2009 that calls for the replacement of the OGT with other graduation requirements. Although there is no set timeline, these will include a nationally standardized assessment, a series of end-of-course

exams and a senior project.

However, at the present time, I can’t help but think about the state of our education. We shouldn’t have to be bribed to try our best on a test. While

burritos or no exams may motivate students in the short-term, these incentives make us lose our innate love for learning, and teach us that hard work only happens with the prospect of rewards.

ogt bribe helpful, but unnecessary

by oliviamiltner, ’13

graphic by erin SanKey

rock the vote!staffeditorial

As election season heats up, citizens across the country are anxiously anticipating the new changes that will come with

the decisions made by voters. These issues range from levies for public schools and libraries to who our president will be for the next four years. however, even as people all over the nation lend their opinions on such topics, a surprisingly small percentage of citizens will actually vote on them, as seen in our story “primary pandemonium.” and one of the demographic groups with fewer

voters is young people just turning 18. with such a new and exciting responsibility to be a part of

the nation’s decision process, students of voting age should take advantage of their right. The issues that students will vote on this year will affect communities at a local level, as well as the shape our nation will take for the next several years. while students may complain of the annoyance of completing the process to sign up to vote, there are countless teens in countries around the world protesting right now for the same rights that each individual in the united States is granted.

voting is a right and responsibility that should not be squandered, lest it be taken away and we as citizens are left without a voice.

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Documents

challenging the stereotype - Arlingtonian2 february 24, 2012 arlingtonian arlingtonian Connected to education At AEP, we never forget the value electricity brings to our lives. That’s