THE ECHO

Eating Disorders in Teens

Caitlin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:35:26 +0000

With the holiday season at a close, many strive to lose weight recently gained from big family dinners and seasonal parties. This can often be achieved by simply joining a local gym.

http://5magazine.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/eating-disorders/

Others are suffering from a more long-term and hazardous problem; eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

With several instances recently discussed in the media about cyber bullying and its fatal results, it’s clear that some teenagers face ridicule and teasing regularly.

This does not mean, however, that help and support cannot be found.

One Urbana High School Counselor Samuel Furrer said, “If a student came to us with an eating disorder issue, we would certainly speak with them but we would refer them to other professionals. The school social worker, Ms. Trezise, would also be a resource for students, as would the School-Based Health Center.

Eating disorders cause many irregularities in a person’s eating patterns and habits. They also can leave lasting affects on the body and it’s organs. Irregular heartbeats, depression, stomach rupture, and tearing in the throat are only a few possible results.

“I feel like eating too much or too little can be unhealthy, but it’s hard to control, “ said Freshman Jackie Sparnicht.

Bulimia is a disorder that involves binge eating followed by drastic measures, such as vomiting, to get rid of weight gain. This often leaves the person feeling very out of control. They can go from eating abnormally large amounts, to not eating at all.

One or two out of every 100 teenagers has or will develop an eating disorder of some kind. With over 1,100 students attending Urbana High School, the chance of a student struggling with an eating disorder is a very real possibility.

Sparnicht added, “Appearance isn’t everything, so whether you’re fat or skinny, people who matter won’t care about that.”

The National Eating Disorders Association has a toll-free hotline, 1-800-931-2237, for those in need of advice or help.

Installation Art

Hannah — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:42:13 +0000

Artwork, although always unpredictable and intriguing, may feel too restricted for those artists who visualize a piece whose story cannot be told in a painting—but instead needs to be larger, more ornate, and three dimensional. Many contemporary artists have turned to installation art—a conceptually brilliant medium that uses inanimate objects and technology to create one giant piece that captures the attention of an audience, and offers a new perspective of time and space.
Ann Hamilton is one of the most well known installation artists, having produced over sixty pieces involving video, photography, and a human presence. Her most famous work was her “Crying Wall” piece from 1997, featured in the Contemporary Art Center in New York. Hamilton set up a water tank behind a gigantic, glistening white wall, and used a scientific process to make the water drop like tears along the top of the wall, establishing a moving installation that appeared to cry like a human does. Her piece was riveting and eye opening, and created commotion among installation artists and critics everywhere who were inspired by her idea.
Some museums offer the audience a chance to truly integrate themselves with the artwork, and in a few cases, even walk inside the installation and control it. The Munoz Waxman Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a prime example of this, featuring Meow Wolf’s “Due Return” installation. This piece is meant to represent a massive ship that has traveled across time and space for two centuries, decorated on the inside out with intricate light fixtures, layers of paint, miniature wooden sculptures, fluorescent figurines, and an interactive control panel on the inside. The audience is encouraged to tour the ship and explore its many wonders, as well as control the lighting and video presentations. The exhibit has brought much attention to this form of art, in which humans can intermingle with the creations of the artist without being afraid to touch the work.
But installation pieces come in many forms—and in fact, are not usually featured in museums. The most common places for installation art is a vast space where the public can be easily transported into the artist’s work, like a sculpture made entirely out of light bulbs illuminating a city sidewalk, or a series of colorful photographs being projected onto a building wall. This form of art is also highly interactive, and in many cases, requires a human aid to help produce the piece once it has been installed. That may be why so many viewers are charmed by installation art—because it gives the audience a chance to absorb the work and experience it more intimately than one could in a museum.
An artist who primarily features his works outside of a museum setting is nature lover Andy Goldsworthy, who has come up with an entirely different way to create installation art. Goldsworthy actively works with elements such as wind and rain to create outdoor pieces made out of leaves, sticks, stones, snow, and more. He bends these items to transform the contour of their shape, so they can stick together without the use of glue or other adhesives. His goal is to bind one branch to another branch, until it becomes a colossal sculpture that appears so delicate and beautiful that the viewer does not focus on the fact that it is made out of branches, but instead sees nature’s true allure in his work. Goldsworthy purposefully uses materials that will wither or melt with time, such as leaves and snow, to prove to his audience that the beauty of nature must be appreciated in the height of its time, before its exquisite life is over.
While Hamilton, Wolf, and Goldsworthy each have their own approaches to installation art, they share a similar concept of their pieces speaking directly to an audience. Hamilton’s work typically features a single deep message that intrigues the viewers through her masterful design and photography. Wolf’s art is over the top and romanticized, and allows the audience to interact with his ideas and essentially design his piece based on their own wishes. And finally, Goldsworthy develops a sentimental feeling in his art, using natural resources to illustrate the true meaning of beauty to the eyes of the beholder. These three artists are brilliant at captivating an audience and holding the world’s attention, just long enough for humans to realize that art is everywhere—sometimes all that is needed is the push to look for it.

