Volume 59, Issue 1 – September 17, 2010

AStory

Sophomore Survival

p.8

Movie Review

P. 6

TanningDangers

P. 12

Golf

Updates

P. 4

Miranda Manchester, 12

Mariah Johnson, 11

Seth Nelson, 10

Photo by: K. Menschik Photo by: K. Menschik Photo by: K. Menschik

Photo by: K. Menschik

Alex Harris, 10

Delaney Smith, Editor-in-ChiefKayla Steffens, Copy EditorAmelia Jaeger, Sports EditorAnna Harris, Layout EditorJohn Murray, Graphic Designer

Sonya Switzer, Photography EditorHannah Tribble, Co-Sports EditorSasha Kochurova, Staff WriterMegan Adkins, Staff WriterKelsey Menschik, Staff Writer

Contrails Staff 2010-2011

Jennifer Crawford, Adviser

P. 2 CONTRAILS School News 9/17/10

• ID badges now hang vertically, as op-posed to horizontally in past years. The new badges are color-coded: yellow for CAB, green for ACME, Blue for HHS.

• This year, cell phone rules are more intensified. If a student is caught with a cell phone, for the first offense, late school and/or Saturday may be as-signed.

o Cell phones are still permitted during lunch periods.

• The new library facility for MHHS is ex-pected to be up and running by October 30.

o There are two teaching com-puter labs

o More space for more students

o No big projects/major research that requires the current library should be planned at this time

New School Year Brings Changes in Faculty, Rules For the 2010-2011 school years, there have been several new additions to the MHHS faculty: Russ Wortham Coach Russ Wortham teaches civics, government, American history and coaches junior high football. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and watching college football. As a first year teacher, “MHHS has great students, but everything comes fast and I have to just monitor and adjust.” Wortham said.Toni Rogers Toni Rogers, an HHS academy adviosor for the sophomore class, teaches sophomore English and senior English. “My favorite thing about MHHS is the professionalism of the staff and the passion for student success.” said Rogers. “The schedule and all of the first two days’ AAP paperwork was very difficult.” When not teaching English classes, Rogers reads, writes, listens to music, and spends time with family and friends with her free time.Danielle Prins The new physical and environmental science teacher, Danielle Prins, is also the girls’ assistant volleyball coach.

Continued on p.14Photo by: D. Smith

copy editor

P. 3 CONTRAILS Technology9/17/10

graphic designerJohn Murray

New Technology is constantly changing. Most things on teenager’s minds today are phones. New phones come out every couple of weeks so it is difficult to say which phone is better and greater. One thing is certain: there is a war, and it is fierce. The differences of the two competitors are what sells or fails a phone. The iPhone 4 (iPwn, for the aficionados) and the Droid 2 are very diverse in composition and fan base. The specs for the Droid 2 are incredible, with a 1GHz processor and a dedicated graphics processor, it is insanely powerful. It has a screen resolution of 480x854 and a 8 megapixel camera, that makes it a visual staple. The Droid 2 finally comes together with the Android OS, this has the

advantage that anyone could write an android app and publish it, or sell it third party. The iPhone 4 has great features as well. The iPhone does have a larger screen resolution, (960x640 was jammed in pixels per inch) but the main camera is 3 megapixels less than a Droid 2. Also it has 2 cameras which serve a great video chat purpose. Downfalls of the iPhone 4 are the lack of tactile keyboard and the pain of app development on a Mac. There are 3 major types of operating systems that rule cyberspace today. Mac, Windows, and Linux dominate most every computer in the world. Mac is the oldest, and therefore the one who started innovation. It lately has fallen into a droll while the company has changed the focus to devices and not the operating system. Windows is the most commonly used business minded OS. While accused of stealing ideas they

remain at the top all over the world. Linux are the underdogs of the computing world. In 1991 Linus Torvalds brought his version of Unix operating systems for free. Although not well known, it has several programmers ready to pump out more software.

Micro-processing is a technology that runs our life. Microwaves, refrigerators, and even unmanned aircraft run on a micro-processor, which is an embedded chip that that runs hardware that is applicable to our daily lives. The source for most amateur developers is a site called Spark Fun. This site provides products from resistors to AMR7 processors. This may seem overwhelming, however, with a little practice anyone can be on their way to making boards. The profession of micro-processing is an up and coming, and important job that also pays a lot of money.

