One of the biggest recent challenges pushing the blurred lines of the first amendment is the rap Methuen, Massachusetts high school student Cameron D’Ambrosio posted to YouTube. In his rap, D’Ambrosio apparently referenced the White House, the Boston Marathon bombing and said ‘everybody, you will see what I am going to do: kill people,’ according to Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon.

D’Ambrosio regularly posts raps to YouTube under the name “Killa Cam,” but this one has gotten him charges of terrorism, leading to a twenty-year sentence and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The line between safety and free speech is blurred, but senior Andrew Hutchinson believes D’Ambrosio’s arrest violates free speech.

“Free speech, especially how the Supreme Court has ruled about it,” Hutchinson said, “is supposed to only be overruled when there’s threatening speech and clear, present danger and even in that Massachusetts statute [used to arrest D’Ambrosio], it specifically mentions you need specific weapons and specific people or location. I just feel like this is really a violation of free speech because hip hop has always referred to violent things and referenced violent events.”

Hutchinson also believes this because freedom of speech is close to his heart. He started a political organization in ninth grade that almost got him suspended/expelled (depending on who you ask) and performs a lot of poetry regarding controversial topics. The freedom of speech is similarly important to sophomore Jack Rentschler because earlier this year, he got called into the office for things he posted on Twitter and was told he had to censor himself.

“I value free speech quite a bit,” Rentschler said. “I didn’t really place as much weight on it until I’d actually been told ‘Hey, you can’t say that.’ So yeah, now that I’m aware of what it feels like to be told that you can’t say something and you have to censor yourself, I think [censorship] is just stupid; we have free speech for a reason.”

But, though Rentschler values the freedom of speech immensely, he sees that it’s not a black and white issue. In this situation, he can see both sides of the issue.

“On one hand, I can see how many people, especially the families and the people from Boston, would feel disrespected and angry, as well as concerned,” Rentschler said, “but then again, if we arrested everyone who said something we found disrespectful or that we didn’t agree with, this wouldn’t really be America. I think it was understandable to look into the threats; I don’t know if it was reasonable to take down the video or arrest him. As much as I disagree with the video, the more you censor stuff, even if it’s stuff like this, that’ll just allow for [censorship] to be more acceptable, and anything can be censored.”

With the information given, Pop Culture teacher Austin Reed agrees with Rentschler that the government needs to be careful with what they censor. He believes that the situation is like if someone had put a video up where they depicted Allah. He wouldn’t agree with the video because the Islamic faith doesn’t allow the depiction of Allah, but he also wouldn’t agree with taking the video down.

“It’s the age-old, you can’t yell fire in a crowded building; I agree with that, you know,” Reed said. “What do I tell my students? Use freedom of speech but don’t be an idiot. Maybe that’s a good rule. Use freedom of speech but don’t be an idiot.”

Story by Urmila Kutikkad

One of Methuen, Massachusetts high school student Cameron D’Ambrosio’s previous raps which he posted to YouTube under the name “Killa Cam.”

• Terror Weather
• Horror Movies
• Terror of the Night
• Students’ View
• Terrorism

Natural disasters

Golf ball-size hail fell Wednesday, April 17, in Columbia in place of a possible tornado. Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

Last Wednesday, April 17, Columbia residents and those of the surrounding areas of mid-Missouri faced an unexpected tornado warning scare. As the sky darkened to a greenish hue, the following signs of a possible tornado occurred as expected.

Though a tornado did not pass through Columbia last week, the hail that descended from the sky surprised various individuals, including senior Drew Floyd. The lack of warning before the storm caught Floyd off-guard on his way home from track practice.

“I kept looking up at the sky, hoping the hail would wait until I got home. When the first hailstone hit my windshield, I was surprised and kind of scared that it was going to dent my hood or break a window because they were about the size of golf balls,” Floyd said. “I usually try to stay off the roads when the weather gets bad, but this time I got caught coming home when it hit, so this [was] definitely the worst conditions I’ve ever driven in.”

This unusual weather condition instilled a unique sense of fear in Floyd, since he typically did not find terror in a natural disaster or storm. But in the moment, the uncertainty of what was exactly going on, and if he would even make it to his destination, caused Floyd to become scared during his trek home.

“The rain and hail were really coming down, and I couldn’t see very far in front of me,” Floyd said. “Some of the roads were flooded, and I kept hydroplaning. The entire way home, I kept wondering what I’d do if the hail broke my windshield or I slid off the road.”

Despite the “tornado-like” conditions that occurred last week, according to www.sema.dps.mo.gov, one of the single deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history touched down in Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The tornado ranked as an F5 storm, the category for the most powerful tornadoes, with wind speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

The tornado struck at 5:41 p.m. in Joplin that day and destroyed or heavily damaged thousands of buildings in a six mile long and three-fourth mile wide section of Joplin, killing more than 150 people.

Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

To Joplin sophomore Stefan Paic, who had a first-hand experience with the devastating natural disaster, the aftermath of the tornado turned out to be much more devastating than the actual tornado itself.

“The most terrifying thing was probably the sight of what we never thought was possible. Driving through the town, which was totally normal an hour ago, and suddenly trying to wrap my mind around the now one-by-six mile stretch of matchwood,” Paic said. “It was also terrible to see a bloodied, injured truck driver lying by his burning truck or twisted steel beams, piled cars and a chair embedded in the side of the hospital.”

Although Joplin faced serious physical damage to both the buildings and its citizens, in Paic’s opinion, the emotional damage far outweighed anything else.

“It was the most devastating time emotionally because it was when so many people realized how they had literally lost everything,” Paic said. “It was when they realized that, although they may have survived, they may have lost a friend, neighbor or loved-one.”

After the people of Joplin lost so much in this terrifying tornado, Paic has learned that terror and fear can be felt in any situation, even in the case of severe weather. The experience in such a severe condition, and living through such a fearful situation, has taught Paic and many other Joplin residents to take precaution in any possible disaster.

Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

“Well, every time there’s a thunderstorm or a tornado watch or warning, and there a lot of them this time of year, we actually pay attention now when the sirens go off. In our house, we have a tornado escape plan with essentials like water and canned food stocked up,” Paic said. “I feel like I’m most prepared [after such a disaster] emotionally because in the aftermath, neighbor was helping neighbor, and the people of Joplin unified into the cause of helping one another recover.”

And Joplin isn’t the only area taking precautionary steps in case of a weather calamity. According to the Columbia Public Schools website at www.columbia.k12.mo.us, “if a tornado warning is issued before or during dismissal time, all buses will be held, and students will remain in their respective buildings until an all-clear is issued by the school district. However, if buses are already in route during a tornado warning, the driver is instructed to find the closest school or appropriate shelter and evacuate students to a safe location.”

Because of the detrimental conditions he faced during and after the Joplin tornado, Paic believes that any precautions that one could take will help out immensely in the long run to avoid any unexpected terror that occurs in any natural disaster.

“It’s most important to take the warnings of a possible disaster seriously,” Paic said. “One warning may be the only one before all communication is lost.”

By Manal Salim

Additional reporting by Daphne Yu and Brittany Cornelison

Horror movies provide enjoyable sense of terror

Photo by Sam Mitchell

The concept of horror movies is an odd one. The idea of people paying their hard-earned money to be scared seems counter-intuitive, yet according to yourbusiness.azcentral.com, horror films made over $413 million in the United States in 2012.  Senior Blake Ward, who is a big horror movie fan, explains why, despite the fact that humans often spend much of their lives trying to avoid frightening and dangerous situations, he and many others enjoy them so much when they are on film.

“It’s like you know it’s going to be scary, so you’re ready,” Ward said. “It’s a controlled environment. It gives you a rush that only comes from being scared.”

Horror movies are so enjoyable because they offer the biological arousal, or rush, of fear without actually being in danger, according to accessscience.com. One study on the website identified three factors that were important in the appeal of horror films to males aged 15-45: the excitement generated by the film, the wish to see the destruction found in horror films and the satisfying resolution usually found at the end of the film.

Good horror movies have different effects on different people. Some people shake and shiver in fear; some people’s hearts start thumping, and some have the hair on the back of their neck stand on end. These responses are all results of the physical excitement that comes from fear. In order to get these exciting, anxious feelings, people need to be scared, and movies offer a controlled, safe situation in which to feel terror.

There are many components that go into getting this reaction from the audience though, and not all horror movies fulfill these, senior Muhamed Khenissi said. He explained how people are scared by different things, but there are a few certain things that every horror movie must have to be truly scary and not just another gore-fest.

Horror movies need “a believable plot to be scary,” senior Muhamedali Khenissi said. “The fact that what I am watching could happen or may have happened is frightening.”

And indeed, in agreement with Khenissi’s opinion, nativeremedicies.com states that horror movies need to be believable to be scary. According to the website, the feeling of fear is an instinctual response to potential danger. So if a person feels like the situation in the film could never happen, he/she senses nothing threatening about it and therefore does not feel fear.

Characters also play a big role in the creation of fear in film, nativeremedies.com says, because a big part of a horror movie being believable, and therefore scary, is the characters that are on screen.  If the viewers care for the characters on screen and their well-being, they will be more likely to be scared for them, not wanting to see them suffer, creating the aroused, excited feeling that horror movie fans crave.

The same is true of the antagonist or villain of the film, Khenissi said. If the viewer believes the bad guy could actually exist, the situation is that much scarier. This is why people tend to find movies based around human antagonists scarier than those based around mystical creatures or otherworldly entities.

“An intelligent antagonist who is able to think and plan, but doesn’t have any of the values a normal member of society, would [be frightening],” Khenissi said. “People are so crazy nowadays that almost anything short of vampires is believable.”

Another aspect of successful horror movies is the creation of moments of true shock and suspense, senior Grace Gabel said. If the scares are too obvious and easy to predict, viewers can brace themselves, and if no scares come, there is no payoff, and viewers will get bored and disconnected.  Some of the most acclaimed horror movies, such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Strangers, combine a believable plot and characters with thrilling scares but also contain a suffocating, tense atmosphere. The sense of there being no escape from danger sets some horror movies apart from the pack. When there is no escape from danger, and no clear solution to the problem, the situation becomes much more frightening because there is no let up for the audience.

“Pop-outs and thrills are what make a horror movie actually scary,” Gabel said. “I need to not expect what’s going to happen. In order to scare me, it needs to be spontaneous.  I just like the random amount of excitement it brings when something will randomly just [jump out] on screen and scare you to death.”

By Sam Mitchell

Night time adventure incites fear

Commentary

Photo by Manal Salim

Of all the things that rack our brains, we tend not to dwell on the things that scare us. We keep our thoughts focused on the happy things so that we aren’t terrorized by the fears that can easily consume our lives. However, these fears can’t be avoided completely, and they tend to reappear and rekindle at times when we least expect it.

Ever since I was young, I’ve had a fear of the night. Not the darkness itself but the trouble that follows it. You hear stories all the time about murders, kidnappings and fights that happen in these late, shady hours. So, I’ve always watched my back when my surroundings were shaded, in continual preparation for a possible attacker.

This past November, I took a trip to San Antonio with the Journalism staff, where I had planned on having the time of my life, exploring the tourist shops, walking along the River Walk, and most of all, enjoying the time off of school. However, my happiness was disturbed when my fear of the night rudely emerged.

During my time in this foreign city, my friends and I made a very stupid decision. At around 10 p.m. one evening, we stepped out of the hotel doors onto the eerie Texan streets. Though it was an innocent idea, taking a trip to a local burger joint for a delayed dinner, it was definitely not the smartest one, knowing my omnipresent fear of these late hours.

Throughout the day, we walked the streets peacefully, because in the back of our minds, we knew that we were out in the broad daylight, where anyone could see us if something bad were to happen. However, night brought about a whole new atmosphere, one where we could be scooped up by the shadows and no one would know.

Everywhere I looked, I felt as though someone was watching me, scoping me out, trying to see what would be the best way to kill me. The situation wasn’t any more comforting when considering that the two people I chose to go with were also girls, naive teenage girls at that. We were about as vulnerable as it got.

Photo by Manal Salim

You could easily point us out as tourists, and our aura reeked of terror. We were pretty calm as we left the hotel, but the further away we walked from our home base, the more we realized that we were no longer safe. We became aware of the suspicious groups of people lining the streets at the late hour and determined that our decision to leave the safety of our hotel was not a very well-thought-out plan. We scarfed down the food so quickly that I’m sure if we weren’t so focused on being scared to death, we would have thrown it right back up.

Our two-block mission back to the hotel was at about twice the speed in which we approached the restaurant. The blackness of the night became extremely evident, making me anxious, thinking that someone could jump out from around any corner. Though we were never approached on our journey, we got quite a few intentful stares thrown in our direction. Although I don’t know if these looks could have resulted in a kidnapping or some other sort of dangerous situation, I had never been more terrified in my life.

I can remember a time when I loved to spend my evenings outside, running around the field, staring at the constellations and taking in the sights and sounds of the peaceful darkness. I’d make wishes on shooting stars and run my bare feet through the wind-chilled grass. Some of my fondest memories are from this nighttime scenery.

However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more aware of the troubles that lurk in the darkness. As much as I’d like to return to my days of having pure thoughts, free from worries, I know that my understanding of the possible danger is what keeps me safe.

My naive mindset as a child helped me to experience the night as I never will again. But I won’t give up my innocent memories, because I know that they remind me of what the night feels like when the terrors of this world are absent.

By Brittany Cornelison

Students recount tales of nighttime terror

Suryanshi Rawat, sophomore

“We were all asleep in our cabins at [the] bio-camp, and there was a thunderstorm going on, and our teacher told us to get all of our clothes and shoes and flashlights ready in case we had to go to a little shelter if there was a tornado. It was pouring outside and thundering and lightning, and then at 4 a.m. … there’s this huge clap of thunder, and every single person in every single cabin wakes up … it was terrifying. We thought something fell over outside or it hit the cabin or something.”

Satey Yates, sophomore

“I was sleeping in my sister’s room. … We had just moved in there literally two days ago, and I stayed in my sister’s room laying on a mattress and … I woke up in the middle of the night and heard whispering. It was so creepy, and it was my sister — she was in bed whispering, but she didn’t take a breath for like five minutes; she just kept whispering … and then she started flopping on the bed. It was so freaky. … I didn’t want to wake her up because I didn’t want her to stab me or something, so I just went and put my head under my pillow and tried to go back to sleep … and I’ve never been in her room since because it [was] so scary.”

Rachel Doisy, junior

“I was in New York City, and it was about 1 o’clock in the morning, and my friend Josh and I were walking around trying to find this coffee shop, and we passed all these gangster-like people, and they were really scaring-looking, and they said, ‘Hey baby, come here,’ and I was like ‘No!’ I grabbed Josh, and I was like, “Josh is my boyfriend!’ Oh my gosh, it scared me so bad because we were in a really sketchy part of New York, and we were just walking around at 1 o’clock in the morning. I thought I was going to get raped or something.”

 

Allison Ryberg, senior

“I was with one of my friends and we had planned to go to Panera for dinner. We knew there was going to be a storm but we didn’t think it would be anything bad. … The sky was turning like a really dark grey … but we still decided to get food from the drive through, which probably wasn’t a good idea, but we had already driven out there, and [we thought that] a few more minutes couldn’t make too huge of a difference. So we got our food and [my friend] is like freaking [out] because the sky was going kind of crazy, and it had started raining, so she decided to speed home. … We came close to wrecking multiple times, so I was scared she was going to end up killing me. … And the tornado sirens were going off so … after a very scary ride … We finally made it back to [the Christian Campus House] and went into the basement.”

By Brittany Cornelison

Recent Boston bombings evoke fear of a similar situation

It always happens in a matter of seconds. Planes crash, bombs explode, guns go off, buildings go up in flames and smoke fills the air. The lives of innocent people are changed, and the lives of many are taken. Acts inciting terror, whether accidental or purposeful, have changed the very face of the United States.

Last week, on April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, ultimately killing 3 people and injuring more than 260 others, according to cnn.com. On April 18, two suspects were identified, and on April 19, the city of Boston was put on lockdown as police officers chased Dzhokhar Tsarnaev about the 20-block area of Watertown. At 7 p.m. on April 19, Tsarnaev was hospitalized and taken into custody. He was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, and additional charges are suspected.

Senior Brad Meister was scrolling through his Twitter feed when he first heard of the bombing. Suddenly, Twitter started “going crazy” as news websites and onlookers posted pictures, videos and updates describing the horrific scene.

Meister was immediately reminded of events which occurred two years ago, when Meister’s father was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage. He realized that the terror the Boston bombing victims were experiencing was very similar to his own.

“I was talking to my dad five minutes before he had his brain bleed,” Meister said. “It was terrifying. My dad, who I was talking to five minutes ago, was perfectly fine and then suddenly he was in the ICU with a good chance of dying. You feel helpless. I learned that you can’t take anything for granted.”

Boston was left in horror as lives were taken and changed so quickly, in a matter of minutes. The fear experienced by the citizens of Boston stretched throughout the United States as suspicion of further attacks spiked. The U.S Postal Service was put on alert as screening equipment reported the possible presence of the toxin ricin in letters sent to three different senators and to President Barack Obama himself. “Suspicious packages” were reported all throughout the country. Even Columbia readied itself for any possible emergencies.

“You’ve seen the emergency assistance that is with Boone County,” Columbia Police Department Public Information Officer Latisha Stroer said. “They travel all over when major accidents happen. So they have seen different catastrophes as far as weather — tornados, hurricanes, flooding. … So they’ve seen different mass casualties. They’ve learned from their experiences from going place to place. So I think we will be prepared as much as you can be for anything [like the Boston Marathon bombing].”

However, the Boston incident was only one in a long stream of terrorist attacks to happen across the world and in the United States. Only 12 years before to the Boston bombing, on September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one plane crashed into the Pentagon and yet another plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after its passengers overcame the aircraft’s terrorist hijackers. As a result of the events, almost 3,000 people were killed.

World Studies teacher David Graham was teaching a class when a fellow teacher burst into his room to announce a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The lesson pulled to an abrupt halt as teachers and students rushed to get TVs set up in classrooms so that students could watch the events. There was no Twitter to “go crazy” and alert people of the news. There was no live coverage on the Internet and even the TV on the screens was fuzzy and input was poor. Students were left in anxious anticipation, waiting to hear more.

“Some people were super pissed off. Some people kind of felt like America had put itself in that position by some of their previous actions around the world, and some people were just pretty much incredulous,” Graham said. “It was overwhelming for some people, and there were some who just said, ‘Wait and see what happens, let’s just wait and see what comes about.’ … I think everybody was kind of on edge. You didn’t know what was going to come next.”

Following the acts of 9/11, security measures across the United States changed dramatically. Passports had to be reissued, significant limits were put on passports, metal detectors and increased security systems were implemented in airports, the number of bags that could be taken onto an aircraft were reduced, security cameras were installed, and limits were even put on toiletries such as hand cream and shampoo. Columbia itself was forced to take a hard look at its own security measures.

“After 9/11, even in the police department — it tightened up security,” Stroer said. “You had to be in uniform to come in, or you had to have a badge around your neck at all times. So certain things did change in the Columbia Police Department.”

September 11 left its stain everywhere. People were afraid of further attacks or anything that could be used for further attacks. Anything that could be potentially dangerous in the United States was looked at with a scrutinizing eye. Even nuclear power plants significantly changed their policies and procedures after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center. According to University of Missouri professor Bill Miller, the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR), along with other power plants across the nation, created new vehicle barriers, implemented a new mail reception facility for inspecting packages, installed security cameras, edited evaluation plans, and some plants even added “pill boxes” where armed guards could stand watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, even with the increased safety methods, there are accidents. Last week, on April 19, a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, exploded, killing 14 people and injuring more than 200 others, according to cnn.com. While the incident wasn’t an act of terrorism, it still left a significant mark on the people of the United States, who began to fear the danger of power plants.

Miller, who works at MURR, stressed that these bad accidents are caused by poor design and are not at all a frequent occurrence. Incidents such as the Texas accident and Chernobyl disaster in 1986 were caused by little concern for proper safety measures, Miller said, and even so, only 31 personnel at the Chernobyl plant were killed by radiation. The estimate of the increase in cancer likelihood to the exposed population of the Chernobyl disaster is around 0.0005% — very, very low.

“Despite many concerns about nuclear reactors and a few bad accidents, the nuclear industry is still far, far safer than any other industry,” Miller said. “The MURR is much smaller than a power reactor and has many of the same safety features of larger plants, including a 2-foot-thick concrete containment building.”

But even with all the additional safety and security, some Americans still feel it’s just not enough. Issues and debates over gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting have skyrocketed. Stadium operations officials from all 30 major league baseball teams are meeting to discuss tweaking security at games after the Boston bombing, according to www.courier-journal.com. A school shooting earlier this year, and now an act of terrorism and an accidental plant explosion, both occurring in the same week, are quite enough to set America’s teeth on edge. Whether it be fear of terrorism or fear of terror itself, fear is rampant in the hearts of U.S. civilians.

After the accumulation of these recent events, some students are saying that schools across the country should increase their safety measures and rules. Many high schools have installed metal detectors at the doors, while others maintain a locked door policy throughout the day. Still, some worry that the lax, open-campus policy at RBHS is not safe enough for its students.

“I think that schools need to be more proactive about making schools safer with a higher security,” Meister said. “Because you honestly could just walk in the front door of Rock Bridge without anyone asking who you are.”

However, Maus believes that the people and the security system running RBHS have everything under control. While there was little change in school policy after the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing, Maus says that the teams devoted to student safety are as prepared and vigilant as ever.

“I don’t think the school system does anything too reactionary to one event,” Maus said. “I think the goal is always to make the school as safe and secure as possible, and safety for students, whether it’s physical violence, mental violence, emotional — any of those things — is the number one priority for students to [be able to] learn. If they don’t feel [safe], they can’t learn. … So I think schools do a very good job of not overreacting to any one event but do always have the safety of students and staff at the forefront of what they’re doing.”

While Maus understands the desire for security and the increase in fear, he believes there is very little to fret over. Terrorist acts and disastrous accidents are unusual, infrequent occurrences that should be taken seriously but should not control daily life.

“If something were to happen, if we had a big marathon and something like [the Boston Marathon bombing] were to happen,” Maus said, “I think we would be very efficient in responding.”

By Lauren Puckett

Additional reporting by Alyssa Sykuta

• Film Overview
• Director speaks
• Terror of the Night
• Students’ View
• Terrorism

“Which Way is the Front Line From Here?” The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington

Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington highlights Hetherington’s career in photojournalism, showcasing photos and videos Hetherington took in his travels, accompanied by narration from his family and friends, blending the strength of the interviews and the photos to form a vivid depiction of Hetherington’s passion for photojournalism and the impact he had on those around him. Hetherington first experienced the front line while accompanying rebels in Liberia during the ousting of President Charles Taylor in 2004. During that time in West Africa, he uncovered the horrific effects of war when he came across a school for the blind.

Photo is used with accordance to Fair Use.

The film showcases photos Hetherington took while at the school, capturing the emotion and turmoil he witnessed and relaying the same experience and feeling back to the audience. It’s through this and his coverage in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan that Hetherington developed a deep devotion to take more than just pictures but to contain in his photos the story and emotion of people and convey that story to the audience. He wanted photos that would have meaning and engage the viewer.

Because Hetherington’s profession often put him in the line of fire, he took great consideration into staying away from the front line, for the sake of not only staying alive but to alleviate the anxiety his family and friends dealt with, knowing that Hetherington was putting himself in the middle of warzones. However, he was pulled back in but not by the allure of the adrenaline. Hetherington’s personality held great compassion for others and an urge to take more than just pictures ‒ to photograph people, their ideas, their pain and share those people with the rest of the world. This led him to following rebels in the Libyan uprising in April of 2011 where Hetherington was hit by shrapnel and bled to death.

Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington is an astounding documentary, that while requires patience, grants a look into the invigorating endeavors of Hetherington and a visually overwhelming experience with the compilation of the video clips and photographs he took. The documentary is a great emotional experience, compounding the impact Hetherington had not only on the journalistic community but on the people surrounding him.

Please press ‘TOP’ then select ‘Director speaks’ to proceed to the next part of the story.

Top

Sebastian Junger discusses independent journalism

Journalism is an ever-present, ever-changing source of information for all forms of media. War journalism, however, requires an intensified devotion and braving the risk of death to broadcast the voice of others, whose stories would go untold if not for journalists such as Tim Hetherington.

Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington is a film dedicated to the accomplishments and career of Tim Hetherington, as his photojournalism brought to light the stories of refugees of war, rebels and many others and set a standard in journalism through his bravery, compassion for others and passion for journalism.

However, on April 20, 2011, Hetherington was following rebels in the Libyan rebellion with several other journalists and entered a highly dangerous situation while recording in the fray a fight between Libyan military and rebel forces. During the engagement, a mortar landed nearby the group, severely injuring many with the flying shrapnel and also killing photographer Chris Hondros.

Hetherington died from blood loss, breaking tragedy in not only Hetherington’s family but also the journalistic community. It was Hetherington’s death that inspired journalist/war correspondent/director Sebastian Junger to start the Reporters Instructed In Saving Colleagues group to provide crucial survival training to war journalists and freelancers heading out into combat zones where they may encounter situations such as Hetherington’s. Junger worked extensively with Hetherington while documenting the lives of U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan in his book War and their documentary Restrepo, and he became close partners with Hetherington as they worked.

Freelancers and journalists such as Hetherington who are willing to report in war zones are vital for many news organizations, as independent journalists are an important source of information in such areas. Junger said that without war journalists and photographers putting themselves out in the fray, large media organizations would hardly be able to do extensive reporting in dangerous areas such as Afghanistan.

“If you took out every freelance reporter and photographer, the media would be blind,” Junger said. “They just can’t afford to have correspondents all over the world and bureaus all over the world and to put news teams in all of these war zones or basically around the clock ‒ 365 days a year.”

While media organizations can’t provide a large amount of coverage without independent journalists, freelancers also can’t survive well without the organizations contracting them and purchasing their work. This leads to a sort of uncoordinated agreement between the mass media and war journalists that, while is essential for both, has no real rules or set guidelines Junger said.

Director Sebastian Junger speaks in front of an audience about Tim Hetherington during the 2013 True/False Film Festival in Missouri Theatre.
Photo by Blake Becker

“It’s a mutual relationship, which isn’t to say it can’t be improved, but I think the major media outlets should come up with some kind of agreement, some kind of protocol, for how to pay for this crucial work. I think freelancers are underpaid.” Junger said. “I think they should insist that freelancers have insurance: life insurance, health insurance. I think the problem is freelancers are like cats; they are sort of hard to organize, but the people who can buy their work force them to organize, and I think some agreement would be very, very important in terms of assisting minimum standards for journalist safety.”

It’s these conflicts between media and independent journalists that sparked Junger to not only start RISC in honor of Hetherington but to benefit the good of the journalistic community as a whole.

“I don’t think our society has a chance of being fully democratic without an independent press and that includes understanding what’s happening in other countries around the world, because without good information, our nation can’t formulate a wise foreign policy, and we may or may not be doing that, but we at least need good information,” Junger said. “Without the free press operating in these countries, those crucial stories would be just a black hole, with no information, and so it’s vitally important. The problem is it’s really dangerous work, and it’s not well-paid, and people get killed all the time.”

Night time adventure incites fear

Commentary

Photo by Manal Salim

Of all the things that rack our brains, we tend not to dwell on the things that scare us. We keep our thoughts focused on the happy things so that we aren’t terrorized by the fears that can easily consume our lives. However, these fears can’t be avoided completely, and they tend to reappear and rekindle at times when we least expect it.

Ever since I was young, I’ve had a fear of the night. Not the darkness itself but the trouble that follows it. You hear stories all the time about murders, kidnappings and fights that happen in these late, shady hours. So, I’ve always watched my back when my surroundings were shaded, in continual preparation for a possible attacker.

This past November, I took a trip to San Antonio with the Journalism staff, where I had planned on having the time of my life, exploring the tourist shops, walking along the River Walk, and most of all, enjoying the time off of school. However, my happiness was disturbed when my fear of the night rudely emerged.

During my time in this foreign city, my friends and I made a very stupid decision. At around 10 p.m. one evening, we stepped out of the hotel doors onto the eerie Texan streets. Though it was an innocent idea, taking a trip to a local burger joint for a delayed dinner, it was definitely not the smartest one, knowing my omnipresent fear of these late hours.

Throughout the day, we walked the streets peacefully, because in the back of our minds, we knew that we were out in the broad daylight, where anyone could see us if something bad were to happen. However, night brought about a whole new atmosphere, one where we could be scooped up by the shadows and no one would know.

Everywhere I looked, I felt as though someone was watching me, scoping me out, trying to see what would be the best way to kill me. The situation wasn’t any more comforting when considering that the two people I chose to go with were also girls, naive teenage girls at that. We were about as vulnerable as it got.

Photo by Manal Salim

You could easily point us out as tourists, and our aura reeked of terror. We were pretty calm as we left the hotel, but the further away we walked from our home base, the more we realized that we were no longer safe. We became aware of the suspicious groups of people lining the streets at the late hour and determined that our decision to leave the safety of our hotel was not a very well-thought-out plan. We scarfed down the food so quickly that I’m sure if we weren’t so focused on being scared to death, we would have thrown it right back up.

Our two-block mission back to the hotel was at about twice the speed in which we approached the restaurant. The blackness of the night became extremely evident, making me anxious, thinking that someone could jump out from around any corner. Though we were never approached on our journey, we got quite a few intentful stares thrown in our direction. Although I don’t know if these looks could have resulted in a kidnapping or some other sort of dangerous situation, I had never been more terrified in my life.

I can remember a time when I loved to spend my evenings outside, running around the field, staring at the constellations and taking in the sights and sounds of the peaceful darkness. I’d make wishes on shooting stars and run my bare feet through the wind-chilled grass. Some of my fondest memories are from this nighttime scenery.

However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more aware of the troubles that lurk in the darkness. As much as I’d like to return to my days of having pure thoughts, free from worries, I know that my understanding of the possible danger is what keeps me safe.

My naive mindset as a child helped me to experience the night as I never will again. But I won’t give up my innocent memories, because I know that they remind me of what the night feels like when the terrors of this world are absent.

By Brittany Cornelison

Students recount tales of nighttime terror

Suryanshi Rawat, sophomore

“We were all asleep in our cabins at [the] bio-camp, and there was a thunderstorm going on, and our teacher told us to get all of our clothes and shoes and flashlights ready in case we had to go to a little shelter if there was a tornado. It was pouring outside and thundering and lightning, and then at 4 a.m. … there’s this huge clap of thunder, and every single person in every single cabin wakes up … it was terrifying. We thought something fell over outside or it hit the cabin or something.”

Satey Yates, sophomore

“I was sleeping in my sister’s room. … We had just moved in there literally two days ago, and I stayed in my sister’s room laying on a mattress and … I woke up in the middle of the night and heard whispering. It was so creepy, and it was my sister — she was in bed whispering, but she didn’t take a breath for like five minutes; she just kept whispering … and then she started flopping on the bed. It was so freaky. … I didn’t want to wake her up because I didn’t want her to stab me or something, so I just went and put my head under my pillow and tried to go back to sleep … and I’ve never been in her room since because it [was] so scary.”

Rachel Doisy, junior

“I was in New York City, and it was about 1 o’clock in the morning, and my friend Josh and I were walking around trying to find this coffee shop, and we passed all these gangster-like people, and they were really scaring-looking, and they said, ‘Hey baby, come here,’ and I was like ‘No!’ I grabbed Josh, and I was like, “Josh is my boyfriend!’ Oh my gosh, it scared me so bad because we were in a really sketchy part of New York, and we were just walking around at 1 o’clock in the morning. I thought I was going to get raped or something.”

 

Allison Ryberg, senior

“I was with one of my friends and we had planned to go to Panera for dinner. We knew there was going to be a storm but we didn’t think it would be anything bad. … The sky was turning like a really dark grey … but we still decided to get food from the drive through, which probably wasn’t a good idea, but we had already driven out there, and [we thought that] a few more minutes couldn’t make too huge of a difference. So we got our food and [my friend] is like freaking [out] because the sky was going kind of crazy, and it had started raining, so she decided to speed home. … We came close to wrecking multiple times, so I was scared she was going to end up killing me. … And the tornado sirens were going off so … after a very scary ride … We finally made it back to [the Christian Campus House] and went into the basement.”

By Brittany Cornelison

Recent Boston bombings evoke fear of a similar situation

It always happens in a matter of seconds. Planes crash, bombs explode, guns go off, buildings go up in flames and smoke fills the air. The lives of innocent people are changed, and the lives of many are taken. Acts inciting terror, whether accidental or purposeful, have changed the very face of the United States.

Last week, on April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, ultimately killing 3 people and injuring more than 260 others, according to cnn.com. On April 18, two suspects were identified, and on April 19, the city of Boston was put on lockdown as police officers chased Dzhokhar Tsarnaev about the 20-block area of Watertown. At 7 p.m. on April 19, Tsarnaev was hospitalized and taken into custody. He was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, and additional charges are suspected.

Senior Brad Meister was scrolling through his Twitter feed when he first heard of the bombing. Suddenly, Twitter started “going crazy” as news websites and onlookers posted pictures, videos and updates describing the horrific scene.

Meister was immediately reminded of events which occurred two years ago, when Meister’s father was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage. He realized that the terror the Boston bombing victims were experiencing was very similar to his own.

“I was talking to my dad five minutes before he had his brain bleed,” Meister said. “It was terrifying. My dad, who I was talking to five minutes ago, was perfectly fine and then suddenly he was in the ICU with a good chance of dying. You feel helpless. I learned that you can’t take anything for granted.”

Boston was left in horror as lives were taken and changed so quickly, in a matter of minutes. The fear experienced by the citizens of Boston stretched throughout the United States as suspicion of further attacks spiked. The U.S Postal Service was put on alert as screening equipment reported the possible presence of the toxin ricin in letters sent to three different senators and to President Barack Obama himself. “Suspicious packages” were reported all throughout the country. Even Columbia readied itself for any possible emergencies.

“You’ve seen the emergency assistance that is with Boone County,” Columbia Police Department Public Information Officer Latisha Stroer said. “They travel all over when major accidents happen. So they have seen different catastrophes as far as weather — tornados, hurricanes, flooding. … So they’ve seen different mass casualties. They’ve learned from their experiences from going place to place. So I think we will be prepared as much as you can be for anything [like the Boston Marathon bombing].”

However, the Boston incident was only one in a long stream of terrorist attacks to happen across the world and in the United States. Only 12 years before to the Boston bombing, on September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one plane crashed into the Pentagon and yet another plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after its passengers overcame the aircraft’s terrorist hijackers. As a result of the events, almost 3,000 people were killed.

World Studies teacher David Graham was teaching a class when a fellow teacher burst into his room to announce a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The lesson pulled to an abrupt halt as teachers and students rushed to get TVs set up in classrooms so that students could watch the events. There was no Twitter to “go crazy” and alert people of the news. There was no live coverage on the Internet and even the TV on the screens was fuzzy and input was poor. Students were left in anxious anticipation, waiting to hear more.

“Some people were super pissed off. Some people kind of felt like America had put itself in that position by some of their previous actions around the world, and some people were just pretty much incredulous,” Graham said. “It was overwhelming for some people, and there were some who just said, ‘Wait and see what happens, let’s just wait and see what comes about.’ … I think everybody was kind of on edge. You didn’t know what was going to come next.”

Following the acts of 9/11, security measures across the United States changed dramatically. Passports had to be reissued, significant limits were put on passports, metal detectors and increased security systems were implemented in airports, the number of bags that could be taken onto an aircraft were reduced, security cameras were installed, and limits were even put on toiletries such as hand cream and shampoo. Columbia itself was forced to take a hard look at its own security measures.

“After 9/11, even in the police department — it tightened up security,” Stroer said. “You had to be in uniform to come in, or you had to have a badge around your neck at all times. So certain things did change in the Columbia Police Department.”

September 11 left its stain everywhere. People were afraid of further attacks or anything that could be used for further attacks. Anything that could be potentially dangerous in the United States was looked at with a scrutinizing eye. Even nuclear power plants significantly changed their policies and procedures after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center. According to University of Missouri professor Bill Miller, the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR), along with other power plants across the nation, created new vehicle barriers, implemented a new mail reception facility for inspecting packages, installed security cameras, edited evaluation plans, and some plants even added “pill boxes” where armed guards could stand watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, even with the increased safety methods, there are accidents. Last week, on April 19, a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, exploded, killing 14 people and injuring more than 200 others, according to cnn.com. While the incident wasn’t an act of terrorism, it still left a significant mark on the people of the United States, who began to fear the danger of power plants.

Miller, who works at MURR, stressed that these bad accidents are caused by poor design and are not at all a frequent occurrence. Incidents such as the Texas accident and Chernobyl disaster in 1986 were caused by little concern for proper safety measures, Miller said, and even so, only 31 personnel at the Chernobyl plant were killed by radiation. The estimate of the increase in cancer likelihood to the exposed population of the Chernobyl disaster is around 0.0005% — very, very low.

“Despite many concerns about nuclear reactors and a few bad accidents, the nuclear industry is still far, far safer than any other industry,” Miller said. “The MURR is much smaller than a power reactor and has many of the same safety features of larger plants, including a 2-foot-thick concrete containment building.”

But even with all the additional safety and security, some Americans still feel it’s just not enough. Issues and debates over gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting have skyrocketed. Stadium operations officials from all 30 major league baseball teams are meeting to discuss tweaking security at games after the Boston bombing, according to www.courier-journal.com. A school shooting earlier this year, and now an act of terrorism and an accidental plant explosion, both occurring in the same week, are quite enough to set America’s teeth on edge. Whether it be fear of terrorism or fear of terror itself, fear is rampant in the hearts of U.S. civilians.

After the accumulation of these recent events, some students are saying that schools across the country should increase their safety measures and rules. Many high schools have installed metal detectors at the doors, while others maintain a locked door policy throughout the day. Still, some worry that the lax, open-campus policy at RBHS is not safe enough for its students.

“I think that schools need to be more proactive about making schools safer with a higher security,” Meister said. “Because you honestly could just walk in the front door of Rock Bridge without anyone asking who you are.”

However, Maus believes that the people and the security system running RBHS have everything under control. While there was little change in school policy after the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing, Maus says that the teams devoted to student safety are as prepared and vigilant as ever.

“I don’t think the school system does anything too reactionary to one event,” Maus said. “I think the goal is always to make the school as safe and secure as possible, and safety for students, whether it’s physical violence, mental violence, emotional — any of those things — is the number one priority for students to [be able to] learn. If they don’t feel [safe], they can’t learn. … So I think schools do a very good job of not overreacting to any one event but do always have the safety of students and staff at the forefront of what they’re doing.”

While Maus understands the desire for security and the increase in fear, he believes there is very little to fret over. Terrorist acts and disastrous accidents are unusual, infrequent occurrences that should be taken seriously but should not control daily life.

“If something were to happen, if we had a big marathon and something like [the Boston Marathon bombing] were to happen,” Maus said, “I think we would be very efficient in responding.”

By Lauren Puckett

Additional reporting by Alyssa Sykuta

By Blake Becker

Almost every language has a word for it. In Persian it’s “chashm zakhm”; in Spanish it’s “mal de ojo”; in Greek it’s “to mati.” In Arab nations, it’s known as the “ayn al-hasud,” and in Hawaii it’s called the “maka pilau.”

It translates to the evil eye, rotten eye, stink eye, bad eye, hot eye, eye of envy or even, in Portuguese, (olho gordo) the fat eye. Somehow, a single superstition has traveled into every corner of the world, crossing over cultural, religious and language boundaries.

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A new groove: Next year, all performing arts groups, including the jazz program, will increase in size with the arrival of freshmen. Photo by Asa Lory

With the move to a four-year high school system next year, the influx of freshmen is expected to alter classroom sizes and structures at RBHS.

This holds true for the performing arts program, where the increased number of new students has already led Columbia Public Schools and RBHS to take preliminary steps in preparation for the upcoming change. CPS and RBHS anticipate the increased number of students in the performing arts programs will require an additional number of instructors for some groups, while for others, the change in size will be the only difference.

“Next year choir is adding another teacher, but band and orchestra ensembles will grow in numbers, but not show an increase in teachers,” CPS Fine Arts Coordinator Dr. Deborah Jacobs said. “The choral teacher will be half-time, and for orchestra, the ensemble might be larger, but there will be only one teacher. The same holds true for band, where there will be one director and one assistant director, as usual, but a change in size.”

All across the board, choir, orchestra and band plan to have a higher number of members next year, and there will be a new total of three bands and four choirs. Sophomore band member Claire Simon believes the negative aspect of having less-experienced freshmen is far outweighed by the positives that RBHS band and all of the performing arts will face with the large addition of students.

“I know when people drop band, it’s usually after freshman year. … Once they’re part of the program, they’re more likely to stay in band,” Simon said. “The negative effects of incoming freshmen that have less experience, over time, could change as freshmen are expected to keep up with upperclassmen.”

Choir and orchestra will undergo similar adjustments said senior Grant Flakne, a member of all three performing arts groups. Choir will have an ensemble mandatory for freshmen, and orchestra is considering a second ensemble along with audition requirements for the top ensemble.

“All around, we will probably just bump in size … and that’s always positive,” Flakne said. “Not a lot should actually change ensemble-wise because orchestra, band and choir are adding ensembles to compensate.”