http://bumbumbum.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/crys1.jpg

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Baby!

Hannah — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:38:41 +0000

Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z Carter are perhaps one of the most famous celebrity couples to date, touting an extreme net worth and a tremendous amount of respect, prestige, and talent. So naturally, the public was anxious to hear the announcement of their child’s name. When Beyoncé gave birth on Saturday, January 7, 2012, fans were shocked upon learning that the name of their daughter is Blue Ivy Carter.
Some fans loved it, others hated it, but most were just confused. This raises the question of why celebrities often choose awkward (verging on embarrassing) baby names, ranging from Michael Jackson’s “Blanket” to Penn Jillette’s “Moxie Crimefighter.”
“It’s just an attention grabber,” says Miranda Bullock, junior at Urbana High School, “something to get them in the headlines and make it known that they are unique…A name like Blue Ivy will stand out against a sea of Brittany’s, Hannah’s, Daniel’s, and Mark’s.”
Many fans agree. Unhappy devotees and gossip bloggers have blown up Twitter in the past week with stories of conspiracy, ranging from the anagram of Blue Ivy to be Latin for “Daughter of Lucifer,” to Beyoncé stealing the name from Veronica Alexandra’s event planning company. Nevertheless, the famous duo is happy with their daughter’s name, and has not yet released a public statement concerning its origin.
Many other celebs have chosen the route of strange baby names, perhaps to make their kids stand out, or to bring themselves more attention. Frank Zappa certainly takes the cake for his children’s names, of which the four are named: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Other whacky names include Gwyneth Paltow and Chris Martin’s child “Apple” and Jason Lee’s son “Pilot Inspektor.”
Although Beyoncé and Jay-Z may have been pressured to choose the name “Blue Ivy” due to the general trend of these silly names, not all Hollywood stars do the same. For example, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their daughter “Suri,” a unique yet not outrageous name. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their son “Maddox,” a quite individual name that still manages to sound normal.
So students, if you ever end up getting famous and having a child of your own, try to think of stars’ past mistakes upon choosing the name for your descendant. Your child’s fate lies in your hands!

http://cdn.everyjoe.com/files/2011/08/beyonce-pregnant-pictures.jpg

Switching Classes

Grace — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:36:09 +0000

The second semester of the school year is the time when students realize that they need to put their nose to the grindstone, stop messing around, and really work hard in the classroom. With this epiphany of responsibility, students may have chosen, or needed to, change the courses on their schedule.

Although, there are many different reasons as to why students chose to change their class schedule this semester, there may also have been mandatory schedule changes.

Reasons behind schedule changes are a dislike of teaching styles, one-semester classes, or they had taken the class in previous years.  Schedule changes were available the first week back from winter break.

If a student wished to remove or add a class to their schedule, they were one on a long list. Although, once all changes were final, hours in which students had one-semester classes were filled with electives or free periods.

Urbana High School Senior Kelsey Tatman, for example, dropped her college algebra class, unneeded for graduation, and replaced it with a study hall. A junior from another school stated that she thinks students drop classes either because they were failing them or got bored with them.
Sara, from Danville High School thinks that students who were new didn’t feel comfortable with the teachers and decided to, not drop the class, but to receive the same education from a different teacher. A graduate from Catlin High School added that he changed his schedule his senior year because he was taking redundant classes that were not necessary for his career.