Modern Technology simplified

Which operating system do you prefer?

Mac Linux Windows

Kamden Kellogg

P. 4 CONTRAILS Sports 9/17/10

co-sports editorAmelia Jaeger

The Bomber golfers have begun their 2010-2o11 golf season. Their first match was a tournament at Big Creek Golf and Country Club on August 2 and 3. Richard Zimmerman, senior, placed first at the tournament with a score of 71. The rest of the team followed behind him. At one of the next matches, the Lady Bombers won with a score of 141 overall. For the Varsity team, sophomore Holly Shook, took home a medal with a score of 44. Seniors, Maggie Cooper and

Miranda Manchester, were close behind Shook with 46 for Cooper and 51 for Manchester. “Golf was hard at first but now it’s a habit. I am very excited for the state match this year.” Junior Jenna Kucginski said. “The one person I look up to on the team this year is senior, Maggie Cooper. She is new to the team, but she stepped up to the plate and took the senior leadership role. She is also a great golfer and I want to be as good as her when I’m a senior.” “My brother was why I started playing golf. I always watched him when he was in high school and thought it would be fun to try.” Senior Miranda

Manchester said. “The biggest match for me this year is the state tournament because as a senior I have to be a leader and come out on top. Being around great teammates is the best part of this sport. I think the Lady Bombers are very close this year and that’s a great characteristic of being a team.” The next match for the Bombers and Lady Bombers will be September 13. This year, the state tournament for the Bombers will be at Big Creek; the Lady Bombers’ state tournament will be in Russellville, Arkansas.

Bomber Golf Season in Full SwingMHHS opens season with inaugural Bomber Invitational

Game, Set, MatchBomber Tennis Team begins seasonco-sports editor Hannah Tribble

On Tuesday, August 24, the MHHS tennis team began their season in a match against the Highland Rebels at the Athletic Club. The match ended in a split. “The most challenging part of the game is my serve. You have to practice serving everyday to be consistent with it.” Senior Kord Steffelbeam said. “The biggest match of the season is the state championship match. My goal for this season is to win state and go to overalls.” Junior Cody Linck said, “My favorite part about tennis is hitting a good forehand. The most challenging part of the game for me are backhands.” The next match will be on Septemeber 14 versus the Marian Patriots. This year, the Bombers will compete in six conference tennis matches against Jonesboro, Searcy, and Marion. The conference tournament will be held on October 18 and 19 in Jonesboro at Allen Park. A complete schedule for the Bomber tennis team can be found at the Mountain Home Athletic website: <http://bombers.k12.ar.us/hs/hs_athletics.htm>. Golf coach Brad Morris answers questions about his team last year.

Photo Submitted

P. 5 CONTRAILS Sports9/17/10

co-sports editorsAmelia Jaeger Hannah Tribble

The Bomber football season has started. They won their first game against the Nettleton Raiders on Friday, September 3.. The final score of the game was 31-15. Unofficially, Mountain Home outgained Nettleton 312-217 in total offense. Mountain Home rushed for 205 yards, led by

Bowman’s 77 yards on 12 carries. Feliccia ran seven times for 66 yards, and Morris had 55 on four totes.

“I was just proud of our kids. They played with a lot of emotion and a lot of heart. They’re proud to be Bombers tonight,” said Coach Mahan. “I ex-pected our kids to play hard, and they did. There are always things we’ve got to work on and get better at from week one to week two and I expect us

to do that. I’m just proud of the kids and what we asked them to do. They played with tremendous effort and I really enjoyed that.”

Being the first game of the season, the stands were packed to the max. For the most part of the game, the whole section was standing. As for the student section, needless to say there was spirit running throughout it. There have been many changes to the football program this year; a new coach means new traditions.

On game day, each player had to wear a dress shirt and tie to school, as well as to the pep rally. Instead of running out on to the field through a banner, they lined up in rows of four hooking arms and walking out through the tunnel as a team.

This season, the team has 22 se-niors, 23 juniors, and 31 sophomores. Being a large team has its advantages. The more people there are, the greater the selection of talent to choose from.