Despite the addition of groups, Jacobs foresees a challenge in coordinating freshmen. But she believes the challenges can be overlooked because of the positive effect of having larger ensembles and more opportunities.

“With students being at the high school for four years, this should help build the overall programs at each high school,” Jacobs said. “The fine arts programs at RBHS are strong, and freshmen are really looking forward to joining the excellence that has already been established.”

Similar to how Jacobs expects freshmen to be excited to join the programs, Flakne believes current RBHS students will make the best of the revisions in store.

“With the change, we get more time to inundate players and singers to the style that RBHS employs, and a larger selection of performers allows the directors to be a little choosier,” Flakne said. “And the top ensembles should all improve eventually, if not immediately, so I see no reason why freshmen shouldn’t be a part of the senior high performing arts program.”

By Manal Salim

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

As the rain wears rivulets into his skin and the stones around him, it occurs to him suddenly in the way perspective does that his entire life is one enormous recursive hinge. There is a question that will send him deeper and deeper down layers of nested paths, some twisted and dark, others light of step and smooth, others still every variation and gradient between, if he makes a choice. If.

If is a foundational argument in computer logic, a corporate slogan, an excuse to many, but above all it is the question humanity has always tried to answer, the clever heroes of myth and equally great philosophers and scientists asking and answering hypotheses through experimentation and adventure.

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Bearing News asked RBHS students:

1. How will the new start time affect you and your schedule?

2. If you could take certain classes as a zero hour, which classes would you like to see offered?

Sophomore Tricia Hill

Tricia Hill, sophomore

“Well, I’m on the Rock Bridge Bruin girls dance team and our coaches were talking about it and they said that they want to actually start practice earlier so we can get out. I think that ill actually have to wake up earlier but I think that on the days that I have off at 9 o’clock I think its going to be nice because honestly a lot of us high schoolers procrastinate enough to where we start our homework at the same time even though we get home at 3,4 or 5- we all start at 7, 8, 9. So I feel like we will actually have more time to sleep in and I think ill really appreciate it.”

“I think P.E. would be a good one to have. But I really mean anything else…I’m in a career center class and I wouldn’t mind having that if I got out earlier. But not really anything in particular. Especially if you were taking fitness walking or something that gets hot in the afternoon, in the morning everyone says its nicer to have PE.”

Junior Elexis Ferguson

Elexis Ferguson, junior

“It will affect me because I do sports and I don’t need to be here all of the time because I only need like three and a half credits to graduate and if I want to keep continuing to do sports I would have to stay until 4 p.m. which is pointless. And working [after school] would be pointless because I start my job at four and I don’t really want to have to uproot and find another job so its hard nowadays and its just inconvenient, unorganized and a waste of time. We are in high school and we should be the ones getting out early, not middle schoolers and that’s how I feel.”

“Basically all the classes I need I guess that would still be required. The only thing is being able to still do sports without having to stay until four o’clock. If they could do that, not all the seniors need the credits and the majority of the sports people are seniors and its just pointless for them to stay all day if they don’t have to.”

Junior Mubinah Khaleel

Mubinah Khaleel, junior

“I don’t like it because I have sports to do and I don’t want morning practices and other practices will be really late.”

“Probably like math classes. I don’t know why. Might as well [get it out of the way early].”

Sophomore Lucas Wyatt

Lucas Wyatt, sophomore

“I feel like it starting at 9 a.m., like with track and stuff it will be kind of hard if we have to start in the morning but the days that we do have off will be really nice.”

“Nothing in particular but P.E. classes would be nice to take in the morning.”

Junior Emily Holtmeyer

Emily Holtmeyer, junior

“Super interested. I would want to see like core classes like math and US [studies] but I don’t know what they have planned over at the career center.”

Junior Hunter Berks

Hunter Berks, junior

“Moving from three o’clock to four o’clock getting out, that is really going to cut into peoples jobs and such but it will be better for some kids like sophomores and stuff who have to wait for their parents to get off work.”

“It would just be an extra block for free. I would be interesting to see if career center classes could do that because I’m in photonics classes over there and I would want to take that zero hour.”

By Kaitlyn Marsh

How will new school start times affect you?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

School board members discuss the start time proposal, and later finalized the school start times for the 2013-2014 school year. Photo by Urmila Kuttikad

The Columbia Board of Education finalized the new school start times for the 2013-2014 school year at today’s Board of Education Regular Session. Middle schools and a handful of elementary schools (with the longest bus routes) will start at 7:40 a.m., the rest of the elementary schools will start at 8:20 a.m. All high schools will start at 9 a.m.

The decision follows the three-tier system, with middle schools and a few elementary schools on the first tier, elementary schools largely on the second tier and high schools on the third tier.

The decision isn’t supported by everyone. When the idea was opened up to public comment at the Regular Session, parents of all ages of children came up to voice their concern regarding the problems they saw in the proposed plan. The worries included concerns about elementary school children waiting in the dark for their buses, certain before and after school programs inevitably being cut and high school students involved in athletics having to stay too long at school.

The Board of Education, however, maintained that any decision would face backlash, and that this one was the best option under the difficult circumstances. All but one member of the Board of Education voted in favor of the proposed plan. Among other things, parents would still be able to pick up and drop off their elementary and middle school children, high school students’ schedules would be given the maximum amount of flexibility and students of all ages would get more sleep than before.

The Board of Education was in agreement that the change from this school year to the next is going to be one of the largest CPS has ever seen. They were also in agreement that this could be an extremely positive thing, affecting not just the structure and organization of the school district, but the way it fundamentally works as well, with possible zero hour and 5th hour classes.

“I think now you get to rethink, ‘what is a class?’ It’s not just a sit and get anymore,” Superintendent Chris Belcher said.” Instruction is much more virtual and flexible than it used to be.”

By Urmila Kuttikad

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

How will the new start times affect you?

Advisory Director Melissa Coil moderates the quiz bowl event for the Advisory Olympics from earlier this year. Photo by Morgan Nuetzmann

Today, RBHS teachers will be voting on the Bruin Block proposal after they had a chance to participate in a Q&A session Thursday morning and afternoon. The faculty is currently voting on the proposal and has until 3:30 p.m. today to vote. Advisory director Melissa Coil said principal Mark Maus came to her at the beginning of the year regarding advisory in respect to freshmen, as the district made the commitment to have all high schools do an advisory program for freshmen and sophomores. Coil created a committee to look at different programs to address the issue. The committee had presented the proposal to teachers at least twice, Coil said.

“People could look at [Bruin Block] and say, ‘Oh, they’re changing it because of the ninth graders,’” Coil said, “but we’re changing it because next year, no matter how Advisory is run, half the school will be in Advisory, that has a huge impact on how we provide programming and how it’s organized.”

The proposed Bruin Block would create a half hour time period similar to the current Advisory program, focused on building relationships and connections. For next year, freshmen and sophomores would also have an additional class period that would be a supervised-AUT and a time to study. For subsequent years, only freshmen would have the additional class period, but each year would add the Bruin Block to the next class, meaning that no current student at RBHS would have a Bruin Block.

The Bruin Block would “provide us the opportunity to take the relationships and the connections that we build with kids — and we do that all years — but we do that really heavily in the sophomore year; and it’s going to take that, and allow us to continue that with kids for four years,” Coil said. “And it also is going to provide us the forum to really get more purposeful and more systematic about providing the Rock Bridge curriculum to students, and making sure that everybody gets that equally throughout their time here at Rock Bridge.”

If the vote passes, Coil will form a team to develop the curriculum and calendar, as well as talk with students and faculty to determine what should be incorporated in the curriculum. If it doesn’t pass, she’s okay with that “because it needs to be something the faculty supports in order for it to be successful.”

“We can develop all the curriculum in the world, [but] if the people aren’t passionate about what they’re doing, it’s not going to work,” Coil said. “If the faculty feels like what we’re doing now is sufficient, then I’ll support the faculty’s decision.”

Sophomore Carter Gerling thinks it’s a good idea to have the Bruin Block for freshmen, because the high school atmosphere has a lot more temptations to be distracted. However, he believes sophomores should have a normal advisory.

“The sophomores, I feel like they’re old enough and mature enough that they should deserve just a full Advisory, just a freedom to do what you want,” Gerling said. “I would say just freshmen [should have bruin block]; until this time, it’s always been sophomores and up to have that one period where they can choose to do what they wish, and it’s kind of needed in my opinion for people that age, just because the fact that schedules can get really hard here, and the fact that it’s just a good time to collect your thoughts and rest and get ready for your next class or just a good time to finish up some homework.”

In terms of deliberating the Bruin Block policy, English teacher Deborah McDonough said one of the ideas about the Bruin Block, after all four classes have it, would be to use it for students to research or explore a topic they like and present their work after the four years.

After all students have Bruin Block, “what if that’s a time in which they have chosen a particular interest, or a particular piece of study, that they use that particular block to do interviewing or go out in the community to do work,” McDonough said, “and they do this over a four year period and this would culminate in some sort of research, evaluation, presentation.”

McDonough said the faculty was looking at the idea in-depth and looking at how it fit into RBHS. Teachers have had plenty of opportunities to voice their opinions and have a constructive discussion, she said.

“The faculty here is very, they’re really good about letting themselves process a new idea, look at it in how will it change for the better, the dynamics of Rock Bridge High School, and if we feel that it’s going to change in a negative way — if it’s going to change any programs that we’re already finding very worthwhile, then we’re not willing to consider that,” McDonough said. “There’s lots of discussion, lots of available time periods and meetings that teachers have been able to go to, voicing their opinions to department chairs, all that kind of thing, so I don’t know it’s really opposition … it is an open-forum discussion.”

To Coil, the Bruin Block is a way of following up with students and providing constant support. The Bruin Block, Coil said, fits in with the cultural and relational aspect of RBHS in that it promotes “learning for life” throughout a student’s four years.

“My thing with advisory has always been that I want it to be the place that — even though we’re a large building, I’ve always felt that we’re a smaller large building, and we want make that environment and that that community even smaller, so you really feel like you’ve got that small group, that you can always go back to and that supports you in the building,” Coil said. “In my mind, I think it just helps truly emphasizing “where learning is for life.” We want to make sure that we’re providing supports and educating students as their knowledge base grows, that we’re continuing to move with them and provide them the information and support they need.”

By Atreyo Ghosh

Additional reporting by Adam Schoelz and Luke Wyrick

What do you think about the Bruin Block proposal? Would you rather have a Bruin Block than having had Advisory?

 This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district  opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Image used under fair use doctrine

I fell in love with the Picturehouse Theatre the moment I walked in the door. On both sides of the room were long white projectors playing videos of people walking on screen, doing something random, and then walking back off. The videos on the walls made for an entertaining wait until the film began.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was one of the first people to appear on the big screen when the stage was cleared and the lights dimmed.

These scenes of Putin turned into a documentary-short about Putin and Russia. The documentary-short was a sort of precursor to the film “Secret Screening Red,” and the short was called “Vladimir Putin in Deep Concentration,” which officially premiered today at 11:30 a.m. at SXSW but BearingNews.org got a peek during True/False.

Directed by Dana O’Keefe and Sasha Kliment, the documentary-short was an upbeat, realistic, spoken, editorial-like piece about the authoritarian regime of Putin in Russia. The documentary-short claimed Putin as the most powerful man in the world, and perfectly connected to the full-length screening which played right after.

The film told the courageous tales of activists defending their human rights and fighting for infinite freedom in Belarus. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus under totalitarian oppression. The documentary followed a group of acting artists from Belarus, who run an underground theatre, The Free Theatre, and express their political disgust through their art. The theater group reenacted personal experiences between members of the group or family members and the merciless police in Belarus, to spread the word of the situation in Belarus.

During the 2010 election in Belarus, a man named Andrei Sannikov ran against Lukashenko for president. Sannikov ran as an activist against the dictatorship of Lukashenko. In the end, Lukashenko won the election, but the film heavily stressed on the government of Belarus allegedly rigging the votes. When Sannikov tried to protest along with hundreds of others, he was arrested along with masses for speaking out against Lukashenko and the Belarus government.

Vividly depicting life for the average person in Belarus and the immense struggle for those against Lukashenko, this documentary was shocking and incredible. The group involved in The Free Theatre eventually expanded their audience to America, by performing in New York City. When wanting to return to Belarus after time in America, a couple members of the group were declined, as going back would mean imprisonment since the Belarusian government knew about their effort for change against Lukashenko.

This documentary went into depth on the hardships of living in Belarus. The dedication of time the people working on the film spent is vividly seen throughout the whole film, as so much of what was spoken was Russian and had to be translated into English subtitles.

Overall, this film went far and above to include as much information and truth about Belarus because much of the video footage was actually smuggled from Belarus. I think this film was truly powerful and sorrowfully honest. The documentary proved to be a necessity to be shown around the world, so that we can do anything we can to help and understand the different kinds of cruel regimes and unjust governmental power. It beautifully displayed the efforts and help needed to these countries under dictatorship control, even if it’s through the art of acting.

By Julia Schaller 

Music by Daphne Yu

Video by Urmila Kutikkad

Today, Thursday, March 7, RBHS Global Village hosted a unique fashion show, exhibiting stylish outfits from all over the world. Strutting down the benches, the cultural attire showcased everything from vibrant, colorful garments, sequins sparkling in the sun, to models sleek, black dresses cascading down the runway.

Despite the appealing fashions the show displayed to the RBHS student body, the event itself allowed for enjoyment and learning to occur at the same time. In viewing the outfits worn by the models with heritage from all across the globe, onlookers had the opportunity to visually experience another country’s customs and gain a little knowledge about another place in the world.

“The fashion show is fun and I just want to show people how we dress in Nigeria,” junior Mubinah Khaleel said. “It felt good to be a part of it and have a lot of people watching you and seeing what different cultures you come from.”

However, rather than choosing to educate her fellow peers, junior Subah Mohua took the opportunity to take part in the event in order to experience a cultural session that she wouldn’t usually take part in every day.

“I wanted to participate in the show because it’s really a lot of fun,” Mohua said, “and I get to dress up in something that I wouldn’t usually wear.”

Being a part of the fashion show was indeed worth it at the end of the day, Mohua explained. Mohua found the most enjoyment in being surrounded with models and members of the audience who also found the event to be pleasurable.

“It felt great to be a part of the fashion show,” Mohua said. “Just being with friends and dressing up was great, and hearing everyone clapping and cheering was really nice.”

Among those who were applauding in the audience, junior Leenah Mustafa, though not a part of the fashion show, found delight in the occasion supporting her peers and the interesting and ethnic roles they fulfilled in the fashion show.

“I wanted to watch the fashion show because all my friends were in it,” Mustafa said. “I was in the front row as moral support and to take pictures too. My favorite part was the people walking down the runway, and doing crazy stuff to show off their culture too. [The fashion show] provides diversity in the whole thing. It was all really cool and interesting to see the different fashion of cultures.”

Overall, the Global Village fashion show as a whole allowed for students to visualize what it may be like in another country through the cultural attire displayed. It’s ethnic charm and providing of entertainment keeps students like Mustafa intrigued year after year.

“I would definitely watch the show again because it’s fun to watch a different form of fashion,” Mustafa said.” “It’s like a little looking glass into so many different countries and cultures. It gives students a chance to share their traditions and be proud of who they are.”

By Manal Salim

Videos by Urmila Kutikkad

Today, on March 6, a multi-ethnic team of dancers took the floor in the main commons during A and B lunch and performed three numbers inspired by classic Indian songs. The event was a part of the festivities surrounding Global Village week.

The dancers have been practicing for the event since early February, with practices late in the evening around 8:00. The all-women number was choreographed by seniors Sumidha Katti and Ipsa Chaudury, while seniors Rajesh Satpathy and Vikram Arun choreographed the men’s dance. All four collaborated to come up with the moves for the couple’s dance that served as the event’s finale.

“[The choreography] was like, from my heart. The India people just did it,” Arun said. “It came out from our souls.”

As a whole, the dance team represents a diverse cultural background, with white, Asian and Indian members. The costumes worn by the entire team, however, were all authentic clothing from India, first introduced during the dress rehearsal on March 5.

“Unfortunately, yesterday I had a last minute sickness  so I was unable to perform at [the dress rehearsal],” dancer and senior Drew Floyd said. “But thankfully we had practice many-a-time before, and even without that last practice, I felt really well prepared for the dancing.”

The dances drew quite a crowd both lunches, with the seats set out for spectators completely filled and the hallways around the dance floor occupied by standing observers. Spectator Duha Shabeeb enjoyed the dance, as she often does.

“I always have fun every year watching it, and it’s going to be sad that this is the last year for Global Village,” Shabeeb said. “The guys’ Indian dance was probably my favorite.”

After the final number, the dance team all went out to lunch together and then performed their dance on the sidewalk next to Providence. Floyd said they hope they’re able to perform at the rescheduled Midwinter Assembly, especially because for him dancing is a way to relieve stress and find one’s personal rhythm.

“You don’t think about anything. You go with the flow,” Floyd said. “You just find the beat and go with it, and dance your heart out.”

By Jake Alden

[Show as slideshow]

Photos by Patrick Smith

For a story and video recap of day one, click here.

For photos, a story and a video recap of day two, click here.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Video shot and written by Daphne Yu, voice over by Kaitlyn Marsh

While Global Village has always been a tradition at RBHS, this year’s multicultural week diverged from the norm with an addition of a new day to celebrate. This year marks the first year RBHS has included “song and music” day into the week. After experiencing Global Village her sophomore and junior year, senior Morgan Widhalm, who attended Global Village planning meetings, founded the idea after reflecting on what she saw.

“I went to the first global village planning meeting and a question was brought up asking if we wanted to make any changes to the week’s activities,” Widhalm said. “I was thinking about the last two year[s] I had experienced and remembered the amazing fun that was last year’s Ireland booth. A bunch of my choir buds brought guitars, an upright bass, and their voices and sang traditional Irish songs. It was a blast. So I thought it might be cool to add a day during the week where anyone could come and perform international music.”

The committee, made up of RBHS students, went with Widhalm’s idea and added an additional theme to this year’s Global Village week. Allowing for the additional theme day this year is also the class schedule Columbia Public School has this year in regards to Global Village. This year, Global Village takes place during a five-day week.

“In the past years — like last year — [Global Village] was on a four-day week. [Now that it's not], we just thought it’d be interesting to do things [RBHS] hasn’t done before,” junior Yasmeen El-Jayyousi, a member of the Global Village Committee, said. “We all thought [song and music day] would be a great idea. I remember the Irish Booth last year had some music going during Global Village on Friday, so we’d thought it’d be interesting to have it during lunch where everyone could see it, something that was more interactive.”

Senior Raj Satpathy plays the Tabla drums ease. Photo by Daphne Yu

Last year’s Irish Global Village booth serenaded crowds while people took a tour around the main hallways and commons. Although recorded music played on iPods and other devices has always been present at Global Village Booths, senior Ian Meyer, part of the Irish booth last year, and his friends decided to do something they didn’t see often.

“Me and my friends who respect and enjoy Irish music decided that for Global Village, why don’t we all just get together and play some folk together? And it was just a good time,” Meyer said. “Now that we’ve kind of gone out on a limb and had some fun, I think more people [at Friday's booth are] going to incorporate not only music, but hopefully live music, because there’s just something about live music that’s so energetic and so right-in-your-face that it just makes the cultural experience that much better.”

Meyer is extremely happy to see that RBHS’ multicultural week now incorporates a day just for music, and although he thinks the snow might have affected turnout, believes Friday will bring more music to the booths because it. While those running booths Friday have the choice of playing music among the the energetic crowd, El-Jayyousi, who plans on being involved with Global Village again next year, says the addition of the “song and music” day is here to stay.

“Music is one of those things that is very cross-cultural,” El-Jayyousi said. “It’s something a lot of people can relate to because it doesn’t necessarily have to involve language and stuff, and I think it’s very interesting to experience it from different cultures and see the similarities.”

By Daphne Yu

If you missed out on day one of Global Village, click here to see what happened.

By Paige Kiehl

Image used under fair use doctrine

You’ve heard their voices, but never their names. You’ve recognized their trills, but never their talent. You’ve heard their souls, but never their stories.

They are the backup singers on hundreds of famous records. They support the names in flashing lights, from Mick Jagger to Sting, Bruce Springsteen to Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles to Michael Jackson.

They are girls from ordinary backgrounds, living their lives beneath the shadows of stars. They are Darlene Love, Gloria Jones, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, and so many others. They are the stories of Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom, an entrancing documentary that traces the lives of Motown’s backup singers and their struggle for the spotlight.

The film paints a remarkable picture of the talent that is left unseen by the world. Artists like Darlene Love, the starring voice of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” are ignored by record labels and fans. Instead, these women remain in the backgrounds, singing their hearts into dusty mikes when the studio is closed and quiet.

Twenty Feet explores the rise and fall of backup singers, and the ways their lives have shifted over the shape of their careers. Some of the women gave up early. Some of them tried (and failed) to start sufficient solo careers. Others are content singing backup, just so long as they are making the music they so adore.

Each of these stories are told in stunning clarity, getting close and personal. There are interviews with huge names in the music industry, such as trumpeter Chris Botti and superstar Mick Jagger. And there are intimate interviews with each of the backup singers, as they tell their emotional stories from start to finish.

But most of all, there is music. There is heartbreaking and hilarious music. There are focused recordings, where the ladies pour their voices into a solo. There are one-on-one studio sessions, where Tata Vega or Lisa Fischer trill until their voices break from emotion. Their voices are real and the talent is palpable. Yet, the world continues to ignore them.

But, for the most part, they don’t mind. Artists such as Judith Hill, who was to sing a duet with Michael Jackson on his “This Is It” tour before his tragic death, remain hopeful. One scene depicts Hill sitting at her piano, pressing gently into the keys, singing notes like they’re simply an afterthought. Depicting the love of music is what Twenty Feet does best.

“Singing is sharing,” one backup singer says. Twenty Feet From Stardom paints that shared passion perfectly. These ladies are not forgotten, nor are they lost amongst the records.

They are merely the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz. They are the people who, secretly, make the magic really happen.

By Lauren Puckett

Image used under fair use doctrine

I can’t cry when I’m sad.

No matter how tragic a movie is, no matter how much I want to cry, I can’t, which just ends up making me emotionally exhausted. And I Am Breathing is one of the most beautifully tragic films I’ve seen.

It tells the story of a man named Neil Platt, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2008, at the regrettably young age of 34. He had been married to his wife, Louise, since 2004 and they had their first child, Oscar, in 2007.

MND, an incurable disease, attacks the neurons that send messages from the brain to the muscles, making movement impossible. Platt, soon after diagnosis, was paralyzed from the neck down.

It seems like Platt was handed misfortune after misfortune. MND ran in his family and took his father’s life at the age of 51 when Platt was a teenager. Platt knew from a young age that he had a 50-50 chance of getting the fatal disease, and he ended up getting it almost 20 years earlier than his father had. He had just married, had just had a son, and now he would hardly get to know a life with the both of them. With the loss of mobility, he had to give up being an architect.

There are a lot of ways to handle an intimate portrait of the death of a man who knows he’s got very little time, and many of them are distasteful. Of the few ways to handle this sort of film with taste, it is near impossible to make the film beautiful and provocative as well, but I Am Breathing managed to do it.

The documentary didn’t focus so much on the “inevitable, rapidly approaching death” aspect of his life, or the strains it had on Platt’s relationship with his wife, or the fact that the couple knew their young son also had a 50-50 chance of getting the disease. It didn’t force the sadness or the beauty or anything else.

Instead, the film was honest. Though Platt was paralyzed and dying, the story was told with his voice the whole way through. It didn’t rely on interviews from those close to him, it told the story the way he needed it to be told. And the reality was, Platt was determined to continue to truly live life for as long as possible, to not simply exist. The film was often funny, happy and improbably light because Platt never lost his sense of self.

In the face of such incredible tragedy, it was stunning and inspiring to see Platt retain his sense of normalcy. He regretted not “living” nearly as much as he wanted to in his 34 years, but he was determined to make his last year worth it. He wanted to spread his story as much as possible, to raise awareness of the disease so that MND could be prevented in the future. He even wrote a blog, each post of which is now being republished until Global MND Awareness Day, using a voice-command computer.

The loss of all mobility was extremely hard for Platt, but he knew that with the loss of speech, he would no longer be himself. He asked, “What possible benefit could I be to anybody?” This is why he made a directive saying that with the loss of speech and ability to swallow, he wanted to be cut off from the ventilator that allowed him to breathe. He was adamant that “the freedom to communicate is our strongest, most powerful freedom.”

I don’t remember being more heartbroken than when suddenly, one day, he lost the ability to speak clearly. As his trembling lips struggled and failed to form any more words, tissues were collectively pulled out of purses around the theater. It felt like everyone in the theater had made a friend in Platt, and it was heart-wrenching to know not only that we had such little time left with him, but that he and his wife knew, in that instant, that the end had almost come.

Within hours of going to the hospice, Platt died. He left behind a letter and a memory-box for Oscar. Taking a departure from its honest, light style, the film set each item in the memory box against a black background and sad music. A stuffed bear, a leather jacket, his watch, still ticking on.

If not for MND, Platt and his life seemed to be remarkably ordinary. But in looking more closely at him in the face of death, the film showed that in fact, he was a remarkably exceptional human. It showed that maybe we’re all remarkably and beautifully exceptional. In the most unconventional, light and happily honest way I’ve ever seen, the film showed that there is so much more to life than surviving it. That to live is far more important than to exist. That even the ability to scratch an itch is a blessing. The movie was eye-opening and profound, and I highly encourage seeing it.

By Urmila Kutikkad

Image used under fair use doctrine

Dirty Wars, directed by Richard Rowley, follows the intricate story of war journalist Jeremy Scahill through his investigation into an unnecessary U.S. military raid on an innocent civilian household in Gardez, Afghanistan that left children, men and pregnant women dead with no reason or explanation. Rowley finds that this incident is just the tip of the iceberg in an organization of shady incidents that go unnoticed by the media and the world.

As Rowley continues to investigates for the perpetrators, the ones ordering it and the reasoning behind it, he comes across a scarcely known U.S. military branch called the Joint Special Operations Command, a black ops military unit originally meant to work completely under the radar, unknown to any civilians, foreign countries or the media. JSOC’s purpose is to conduct military raids and hits on a list of people who pose any potential terrorist threat to the U.S. and to follow all orders, no matter the logicity, to their full extent with enough discretion to prevent any link to the military.

Being off the grid and known by only certain U.S. government officials, JSOC is able to act, barely restricted by international law and regulations, allowing JSOC to perform greatly condemn-able acts unnoticed. With this powerb JSOC even operates outside of the official warzones like Afghanistan and Iraq to conduct raids and assassinations on any suspected targets in 75 countries outside of declared warzones.

On Dec. 17, 2009, A deadly incident occurred on the south coast of Yemen in the village al-Majala in the Abyan province, where a U.S. ship fired five cruise missiles carrying cluster bombs (which are not allowed for use by the U.S.) into the village, killing 58 innocent civilians, among them 12 women (five of them pregnant), and 22 children. When Rowley investigated this incident, it was clear from the remnants of the shells that the bombs belonged to the U.S. military.

However, when Rowley presented this information to mass media, many organizations claimed that his report was inaccurate, and when he presented the information to U.S. government officials, responsibility for the strike was avoided. The reasoning for this strike was that the village contained tribes that may have targets on JSOC’s hit list included within their ranks, but is discredited with it being only an uninformed hunch, as the tribe suspected was one of the least powerful and influential in Yemen, and the area hit by the bombs was a mainly rural area.

As the documentary continues, more and more immoral ineffective acts of counter-terrorism become unearthed by Rowley, from the U.S. support of warlords in Somalia, to the assassination of a U.S. citizen unaccused of any crime and his 16 year-old son. Dirty Wars throws many wrenches into the current perception of how the U.S. handles the war on terror, and puts into question the sanity of the U.S. Congress and the President. The movie is a revelation about corruption in U.S. government that goes just as deep as the Watergate Incident, as the revelation of abhorrent crimes committed by the U.S. in war that go unanswered is constantly astonishing, and easily makes one question their beliefs about the U.S. government, as the self-fulfilling prophecy is constantly repeated through the killing of innocents that then gives rise to vengeful relatives seeking jihad.

By Blake Becker

The Missouri Theatre was packed as viewers scrambled in to watch “Twenty Feet From Stardom.” Photo by Lauren Puckett.

It’s clear when you look at me that I’m a True/False virgin.

First of all, I look lost. I’m turning around in circles, checking my phone and my pass, standing on tip-toes to see over the crowd. I get trapped in a sea of chattering people and have a hard time keeping track of my things.

Second, I’m trying too hard. Everyone knows that True/False is where the “hipsters” all go, where they thrive on Kaldi’s and video cameras, where they wrap up in scarves and beanies and nod at the intellectual perspectives of some film director they don’t know. It’s “hipster-topia” out there. So I’m clearly trying to fit in, wearing the “hipsteriest” thing I own: a printed blouse with a lacy Peter Pan collar, a tucked-in tank top, a pair of boots over my jeans, and my painted brown peace sign earrings.

Of course, in my desire to conform, I’ve neglected more reasonable articles of clothing – such as regular old gloves to keep my freezing hands warm.

So, here I am, standing in the Q line with my hands stuffed in my pockets, humming Ed Sheeran so I feel a bit better about myself. My cheeks are numb and I have an hour until the film starts, but I’m still in the back of a line that wraps around the Missouri Theatre. The queue number slip is shaking in my trembling hands. And my phone is running out of battery.

I’m desperately trying to stay positive.

I try to distract myself. I gaze around, taking in the overwhelming culture of True/False. I see my fellow journalism friends, skipping about town in blazers and sweaters, camera cases tucked under their arms. I listen to an older woman jabber Spanish behind me, yanking her ear muffs around her Ray Ban sunglasses. I watch the box office volunteers, dressed in red scarves and polka dot pajamas. I make friends with a piano teacher in the Q, who hasn’t been to the festival in two years and seems happy to be home.

I take notes about my observations on my phone. My fingers are so cold, I can hardly move my thumbs quick enough. The sensations of Columbia in its prime are hitting me like a whirlwind. I’m racing to keep up.

But I’m happy. Is that odd? I’m getting a headache from the insanity of it all, but I’m happy.

I settle down in the second row of the Missouri Theatre, glad to be warm again. Indie music wafts through the air, as a group named Anonymous Choir takes the stage. The room is already filled to the brim; you practically have to scream to be heard by anyone. I squeeze between a hipster-looking young man and a hipster-looking old man. The young man is taking his girlfriend on a date; the old man is taking his camera on a spree.

He catches me glancing at his pictures. I’ve always been bad at hiding my curiosity. I sheepishly smile at him, expecting him to give me a strange look and put his camera away.

Instead, he laughs. He flips back through a few images, landing on one of him with a film director.

“Nice double chin I’ve got going there, huh?” he says. He blinks at the picture, looks a little closer. “Nope, wait, that’s a triple chin. I have a triple chin. You can’t imagine the work I had to put in to get a chin like that.”

I grin, pleased to see he isn’t upset with me invading his privacy. “I think it’s a fantastic picture,” I tell him, and I mean it.

“Well, thanks. I’ve been trying to get used to this camera; I need some good images for the freelance work I’m doing.”

I’m immediately intrigued. Freelance – that’s potentially my medium. I decide to stretch my inquisitiveness a bit.

“Really? What kind of freelance?”

“I do a lot of work for stuff up in KC,” he tells me. “But KC…man. They don’t have anything like the True/False Film Festival. The puny programs they hold over there don’t hold a candle to this place. I mean, you can’t swing a stick around here without hitting an Oscar nominee.”

I marvel for a minute at the truth of this statement. I never really thought of True/False as that special. It’s just a festival that comes into town once a year, crowds up the streets and makes traffic impossible.

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome,” I say. “You seen any good films over the last few days?”

His eyes grow huge, like he just discovered a new planet or something. He shifts in his chair, getting comfortable for a long conversation.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

We proceed to talk for the next thirty minutes, about “Crash Reel” and “No,” about “Where’s the Front Line From Here?” and “Twenty Feet From Stardom,” about state boundaries and political manipulation, about war zones and snowboarders, about American brotherhood and Iranian families, about acting and about living.

I never learn this guy’s name and he never learns mine. But together we wonder over human existence and the reality that we all share.

The lights begin to darken and the movie begins to play. But this hipster-looking old guy says one last thing before we turn away from one another.

“You know, if we had any idea what it was like for other people, we would be different. I don’t think we would whine so loudly.”

Then the movie starts. Then the movie ends. Then I drive home in my nice, warm car and eat a chocolate bar before bed.

But his last statement stuck with me throughout that whole night, throughout the next day and the evening after. I kept replaying it in my mind, the subtle and simple way he said it. Like it was the plainest and most obvious thought that’d ever come to his mind.

If we had any idea what it was like for the rest of the world, we might change. We might stop complaining. We might be compassionate; empathetic. We might understand.

And suddenly I realized that’s what the hype and culture of True/False is all about. This film festival, this incredible celebration and examination of life, is about empathy. It’s about exploring the silent voices. It’s about traveling to other worlds and telling those stories. It’s about connecting people who are miles apart. It’s about mixing cultures and introducing ideas all so that maybe, just maybe, we might understand one another. We might understand life.

This hipster-looking old man (whose name I never learned) looked and acted completely different from me. He had a triple chin and a giant blue windbreaker. He works in Kansas City and hates his day job. I talked to him for all of thirty minutes.

But I think I understood him. And I think he understood me.

All the movies I watched connected me to people I’ve never met. And I came home tonight and felt a little different. I appreciated my hot water and safe country a little more. I appreciated the simple pleasures and the words flowing from my fingertips.

I don’t know. But I’ll tell you one thing:

I’m glad I’m not a True/False virgin anymore.

By Lauren Puckett

Photos by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Image used under fair use doctrine

On a little dairy farm in Sussix, England Andy Heathcote provides a quiet look into the farmer Stephen Hook’s life, and more uniquely, the life of his cows. Here, at Hook and Son’s Farm, Heathcote spent three years filming the cows and finding that “cows have so much character.” The movie, less focused on the farm itself, or the Hook family, allowed us to meet, and love, the dairy cows.

Somehow, the cows felt closer than animals, realer than beasts. The film showed the cows’ most human experiences.

Like the cow’s first day away from it’s “mum,” and hearing the moans and wails of both the heifer and the calf. It felt like the first day of college. Maybe a bit more hay though.

Or when Ida, the queen of the herd, was getting her hair cut by Hook, all the other cows just kind of sat around, mooing at her. I really felt as if we were in a beauty parlor. The chatty moos and the head bobbing, I am absolutely sure that if I understood cow I would have heard dirty talk about the bulls.

And after a long car ride, and a short “meet and greet” visit to the city, trying to get the cow back in the trailer proved to be impossible. The stubborn thing sat there, feet dug in deep, and no matter the pushing or pulling, would not get back in. Sounds exactly like the return side of a road trip.

And Hook was more than just a farmer – he was a father. He cleaned up the mud they tracked in the “house, “ picked them up when they were learning how to walk and reminisced when they died.

This movie used beautiful music (influenced by the cows – “they tolerate classical pop, but they don’t like dance music,” said Heathcote), long shots of blue mornings and the personalities of each of the cows to tell a different kind of story. A story not about the price of milk, or the dangers of selling “raw” milk, not the health hazards of BT or the farmer’s life – though it touched on all of the subjects. It was really about a rowdy bunch of black and white spotted troublemakers. The lives, and the personalities, of cows.

By the end, you’ve experienced love, loss, struggle and laughter. Go see this film and let the Hook and Son Farm take you on a journey you’ll never forget. A moo-ving picture, to say the least.

By: Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Image used under fair use doctrine

After Tiller is eye-opening, bringing to attention the harsh controversy, ethical considerations and colossal challenges of late-term abortions. While many define themselves as pro-choice or pro-life, few consider third term abortions in that debate. In fact, just four doctors in the nation are willing to provide these late-term abortions.

After Tiller, appropriately titled for the effects of Dr. Tiller’s assassination in 2009, features these four doctors and the challenges they face.

Dr. George Tiller was the medical director of Women’s Health Care Services in Wichita, KS, once one of just three clinics in the U.S. to provide late-term abortions. He survived the firebombing of his clinic, as well as a shooting in 1993. In 2009, Tiller was shot again, this time fatally, at his church.

After Tiller shows the four doctors who have continued Tiller’s work, each facing similarly life-threatening pressure. Each of their offices has various flyers hanging to instruct employees on how to handle threatening phone calls or how to determine the safety of a package that comes in the mail. The film makes it clear how risky the job is, as well as how each doctor deals with and personally justifies that risk.

In nearly all cases, the pregnant women who come seeking late-term abortions have found out that either their fetuses had severe or fatal birth defects or the fetuses were healthy but, certified by two other doctors, would be significantly dangerous or harmful to the woman. The film portrays well the mindsets of the women who come for these services, even if one, as an audience member, does not necessarily agree with the reasoning.

Regardless of personal opinion, After Tiller definitely features beautiful filming of the patients, showing shots of their fidgeting feet and shaking hands rather than their faces. You hear the tears in their voice, and the anonymity of their faces perhaps makes them a bit more relatable. Still, regardless of cinematographic effects, it seemed like After Tiller was not the kind of movie that would change one’s stance on abortion. Those who were pro-choice would have found evidence in the film to stay pro-choice, especially when a mother’s reasoning for aborting the fetus did not seem as solid as others’, or when one of the doctors admits that she views the aborted fetuses as babies, while pro-life viewers would have similarly found footage that solidified their own beliefs, such as when that same doctor talks about the dignity of allowing those babies to die without living short and painful lives.

The film is more informative than thought-provoking, though. After Tiller addresses the idea of ‘living’ versus ‘quality of life,’ though it does not really investigate the debate. It similarly touches on how the four doctors decide which cases justify a late-term abortion and which do not. The overwhelming lack of doctors who provide first-trimester abortions but oppose of the late-term variety made it seem like the film was trying to justify the pro-choice argument, though. It seemed like late-term abortions were portrayed as much more justifiable and supported than they are — after all, only four doctors in the entire nation are willing to provide them, so they are obviously not as widely accepted as the film makes them out to be. It shows radical pro-life advocates, but it doesn’t really show less extreme advocates.

Overall, After Tiller would be a great film to see for those interested specifically in late-term abortions, but, for me, it was a bit too textbook-like to digest.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

Photo by Daphne Yu

Who Is Dayani Cristal? is a documentary that is simultaneously important and unimportant. While this may seem contradictory I don’t think it is because documentaries have two absolute catagories – the Important Documentaries that cover Important Topics with numerous talking heads and the human touch of a machine, and the unimportant documentaries that cover a tiny facet of life with incredible detail and a deft hand. Cristal covers an important topic – illegal immigration – by looking at the life and journey of one deceased immigrant.

To be sure, this is not the movie that is described in the blurb in the True/False booklet. While that paints the movie more as a mystery, a noirish caper of identification and tracking, it is in actuality a tragedy of the most inevitable sort, an excellent look at the human side of the thousands of migrants, living and dead, who traverse the Arizona desert in the hopes of finding a better life for their families.

Juxtaposing the more standard style of interviewing forensic anthropologists, consulate workers, and coroners with a unique recreation of the mystery man’s journey, Cristal finds a new perspective on the well worn debate on illegal immigration. Since 2000, over 2000 migrants have died trying to cross the Arizona desert. Many are never identified, their bodies cremated

It’s an important documentary for the reason documentaries are important: it puts a human face on a dehumanized issue. In this country illegal immigration is hardly a question of immigrants; it is a question of money, of jobs, of illogically placed loyalties and political boundaries. Cristal shows just how silly that is by exploring the migrants and to a lesser extent the border patrol in an interesting and levelheaded way.

It compares easily to two other films at True/False: These Birds Walk and A Captain And His Pirate. All three find a way to illustrate the relationship between extreme poverty and illegal activity in a way that seems inevitable to the viewer; that is, it makes so much sense to jump the border when your child has leukemia and free trade has eliminated profit from farming.

Cristal drags in the second act as it struggles to find the narrative in the mystery man’s story as he crosses from Honduras to Mexico to the United States, but it’s incredible ending makes up for it. It is not a story that ends happily, after all, and the more we get to know the dead man the more his death stings. And to be sure, the meaning of the tattoo – Dayani Cristal – is at the heart of this tragedy.

Who Is Dayani Cristal? is a political film that tells a story but it’s a good one. By taking a balanced and personal stance on a hot button issue, it achieves what many documentaries can only attempt – education.

Catch “Who Is Dayani Cristal?” on Sunday, March 3rd at 1:00 p.m.

By Adam Schoelz

The Act of Killing, as its title suggests, is an intense film. It’s powerful, thought-provoking, thought-consuming, even disturbing. You need a period of time to recover from it afterwards.

In the start, though, it’s just strange. The entire premise of the documentary is about ‘gangsters’ who carried out genocide 40 years ago, wiping suspected Communists and the Chinese out of Indonesia. This ‘wiping out’ is through brutal mass murder. These former killers act out various scenes to reenact their glory days, and it is horrifying to realize how much they still celebrate the power and sadism of killing. They walk with pride at how much fear they once inspired.

The main character, named Anwar, has nightmares, which he admits may be caused by the guilt of killing around 1000 people. In the daytime, though, Anwar dances at the site where he once carried out the murders, singing out the tune and smiling as he explains the effects of Hollywood movies on his killing techniques.