I changed my own schedule for my second semester of my junior year. I changed my math teacher and added an art class. Even with these simple changes my schedule is much less stressful, especially because of cheerleading that takes up a lot of my time.

Sports are another reason why students change classes. The classwork and work for sports is overwhelming and stressful, resulting in off campus periods and study halls instead of physical education hours (P.E).

The option of having a study hall for P.E is a very helpful to athletes, aiding in the completion of homework and therefore better grade.

http://www.designshare.com/dbadmin/upload/projects/1/502/General_Classroom_6.jpg

Mysterious Ghost Rumors at Urbana High School

patrick.shea — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:34:18 +0000

Most students at Urbana High School have heard the rumors of the haunted tower; the story of the mysterious fourth floor where a ghost supposedly lives. A floor closed off to the students since the eighty’s. The mystery of the tower has always intrigued students at UHS, and I have now been given a chance to learn the history of our ghost, and even to take a look around on our haunted fourth floor.

Almost every school has its ghost story, but here at UHS the story of the ghost in the tower has gained popularity, even outside of town. Our haunted tower story has even made the online list of “The Top Ten Haunted Schools in Illinois,” coming in at number three.

Two classrooms once existed in the tower, a music room and an art room. There is a flight of stairs on the third floor leading to the former classrooms, but a locked door now keeps students from wandering up them – or perhaps to keep anything from wandering down.

The tower was blocked off in the eighty’s due to renovations, but students and staff at UHS have insisted that the real reason for blocking the towers is a tragic love affair between a student and teacher, resulting in the teacher hanging herself in the fire escape.

Since that time, strange occurrences have been reported around the building. One story is that the door to the tower was discovered to be unlocked for no apparent reason, and it was unknown who was up there.

The police were called, but were hesitant about entering after hearing strange tapping sounds in the former classrooms. It is unclear if there is any truth behind this event or if it is merely a wild story to frighten students.

Another reason the tower is claimed to be haunted is unexplained paint peeling. No matter how many times the walls in the room are re-painted, the paint soon begins to peel off again. This is probably due to all of the air conditioning equipment that is now located in the tower, which can cause the room to get extremely humid.

English Teacher Erin Ludwick also has a story involving peeling paint. In one of her former classrooms, she began to notice paint peeling on the wall, near the ceiling. As the paint continued to peel over time, she couldn’t help but notice that it seemed to spell the word “help.”
“I asked my students, ‘what does that paint look like to you?’ They said it looked like the word help, so I knew it wasn’t just me,” said Ludwick. She went on to tell that the walls were repainted to cover it up, but after a short period of time, the paint began to peel in the same spot, again revealing the word “help.”

Gregory Chew was the drama teacher at UHS for years. He is a reliable source for tales about the tower, since he once taught a class up there. “I happen to be a skeptic of the first order, so I’m not among those who think ghosts have ever haunted UHS, or anywhere else outside of the movies. However, I also love a good story and I’m not above keeping it alive for others,” said Chew.
He says his old classroom came with a closet, in which was a strange little window. One afternoon, he heard a buzzing noise coming from the closet, where the costumes are stored. When he went back to see what it was, he saw a large number of flies drawn to the window, buzzing loudly. “That didn’t mean anything supernatural to me until I saw the classic movie Amityville Horror,” said Chew.
Amityville Horror is a film about a haunted house, released in 1979. There is a scene where a priest is trying to rid the house of any spirits, and suddenly flies buzz all around him, and cling to the windows.

Chew recalled another incident involving a mysterious figure wearing a top hat. “I’ve heard stories of custodians who wouldn’t come to work after seeing a tall figure with a top hat and a cigar walk down the hallway late one night toward the Iowa Street doors past the vending machines on the first floor. When the custodian followed him, he had disappeared,” said Chew.
He went on to explain that theaters have always had a history of being haunted. Stage superstitions often involve paranormal activity. The theater is having its 100th anniversary very soon, and everyone knows the older something gets, the more haunted it becomes. “I’m sure there may be a few spirits hanging about in there. Keep an eye out for them when the auditorium re-opens next year,” said Chew.