“Coach Tejcek is the person I look up to the most, because he is always there when I need him the most,” junior Travis Morris said. “I play the tail back position. As a tail back I am one of the running backs furthest away from the line of scrimmage, behind the center. The game I am looking forward to this season is Harrison. It’s a rivalry game and we get to show off our new skills at Harrison’s new stadium this year.”

The next game at Bomber Stadium will be September 17 at 7:30 p.m. against the Batesville Pioneers.

Raiders Knocked off High HorseMahan wins first game as Bomber head coach

Coach Carl Owens gives intsructions to a Bomber football player during a late-August practice at Bomber Stadium.

Photo by: S. Switzer

P. 6 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

staff writer Sasha Kochurova

Once upon a time, a girl named Becca Crane moved to a small town Sporks, to live with her dad Frank Crane. Becca didn’t know that the town was flooded with bloodsucking vampires and that she, soon, would get involved with them.

I went to see a spoof that all Twilight fans and haters wish to see – Vampires Suck. Unexpectedly, the movie wasn’t awful like the movie title might have suggested. and was actually pretty funny. For the most part, during the movie, I laughed my belly off. The movie, though, required a special sense of humor, and most of the Twilight lovers will prob-ably hate it.

Before I went to see Vampires Suck, I read a va-riety of reviews about the movie, and, unfortunate-ly, I don’t remember any good ones. Most of the reviews said the movie was terrible and it wasn’t worth the money that they paid to go.

Before I start completely spoiling the movie for everyone who has yet to see it, I just have to say one thing: Becca Crane, played by Jenn Proske, looks so much like Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart. Proske copied Stewart’s facial expressions like a twin—constantly open mouth, I’m-out-of-breath breathing, always-something-in-the-eye winks. I don’t even know who I laughed about the most, Becca or Bella. It was probably Becca because of her two signature moves that I’m now stuck with: put-ting her hair behind her ear every five seconds and biting her lower lip.

After Becca turns her iPod to “teen angst music,” she arrives at Frank’s house and goes to her old room, which looked like the last time she slept in the room was when she was eight months old. Bec-ca and her dad, then, had an extremely awkward

conversation, but the sound of a horn interrupts it and they go outside to greet the White family.

Skipping the Jacob/Becca talk and the not so friendly fight between their fathers and going to the Sporks High School, the parking sign for Becca’s car made me laugh out loud: “Sad, lonely new students with a crappy old truck PARKING ONLY.” Then I saw the cafeteria scene where more char-acters were introduced. In Twilight, my favorite character was Alice, in Vampires Suck, it was most definitely Jennifer played by Anneliese van der Pol. Becca sat at the table, she sees the Sullen fam-ily, where everyone seemed to be really close and affectionate. Edward was played by Matt Lanter. Edward’s facial expressions kept me laughing throughout the movie; he looked like he was per-manently constipated. In the biology class, Becca smelled every spot on her body that could possibly smell bad because Edward sat next to her with that constipated look. Edward, then, juggled an apple, a baby, and a bowling ball.

Later in the woods, Becca guessed the identity of her beloved Edward. At first, she asks him if he is a Jonas brother. He said, “No, I’m a vampire. Duh.” Later in the movie, still in the woods, Edward breaks up with Becca. Her life is worthless, once again, and she is in hysterics: screaming, crying, rolling on the ground.

With Edward gone, Becca starts spending time doing reckless things such as going to the movies with Jennifer and spending summer with Jacob. With Jenifer they went to see Break-ing Dawn.”How can anyone fall in love with a vampire?”asked Jennifer. “And I can’t believe they had a vampire baby!”

Somewhere along the lines, Jacob turned into a Chihuahua, and his werewolf friends danced to the song by The Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men.”

After that, Iris, the Vampires Suck version of Alice from Twilight, went to Edward’s apartment where he was hiding with his new girlfriend, Lady Gaga. I

Edward decided that his life is pointless without Becca, so he is went to Spork’s High School Prom to reveal himself in order to make Zoltury to kill him. Becca saved him, though.

Daro and Jane were crowned prom king and queen, and Daro made Edward bite Becca.