Other members of the modern day ‘paramilitaries’ openly discuss and celebrate the corruption that still allows them to intimidate money out of citizens and the enjoyment they got from raping Communist women, especially if they are “just 14 years old,” they say. It is just unreal to hear these men revel in their horrific actions, to be completely unaware of just how horrific they were, then to go home and treat their families with such affection. In one moment, they seem like the most inhumane people in the world, like they are a completely different class of ‘human’ than you or me; in the next moment, they are watching television with their grandsons perched on their knees.

You want to like Anwar because he is soft-spoken and dignified, with the lovability of old age. You want to hate him because he is unrepentant and unaware, with the sadism of a mass murderer. He loves gangster films “because he is one,” director Joshua Oppenheimer said after the film, and he loves musicals. He is very much human, and it’s kind of scary to think that humans are not evil, but they are capable of such evil actions. And though he is very much a member of a society that celebrates genocide, Oppenheimer said, the audience can see that Anwar has nightmares about his actions, even if he can’t admit that what he did was wrong.

Slowly, though, those societal scars become obvious. In reenactments, children who cry as part of the act somehow cannot stop weeping; an old woman, after an intense scene of a fire burning down a village, is not unconscious but is also not present — she was ‘possessed,’ Oppenheimer said; Anwar himself, now seated in the victim’s chair rather than the executioner’s, says he cannot act out that scene again. He asks Joshua whether his victims felt the debilitating destroyal of dignity and fear for their lives that he himself felt in that reenactment; no, Joshua answers, they felt that terror much more acutely because they knew it was real, while Anwar knew he was acting.

Sitting in the audience, it was overpowering to see that realization progress.

“I think it is somewhat inevitable, when you make a film about the aftermath of genocide, particularly one where you’re trying to break a 47 year silence in a regime that’s a regime of fear, that’s founded on celebration of genocide,” Oppenheimer said, “there’s no way you can do that honestly and remain somehow not overwhelmed by the process.”

One of the film’s final scenes is so overwhelming, disturbing and powerful that we feel the pain of Anwar understanding and accepting the enormity of what he did.

I wondered whether Anwar would have been better off had he not made the film, had he continued to live with nightmares and unconscious guilt, had he not faced the pain of the truth. I asked Oppenheimer afterwards, the last question of the Q&A session, and he said that Anwar, in a sense, came into the project with the motive or realizing and letting go of that confession. In the safe space of acting, Anwar could address and work through the consequences of killing all those people, but then he could go home and resume his life.

Oppenheimer said Anwar had seen the film and did not regret making it, and even though it consumed my mind, I certainly did not regret seeing it.

Catch The Act of Killing, perhaps the most powerful film of the festival, for its last screening today, Sunday the 3rd, at 3 p.m. at the Forrest Theater.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

Image used under fair use doctrine

Before I saw the Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty in January, I knew nothing about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The film gave insight into the works of the Central Intelligence Agency and the chase after a man that much of the world wanted to see captured and killed. But it was only after I saw Greg Barker’s Manhunt that I was truly able to comprehend the extensive amount of time that went into the search for Bin Laden. Only then did I see the struggle of a group of women who were given little to no credit for their astounding, discounted work faced.

While Zero Dark Thirty brought to light the important role of women in the CIA, Manhunt took it a step further, delving into what drove a group of women to diligently pursue one man for decades with tenacity and steady hope that they would succeed. Zero Dark Thirty is about gathering intelligence on Osama bin Laden and the raid. Manhunt is about the women behind the intelligence gathering, as well as the controversial methods employed by the CIA to gain information about Al Qaeda and Bin Laden.

At the start of the film the audience was introduced to “The Sisterhood,” a group of female analysts for the CIA that studied Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden for almost a decade before the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Cindy Storer, one of the analysts in “The Sisterhood,” then gave her opinion on why women are better suited to job of being analysts and why they were able to track one man for almost two decades while men couldn’t.

Yet, even though the women had intelligence that led them to believe Bin Laden would attack the U.S. before 9/11, few acknowledged their warnings. In fact, John McLaughlin, CIA director at the time, asserted that the reports did not contain any actionable information. Only after the women faced the guilt of not having been able to prevent 9/11 did their research on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda come to light. And this is when the CIA’s enhanced interrogation methods came into play. Although waterboarding is a disturbing, inhumane form of interrogating someone for most people, many of the women of “The Sisterhood” and many case officers in the CIA came to terms with the enhanced interrogation methods. They were able to justify what they were doing for the sake of the American people, even though most civilians find it cruel and are quick to criticize. However, the CIA case officers do emphasize that that CIA seldom uses enhanced interrogation methods.

But what tied together the story of how the CIA found the trail that led them to Bin Laden is Barker’s use of graphics and clips of Bin Laden and his followers. The constant switch between whiteboards, random bits of data and images of Al Qaeda creates a navigable web of information allowing the audience to trace the thought process of “The Sisterhood” and understand how they accomplished this amazing feat.

While it’s known that the mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden was victorious, at the end of the film, you are left wondering what future terrorist attacks could hold for the world and the magnitude desperation a country faces when affronted with a war of terror.

By Ipsa Chaudhary

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish is one of the most important documentaries I’ve seen in the past five years. It’s a film every animal lover should see, and one that drastically alters any happy childhood memories you might have of Seaworld and Shamu.

The documentary opens with a stark black screen interspersed with clips of swimming captive killer whales. In the background, a recording plays of the 911 call sent from Seaworld Orlando after one of the park’s popular whales, Tilikum, killed and subsequently began devouring his senior trainer, Dawn Brancheau.

From there on, the film is an incredibly intimate look at killer whales, their trainers, and the lives that have been affected by keeping these surprisingly intelligent massive marine mammals in captivity. Cowperthwaite’s team did an impressive job of hunting down the kind of characters that are rarely found outside of fiction; a band of self-termed “Canadian sea cowboys”, a motley collection of  intensely likable ex-Seaworld trainers and even an aging former orca-catcher who Cowperthwaite described as a real-life version of the shark hunter from Jaws. It’s Tom Crow, the orca-catcher, whose testimony first drives home the film’s message. A navy vet who saw action during the Latin American revolutions of the mid-twentieth century, Crow tearfully explains that after hearing the family of whales clustered around his boat scream and wail as their children were dragged away, he realized that hunting killer whales was the worst thing he’d ever done.

The real star of the show, however, is Tilikum, the killer whale involved in the death of three people. A fair chunk of the film is dedicated to telling Tilikum’s tragic life story, and as you hear the testimonies of marine biologists discussing killer whales’ intelligence and look into Tilikum’s eyes, you begin to see him as less of a dumb beast and more of a tortured soul.

Blackfish is an emotional film, and not just because “Boo hoo, those poor animals,” although after watching the film its hard to ever think of orcas as anything but thinking beings ever again; no, it’s also an emotional film because it explores the ways in which these whales have touched human lives. We hear ex-Seaworld trainers discuss the bonds they felt they had with their whales, and we also hear the heartbreak in their voice as they describe the atrocities they saw committed toward these orcas and the pain in losing some of their friends in attacks sugarcoated as accidents. Witnesses and family members of victims are also interviewed, and their tearful voices add another layer of humanity onto this bleak but beautiful tale of the deep.

The whole film oozes style, interspersing its interviews with artistically animated court room reenactments and some of Seaworld’s commercials over the past few decades. These clips help keep the movie moving and serve as excellent transitions from point to point and concept to concept. They also lend it a slightly lighter air, as  does the film’s touching conclusion, which ultimately transforms the story into one of hope for a brighter future and redemption.

This masterpiece is a movie that made me want to go out and help make a change. It made me feel connected to other individuals in a uniquely original way, and not all of them were human. It’s a film that I would see again, and hopefully, when it arrives in theaters across the country this summer and airs on CNN this fall, I will.

By Jake Alden

The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear by Tinatin Gurchiani. Just hearing the name of the film piqued my interest. I wanted to see what it was about, who was in it, if there really was a machine that made things disappear. After reading the short summary on the True/False website, I found out that the documentary was really about the lives of young people who lived in Georgia (the country) and how they felt caught in the midst of a country transitioning from the past to the future. 

And that’s all it was: a movie about the lives of young people.

The movie starts with the director posting an ad that said she was looking for young people, ages 15-25, to cast in a movie. The first interview is with a 13-year-old boy who wants to play the main character in this supposed movie. The documentary shows his interview for about 5 minutes and then follows his life for about 10 minutes. Then it shows an interview of a school girl who wants to be a scientist. Then it shows an interview with a 20-some aged governor of a small village. It follows his life for 10 to 15 minutes, exposing that he is caught taking care of a village filled with 150 people who are all about the age of 70, and he wants to get out but doesn’t know how. Then it goes to a girl who is tired of living, of breathing, of eating, whose whole life is consumed by her endless tiredness. Then to a girl whose mother had left her as a baby, and she had grown up with her father, grandmother and aunt. It follows her life for 20 or so minutes and her journey to meet her mother for the first time. Then a sheep farmer. Then a young mother. Then a boy whose brother is in prison. I think you get the picture.

And so The Machine Which Makes Things Disappear is really just a random compilation of the completely unrelated lives of these young people. At times in the middle of it, the film is rather slow, and having been out all day, I found my eyes beginning to droop. An hour into the movie I was starting to wonder what exactly the point of all of this was. Thinking back to the description, I suppose if I thought about it, the lives of these individuals could somehow be connected to some kind of a transition to modernity. Perhaps the young governor stuck in an old people’s world? Or the young man trying to cope with the horrific images of war that he saw as a child?

But then, within literally the last two minutes of the movie, the director introduces a profound thought. Just as the film is winding down, the screen flashes to another interview with this rather creepy young man. The first thing he says? “I don’t understand why people say life is such a blessing.” Or something of that nature. He then continues to question why people are so taken with the idea of life. He said that we are told we have a choice in life, but we really don’t. Nobody ever asked us if we wanted to be born. Life is really just a cycle of endless suffering, he said.

And then the movie ended.

I know. It was over. Before I even had time to think about or begin to process what that last man had said, it was over! I felt that if they had introduced this idea of life earlier on in the film, it might have helped the plot (if there was one) develop a little better. At the time I was so confused and disappointed, but now, an hour later, thinking back, I think I might be starting to get it. Maybe. A little bit.

You may ask, where exactly does the title factor in? Well if you recall, one of the interviewees was a tired girl. The interviewer (which I’m assuming was the director) asked “If you had a machine that could make anything disappear, what would you choose?” And the girl replied, “Myself.”

Maybe this whole movie was talking about how little of a say we have in our whole lives, and what, even, is life? Is it really a gift? Is it a curse? Does anyone even really know?

Thinking back, I realize why the director posted an ad advertising auditions for a movie. When people get asked “Why do you want to be in a movie?” they’re so willing to talk to you, to tell you their life story. In the name of an audition, it almost seems people will tell you anything. Perhaps this movie was just a reflection on how easy it really is to get people to open up to you. Or maybe it really was just a random compilation of the lives of young people.

But I don’t know. There’re a lot of “maybe”s in this review. And maybe that’s a good thing. Or maybe not.

If there’s anything I do know, it’s that The Machine That Makes Everything Disappear is a beautifully filmed movie. The shots of the Georgian countryside are crisp and fresh, and the interviews with the people are beautiful too. It is an honest piece of work.

Maybe you should go see it.

By Trisha Chaudhary

Photo used with permission from The Village at the End of the World press kit.

Sarah Gavron’s film, “Village at the End of the World,” surprised me. I went in expecting either a climate change frenzy film or a technology is ruining our lives rant. And Gavron did neither of those. She achieved something much harder than that — she told a normal tale. She told the story of Niaqornat, a village in North West Greenland. She told it with dignity, simplicity and truth.

Niaqornat was like many villages, suffering from population loss. The fish factory had closed and laid off many. The children grew up and pursued higher education, in cities far away, and didn’t always come back. The population was 59 people. Only one woman knew how to drive a car. Only one man knew English. The schoolhouse had eight pupils.

A man wearing a pelt-coat also donned a Billabong fitted cap. A boy wearing iPod earphones, and jamming out to hip-hop music, cheered for the hunters who came back with a polar bear.

And while some might classify these things as oxymoronic, this film didn’t.

The village still had graffiti. Everyone knew the word Google. Lars Kruse, a 16-year-old who worked at the village’s store, had a room full of posters of Zac Effron and Avril Lavigne. And the people, like everyone everywhere does, spent most of their days thinking about how to impress the opposite sex.

And why shouldn’t they?  Even a village at the end of the world is still part of it.

This film touched on many subjects, on global warming, suicide rates in Greenland’s villages, spirits and superstition, hunting and resources, business and co-ops, life, death and all of it’s moments in between.

This story could have been told so many ways. It could have been dramatized or alien-ized or nature-itized. But it wasn’t. Because it told the truer story of a village who worked to keep their home alive. They even bought the fish factory from the company, and re-employed their people.

This film was fantastic, but not because of the long beautiful shots of the too-blue mountains and the frozen sea, or the emotional attachment you felt to the sewage collector or even the success of the village’s story. It was because of the way it was told.

It told the story of the early morning cigarette breaks and the frustrating silence of the winter season. It showed the blood-stained snow after a successful hunt, and the happy faces it brought. The moments — from musical chairs to sled dogs howling — felt homey, and accessible.

Even at the end of the world, Gavron made a film that felt right at home. Unique, heartbreaking at times, thrilling at others, but mostly – and most beautifully – homey.

The village, as Gavron said, “was a village full of hope.” I, too, was filled with hope by this film. The people of Niaqornat raise their eyebrows to indicate the answer “yes,” so I, instead of two thumbs up – will raise my eyebrows.

Check out this movie at tomorrow, for it’s last T/F showing, at the Big Rag Tag at 10:30 a.m. Watch the trailer here.

By: Maria Kalaitzandonakes

A True/False structure stands in Missouri Theater. Photo by Blake Becker

As I stood anxiously outside of the Missouri Theater, awaiting the doors to open for the annual “reality bites” True/False Film event, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. For someone who isn’t a fan of cold weather or large crowds, jittering in the 31 degree chill of a snowy midwest winter amongst masses of people isn’t exactly my idea of a fun afternoon. But despite my pessimism, when smile-laden volunteers pushed open the heavy doors of the historic theater at 5:30 p.m. sharp to welcome everyone to the event, I couldn’t deny the overwhelming positive energy.

The crowd spilled in; a tsunami of bodies in puffy coats and colorful scarves, flooding the toasty warm and richly decorated theater with Columbia dining enthusiasts. It was impossible to not go into sensory overload, given the startling array of sights, smells and sounds that were suddenly bombarding my senses.  he aroma around me changed with nearly every step I took, ranging from succulent roasted meats, to potent brewed coffee, to the classic scent of freshly baked cookies. An upbeat folk tune danced through the air, as a band known as Mountain Animation serenaded the hungry Columbia congregation.

In a perfectly-timed display of community, the first turn I took landed me face to face with my next door neighbors. The surprising encounter seemed to illustrate the true nature of the film festival, as everyone comes together as a tight-knit commonality to enjoy and take pride in local Columbia quirks. They directed me away from the line I was in, which unknowingly and embarrassingly turned out to be a line for beer tasting, and gave me advice on the tastiest trays and tables from which I should sample.

Nearly everything I tried immediately took a spot on the “best food I’ve ever tasted in my entire freaking life” list. This came as no surprise, considering the featured eateries included local favorites such as The Rome, Tellers, Yogoluv, Khaldis, and even food prepared by students at the Columbia Area Career Center. The various foods I sampled included huge, mouth-watering meatballs, drowning in flavorful marinara sauce, a flaky pastry filled with creamy goat cheese and artichokes, crispy buttermilk-fried chicken, sinfully sweet banana cream pie bites, and what was legitimately the most flawlessly delicious chocolate chip cookie I had the privilege of tasting.

Roughly several hundred plates of food later, once I was nearly dizzy from overconsumption and the fast-paced melody of a fiddle and banjo, I weaved through the crowd and exited once again into biting wind and snowy streets of Downtown Columbia. A mere step or two out the door, I encountered an exquisitely dressed man riding a bicycle that carried an enormous cooler labeled “Fresh Beets Artisan Popsicles”. As he stopped to offer me a bright orange frozen treat, extending the conventional summer snack amidst a flurry of snowflakes, I couldn’t help but laugh.  But in the spirit of local eateries, and Columbia’s eccentric personality, I accepted his offer and went on my way.

By Anna Wright

Music by Lizzie and Neal Wright recorded live at the True Life Run. 

Video by Urmila Kutikkad

At 8:30 a.m. as the gray sky was just beginning to lighten, a crowd of runners already congregated at Flat Branch Park. The 50-or-so runners were pinning their numbers onto their shirts, pulling the free True/False T-shirts over their heads and warming up. Light and happy music filled the morning as two musicians sung and played the harmonica and guitar to encourage the runners.  Breath blew into cold hands, legs jogged in place and water bottles emptied. At 9:00 a.m. the runners gathered at the intersection of 4^th Street and Cherry Street and set off at the cue from the head volunteer.

This True/False tradition is a 5K run/walk that spans the downtown of Columbia starting in Flat Branch Park and allows runners to “take in the landmarks of our fair city, offering a handful of eclectic adventures along the way,” according to the True/False website. These “eclectic adventures” included running up eight stories of a parking garage, playing red-light/green-light, doing an obstacle course and running through a maze. If runners completed all of these challenges, the volunteers recording finishing times would deduct minutes from their total. In addition, if runners could catch one of the two volunteers dressed as bunnies, the volunteer would reveal a secret word, which the runner could present at the end of the race for further time deductions. The secret word this year was actually a name: Tim Heatherington.

Each year, the True Life run donates all of its proceeds to a charity, and this year they chose Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues. Sebastian Junger established RISC after his friend and colleague, Tim Heatherington died in a bombing in Libya, while he was photographing the war. Choosing his name not only served as a tribute to the organization, but also as a way of advertising Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? This documentary covers the life of Tim Heatherington, which is showing at True/False.

Sopohmore C.J. Phillips participated in the run and managed to chase down a bunny and get this secret word. Though this was Phillips’ first time doing the True Life Run, it was his second 5K.

“I was already doing True/False and I like running so it just sort of came together,” Phillips said. The obstacles “made [the run] a lot more interesting rather than just running 3.1 miles, but [they] also made it a lot more difficult. I fell down like twice in the maze.”

The maze was the last challenge and consisted of running through a snow covered peace park that the run had transformed using neon markers on the ground. The runners ran through the parking garage at the intersection of Broadway and 4^th Street, played red-light/green-light in front of Jesse Auditorium, then snaked their way around to the obstacle course by the quad, which consisted of mini hurdles, hula-hooping and jump roping. Finally, they made it to the maze, and then finished back up at Flat Branch Park, where volunteers were waiting to cheer them across the finish line.

University of Missouri – Columbia junior, Alexis Hitt was one of those volunteers. She spent the end of her volunteering shift clapping for runners finishing the 5K. Though this was Hitt’s first time volunteering, she’s no stranger to it and was a reporter and photographer for the festival two years ago. Though she didn’t specifically sign up to work to 5K, Hitt said she had a lot of fun volunteering, and thinks the unconventionality of the True Life Run is the main reason for its popularity.

“True/False is all about a bunch of people coming out and having fun and I mean we start at nine, people are coming at 8:30,” Hitt said. “The people [that run] … they like to have fun. You know, I don’t know if the race wasn’t like this if as many people would come out.”

And as the 50-or-so runners crossed the finish line, senior Jaynell Lardizabal was recording their times. Lardizabal was another one of the over 800 volunteers at True/False this year. In addition to writing down the runners’ times, Lardizabal’s task was recording the number of challenges that each did. She, along with Hitt, believes that the challenges make the True Life Run all the more worth it.

“I feel like all the quirks in [the run],” Lardizabal said, “and the fact that it’s a part of a good cause just really embodies the True/False spirit.”

By Trisha Chaudhary

Photo by Urmila Kutikkad

T/F gives new meaning to “the show must go on.” This skill of combining innovative thinking and just plan common sense in the most frustrating of circumstances is how, somehow, they pull this festival off. These are my 8 favorite stories so far.

8- When a director couldn’t show up because of a family emergency, they took photos of the audience on the iPhones of volunteers and sent them to the missing director to see. Everyone waved and smiled. Click. They called her and let her hear all the applause at the end of the movie.

7- Coned off areas of the 5K True Life run were littered around the course to ensure runner safety (from icy areas), but instead of looking glum, T/F made a maze through snow for runners to jog, marked off by neon painted lines. The snow became not a hindrance, but a challenge.

6- With too much old “merch” from last year, and a lot of young college kids with shallow pockets, T/F sold old T-shirts from previous festivals for cheap at the box office.

5- After finishing the 5K run, in around 25 degree weather, runners rushed into the the Broadway Diner to  run their frozen hands under the warm water of the sink in the back of the restaurant. Then they reemerged to enjoy a complementary tamale for an after-run breakfast.

4- Using the since vacated Pasta Factory location as their box office, volunteers had no place to “use the facilities.” They took a one-room bathroom that had no door and taped a big black tarp with a slash in the middle. Privacy at a film festival is overrated. And how can one get closer to someone quicker than them walking in on them while their pants are down. This is after all TRUE/False.

3- Much too much trash accumulates at downtown businesses during T/F weekend. One, going with the theme of tree-houses, built a cardboard tree-house and stacked it on top of their dumpster, to hold more (and look prettier).

2- After spending thirty-eight minutes looking for a parking spot, and running later for her spot in the Q, a RBHS student parked in a permit parking only spot, yelling as she swirled into the parking space, “It’s only a 10 dollar ticket!” Unfortunately, it was 15.

1- I overheard an attendee ask a volunteer, “If it snows, will they cancel the March March?” And the volunteer, looking horrified, replied, “Even if there were snow daggers falling out of the sky we wouldn’t cancel March March!!”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

At first glance, “The Captain and His Pirate” could be a swashbuckling film, its name conjuring images of romance and intrigue. And to an extent it is — there is combat on the high seas, a hostage crisis, bullets and betrayals and close shaves. But to say that “The Captain And His Pirate” is a film driven by kinetic energy would be a mistake. Rather, it is the world’s first buddy-documentary, and it’s a doozy.

The center of the film is a juxtaposition between two wonderful characters — the Captain, Krysztof Kotiuk, at first reserved but drawn out as the film goes on, and the Pirate, Ahado, almost a philosoph against a harsh Somalian backdrop.

Speaking of Somalia, the film has fantastic footage of the country. It starts with the pirate’s hideout, a jutting rock in a bleak and barren desert, and moves into the city, showing the rapid and simultaneous growth and decay of the city in alarming detail — one of the restaurants the Ahado eats at has a wall made of stitched together cardboard boxes.

The Captain, as he is referred to throughout the film, is back in green and tame Germany, in an experimental psychiatric hospital where he tries to cope with the torture and shock he endured for four months. He’s isolated, we can tell from the start — while the Pirate is always surrounded by people except in prayer, Kotiuk is often shown in contemplative thought, seen with only his therapists.

In a way the whole film is about isolation, and human compassion at the most extraordinary of times. Kotiuk was rejected by his crew, his only friends on the sea, for his ‘collaboration’ with the pirates. Ahado recognizes this and slowly begins to respect Kotiuk, eventually, he says, ‘as a man older than my father.’ And so the Pirate found the Captain, after all.

Though it isn’t the main focus, piracy is painted in quite a different light in the film. We like Ahado; he’s eloquent, intelligent, kind, and we get the sense that he’s just trying to make a buck, same as the rest of us. And when viewing the wreckage that is Mogidashu, it’s not hard to understand why the high stakes adventure and money of piracy are appealing.

The film is flawed in that it’s narrative structure is rough; the entire film has only two ‘talking heads,’ the two principal characters. For that it suffers from a lack of context but tells a more personal story. At times, though, that story can be hard to follow — relationships between characters, especially the pirates, can get muddied. But the film is an excellent portrait of two connected men worlds apart, and how they helped each other. It treats both intelligently and empathetically, allowing us as viewers an unparalleled and unfiltered glimpse into the strange relationship between hostage and hostage-taker.

The Captain and His Pirate will be showing one last time 3 p.m. Sunday, March 3 at the Globe Theater.

By Adam Schoelz

Image used under fair use doctrine

Feature films are, if nothing else, purposeful. Unnecessary scenes are edited out, plopped on an extras disc and sold in special editions of the DVD release. Superfluous details don’t make the cut, and extra characters are kept to a minimum. Feature films, whether they are Hollywood or Lifetime, are efficient productions.

Life, though, is not efficient. It is not always purposeful. And it certainly is not spared extra details and seemingly pointless character quirks.

T/F documentaries are extremely rewarding in this respect because of how beautifully full each character is. They are all real people, so unlike in other movies, they have all the characteristics, relationships and personal histories that each of us carry around. In a movie, a character may fall in love with the wrong person just to provide contrast for when they fall in love with the right one. In a documentary, a character may fall in love with several ‘wrong’ people or several ‘right’ ones just because they fall in love.

Sarah Polley’s “Stories We Tell” is a film acutely aware of its ‘documentary’ status.

‘How’s this angle?’ Polley’s interviewees ask. ‘How do my breasts look?’ her brother jokes.

The subjects’ comments about the fact that they’re being interviewed are reminiscent of, and often as funny as, the feel of the show The Office. But unlike The Office, unlike most movies, actually, the person behind the camera is the main character. She’s also the director.

The documentary is about Sarah Polley’s family, focusing on life after her mother’s death. Though Polley lost her mom years before the start of the project, it is obvious that her absence is still fresh. Mostly, the movie is the production of the most intimate thoughts of a family’s story brought forward candidly; each character’s honesty is remarkable, but the compilation of such openness is overpowering, as if you have suddenly been let in on all the family’s secrets. It feels inappropriate, as if you are eavesdropping, so it also subsequently fills you with awe at how much access you are given.

The film’s first 30 minutes feature an influx of character introductions, each with just a name, rather than a job title or family relationship or background summary. As the various interviewees’ responses start to interact with one another, the various bonds between the characters start to become more evident. This unraveling of characters is more eloquently beautiful than any forceful character development would have been, representative of the film overall.

Beyond the premise of the film and the honesty of the characters, the storytelling itself is superb, and the plot flows fluidly. It’s thought provoking, as the best documentaries are, and you leave chuckling about the various contradictory answers to the same question, debating about which ‘truths’ were maybe a little bit truer, and, most of all, wondering about, well, the stories we tell.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

The stage for the event included a charming fake bonfire to enhance the cozy campsite atmosphere. Photo by Anna Wright

On the snowy evening of Friday, March 1, a small gathering of directors and fans took refuge from the cold in a quaint room on the upper floor of the Oddfellows building, to exchange the secrets of their films and the often vital scenes that never made the cut.

The annual “campfire stories” event included speakers Jarred Alterman, Sarah Gavron, Emma Davies and Steve James, all of whom directed films showcased at the 2013 True/False film festival.  Throughout the night, Josh Fox– director of the 2010 documentary gasland, introduced the guests while telling the story of his own “scene that got away”.

As the four directors took turns at the bench beside the faux campfire, they all seemed to agree on one thing: No documentary film can ever capture the whole story, and important pieces of the puzzle, in scenes not included or perhaps never captured on film, will nearly always be left out.  Their stories captured the audience, relaying scenes that slipped through their fingers, which they feel could have strengthened the stories which they told.

Gavron, director of “Village at the End of the World,” said that regardless of the amount and time and effort included in directing and producing a documentary, it is nearly impossible to paint the full picture for the audience.

“I think there are always pieces that are going to be missing,” Gavron said. “As a director, part of your job is to look at what to keep in, what to leave out, and then work out whether you need to go back and get these essential things.”

The “essential things” which Gavron spoke of were never included in her own documentary, and she asked that they be kept private outside of the campfire room.  Her moving tale touched the hearts of the audience, including True/False enthusiast David Dunstedter, who said the intense and moving nature of the campfire stories is what has kept him returning to the venue each year.

“This is my favorite event of the festival, because of the idea of the filmmakers telling the story,” Dunstedter said. “I’ve heard some very powerful, very meaningful things in these stories.”

Perhaps one of the most poignant and tear-jerking moments of the evening was when Davies stepped up to the wooden storytelling bench to share with the audience the difficult tale of the scene which never made it into her documentary film, I am Breathing.  It wasn’t a moment which she wished she and her filmmaking crew would have captured, but rather one she said she they wished they could forget.

The tape she spoke of sat in a shoebox under the edit suite, intentionally ignored by herself and her colleagues.  It wasn’t film which they had captured on their own, but which was taken by the family of her documentary’s main character, the day before he died.

Neil Platt, who the film followed for the final six months of his battle with Lou Gherig’s disease, recorded the final entry of his blog on this tape, expressing his desire to go into hospice care and filming what were essentially the last words he ever spoke.

With an emotionally pained expression upon her face, Davies spoke of this unused footage, which was too painful to include in the film, and for quite a long time, to even watch at all.  She said that despite the heartbreaking condition of Platt, who could barely breathe and was was choking frequently, his personality shined through these last few moments of his life, as he did things such as correct his wife’s punctuation and crack witty jokes.

Fox, who spoke earnestly of his own filmmaking experience and the scenes which he was never able to film, drove home the ultimate message of the night.  He reminded the congregation that as a director, you must recognize you can never go back in time to capture these vital moments.  Or, he said, in the words of Greek philosopher Heraclitus and the style of a moving documentary film, “you can never step in the same stream twice.”

By Anna Wright

Ran Tal directed The Garden of Eden, a movie centering on a popular park in Israel. Photo by Trisha Chaudhary

The Garden of Eden is an honest movie. It doesn’t sugar coat. It doesn’t try to hide behind beautiful people. It just tells a story: the story of a popular water park in Israel.

Over 400,000 people visit this park called Gan HaShlosha, better known as the “Sakhne,” each year and The Garden of Eden explores the lives of a handful of those people. A survivor of an abusive relationship, a widow, a man tired of society, a liar, a man mourning deaths from years ago, and more. The film follows the activity in the park for a whole year,  from summer to fall to winter to spring and again back to summer.

Director Ran Tal is, himself, a native Israeli and said choosing Sakhne was almost natural. The screening of The Garden of Eden at The Globe at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the True/False Film Festival was it’s North American premiere. The film debuted at the Jerusalem Film Festival, then later showed at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and will also take part in another film festival in Toronto later this year. This is Tal’s fifth documentary and he plans on continuing his career.

The Garden of Eden starts with the story of a regular visitor of Sakhne and introduces the park as a paradise of sorts, kind of like the Garden of Eden, hence the title. It introduces the park as a glorious place where people come to spend their holidays and have a good time. As the documentary develops and the backgrounds of some of these visitors are revealed, we begin to see the cracks that lie beneath the surface. It almost seems that many of the people that come to this ‘paradise,’ to escape, forget, or heal. The documentary exposes the strong presence that religion has in the park as well as roles that the darker underlying currents of racism and politics play in shaping the park. This movie honestly portrays the cultural and religious divides in Israel and how they manage to find their way into all aspects of society; even into utopias like Sakhne.

Not only does Tal delve into the depths of Israeli culture, he also experiments with unconventional combinations of sound and image. Rather than taking the conventional path of showing the clip of the person talking, instead on the screen their present lives at the park unfolded as their voices narrated their pasts. It was a clash of then and now. The voice-overs juxtaposed the images on screen but somehow worked together perfectly.

I would highly recommend seeing The Garden of Eden.

The next showings are Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Forrest Theatre and Sunday March 2 at 3:30 p.m. at Little Ragtag.

By Trisha Chaudhary

To catch up on True/False weekend and read reviews of other films, click here.

Photo by Daphne Yu

Do you love what you’re good at, or are you good at what you love?

Kevin Pearce didn’t need to worry about that debate because with snowboarding, he had both. Favored to go to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Pearce was, up until December 31, 2009, the fiercest competition of two-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White.

Now, he is not.

In a documentary by Lucy Walker, she takes viewers through Pearce’s heartbreaking, heartwarming journey of life.

“The Crash Reel” starts with footage of Pearce’s life-altering accident, in which Pearce is shown flying up the halfpipe, completing most of a ‘cab double cork’ move and then failing to make contact and falling straight through the air, vertically, onto his face. His head strikes the ground just above his eyes, sustaining a traumatic brain injury that would keep him in critical care for nearly a month.

His friends, girlfriend and other fellow snowboarders thought he wouldn’t make it.

Then the movie jumps back to his childhood, tracking Pearce’s natural talent for the sport, first through home videos then through clips from various competitions. The summary of the masterful snowboarder’s personal timeline is chilling because of how little you know about Pearce–he did not gain as much acclaim as Shaun White did, even though he was arguably just as good, and it’s obvious that Pearce was just on the brink of becoming as much a household name as White. As you watch Pearce play in the snow with his brothers as a child, you can only think of the accident that is to come. It’s almost mean, in a way, that the movie shows you this awful fall, the supposed end to the story, and then goes back to show you the beginning of the story which holds all the promise of a ‘happily ever after.’

Two parts of any movie are the hardest, director Lucy Walker said after the screening, and the film’s title is the first. While ‘The Crash Reel’ doesn’t cleverly clarify itself in the film, it’s clear enough to suffice. The second biggest challenge, Walker said, is deciding how to start the story. Her introduction, featuring Pearce’s crash, before the viewer has really gotten to know him at all, and then backtracking to really get the viewer attached to him, is perfect and really sets the tone, one that tells the audience that the film is not one of despair, but it is also not one of redemption and magical recovery.

Walker said she started filming the documentary after the accident, but the storytelling is seamless in the connection from her footage to that provided by others, especially because it is so rich with pre-injury clips. Walker said a whopping 232 people, from a coach who happened to be filming part of Pearce’s pre-accident assent into the air to Pearce’s first filmed snowboarding ride, sent in clips. The accident scene itself is comprised of five different videos.

The hecticness of so many storylines and threads is sometimes distracting, as certain subjects halt with confusing dead ends. Certain characters appear enough times that you wish you’d committed to memory their background information and roles in Pearce’s life, but others pop up just once.

Overall, though, the film is as motivational as underdog sports films because of how miraculous Pearce’s recovery is, but it’s truly inspiring because it’s real. Post-accident life is not the same as it was before the accident, and it’s a crushing fact for even the audience to accept. To watch this former champion struggle with that is heartbreaking.

Even more frustrating are the unanswered questions and unmade call to actions. What happens next? Do we need to make the sport safer? Do insurance companies need reform? Should patients with traumatic brain injuries risk another accident, one that might be fatal, or tread so safely that their lives are shadows of what they once were?

See the film tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, at Jesse Auditorium at 1 p.m. or Sunday March 3 at The Blue Note at 8:30 p.m., and join the debate: should Kevin Pearce snowboard again?

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

Video by Asa Lory and Urmila Kutikkad

The annual March March parade pulls Columbia forward into spring every March 1st. And though this year’s march saw bitter temperatures and determined snow, the liveliness and cheer of the parade still somehow made it feel like spring had come. Once the drum line provided a rousing back-drop for the parade to march to and the procession began, the snow started to feel far more like pretty confetti than bits of coldness falling from the sky.

Moving from the Boone County Courthouse Square to the Missouri Theatre, the parade wasn’t terribly long, but the amount of craziness it encompassed more than made up for the short time-frame. The True/False film festival, which hosts the parade, encourages everyone “to dress colorfully, to construct and carry fun props, to make noise and to push the level of imagination,” making for a festive and double-take-causing march, whether it was the man on an improbably high unicycle, or the giant, walking, talking vegetables or a Mad Hatter. Before long, people were twirling fire-sticks with nonchalant ease while throngs of onlookers clapped and cheered.

Being a part of that pulsing, lively crowd puts a grin on your face and makes you forget everything else. Even if it means not being able to feel your hands or getting hit in the face with twirling streamers a couple of times. After all, March March only comes around once a year, and its filled with good music, happy people and free strawberry cheescake popsicles. What more could you want?

By Urmila Kutikkad

A True/False light fixture sits in the Missouri Theater as one of the “new” things the film festival brings to Columbia every year. Photo by Brett Stover

Walking inside Cafe Berlin for the first time, I was immediately greeted by a volunteer. Her dyed black mullet and colorful tights alarmed me. I sat down in attempt to familiarize myself with my surroundings; I looked around the room from my table directly in the center of the room. I turned my head and I could see eyes of other attendants darting away from me, giving me a lingering feeling of dis-belonging that peppered itself throughout the night. As I looked around more and more, seeing the yellow T/F laminant badges everywhere I turned, I also noticed something else: for the most part, everyone in the Cafe was the exact same person. When I came to this realization, I chuckled at the idea of being surrounded by thin, brown haired men, almost all whom had beards and wore casual brown suede shoes.

As I began hearing awkward clanging noises from the dark room concealed by a curtain, another volunteer with a septum piercing ushered me in. The night progressed from there, bands coming and going from the stage, their music followed by polite applause and the occasional shriek of an especially enthused group of contemporarily dressed women in the back corner of the venue.

After a while the quirkiness of the acts became almost too much, but at least they were memorable. One of the bands, Flux Bikes, used only a series of pedals, a flute and, somehow, a bicycle wheel that had been hooked up to an amplifier. People came and went as the night rolled further on, giving me a chance to see just what type of people T/F attracts.

Needless to say I was taken aback by the wide spectrum of community members brought out by these granola college bands. I fully understand now that the people of Columbia are a diverse and somewhat skittish bunch — I add on the last part due to my  several failed attempts at conversation throughout the night with other attendees. I now also know that there is quite a fortune to be made in wool beanies, seeing as how nearly every 20-something female in the place was donning one.

Look, it’s not that I don’t like T/F. I do. It spreads understanding of art and documentaries throughout the city. But personally I felt out of place and a little bit judged. Maybe next time I’ll stick to just the movies. Less talking.

By George Sarifianos 

Director Askold Kurov holds a Q&A after the film. Photo by Brett Stover

After a performance by Jerusalem and the Starbaskets and sitting through the bizarre short “The Other Day,” filmed in 1991, the feature film flickered into life on the screen of Forrest Theater.

The opening shot, two old men discussing the upcoming Russian elections over a shot of vodka, sets the tone of the film. They – and the rest of Russia – are on the fence about the upcoming election. Two choices are presented; voting for one of the multitude of opposition candidates or reelecting Russian president Vladimir Putin for a third term. One road brings about a drastic change, a departure from the regime that has ruled the nation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, that could either improve or damage their freedom. The other maintains stability, preventing the possibility of worsening the state of Russia.

This conflict between the supporters of the regime and the members of the opposition frames the film as it depicts the events leading up to the reelection of Putin in March of 2012. The camera follows the lives of multiple opposition leaders as they plan rallies and election plans to reveal to the world the true nature of Russia under Putin. However, rather than keeping an eye on one particular storyline, Winter, Go Away! shows the diversity of the individuals involved in the protest movement.

The film, which brings to light a dark truth that the world has seemed to ignore, is very entertaining. The mix of discussions between high-level figures and footage taken during tension-filled protests holds the viewer’s eye. However, I feel that if you aren’t interested in international politics then this may not be the best film for you. But if you are into high-energy political films, then Winter, Go Away! is a can’t-miss opportunity.

By Brett Stover

Freedom. Perhaps the most stirring of ideals, it has powered wars and revolutions, invention and migration. Our country is founded on the ideal of independence, of freedom; a whole day of the year is dedicated to its celebration.

But like many ideals, independence is a concept that can be muddied, repurposed and lost in the sounding hall of rhetoric. Often times it is necessary remember the meaning of independence — those who come here to find it.

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Crowds of True/False patrons spread throughout the Missouri Theatre during the Jubilee gala event to start off the film festival.
Photo by Blake Becker

In a frosty downtown Columbia, snowflakes casually drift down upon the cold gray evening only to be dashed aside by crowds of bustling pedestrians adorned in swaths of elaborate costumes and masqueraders’ masks, ranging from batman masks to masks crafted to represent the sun.

This bundle of True/False patrons, some dressed in costumes and some dressed normally, huddle outside the entrance of the Missouri Theatre, eagerly anticipating the start of The Jubilee.

One of the several coordinators, signified with a red scarf announces the opening of The Jubilee, signaling the anxious crowd to pour in the lobby. The patrons’ patience is rewarded as they are greeted by joyful music by local bands, wafts of cooking catered by the culinary students of the Columbia Area Career Center, artworks fashioned by local artists and mini bars provided by Columbia Magazine’s best bartender nominees scattered throughout the building.

The mass of attendees are welcomed by the True/False volunteers to eat, drink, converse with the staff and listen to the live music until the time for the main showcase of the event began. Once called to the Missouri Theatre auditorium, the atendees file into the spacious theatre where they are treated to the Missouri Theatre’s first True/False screening of the year.

The gala event provided a great way to kick off True/False for many, as it intensified the Missouri Theatre’s already classy atmosphere with the wide variety of friendly staff and patrons to socialize with, excellent and free cuisine from the culinary students and jazzy music to set the stage for the 2013 True/False Film Festival.

By Blake Becker

A tray of pizza turnovers sits, ready to be baked for the event tonight. Photo by Daphne Yu

In just weeks after the culinary students at the Columbia Area Career Center provided a full Mardi Gras meal to students and faculty at RBHS as well as community members, they are again preparing to wow crowds with their catering abilities. This time, the food is for the jubilee of the annual True/False festival that begins today, Feb. 28. The culinary classes have been catering ever since they teamed up with True/False for a special event in 2008.