After learning about the history of our ghost, and the history of our school, I spoke with a man who’s all about history. Michael Pollock is a history teacher here at UHS, and loves a good ghost story. He says he does not deny the presence of ghosts our spirits in our school. “No one’s proved there is a ghost, no one’s proved there isn’t one. I like to keep an open mind,” said Pollock.

Pollock seemed very unafraid of spirits and ghosts; in fact, he is intrigued by them. So intrigued, that he has been up to the tower to take a look himself. He said he saw nothing unusually up there, except mysterious stains on the wall, which are rumored to be bloodstains. He also has seen the rumored paint peeling in the room. To his disappointment, he hasn’t gotten a chance to meet the ghost. “I’ve never been acquainted with a spirit in this building, but I look forward to the day when I see one.”
He still seemed very confident that he wouldn’t be frightened by the ghost if he ever comes across it. “If there are ghosts, I wouldn’t think for a minute that they’re all bad, or out to harm us,” said Pollock. He told me that after the renovations on the auditorium are complete, he may get to take me up to the tower to have a look around.

The story of the ghost has been with the high school for many years, and continues to live on today. No one can really be sure how much truth is behind the stories, but some instances are still left unexplained. The mystery of the ghost is very intriguing, and I know every time I am on the third floor, I will be dying to know what is happening just one floor above me.

http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/fakeghost.jpg

The loss of Prominent Female Musicians

Liliana — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:32:32 +0000

No one can forget the loss of Amy Winehouse in July 2011, and the Etta James loss at the beginning of the New Year, both of them prominent women singers.

Amy Winehouse died on July 23rd, 2011, which was a huge loss to her fans across the world. Winehouse was a British singer. Winehouse was best known for combining her jazz and R&B vocals to create a sound unlike any other, especially displayed in her albums Frank and Back to Black.

Winehouse experienced several successes in her career. She won five Grammys after being nominated for six, and she won BRIT award for Best British Female Artist in 2007.

Tragically, the prominent and successful artist, not unlike many other celebrities who fall out of place, died of alcohol poisoning. Winehouse’s many fans across the globe grieved at her loss.

Another fatal loss felt by the world was the death of singer Etta James. James’ most famous achievement was the well-known and loved song “At Last,” which enchanted the world and was later sung by artist Beyonce at President Obama’s inauguration.

James is said to have died because of complications from leukemia; however, she also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at Riverside Community Hospital, with her husband and sons at her side.

Amy Winehouse and Etta James will be missed, and their music will to continue to impact the world.

http://newsone.com/files/2011/07/WinehouseSinging_450x300.jpg

Alabama/Louisiana Bowl Championship Series Game

abram.washington — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:29:33 +0000

On Monday, January 9, Alabama won its second Bowl Championship Series title in three years against Louisiana State, with a score of 21-0. The 2012 Championship bowl game was the first Shut out in history since 2002 31-0 Alabama. They had success all year for Alabama but it wasn’t too good for their first lost against Louisiana State was 9-6 in that same year. Alabama got revenge in the Title Game & won. Louisiana State had a successful season by winning all of their games except one the National Championship.

The Alabama Crimson Tide season was a good way to finish it out with their rivals. It was the first time that there were two South Eastern Conference teams in the National Title Game. The Crimson Tide with their outstanding defense & offense won the 2012 BCS Title. One of the star players that was outstanding to the Alabama Crimson Tide Offense & Defense was Jeremy Shelley who tied a bowl record with five field goals. The defense did the rest, posting the first shutout in the 14-year history of the BCS. The Head Coach of the Crimson Tide Nick Saban won three Bowl Championship Series. He would be the only coach to win three Titles.

The Louisiana State, didn’t reach 100 yards with that fantastic defense by the No.1 team Alabama Crimson Tide. Overall they had 92 yards. They never crossed midfield until there was eight minutes left in the game. He’ll get no argument from Jefferson and the Tigers (13-1), who had beaten Alabama 9-6 in overtime on Nov. 5 — a game the Tide was still smarting about when it got to the Big Easy.

In conclusion, this game was a good game overall for the crimson tide of Alabama. They had a fantastic season overall with just one lost to their Bowl Championship Series opponent in that same season. Louisiana State had an interesting season with only one lost to their rivals in the South Eastern Conference. Both teams did great all year but one team fell short to their goal that they were going after.

http://onbirminghamal.com/images/assets/0151/2798/56663_arkansas_alabama_basketball.jpg?1298254051

Problems with DRA

Alexis.Tate — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:26:23 +0000

Although some students and staff see Deans Restricted Area (DRA) at Urbana High School as a great disciplinary measure for students, many feel otherwise.