I think students with sense of humor should see Vampires Suck at least once. And if not, remember: some sagas just won’t die.

Movie Review: Vampires Suck

Characters from the film can be seen in this movie poster.

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P. 7 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

Book Series Offers Suspense, Romance, Action to Teenage Readersstaff writer Megan Adkins

“The House of Night” Series, writ-ten mainly for teen readers, is full of suspense, drama, romance, action, and humor. In the first book of the se-ries, Marked, Zoey Montgomery also known as Zoey Redbird, is an ordinary girl with an ordinary life. She has a mom, a controlling stepfather, and a loving grandma. Zoey never felt ac-cepted at her home since her mother remarried. The only place where she felt comfortable and accepted was with her grandma, Redbird. But that

changed when the tracker found her in the school hallway.

Zoey knew what was going to hap-pen. Everyone knew about the tracker and the House of Night. The House of Night is a school for vampires fledg-ling. The House of Night provided her a new life as a vampire fledgling. She was bitten by the tracker, which is a vampire with special skills to track down the next person to become a vampire fledgling. Fledgling is the stage between getting bitten and before becoming a vampire. Some fledglings don’t make it, it depends

on if the body rejects the change in becoming a vampire.

Betrayed, the second book in the “House of Night” Series, some would say was very dark and tempting. “I love how they put teenaged humor mixed with violence and drama “ju-nior Katie Arnold said. At this point, Zoey, After finally was adjusted to her new found powers she received from the goddess Nyx. Nyx is the god-dess that the vampire and vampire fledglings worship. She settled in and found her crowd of friends and class-es, but her human life started to fall to pieces when human teenagers were getting killed off. The strange thing about it was that everything about the murders was pointing back to the House of Night. Zoey rare, distinc-tive powers were once again revealed. They made her stand out from the other fledglings at the school but also influenced unwanted threats.

Chosen and Untamed, the third and fourth books in the series in the House of Night, are full of action and blood lust. In a very short amount of time, Zoey lost her best friend Stevie Rae along with serial other fledgling vampires, and it was up to Zoey to figure out what was going on and to pull everything back to the way things were before the killings and deaths started. Zoey’s friends were severely angry about her keeping secrets from them. This made it very hard to keep her thoughts sane. “Personally, I like the action and my favorite character is Stark” sophomore Sharlet Johnson said.

Hunted, Tempted, and Burned are the fifth, sixth, and seventh books in the “House of Night” Series. Some say they are very intriguing, thrilling, and unexpected.Awakened, P.C. and Kristin Casts last book of the “House of Night” series will be out January 4, 2011.

Junior Shyanne Villalvazo reads one of the “House of Night” books in the CAB hallway.

Photo by: D. Smith

P. 8 CONTRAILS SOPHOMORES 9/17/10

Learning the RopesSophomores Survive

First Weeks of High School Experience

staff writersSasha Kochurova Megan Adkins

For every sophomore, the first week goes differently. Some get lost, some find their classes perfectly, some spend all morning trying to open their locker and end up being late to their first block class. But first weeks are always the crazy ones.

It is Taylor Dewitt’s and Adam Burton’s first year in High School.

On the first day of high school, every-one goes to his/her locker. Sophomores, like Adam Burton, find searching for lockers difficult when they are scattered throughout the school campus. Taylor Dewitt, on the other hand, didn’t have any trouble at all, even though she missed orientation.

The school map can be helpful to all students, but it can also be really confus-ing if it is read backwards. Dewitt used a map during the first day, while Adam aim-lessly asked people for directions, which

Sophomore Adam Bruton struggles to find his classes due to construction and his lack of knowledge of the MHHS campus.

Photo by: S. Kochurova

P. 9 CONTRAILS SOPHOMORES9/17/10

Sophomore Adam Bruton assembles a motherboard in Mr. Young’s classroom.

Dewitt, on the other hand, didn’t have any trouble at all, even though she missed orientation.

The school map can be helpful to all students, but it can also be really confusing if it is read backwards.

Dewitt used a map during the first day, while Adam aimlessly asked people for directions, which caused him to being late to every class.