“We kind of started doing some small things,” Head chef and instructor Brook Harlan said. “The premier film for [2008] was “Pressure Cooker” so they actually had a main showing on Sunday and they had 1,000 people that we fed afterwards. That was pretty crazy, they had everybody coming out of the theater where we fed them. After that, we just decided that it would be much easier to do if we fed them as they’re going into the theater. So the next year we decided to do the jubilee which is the kick-off they always have at Missouri Theater. So we typically do Thursday night which is the first big showing … [Catering] is a great exposure for the students, great for them getting to come it and seeing what it’s like to feed 2,500 [appetizers] to about 1,200 people.”

The culinary classes are providing five to six savory appetizers and four desserts tonight, senior Dahnya Rogers said. Rogers has catered for True/False with the culinary classes for the past two years. The classes have to make three to four hundred of each appetizers, which include nann flatbread, curry puffs and pizza turnovers to name a few.

“The components for a basic appetizer is there has to be a base, some type of spread, a main component and some type of spread,” Rogers said. “So we had to take that into consideration for each appetizer. Everything ends up being inside, but we still have multiple components.”

To choose the appetizers, culinary students look through class materials and past experiences with full dishes to find the essence of a perfect appetizer, then tweak it so the portions are right.

“We use a lot of resources, like the culinary… textbooks and look through them for inspiration. A lot of these that we liked we just make smaller, kind of changing things we’ve done before,” senior Heather Fitt said. Having catered with True/False for two years, she knows that the people at True/False “like interesting things but they also like traditional things but with different types of hummus and stuff.”

Students in the culinary classes work with the pizza turnover fillings and dough. Photo by Daphne Yu

Of all the food the students are preparing, one of the appetizers was chosen by independent study students while the chefs picked out the others. Originally, students in the Culinary 2 class were supposed to compete to decide the last appetizers, Rogers said, but the snow days caused by two winter storms in the last week dashed those plans. In addition, snow days also set back preparation schedules for students, Fitt said.

“It’s obviously a lot of work [and ] unfortunately it didn’t get to be spread out among everybody because we lost a couple of days to the snow days,” Chef Harlan said. “We had about eight students come in yesterday and worked for around eight hours on quite a few things and we’re trying to finish up everything today.”

While preparing food for an international event like the True/False film festival can be stressful, students like Rogers and Fitt come back the next year and do it again. Rogers sees it as n opportunity not only to showcase skills, but also to be a take part of something so universal.

“I think it’s really cool that we get to promote the career center and what exactly we do in the culinary program and it also gives us an opportunity to experiment and come  up with our own ideas on what kind of appetizers we want to produce for the event,” Rogers said.  ”True/False is such an important part of Columbia now, so it’s really nice that we’re ale to be a part of it.”

By Daphne Yu

What experience have you usually had with culinary food?

Movie-goers line up outside the True/False box office just hours after it opened Feb. 28. The documentary film festival will run through the weekend. Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

The annual True/False Film Festival opened  Feb. 28 in downtown Columbia. According to its website, True/False  “highlights innovative work with a cinematic scope, creative takes on contemporary currents, and most of all work that provokes dialogue about its subject and the documentary form itself,” strictly through the lenses of documentaries. Celebrating its 10 year anniversary, the event hoped to sell over 40,000 tickets, nearly 4,000 more than last year.

“I think the first year of the fest there were about 3,000 tickets and last year there were over 36,000 tickets that were distributed through the course of our four days,” Tracy Lane, editor in chief of the True/False program said. “This year we’ve anticipated to break into the 40 thousand range this year. So obviously with that, there’s a great amount of increased visits from outside of our community into our community.”

In addition to increased ticket sale projections, True/False will continue its tradition of engaging the arts. With line-ups featuring bands including Cloud Dog, Rip Rap and Wooden Indian Burial Ground, and including art galleries and local artists, many believe that the festival has impacted more than just ‘the District.’

“I think True/False has impacted Columbia by making it a little bit more of a like … I want to say less consumeristic almost,” Senior Aiden Cornelison said. “It’s brought out the part in people that want to recycle and wants to be informed on global issues … when you watch the short films it makes you broaden your understanding of the world.”

On a larger scale, True/False arguably changed the documentary industry. Featured on sites like  Indiewire.com, and The Huffington Post, it  hasbeen gaining popularity since its conception in 2003. This year, it hopes to persist building its national and international fanbase.

“We are creating a really special event and unique event and there’s really nothing quite like it in the United States,” Lane said. “We are the best and biggest documentary film festival in the United States and one of the biggest in the world as well. We’ve created a nice little pocket of culture as well that’s very accessible.”

By using this publicity to gain ground in the film industry, True/False won film awards including the Riverfront Times best film festival in 2004. Channeling successes back into the festival, True/False used 2012 ticket sales and donations to support film subjects like the families featured in the documentary, “Bully.” Donating $30,000 to the families, the festival helps others, but also works towards raising awareness of the controversial issues highlighted in the films.

Sophomore Jilly Dos Santos volunteered at the event this year and believes the festival stands out in another way.

“I think it’s because to be a True/False film, you don’t have to have a $30 million budget,” Dos Santos said. “You just have to have a camera and a story and you can make it something great. And I think that’s kind of what it’s about.”

Ultimately, True/False aims to open up Columbia to diverse perspectives. By showcasing up to 20 films, the festival hopes to set a new standard not only for the film industry, but also for itself.

“I think that each year we try to raise the bar. Our goal really was just as it has been every year. Each year we try to provide quality films and a quality weekend for anyone who comes to our fest, and we always tried to improve upon that every year.” Lane said. “So this year is not any different than any other year in that we’ve strived to just improve what we do every time.”

By Ashleigh Atasoy

To check out ongoing reports of this weekend along with reviews of films, click here.

Are you planning on attending the festival? What do you think about documentaries in general?

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I most certainly didn’t expect it to happen to me, of all people. Being a choir kid who’s kind of just involved in the fine arts wing, I didn’t really expect the whole school to vote for me. So when I heard it, I was kind of just surprised I was among all the kids who I kind of would expect to be nominated. But i think it’s really sweet. It was really nice for the senior class to vote for me, since i’m just a choir kid.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I love it. I think it’s brilliant. There have been some funny themes that have been clever in their own way, but I think this year’s theme can encompass a lot of different varieties and kind of make it your own. You can really branch out and show what kind of personality you have.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“I think when you have someone who just goes all out doing things, then you get people kind of excited. and I guess the thing i like about courtwarming is you get these people doing crazy stuff, but  the best part that it does is it encourages these kids who are either new to the school because they’re sophomores or because they’re transfer students to realize that this place is not super uptight, you know, and we can have some fun.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Chamber Choir, City Lights Show Choir, Lead in the fall musical, True/False Film Club

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I like dressing up. I think that’s a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to the lunch activities because they’re a mystery. You have no idea what’s going to happen. You could look like a fool, you could look great, you’ll probably end up looking a little bit of both. I’m a theater kid. I perform all the time, so social circumstances where I’m looking like a fool, well, I look like a fool every day. I don’t take a lot of pride in my self image, so if you want to laugh at me, I’ll laugh with you.”

By Daphne Yu

Video by Daphne Yu and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I kind of had a celebratory jump hug with all my sophomores. Then I went inside and listened to some Nappy Roots because I was happy.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I really like it. I am way too much of a movies’ geek. I am looking forward to the Academy Awards, and the Academy Awards are the same week as courtwarming, so I am just getting really pumped.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“This year, we’re going to have the lunch activities as always, and those are going to be a blast for everyone. What’s great about this year, though, is we’ve gotten some free True/False films – and some other films – but we’ve gotten films that we’re going to be able to show in the PAC and cafeteria free of charge, which will be a great opportunity for the whole student body.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Cross country, editor and writer for “Bearing News” and “The Rock,” senior mentor, student council

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I don’t know all the activities, but one of the ones I’m looking forward to the most is the basketball game, which will be a huge blast, and just the week leading up to it and all the costumes. The ‘dread the most’ will definitely be the man-dress.”

By Daphne Yu

Video by Jacqueline LeBlanc and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I was honored. I was happy because I think it’s going to be really fun.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I think it’s cool. It’s definitely different than the past ones. It’s going to be fun to dress up as different characters since there’s a variety of things people can do.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“Definitely just make all my friends dress up.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Varsity tennis, Young Republicans, Rock Bridge Reaches Out

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“Definitely the favorite movie day. [I dread] having to dance in the commons.”

By Daphne Yu

Video by Daphne Yu and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I was kind of excited. I mean, it’s nice to hear that some people have respect for you. I was pleased.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I really like it. I think it’s a broad enough theme that allows everyone in the school to participate and specific enough for people to get really intricate and just really have fun with it.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“I guess the more people you get to the events and activities, the more fun it is for the entire school. So [I'll] just get the word out and get people excited.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Varsity soccer, National Honors Society, Personal Finance Challenge team, Student Body President

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I think the actual basketball game is exciting; those are always fun. If there’s lunch dancing, that’s always awkward for everybody, so we’ll see how that goes.”

By Daphne Yu

Video by Daphne Yu and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I was definitely really honored to be on the court for courtwarming. There are a lot of guys in the school and I know there are a lot of guys would like to be on it, and it was an honor to know that the student body had voted me and those other eight guys onto the court. I just feel really blessed that I was able to come to a school that has something like this.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I think it’s going to be really interesting. The theme for this courtwarming is a little bit different from all the other ones I’ve been a part of. One of the questions [the Activity’s office questionnaire] asked was, ‘Who would you give a Mauscar to?’, and I kind of had to think about it for a little bit. But I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with it.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“The one thing I don’t like about courtwarming is that I feel like a bunch of guys should be on the court. So when they limit us to nine guys, I feel like, ‘Dang, there are so many other good guys in the school. So, I’m definitely going to get anybody who wants involved and have fun with us [be]cause I feel like [courtwarming] should be for the whole school.”

What school activities do you participate in?

National Honors Society, a leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Varsity Basketball, Golf

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I actually don’t know the specific activities we’re doing yet, but for theme days, I’m going to have to say I look the most forward to probably the superhero or villain day. I’m going to see what I can come up with for that one, so that one should be pretty interesting. But all of them are going to be really fun [since] they picked pretty good theme days this year. I will say, one of the activities I heard we have to do is that our escort has to wear a tux and we have to wear some sort of dress. I’m not sure they make a dress big enough for me, but that’s definitely one I dread the most.”

By Daphne Yu

Video by Daphne Yu and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I had first hour AUT that day so I didn’t even know until my friend texted me, but I was pretty excited.  It seemed like an interesting group of guys so I thought it would be fun.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I think it offers a lot of creativity for the candidates for the dress up days, delve into the Oscar’s and everything, so I think it can get a lot of participation.” 

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“They’ll be dressing up for the week and …. I think they’re really good themes so everyone can participate.  Everyone can go to the dance and game.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Captain of the football team, track and field, officer of Key Club, Rock Bridge Reaches Out, Bruins United, Distributive Education Clubs of America and student council.

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I’d say I’m looking forward to the dance, that’s going to be a lot of fun. I think the lunch activities are probably what I’m dreading because you don’t know what’s going to happen and it’d be pretty embarrassing.”

By Jacqueline LeBlanc

Video by Jacqueline LeBlanc and Urmila Kutikkad

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

“Honestly, I was very surprised and flattered. [I was]  honored my classmates chose me and the other guys to represent them.” 

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I think it’s a creative and fun theme. Encourage everyone in school to have fun with it.  Should be one for the books for sure.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“We don’t have very many opportunities to collectively, as a student body, show spirit and be creative at it.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Football, National Honors Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Environmental Coalition, Health Organizations Students of America, French Honors Society

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I really love that I have some real good friends on court. The activities in the commons will be entertaining. I’m really looking forward to dressing up with my escort, Taylour Wilson, in some of the great theme planned. I probably dread just getting interviewed and walking down the gym on Friday.  [I'm] not very good on camera or on the spot. Cross your fingers I don’t trip on the way down.”

By Jacqueline LeBlanc

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I was actually pretty surprised because there are a lot of good dudes that are seniors that deserved it as much as I did.  So when I heard my name I felt really really honored.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I think it’s pretty cool, but I would’ve liked the Rock Bridge University one a lot better.  But, this one’s cool because everyone likes movies., everyone can probably relate to it.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“I will just encourage them to get involved by dressing up everyday and following the spirit week.  Just always be ready to have some fun.”

What school activities do you participate in?

“I do FCA, Bruins United, Young Republicans and I play baseball.”

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I look forward to and I dread the same thing.  I like the dancing thing but I’m not the best dancer.”

By Jacqueline LeBlanc

Photo by Aniqa Rahman

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

“I was excited, I was actually the first name called so I kind of got the suspense out of the way, and then I tried to listen and see who else was on the court with me.  I think it was really exciting to hear some of my good friends’ names too.”

What do you think of this year’s theme for courtwarming?

“I was actually one of the fans of the Rock Bridge University, but after that didn’t pass [and] the movie theme [did,] I’m going to make that work.  It won’t be too bad.”

How do you plan on involving the student body with the courtwarming activities?

“I’m going to try my best to entertain them during the lunch activities, and encourage them to dress up and take part in the themes each day.”

What school activities do you participate in?

Baseball, football, leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Farmers of America, National Honors Society, Distributive Education Clubs of America and senior mentor.

What courtwarming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

“I’ve always enjoyed watching the lunch activities, but I don’t know if that might be something I dread this year since I’m actually going to doing the demonstration.”

By Jacqueline LeBlanc

As it is now, sophomores have an Advisory period every other day which serves as a study hall as well as a time to build friendships and get to know the school. In the proposed Bruin Block system, sophomores and freshmen next year would only have 30 minutes of Advisory and 30 minutes of lunch. Photo by Drew Rodgers

The faculty-comprised Student Support Committee, which proposed to implement the Bruin Block alternative to sophomores’ Advisory next year, presented its proposal last Wednesday and Thursday to all of the faculty at RBHS.  The proposal was open to feedback, criticism and questions from the staff. The committee also plans to further discuss the idea at the staff meeting this Friday, Feb. 15.

The Bruin Block is a 68 minute period that would give freshmen and sophomores 30 minutes of Advisory and 30 minutes of lunch, while juniors and seniors would simply have a 68 minute lunch. Though the proposal is still in its early stages, Kathryn Weaver, member of the Student Support Committee, said the faculty reacted positively to the proposal.

“We were enthused by the support,” Weaver said. “And Rock Bridge has a really smart staff, and they brought up some really smart questions that we’ll work through together to figure out what’ll be best for kids.”

The Bruin Block is radically different from anything RBHS is used to. Though this creates potential for backlash, advisory teacher Debbie McDonough believes the proposal has many merits. Because teachers would be coupled to supervise each Bruin Block class, McDonough believes the program would help instill a sense of teamwork and fellowship among faculty as well as students.

“I love the idea. It’s an opportunity to get to know faculty from different disciplines, because hopefully I would be paired [during Bruin Block] with somebody from maybe math, so that shows the community we build as a faculty,” McDonough said. “And ninth and tenth graders would also get an opportunity to bond together when they first come up here and everything is so overwhelming to them … I just see it as a really positive thing.”

Not only does the Bruin Block build a sense of community between its faculty members and students, but because it gives a 68 minute lunch to juniors and seniors, it also gives upperclassmen a lot of freedom. Though this is risky, Weaver believes it is a good thing for RBHS and its students. She trusts that students would use the extra time wisely and thinks many could benefit from the long lunch period.

“I think that we have good kids that make good choices, and that Rock Bridge is about freedom with responsibility,” Weaver said. “For almost all kids, by the time they make it to their senior year here at Rock Bridge, they’ve learned a lot about both pieces, kind of managing freedom responsibly.”

By Urmila Kutikkad

Additional Reporting by Ashleigh Atasoy

 This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district  opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

With the proposed 9 a.m. start time Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher is endorsing, high schools would release at 4:05 p.m. Photo by Asa Lory

TThough the school board has not finalized the decision, Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher has officially taken a stance on the start times debate regarding what time primary and secondary schools will begin their school days next fall. In an email to CPS faculty, Belcher stated his support for high schools starting at 9 a.m. next year and ending at 4:05 p.m. Middle schools and elementary schools would take the earlier two time slots.

Belcher said representatives from First Student, the bus company that transports CPS students,  said they would not be able to make an 8:20 a.m. start time work for high schools, and the community poorly received the proposal of a 7:20 a.m. start time for high schools. Though Belcher said he didn’t like the idea of high schools starting latest at first, he took into consideration transportation, student flexibility and community feedback and has reached the conclusion that the 9 a.m. option is the most plausible.

“This is the one I’m actually going to recommend. I’ve listened and I’ve proposed every possible combination prior, but I haven’t recommended it,” Belcher said. “When I saw the analysis that showed that high school last technically should work, I first thought, ‘I’m not sure I like that,’ because of all the things that high schools do athletics-wise and activities and band. And then I got thinking about it and I think we’re thinking in too narrow a focus that a school day is 9 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m]. The school day is really going to be 7 [a.m.] to 6 [p.m.] because of all the things that kids choose to do, and so really you’re just moving the school day a little bit from what it already was.”

Belcher said starting at 9 a.m. would give students the option to take zero hour classes. Though currently only show choir and marching band meet before school during certain parts of the year, Belcher said more zero hour classes could be offered to accommodate students who want or need to get out of school before 4 p.m.

RBHS principal Mark Maus said because high school students are able to drive, this allows high schools to be more flexible with their schedules, starting earlier than 9 a.m. and getting out earlier or staying later.

“Do we have classes that start before nine if that’s the start time? Do we have some that are in the evening or afternoon? And even thinking of blended classes where, right now you kind of go to math every other day, or go to studies every day, does that change a little bit? And you’re doing part of your learning online on your own independently, but also doing part of it in the classroom with direct contact with the teacher?” Maus said. “So those are open, and the reason that high school has an advantage of that openness and that thinking about it differently is that we have more kids that drive. Because no one in elementary or middle school, we hope, drives.”

For choir director Mike Pierson, the later start time would be beneficial in terms of his zero hour show choir rehearsals. Because school would not start until later, the early morning practices would not have to begin until later as well, and his students would be more awake and ready to go. However, he recognizes that in terms of after-school activities, there may be less time to rehearse, a problem that could prove disadvantageous.

“It would mean [show choir students] were more awake at that time to have rehearsal. It would be good for that. It can negatively affect other things,” Pierson said. “Our after-school rehearsals could be affected as well, like the musical; that’s an extra 45 minutes or a half an hour that we’re losing out of musical practice that we’d probably have to add on to the end or add onto Friday. But for our department specifically, it would probably be a little bit of a benefit.”

Schedules could also incorporate more online studies as well as the zero hour option. Online personal finance teacher Susan Lidholm would love to see the joining of online and in-class courses that Maus offered as an idea. However, she said if students want to take an online course, it is important for them to know what they are getting into, and students who want to take an online course as an alternative to sitting in class until 4:00 [p.m.] would need to take that into consideration.

“You have to be a self-motivator. You really have to evaluate yourself and if you’re ready to do that,” Lidholm said. “I’m kind of excited to think of the possibility of a hybrid class where we would teach online and then meet in the class and talk.  I think that’d be a great option because a majority of online students, like the majority, need some type of tutoring.”

However, one of the biggest questions and issues raised throughout the start time debate has been one regarding athletics. When will athletics practice? If high schools start latest, will they be at school until long after dark? However, Belcher has taken athletics and extracurricular activities into consideration while deciding which proposal to endorse. By making use of the new gyms in each high school and the extra time allotted before classes officially begin at 9 a.m., Belcher said coaches could make the schedule work.

“Probably some of the coaches won’t like it because they like the schedule they have. … Some coaches may embrace it and like that they can do something before school and then something after school as well. … There could be activities that [sports] could do in the morning on a certain type of skill development and then something they could do after school. It wouldn’t have to be done all at the same time,” Belcher said. “And then the other thing that I think might be an opportunity is that the usage of our gyms in the winter would be a little more reasonable. We use them all the time now anyways; we just practice until later, 9:00, already in the winter because of limited space. We were trying to take care of that with adding a gym for some sports, but it may be that the morning practice for somebody from 7 to 8:30 [a.m.] is easier.”

Boys’ golf coach Doug Daniels can see negative effects for his team with a later start time, which would mean later practice. Though he wishes the high schools would start earlier than 9 a.m., he does acknowledge the ability to adjust practice schedules and the way practice is run to accommodate less daylight practice time.

 “It’s going to be more difficult to have good enough daylight. Especially early, in early tryouts through late February and early March, that’s going to be the most difficult [because it’s not light out],” Daniels said. “We will have a hard time having a full practice, but if that’s the way it is, we will have to make do and adjust. I’ll just have to have some other way of doing it.”

Though there are many facets of high school life that must be considered in this decision, Belcher’s main goal is to design the proposal around students. This, he said, could mean having some teachers in the building from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30, while having others teach from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00. It could also mean, according to Maus, having a “shuttle system” of buses that would provide transportation for students with zero hour as well as those ending at 4 p.m. Overall though, Belcher believes creating a student-driven system is the most important thing.

“My whole position on this, and I hope people get this, is we should design our high schools around our students. We shouldn’t make our students come in and do their schedule around adults,” Belcher said. “Now that breaks into routines the way we’ve always done things at high schools but in every other business, the consumer drives the employment. In other words, if people want to buy gas at 6:30 in the morning, the gas stations open at 6:30 in the morning. They respond to the needs of the customer, so I think that’s what I’m thinking this is. It’s an opportunity for us to say, ‘Let’s let the kids sign up for what they want and then let’s design a schedule around what they signed up for.’ And that way, the adults have to change probably more so than the students.”

Belcher plans to present this proposal to the Board of Education formally on Monday night. According to his email sent to CPS faculty, “This will be an information item on Monday’s agenda with no action to be taken.” Though he does not expect everyone to receive the proposal well, Belcher fully backs the decision and recognizes that no matter the decision, someone is always going to be unhappy, and that is a consequence he has to accept

“This is a big stretch. I get it. But the only alternative I think was to do a very traditional schedule and start high school super early and have elementary end really late and that was not something that I perceived that the community would really rally behind,” Belcher said. “This one I will have a certain number of people that will tell me they hate it, they don’t want to do it, and I get that. But at least I can say that they have the option to change it to better suit what you want. I couldn’t say that with any other option.”
By Alyssa Sykuta

Additional reporting by Trisha Chaudhary, Jacqueline LeBlanc, Lauren Puckett and Kaitlyn Marsh

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

After turning in more than a dozen applications to various businesses around Columbia, junior Phoebe Johanningmeier was excited to hear back from her prospective employers — after all, a traditional rite of passage for teenagers is a first job. When no one replied after some time, Johanningmeier said the rejection was a tough pill to swallow.

“I applied for 13 jobs. I didn’t get a call back. I didn’t get anything,” Johanningmeier said. “It’s kind of like, ‘Wow, 13 times I’ve tried,’ and it feels like you’re like a failure. You’ve tried 13 times to get a minimum paying job, and no one wants you. It’s kind of depressing.”

Getting a job in high school is becoming more of a struggle. Businesses aren’t allowing as many students into the workforce because of their lack of experience and limited availability. For high school students, many of whom are applying for their first job, the chances of employment are at a low 16 percent, compared to the 32 percent of high school students with jobs in 1990, according to an article in the Washington Times.

Junior Marissa Soumokil said the reason jobs for high school students are scarce is because they are the alternative choice…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

The RBHS field will need lighting once the sun sets if practice times are pushed back because of schools letting out later. Photo by Daphne Yu

During a school board work session Jan. 24, a school board member brought to light the option of starting CPS high schools last in next year’s new, three-tiered transportation system. A change from the previously agreed start time of 8:20 a.m. a few weeks ago by the board, member Jan Mees highlighted the sleep patterns of high school students that might cause the 9:10 a.m. start time to be a better fit.

“In the beginning when we were talking, everybody was citing research about how high school students needed to go last and then out from the community came a proposal about putting them first or second … research has always shown that high school kids need more sleep,” Mees said, “though there is debate about how to get you guys that more sleep.”

Although sleep is a concern at the moment, the board might be further away from making a decision than anticipated. As well as examining all models of start times in the three-tiered system, Dr. Chris Belcher, superintendent of Columbia Public Schools, said the transportation and busing system in contract with CPS has a large say in the actual start times and have to be included in the final decision, which, Belcher said, is a ways off at the moment.

“The high school in the middle, I thought, was where we were leaning towards very clearly, but this is a broad and open discussion, so we are a long ways from building anything now,” Belcher said. “We have to take this over to a logistics company, the bus company, that actually tells you when you have to start and finish to make that model work.”

With the new model system proposing high schools start last, the staff and student body are now weighing the pros and cons of school starting around 9 a.m. instead of around 8 a.m. or 7: 30 a.m. As the board evaluates the pros and cons of a later high school start time, there would be the option of zero-hour classes before first hour begins, but at the same time, after-school activities would be pushed back at least an hour, which could cause much controversy and difficulty in the coming school year.

“Those are definitely things that need to be considered,” Mees said. “At the end of the day, students use that time for extracurricular activities, tutoring, public service, jobs, and those things might just be delayed 30 or 40 minutes … perhaps [visiting sports] teams coming in might have to rearrange their schedules, and obviously, students who have to leave for activities would miss more class time than normal. However, that being said, I don’t think it’s been decided one way or another.”

In terms of school activities affected by a later start time, athletics would take the biggest hit, head football coach A.J. Ofodile said. In terms of traveling and missing more school on away game days, as well as ending practices later, Ofodile foresees athletes having more pressure on the academic level. RBHS principal Mark Maus understands that sports will take a hit with the later start times but said the district will look at that as a factor, but not as the only factor in the transportation equation.

“I agree we don’t need to make a decision [on start times] solely based on athletics, but it does need to be a consideration,” Maus said. “We have a lot of travel, because besides us, it’s just Hickman and Jeff[erson] City that have big, comprehensive high schools, so we do a lot of travel east and west to Kansas City and St. Louis. I don’t think that needs to be the determining factor, but I think it needs to be a consideration.”

However, Ofodile says in addition to changing up athletes’ academic “schedules”, the district would have to foot a bigger bill for the energy costs used on the field during practice, which could possibly offset some of the money saved through the new transportation proposals. In addition, Ofodile said if schools let out at around 4 p.m., that would mean the football team would most likely be getting home around 8 p.m. on a daily basis.

“One thing for us — we’re going to spend the money they save on lights on the field,” Ofodile said. “That’s the number one thing [for sports]. We can’t not have lights, and it usually takes a block of three and a half to four hours to get to everything we need to get done, from meetings to practices to prep to on-field work … you can’t keep people here until 8 o’clock and expect them to be productive academically.”

The worst case scenario for sports would be practicing in the morning, Ofodile said. However, for some students, flipping their afternoon and morning schedule isn’t an option. For students who work after school and can only take certain working hours when the store is open or until the store closes, a later start time and later end time could lessen the number of working hours available. Senior Kaitlyn Taylor said community businesses might be forced to alter their hours.

“Businesses would be affected with a later start time with high school employees. [Students] would get out of school later and would have to get off later,” Taylor said. “The whole start time thing wouldn’t work out for the better; it would only push things back to later times. I know it’s a weird concept, but if you think about it, most businesses place their hours around the high school students. If the students hours get mixed around, so will everyone else’s.”

Maus is taking into consideration what later school end times would mean to students’ spending habits and families’ financial needs and said he didn’t want to put any sort of strain on these students.

“A challenge that would come is when I think about a couple different groups of students. I think of our students that work — and not just work to pay for things themselves, like cars or car insurance, movies on Friday night and going out to eat with friends,” Maus said. “I also think of students who work to help support their families. And that could be a big factor. We have a lot of students who start work at around four o’clock, and they work until 8 p.m., 9 p.m. or close at their jobs, and I would never want to put a greater financial burden on those families.”

While no start time has been decided, Belcher and the board are confident about the coming discussions of start times for elementary, middle and high schools. The proposals and models will be a point of interest in the upcoming board meeting Feb. 11, as well as a work day 10 days later. As always, the public’s opinion is wanted at these meetings. Though there is no date set as to when the start times will be decided officially, Belcher has hopes for a compromise to be reached at the March work session, so as to give people as much time as possible to plan for the 2013 fall semester. Although not all parties can be satisfied, Belcher said the board will make an informed and rational decision with the best interests of CPS in mind.

“I know the concerns that we expressed, and if you put high schools last, that would sure put after-school activities so late in the day. There’s a little limit there that people will be tolerant of,” Belcher said. “Just like at the beginning with elementary schools first, you can’t start too early, otherwise people aren’t supportive of that. So this is a real conundrum for us, trying to get a model that a lot of people accept, knowing that you aren’t going to find a model that everyone likes.”

By Kaitlyn Marsh and Daphne Yu

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Schedule sheets like this used to come with a space for teacher signatures to allow students to move onto higher level classes. Many prerequisites for classes like math, language arts and foreign languages no longer apply. Photo by Daphne Yu

The early window for registering for classes is not the only change for sophomores and juniors. This year, students are no longer required to have a certain grade in a preceding class in order to be accepted into the advanced course.

For example, in previous years, in order to take Biology Honors as a sophomore, a student had to obtain an A average in his or her previous science class and receive a teacher recommendation. With the implementation of a new district policy, if students want to challenge themselves in taking a class such as Biology Honors, they do not have to maintain a certain grade in their ninth grade science class or receive a teacher recommendation. 

Director of guidance Betsy Jones said careful consideration by the core-leaders of each subject department has gone into the process of making this decision.

“Curriculum coordinators submitted the courses, and they shared those with the leaders in every building to review them. Dr. [Sally Beth] Lyon, who is the chief academic officer, and Dr. [Jolene] Yoakum, who is the assistant superintendent of secondary schools, and the principals had a series of meetings where they discussed courses and prerequisites, and quite frankly, Mr. Maus and I had gone through our guide ahead of that … trying to figure out, ‘Why do we have them? What do they really mean?’” Jones said. “You know, we want to have an equal opportunity for all kids, and so, as a district, they have removed all grade prerequisites.”

With this equal opportunity comes some disagreement about the decision from students as well as teachers. Senior Jacob Freyermuth has used his time at RBHS to take several upper level and Advanced Placement classes. Freyermuth said this change has a possibility to be negative, but he doesn’t think much will change within these courses.

“Potentially [this] could be harmful if people that aren’t qualified are taking classes that are too hard for them, and they get in over their heads, but I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem necessarily; I think you’d have to look at it on a case-by-case basis because there are certainly people who are capable of taking upper-level classes, if they apply themselves, that don’t always meet the prerequisites,” Freyermuth said. “And I think also the other thing is, people who are signing up for classes like that are generally pretty motivated regardless of how they have done in the past. So it has the potential to be harmful, but I don’t know how much of a problem it would be.”

Aside from the workload being a possible threat to these students who didn’t meet the previous grade requirement, another worry that comes with this change is the amount of teacher preparation that is going to be required now. Several teachers believe that they may have to put in more time to plan out their classes if all students aren’t as efficient in getting their classwork done.

Spanish teacher Donnie Silver is one of these teachers. However, he is looking optimistically at the removal of grade prerequisites. He said that teachers and students will both have to make a greater effort in order to have a successful class.

“Well, there would probably be more lower students grade-wise, so their preparation would be less or their prior knowledge would be at a lower level than other students that have been in the past, so it may require more time [from teachers] with individual students, than currently, to be able to make sure they succeed,” Silver said. “I think it could, in essence,  require more time [in] discussion than it has in the past, but I think that would only occur if there was a large percentage in the class that have that low score. I think when you have that combination, you’re still going to have a mixture of students who can be able to help and support each other as well as the teacher.”

Since this change has already been put into action, teachers and students are doing their best to make the most of the situation. Junior Daniel Shapiro, like Freyermuth, has taken AP classes and said this change may negatively affect the way he is able to learn in these classes.

“I don’t think people who got a bad grade in the original class are even going to want to take the class. But if they do — I personally like it where everybody’s kind of on the same page, [and] everybody’s on the same level,” Shapiro said. “So I’d say probably if that was the case, and people who got low grades in the original classes did take it, I wouldn’t like it. But I’m not sure it’s going to have too big of an impact.”

Overall, the main reason for this change, Jones said, is so all students are offered the same opportunities for classes.

“If a student wants to challenge themselves by taking Biology, they can … because really, what does a grade mean?” Jones said. “I don’t see it changing anything, we’re still going to have high expectations, students will still rise to those high expectations … we want to have equal opportunity for all students. That’s what’s really important.”

 By Brittany Cornelison

 Additional reporting by Alyssa Sykuta, Daphne Yu and Kaitlyn Marsh

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring as the district opens a new high school in the fall of 2013, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Members of the CPS school board begin the meeting Monday, Jan. 14. Photo by Urmila Kuttikad

Battle High School “is a huge accomplishment,” Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher said. “It is something for our community to be proud of.”

Though there was a consensus that the building and integration of BHS into the CPS high school system was something to take pride in, many issues remain regarding BHS that still need smoothing out, and the citizens of Columbia weren’t afraid to voice their concerns regarding these problems nor have they been timid over the past few weeks.

When the board opened the floor to public comments, Tim Rose, president of the Columbia Board of Education, first said, “To repeat the same things we’ve already heard over and over doesn’t necessarily get you anything … but of course we’re not here to limit anyone.”

The “same things we’ve heard over and over” that Rose was referring to are the public opinions regarding the proposed three-tier start time system for the 2013-2014 school year.

The CPS district currently abides by a two-tier system, where public schools are divided into elementary and secondary schools, and “elementary” encompasses kindergarten through 5^th grade, while “secondary” encompasses 6^th through 12^th grade.

However, with the addition of BHS and the two new elementary schools “hopefully by 2015,” Christine King, vice president of the Columbia Board of Education, believes the two-tier system will become increasingly ineffective, especially in regards to transportation.

“If CPS moves forward in our current system,” King said, “we’re set up for failure … it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s why we’re ready to move to the three-tiered system.”

The three-tier system divides public schools into elementary, intermediate and secondary schools, where “elementary” encompasses kindergarten through fifth grade, “intermediate” encompasses sixth through eighth grade, and “secondary” encompasses ninth through 12^th grade.

Though the three-tier system has widespread support, what people are taking issue with is the logistics of the three-tier system, especially the logistics of the starting and ending times for each tier. The public backlash began when the Board of Education suggested that the high schools start at 7:20 a.m., with the middle schools and elementary schools following later.

Although Rose suggested the constituents refrain from making public comments regarding the issue of the new starting times if the points had already been made, those present did not heed his request. Instead, they came to the podium one by one to speak their views on school starting times.

About 20 high school students were present to advocate their view: high school should not start as early as 7:20 a.m. Many were members of the group created by RBHS sophomore Jilly Dos Santos called Students’ Say, a group currently encouraging students to speak out against the proposed starting times. Hickman High School junior Eli Bryerly-Duke summarized the high school student standpoint concisely, even eliciting laughs from those listening.

“At 7:20, even for people who are dedicated, which I like to think I am, I will not be able to function … I will not be awake … I will not be there,” Bryerly-Duke said. “Please do not make me take Calculus 3 at 7:20 in the morning.”

Other interest groups were present, such as elementary teachers, principals and parents. Some were in favor of the earlier start times, and some were opposed. The issues brought up included the potentially negative and positive impacts of earlier starting times on academic performance, transportation, money, sleep and extracurricular activities.

After everybody who wished to had made a public comment, a few more topics were covered and then the Board itself discussed the logistics of the three-tier system. They threw around many of the same issues and doubts brought up by the members of the audience, and although they were unsure as to what the right solution would be, they were clear on one thing.

“The thing to keep in mind is that we are never going to get 100 percent of peoples’ support,” King said. “No matter what we decide, there’ll be 30 to 40 percent of the people who are unhappy … there is no perfect answer … we’ll do the best we can with everything there is to consider.”

By Urmila Kutikkad
Here Students’ Say talk about their views:

Listen to school board members talk about the proposal:

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

What do you think the best solution is? Do you think people should be making such a big deal out of school starting times?

Principal Mark Maus enjoys the atmosphere outside the main commons of RBHS during the annual hot choco-looza.
Photo by Anna Wright

Yesterday could not have been an easy day to be Mark Maus. After an email to RBHS teachers outlined the most recent proposal for start times, many were miffed, to say the least, that high school was scheduled to start at 7:20. By the time Bearing News published a story on the proposal, several teachers had queued to voice their displeasure with it, and while no one was steaming, it still could not have been easy for Maus to stand all that negativity without being brought down a little bit.

And yet his buoyant nature prevailed — despite the stress, the guy still showed up to the Show Choir premiere concert that night and even stopped in after to congratulate the singers.

Between the end of school and that concert, Maus and the other secondary principals convened in an emergency council of sorts to discuss the notably unpopular notion of high school starting at 7:20 and agreed upon a counter proposal that the start times would be changed to high school starting at 8:20. There are a number of things that deserve to be lauded in this action.

First of all, Maus is standing up for his school. It’s not easy to stand up to the fury machine that is elementary school parents, and even the fiercest supporter of any cause will surely be wilted by their unending dissatisfaction. To this end, Maus could have taken the easy route politically and simply caved to the original proposal. However, Maus listened to the complaints of teachers and students and did not back down.

Secondly, the principals of the middle schools that volunteered to take the odious 7:20 a.m. start time should be congratulated for taking the high road. Knowing that high schools taking the time would spear before-school activities and zero hour classes, the middle school principals took on the burden of the earliest start time, in the process fostering goodwill between the schools.

Really, with the exception of the proposal itself, the whole situation that could have easily dissolved into name calling was handled quite well by administration. It can’t be fun to make a decision that people will criticize regardless, but the administration has defended RBHS from a start time that would be ubiquitously despised and made a stand at the right time to secure an 8:20 a.m. start time in the latest proposal.

Now the secondary schools and superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher must convince the school board of the validity of this counter proposal over the transportation committee’s. While the opinion of the superintendent and the principals of many successful schools should carry some weight, when it comes to the board, a success for this counter proposal is still uncertain.

We can only hope.

By Adam Schoelz

This opinion piece is labeled as such on the desktop version.

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

What are your favorite stories of administrators who have helped you?

Junior Karina Kitchen prepares for Show Choir’s premier concert. Show Choir is one of the activities that takes place before school and would be affected by earlier start times. Photo by Daphne Yu

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This is a satirical piece.

BREAKING NEWS:

Columbia Public Schools has released a new proposal regarding school start times that does not at all contradict everything the administration has previously released or hinted at.

This proposal is totally in line with the research regarding teenager sleeping habits and does not go against it whatsoever. Research suggests that teenagers naturally feel sleepy around 11 a.m., thus, CPS has taken the right step in ensuring their high school students will be alert and awake when they arrive at school after waking up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for school. If teenage brains start to digest information at around 9 a.m., 7:20 a.m. ought to be close enough.

CPS shows just how much they want high school students to succeed by making this decision. Currently, eight percent of high school students get enough sleep on weekdays, and in starting earlier, Columbia Public Schools Administration will clearly raise that statistic among our high schools. Students will obviously fall asleep less often in class with the proposal, and because they get enough sleep when they wake up at 6:30 a.m., students will start to score better on all standardized tests. It isn’t like starting later would result in better grades and test scores, no, perish the thought!

High school should start earlier anyway. As a high school student, I assure you, high school is far, far less important than elementary school. If, for some odd reason, there is an extremely rare student who will be more tired as a result of this change, the student’s entire academic career will not suffer. Obviously, the SAT and ACT cover important material learned in middle school, not high school; if this anomaly of a student fell asleep in class, he/she would not miss classwork essential for high performance on these tests. AP classes are of no consequence either. If this student was tired, he/she could easily keep up with such a rigorous, college-level class. It isn’t like college classes are more difficult than high school classes, after all. And, most of all, if somehow, we accomplished world peace, and there was a general trend of lower standardized test scores among our students, it isn’t like our educational system uses test scores as a ruler for success. The school’s funding will not, in any shape or form, decrease because of these purely hypothetical, poor test scores.

Not to mention, colleges rarely look at the high school years. This proposal wouldn’t make students more tired or seriously endanger their chances of getting into certain universities. And colleges hate seeing extracurricular activities and job experience. There is no other reason for CPS to have proposed such a schedule. Some students will have to work after school and into the evening, long after their extracurricular activities. Working these jobs might make students go to bed late and wake up early, but thankfully, colleges don’t demand well-rounded students who have job experience. Students who want a competitive application won’t need to work late into the night, only to awaken before the sun decides to. In this, CPS administration shows they are dedicated to making sure high school students are successful in post-secondary education.

I mean, high school is far less important when it comes to preparing for a career than middle school or elementary school. High school doesn’t offer narrowed classes for specific jobs. High school classes aren’t further in-depth or necessary for being an informed global citizen. You don’t learn how to do the essential things in life, such as balancing check books or developing math skills. In the grand scheme of things, high school-level information isn’t the most important part of public education. No, finger-painting and story time in elementary school are far more essential to become a successful adult. Learning about evolutionary theory or the thoughts of Sigmund Freud? Why not ponder where Waldo is or what happens when you give a mouse a cookie? No, we shouldn’t put any focus on the more advanced topics that high school students learn about. It isn’t like this knowledge is the necessary foundation for inventing the iPhones we carry in our pockets or the latest gaming systems in our homes.