DRA is organized to avoid students getting a Saturday school or an out of school suspension. Many students are visual learners and they are not able to visualize a lesson a teacher taught that day in class while being in DRA.

“I learn better in class because you get better help and a wide range of answers”, said Kuriakia Brown, a senior at UHS.

While some students like Brown prefer learning in a classroom setting, others disagree. Some students see DRA as a time to catch up on work, other students enjoy DRA because it’s a time for them to sleep, text, and simply avoid being in their teacher’s presence.

“I think DRA is effective for some students, but for others DRA acts as an award because they get out of class,” said Matt Goers, a Social Studies Teacher at UHS.

DRA also is a big help to some students who have fallen behind on work and need a little extra time to catch up. “My grades haven’t dropped, because I use my time in DRA to get my work done. It’s actually a big help”, said Kiara Shelby, senior at UHS.

Some people like DRA and others feel DRA it is not helpful at all. When you constantly miss school, are tardy and skip classes DRA is not the best thing to get put into.

“I think DRA is a good system, but some kids that miss too much shouldn’t be put in there. They should try a different sort of discipline,” said Tricia Earp, secretary at UHS.

DRA is always a good place to catch up at, depending on how you use your time. It’s up to you to take control of the free time and help you are offered.

http://www.champaign411.com/images/snapshots/small/urbana_high_school.jpg

Korn’s Newest Album “Path of Totality”

Abrianna — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:24:16 +0000

Korn is a rock band out of Bakersfield, California. The four members, Jonathan Davis [vocals], Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu [bass], James “Munky” Shaffer [guitar], and Ray Luzier [drums] formed in 1993 and have become well known for their unique sound and insane bass. Although that’s what made them famous their new CD, “Path of Totality” gives them a slightly different sound.

Urbana High School biology teacher Christine Creek said, “I love that they have a different sound. The double bass is really good.”

The album was pretty amazing compared to their earlier stuff. They have a lot of collaborations with some other really good bands including, Skrillefx, Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise, and 12th Planet.

UHS Freshman Kelsey Smith said, “My favorite song on the CD has to be Get Up! Featuring Skrillix, because you can actually hear the rock and dubstep.”

“Path of Totality” is a really good album to get pumped and work out to. I recommend it to all athletes out there. The beat of the music is faster in a lot of the songs and is always loud.

In all, Korn’s new album is a great one. Even better than the old ones. The collaborations with other bands are intense, but in a good way.

http://nufizzle.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/images6.jpeg

Students to Students (S2S) Club

Meredith Headtke — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:21:54 +0000

One of Urbana High School’s newest club, Students to Students (S2S) is hosting this year’s Winter Dance. The dance will be January 28 with DJ Mondo and is a casual to semi-formal winter dance. S2S is putting together the dance to raise money for scholarships for students in Sierra Leon, Africa.

“Hosting the winter dance this year is going to be one of our biggest fundraisers to help bring us to our $5,000 dollar goal, so we are really hoping we are able to turn a big profit off of the dance,” said S2S member and Junior, Madison Cooper.
The cost per scholarship is $50 and includes tuition and other supplies for a student to attend high school for one year. The clubs goal is to raise $5000 worth of scholarships.

“We feel that the dance is a great fundraiser because it can get the entire community of the school working together to help the students of Sierra Leon,” said S2S’s President and Senior, Kirsten Slaughter.

The theme is a Winter Dance with a focus on being a better global citizen. Tickets for the dance will be $10 and will have a special perk this year; everyone who buys a ticket will be entered into win a $100 cash prize, as well other smaller prizes.

“It is wonderful that the students in S2S are so willing and eager to help others in a distant place. It says a lot about today’s young people that they are willing to give up their time, energy, and money to help kids their age that they will probably never meet,” says S2S’s Sponsor and History teacher, Mark Foley. “It says a lot about UHS that this group was created by students, who are now on the verge of making a real difference in the world. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/photos/12/01/27/131058_large.jpg