In junior high, 8th graders had second lunch and freshmen had first lunch. Lunch in High

School is mixed. “High school lunches are so much better than junior high lunches.” said Burton. “The high school cafeteria offers a much wider variety of food to choose from. The ham-burgers and fries may be the same but taste so much better.”

High school teachers became much stricter; they want every student to be ready to go out in the world. The homework has become more dif-ficult,” said Dewitt. “The teachers assign it more often and in bigger amounts.”

Sophomores are the lowest layer at the high school and some sophomores feel intimidated by the upper classes. “It is a new experience for me, and I am still getting used to all of the new faces. In German, there are many juniors that I have only recently met.” said Burton.

“I was definitely nervous, but not intimidated. We are all students at MHHS and for most stu-dents, the classes are unfamiliar. No one should feel intimidated by the upperclassmen; they are kind and will help you whenever they can.”

Sophomore Taylor Dewitt prepares for class during her first week at school.

Sophomores Taylor Dewitt and Adam Bruton adjust to live as high school students.

Photo by: J. Murray Photo by: J. MurrayPhoto by: S.Kochurova

P. 10 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

Academy UpdatesACME- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.- With a few final touches, the Fitness Trail behind the high school will be complete.- All ACME teachers went on an externship to the Ozark Medieval Fortress in Lead Hill, Arkansas. They are now working on put-ting together interdisciplinary units with the Medieval castles in mind. - ACME teachers will be doing a project in conjunction with the Ozark Medieval For-tress.

HHS- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.- Focuses on Academy Day included: the HHS theme presentation piece, and new activities for the field rotation.- HHS students will soon start preparation for CSI in February.

CAB- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.- CAB club WRAP focuses on planning events such as a Leadership Conference and a trip to the fourth grade.

staff writer Sonya Switzer

This year, senior Richard Zimmerman can be found either marching in our high school band or hitting the fairways at Big Creek Country Club. Zimmerman has been playing golf since child hood and hopes to play in college, which might be possible con-sidering his host of achieve-ments. Zimmerman has been golf-ing competitively since he was 12 and has had the honor of be-

ing a two-time state golf team member. Playing golf has given Zimmerman some unique opportunities over the years. “A memory I’ll never forget is having the opportunity to play with Arkansas’s head football coach Bobby Petrino,” Zimmer-man said. Since he was in the sixth grade, Zimmerman has been playing in the school band. He enjoys playing the drums, which have also led him to some unique opportunities, like marching in the 80th An-

nual Citrus Bowl Parade. This year, Zimmerman is excited for football season, “It’s exciting to see the band get the crowd and people involved,” Zimmerman said. “’Bomber Man’ definitely gets the players as well as the students pumped up.” You might see Zimmer-man walking down the halls at MHHS, marching in the band, or on the golf course, but wherever you see him, you will always be greeted by his smile and friendly face.

Senior Richard Zimmerman introduces the golf team at a pep rally on September 3 in the Bomber Hangar.

SpotlightStudent

RICHARDZIMMERMAN

Photo Submitted

Artwork by: Alison Swanson

P. 11 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

layout editorAnna Harris

This year, the MHHS NJROTC takes a turn for the new. “This year we got new khaki uni-forms to replace two of our old ones; the black and white shirt.” said senior Amber Iverson. “These uniforms are much nicer and simpler to wear. They are also worn year round instead of changing colors. Also, females do not have to tuck their shirts in which I believe every female will appreciate.” Every uniform and item issued to the MHHS NJROTC unit is complete-ly issued from the Navy, and is made to be worn with pride. The new male uniform shirts have the same measurements for their J.R.O.T.C. bar, insignia, ribbons, service star(s), name tag and anchor, for their cover. The new female shirts don’t have pockets so the measurements are a little different than the old ones. The ribbons are worn 6 ¼ inches from the left shoulder seam and centered on the breast seam, the service stars are worn ¼ of an inch above the ribbons, and the name tag is worn 6 ¼ inches from the right shoulder seam and is centered on the breast seam. While the male uniforms require tucking in, belts with buckles, and a clean shave and military style hair cut, the female uniforms don’t require a belt with buckle or the shirt to be tucked in. Both require a white under-shirt, black socks, shined shoes and neat, ironed shirts and pants. During the winter, instead of get-ting a whole new uniform, the girls will be adding a black neck tab and a standard relax fit jacket to their uni-