Most importantly, CPS has finally committed to showing how they care more about sports than band, show choir or other morning activities. By starting so early, CPS has eliminated the possibility of culturing a successful marching band program or a stellar show choir. Despite the plethora of students who will chomp on the bit to march and sing early in the morning, the programs will simply take place too early to be feasible. After all, we don’t want students to get too tired! Not to mention, by getting out earlier, sports will have more time for practice in the afternoon sunlight. Finally, Columbia Public Schools can stop pretending to care about the programs and classes that take place before school.

Already, students and parents have moved behind CPS to support their decisions. Parents who voted on a survey about the change are pleased to see that the district has taken their feedback seriously. In no way are parents upset with the administration. Students have organized Facebook groups to attend the first Board of Education meeting discussing this proposal and show their overwhelming support for the district. Students are not hoping to change minds or organize a movement against this proposal.

This proposal doesn’t just help high school students though. Elementary school students will mature as they stay home alone when their parents head to their work, starting before their kiddos go to school. Alternatively, parents will get the excellent opportunity to pay for two hours of daycare each morning.

It is evident that CPS administration has put lots of thought into their decision and evaluated the possible outcomes. In this proposal, we can see just how much the administration cares about their high school students and their now brighter futures. We should all take time to attend the school board meeting next Monday and share how much we appreciate their proposal.

Further information is available here.

This is a satirical piece.

This opinion piece is labeled as such on the desktop version.

By Atreyo Ghosh

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

District debates change in start time. Photo by Muhammad Al-Rawi

The transportation committee for Columbia Public Schools announced yesterday their proposal that high schools start class next year at 7:20 a.m., as opposed to the current 7:50 a.m. start time.

Part of a three-tier system beginning next year, in which middle schools would begin at 8:10 a.m. and elementary at 9:10 a.m., this proposal would leave high schools with the earliest start time. While students and teachers alike complain about having to wake up earlier for school, some groups of people would be more negatively affected than others by the change in start time, particularly those in athletics and the fine arts.

With the proposed 7:20 a.m. start time, zero hour and co-curricular courses that meet before school are left wondering how to adjust their schedules. For band and show choir, this proves particularly daunting, according to band director Steve Mathews.

For the first few months of the school year, the marching band meets on the football field at 7 a.m. daily to rehearse their field show. With sports taking up the fields after school, there would be few options other than to make students arrive even earlier. Mathews himself even believes that alternative is not a healthy one, much less enjoyable.

“It would adversely affect from what we’ve done before, particularly during the marching portion of the school year because we’re already down here at 7:00 in the morning,” Mathews said. “For me to gain back the time that I’ve lost, I would have to be starting at 6:25, 6:30 in the morning, which is not a healthy time for staff, teachers and students to be out, especially as the marching season progresses with weather [getting colder].”

For head coach A.J. Ofodile’s football team, a change in the school start time at all will bring negative affects. If the school day starts later, sports teams in general would have little time to practice well, he said, with a lack of lighting on the practice fields. With an earlier start time, Ofodile said, students involved in athletics may have to miss more school to go to away games. However, for him, the issue with starting the day at 7:20 a.m. isn’t an athletic one; it’s academics.

The earlier start time “would probably be better for sports because we’d get home earlier. The problem … is academically,” Ofodile said. “We already have an issue — I don’t know very many high school kids who are up an hour before they need to be, bright-eyed and ready to go. First hour, in P.E. especially, it’s that way, but just about every class it’s hard to get people up and going. The way a third hour class feels after lunch versus a first hour class is a whole different world. … I don’t know how being up earlier is going to make it more productive.”

Ofodile believes having to get up even earlier for school wouldn’t just affect students’ readiness for the day. The unwillingness to learn or function could in turn affect the eligibility of athletes if their grades drop. Not only that, but with lower grades for any student, their chances of getting into college and moving on past high school are going to lessen. While “that’s pretty crazy for people in the long-term scheme of things,” the ability of students to get help with their classes before school would also be almost unrealistic.

“I don’t know how much more accommodating you can be with the start time pushed up,” Ofodile said. “It’s easy to say, ‘Hey, come meet me at 7:15,’ but saying, ‘Hey, come meet me at 6:45′ is a whole different world, and who’s willing to do it? And even the best intentions, the following is just so much more difficult.”

Students started a movement to protest the Transportation Committee’s anticipated proposal for the three-tiered start times at Columbia Public School’s schools. This image is the one used by @students_say_, the Twitter account associated with the movement.

In wake of the complaints and dissatisfaction of students and teachers with the new proposal, sophomore Jilly Dos Santos decided to take matters into her own hands. Unsettled after hearing that Dos Santos and her fellow classmates would have to arrive at school half an hour earlier next fall, Dos Santos created a Facebook group called Students’ Say, encouraging students to speak out and voice their opinions on the early start time issue.

The Students’ Say group had 461 members as of Thursday night and 55 followers on Twitter, involving students from all over CPS. Dos Santos said the main goal of the organization right now is to get the high school start times changed to the middle time slot, although the group also supports open campus lunch in the debate over open/closed campus for next year. Dos Santos hopes to alert students of their ability to change administrative decisions and their power in affecting what goes on at their schools.

“We’ve just been working really hard to get it out to students and teachers that just because the school district says something, doesn’t mean you have to take it,” Dos Santos said. “If you don’t agree with it or the majority of students or teachers don’t agree with it, you can influence it to some extent.”

CPS has yet to make a final choice on the start times of primary and secondary schools, but many students and teachers hope to have an input in the decision. Whether the reason be academic, athletic or a general wish to sleep, Ofodile believes logically, there is really only one option that would suit high schools best.

“Really the only viable of the three would be the 8:10, which, to me, 7:45 is pretty good,” Ofodile said. “We’ve got it pretty good right now, so sometimes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But if that’s not an option then 8:10 is going to be the best for sports and stuff.”

By Alyssa Sykuta

What do you think of the district’s Transportation Committee proposal?

Additional reporting by Daphne Yu and Jilly Dos Santos

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

RBHS Show Choir prepares to run through their show the day before their premier performance. Both the Satin n’ Lace and City Lights show choirs meet before school for their zero hour class, which begins at 7 a.m. Photo by Daphne Yu

Columbia Public Schools recently announced the proposed start time for RBHS next year. According to the proposal, RBHS would start between 7:20 and 7:30 a.m. School currently starts at 7:50. Middle schools, along with some elementary schools, would begin at 8:10. The remaining elementary schools would start at 9:10.

After a survey conducted of CPS students, parents, teachers and other members of the Columbia community from December to January, the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee met Jan. 8 to draw up a proposal for changes in school start times. For a while, the general consensus was that the high school would have the middle slot.

The Transportation Committee repeatedly cited efficiency as the main reason behind the proposed change. The PowerPoint also included that with the current, two-tiered system, First Student and Columbia Public Schools [are] set up for failure. CPS Superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher summarized the proposal in a video statement sent to faculty today.

“The recommendation by the Transportation Committee is a three-tiered bus system to save money, and a piece of that is the fact that we’re adding a third high school,” RBHS principal Mark Maus said. “This is the proposal that they’re moving ahead with.”

But one of the main concerns for Maus is the existence of zero hour classes. RBHS choir director Mike Pierson, who teaches a zero hour class, said the proposed change to start times is not going to be well-received and is skeptical of its benefits.

“If either my wife or I have to take our boys to elementary school, then how are we going to get them if we both work?” Pierson said. “Are you telling me that they’re going to spend two hours or more at the elementary school before school even starts, or I’m going to pay for daycare for two hours in the morning?”

Pierson, director of the Satin ‘N Lace and City Lights show choirs, has children enrolled in elementary school for the 2013-2014 school year. Along with his personal concerns, he also is worried about how it will affect the show choir program.

“Show choir is early enough as it is right now [at 7 a.m.], and for us to start at 6:20 [a.m.] would be ridiculous,” Pierson said. “The kids right now barely function well at seven o’clock in the morning, much less even earlier.”

Senior Troy Guthrie, a member of the 2012-13 City Lights show choir, has similar concerns regarding the show choir, marching band and football strength training, all of which meet at 7 a.m. for a portion of the school year.

“I don’t know when it’s all going to get pushed back to,” Guthrie said. “Football has practice after school, and they don’t want to go for four hours. Show choir kids can’t go [after school] when the musical starts.”

Guthrie also worries that the earlier start time would encourage truancy.

“You’re going to get a lot of kids who won’t show up to class,” he said.

However, it’s not just attendance that is at risk with this proposal. Students also don’t like the idea of having to wake up earlier. By changing the current system and having high schools start 30 minutes before they already do, students must sacrifice sleep, an unpleasant price to pay.

“I just like sleep,” junior Megan Kelly said. “That’s my main thing. I like it the way that it is.”

Not only do most teens like sleeping in, but Pierson pointed to recent studies showing why sleep is important to teenagers. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need sleep to function well. Only 15 percent of teens get more than the recommended 8 and a half hours of sleep on weeknights.

“We’re a district that lends a lot of credence to research and tends to do a lot of research and makes decisions based on that,” Pierson said. “I think it’s ridiculous that this [decision] would be made right now seeing as we haven’t even considered the research. Or at least that’s how it looks.”

The CPS Board of Education will discuss the proposal at a meeting Monday, Jan. 14, which is open to the public. After soliciting public comment, the district will  host the final vote on the proposed changes  Feb. 11.

By Brett Stover

Additional reporting by Adam Schoelz

Do you think high schools should start earlier than they already do? How would earlier start times affect you?

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Current eighth and ninth graders attended the course fair at RBHS this evening to learn about the opportunities they will have next year as freshmen and sophomores. Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

At 5 p.m. RBHS was as alive as any school day is. Students passed in and out of the corridors, talking loudly, dragging their  parents in tow. These are the future ninth and tenth graders that will make up RBHS’ first generation of the four-year high school experience.

Tonight, these soon-to-be Bruins talked with faculty, volunteer students and their parents about what courses they should take next year.

Ninth grader Katherine Sarafianos, who currently attends West Junior High School, was excited about the course fair and said she found a few history classes and English classes she thought she would be interested in. Although she said she’s looking forward to coming to RBHS, she is also nervous.

“I think [RBHS] is different because it’s bigger and a lot more intense. … There are seniors and people a lot older than you and more mature, they know what they’re doing, and you’re kind of clueless, so you have to figure it out,” Sarafianos said. “It’s definitely intimidating, but you know that if you ask questions and you’re looking and planning for your future – you’ll get through it.”

RBHS Personal Finance teacher Susan Lidholm said the course fair was extremely helpful for the younger kids. She said it gave them an opportunity to get excited about classes they may not have even thought to take. Lidholm said next year will be a transition, but she thinks it will go over smoothly.

“I’m excited for the new opportunity and the change and to be involved in it.  I think the district is prepared and planned for [the increased number of students],” Lidholm said. “We have systems in place with the new high school, and I think we’re prepared. … It’s been a process and we’ve thought of all the ins and outs.”

Alongside teachers, several current RBHS students attended the event to promote various courses to the incoming students. Senior Whitney Cravens, who volunteered at the course fair, said although she won’t be attending RBHS and seeing the changes first hand, she felt the underclassmen’s excitement in the few hours she helped out.

“I feel like it’s a good opportunity for incoming freshmen and sophomores to really take a look at everything Rock Bridge offers,” Cravens said. “And I think they have a good span of things that need to be looked at. It’s nice to be able to talk to the teachers.”

The fair this evening offered a small taste of what next year will be like: a bit busier halls, a lot of energy and a lot of learning.

“[The course fair] is always great, the counselors do such a wonderful job giving you information,” Lidholm said. “Next year will be interesting.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Sophomores and juniors will have an enrollment meeting on Jan. 7 and 8 to prepare for the 2013-2014 school year. Photo by Asa Lory

Barely into second semester, sophomores and juniors must start making decisions for the coming school year, still seven months away. Juniors will travel down to the Performing Arts Center on Jan. 7 and 8  during their social studies-language arts block class, while sophomores will attend the meeting with their advisory class on the same dates, for a 45-minute meeting with guidance counselors, learning about the courses available to both classes next year as rising juniors and seniors.

Normally, this enrollment process takes place in February, so the meeting just four days into the semester comes as a bit of a shock to teachers and students alike. However, RBHS Guidance Director Betsy Jones said the extra time to plan for next year’s classes is necessary with the opening of Battle High School and the influx of freshmen in August.

“This year we moved it up an entire month because we’re staffing new schools,” Jones said.  ”So the secondary reorganization and the hiring that has to take place, adding freshmen to the high school, opening a new high school, the building principals needed an early start on the hiring process to attract the best candidates as well. … But [the early scheduling is] also to help with the master schedule, because it’s going to be so different with having freshmen and opening a new high school.”

Despite the logic behind the upping of the scheduling process, some students are worried about their ability to choose their courses next year with so much time still left in this school year. Sophomore Sonia Clark is unsettled by the idea of having to pick her junior courses when she is only halfway through her current ones.

“I feel really uncomfortable because I feel like I’m not prepared to know what I’m going to take because it’s just starting second semester,” Clark said. “I am not ready for this.”

While students will have the classic courses to choose from, such as Chemistry and U.S. Studies, they will also be able to pick from a selection of new options. RBHS counselor Jordan Alexander said there will be new offerings in science, social studies and language arts. However, students may have to find a form of transportation to get to those classes.

“We have many new offerings throughout the district; some of those are building specific,” Alexander said. “For example, there is a Genetics course that is available at, I believe at Battle and also at Hickman, and then we have courses like Oceanography which are offered here but not at those schools. So students should be able to sign up for courses that they want even if it’s not at the school — obviously transportation issues can come into play — but we do have new offerings next year at all high school buildings.”

By Alyssa Sykuta

Additional reporting by Ashleigh Atasoy

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Sophomores and juniors – do you feel like you’re ready to pick classes? Which ones are you looking forward to next year?

First, she said, there is a plane. It’s a commercial airliner or larger, perhaps an Airbus. The destination isn’t specific, some Pacific island undisturbed by human footsteps.

Onboard are family and friends; the inside of the plane is an open floor plan more similar to a cargo jet, and the persons onboard are sitting, talking, laughing.

It might not be the safest thing — no seat belts — but senior Morgan Widhalm said it won’t matter as much at the end of the world.

The concept of apocalypse is as old as the Earth itself, and civilizations have been visualizing what the final days might look like since the Neolithic Revolution. The Egyptians thought a snake would consume the sun, and the Vikings believed the wolf Fenrir would kill their god Odin. In Ancient Persia, denizens believed that a great river of molten iron would burn those who sinned…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Ready for Battle: In apprehension of the opening of four-year Muriel Williams Battle High School next fall, the current high schools have been making changes to accommodate for the incoming of freshmen next year. Photo by Paige Kiehl.

For Columbia Public Schools, 2012 presents the end of an educational system and brings to light a new era of education. The opening of Muriel Williams Battle High School Aug. 20, 2013 will not only mark the beginning of a three high school district, but also the implementation of a four-year high school system.

Out of the 1,800 students attending RBHS next fall, nearly 900 freshmen and sophomores will face the challenges that come with a new building, new rules, new classes and new people. However, instead of crossing their fingers and hoping everything works out for the best, administration and district personnel have been taking measures to make sure everything is ready for the first day of next school year.

RBHS Principal Mark Maus said with the passing of the school district’s bond in 2010, CPS district-level employees and administration sat down to look at the options a third high school and four-year system could offer. Maus said beginning discussions nearly three years in advance allowed the district time to work out as many potential problems as possible that the transition could throw their way.

“The biggest reason to plan so far in advance is there’s always things that come up that you don’t anticipate,” Maus said. “So the more that you can plan and the more that you have conversation, have discussion about what’s coming, the better you can anticipate when something unknown comes up, the better you can meet that challenge.”

Though the groundbreaking of BHS began in June 2010, RBHS and Hickman High School experienced constructive changes as well, most noticeably the new gymnasiums. Maus said the addition of space to the high schools is critical in providing for the new students and courses the schools will provide to cater to the freshmen’s course requirements. This need for more classrooms led the district to look into adapting more wireless technologies, especially now that all the schools have easily-accessible Wi-Fi.

“Our science classrooms now all have, I believe, 15 new netbook computers and we’ve looked at purchasing more and more mobile labs, because we’ll be so big next year, we’re going to have to look at where we can add some additional classroom space,” Maus said. “Our wrestling room will eventually move over to underneath the new gym, so what can we do with that space? And … also do we have any [computer] labs that we may repurpose for classroom space?”

Maus said the changeover will force changes in every department at RBHS; for this reason, RBHS teachers turned in transition reports to the administration regarding foreseeable changes within their divisions with the invasion of freshmen and the introduction of an entirely new environment at the high school.

Major changes include advisory for freshmen and sophomores, rethinking the open campus lunch policy and the provision of an extra day before the beginning of the fall semester for the new students to acquaint themselves with the school.

Infographic by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

“The district’s going to have a jump-start day where all new students — for us that will be ninth and tenth graders — will come in for half a day before the first day of school. And a lot of that’s just about acclamation: how does the lunch line work, where do I stand, is there a ‘West Walk,’ do I have to sit in the cafeteria?” Maus said. “In general, [it’s] just getting to know the building, because it’s a big building and easy to get lost in.”

As RBHS goes through with changes to gear up for the coming school year, HHS principal Tracey Conrad said the North side of town has also been adapting. They also utilized transition reports to hear teacher input  as to how courses will change. Also, students at HHS created councils to gain input about making a smooth transition.

“Hickman has been going through similar steps to prepare for the ninth grade students,” Conrad said in an email interview. “We have a ninth grade transition team and student support leadership team, which is dedicated to the transition.”

While many teachers are figuring out how their departments and courses will change in the coming year, others, such as RBHS Assistant Band Director Robert Thalhuber, are designing courses altogether, preparing for different responsibilities the new high school requires. Thalhuber will take on a new role as the band director at BHS next fall, a professional move he looks forward to and finds exciting, but one that also comes with a lot of stress.

“With a band program, there’s so many different intricate things that have to interact, and if you forget one there’s like a Domino Effect,” Thalhuber said. “So it’s always trying to think ahead and put yourself at a place in time and think, ‘What am I going to need? What are the students going to need? What should I be doing in order to make sure that when the doors open, everything is going to be smooth?’ … And I think everybody’s the same way, whether it’s the administration, whether it’s Coach [Justin] Conyers getting ready with the football team or whether it’s a teacher getting ready for teaching different classes … it’s hard to think of every single detail.”

Though BHS will open in less than a year and a hoard of 14 and 15-year-olds will soon walk through the doors of RBHS on their way to “English 9,” Maus believes the district will have any kinks in the system worked out well before then. He believes district employees are more than ready for the change to occur and has faith that things will be up and running in time for the start of the fall semester. The years of planning and countless hours spent pouring over details will finally pay off.

“We’ll be ready to go, and I really feel like most of our staff is comfortable with the change coming, and not only comfortable but looking forward to it,” Maus said. “I think they feel that ninth graders at Rock Bridge is the way to be. And we really look forward to having those students for four years instead of three, and we really think it will be a positive to Rock Bridge.”

By Alyssa Sykuta

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

The stories that follow aim to change that. They beg to open discourse on previously quieted topics, whether because of illegality, stigma or potential for conflict.

We explored what it means to be “taboo,” settling on stories that commonly occupied the quiet corners of hallways, privately exchanged by students of RBHS. We discovered, yes, society stops us, but more often we shackle ourselves in our relentless attempt to bridge the disconnect between who we are and who we think we should be. We found the teenage struggle for self-awareness and the constant tug to conform with societal norms reversed the supposed growth of knowledge. This coming of age that should increase understanding and add experience is, instead, the final vow of adult silence…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Pearl Harbor Infographic by Daphne Yu

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked the many islands across the Pacific Ocean, one of which was Hawaii, the home of a U.S. naval base. For those who would like to learn more about Pearl Harbor, here is a review of the movie Pearl Harbor, books related to Pearl Harbor and student reactions at RBHS.

Student Reactions:

What does Pearl Harbor mean to you?

“I feel like it doesn’t affect me today. There isn’t anything that would really remind us other then the actual day it happened on. My experience differs from others because I never had family who took part in it.”

—Austin Fernandes, senior

“Well, I’ve been to Hawaii, but not the Arizona memorial, and it’s weird how peaceful it is there. In a lot of ways that’s kinda what Pearl Harbor represents, right? The contrast between the pure violence and calcified hatred of that morning in 1941 and today’s world, where Japan is one of our greatest allies, and Hawaii is a beautiful state. I guess that’s what Pearl Harbor means to me — the violence of the past contrasted with the opportunities of today.”

—Ian Gibbs, senior

“It was the site of a surprise Japanese attack on America. As an American, any such attack targeting American soil is infuriating. the attack on Pearl Harbor is especially so because it was without warning, in the midst of discussion. It was Pearl Harbor that led the nation to decide to enter WWII. I would demand justice against Japan, but I feel that they have already paid their dues for that attack, considering the aftermath of WWII.”

—Joseph Gu, senior

“…Pearl Harbor as a place is probably pretty nice. But as for the attack on Pearl Harbor and taking the time to recognize it, I’m all for it. I have a lot of respect for anyone in the military and who is willing to fight for our country, and I think it’s awesome of America to take the time to recognize it. The day itself is kind of like a second Veterans’ day, which I think is cool, because they deserve all the respect in the world. It doesn’t “mean” much to me, personally. It doesn’t particularly affect me past the fact that I take the time to pay my respects to those who lost their lives.”

—Elizabeth King, senior

“I just think about a lot of death and destruction. I think that even though people may not think about it every day, it’s still a part of what made American history, and people are aware of that.”

—Emma Robinson, senior

“It’s a really devastating event in America’s history. To me, it’s an attack that killed thousands of people, and that in itself is something that can’t be forgotten, even if we weren’t alive to see it.”

—Katy Shi, junior

“I guess what Pearl Harbor means to me is that it was a turning point in American history; it was a shock to many when it provoked us into WWII. My great-grandfather served as a construction engineer and built things for the Navy during the war in the Pacific against the Japanese.”

—Caleb Schrier, senior

“I think it’s a symbol of how united we really are as a nation. We really came together after Pearl Harbor, and we ended up winning the war. I think that how we act in the face of disasters like that is what shows our true spirit as Americans.”

—Corie Wilhite, senior

Interviews by Raj Satpathy

Image used under free use doctrine

From the time I picked up a Royal Diaries book on Queen Isabella of Castilla in third grade, I have never stopped loving history. From my years of tearing through books, quite a few were historical fiction, and of those few, here are the top three that dealt with the subject of Pearl Harbor.

“Under the Blood Red Sun” by Graham Salisbury

This book is from the perspective of a Japanese-American teen, Tomikazu Nakaji, living in Hawaii at the time of the attack. The book deals with the aftereffects of the attack on Japanese-Americans, including the arrest of anyone resembling someone of Japanese heritage and the prejudice that followed. While Pearl Harbor focuses on an American bias of the event, Under the Blood Red Sun takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of the innocent and young, thrown into a world of turmoil.

“Thin Wood Walls” by David Pateneaude

In an attempt to prevent any other sneak attacks by the Japanese, the U.S. government herded Japanese-Americans to internment camps. Secluded from the rest and torn from his home in Seattle, teen Joe Hanada’s whole family relocates to Tule Lake War Relocation Camp, where other Americans treat them with prejudice. Although all written in Haiku poems, Hanada’s words hold deep meaning with plenty of details. While one of the main effects of Pearl Harbor is the unification of the U.S. in its effort towards winning WWII, This Wood Walls shows the opposite effects of nationalism.

“When My Name was Keoko” by Linda Sue Park

Although this book does not deal directly with Pearl Harbor, it does put in perspective the “Japanese” soldiers who destroyed Pearl Harbor. In the book, Keoko, a Korean girl at the time in Japanese-ruled Korea is forced to change her name to a Japanese one. Her brother is taken captive by the Japanese and subsequently ordered to participate in the attack against Pearl Harbor. Although this book does not wholly focus on Pearl Harbor, bits and pieces of the story do.

By Daphne Yu

What about you? Do you have a title to recommend?

Image used under fair use doctrine

Dec. 7, 1947: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his famous address the day after to Congress, called it “a date which will live in infamy.”

The tragedy at Pearl Harbor made an enormous impact on American culture. The deaths of American soldiers on American land was not something the people would stand for, and so they went to war. But even as the infamy of the day faded, something about the attack on Pearl Harbor resonated with the people and continued to make appearances in pop culture.

Pearl Harbor, a film released in 2001, combines the gritty brutality of the attack with a torrid love triangle and adds a pinch of patriotism into the mix to create an epic war story. The film featured a star-studded cast and was directed by the accomplished director Michael Bay. It was a critical success, bringing in almost $450 million dollars at the box office as well as winning an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.

The movie has been criticized by historians and veterans as being “grossly inaccurate” because of the amount of artistic license the film takes with the event. Kenneth Taylor, one of the pilots which the movie was based upon, even went as far as to call Pearl Harbor “a piece of trash… over-sensationalized and distorted.” Reviewers further criticized the stark difference between the portrayal of Americans and Japanese, condemning the film as divisive. I was oblivious to any factual missteps, and it didn’t seem to detract from the work itself, so I ignored these scathing criticisms and watched the movie myself to develop my own conclusions.

The film begins with two boys, Rafe (Ben Affleck, Argo) and Danny (Josh Hartnett) getting up to the usual shenanigans that teenagers perform. Somehow, they end up accidentally starting and flying an airplane during their horseplay. Though they are stiffly reprimanded, it’s obvious that these two will be the star pilots of the show. And indeed, both grow up to be members of the Army Air Corps.

This stage of their life is fraught with drama and peril. Rafe meets a nurse, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), and subsequently, the two fall in love. After the trio eventually transplant themselves into Pearl Harbor, however, Rafe is shot down in the English Channel fighting against the Nazi menace and is presumed to have been killed. The mourning that takes place begets a relationship between Evelyn and Danny, signalling the beginning of the complicated romance that is soon to come. It sounds as if this is the cheesy plot to a B-movie from the 60s, but in actuality, the characters’ depth of emotion and genuine actions make it all seem believable.

-SPOILER-

Rafe comes back to Pearl Harbor and is devastated by the new development between his (former) best friend and (former) flame. The news that Rafe is still alive is no real surprise, but in comparison to Bay’s other attempts at plot, it is a major plot twist. The two ex-friends get into a fight during the night. But here comes the part that everyone has been waiting for: the attack.

Bay’s recent movies, like Transformers, have popularized the term “Michael Bay movie” as one which overcompensates for poor plots with flashy special effects and immense explosions. Somehow, Pearl Harbor manages to include the latter without suffering from the former. The money shot occurs during the midst of this battle — a feat that was technically incredible for its time. A camera follows a bomb from the cargo bay of a Japanese Zero all the way to the ground. This was never-before-seen camera work, and even by today’s standards, it is still a riveting scene.

After Pearl Harbor, the two reconcile and eventually move on to performing a secret mission. They are both shot down, but Danny dies after taking a bullet meant for Rafe. Rafe revealed to Danny that Evelyn was pregnant with Danny’s child and says that Danny is going to be a father. Danny then replies with one of the most heartbreaking lines in the movie: “No, Rafe,” Danny said. “You’re going to be the father.” I have to admit, that’s pretty good.

-SPOILER ENDS-

To be honest, I had never seen the film before. I went in with low expectations, expecting a movie directed by Bay to be derivative and tacky. I expected that it would be reminiscent of the various war films that dominated the scene at the time, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. Not surprisingly, I was able to guess what would happen next for most of the movie. The actors, however, were what made the film especially enjoyable to watch, giving the work a sense of urgency and emotion that is usually lacking from typical Bay films.

All in all,  Pearl Harbor is a pretty good emotional, if not biased and factual, representation of the event. The inaccuracies within the movie were not distracting enough to a layman viewer like myself to notice, and it’s not like I’m trying to learn about Pearl Harbor from the movie anyways. I watched the movie with the intent to entertain myself, and I think it did an admirable job of doing so.

By Raj Satpathy

Did you see the film? Was it time well spent?

Senior Todd Hague works through a bread bowl at Panera during lunch on Friday. Photo by Elizabeth Upton

While RBHS has never experienced a problem with having open campus lunch shifts, parents raised a concern regarding the new influx of incoming freshman in 2013. Taking into account these new bodies will be between the ages of 13 and 15 and probably not possessing licenses, the district posted a survey on the RBHS webpage this afternoon to receive feedback from students and their parents about a new proposition.

The comments and answers received will ultimately determine if the high schools next year will have open or closed campus lunches.

“We’re talking as a district and probably the biggest thing we are talking about right now is that there seems to be some parent feedback about whether or not they feel that their younger students should have open lunch,” principal Mark Maus said. “As soon as there was the, ‘Hey, we are opening Battle High School, all the high schools are going to change to ninth [through] 12 [grades],’ parents began saying, ‘Oh, I don’t know if my freshman’s ready. I’m concerned about them having open lunch.’”

As well as an issue of time management and responsibility with freshmen, concerns are also raised regarding a safety issue with freshmen having to walk to restaurants off campus or catching rides with upperclassmen. Especially with the opening of BHS, students will have to venture a ways away from the campus to locate lunch, CPS community relations coordinator, Michelle Baumstark, said.

“As we move to open a third comprehensive high school here in Columbia with Battle, [the existence of open lunches is] a discussion we need to have because there’s an equity issue too,” Baumstark said. “It’s going to be a challenge, especially at Battle, if we decide to have open lunches because there’s not a whole lot of options around that high school right now. That was the same situation at Rock Bridge many, many years ago, and as that area built up, there were more options to have lunch off campus.”

However, if the high schools lock their doors at lunch time, improvements need to be made to the current lunch policies and options, Maus said. Previously, he worked at a school with closed-campus lunch, and the cafeteria offered 12 different meal options each day.

“There were so many different options compared to what students have here,” Maus said. “So I know that’s something food service is looking at as well, asking, ‘Do we contact with a vendor to bring items in? Do we offer more items? And where would we offer them, and how do we ensure that students get through lines and do everything that they need to get done in the time that’s allotted?’”

Although the mantra RBHS tries to live out is ‘freedom with responsibility,’ there might be less freedom based on the amount of responsibility parents and students believe freshmen can handle. And for junior Chelsea Russell, students deserve these amenities because of the responsibility they have displayed.

“I would be very frustrated [if RBHS was closed-campus lunch] because that time away from school is good; it helps you recuperate for your next classes. It lets you get away from school for a little bit, chill out and prepare yourself for the rest of the day,” Russell said. “Rock Bridge is a school based off of freedom with responsibility and if you take away the freedom that we have handled responsibly, that’s going against everything Rock Bridge is about.”

To take the student survey, click here. To take the parent survey, click here.

By Kaitlyn Marsh

Additional reporting by Daphne Yu, Raj Satpathy and George Sarafianos

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

How do you think the district should deal with lunches next year?

Long hours spent in the kitchen led to a delicious and colorful Thanksgiving meal. Photo by Ipsa Chaudhary

Every year Thanksgiving comes as slowly as the colors change leaves on the trees, turning subtle shades of red, orange and yellow. As Halloween dwindles down, the anticipation of a day filled with gluttony and family builds up. And when that day finally comes, Thanksgiving is a collage of chaos as nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles run in and out of the kitchen, as one of the biggest meals of the year is prepared.

People pack the kitchen, someone making coffee while someone searches for a mid-afternoon snack. Voices warble throughout the room, muddled by the din of clanging pots and pans. Shrieks of laughter mingle with shrieks of annoyance, making one indiscernible from the other.

As the gravy simmers in a saucepan on the stove, the turkey lays out in a roasting pan. The smell of spicy apple cider wafts around the room, mingling with the smell of fresh sage, bay leaves and onions sauteing in a pan on the stove.

The oven beeps as it hit 400 degrees, the roasting temperature for the turkey. The bird goes in as the artichoke-spinach dip comes out, a blend of chopped spinach, artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese covered with a layer of pepper jack cheese. Warmth from the oven floods the kitchen leaving the room a few degrees hotter than the rest of the house.

The dip sits on a rack to cool as preparations for the green beans continue on. Eyes water as the pungent onion falls apart, the sharp blade of a knife slicing into the layers. The onion and mushrooms mingle in a pan where they swim in a warm bath of butter.

Meanwhile, russet potatoes plop into a large pot, the flames of the stove top heating the potatoes through. Water bubbles, and the potatoes bob about in the pot.

Knives slice through the boiled greens as easily as they would through butter. Cheese, green beans, onions and mushrooms come together in a blend of earthy tones in a baking dish.

And then comes the pumpkin, the insides, scooped out and tossed in a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. A carcass of the pumpkin sits on the table.

Piece by piece the meal came together. One person makes the green bean casserole and another mashes the potatoes.

White napkins pattern the mahogany table, and silver gleams against the white. Candles flare up, adding to the medley of smells pressing against the walls.

Dishes were carried out, arranged on the table in the dining room artistically, each one catching the light. One by one people filtered.

Chairs scraped and creaked as they bore the weight of those waiting for the big meal. Prayers were mumbled in accord, and finally, a carving knife sliced through the turkey.

Laughs echoed throughout the room and people helped themselves to seconds and some to thirds. Silverware clattered against plates as bits of food were scraped up.

Eventually the meal comes to a close as everyone finishes their last few bites. The din dies down, and the table creaks as people push their chairs away, looking for room to breathe. Thanksgiving dinner has ended, but the day hasn’t. And the time spent with family would continue on.

By Ipsa Chaudhary

Click on the names of the students to listen to them and read their stories.

Tar Nar (Thailand)

Hisham Almedhmadi (Saudi Arabia)

Salah Hameed (Iraq)

Su Rah (Burma)

Ali Jami (Afghanistan)

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Listen to Hisham Almedhmadi (11th Grade) tell his story.

 *Some grammatical/spelling edits have been made to allow better understanding.

I was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in April 4, 1996. Makkah is a big city, and all Muslim people come to my city and I liked my city. My mother was born in Makkah, but my father was born in al Medina. I lived in Makkah  with six brothers. My father worked in a school; he worked in this school 19 years. In another city he went everyday to work and came back to home.

In 1998 my father was driving his car very fast, and the car flipped. My father got hurt, and he was sitting in the hospital for two weeks, and the car is Palmyra. Then my father sold his car and bought a new car. My father had sheep, goat and chicken. I went with my father every day to get milk and eggs.

In 2002 we got a brother, and I felt happy because we had a new baby. Then my uncle got the name for my brother, the name was Abdallulh. My mother got a job. She tuahgt art in college in another city and she was going every week and came back in the weekend. She was going by herself.

In 2003 I went to school. I felt very happy because I like to go to school. My school is too big and far away from my home. I never had to go to school by myself, I usually go with my friends.

When I was in second grade, I switched school because I had problem with a student. When I came to my classroom I saw him sitting in my seat. The boy was big, had a long hair and a big nose. I said, “Get up of my seat.” Then he said “This is not your seat.” Then I felt very angry and I punched him in the face. His blood came out of his nose. Then they sent me to the office. The office call my father, then the teacher said “You have to switch to another school.”

In 2004 my mom got a great work, and she got a Masters. We did a big party for my mom and a lot of friends came to the party.

On 2005 we got another brother. He is Yazan. He is seven years old, and I felt happy because we got a brother, not a sister. We had a trip to six countries. And these are Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Emirates and Bahrain. We felt very happy, and we liked it.

In 2007 my uncle got marriage, and he was a police in another city, and he moved with his wife. Then after two moths we went to my uncle, and he didn’t know when we came to my uncle and my father asked him, ‘Where did you live?” He said, “Why?” My father said, “Just question.” He told my father where he live, after that we went to the house of my uncle. My father said for my uncle “Come out.”  We wait for my uncle to come out. He didn’t know we were coming. He felt very happy, and we sat in my uncle’s house one week and then we back to Makkah.

In 2008 my brother went to India to study Computer and we felt sad because we miss him. He called my parents every day, and he bought a motorcycle. After six weeks he fell and got hurt, and then he went to a hospital and we felt very sad. My father said “Sell the motorcycle and buy a car.” When he sold the motorcycle, they didn’t give my brother a money for the motorcycle. And my father said, “It’s OK. We don’t need money. God give we many.”

In 2010 I rode the motorcycle with my brother, and he was driving very fast then. I fell from the motorcycle and I got hurt. My father said, “No more going with your brother because he driving fast.”

In 2011 my family came to America. We felt very happy. We came to America because my mom needed to learn English and Doctorate. We live in Columbia, Missouri We like this city and we learn to four years.

In 2012 my family did Eid al-Adha with my friend. This is the first celebration we do in America. We liked it, and we felt very happy. Then we came in one place with all the people from Saudi Arabia. Finally I have to listen to my father to do anything he wants.

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Listen to Tar Nar (10th Grade) tell his story.

*Some grammatical/spelling edits have been made to allow better understanding.

I was born in Thailand’s refugee camp. My birthday is January 1^st 1995. I have three brothers and two sisters. I lived in Thailand refugee camps, sheltered by the United Nations. I didn’t have money or food. I went to school. I didn’t have umbrella. I didn’t have the shoes. I went to school it was raining. I looked broken-hearted. I touch water. Burma and Thailand is not free country.

My parents came to Thailand when Burma soldiers abolished the Karen people. My people always afraid. Karen people have many abroad. Burma soldiers are against Karen people. Burma is much abuse. In 2001 I went to Thailand school for two years, to 2002.

I have many problems. 2001 is typhoon destroyed my house. I sit on the map, I look like tyhoon is horrible. I hear typhoon, thunderous. It smells wrong. Touch is many water. After I went to my friends’s house. In 2003 I came back to a Karen school. In 2008 I went to Burma country for one month. I came back in the Thailand refugee camp in 2011. May there is a typhoon gaina, but everybody don’t have problems, sheltered by the United Nations. 2012 January 17^th is I come to America. I am a student. I went to school. My school’s name is Hickman High School. Every morning I go to Rock Bridge High School. At 11 o’clock I came to Hickman.

Reporting by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Listen to Su Rah (10th Grade) tell his story.

*Some grammatical/spelling edits have been made to allow better understanding.

I was born in a Burma refugee camp. My birthday is on June 3, 1996. My family moved to a Thailand refugee camp in 2000. I have one brother and three sisters. My family lived in the refugee country for 13 years. I went to school with my sister, Preh Moe, in 2005. I went to school by myself on July 1, 2002. Our house in Karenni burned down in 2008. I went to school before the fire, and I remember my best friends. They looked big and they were nice. They liked to play soccer with me and my brother every day. They taught me how to play soccer.

People who didn’t have a home slept on the street. Student didn’t have school Friday for one week. No school on Friday and the students were happy. My father worked with the Karenna soldiers in Burma. My mother worked in the house. My parents had no work when we lived in the refugee country. They didn’t have work for my parents to do. My family came to America in 2011. Only my mom works in America. My dad stays home every day and he goes to English classes at Douglass.

Reporting by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

Similarly, there is more to our daily routines than what meets the eye.

In this edition of Southpaw, we challenged our writers to go through the Looking-Glass. For one week they lived in someone else’s world. Their experiences revealed the different perspectives and multifaceted lives of the people that surround us every day…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Click on this link to listen to the podcast with interviews from journalism students at RBHS.

By Urmila Kutikkad

A proposal by Columbia Public Schools will allow high school students to sleep in a little bit later. Under this new system, elementary schools will start earlier, and middle school and high school students will start their school day later in the morning. Photo by Paige Kiehl

Mother of three, Janice Cassimus was used to a disastrous afternoon. Last year she had to leave her oldest, Lexi Cassimus – now sophomore at RBHS – waiting outside of Jefferson Junior High School while she drove as fast as possible to get her younger two, Michael from Gentry Middle School and Arianna from Mill Creek Elementary School.

Time seemed to speed up between 2 and 3 p.m., she said.

“There just wasn’t any time,” Janice Cassimus said. “I always felt overloaded. You don’t want to have to leave your kid waiting … outside of school.”

Daughter, Lexi Cassimus, wanted to go home at the end of the day. Foot tapping, backpack sagging, she waited outside of the school, sitting on the concrete benches.

“I had to wait for like half an hour or more after school alone,” Lexi Cassimus said. “It sucked.”

Janice Cassimus said she encouraged her kids to take the bus, but after her son repeatedly had bad experiences with older kids riding his bus and causing trouble, Michael opted not to ride it anymore.

“He was so uncomfortable on the bus,” Janice Cassimus said. “The older kids were often inappropriate.”

But, Columbia Public Schools has a proposal that will work to change the complaints. Under the proposal, elementary schools would start at 7:40 a.m. and end at 2:40 p.m. High school classes would start at 8:25 a.m. and end at 3:35 p.m. Middle school students begin at 9:20 a.m. and finish at 4:30 p.m.

Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher said as the district grows, the buses must move to a more efficient model. The proposal allows the two tiered bus system to move to a three tiered one next year.

“After some pushback on the proposal, we are refining it to make it more palatable for parents and students,” Belcher said. “High schools don’t want to start too late so that sports and other activities don’t have trouble. … Elementary school parents don’t want their kids waiting for the bus in the dark. … We started with the three tier system because it is the most efficient, but we are changing it around a little bit to fit everyone’s needs.”

Karen Morton, RBHS Secretary to the Athletic Director, worries that the effects of a later start time will be harmful to high school students.

“What about the kids who have jobs after school?” Morton said. “What are  they going to do?”