form and the males will just get the standard Relax Fit Jackets. “Personally, I love the change. There is less issuing, more comfort-able, and better all around.” Said junior Heather Kelley. The NJROTC students were requested to wear their uniforms on first day they have class starting either on or after Wednesday. For example: If the week has most-ly odd days, the odd day NJROTC classes will wear their uniforms on Wednesday. The even day classes wear their uniforms on Thursdays. If the even day classes fall on a Wednesday, even day classes wear their uniforms on that day while the odd day classes wear their uniform on Thursday. “Putting on the uniform not only makes you look uniform, but it makes you feel like a leader. When I put that uniform on I feel like a completely better person. I wear it with pride and dignity.” said sophomore Briar Schaffer. “I look in the mirror and I think I want to be fighting for my country, making myself known as an American citizen for my family’s future.”

A Uniform ChangeMHHS NJROTC gets new uniforms this year

Summer Break Comes to End MHHS students share their summer experiences

staff writerStephanie Bryant

Summertime in Mountain Home, Arkansas means different things to different people. Students at MHHS spent their summers in a variety of ways, but they each had one thing in common: some type of relaxation. While some students stayed in the Mountain Home area, other students ventured out for vacations and family visits. Senior Sheldon Zeltner spent time in other states this summer. “I went to Texas to visit family and to Florida to the beach on vacation with family,” Zeltner said. Junior Taylor Gardner was in Florida and she was able to do something special: visit Disney World. However, when Gardner was not vacationing, she was spending time in Mountain Home on the lake or shopping at Walmart. Gardner shopped, everday, at Walmart, senior Alexis Coleman was busy working. When Coleman was not working she could be found swimming at the lake or visiting her sister in Missouri. Junior Jenna Kucginski spent

part of her summer with the GAPP program in Germany. Kucginski and the other 24 MHHS students spent their time sightseeing across Europe, visiting with their German exchange families, and of course, dining on German cuisine. Kucgin-ski enjoyed Hetzinger’s pretzels and Stracciatella ice cream regularly. When she wasn’t sampling the lo-cal fare, Kucginski was busy going to class with her German partner. “We had our first class, and then ‘Grobe’ Pause, which is a recess after the first class,” Kucginski said. “Then we went to the next two classes and by about noon or 1 p.m., we were done with school. After that, we hung out with other GAPPers at the park or at an ice cream place.” Kucginski and the other MHHS GAPP students took a weeklong trip to Switzerland, Austria, and other parts of Germany. “That was a week of beautiful places, historic sites, castles, and lasting memories,” Kuc-ginski said. MHHS is known for its diverse population, which is made evident by the various ways the school’s stu-dents spent their summer vacations.

Members of the GAPP 2010 group stop on their sightseeing trip for a photograph. Twenty Five MHHS students spent a month touring Europe and living with host families in Germany.

Photo Submitted

Photo by: Anna Harris

MHHS NJROTC cadets show off their new uniforms on their first uniform day on September 1.

P. 12 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

graphic designer

John Murray

• First game was September 3 • The band received new wind suits and T-shirts•Shorts will be worn for their first performance•17 pages of drill were learned before the first day of school•There were 85 pages of drill total•The music is called “Revolution and Triumph”•The band will be returning to Paragould to reserve their Mc Donald’s Invitational Championship•They have entered to go to The Rose Bowl in 2012

Indoor Tanning WarningA visit to the tanning bed poses potential threatsstaff writerKelsey Menschik

Each year, more than 8,000 people in the U.S alone die from the harmful risks of indoor tanning. This comes to show the deadly dangers of the seemingly harmless tanning bed. Indoor tanning is very dangerous, yet some people con-tinue to believe otherwise.

Tanning beds use damaging ultraviolet rays that can cause melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is the most fatal type of skin cancer. Indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75%. Tanning can produce long-term skin conditions such as severe sunburns, skin cancer, premature skin aging, and it can damage the immune system as well.

It has also been proven that people, who use a tanning bed more than ten times a year, are seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma skin cancer than those who do not.