Morton also worries about kids who are heavily involved in athletic programs who would have to stay later at school.

But RBHS football coach Justin Conyers doesn’t believe the added time will affect teams too much. He said the team would have to rearrange their practices, practicing outside first and watching film and meeting after. The only real drawback, he said, would be the time students spend away from school.

“For away games, they still have to leave at the same time,” Conyers said, “so students will miss more class.”

Janice Cassimus likes the proposal because it gives her more time between start times and releases to get her kids ready for school and to pick them up.

“I like the proposal a lot,” Janice Cassimus said. “It seems like a step in the right direction.”

When Battle High School opens next fall, it will break up the town into three rather than two distinct districts. These attendance lines mean that buses won’t have to drive all over town picking up the far reaching kids for a particular school district. The shortening of these routes means a quicker drop off time for children in the morning, allowing bus drivers to make a third pick up.

Currently some early buses pick up pick up kids of all ages, like Michael Cassimus, who had to tolerate foul language and constant teasing from the older kids on his bus. The new proposal would eliminate the age gap on buses.

The changes are not finalized, Belcher said. The committee is looking at all the critique the city has given them and trying to rework a plan that is best for everyone involved. Next year it may even mean a little more sleep for tired high school kids.

“You know, studies show that high school kids normally are more aware more awake the later you start anyway,” Conyers said. “So I think this will probably be a good thing for the district.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

What do you think the best start time for high school would be? Comment and take our poll.

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

Video by Urmila Kutikkad

Every Oct. 31, the Hearnes Center hosts the Mizzou Family Tiger Night of Fun, providing young trick-or-treaters- whether they’re  classic princesses and superheroes or unconventional octopi and cell phones- with a safe and friendly environment to have fun at on the spookiest night of the year.

Click here to view the Haunted House Infographic

Halloween is right around the corner: This little Jack-o-Lantern hides out in Madame Reed’s French classroom, reminding students how fast the holiday is approaching. Outside, assorted colors of leaves dangle from limp tree branches and flutter in the crisp autumn air. Inside RBHS, festive decorations scatter the classrooms as they epitomize autumn inside our own school.

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the people behind the stories presented to on Bearing News and in The Rock, look no further! In this podcast, eight of our very own writers and editors share their Halloween experiences with us. These stories range from parties involving slightly-drunken chainsaw-wielding entertainers to the sudden confiscation of hard-earned candy – this podcast has it all.

By Rajesh Satpathy

Art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

Sore muscles, freezing fingers and the warmth of friends and sisters trick-or-treating together define only half of my childhood Halloween memories – the good half.

The other half – picking out a costume – I dreaded. Decked in a Sacagawea costume one year and Laura Ingalls from “Little House on the Prairie” the next, I always felt there was always something different about my costumes than most everyone elses’. Mine were homemade, while my co-younguns’ costumes were nearly all store-bought.

My mother never thought spending $40 on a cheap set of clothing I would wear for one night only was worth the money. Instead, she pushed my sisters and I toward making our own. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the question, “What am I going to be this year?” constantly flitted around my head, igniting bits and pieces of my creativity as I mentally pictured my homemade outfit.

But no matter how well-planned my outfit was, when the 31st finally rolled around, I always looked at other children’s perfect, crisp, store-bought outfits will a hint of envy. “Those Sacagawea bead necklaces look more authentic than mine,” would pop into my head one year, and “That blue matches Cinderella’s dress color much better,” the next (not that I knew which exact shade of blue was really “perfect”).

It wasn’t until I took a step back from trick-or-treating I realized how lucky I was to develop the skill for homemade costumes. With store-bought costumes, there are only a limited amount of choices. Witches,  vampires and bumblebees are all adorable for little kids. And as I aged, the costumes took on a new look – exposed. A chest-baring bumblebee costume in Walmart, super heroine costumes designed to accentuate the legs and chest and other skimpy attires are all on sale for children.

As for women, if you wanted a “career” costume, a stripper-like soldeir http://www.halloweenexpress.com/soldier-costume-p-24540.html, prostitute-esque referee http://www.halloweenexpress.com/referee-costume-p-8072.html and the oh-so-pleasing, full-figured nurse costumes http://www.halloweenexpress.com/nurse-costume-p-18533.html are all up for grabs. Or, if you were looking for a circus costume, there’s a perfect ring master one, complete with a whip http://www.halloweenexpress.com/ring-master-costume-p-22849.html. And a princess? The mini-skirt version of Belle (who, I had to remind myself, was a bookworm-type girl) http://www.halloweenexpress.com/ring-master-costume-p-22849.html.

After perusing stores and the web for a suitable costume this year and unable to come up with one, I realized my obsession with store-bought costumes as a child was not only encased in the glamour of materialism, but was unduly needed. In my eyes, I saw the world evolve from cute costumes for kids to a sexualized world producing costumes devoid of creativity because that has become the social norm.

And kids flock to replicate what they see, learn and idolise; once upon a time, I was in their shoes. I dreamed of donning a machine-made ready-to-go costume set. I dreamed of being the same as everyone else. But now, watching young girls and boys nearly clean out the costume aisle in Walmart, so eager to rip away the see-through plastic and touch their new costumes, I feel extremely lucky that my mother did not buy me store garb.

Instead of stepping out behind a different costume year after year, fresh from the plastic package of social expectations, making my own costume has taught me to accept the hard work I put into making mine unique. No one else will have that chipped bead in their Sacagawea necklace or that straw hat a slight lopsidedness. Only me.

For a second, when I look at those seemingly perfect costumes with just the right tilt to a witch hat, the gloss still momentarily blinds me. But when I look beneath the materialistic allure and see only the gossamer-thin cloth and the weak threads holding the costume together, I tell myself those types of costumes aren’t worth it.

By Daphne Yu

Upon receiving his first paycheck in the mail, excitement overwhelmed junior Adam Burnam. But when he tore open the crisp white envelope, his face fell in disappointment. The government took two of every 10 hours pay from his check, and the money went right into the greedy mouth of Uncle Sam, Burnam said. Flooded with disappointment and a sense of unfairness, he remembered once again the myriad reasons he chooses to identify as a Republican.

Burnam is one of many opinionated students open to fervent debate regarding political stances, begging the question of how these opinions arose in the first place. Students are quick to defend their political stances, claiming they develop these beliefs based on their own experiences rather than simply emulating those of their parents.

As an passionate member of Young Republicans, Burnam said his political affiliation was a personal choice rather than a lifestyle his parents forced on him. He compares the forming of these ideologies with the way he may idolize any other character…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

I have always enjoyed being scared by things.  The first scary memory I have was going through the haunted house at Six Flags when I was eight or nine.  I was completely freaked out and terrified, afraid to go around each turn, filled with fear of what might lie ahead.  But when I walked out of the exit I felt exhilarated and excited; I wanted to go back through.  I couldn’t get enough.

I enjoy the butterflies in my stomach and the hair standing up the back of my neck that accompany fear.  And with Halloween right around the corner, I want to experience that frightening thrill again.  But with haunted houses offering more shocks than true terror and Halloween parties being more about fun than fear, how do you get that chilling sensation?

When nothing else seems frightening there are always scary movies. Sure, a lot them are terrible, but some are great films that, no matter how many times you watch them, will still leave you afraid to turn the lights out.

There are movies out there to fit any kind of frightful fantasy.  There are movies ranging from terrifying creatures and supernatural forces wreaking havoc on unsuspecting victims, to deranged murderers giving us an inside view into the mind of madness as they stalk and hunt their prey.  Some rely on tension, setting and isolation to send chills up and down the viewer’s spine while others use violence, realistic special effects and buckets of blood and gore.

No matter your preference, these 10 horror movies will be sure to keep you thoroughly creeped out Halloween night.

10.  Alien (1979, R)

“Alien” is all about atmosphere.  It is not the great special effects or disgusting creatures that make “Alien” scary, it is the atmosphere of being trapped and hunted, alone in space. The crew of a refining ship is traveling back to earth when things get strange.  During a stop to investigate a transmission signal they pick up an unwanted guest.  This creature makes an incredibly brutal appearance during dinner one night then proceeds to hunt down the crew one by one.

I normally don’t find supernatural horror movies all that scary, but because the crew is isolated on this vessel with no place to escape, this movie is very spooky.  There is nowhere to run or hide when trapped all alone in space, and that is what makes this movie so haunting, how truly helpless the crew is to escape its hunter.

9.   The Coffin Joe series and spinoffs (1963-2008, NR)

These are without a doubt the weirdest movies I have ever seen.  This eight-movie series of low-budget Brazilian films will leave you confused, nauseated and definitely afraid.  After watching these movies I was so lost I had to scour the internet for answers, but even after reading synopses online I cannot venture a guess as to what the intricacies of the plot are.  The movies revolve around a silent, eerie undertaker in a small unnamed town and his quest to find the right woman to birth him an immortal child.

It sounds outlandish and goofy, but it’s actually a scary series, filled with creepy rituals, chants, exorcisms, resurrections and lots of violence, but the scariest part is that someone was twisted enough to think it up.  I do not recommend this flick for those who are squeamish.

8.  The Ring (2002, PG-13)

This remake of the Japanese film “Ringu” affirms the fact that little children can, actually, be very, very creepy.  “The Ring” revolves around a video tape that, when watched, kills you.  After watching the video, you receive a phone call saying you will die in seven days, and on the seventh day you do die, when a little girl named Samara crawls out of your TV screen.  This may not sound that scary, but the tension, coupled with eerie special effects and unnerving sound, make this movie quite frightening.

The opening scene with the two home-alone girls receiving threatening phone calls will make you shiver the next time your phone rings, but the scariest part of the movie has to be the videotape itself.  The montage of odd, disturbing imagery will stick with you for days and have you eyeing your TV nervously as you try to fall asleep.

7.  Eden Lake (2008, R)

This British horror film is a little-known title, but that makes it no less scary.  “Eden Lake” does not rely on fictional creatures, gross out special effects or a suffocating, otherworldly atmosphere to create terror.  Instead, it simply takes two normal people on a vacation and throws them into a hellish situation.  A trip to the beach turns into a nightmare for a British couple as a group of teenagers from a nearby town begin to stalk and harass them.

It starts out innocent enough with the harassers simply blaring loud music and being obnoxious, but slowly becomes more sinister when they destroy the couple’s car, leaving them trapped on the secluded beach surrounded by dense forest.  From here, they seek to find a way out, falling slowly into the understanding that they may not make it out alive.

“Eden Lake” builds terror, leading to one of the most disturbing climaxes in modern film, when we are finally introduced to the teenagers’ parents.

6.  28 Days Later (2002, R)

“28 Days Later” is all about isolation and the fight for survival.  Early in the movie, the protagonist, Jim, walks out of an abandoned hospital into the completely empty, plague ridden streets of London.  This plague turns normal people into blood thirsty ‘infected’ (basically zombies).  Missing person signs are strewn around the streets, but we see no one.  Viewing an entire population hub like London abandoned is powerful imagery that has stuck with me to this day.

This sense of isolation is what makes “28 Days Later” so frightening.  It is also a truly sad and emotional movie at times, as people deal with the death (sometimes at their own hands) and even suicide of loved ones.  There is no hope in this movie.  It seems as if they are simply running from the inevitable: brutal death at the hands of the infected.

5.  Saw (2004, R)

Many will probably disagree with me, but the original Saw movie was interesting and inventive with a complex plot that kept viewers guessing until the end.  If you do not let the inadequate sequels taint your opinion, you will realize it’s a very good horror movie.  Unlike the sequels, “Saw” does not rely on constant over the top violence to create scares.  Instead, it puts two seemingly unrelated men into a room and forces them to find a way to escape before time runs out, trapping them in the room for good.

“Saw” has many memorable scenes such as the first time we hear antagonist Jigsaw utter, “Let’s play a game,” and the game-changing plot twist that does not appear until the last few minutes of the movie.  But the most disturbing sequence is the last scene of the film which will leave you sprinting to the nearest light switch, frantic to get out of the dark.

4.  Audition (1999, R)

This Japanese horror film is the slowest-paced movie on this list, but also one of the most troubling.  The first half of the movie may even seem like a romance to unsuspecting viewers as the recently widowed Shigeharu Aoyama sets out to find a new bride.  Women ‘audition’ for his affection because of his wealth, and he ends up choosing the seemingly shy, soft-spoken Asami Yamazaki.

As they begin to get to know each other, it seems the movie is headed toward a ‘happily ever after’ ending until things take a turn for the bizarre and disturbing.  I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but in the end we uncover the real Asami, one that is much darker and more evil than Shigeharu could ever imagine.  This is another movie that is not for those who have weak stomachs … or a fear of needles.

3.  Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, R)

The original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” was one of the first true ‘slasher’ horror films.  (Very) loosely based off of a true story, this movie revolves around five friends who run out of gas while traveling through the remote heartland of Texas.  They find it eerie that no traffic comes by and go out searching for help, when they stumble upon a large house in the middle of nowhere.

The search for help soon turns into a fight for their lives as the family that inhabits the house turns out to be a clan of back-woods rednecks that attempt to kill and torture the five friends.  Cannibalism, chainsaws, meat hooks and a deformed savage who skins his victims and then wears their skin, comprise the rest of the movie.  If this sounds over the top, it’s not.  This is a really creepy movie in every aspect of the word, with the family members being the scariest part.  The subtle quirks of their personalities and the enjoyment they get out of causing five innocent people to suffer is beyond scary; it’s horrifying.

2.  The Strangers (2008, R)

The most terrifying aspect of “The Strangers” is that it could happen to anyone; there is nothing supernatural or unbelievable about this true story.  From the first knock of the door to the closing credits, “The Strangers” had me on the edge of my seat (or jumping out of it).

Main characters James and Kriste are supposed to be spending a romantic weekend in their friend’s country home when they hear a knock at the door.  It is a young woman whom they eventually persuade to leave, as she is asking for someone who is not there.  When she continues knocking on the door they know something is wrong and the annoyance turns into downright terror as they face a fight for their lives.

This movie uses subtle tactics to scare.  The crooning music blaring from the old fashioned record player is chilling; the misplaced objects in a room are creepy, and whenever I noticed a masked figure standing in the background my heart skipped a few beats.

Next time you hear a late night knock on your door, don’t answer it.

1.  The Blair Witch Project (1999, R)

“The Blair Witch Project” is the single scariest movie of all time.  The first time I watched this movie was about five years ago and I was afraid to walk into my dark bedroom afterward.  I watched it with a friend, who was genuinely terrified when it was over and refused to go outside or sleep in the dark that night.

Blair Witch is about three acquaintances who venture out into the woods to make a documentary for a class on the legend of the Blair Witch, a floating ghost-like figure, rumored to kill those who wander too deep into her woods.  This is one of the original found-footage/handheld-camera horror movies, a sub-genre that is currently being tarnished and overused by mainstream series such as “Paranormal Activity”.  The shaky, first person perspective makes it so you see what the characters see and know what the characters know, keeping you in the dark as to what is actually following these students.  There was even a controversy at the movie’s release because of its realism, as many viewers thought it was truly lost footage that had been uncovered.

As the students progress further into the forest, odd occurrences begin to happen, ranging from hearing voices at night to finding human shaped figures hanging from trees around their camp sites.  Every aspect of this movie is frightening.  Every eerie sound at night makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.  Every odd image or symbol makes your mind churn as to what could have placed it there and even thinking about the cabin the students stumble upon near the end of the movie will give you goosebumps.  But what is most scary about this movie is what is left unseen.

Because of the way Blair Witch is filmed you never see what is causing all of this terror.  Is it actually a ‘witch’?  Is it an insane person or group of people?  Is it some supernatural force or entity?  We will never know, and that is what makes this movie so d— scary.

What movies scare you?  Let us know in the comments.

By Sam Mitchell

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It’s Thursday afternoon, and it seems like it’s been a month or so since Saturday night when I saw a collection of shorts at the Citizen Jane Film Fesitval under the title ‘About Love.’

Reminiscing on the seven-short-conglomerate, I pondered, during my otherwise stressful night, two of the funnier short films.

The first covered love as a musical (focusing on a couple with severely differing — and severely amusing — opinions of their future together), and my second selection depicted love as a child (focusing on two young best friends with exactly the same opinion on their future).

Anna Mastro’s Bench Seat is a musical version of an awkward break up, where the girlfriend envisions pastel weddings and the boyfriend envisions women in darkly lit bars. Starring Kyle Riabko and Make It or Break It’s Cassie Scerbo, the work elicited chuckles for most of its 15 minute length.

Laughter from all around the auditorium also decorated Kat Candler’s Love Bug, but for a different reason. Nostalgic of a younger, simpler age, the film shows a nine-year-old’s crush on his best friend and the process of building his courage up to ask her to the school dance.

But enough words. Go see them for yourself:

Anna Mastro’s Bench Seat

Kat Candler’s Love Bug

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

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Usually, I can categorize films in two ways: the fun loving movies that entertain you for a good 90 minutes, and end with no impact and the movies which leave you pondering the morals and the meaning of life for days. Upon watching “Orchids: My Intersex Adventure”, however, my categories had to morph into one. This good-humored yet emotionally-raw documentary follows the story of the Australian Phoebe Hart, who struggled finding herself as an intersex person in a world where acceptance and tolerance are unfortunately limited.

In my opinion, films are always at their best when they are relatable, and I had definitely not expected to relate to this one in particular. As Hart tells her story, however, and talks about her struggles with her friends, her family and herself, I could find myself relating to this unique situation. Although the plot is solely centered on individuals, particularly Hart and her eclectic sister Bonnie, a hermaphrodite, the childhood struggle and self-doubt that Hart portrays in this film using picture flashbacks and emotional recall is genuine, capturing and relatable to anyone who has faced obstacles throughout their lives.

Hart’s intense thirst for change, evident not only in the film itself but in her leap to create the taboo film to begin with, made me not only impressed, but hopeful. As she reflected on herself and her place in the world, the audience was forced to reflect on the society we have created and the standards which we place on any individual who dares to be different.

The self-reflection and honest emotion shown throughout the film cast Hart’s voice in the film as almost confessional, as if she was telling the audience a grave secret – and at times in her life she may have even considered her condition as such. The shame and confusion which the documentary starts off with blossoms into something beautiful and optimistic, and the conclusion of the film may be interpreted into any situation not necessarily pertaining to an “intersex adventure”.

The specificity of the film may have been lacking, but the perseverance and self-discovery seen in this film is impressive and endearing. The story is model of a hope for oneself and a hope for a better future for those who stray from societal norm. This very personal story turned into a call for action, from the medical profession, from parents and from any individual who finds that they are losing themselves. Speaking out about taboo to raise awareness gives you a voice, a voice to decrease a sense of discrimination for yourself and for others and a sense of understanding for those who are too fearful to speak out.

As the film came to a close and I was beginning to truly wrap my mind around the moral of the story, Phoebe Hart herself stepped out of the darkness amidst the clapping and standing ovation of the captured audience, which was a true close to such a prominent film. As she explained in depth the process of making a documentary, a fan from the audience stood from the crowd and simply said, “Thank you for being brave enough to share your story.” And these were my thoughts exactly. Though “Orchids” wasn’t very professional or crystal clear at times, the story itself was so powerful that any movie-goer would appreciate the raw courage it took for Hart to speak out and make herself heard.

By Hagar Gov-Ari

Adam Rowe sweeps around desks in a Studies wing classroom. Photo by Asa Lory

For one hour Wednesday, Oct. 17, all were off deck—all custodial hands, that is.

From 2-3 p.m, all Columbia Public Schools custodians gathered for a meeting, directed by superintendent of Columbia Public Schools Dr. Chris Belcher, at which they discussed the employment at Battle High School. Upon the school’s opening in fall 2013, CPS is considering outsourcing those jobs from an outside company rather than managing the custodians themselves.

At the meeting, GCA Education Services, a company based in Knoxville, Tenn., offered to provide their janitorial services for BHS for a fraction of the cost of hiring custodians. If CPS hires custodians instead of contracting with a company, it will cost them $816,611, compared to the fractional cost of $255,312 with GCA.

However, RBHS principal Mark Maus said CPS has not committed to GCA yet; instead, CPS will “send out a document” for groups to make bids on how much they could reduce costs for CPS.

Adam Rowe, who has been working at RBHS for the past seven years, appreciated that the meeting informed the custodial staff of the impending changes. The custodians have sensed possible tribulations for the last few months, he said, but they could only get information on the issue from papers. Wednesday, CPS finally informed them straight on. Rowe said he felt the school district was thinking less about the custodial staff’s well being and more about cutting back on costs.

“The economy is bad, so everybody is cutting back. …  Money talks. It’s about money right now,” Rowe said. “It isn’t about any custodians, it’s about money. When you sit down and talk to them in the meeting, I picked up that it’s just about how they can save money. It isn’t about how they’re going to keep the custodian’s jobs. It’s about how they can cut their budget in half.”

Maus said the savings from outsourcing could be substantial. Contracting with a large group gives the schools much more buying power, he said; for example, the national group First Student manages all of bussing at CPS. This allows for savings in equipment and supplies, Maus said. Still, even in the attempt to cut back on costs, Maus said CPS does not want to eliminate any jobs.

“The idea is not to take anyone’s job,” Maus said. CPS wants to “continue to support our custodians. So there’s been concern, but I know here at Rock Bridge, there is no plan, as far as I know, of having anything but Columbia Public Schools take care of our school.”

However, with the potential savings from outsourcing custodial jobs at BHS, Rowe is concerned CPS will eventually contract out jobs at all schools to mimic the success at BHS. Rowe does not plan to leave RBHS to work at BHS, but he said he is still worried about whether his employment at RBHS will last.

The concern “is whether we have a job in the future. They say we will have a job in the future. They’re not cutting Rock Bridge, Hickman, Oakland; they’re not cutting those schools out, but you never know,” Rowe said. “We don’t know down the road what might happen.”

Rowe is also worried about the transition to contracting out custodial jobs, he said, which would require the custodians to learn new procedures on how to, for example, report issues. With major changes affecting the livelihoods of their employees, CPS should give the custodial department more significant voice in these issues, Rowe said, because the decisions will have the greatest impacts on their lives.

“It affects us in the long run, ’cause anything can happen,” Rowe said. “If [contracting] works for Battle, who says it might not go for Rock Bridge and Hickman and other schools?”

By Afsah Khan and Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

Read a past story about the custodial staff at RBHS here.

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

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There is something haunting, twisted and yet achingly beautiful about “Existence.” The film, shot on the coast of New Zealand, is not only visually gorgeous, but physically chilling. For the first time in a long time, I had to calm my racing heartbeat after stepping out of the auditorium.

The film, written and directed by Juliet Bergh, dips into the relatively modern genre of “salvagepunk,” a theme that explores post-apocalyptic worlds and dystopian societies. In “Existence,” young mother Freya lives with her two children, husband and father-in-law on a windy, ruined coastline. Opposite the ocean is an ominous, ever-running wind farm, accompanied by an electrically-charged fence called the Boundary Fence. The Fence is guarded by cowboy-esque law enforcers, titled The Riders, whose sole duty is to make sure none of Freya’s people get through the gate. Freya, desperate for freedom, enters into a physical relationship with one of these Riders, hoping he will allow her access to the “other side.”

The concept itself is enough to cause ample intrigue, and yet played out in film, it is a hundred times better. The cinematography is brilliant, relying mainly on facial expressions, movements, and music to tell the story, rather than dialogue. The plot follows no strict rule, instead hitching the audience onto a roller coaster of ups and downs.

While there are some slow parts to “Existence”, there is nothing genuinely “boring.” When all else failed, I was captivated simply by the scenery. With such a low budget, the film creators did an astonishing job of incorporating the beautiful New Zealand ocean and fields into a movie that’s supposed to be set years and years in the future.

And Freya. Oh, Freya. It’s been years since I’ve seen such a strong, conflicted, terrifyingly lovely woman on the silver screen. She said so little, and yet her face and motions conveyed so much.

I won’t spoil too much, but “Existence” is truly a mind-blower. It’s almost as crazy as “Inception,” as Freya travels to the other side and leaves the entire audience with their jaws hanging and their eyes scanning the screen for more. The theme of the film is obscure and open, and yet any viewer will agree that it’s powerfully captivating.

“Existence” may not be the typical box-office smasher, but it’s an incredible film with creativity echoing through every scene.

By Lauren Puckett

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Images flash across the screen. A woman wearing a Rajasthani lehenga, a traditional full length skirt and blouse adorned with a long sash, sweeps the dirt from the road with a broom made of bound twigs. Lights flash in the dark of night, illuminating the sweaty faces of people crowding the streets. Rickshaws and autos inch along under the blazing sun in congested traffic. These images are all too familiar to me and bring back memories of the India I’ve known and loved since I was young. But as the documentary starts to unfold, I realize how little I actually know about my homeland.

It’s easy to talk about India as if the country is all the same. But “The World Before Her” directed by Nisha Pahuja pits the old and new India against each other as the country struggles to keep up with change in the modern world. Indians pride themselves on a rich culture and tradition. I know the feeling well. But India has changed an incredible amount since the turn of the century by becoming westernized, and many Indians feel that in the process of modernization and westernization, fellow Indians are losing sight of important values.

“The World Before Her” follows a few women from two very different groups, both taking a stand for what they believe in. Prachi Trivedi, a Hindu fundamentalist, teaches at the Durga Vahini camp, which is a women’s branch of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad, also known as the “Hindu Taliban.”

At the camp, girls are indoctrinated into a culture filled with violence and religious zealotry, what most western countries would call backwards thinking. But those in favor of the camp believe that it is the only way to preserve their Hindu traditions and educate their youth about Indian culture.

On the other hand, the Miss India pageant, which reflects the westernization of Indian society, is a way for women to earn a name for themselves in a male-dominated society. There’s no doubt the contest is vapid and degrading, but the participants willingly put up with the degradation in order to win and make a name for themselves.

Ruhi Singh, one of the contestants from a rural area, has a fairly good chance of winning. And for her, the most important thing is to win so she can leave her small hometown and become successful, no matter what the consequences.

However, while the documentary addresses the two extremes that represent old tradition and a new culture with the Durga Vahini camp and the Miss India beauty pageant, it fails to talk about those that are caught in the middle of that mix. There are many rural areas in India that don’t send their girls to extremist camps such as Durga Vahini, and there are many girls in cities that are educated and have successful careers without forsaking culture and tradition.

“The World Before Her” is an eye opener for those that forget that westernization isn’t always welcome or easy to accommodate. It gives an apt representation of the two Indias, the old and the new. But there isn’t just one India or two Indias. There are many. And although the documentary doesn’t touch on all of them, it does give a glimpse of complex culture in a vast country.

By Ipsa Chaudhary

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Oftentimes when eleven o’ clock comes and goes and I’m still swamped in all the homework I haven’t done, I think to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if I was a kid again?”

In the independent film “The Playroom,” directed by Julia Dyer, the imagination of four children past their bedtime allows audiences to revisit childhood from a different perspective. Immersing the audience in the journey the children dream up to escape their real life situation, the film successfully sends a message about the bridge between childhood and adulthood in an intimate way.

From the very first scene with the kids, Maggie (Olivia Harris), Christian (Jonathon McClendon), Janie (Alexandra Doke) and Sam (Ian Veteto), huddled around a lit candle, the film has an addictive quality. The soundtrack throws in a pinch of curiosity, and the dulcet timbre of Maggie’s voice saying the words, “Once upon a time, there were four children…” weighs the audience down with the knowledge that the story they’re weaving will be somewhat autobiographical.

In the real world, the four children are tightly knit together in a family situation where their daily routine involves cleaning up the drinking mess their parents leave from the night before. However, even though the flaws of their parents, Martin (John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”) and Donna (Molly Parker, “The Firm”), make the audience want to despise them, the loving way they treat their children makes it impossible. Instead, the mixed feelings for characters only draws the viewer more and more into the tumultuous life of the family.

In a film where nearly 70 percent of the scenes involve only the children, the cast of kids pull it off extremely well. Harris leads the team through scene after scene, from emotionally-charged minute where two siblings disagree to the calm quietude of their story telling moments. One cannot ask for more. They portray fear, hatred and love in such an innocent way that fits perfectly with the theme of childhood.

Although the story starts on the slow side, it moves along in due time in an engaging manner. The interwoven jumps from fantasy to real life are well thought out, and the beginning of one world always makes the audience wish for more of the other. The film even offers small bits of humor which add the perfect touches to such a dark film.

All in all, “The Playroom” is a deep, moving film that touches on the subjects of teenage love, family bonds, truths and lies and above all else, what it means to grow up. A sad tale of the experiences four fictional children take part of in the 1970’s childhood, “The Playroom” is nothing short of wonderful.

By Daphne Yu

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I walked into the cozy, bright-walled and sofa-stuffed Ragtag theater with high expectations. Upon watching the charming trailer, I decided Lyda Kuth’s “Love and Other Anxieties” just looked like one of those documentaries critics rave about, throwing the words “poignant,” “profound” and “must-see” around. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but, as a critic, those wouldn’t be my choice words.

The idea for the documentary was born when Lyda Kuth’s daughter, Lily, was getting ready to go to college. The thought that Kuth would be alone with her husband again and without her daughter sent Kuth, a self-proclaimed “ruminator,” into a spiral of deep thought.

And oh, how Kuth ruminated (out loud). She ruminated until she could ruminate no more (and then some more). She ruminated so much that my ears wearied of her rumination- and this wouldn’t have been a problem had it not been for the fact that for all of Kuth’s musing, she never arrived at any conclusions.

Kuth set out to make this film trying to re-understand the terms “love,” “attachment” and “commitment,” and she promised herself (and her family) that the documentary wouldn’t be a personal story of her own life, but one of love and attachment and commitment in general.

But somehow, she got lost along the way and the film ended up consisting of almost entirely her own story. She talked to a few other people over the course of the movie about their thoughts on love, but those parts were so few and scattered that they just seemed disjointed from the rest of the story, which focused on her and her husband, Kent, and their daughter, Lily.

Often times, this personal narrative thread can enhance a documentary and make it incredibly powerful, but in this case, I’m not so sure. While one of the things I loved about the film was how real and down-to-earth it was, not relying on stellar video quality or photo-shopped models to manipulate viewers into enjoying the picture, it also meant that Kuth’s “down-to-earth” story didn’t add much power to the plot. Neither did it help Kuth make any solid conclusions about the questions she was seeking to answer.

I wasn’t expecting Kuth to answer the gnarled question “What is love?” for me, but I was expecting some sort of personal realization or conclusion for Kuth herself, and even that didn’t happen. As the minutes dragged on and Kuth’s “ruminating” grew increasingly repetitive, I found myself hoping, begging that Kuth would make some progress on the initial questions she set out to answer before the end of the film. But in the end, she failed to do so.

As I pulled myself out of the depths of my soft, floral-patterned sofa, chewing over my thoughts along with some Welch’s fruit snacks I had snuck in (I’m so very cool, I know), I felt a sense of disappointment. I was acutely aware that instead of paying to see an hour-long repetitive musing, I would have been much better off just watching the trailer, being charmed and leaving it at that.

By Urmila Kutikkad

Used with permission under the Fair Use doctrine

I am not a die-hard fan of Journey (I’ll admit, I only know, and vaguely at that, a few of their hits), but Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey made me wish I were.

It has been nearly 40 years since the start of the quintessential American rock band, but Journey has proven that they can change with the ages, especially with the story of their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda — they found him on Youtube.

With eight platinum-certified albums down, Journey needed the perfect lead singer to fit a band so well known and appreciated. Relegated to searching the Internet for Journey cover singers, guitarist, and only member of the band to have recorded on all of its albums, Neal Schon found Pineda, who was the singer of the cover band The Zoo, in Manila, Philippines.

Pineda started singing to provide a living for his family after his mother’s death. His initial musical career was what brought him out of alcoholism and homelessness, and his consequential experience brought him to the United States to join the band whose songs he had covered for years. It was a dream come true, Pineda says in the documentary, repeating it over and over. Pineda’s story was one of the American dream in its truest sense, and the documentary expresses that perfectly.

And yet, the film is hard to understand for the average 18 year old, unorganized in how it presents both the band’s history and the timeline of the documentary itself. The band members speak about former lead singer Steve Perry’s departure vaguely, and the audience member next to me surmised that perhaps Perry had died. The band was active from 1973 to 1987 and then from 1995 to the present, but even this basic fact wasn’t mentioned. The filmmakers leave out the generalities and summaries of the band’s history, making the documentary suited for only longtime fans.

The documentary is better about telling Pineda’s story, poignantly exposing his life in the Philippines and touching on the implications of his addition to one of the world’s most famous groups. But the story stops there, touching on the implications but refusing to go deeper. In one scene, a Journey fan, waiting for the concert, expresses her concern about Pineda’s nationality. “He should be from here,” she says, and a friend next to her jokingly accuses her of being racist.

The band members and security detail talk about how Filipinos almost worship Pineda, refusing to leave his side or honor time constraints when he is taking pictures or signing albums, as well as the tribulations with pulling him out of a third world country and into the spotlights of this one. The film addresses how Pineda’s addition has given the band a more universal audience, but barely touches on how the world has reacted. It shows the proud Filipino fans, but doesn’t address the undercurrent of racism among American fans. And a broader issue, with the band itself, is whether the group feels they are riding only on nostalgia, since their fame is mostly from past hits. When will the ongoing years and constant change in band members be too much for the group to go on? Is today’s Journey still the same band as the one from the 70′s? Overall, the film leaves a lot of questions to be answered and no way of answering them.

But true to the cleverness of their title, Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey does succeed overall. It’s an impressively, touchingly true story of a man who overcame hardship, made his way on to Youtube and experienced a rock-n-roll fairytale rise to fame. Undoubtedly, if nothing else, the film leaves you with one thought: man, Arnel Pineda is amazing. And his story is amazing. He deserves to be at the front of such an iconic band, and he even seems to be a pretty cool guy.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

If you would like to see a trailer for the film, look here.

Image used under fair use doctrine

We all know the war in Iraq is over. But is it really for the Iraqis? The documentary “The List“ shows the plight of the Iraqi allies of the U.S. and the List Project’s work to save them. The project focuses on rescuing Iraqi men and women who worked for the U.S. and are now on a hit list created by al-Qaeda. The makers of this film traveled to Iraq, along with other neighboring countries such as Syria, Jordan and Egypt, to follow a few of the people on the list.

The film brings to light the murder and torture the Iraqis face. It also focuses on the List Project that one man, Kirk Johnson, started to save these allies. Johnson becomes the modern day hero of not only the Iraqis, but also Americans as he tries to undo the damage the US has done.

“The List”, directed by Beth Murphy, does a good job of highlighting the struggles that the Iraqis face and the lack of support they have found in the U.S. It wasn’t until Johnson organized a group of lawyers to fight for the refugees that the U.S. government became involved.

The film followed a few of the Iraqi allies looking to Johnson for help. And although at times I found myself cringing at displays of innocent Iraqis being tortured and assassinated on screen, the sight of such pain and suffering sends a powerful message to the audience and portrays very well what is still happening in Iraq today.

While the nine-year-war will inevitably find itself in a textbook as complicated and indecisive, the conflict will continue on for years.

As of now, it takes anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years to process refugees and allow them admittance into the U.S. But the List Project is continuing to try to decrease the length of time it takes for refugees to enter the U.S.

All in all, the film did a fantastic job bringing up an issue unknown to many, highlighting how one man made such a great difference. Following the Iraqis throughout the film made me feel as if I were tied to them, and I was glad to find out at the end of the film that their journey took them to safety. And although I don’t think I’ll be making an impact so strong on anyone any time soon, “The List” is still an inspirational documentary that will make you ask yourself what you’re doing for your community and how you can help.

By Ipsa Chaudhary

Teachers, parents, district administrators and students arrive at the Stony Creek Inn for the World Cafe. Those who attended watched a PowerPoint, presented by superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher, on the reasons to change existing times and policies.

School start times and transportation were the subject of  a community discussion at the Stony Creek Inn from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Sleeping in an extra hour could be in store for high school students next year.

The Columbia Public School district hosted the event and sent out 800 invitations and called people to encourage participation.

Parents, teachers, district administrators and students of various grades attended and discussed the issues. Columbia Public Schools community relations director Michelle Baumstark primarily led the discussion and followed the style of what the district calls a world-café: a chance for the community to have a conversation across the room about the issues.

District Superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher started the evening by explaining the need for a change in transportation and school start times within the district. Because of the opening of Battle High School, the grade reorganization and growth in student enrollment, the district needed a more cost-efficient method of transportation, he said.

Elementary, middle and high schools would start either at 7:30 a.m., a time similar to when high schools start now or around 9 a.m. Each school level would start at a different time.

“The school district is in a huge transition period right now. We’ve seen tremendous growth,” Baumstark said. “…We can’t continue to be efficient with a two-tiered system. We need to look at some other options.”

District personnel proposed a three-tier system; buses would pick up one group of students, drop them off and then pick up another group and so on for three total trips. This would cut transportation costs and lead to changing starting times for the different schools, Baumstark said.

Buses would drop off students 20 minutes before school began; however, some bus routes might change. Ideally, she said, no level of school would share buses with another level, such as how some students at RBHS share buses with Gentry Middle School students and all of a level’s buses would also be in the same tier.

District officials acknowledged if schools started later, after-school activities would have to start later as well, which could be troublesome for sports.

Still, they cited research on the biological clock of adolescents, and how it tends for teenagers to go to bed later and wake up later. The article, “Do Schools Start Too Early?” by Finley Edwards was available on the tables for guests to refer to.

Still, Belcher said the district wanted to consider parent schedules and preferences in their final decision, along with the diverse opinions of the entire community.

“The start times and the routines of families are very important to everyone,” Belcher said. ”We go to work at a certain time; we get home at certain times, [and] we have kids that are certain ages. Everyone has a different story, and it’s important to listen to what best fits in general… [the change is] going to effect a lot of people, and we need to make sure that before the committee takes the next step [and] that we let them have a much broader view of feedback from the community.”

Belcher concluded by bringing up the logistics and costs associated with the situation, such as the state laws and schedule limitations, along with schools that had district-wide attendance and those in more rural areas. The cost and time-related constraints were on the tables for guests to look at during the activities Baumstark led.

After the initial talk, those in attendance divided into two groups and discussed either the proposed three-tier transportation system or school start times. A district employee sat at each table taking notes as the participants shared their ideas. Halfway through the meeting, the two sides switched, and people sat at new tables in an attempt to obtain diverse opinions.

“[The talk] really is an opportunity for our community to come in and give us feedback, input, ask questions [and] really have more in-depth conversations about the issues and the challenges that we face as a school district,” Baumstark said. “It helps us make more informed decisions, not only as a school district, but also for our board of education to make informed decisions.”

She said CPS officials wanted to know how those in attendance felt about the three-tier system and, if the district moved to a three-tier system, when each school level should start.

Those who attended expressed concerns about their children’s sleeping patterns, sports practice times, college start times and after-school jobs among other issues.

Kiersa Toll, parent of a fifth grader at Lee Elementary school and an eighth grader at Jefferson Junior High School said the district had a good idea by hosting the World Café discussions. Toll said this gave community members a chance to participate in the discussion.

“…They’ll actually be able to speak and be heard whereas in the past, some of the forums, they’ve tried to have… informational forums,” Toll said, “people don’t want to go to them because they feel like they’re just going to sit there and listen to a lecture for 45 minutes…”

The district will take public input into account while deliberating in December and January. The decision will be made in February 2013. Columbia Public Schools will implement the changes in the next school year.

By Atreyo Ghosh

What do you think? Which school level should start when? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section.

This is part of the Preparing for Battle ongoing special report. For more information on the changes occurring, check Bearing News biweekly for a transition update.

[Show as slideshow]

Photos by Paige Kiehl

Days for the rest of the week are as follows:

Tuesday: Blue (Volunteer at the VA Hospital)

Wednesday: Red (Volunteer at Rock Bridge Elementary)

Thursday: Purple (Volunteer at Food bank)

Friday: Green and Gold (Spirit day)

Senior Christina Young. Photo by Patrick Smith

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was really excited, and I was really surprised and just really happy I was on the court.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

Yeah, I really wanted to get the homecoming queen. All of my friends told people to vote for me.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I like it. I’m a very colorful person, so I like different colors and stuff. I think it’s really different and unique.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

Just getting everybody excited and hyped and get some people to get involved into it more.

Which school activities do you participate in?

I’m on the varsity cheer team, I’m in FCA, MAC scholars, that’s kind of it.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most?

Oh, I don’t know them yet.

Which do you dread the most?

I’m excited for walking across the stage and I don’t really know all of the activities, so.

By Atreyo Ghosh

Senior Hyelee Won. Photo by Daphne Yu

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I wasn’t in the room when the announcements came on but I was really excited. I was also shocked because I didn’t think I would ever make it.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

Yes I did. I thought it was would be really fun to do it with all my friends, so my friends and I went around telling people about us.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I think it’s a lot different from what we’ve ever had. But I like it, like how it incorporates the community into it.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

When I work the booth for the card making for the veterans, I will try to be very enthusiastic I’ll try to tell all my friends who are super involved and ask them to help me spread the word. Since I’m a senior mentor, maybe that would help out getting the sophomores more involved.

What school activities do you participate in?

I am in Tri Theta, Art Honors Society, F.O.O.D. Club, Folio, NHS and French Honors Society, and an artist for the newspaper.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most?