The FDA estimates about 70,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year. Melanoma is deadly because it can invade deep into tissues and spread to the other parts of the body. International cancer experts have moved tanning beds and other ultraviolet radiation onto the top cancer risk category, meaning that tanning beds are as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas.

Melanoma is the most common cancer among people ages 15-29, and appears to be on the rise. Another dilemma pertaining to tanning beds is the deterrent tan tax that went into action on July 31. Obama has put a 10% tax on tanning. The average price for one session is about $8.50.

The tan tax only applies to services that use ultraviolet rays— this excludes spray tans and airbrushing. The tax on tanning hasn’t had a huge impact yet, but the government is expected to raise $2.7 billion over the next ten years from 20,000 indoor tanning salons. Artificial tanning may bring beauty in the short-term, but the long–term risks outweigh the benefits.

Band Update

Madison Ingle, 12

Photo by: J. Kucginski

Photo by: J. Kucginski

Tanning involves a multitude of risks and a new tax has been implemented as a deterrent.

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P. 13 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

Childhood Dreams Come to StandstillPaleontologists say that the Triceratops and Torosaurus were the same dinosaur layout editorAnna Harris

Paleontologists believe that even though there are some differences between the Triceratops and its cousin, the Torosaurus, the Triceratops may have actually been a Torosaurus, just in a different stage in growth. Dinosaur experts at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, John Scanella and Jack Horner, examined over 50 Triceratops in the continental U.S. The Museum of the Rockies has one of the largest collections of Triceratops in the world. “A major decline in diversity may have put the dinosaurs in a vulnerable state at the time when the large meteor struck the Earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period,” John Scanella said. “It may

have been the combination of the two factors—lower diversity and a major global catastrophe—that resulted in the extinction of all the non-avian dinosaurs.” The paleontologists believe that even though this upsets more than a century of paleontological assumptions, this shape-shifting has implications for the amount of bio-diversity found within the dinosaur population near the end of the Cretaceous period and the Mesozoic Era. “Paleontologists are at a disadvantage because we can’t go out into the field and observe a living Triceratops grow up from a baby to an adult,” said Scanella. “We have to put together the story based on fossils. In order to get the complete story, you need to have a large sample of fossils from many

individuals representing different growth stages.” When Othaniel Marsh discovered Triceratops and the Torosaurus in the late 1800s, the fossils were so different, that it never occurred to him that the two could actually be the same dinosaur. There are a few characteristics that make the Triceratops and the Torosaurus different. For example, the Triceratops has three facial horns and a short, thick neck frill with a saw-toothed edge. While the Torosaurus also has three facial horns, in contrast, its horns are at different angles, and are longer and thinner as well. Also, the Torosaurus, has a smooth-edge frill with two large holes in it. Information found at: <www.current.com>.

The oil spill has killed and endangered many animals. Thousands of people have worked every day in the cleanup of the devastating occurrence. Some ways to help:

1. Break your oil addiction •Don’tdriveifit’snotnecessary •Carpool •Useaneco-friendlycar2. Volunteer •GototheGulfofMexicoonyourspringbreakandhelpcleanupthe oil3. Write •Everyonehasfreedomofpress,sotakeadvantageofitandwritea lettertoavolunteergrouptellingyouropinionaboutwhatneedstobe done4. Donate •Donatemoneytoalocalornationalorganizationworkingonfrontlines to help with the clean up5. Buy eco-friendly brands •Buyproductsthatdonatetothecleanupoftheoilspill

KelseyMenschik,staffwriter

Things you can to do help clean up the oil spill:

Numerousanimalshavebeenkilledorinjuredintheoilspill.

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P. 14 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

Continued from p. 2

“My favorite thing about MHHS would have to be how welcoming the faculty and students have been. I’m confused about educating myself on the different career academies and AAP times.” In her limited spare time, she is busy furthering her education. “I am currently working on my Master’s degree from ASU.” Prins said. “I also enjoy spending time with my daughter and son.” Kyle Mallett Kyle Mallett, another civics and government teacher, spends his time away from school playing golf, hunting, and fishing. When he is teaching at MHHS, he enjoys the staff and students. “It’s difficult to learn all about the academies and how they work,” Mallett said.Cathy Beckham Orientation to teaching and JAG (Jobs for Arkansas Graduates) is taught by Cathy Beckham. Beckham is also supervises the senior internships. “The students are my favorite thing about MHHS. They are a great group to work with and teach.” said Beckham. “It has been a very easy transition from fourth grade to the high school, as far as the students are concerned. They are a lot of fun, and I am really enjoying the kids in my classes.” In her free time she spends time with family and friends, runs, watches and participates in sporting events, and watches former students in all their extracurricular activities.Richard Grissum Richard Grissum, the agri mechanics, agri structures, agri metals, and agri science and technology teacher, now teaches at MHHS (the school he graduated from). He enjoys family activities, racing dirt track cars, and fishing. “I find moving from class to class every block difficult, since we can’t use the agri building.” Grissum said.

Thanks for the Memories

To my favorite teachersThe ones who told me to keep going

To never give up,Who gave me numerous chances

Even though I didn’t deserve them

To my crazy group of friendsThe ones who were there from the start

Whose shoulder I could cry onThe people who never fail to make me smile

By cracking their lame jokes

To the class of 2010The ones I’ve been surrounded by since 2003

Who I’ve made memories withThe ones who I don’t always get along with

But who I still care for

I salute youIt’s been an honor to be with you all these years

Run free like a pack of wild horsesRemember all you’ve been through;

Thanks for the memories

- Lisa Oberpriller

Want your poetry shared

in the Newspaper?* Give a copy of your

work to Ms. Crawford in room 206 and we’ll share

it with everyone. Let your voice be heard.

* All submissions must be school appropriate.

P. 15 CONTRAILS 9/17/10

editor-in-chief Delaney Smith

This world has offered me a lot of insight into true human nature. But nothing has shown me how nice a person really can be, more than my car that continually breaks down.      My first car was a red, Plymouth Neon. It wasn’t in the best of shape and it had a lot of problems that would later pose more of a tribulation than I had initially thought, but it was occasionally good to me. The Neon drove in an all right fashion. It sometimes failed to make it up larger hills and the gas gauge and the speedometer were always on empty and zero, but it had its shining moments. It was, to give this article’s title credit, an unreliably reliable car and it broke down just enough times to show me that there were still a few, real people left in this world. The story was the same every time; my car would break down, some gallant, common folk would come to my rescue (or my boyfriend, depending on which day my car decided to quit), and I would be left feeling like decent human nature had not completely dissolved from our society. I can’t recall the number of times that my car had decided to quit right in the middle of the road, and someone had offered time out of their busy day to pull over and help me push my broken vehicle out of harm’s way. I have never more persistently and annoyingly said thank you than to those who have humbly helped me in my time of need. And I’m speaking of strangers; people just passing on a good deed for the will of humanity. I’m sure they don’t think of themselves as such, but I’ve thought a lot about it. I’ve had about fifteen experiences to mull it over. I have never been one to believe in something such as karma, but I guess all karma really is, is doing a good deed for someone and that person passing it on to the next. An endless cycle of our true compassion. I currently drive an Oldsmobile Achieva and it too has its set of problems. It too breaks down, and it too gives me the opportunity to truly see how people can be.

High School:A look back at the first day

staff writer

High school is nothing more than a vast learning center  filled with dozens upon dozens of cliques and groups trying to out-do everyone else.

     My first day, I’ve learned to not really get into that chaos. I’ve noticed that around every corner is drama, which really isn’t surprising, and how people can be really rude for no apparent reason.

      I asked for help on my first day because I didn’t know where a class was and the person totally blew me off. So I didn’t ask any other person for help from there on. On the other hand, my classes were somewhat simple.

I don’t really have trouble in any of my classes right now, but I’m sure I will in the future. I like the high school because the teachers treat students more like adults and not like kids.

Also, the lunch lines have more to choose from, which is always a plus. The thing that benefits me most is how we have eight minutes between classes instead of five. I can take my time and do whatever I need to do, and still get to class on time.

The badges are a bit of a hassle because they can break easily, and if you don’t have them on, there are serious consequences. The high school is defi-nitely different and it’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m sure I’ll manage.

My Unreliably Reliable Cars and a Look into Human Nature