I’m really looking forward to going over to Rock Bridge Elementary; I think it would be a lot of fun, and I’m not sure what I dread the most. It’s not really an activity, but I’m afraid that during the assembly, I’ll fall on my way up to the front, but hopefully that doesn’t happen.

By Daphne Yu

Senior Taylour Wilson. Photo by Asa Lory

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was really honored to be included in such a great group of girls. I was kind of surprised, to be honest. I know everyone probably says that, but I wasn’t expecting it.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I didn’t really try to get people to vote for me, I didn’t campaign or anything. But I think that it would just be an honor to represent Rock Bridge like that and to be part of a great group of girls – a lot of whom I’m really good friends with.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I really think that this year’s theme is really different from anything we’ve done in the past. I’m on the Student Council, so I know a lot about it, and I think it’s going to be helpful for the community since throughout the whole week we’re going to be doing a lot of community service; we’re going to be volunteering at the food bank, making cards for veterans, and helping out in different classrooms in Rock Bridge Elementary. It’s really going to be helpful for the community and great to be able to give back.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

Another thing that they’re going to do different this year is that during the lunch activities, instead of just making it just about the candidates and their escorts, they’re going to try and get people involved with these volunteering activities. I know that, for sure, some people are going to walk past and just think that it’s stupid or not really be interested in it, which I get, but it’ll be something that everyone can get involved in. I’m not really sure what kind of activities will happen, but I’m sure that it’ll be fun for everyone and get more people involved than just the candidates.

Which school activities do you participate in?

I cheer for varsity football, leader of FCA, Young Republicans, NHS, Tri Theta, Student Council, and Bruins United.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

I think that all the activities throughout the week will be fun, especially the activities after school that we’re going to get involved with, like going in and volunteering places, just being helpful – it’ll be good. I’m kind of worried about some of the activities that we’re going to have to do since I’ve heard some of the ideas being thrown around and they’re all pretty embarrassing. But whatever, whatever makes the people happy.

By Rajesh Satpathy

Senior Sydney Strong. Photo by Paige Kiehl

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was just so surprised. It was so weird, but I was so honored by it.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I didn’t really ask anyone to vote for me or anything like that, but I think every girl secretly wants to be homecoming queen. It’s the closest we have to being princesses, and everyone wants to be a princess.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

Well, I’m in student council, so I’m really for it and I’m excited about it. I know some people don’t really get it, that it’s colors, but I think it’s a really good way to get everyone involved. That’s always been a problem in the past, so we’re hoping that it being colors is going to get every student to wear that color. Also, just helping out in the community is such an awesome idea, so I’m really excited about it

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

I’m a senior mentor, so I figure it would make it easier, and my sister is a sophomore, so that would make it a lot easier to get the younger people involved.

Which school activities do you participate in?

I’m in student council, I’m in NHS, Tri Theta, French Honors Society, FCA, and Young Republicans.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

I’m dreading walking out onto the field because I’m so nervous I’m going to trip in front of everyone. There’s just a lot of eyes on you so that’s kind of nerve-wracking. I’m really excited to do all the lunch activities and being able to go to the Food Bank, Rock Bridge Elementary and the VA Hospital is going to be awesome.

By Rajesh Satpathy

Senior Julia Schaller. Photo by Asa Lory

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was really happy. I was with some of my friends and they were hugging me, and I was just really honored that people voted for me.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I think every girl kind of wanted, wants to be homecoming queen. I didn’t really try to get people to vote for me, I didn’t really advocate for myself.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

Well, I really like it, because I think that it’s like important to show that volunteering, helping the community is a good thing and that anybody can do it. I think that just the theme is a good cause and I think it’s also very general so a lot of people can do things with it when it comes to like dressing up and like door decks and stuff.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

I know Student Council has planned all the theme days and there are things that everyone can do. Like for Rock Bridge Elementary, I know they were discussing having a bucket where they could collect school supplies. And just encouraging people to donate and on VA day, getting people to like write letters ‘cause the queen candidates are going to go deliver them which will be really cool. So, just getting as many people to help out with that and just other things, there is going to be a lot of opportunities for people to get involved so hopefully we can encourage as many people to do that.

What school activities do you participate in?

I am in student council and I’m in Global Issues and I run track and cross country and Student Coalition. I’m in French Honors Society, I’m in Tri Theta, and I’m gonna be headmistress of Harry Potter Club once we get that one off the ground and NHS.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most? 

Honestly, I really look forward to volunteering and just, you know, try making a difference in some way because I really like volunteering so I’m actually really excited for that. I’m also excited to dress up and stuff because I really like to get into things and so I always like dress up for themes and I’m excited about that. What do I dread? Honestly, probably the lunch activities because they’ve done some crazy things in the past and I hate dancing in front of people and I feel like it might be kinda awkward, but I’ll try to have fun with it.

By Daphne Yu

Senior Morgan Bumby. Photo by Daphne Yu

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was so excited when I heard that I had been nominated. I feel very honored to have been picked by my classmates and I think it’s such a great opportunity.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I always thought it’d be a lot of fun to get on the court, so I’m thankful that I got the opportunity. Just being involved in all of the chaos will be lots of fun.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I think that we took a very different approach this year with the theme and it’s always good to try out new ideas so I’m excited to see how it turns out.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

I’m hoping since the theme is Color the Community that people will feel more able to participate because the theme for everyday is something everybody can do.

What school activities do you participate in?

I play for the girls soccer team in the spring and that’s what I spend most of my time doing. But I am also a member of NHS and RBRO. And I’m the Boys Soccer team manager which is pretty fun; I really love all of the guys.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

I think I’m the most excited for the assembly, because I remember watching it the past couple of years and just getting goosebumps every time because it’s such a special moment for everybody involved and just the school as a whole. I wouldn’t say there’s anything I’m dreading but finding a dress will be a challenge.

By Daphne Yu

Senior Morgan Widhalm. Photo by Asa Lory

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was in calculus and all during that hour, I had just been like, ‘No Morgan, you’re not going to get it, there’s so many amazing girls in this school,’ and then they said Morgan Bumby first, and so I was like, ‘What? No, no, no, it’s not me,’ but then I heard my name, and at first I didn’t believe it, but then my hands started shaking, and then my friends at the table looked at me, and I was just trying to take in all of the information, it was crazy. It was amazing.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I mean, which girl would not love being, you know, a princess, a queen. That’s what we’re brought up to love. For me, if anybody who knows me, I’m, like, school spirit to the max. I’m that crazy girl who dresses up way too much on spirit days, so yeah, my attitude going into it was that, I would love to have that experience, but what student council’s trying to do this year is really make it enjoyable for every person in the student body. In terms of getting people to vote for me, I didn’t tell anyone to vote for me, I really didn’t say anything about it. As part of student council, yeah, I would say ‘Hey people, don’t forget, there’s voting today, up until fourth hour.’ But I would just feel weird promoting myself, which kind of made it really special for me to get it. Not to diss anybody who had people say, ‘Hey, vote for me,’ because I know people really want that to happen, you just want to make sure your name’s out there. For me, I really tried not to say anything at all.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I really enjoy it. Being part of student council, the people who made the decision, what we were really trying to do was create a theme more people could get involved with, not one so specialized that only appeal to a subculture of Rock Bridge. One of the proposed ideas was ‘Across the Pond,’ which would do with British themes, which I personally would love that, but everyone has a red shirt in their closet, a blue shirt, and I really think this color theme will, if you see the entire school in that one color, it’s a really unifying thing.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

Well, in terms of lunch activities, I haven’t been involved with the queen committee; as a senior girl, we’re not allowed to. So I don’t know what’s going on there. But in terms of volunteering, I will be at as many volunteering things as I can, because I have the musical after school everyday, but I was actually going to start up a Facebook group and have people join to come with me on Thursday to go to the Food Bank, if indeed I can make it. But I really think it’s a great cause that we’re trying to do, not just celebrating ourselves, in terms of the school, or in terms of us nine candidates, but we’re celebrating the community and what we can do for them.

What school activities do you participate in?

I’m student body secretary, I’m in City Lights show choir, I’m in DECA, I’m in French Honors Society, I’m in National Honors Society, I’m part of the BruCrew, varsity acting squad, the drama club, and don’t know what it’s named yet this year, but the Harry Potter club. And I think that’s it. And student ambassadors.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most?

That’s a hard one. I really, and I’ve been to the Food Bank before, so although that’ll be very satisfiying, it won’t really be new, I really look forward to playing at recess with the kids at Rock Bridge Elementary. Unfortunately, it’s just the queens, their escorts, and some of the football team, but I think it’ll be really fun to play with the kids, especially since they’re like little Rock Bridge kids, kinda close to us.

Which do you dread the most?

I can honestly say I will dread nothing about homecoming week. I am so excited about dressing up, volunteering, going to the game, and then the dance, going to both of them, I’m just going to love it all, it’s such an experience for me.

By Atreyo Ghosh

Senior Leia Tarbox. Photo by Asa Lory

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was really excited and honored that my classmates voted [for] me.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

Being nominated is a big honor and it was very fun. Did I want to be? I mean yeah, who doesn’t want to be on court. And get people to vote for me, I didn’t, like, campaign or anything, it was just surprising.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

Well I’m on student council, so I’m in support of it. I like the fact that we’re doing more volunteer work and benefiting the community rather than just making it all like a popularity contest.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

This year we’re having a lot of volunteer work during the school day and after school that I think should help the student body get involved more.

What school activities do you participate in?

I’m a captain of the Rock Bridge Bruin Girls, a leader of Rock Bridge FCA and then a representative for student council … Young Republicans. I can’t think of anything else right now.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most?

The dance-off’s always really fun, so maybe that.

And which do you dread the most?

Probably the dance-off also, [at] the same time. I don’t have good dance moves, but it’s so fun.

By Atreyo Ghosh

Senior Annie Rumpf. Photo by Asa Lory

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was really excited and honored.

Did you want to be homecoming queen and how did you get people to vote for you?

I mean, I think everyone, a little part of everyone wants to be homecoming queen. And I didn’t campaign or anything to get people to vote for me.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s really cool that we have a theme that not only gives back to Rock Bridge and gets Rock Bridge excited, but gives to the whole community.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

I plan on, well, I’m also a member of student council, and what we’re going try to do this year is make the homecoming activities more easily accessible for all of the students to get involved and just make the whole school excited about it.

Which school activities do you participate in?

I am a swimmer, I run track and field, I’m in the BruCrew, I’m in Rock Bridge Young Republicans, Rock Bridge Reaches Out, Bruins United, Tri Theta, National Honors Society. I’m a member of the Bruin Cup student board and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Which homecoming activity do you look forward to the most? Dread the most?

I’m really excited for the lunch activities, that should be fun and I don’t know, I think the whole thing’s going to be really fun. [I] Probably [dread] the assembly because I don’t want to trip walking down the gym. That’d be really embarrassing.

By Atreyo Ghosh

Senior Olivia Mends. Photo by Daphne Yu

What was your reaction after hearing you were one of the nominees?

I was super excited. I felt so honored to be put in such an amazing position by my peers. I started jumping up and down and then I called my mom. I just couldn’t stop smiling for a solid 30 minutes.

Did you want to become homecoming queen? If so, how did you get people to vote for you?

I feel that every girl in the back of their mind kinda wanted it, I know I did. However, I just went on with my day to day stuff that week like normal.

What do you think of this year’s theme for homecoming?

The theme is awesome this year. I’m so excited that the school and the canidates get to give back to the community every day for Homecoming week.

How do you plan on involving the student body with the homecoming activities?

I really am going to encourage everyone to do at least one volunteer thing for that week., even if it’s just making a card for a veteran. I want everyone to feel part of this fun week.

Which school activities do you participate in?

I participate in a lot of school activities, a few of them are: FCA, RBYR, Student Council, NHS, Ambassadors, Key Club, and DECA. I also run XC and play soccer.

Which homecoming activity are you looking forward to the most and which are you dreading the most?

I am really looking forward to going over to RB Elementary and playing with the kids there. I am a little afraid of the lunch activities, those can always be very interesting.

By Rajesh Satpathy

After leaving a night of sultry tones, smoky hues and grinning faces, Roots n’ Blues has a tendency to linger contentedly in the mind for days, weeks, even months afterwards. Perhaps that’s why Columbia only gets something like this once a year, so every person who comes knows to hold as tight as they can to their memories of Roots n’ Blues, since those memories will have to hold them over until the next year, when the next, equally warm, intoxicating and happily chaotic Roots n’ Blues comes around.

The Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performed Friday night at the Roots n’ Blues festival. Photo by Asa Lory

As the week wound down, the fun had just begun downtown at the Roots n’ Blues n’ Barbecue  festival.

Unique to Columbia, this festival harbored both local bands and vendors as well as internationally renowned ones. It’s a weekend to enjoy. It’s a weekend to escape.

The sun set in the distance as summer came to an end, and the early autumn breeze ruffled hair and whispered in the leaves.

Converses, cowboy boots, flip flops and loafers; all types of people were there.

The sugary smell of funnel cakes blended with the smoky haze of barbecue, clogging the streets and wafting down alleys. Beer sloshed in plastic red cups, kettle corn popped, hot dogs sizzled and funnel cakes fried. Shakers full of powdered sugar turned upside down, as festival goers sprinkled doughnuts and funnel cakes in a delicate white layer of sweetness. Slick barbecue sauce squirted out of bottles, staining pulled pork sandwiches.

All around, people crunched, sipped, licked and slurped. Scraps were cast into trashcans and beer cups refilled.

Vendors called out, trying to attract customers: “Free samples! Get your free samples here! We have some really tender pork loin, ma’am!”

Jazzy rhythms mixed with country twangs and folksy tunes. The soothing strums of guitars, piercing tones of harmonicas and baritone plucks of basses penetrated the air. Children’s playful screams filled the air as they danced and played in the grass. Bodies swayed and heads nodded in beat with the music. People lounged in lawn chairs, sat against trees, sprawled across the grass and stood in front of the stages. Friends greeted friends, told stories, and laughter was everywhere.

As the sun sank behind the buildings, the twinkling lights of the city greeted the festival. Cigarette smoke saturated the night air, clinging to strands of hair and threads in sweaters.

Crowds cheered, clapped, whistled and sang along with bands. Fans shook their hips and spun partners around as they broke out in dance. Hands reached for the sky, cameras captured moments and once again, beer cups were refilled.

The festival wore on, filled with music, food and fans, but as time reached the single digits the people began to dwindle. The sky lightened and save a few stragglers, the streets emptied. Among the mess left behind were empty cups, festival programs and crumpled tickets. Though it seemed the fun was finished, in only a few hours the next day of Roots n Blues would begin, and the festival seemed to reset itself as the city slept.

By Trisha Chaudhary

Crowds such as this one were normal for performances around the festival. Photo by Asa Lory

As one of the first few performances of the night, people had just begun to crowd around the stage in anticipation for the singer Rodriguez to perform.

Made famous by the documentary Searching for Sugarman, which was shown at last year’s True False film festival and later at the Ragtag Cinema and Café,  fans warmly welcomed Rodriguez to Columbia. The documentary brought to attention the soulful singer’s discovery and what should have been his journey to fame, but was rather a journey to disappointment.

The major fan base for Rodriguez lies in South Africa where he is more well known than Elvis and was rediscovered when he went on tour in South Africa in 1979 and 1981.

Guided onto the stage by a helper, Rodriguez allowed his personality to show through his leather jacket, black fedora and black “John Lennon” sunglasses. Despite his ripe age of 70, Rodriguez’s youthful spirit still shone bright. Members of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros joined him to kick off his performance. The blue hues of the stage light and his soft, soulful tone mingled perfectly with the fading daylight.

Between songs when fans would yell out, “You’re Awesome,” or “I love you,” Rodriguez would turn to them and cheerfully call back, “I love you, too!” He would also offer up small tidbits of advice about life and love and even his support for President Obama.

“You wanna know the secret to life?” he asked once, a smile creeping at the corners of his mouth. “All you gotta do is keep breathing in and out.”

But the fun didn’t end there. No, advice wasn’t enough. The audience also treated to a peak inside Rodriguez’s sense of humor.

“So Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are at the marriage counselor and the counselor turns to Mickey and says, ‘It’s not nice to say Minnie’s being stupid.’ And Mickey says, ‘I didn’t say she was being stupid. I said she was f***ing Goofy.’”

These quirky words of wisdom and jokes didn’t just make me laugh. They left me in awe at how someone who was so well known and had sold millions of records still had to ability to be so down-to-Earth and connect this well with the audience. It made me smile. It gave me hope.

Rodriguez played a number of his songs, including “Inner City Blues,” “I Wonder,” “Rich Folks Hoax” and one of his most popular songs, “Sugar Man.” His sweet, tangy voice, with the honey strumming of his guitar, sounded just like the recorded versions of his songs.

Though it’s popular knowledge to his fans that the lyrics of “Sugar Man” are about drugs, Rodriguez was quick to clarify.

“Sugar Man is a descriptive song, not a prescriptive song,” he said. “Get your hugs and stay off drugs. Stay smart; don’t start.”

His laid-back demeanor made me feel as if everyone watching were already friends, and anyone listening got to know Rodriguez a little better that night.

Though I was physically sober (and lacking the ‘Over 21’ wristband), Rodriguez’s music left me drunk off the blues. From him I learned a little about love, a little about life and even a little about myself.

By Trisha Chaudhary

Feature image by Aniqa Rahman

I wait all year for one dish right outside of the Roots N’ Blues festival. It is Columbia’s favorite Jamaican place, The Jamaican Jerk Hut. I always order the same thing, Jerk Chicken for nine dollars.

This year they were on 7th Street and Cherry Street, right outside of the Columbia College columns. Their tiny white trailer has so much character. The Coca-Cola sign declaring the menu is curved from wear, and the whimsical spacing of the letters always makes me crack up. They have a “Jamaican word of the day” posted in the glass window. Today’s was “Yaadie,” apparently meaning a Jamaican who lives in another country. Yesterday’s word was “Lightning bolt,” but its explanation was just, “No explanation needed!!!”

The power in the hut went out twice, once while I was ordering, the second while I had a mouthful of the spiciest, juiciest, most delicious chicken ever, followed quickly by a bite of rice. Yum.

After finishing up my plate and nearly licking the sauce off it, I wiped my hands on the piece of paper towel they gave me, and threw away my trash. But before I could leave, completely satisfied, an old man in a loose leather jacket, dancing next to his motorcycle blaring blues music gave me advice to finish off the evening.

“Blues, man. No one wants to cry, but that’s all right.”

He’s right. The best thing about this festival is not the food, although I could argue a pretty good case for it; it’s not the atmosphere, or the bands or anything. It’s a few moments that people let themselves live inside of Blues. Blues isn’t a music to just sing to or bob your head along to. It gets in your soul. It let’s your body and your mind cry.

And that’s all right.

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

Legendary singer Al Green performs late Saturday at the annual Roots n Blues n BBQ festival. Green not only sang and danced, but showered the crowd with roses as well. Photo by Asa Lory

I had been looking forward to seeing Al Green for months. His song “Let’s Stay Together” was the song of my first relationship, back in junior high, and he had always held a soft spot in my heart.

So today, I arrived at the ticket booth, with my press pass in hand. Physically jumping up and down with excitement.

“Sorry miss, you can only use this once,” the ticket lady said.

My fellow reporter, Trisha, had used it once earlier that day and left the vicinity. Apparently, that’s not allowed.

So, I had a mission: to see Al Green, the man of the festival; the man of all men.

I tried the parking lot, and I could hear him, but I wanted to see him. I wanted to be so close that I could count the beads of sweat running off of him under the lights. I wanted to be so close that I could see his bluesy hips shake as he got into the music.

Finally, in a tiny parking lot for some small business, right next to a U-Haul, I found a group of enthusiasts. They were a bunch of Al Green fans that couldn’t pay to get in, but were there with their lawn chairs and drinks, ready for the show. We were directly behind the stage, and through a crack, we could see him walk on stage. There was a chain link fence between us and him.

Man, was I glad I wore converse tennis shoes. I, one step at a time, climbed to the top of the fence so I could see over on to the stage. The show had begun, and we could hear him singing, the blues king. The huge crowd, that looked like one big jacketed mob to me from up on the fence, swayed to the rhythm.

I looked over; the watch lady, deemed by our little group “the mean lady who won’t let us see him,” was deep in conversation with another watch person. I looked down at the group, and two of the older men said, “Go for it! We promise not to look up your dress.” I laughed at the second comment, but the first one I really considered. Could I really scale the fence?

My brain just kept saying, “Al Green is right over there. Just go. You’re so close.”

So I jumped onto the high voltage box on the other side, as my group of new friends hooted and cheered saying, “You go girl! Run!”

So I did, as inconspicuously as one can, run into a VIP only section of the concert.

And I got my wish. I got so close I could hear him breathing heavy into the microphone. I got so close I could see the sparkles on the drummer’s hat. I got so close that I could feel every sound coming out of Al Green’s mouth, in my bones.

Al Green was superb. He owns any stage he is on. And as if his white tuxedo jacket wasn’t charming enough, he began to throw red roses into the crowd. Every person in the place went nuts. Two of my friends from my rebellion group had jumped after me, and came over quietly, saying, “How awesome is this?! We see Al Green!”

Unfortunately, only two songs after I got so close to this man of magic, this music genius, I was found out.

“Where is your pass?” they said.

I tried to make up an excuse, but my emotions were written all over my face. My eyes said, “I am lying.” And my mouth said, “Please don’t make me leave. It’s Al Green.” But, alas, rules are there for a reason. So they asked me to go back to my moocher group.

I returned to cheers. A group drank to me and my two fellow rebels, saying that Al Green was worth it.

And he was. This day, those moments, being that close to this man of pure blues made me the happiest I can think of. Al Green, the legend, will always be king.

“Lovin’ you whether, whether, times are good or bad or happy or sad.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

Restaurants like Flat Branch Pub and Brewing around downtown offer wonderful food along with restroom opportunities. Photo by Asa Lory

7,500 pennies. 300 quarters. 75 dollars.

However you put it, a Roots N’ Blues N’ Bbq weekend pass is not cheap. This is especially true for high schoolers who mostly get paid minimum wage.

So, here’s a quick guide to enjoying this fantastic festival without a pass.

1. Music isn’t contained within walls during an outdoor festival. Become friends with someone who lives downtown and crash on their balcony. If your friends aren’t cool enough to live downtown and have a strategic balcony position, park your car in a lot near enough to the action. Then fill your trunk with pillows and blankets and enjoy the blues from there with a few friends. It will be echo-y, but good enough.

2. If you wanna get the “atmosphere” experience, too, take a lawn chair and just crash on the sidewalk (Out of people’s way though! The cops can remove you if you are blocking the walking area.) There are a lot of booths that don’t want to pay the fee to see their merch or food inside the festival’s gates, so you’ll have plenty of good smelling company.

3. Wear comfy shoes and have a hoodie. The life of a moocher is not a stable one. You are oftentimes asked politely to leave. This just means that you should find a new location, with nicer people. It will involve walking, though. And occasionally dancing.

4. Bring a friend. Not only is blues more fun when you have someone to sway with, but mooching for it is doubly as fun when you have a partner to giggle with. Bring someone who is chill – not too high strung – and has 3G on their phone to look up the lyrics and where the cleanest bathroom is.

5. Speaking of bathrooms, when you need to … er … relieve yourselves, go to Flat Branch, order a homemade root beer or a cream soda and use their superb facilities.

6. Most importantly, though, is that some will look down on you for mooching. But they just don’t understand. They don’t have the wandering spirit; they don’t have the adventurers soul. Some people need to mooch. It’s in their blood, and their piggy banks are empty.

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes 

For more coverage on the Roots N’ Blues festival, click here.

For a schedule of who will be performing what and when, click here.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes put on the performance of a lifetime. Photo by Asa Lory.

I could almost taste the perfection in the crisp autumn night as we elbowed and pushed our way to the front of the crowd, accumulating a number of dirty looks and even a few shoves back. We were press. We needed to be up front. No questions asked. We stretched out already aching legs as we impatiently awaited Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. At this moment, the mechanical bull that people were riding for free was much more captivating than being jam-packed between dozens of sweaty, drunk people.

Since the release of their song “Home,” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have continued to grow in popularity. Despite their name being a mouthful and having 10 band members, the band’s indie-alternative vibe has a universal appeal. The band started when singer Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe) met fellow singer Jade Castrinos outside a café in Los Angeles.

As soon as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros walked on stage, the band charmed the audience. Opening with  “Man on Fire,” they had the audience immediately. I could feel the beat of the drums resonating through my body, filling my chest with music. It’s a struggle to explain how this song made me feel. It was one of those I-just-want-to-throw-my-hands-up-and-dance moments. The drunken crowd disappeared. The blinding lights didn’t mater. It was just me, them and the music.

Throughout the show Ebert became one of us: asking the audience what they wanted to hear, jumping down into the mosh pit of people to sing along with them, tossing the microphones into the crowds and borrowing handkerchiefs from fans. Drunken and sober bodies swayed and bounced with each beat, and in that moment, we were all a family. Even Ebert’s strange hair-do was a point of conversation among us strangers. The band members won over all of our hearts with their quirky dances moves and playful conversation.

Their separate voices were exquisite, but nothing could compare to the harmonious melodies they created when combined. It would have been impossible not to fall in love with them after tonight.

In addition to “Man on Fire,” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros also sang “Child,” “Fiya Wata,” “If You Wanna” and “That’s What’s Up,” but the song that the audience connected with most was their top hit, “Home.” The band coyly introduced “Home,” by making it appear as if they were going to sing a different song. But as soon as it was clear that they were going to sing “Home,” the excitement was tangible in the air. During the song, where Ebert and Castrinos talk in the recorded version of the song, tonight they asked the audience to share any exciting stories with them. Castrinos offered up that earlier today she had bought the dress she was wearing from Maude Vintage, a local clothing store downtown, one fan yelled to the crowd that she had gotten sent to jail today and another proclaimed his love for his best friend.

By the end of the hour and a half performance I had forgotten that my legs were sore. I had forgotten that my arms throbbed from clapping. And I still wasn’t ready for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to leave.

This concert was filled with cigarette smoke, stumbling drunken people, elbowing in the face and groping by creepy men. And I loved every second of it.

By Trisha Chaudhary

For more coverage on the Roots N’ Blues festival, click here.

For a schedule of who will be performing what, click here.

Photos by Asa Lory

[Show as slideshow]

Precautions such as these surround the stages, even going so far as to block off the entirety of the Flat Branch Creek bed. Photo by Asa Lory

In the heart of Flat Branch Park, the Flood Brothers played up a storm Friday night.

Rock ‘N Roll and Folk are hardly ever in the same sentence, let alone concert, but the two-man band broke all general music stereotypes.

Transitioning seamlessly between rock ballads and folk tunes, the Flood Brothers struck a chord with the audience, creating a fun atmosphere which in turn evoked a vibrant dancing scene.  Amassing an audience of several hundred, the two-man band managed to capture a younger crowd with its twangy guitar and drum duo.

The powerful voice behind the guitarist and singer, Gabe Meyer has a range found nowhere else, reaching the high notes while choking out the harsh melodies of the rock songs.  This impressive diversity delighted the audience, who went crazy for the music.

Even self-proclaimed haters of country music, like myself, couldn’t help but want more.  Meyer’s raspy voice adds depth while drummer Jake Best follows up with rhythms found only with the Flood Brothers.

The group started in Hannibal, Mo., and they mix inspiration from the Blues of Northern Mississippi, the  Rock ‘N Roll sounds of Memphis and home. Together, these influences create the unique product of this timeless band.

Junior Adriane Replogle performs at a football game. Photo by Marissa Soumokil

Yesterday, Sept. 20, a group of marching band students stormed into the Activities Office. There, they met with Dr. Jennifer Mast, athletics director, complaining their hard work would not be seen.

Each day the band builds more of its show as it works toward its competition season. At present members have put together 74 sets, but because of time restraints during halftime, band will only perform 41 sets  at the Providence Bowl.

Mast said Missouri State High School Activities Association requires halftimes of football games to be no more than 20 minutes, although they push it at the Providence Bowl, Mast said.

Administrators at Rock Bridge and Hickman high schools have agreed to feature both bands during halftime regardless of which team is considered “home.” Mast said with five home games the Bruins are in town more “than any season in recent memory.”

“When you go to Faurot field it becomes the Providence Bowl instead of just a Friday night football game,” Mast said.

Still, she is not unsympathetic to the band’s desire to perform in front of such a large hometown crowd.

” I can completely understand how [the RBHS marching band] would want to do their entire show because they’re very proud of it, and they should be,” Mast said. ”However, it’s a community event. And it’s a Columbia Public Schools event. And Columbia Public Schools wants to showcase both their bands in that 15,000-people stadium. … Both bands get seven minutes. It’s completely equal.”

Though many band students are frustrated, Mast says there’s really nothing that can be done. Renting Faurot Field for the Providence Bowl remains expensive, with a price tag of $10,000, she said, and the only way to pay for those dues is through advertising and commercials.

“There are businesses that pay that rent.  But the turnaround there is that they get advertising and time,” Mast said. ” If we put our band out there with their whole show, there would be no time at all for Hickman’s band, and very little time for any of the other stuff that has to happen … to pay the bills. We can’t play that game at Faurot without those sponsors.”

Because the Providence Bowl is later in the season than it was last year, band members have learned more of their show than anticipated, and therefore have more that they could potentially perform. But because the marching band must share halftime with the Hickman marching band and Kelly Sports advertising breaks for sponsors, they only get to perform seven minutes.

It’s ”frustrating because we’ve worked hard to get this far, and they’re just like, ‘Oh yeah, by the way, in front of everyone in Columbia, you can’t play what you’ve learned’,” said senior band member and mellophone Aaron Meyers.

Band students wanted to see if administrators could lengthen halftime, or if RBHS could have more time than Hickman to perform, seeing as they are the home team for the game. But Mast says this would be an unfair way to schedule the game, and there still wouldn’t be enough time for the RBHS band to finish their show.

Mast says the time limit set during halftime is  ”not negotiable” and the time allotted for the show was “never cut off,” as the band has never been able to perform their entire show.  She noted the Bruin Girls, who typically perform during halftime at regular home games, and the Hickman dance team will perform before the game.

“The reason why this is new this year [is because] the past couple of years the Providence Bowl has been our first game,” Assistant Band Director Bob Thalhuber said. “So both high schools have … maybe just their opener by then, so no one ever thought it would be a problem, but there are regulations through MSHSAA that say half-time can only be so long.”

Though each high school band gets equal playing time, Bruin band members worry because they say some of their sections are receiving significant time cuts.

“All of the brass, except for the sousaphones, have specially designed color guard work,” Meyers said, ”and we don’t get to do any of that, because it would be too much stuff.”

Senior band member Grant Flakne stepped in to reiterate the frustration he feels.

“And we lose the entire percussion feature,” Flakne said. ”I know that’s irritating to a lot of the drum line, because we’ve been working on that since the drum line mini camp since before band camp itself.”

What do you think about the halftime show? Should both schools share the spotlight?

By Lauren Puckett

additional reporting Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj and Alyssa Sykuta

The Emerald Regiment prepares for their performance at the Providence Bowl and their first marching band competition the following day. Practice starts at 7:00 a.m. for band members daily. Photo by Daphne Yu

While Rock Bridge students plan to fill up Faurot Field tonight for the annual Providence Bowl to support the football team, the marching band is there for another reason. For the Marching Band, the Providence Bowl is more than just another football game or a performance on a year long schedule; it is a chance to perform at a higher level, on a bigger stage and in front of a much larger and more diverse crowd.

“It is the most important of all the football games,” senior clarinetist Jacob Freyermuth said. “ It gives us a chance to perform in an exciting and high pressure environment.  We look forward to getting to perform for such a big crowd and getting to be involved in such an exciting game.”

The Providence Bowl gives the band its only chance during the marching band season to perform in a large college venue in front of thousands of new fans.  It is also an event that creates a change from the monotony of performing on the same field, in front of the same parents, players and avid fans week after week. In the Providence Bowl, however the band can bring its skills and hard work to a whole new audience.

“It’s a bigger venue, and a lot of people there watching,” Assistant Band Director Bob Thalhuber said. “Right now, we’ve only been playing at our stadium and our bleachers aren’t really high. It’s a different environment so students are out of their comfort zone. And we like to get them out of their comfort zone because all of our festivals are out of their comfort zone.”

Another aspect of the performance that makes it more exciting than the others is the presence of cross-town rival Hickman High School.  While the rivalry between bands is not as extreme as the rivalry between sports teams, there is still a sense of competition between the two squads. The two high school bands rarely meet during the year so it is a good chance to measure each other’s progress.

“For the Providence Bowl,” Freyermuth said, “we want to prove that we are the best band on the field, so we definitely try to elevate every level of our performance knowing that we are being compared against them.”

While performing on this big stage can add to the excitement, it can also add to the stress because of the different challenges it poses.

College football fields have hash marks and numbers that are closer to the middle of the field than on a high school field.  This variation from the usual field conditions can create some issues with band members in knowing where to be on the field at specific times during the performance.

These subtle differences can go unnoticed to the common observer but they can create some real difficulties for the performers.  Practice is the only way to prepare for these problems and ensure that they do not cause trouble come the day of the performance.

“When we march at Mizzou it is always more stressful,” Freyermuth said.  “The familiar aides aren’t there and you have to focus even harder to make sure you are in the right spot at the right time.”

In the days leading up to these performances, leadership and guidance from more experienced band members is critical to getting the most out of practice and preparing for the challenge.

“The week leading up [to the game] is a time when everyone buckles down and focuses,”  junior trumpet player Jessica Klein said.  “The seniors and section leaders get everyone pumped and focused to do our best showing yet.”

RBHS Marching Band director Steve Mathews also helps students prepare to take the big stage by keeping the performance in perspective, rehersing for the Providence Bowl as if it were any other event.  He attempts to keep the band focused on steadily improving each game, not just because it is on a big stage or against a rival school.

“We always try to have a better performance each week,” said Mathews, “But not necessarily because Hickman is there.”

The experience of working toward a common goal and overcoming obstacles makes the actual performance day that much more exciting.  Band members bond during the first half of the game leading up to the performance, cheering as if they were any other student coming out to root for their team.

“We just try to hang out and relax,” said Freyermuth.  “It’s actually lots of fun.  This game brings us together in awesome ways.”

All of the hard work, excitement, stress and nerves culminate with the marching band taking the field as one.

“As you step out of the tunnel you don’t know what to expect,” said Klein.  “The stadium opens up.  It hits you.  You realize you are about to be performing for that many people.”

By Sam Mitchell

Photo by Maddy Jones

Buzz about the Providence Bowl swarmed the halls, Twitter and Facebook this week, but through it all the the football team had to maintain focus.

The anticipation that comes with this crosstown rivalry is enough to put academics on the back burner, but for quarterback Logan Twehous this Friday, Sept. 21 brings a new thrill. As a sophomore it’s his first time to step onto the Faurot field as a Bruin.

Though the Friday night lights might be bright, especially with so many Columbians watching, head coach A.J. Ofodoile said he expects Twehous will hold up well given how strong his play was in the home opener against DeSmet High School.

“Logan Twehous had a solid performance in our first game,” Ofodile said. “He has a great deal of potential, and he is working hard to continue to improve.”

His teammates, too, see him as essential to the Bruins’ success over the Kewpies.

“I was blown away with his performance [in the DeSmet game]. It’s even crazier that we were down at half, and he brought us back and we won by 13,” senior safety West Wilson said. “That’s something you’d hope a senior QB could pull off, and he did it in his first game.”

Twehous’ teammates believe that he lives up to the standards set for him, from past seasons. He lives up to what it means to be a quarterback.

“He is a great quarterback. He is very level headed for a sophomore. I trust him to come through when we need him,” said senior Kaleb Gadson, who plays center and guard. “I believe he is setting new standards  because he is a sophomore starting varsity as a quarterback and he’s doing a great job”

Twehous doesn’t take his calm demeanor for granted. He realizes his role as the quarterback makes him responsible for encouraging others to bring their best to every game, not just the ones the local media hype.

“I don’t see me being the leader or anybody on the team being the clear cut leader. I think we just have a bunch of guys that want to go out, get better and win games,” Twehous said. “I guess  there’s probably pressure put on me by my team and coaches. I know there is, but I put enough pressure on myself. I don’t really focus on the pressure they’re putting on me because I want to win.”

By Alyssa Piecko

For Americans between the ages 15 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. Whether people care to acknowledge it or not, suicide, regardless of how unwelcome it may be, mutilates so incredibly many lives. Each and every human being owes it to those who have been affected to care, to offer compassion.

In this video, junior Maribeth Eiken talks about the suicide of her brother Stuart Eiken, a former student here; Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Jennifer Mast speaks about the suicide of her brother Michael Mast; and Jeff Junior High School English teacher John Clowe reflects on  the suicide of his father, Gerald Clowe.

Video by Urmila Kutikkad

Music by Daphne Yu

Juniors Haley Benson (far left) and Chandler Randol (left) pose with Governor Jay Nixon and wife Georganne Wheeler Nixon and other state officials with the proclamation.

In May of 2010, while most West Junior High School freshmen were dreaming of the last day of school and idly sitting through classes, current RBHS juniors Chandler Randol and Haley Benson were working hard to create a policy that would help minimize teen suicide in Columbia’s youth.

Teacher Chris Fischer gave his ninth grade government class, which Benson and Randol were both in, the option of completing a project for either the statewide “We the People” competition or “Project Citizen.”

While “We the People” was a speech competition, “Project Citizen” required students to address problems in their community and create public policies as solutions to these problems. After choosing “Project Citizen,” Benson and Randol’s group decided on teen suicide as their community issue.

“We decided to pick teen suicide mainly because [though] it wasn’t a very original idea, it still mattered,” Benson said.  “And it’s been growing around Columbia for a while now and nothing has been forcefully done to help stop it.”

The project required the students to research current policies on the issue and find way to better these policies. Currently in 6th through 8th grade, schools are only required to give 100 minutes of instruction regarding signs of suicide and prevention methods; however, Benson and Randol did not think this was sufficient. They transformed the policy so rather than 100 minutes, 450 minutes of suicide education would be mandatory. This would translate to one 50-minute session each month in order to devote more time to the issue.

“With most students, even me, [they] just ignore [the educational sessions about suicide]…and as soon as the [instructors] leave they’re not going to think about it,” Benson said. “So we decided that if we…reinforce that maybe once a month…then kids will be more in tune to how depression and how suicide really work and how they really can identity it in their friends and in their family and in anyone around the school.”

Fischer allowed one of his groups to attend the competition in Jefferson City to actually present their issue and policy at the “Project Citizen” competition. Though Benson and Randol’s group had not originally planned on competing, once they found out that no other groups were interested, they decided to take up the opportunity. After all, what did they have to lose?

Initially, “Project Citizen” was supposed to have a regional competition, but because of the scarce entries, all groups were put through to the next level. Benson and Randol were the only two of the eight people in their group that were available to attend the competition in Jefferson City. Winning was the last thing on their minds as they entered the competition, challenging at least 10 other teams who were presenting topics as diverse as teen suicide to seat-belt enforcement.

Being the only group from WJHS and the only ones presenting on teen suicide, Benson and Radol were nervous and intimidated; however, they remained confident in their policy. And their faith wasn’t misplaced – Benson and Randol won second place at the competition.

“We were really shocked,” Randol said. “We did not expect [to get second place] at all. It was really humbling.”

Still in awe at their unanticipated victory, Benson and Randol arrived back at school an hour early and spontaneously decided to visit the superintendent and discuss their policy. They made the short walk from WJHS to his office and simply asked his secretary if he was available. They were in luck. Dr. Belcher, the CPS superintendent was not only available, but after hearing a little about their policy and project, he invited them to pitch it to the board at the next policy meeting.

This simple government project was turning out to be a huge success for Benson and Randol. At the meeting they pitched their new suicide policy to the teachers and officials, and once again, it seemed to be a hit. Everyone seemed to approve and agree with their terms, and now the policy will be implemented in grades six through eight starting in 2013.

Though it felt great to win, the real prize for Benson and Randol was knowing that they had aided in preventing teen suicide. Their policy had the potential to save lives, and that was the most important thing.

Suicide rates have “been pretty high recently,” Randol said. “And hopefully even if [our policy] doesn’t help kids in Columbia Public Schools, later on in life they could help somebody else.”

By Trisha Chaudhary

The constant flow of assignments and exams overwhelmed sophomore Humera Lodhi when she entered her first year at RBHS. Setting the stress aside, Lodhi assured herself that her dedicated work ethic in high school would prepare her enough to enter college.

Little was Lodhi aware that the price of a higher education would be difficult for her to attain…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Infographic by Trisha Chaudhary

When a celebrity tightens a noose around their neck, takes a swig of poison or puts a loaded gun up to their head and pulls the trigger, it is usually because of pain or depression. A 2005 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that mood disorders, especially bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, are the cause of nearly 60% of suicides. After one of these celebrities commits suicide, though, they don’t witness the amount of pain their fans are in because of their death.

Many people are upset and confused at the death of a public figure, especially an idolized celebrity, and might go as far as committing suicide themselves in response to these mixed feelings.  A research report from the November 2007 version of the Journal of Affective Disorders reported that 38.8% of depressive patients were subject to suicidal behaviors and thoughts, and 5.5% attempted suicide after being exposed to a media report of a celebrity suicide.

When the suicide of another individual becomes a partial reason to another person’s suicide, it is known as a “copycat” suicide.  A 2009 study from the Research Center for Psychology at the University of London concluded that the media’s portrayal of suicides, especially those of public figures, can have a devastating effect upon the masses, especially upon teenagers, who show a higher copycat suicide rate than other age groups.

There are two types of copycat suicides: point clusters and mass clusters. Point clusters occur when a small community sees a temporary increase in suicide rates, most probably because of a local incident centered in that specific community. Mass clusters, however, happen when an entire community sees a temporary rise in suicide rates. Therefore, high-profile celebrity suicides can be categorized under mass clusters.

Dr. Alex Mesoudi, the researcher who published the study about the media’s effect on suicides, said copycat suicides of high-profile celebrities can be blamed mostly on the media.

“Analyses have shown that national suicide rates rise immediately after the suicides of entertainment celebrities, and to a lesser extent, political figures have been highly publicized in the mass media,” Mesoudi wrote. “The implication here is that this rise is caused by social learning: people across the country imitate the suicide behavior of the celebrity.”

Mesoudi’s study said the rise in suicide rates is proportional to the total amount of attention given to a particular celebrity’s death, including the amount of time the news airs on TV and the amount of space it takes up on a newspaper page.

“Anecdotally … these trends appear to be occurring in many countries in recent years: satellite television and the internet have increased the global range of the mass media; celebrities such as film actors and pop singers are being assigned increasing importance relative to politicians and intellectuals (whose suicides do not elicit copycat suicide attempts); and reality television programs are increasing the number of celebrities within society,” Mesoudi wrote. “This highlights how media guidelines on suicide reporting will become all the more important in the future.”

Mesoudi also pointed out certain people are more likely to commit copycat suicides because they were similar to the victim in gender or nationality. These people might feel closer to the celebrity and might be at a higher risk of committing suicide.

Although Mesoudi’s recent study is the next step in copycat suicide research, some experts like Dr. Deborah Wright, Director of Mental Health at the MU Student Health Center, don’t believe celebrity suicides should be influential enough to cause people to commit a copycat suicide.

“Individuals do not attempt or complete suicides due to grief [of the celebrity's death],” Wright said. “Individuals who attempt or commit suicide are typically experiencing significant clinical depression and/or other mental health and life stressors.”

The National Institute of Health reports that little research has been done about copycat suicides sparked from celebrity deaths. However, Wright believes that even though copycat suicides don’t occur in mass clusters, people can be at risk for suicide if a peer has just done so recently.

Mesoudi’s study suggests that people are heavily influenced by a celebrity’s death, but Wright points out such depression does not always lead to a copycat suicide. She said many people think about suicide after a peer’s death, and it is a normal stage in the process of grief to have such painful thoughts.

“When I am working with someone who is having thoughts of suicide, I normalize those thoughts as a typical reaction to pain,” Wright said. “When in pain, all of us consider options to reduce our pain. There is a big difference between wanting to ‘be out of pain’ and ‘wanting to be dead’.”

Many people take these suicidal thoughts much more seriously, though, and acquaintances of these people should take action before those individuals decide to take their own life. The subject should never be avoided or talked about in a too subtle way.

“The best advice to anyone who suspects that an individual is thinking about suicide is to talk directly to that individual,” Wright said. “Honest, direct, compassionate discussion is the most helpful way to approach anyone thinking about suicide.”

Although Wright does not believe celebrity suicides can be influential enough to cause copycat suicides, she agrees with Mesoudi that glamorizing such a death will most likely lead to more cases of depression and more suicidal thoughts in point clusters as opposed to mass clusters. She says there are certain things that can be done to avoid cluster suicides though.

“A major aspect of preventing cluster suicides lies in not glamorizing or memorializing the act in any way,” Wright said. “This would include avoiding any of the following: Holding a memorial service for the student at the school, describing in great detail the suicide and dramatizing the impact of suicide through descriptions and pictures of grieving relatives, teachers or classmates.”

Although Mesoudi and Wright disagree on some facts of copycat suicides, partly because of the ongoing research and unknown facts on the subject, the basic idea is clear. The copycat suicide effect is prominent in any community where a death by suicide has hit many people at a personal level.  Support must be given to everyone in such a community so copycat suicides do not occur.

“One of the most protective factors against stress is social support,” Wright said. “Therefore, for a high school or college age individual, I would help them engage their friends, trusted teachers and family members when possible.”

Schools approach the subject of suicide supportively as well. RBHS Guidance counselor Jordan Alexander explains that in the event of a student’s suicide, school counselors should be there for students and staff members who need to talk about their feelings. However, students who are more upset need extra help from the school, and there is a procedure that is followed in such a case.

“For students who are more severe in the risk factors, such as a desire to harm themselves with a method and an intent, we do have a protocol that involves contacting parents and having them evaluated by an outside mental health professional,” Alexander said. “They determine whether a hospitalization is appropriate or whether other supports and services are what the student needs.”

Alexander has seen the effects of a peer’s suicide on students in the past. It is not unusual for a loved one of the victim to consider suicide as an option. It is important to convince these students that suicide is not the right decision.

“Unfortunately, there is a slight increase in suicide rates after a completed suicide. Mostly that’s because it gives students an idea of how they may want to cope with their own pain if they see that that was a solution for the [suicide victim]. Obviously we want to talk to those students and let them know that their pain is temporary and their situation will likely resolve,” Alexander said. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

By Afsah Khan

Photo Illustration by Asa Lory

Senior Carrina Fowler was waiting for the bus, tired after a long day of school, dragging her black converse shoes along the concrete. A sea of RBHS students walked by her until a girl Fowler had never met passed, then turned back quickly. The girl returned to the spot where Fowler sat and aske if Fowler was okay. The stranger said she returned to check because whenthe girl walked by she thought Fowler seemed sad and wanted to make sure Fowler was all right.

Fowler was fine, but that tiny instance made a huge impression on her. The girl was courteous toward Fowler, someone she had never met, simply because it was the civil thing to do.

Dr. Pier Massimo Forni, professor and co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, said that it is the little acts of civility we do each day that make for a better world.

“When someone walks by you on the opposite side of the street on a rainy day, you move your umbrella over slightly as to not hit them,” he said in a presentation at University of Missouri – Columbia Aug. 22. “You do these things because you care about the other person, even if you do not know them.”

Schools are a prime place for acts of civility and incivility to occur, as the students and faculty spend their days with the same people; often they are in a high stress environment.

Unfortunately, small acts of incivility can have huge and lasting impacts. According to the CDC, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year.

Teachers are often the prime witnesses of such instances. Chemistry teacher Gregory Kirchhofer said watching students figure out how to relate to and befriend their peers is one of his favorite parts of his job. Last year he had a foreign exchange student from Korea in his class, and she spoke very little English. He watched, delighted, as one student took it upon herself to learn a few Korean words, make her a braided key chain and help her survive the periodic table.

She “made sure that the new student felt safe and included when she dropped into a class with little English,” Kirchhofer said. “It seems like just little kindness, but imagine the difference that made in the new student’s life. And what an easy choice it would have been for her not to put herself out there with some new kid who didn’t even speak the language.”

Forni has developed a basic standard at which he believes all humans should abide to in his book, “Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct.”  These qualities become more important, he said, in the work place and in schools. Forni said little by little rudeness and harassing can turn into violence and death.

According to the United States Department of Labor, nearly two million workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year. Forni believes most of these cases have their roots in small acts of incivility.

Fowler said it is even more important to be civil in high school than in the workplace because  “you never know how much something you do or say could hurt their feelings. [And] with emotions on high, it’s possible to blow things out of proportion and do things we may regret out of distress.”

Forni started teaching the importance of civility at Johns Hopkins University and is now helping people at universities and workplaces worldwide push for civility. The University of Missouri – Columbia is one of its newest members, having just begun a new program called Show Me Respect.

“The unofficial kick off was Dr. Forni speaking at Mizzou, but our official kick off is Mizzou’s Diversity Summit, a program about civility in a diverse world,”  Noel English, director of the University of Missouri — Columbia Equity office said. “The Show Me Respect program is about giving ourselves permission to talk about rudeness and our need for civility in the open. … Asking others and ourselves to have respect for the people surrounding them.”

Schools around the world could benefit from civility projects, Forni said. The civility project’s goals are not only establishing a code of ethics and a promise to fellow students and teachers to be civil, but also to push those involved to volunteer in their communities in acts of good will. This promotes an environment of mutual respect and understanding.

“The Equity office deals with lots of small issues, but it also deals with sexual harassment cases, bullying and the new world of cyber bullying,” English said. “And those are not little things.”

Fowler said many of her friends have struggled with depression at some point in their high school careers. Much of their sadness had its roots in seemingly insignificant acts of exclusion and name calling, Fowler said. These moments of bullying and these instances of feeling odd were constant stressors for Fowler’s friends.

“If we teach civility to our students in our classes,” Forni said, “they will be better citizens when they leave.”

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

This is part of our special report focusing on Suicide Prevention Week.

At the ages of three, the twin brothers went to a foster home, the first of five.

The foster care attendants “didn’t want to split us up,” Rashad said. “They would ask people, ‘We got two kids, and we don’t want to split them up.’ [If] they wanted two [kids], then we would go, and if they only wanted one, then we wouldn’t go.”

The journey ended, Rashad said…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

EEE “separates people by intelligence levels,” Smith said. “It can be so exclusive it can affect [non-EEE students] in a negative way.”

Most of the school’s approximately 240 gifted students started their educational tracks with an optional IQ test in second grade, on which they performed in the 97th percentile, a score of 128 or above…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

That’s why when the manager of the store ordered her and her friend to the back to empty out their bags, revealing the ill-gotten gains therein, Neu said things quickly went downhill.

“When it came to clothes, there was some stuff we wanted that we couldn’t afford, so we took it and stuck it in our bags. And then we actually went to quite a few stores — probably shouldn’t have done that,” Neu said. “The manager came over when we were leaving the store and said we had to go the back and empty out our bags, and then she found out and said, ‘Oh, you’ve been stealing from other people, too. What joy.’”

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

The black and white images of dirty children, women wrapped in shawls and men holding on to suitcases fill the history of America. In fact, this country’s coined nickname is “the great American melting pot,” referencing the steady flow of immigrants who established this country’s diverse cultural atmosphere.

For many immigrants coming to the United States means providing more opportunities to their children. Immigrants leave their home countries behind, battling a new language, cultural changes and difficult jobs to provide better futures for their children.

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Noted for his pessimism, Schopenhauer, who died in 1860, believed we are unable to satisfy our wills and desires, ultimately leading to a painful existence. In effect, Schopenhauer believed we are all hopelessly lost.

Philosophers have not always been negative in their attempts to define the human condition – the common experiences that characterize us during our lifetime such as inevitable isolation, curiosity, aging and fear of death. Their different views have sparked a debate over the question “Are we lost?”

Schopenhauer’s predecessor, German optimist Gottfried Liebniz, believed the world, and therefore the human condition, were perfect because God created them. In 1710 he wrote that we live in “the best of all possible worlds.”

Forty-nine years later, French philosopher Voltaire challenged this idea with his protagonist, Candide, who attempted to come to terms with adversity using Leibnizian optimism. Candide eventually rejected optimism and presented yet a third view where he “cultivates his garden” and escapes more pessimistic and optimistic views by maintaining self-direction….

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

It was 2008 when 12-year-old John* boarded a plane for the first time in his life. With the possibility of never seeing his older brother William* again, he said goodbye and began the long journey to America.

After travelling 8,000 miles and 18 hours from Nairobi, Kenya to Chicago, he reached his destination. Along the route he became a 16-year-old under the name William, taking his older brother’s identity.

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Click the link above to check out all the stories and movies you might have missed. This year, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune, ticket sales for True/False topped out at 37,548, a 25 percent increase from the previous year, and all-time high for the festival.

On Friday, March 2nd, the True/False Film Festival festivities continued with the March March, an annual parade downtown where the unusual is welcomed. Anyone and everyone was invited, so long as they don a wacky costume and a grin.

By Ashleigh Atasoy and Urmilla Kutikkad

[Show as slideshow]

By Sonya Francis

Image used under fair use doctrine.

I will admit, I was dozing off during the first 15 minutes of the movie. Maybe it was the comfy aura of “Little Ragtag” or that the film was scattered, but after every few seconds, I would close my eyes for longer than a blink.

‘The Waiting Room,’ directed by Peter Nicks, attempts an intimate look at the current waiting patient times in public hospitals. Captured in Highland Hospital in California, the film brings perspective into the needs of underserved patients at a time when a public hospital is their last resort.

And the film succeeds to an extent.

Nicks’ art is confusing in the first half; patients shared their reasoning for seeking treatment, but it was difficult to see the connection among all the stories. The later half, however, did bring things into focus as one started to see the same patients again and again, bringing into light the long treatments and visits.

My favorite story was Carl’s. He was an old, African American man who paid frequent visits to the hospital because of drug abuse. He would arrive, the doctors would do their magic and he would leave. Then one time, however, he never left. The pastor whom he stayed with said he no longer wanted Carl. Now the doctor had to decide whether it was better to let Carl stay (and occupy a bed that someone in the waiting room could have used) or let him roam the streets without a home, endangering him of further marijuana and cocaine use.

Carl stayed, and a patient in desperate need of Carl’s bed had to wait longer to receive treatment. Though I wish Carl’s account had been extended to when he left the hospital, ending the story did give more time to discuss other individuals.

With the focus on five patients and a lovely, humorous nurse, Cynthia, the film did communicate the urgency to examine reforms for the healthcare system. Although the message seemed unclear in the beginning, it did come across as stories unfolded. And most importantly, perhaps, the intimate accounts made it easy for one to feel connected to the film. So anyone who has been agonized by hospital wait times or anyone with an interest in public health should try the film.

And one last thing – the designing of the clock and the title of the movie was pretty neat, I thought, so there’s something about design to learn from the movie, too.

By Shivangi Singh

After pacing for a while, I began to wonder if I was at the right place. But within minutes, people dressed in everything from cows to robots made their way from every direction. Bands began assembling and warming up. The courthouse square suddenly became a crowded, lively environment. And before I knew it, the march was under way.

This was my first time attending the March March. I had no idea what to expect. The event was beyond lively; the atmosphere was something to experience.

Big thanks to Taha Hameduddin for lending me his camera!

By Muhammad Al-Rawi

[Show as slideshow]

Image used under the fair use doctrine

In the Q line for “Only the Young,” a middle-aged man came up and asked his friends if they were going to watch that coming-of-age film.

But if he knew anything about the story, he’d know better than to call it just that.

Coming-of-age stories do two things: remind older audience members the intensity of their fleeting years and prove to younger audience members their similar struggles are not irrelevant.

“Only the Young” did both.

So, if you consider it as just a coming-of-age story, it succeeds on both counts.

But the magic of the film is that it goes beyond – it goes beyond reminding the wise of what they once had and beyond showing the young that their struggles are important.

The magic of “Only the Young” is the characters are too relatable, the storyline too interesting, the film itself too honest to be a documentary. But of course it’s a documentary, because the characters are too well rounded, the storyline too realistic, the film itself too sincere to be anything but a documentary.

The magic of the film is that it features two kids the directors found in a skate park. One of them was wandering around, trying to find the owner to the Jaguar keys he had found, director Elizabeth Mims told the audience after the screening. When his friend came over and the two boys openly started bickering in front of Mims and co-director Jason Tippet, the two directors knew they had found their subjects – Kevin and Garrison.

The magic of the film is that it’s funny and awkward and heartbreaking at the same time. “Only the Young” is magical because it really does touch all ages. The film moves different spectators at different times and in different ways. The older women sitting next to me chuckled at one point, but the next comment elicited the laughter of her husband. And so it went, for most of the film, laughter passing throughout the theater as “Only the Young” gave a unique but lasting experience to all.

The film’s final showing is tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Big Ragtag. Tickets are sold out, but Q-ing for it would definitely be worth it.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

Image used under the fair use doctrine

Is performance art really art? Even director Matthew Akers thought performance art “was a joke,” before taking on the project.

It’s not imperative to like Abramović’s work in order to enjoy the film, which sheds light on the perspective behind performance art. Abramović’s use of the body as a medium shocks and awes, and her past 40 years of work and dedication earn her a retrospective show at the Museum of Modern Art.

The film takes its title from Abramović’s three month exhibit at the MoMA, where for the duration of the exhibition the artist “is literally present.” It follows the woman who is hailed as “the grandmother of performance art” as she prepares for what may be her most important piece to date: sitting still in stone silence and gazing into the eyes of whoever sits across from her, every day and every hour the museum is open to the public.

Those who sit across from Marina tear up for unknown reasons, gawk, or even do the most outlandish things in their eagerness to participate in the performance. This piece takes the artist’s capabilities to the limit, which risks her life but elicits enough wonder for visitors to camp outside the museum the day before, rushing in a mad dash to line up for a chance to sit across from the artist.

Perhaps the greatest summation of the allure behind Marina’s work is from from a comment made in the film by art critic Arthur Danto, “For most masterpieces people stand in front of it for thirty seconds. Mona Lisa: 30 seconds. But people come and sit here all day.” The intensity of the woman who is now considered a darling of the art world and her relationship with her audience is very palpable.

The pacing of the film is commendable. As one viewer put it, “for a movie about not much, there is so much.” Tight shots and dramatic cuts woven in between honest confessions make the film an experience within itself, capturing the raw intensity of Abramović’s new piece at the MoMA, providing insight on the tremendous amount of physical and mental stamina required to pull it off. Plus, the narrative does a great job of breaking down performance art and making it easily comprehensible.

Furthermore, with the introduction of her estranged relationship and reconciliation with German performance-artist Ulay (Abramović’s past performance-art partner and lover), a story of a great lost love is easily relatable.

The film never ceases to engage, whether it be through sentimental to cuckoo reactions from museum visitors or visits from famous celebrities and artists like James Franco and Chuck Close.

The last chance to view “Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present” during True/False is at the Blue Note tomorrow 5:30 p.m.

By Rena Rong

Image used under the fair use doctrine

“Herman’s House” told a poignant story about two lives in conjunction combined by friendship.

Herman Wallace has been in solitary confinement for 40 years as of 2012. Jackie Sumell begins sending letters to Herman after hearing about him in a lecture because she passionately believed that solitary confinement was inhumane. To help Herman, she suggests he think about what his dream house would look like, which is where the project “The House that Herman Built” started.

From that simple question, Herman and Jackie collaborate and design his dream house. First they create the house virtually. Then it evolves into an art exhibit, and finally Jackie begins trying to build it in Herman’s home town of New Orleans.

The documentary chronicles the growing friendship between Herman and Jackie and their journey into trying to make Herman’s House more than just a dream. While Herman is never filmed because of his imprisonment, the many phone conversations presented in the film showcase his realistic and often inspiring attitude about life. “Herman’s House” is a powerful and riveting story that words cannot do justice.

The last chance to watch “Herman’s House” during True/False will be tomorrow 3:30 p.m. at the Picturehouse.

By Kira Lubahn and Belquis Elhadi

Image used under the fair use doctrine

“It won’t be any good to have democracy if we don’t have a country.”

Outspoken and charismatic, former President Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives, is fighting for the literal survival of an entire nation.

The Maldives, a chain of over 1, 200 islands only about 1.5 meters above sea level, is at the complete mercy of rapidly rising sea levels, which can erode as much as 20 feet of land on any given day. It is contaminating fresh groundwater and making the term “environmental refugees” a reality.

While the content of the documentary was certainly compelling, the filming of the movie and the incredible rare access inside the workings of bureaucracy with heated exchanges between heads of nations providing tension and humor grabs attention. Shot with breathtaking aerial views, the imminent danger of encroaching is visibly evident. There was a collective gasp from the audience I was in when the capital city of the Maldives, Male, was shown on the screen in all of its fragility, looking like a floating city with nothing between it and the vast ocean.

The scoring of the movie captured the beauty and eeriness of the environment, and fans of Radiohead will be very pleased, since the band personally knows the ‘Island President’ and was delighted to have its music prominently featured.

The film highlights Nasheed’s rise to the presidency after twenty years of struggle to instill democracy in a brutally corrupt country, however it is the outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (the Copenhagen summit) that provides the ultimate climax. In an effort to strengthen his case and spread awareness about his nation’s plight, Nasheed is unapologetically blunt, saying things like, “There is no plan B. We all die,” and even at one point holds a cabinet meeting underwater to stir up a media frenzy.

With the future of his country hinging on the 192 countries deadlocked over an agreement on climate change, Nasheed’s struggle gives a human face to a problem so many of us only see as facts and figures.

Catch True/False’s final showing of “The Island President” tomorrow 12:30 p.m. at Missouri Theatre.

By Rena Rong

During Q&A of “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope,” Skip, aspiring illustrator and a Columbia resident,and Holly, a costumer and creature designer, join Spurlock on the stage. They were part of the documentary that illustrated the life of nerds at the Comic-Con. Photo by Theresa Whang

SPOILER ALERT

Pow! Welcome to the world of Comic-Con!

Morgan Spurlock‘s new documentary, “Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s New Hope,” intertwines the narratives of several individuals and how all of them want to accomplish their dreams at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Each person featured in the film is given a heroic alter ego. There’s “The Geek,” “The Soldier,” “The Designer,” “The Survivor,” “The Collector” and “The Lovers.”

While the entire movie is filled with laughs and compelling moments, the story that sticks out the most is the one focused on “The Designer,” Holly Conrad. She gains the most success from the exposure she receives from participating in the documentary and is now working with the costuming department for the upcoming live-action Mass Effect film. Her story starts in her garage, where she is making complex costumes for the masquerade at Comic-Con.

The director, Morgan Spurlock, greets the audience at the screening of “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope” at Jesse Hall. T/F film festival is one of the largest screenings that the documentary ever had according to Spurlock. Photo by Theresa Whang

On a sweeter note, “The Lovers,” James and Se Young, are incredibly charming. They met at Comic-Con the previous year, and the audience gets to watch James’ awkward attempts to escape from his girlfriend so he can pick up an engagement ring that he had specially designed. The film makes a point of mentioning that many couples begin their lives together at the Con.

In contrast, the story of “The Geek” is the most painful to watch. Skip Harvey, a Columbia resident, wants to break into the comic book business. As the film goes on, we watch his struggle to realize his dreams.

Besides the core stories, the documentary provides humorous insight into the world of Comic-Con through many famous geeks. The list includes  Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Robert Kirkman, Edgar Wright, Frank Miller, Matt Groening, Guillermo del Toro, Grant Morrison and others.

The movie is consistently funny, charming and engaging. All of the narratives hold interest, and for anyone who had thought of attending Comic-Con, this movie makes you want to go even more.

If you want to see the film for yourself, you can still catch it at True/False  tonight at 9:30 p.m. at Jesse Hall or Sunday 12:30 p.m. at the Blue Note.

By Kira Lubahn and Belquis Elhadi

Image used under the fair use doctrine from http://www.filmdates.co.uk/films/3774-lestate-di-giacomo/ 

“Summer of Giacomo” was everything a film should be: charming, funny and thoughtful. Most of the Italian documentary took place over one lazy, summer day.

The camera, up until the final scene, always panned on either of the main characters – Giacomo or Stefania – or both of them, placing a greater emphasis on the story and messages than on meaningless blather.

Giacomo was born deaf and just recently underwent a surgery to fix it. Though he still does not hear well, he can hear most sounds now. As a reminder of Giacomo’s unique condition, director Alessandro Comodin still sharpened many sounds throughout the movie, filled with humor derived from Giacomo’s newfound ability to hear and the honesty and simplicity about him. But the movie focused less on his new introduction into the world than it did on growing up.

Instead, his attempts to understand the world through sound parallel his struggles to understand the world as an adolescent approaching adulthood. With good humor and a radiant personality, Giacomo was a relatable and impish adolescent. His challenges represented those most individuals traverse while approaching adulthood.

The casual and relaxed interactions between Giacomo and Stefania imply this summer day is one of many similar ones. At the beginning, Comodin spent several minutes shooting Giacomo and Stefania as they lost themselves while searching for a river in the woods.

The lost theme reappears on a deeper level toward the end when Giacomo reveals his belief that unhappiness will plague him for his entire life. Stefania tells him he takes things too seriously; happiness is in appreciating moments. The scene exposes the two as adolescents searching for meaning and joy in life, while only coincidentally crossing paths.

In the final scene, director Alessandro Comodin throws a curveball, which reveals an even deeper message. Adolescence is about the phases of one’s life – the people a person meets to become who he is meant to be. Though the ending of a phase is often sad, it’s a part of life. It becomes a memory.

You can still catch “Summer of Giacomo” at True/False Saturday 12:30 p.m. at Forrest Theater or Sunday 12:30 p.m. at Little Ragtag.

By Avantika Khatri

Hermitage image used with permission under fair use doctrine from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125666/

It’s hard to imagine feeling sympathetic toward someone who owns a private jet, gets Botox at age 45 and buys $5 million worth of marble for an unfinished house, yet Lauren Greenfield makes the audience not only empathize with the plights of the people in “The Queen of Versailles” but also feel compassion for them.

“Queen” centers around Jacquie Siegel, the third wife of David Siegel.  Coming from a middle class background and a surviving a failed, abusive marriage, Jacquie learns to enjoy the “good life” that comes from opulent surroundings and chauffeured limousine rides.   She attends parties with the likes of Donald Trump and President George W. Bush.

Lavishness is the focus of the first part of the movie, which centers on their lives before the bubble burst in 2008. Their hubris leads them to have large parties–one that hosts every woman in the Miss America pageant–and hang enormous paintings of themselves and their children, some with them dressed as British and French royalty throughout their house.  David even insinuates Bush would not have won the 2000 presidential election without him, saying  he cannot talk about the 2004 election because what he did was probably not legal.

David Siegel is the CEO of Westgate Resorts, the largest timeshare corporation in the world.  Since its founding, Westgate has grown to more than 20 resorts, including a tower in Las Vegas, NV, a focal point of “Queen.”  During the economic recession of 2008, banks stopped funding some of his projects, and mortgages fell through, forcing David to lay off more than 6,000 employes.

During the opening third of the movie, the viewer laughs at the Siegels’ excess including the 90,000-square-foot house modeled on France’s Palace of Versailles, the source of the movie’s title.  However, when the family fires all but five of their maids and nannies, the effect of the family’s crisis changes the feel of the film. In “Queen” Jacquie and David appear aware they need to cut back on their expenses but seem unable to do so.

Though the film is tightly edited, a few scenes which bring the viewer into the lives of the maids working for the Siegel seem stuck in merely to show a contrast between the Siegels and middle-class America, but no contrast is needed as most watching at True/False already know how life is for the middle class.

Still, Greenfield’s Cinéma vérité approach in “Queen” makes its characters fully human.

There is still time to see “The Queen of Versailles” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Jessie Auditorium or 1:15 p.m. Sunday at the Globe Theater near Ragtag.

By Brett Stover

“Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” is a provocative retelling of the one Chinese citizen’s rebellion through art and social media. The documentary itself took on the shape and size of many of Weiwei’s art pieces, seemingly subtle, but in fact memorable and uncensored.

Much of the international world both criticizes and adores Weiwei because of his provoking versions of art. One piece, well-known as  Finger, was a series of photos where his plump Asian middle finger flipped off various iconic places throughout the world. The photos sent a clear message to the governments of the world that they could shove it.

In another photo series he took a 2,000-year-old Han Dynasty vase and smashed it, capturing the before, during, and after the crash. No smile appeared on his face, in fact, just an incredibly calm look of frustration. The piece was meant to show the destruction happening daily by the government to the history of China through the reeducating generations process.

In maybe the most inspiring work he had Weiwei collected the names of 5,385 children who had been killed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake because of the shoddy government-built public schools. The Chinese government refused to release any information on the casualties, so Weiwei and volunteers went to each village in the area, asking the leaders of the community how many children had been killed and their names. They kept track of the many names and then published them online on his blog.

Then, he created a backpack art installation, one backpack for each child who died in the quake. He used the colorful backpacks to spell out “She lived happily for seven years.” A phrase a mom of one of the deceased children said to Weiwei.

The film captures both Weiwei’s art and his home life quietly, stoically and yet with an almost raw intensity. From his interactions with the police that leave him in the hospital to his crunching through porcelain sunflower seeds with his son, the emotion of all is right on the surface.

During Q+A, director Alison Klayman describes the situation when she has to decide the official ending for the documentary and how Ai Weiwei’s arrest by Chinese government affected the making of ending scene. Photo by Theresa Whang

The documentary is an incredible commentary on the power of expression: art, blogs, Twitter and photographs.  And even after Weiwei disappears, and then is released with incredible restrictions and charges for millions of Yuan, the power of expression is not lost.

Go and see this movie, and when you finish, salute the brave man and creative genius, Weiwei, with the coined tribute  of a extended middle finger.

Other showings are at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3 at The Picturehouse; tickets for the show are NRT so be ready to Q up. It plays again at 1:30 p.m. March 4 at Jesse Hall.

By Maria Kalaitzandonakes

This picture by Everett is just one of the pieces in the auction. Photo provided by Savannah Everett

While most people turn to the True/False Film Festival for entertainment, senior Savannah Everett, an AP Art student here, has a different goal.

She organized for one of the movie venues to host an art auction, located at First Presbyterian Church, 16 Hitt Street, to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

True/False Film Festival “is an event that a lot of people come to and a lot of people will be able to see the art work,” Everett said. “It’s also a very artsy event, and I think people will definitely appreciate art there, who are coming to see the films.”

Everett arranged for several RBHS students to donate their artwork for the auction so she would have more pieces. When Everett asked senior Alyssa Mulligan, also an AP Art student here, Mulligan immediately agreed and was eager about the opportunity to get her art into the community.

“Since I won’t be pursuing art in the future as a career, I felt the need to donate prints after receiving good feedback,” Mulligan said. “It’s also for a good cause, and I wanted to help out my friend, Savannah.”

Although Everett planned the event in correlation with a scholarship opportunity, she is also enthusiastic about raising money for the American Cancer Society.

“I know several people who have been affected by cancer[s] of all kinds,” Everett said. “I know people who have lost their lives to cancer and I think that American Cancer Society is a great foundation.”

By Kirsten Buchanan

Festival-goers are among the first in Q to see “Summer of Giacomo.” Some waited for more than 90 minutes just to receive a Q number. Photo by Avantika Khatri

At 1:20 p.m. documentary enthusiasts filled the side patio in the Ragtag . In spite of the wind and precipitation that the tarp covering did not hold back, they were all there to see “Secret Screening Orange” at 2:30 p.m.

While trying to figure out what was going on, I found another man waiting for the showing of “Summer of Giacomo” at 3 p.m. Finally at 1:30 p.m. the Secret Screening Gold folks left, and then the Giacomo folks trickled in for the Q.

A True/False volunteer distributes Q numbers no earlier than an hour before each screening, so we were to wait until 2 p.m. before acquiring our golden tickets. Though 30 minutes is not a long wait, it was cold. But in the spirit of True/False, the filmgoers were amiable and quirky, making the wait an enjoyable experience. Two tango teachers performed in front of us until finally at 2 p.m. I secured my ticket, third in the Q to see the film at the Little Ragtag.

I ran into an old friend in line, but she did not get a Q number because only the first 30 people get Q numbers at that venue. However, a  Q number does not guarantee a movie screening, either, particularly for smaller venues or immensely popular films. That’s why it’s important to be one of the first in line to get the number. Not everyone does.

True/False asks that everyone with Q numbers report to the movie 15 minutes early, when volunteers begin calling people forward. Anyone who misses the call is bumped to the end.

I arrived a few minutes early and met a fellow Q-er. It was his fifth True/False and my first, and later when I Q-ed for Secret Screening Red, I met a couple from St. Louis. They were state chairs of American Field Service (AFS), which hosts international students, including Michelle Munch, a senior at RBHS last year. Luck would have it they knew Michelle, and the only people from Columbia they knew were Michelle’s host parents.

The Q is an essential True/False experience. It may be chilly; it may be long, but a person can meet the most interesting people and witness the weirdness that is Columbia.

By Avantika Khatri

Senior Ciara Davis comes to the microphone to ask the subjects of 'Bully' a question. 'Bully' plays at True/False this weekend and is scheduled to come to Ragtag later this month. Photo by Belquis Elhadi

Friday’s preview of the True/False film, ‘Bully’ had students standing on the tips of their feet in the Performing Arts Center.

Producers of the film festival, which opened yesterday, showed clips from the documentary. Students then had a chance to ask questions of two of the subjects and directors from the film and share personal stories to two of the characters and the directors of the film.

The film tells the stories of students from across the country during the 2009-2010 school year who had been bullied. Two of the youth’s stories are that of Tyler Long and Ty Smalley, who committed suicide after being subjected to bullying.

Senior Kate Okker-Edging said having the subjects of the movie present was the most compelling part of the afternoon. After the preview and the Q&A session, she is looking forward to seeing the movie.

“We only saw the first 25 minutes,” Okker-Edging said, “so we barely got into the movie. But what I saw was really good.”

Starting in 2009, the film follows five adolescents through their trials of being bullied. The story conveys the feelings of them and their families toward their teachers and the community that refused to accept their uniqueness.

Kelby, one of the adolescents in the film, said she has experienced the worst bullying has to offer, but she reassured audience members in the PAC salvation for any of bullying’s victims.

“I’m living proof to tell you guys that if you are having trouble right now, it does get better,”Kelby said. “When you move on from school life and being around all your peers, you find out who has always been there for you. Things change for the better.”

‘Bully’ contains graphic scenes to depict the extent to which bullying exists in our society today and as a result has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. Since the movie’s subject matter is a younger audience, the director Lee Hersh said the supporters and crew of the film are upset with the rating. A petition to include the original, uncut footage has also been started.

“They are asking us to censor the film and cut out the violence, and we think that’s really important not to do. As of three days ago, a 17-year-old student from Michigan launched a petition on change.org. … And in three days  185,000 people have signed the petition,” Hirsch said. “I urge you to go there, sign the petition and there is a space to tell why this is important. I think we are on the way to making a huge change, and you guys are a part of it.”

‘Bully’ is playing at the True/Fase film festival this weekend and is expected to be at Ragtag March 30.

By Blake Becker

additional reporting by Carleigh Thrower and Jackie Nichols

Filmmaker Omar Mullick answers questions following the first screening of “These Birds Walk” at the True/False Film Festival. The venue for this show was in the Tiger Hotel. Photo by Brett Stover

SPOILER ALERT: “These Birds Walk”

For a first-time True/False moviegoer whose only experience with films is Forum 8 or Hollywood Theater, it may come as a surprise when the house lights don’t come on after a show ends.

Even more surprising might be that the audience erupts into applause as the credits roll and the director or someone from from the documentary steps in front of the screen for a question and answer session.

After the first showing of “These Birds Walk” Thursday, the film’s co-director Omar Mullick answered 30 minutes of questions ranging from the music selection to how the two years he had spent filming in Karachi, Pakistan had changed him.

One question regarded the shooting of a scene where Omar, a boy in the film, runs through a market and into a shrine.  After convincing the ambulance driver to let Omar go to the shrine, Mullick, who said he filmed skateboarding for MTV, was forced to chase him through a busy marketplace.  The single-shot scene lasts nearly 60 seconds, during which Omar is caught by a police officer, escapes up a flight of stairs and, with the filmmaker chasing behind, breaks through security.

The shrine Omar enters, Mullick said, was blown up by a suicide bomber four or five days after the scene was filmed.

In addition to questions about the cinematography, audience members asked about what Mullick suggested they do if they wanted to help these orphans. Mullick, said during the course of filming he spent time repeatedly coming to the orphanage unannounced and that he believes Abdul Sattar Edhi, creator of the Edhi Foundation, is an “absolutely righteous” man. Mullick said even though Edhi as a “deeply religious man,” he makes sure his charitable work is completely secular.

“The country trusts him,” Mullick said, “even though the government is corrupt as heck.”

After investing so much of his own time developing this project, Mullick, a former photo journalist,  said his views on the Pakistani government have shaped his outlook on the needs of the children he filmed.

“I became a bit of a fanatic by the end of the film,” Mullick said.  “[I] wanted to help the kids.”

Image used under fair use doctrine

Poignantly depicting life inside Edhi Home, a place where orphans and runaways in Pakistan can stay, “These Birds Walk” is a work in progress.

The documentary centers around Omar, a young boy who runs from his home on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan and comes to live in Edhi Home.

Throughout the film, Omar appears ambivalent about returning to his family and to a neighborhood with a strong Taliban presence.  He is fed well at the Edhi Home and, aside from some rough skirmishes with his fellow orphans, seems safe.  But after his best friend at the orphanage leaves for home, Omar feels alone despite his cramped surroundings.

The other person the filmmakers follow is Abdul Sattar Edhi, who created the Edhi Foundation.  The Foundation’s goal is to help children from Pakistan who have run away or do not have a family to protect them.  Edhi, a 90-year-old diabetic, has devoted his life to this cause.

Perhaps you’re having trouble locating the focus.  So did I.  The directors, Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq, seem unable to decide what to center on.  The storytelling thread is tangled at times, wandering among the streets of Karachi like the ambulance driver in the film, another character we spend time with.

The narrative of “Birds” breaks at odd intervals, flipping from Edhi to Omar and back at inopportune moments, leaving the audience in search of the arc that binds the characters.  A prime example is a wedding scene in the middle, which doesn’t particularly further the storyline.

Despite its inconsistent focus, the heartbreaking poverty of the country washes over you, and “Birds” keeps you wondering if Omar will reunite with his family.  This documentary speaks to basic human emotions and makes the audience understand the problems facing children in Pakistan.

Ultimately the movie is worth your time.  You can catch “These Birds Walk” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Little Ragtag and 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Forrest Theater in the Tiger Hotel.  Be sure to sit in the front as the lack of stadium seating makes it difficult to read the subtitles.

By Brett Stover

One of the treats at the Velvet Cupcake. Photo by Maria Kalaitzandonakes

I have never arrived half an hour early for a movie. But for “The Waiting Room,” the first True/False film of the weekend, I did.

Yet I didn’t even get close to almost getting in.

Volunteers pointed me toward a line of patrons waiting for their reserved tickets; still, I shamefully crossed the lobby of the Tiger Hotel to the column with a huge ‘Q’  plastered to it.

But I was too late. The Q numbers had already been passed out. As show time grew closer, more and more hopeful audience members showed up, most holding green slips of paper with their Q numbers on them.

I sat in Velvet Cupcake next door, listening to the shop’s employees converse with their customers about the mass crowds of hungry movie-goers T/F had already started bringing in. When volunteers started admitting those in the Q, loud cheers, mixed with louder groans, resounded throughout the lobby.

Finally, when the last few lucky patrons had gone into the makeshift theater, those who hadn’t made the cut for the first documentary of the weekend poured out of the hotel.

One of these disappointed fans was West Junior High School science teacher John Jacobs, who arrived 45 minutes before the film. Unlike me, he actually got a Q number—number 97.

“Once we saw the number… I knew it was going to be pretty difficult, because they usually let 30 or 40 people in with Q system,” Jacobs said.

“They way over-Q’d, which is a little disappointing,” his wife added.

But the Jacobs weren’t really disgruntled with the Q system. He said they should have come an hour and a half before the film started.

“They have it down to a pretty good science,” he said. “This is only the second time in three years that we have not been able to get into a movie with the Q line.”

I didn’t know because I’d never been in the Q before. I guess a T/F movie just requires a four-hour commitment instead of the traditional two for any old movie. Then again, it’s only one weekend out of the year’s 52. I’ll spare the extra hours. Lesson one of T/F learned.

Also, it’s always better to opt for the tiramisu cupcake at Red Velvet. Absolutely not the rum-green-sprinkles-with-a-clover-on-top ones with the clever but forgettable name. Lesson two for this weekend’s True/False-ing. I added the green mini-cake to my list of “Good to Experience Just Once” cupcakes (s’mores and some other fruity abnormality were already on there.)

I didn’t get to learn about Oakland, Calif.’s hospitals, but at least I gained insight on which cupcakes are better than others.

By Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj

When the Little Rock Nine marched up the stairs to attend their newly integrated school in 1957, Celestine Hayes was already a few steps ahead.

As one of six African-Americans to attend Hickman High School in 1957 a few years after Columbia Public Schools desegregated, Hayes has fond memories of her time in high school…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

“I fell off my growth curve, and I was a lot shorter than everyone else, so [my dad] started asking my primary care doctor about it. He would bring it up, and he researched it, and the doctors were always like, ‘No, it’s not a big deal. She’s fine. She’s just shorter,’” Wright said. “And they said it was nothing to worry about, so we kind of put it off for a really long time.”

Trusting her doctor’s advice, Wright tried to live her life as normally as possible. However, it was difficult as she watched her peers grow; she herself remained short until her parents took her to a specialist…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Wall Street used to symbolize America’s presence in the global economy. It was the place where the rich, the successful and the educated went to prove their worth. It was the center of global attention, the master bank of banks, the place that really ran the international economy.

With the recent protest, “Occupy Wall Street,” the icon that once mirrored the spirit of the American population shattered into a completely different façade — people today are unemployed, fed-up and rebellious. The economy is crumbling and everyone — even teens — know it…

Redirecting… Click here if stuck.

Senior Jessica Jost felt the words slap her in the face as others made fun of her for getting a job at Subway. ‘Make me a sandwich.’