Annual BHS blood drive a success

By Raphael Grollmus '12

On Tuesday, April 3, Badin High School held its annual blood drive. The event took place in the Pfirman Family Activity Center and was coordinated by Mrs. Collins. Nearly 100 pints of blood were donated to the Community Blood Center, which brought its mobile units to Badin.

Requirements to donate blood are that you have to be 16 years or older, weigh over 110 pounds, and have to have a signed permission slip from parents. Also, a senior who has donated blood three or more times will be have the prestige of wearing a red cord over their graduation gown.

There is a 4-step process one must go through in order to give blood.

Step 1: Registration – one must have a photo ID ready to show and if this isn't their first time giving blood they should also have a blood donor card, which will help speed things up.

Step 2: The donor will go through a mini-physical and review health history to make sure that there are no complications. They will answer questions about past and present health, and all this info will be kept secret so there is no need to worry. The mini-exam determines if you are able to donate by checking temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Also give a drop of blood to determine hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobin is a red protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood of vertebrates.

Step 3: At this station the donor is simply be asked to drink a bottle of water prior to donating.

Step 4: At last the donor has passed all the tests and is finally ready to give blood. They sit/lay on a gurney next to other donors, are asked a few more questions and then extend their arm. They are also given a ball to squeeze, this is just to help keep the blood flowing smoothly. The whole donation process takes about 10 minutes. Lastly they are bandaged up and told that here are some snacks waiting for them to help replenish their energy.

Once finished they are advised not to do any strenuous lifting or activities.

Blood donation is a great thing because our bodies are naturally replacing blood cells all the time. You help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed, most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do. You will be someone's hero, you could help save more than one life with just one donation.

DECA students headed for Salt Lake City

By Matt Estridge '12

Badin High School DECA was successful recently at the Ohio DECA Career Development Conference (CDC), held March 16-17 in Columbus. The CDC was the next stop for DECA students to compete at for the opportunity to participate at the International Career Development Conference which is being held April 28- May 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Badin competed against 137 other high schools from around Ohio during the CDC. During the CDC, students competed in many different marketing categories that challenge students in marketing areas such as accounting, restaurant management, sports marketing promotion and more. Following the competition, eight Badin students qualified for the international competition in Salt Lake City.

The last time Badin DECA went to Salt Lake City, no one expected that someone from Badin would have to go to the hospital during the competitions. That someone was Mr. Joe DeAngelo, the chair of the Badin Marketing Department. The reason Mr. DeAngelo ended up in the hospital is incredible – he tripped on a carpet in the hotel lobby and shattered his elbow. Mr. DeAngelo was in the hospital for the majority of the trip. It was a memorable one for Mr. DeAngelo, but the hospital wasn't the place that he wanted to spend in Salt Lake City.

This year, Mr. DeAngelo is going to make sure that it doesn't happen again. “I'm looking forward to ICDC this year, the fact that hopefully I'll be able to spend the trip outside of the hospital room,” said Mr. DeAngelo.

Mr. DeAngelo is very excited, though, about the ICDC. “We have some very talented individuals participating this year and I am very proud of them. There are many students who wish that they could also go to Salt Lake City,” he commented.

Badin students involved in the event include seniors Christina Dong, Colin Martin, Bethany Nye, Matt Reed, Michael Southard and Ben Spaeth, and juniors Anna Donnell and Hayley Hopkins.

Mr. DeAngelo wasn't just proud of the qualifiers for ICDC though. He was also proud of the students who participated at CDC. “I was very proud of everyone that went to CDC. We had many students that even though they didn't qualify for ICDC, still had very successful scores. I was proud of every single one of them,” said Mr. DeAngelo.

There are also some expectations at ICDC. Mr. DeAngelo's answer was obvious: “I'm expecting not to end up in the hospital this year, but I hope that the Badin students who are going can bring back some trophies to Badin.”

Vixen -- a book review

Vixen
By Jillian Larkin
Random House Publishers

Reviewed By Caroline Beckman '13

Jillian Larkin's fascination with the 1920s began in her childhood, with the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, and she has loved to read for as long as she could remember. It's no wonder, then, that she chose the Jazz Age as the topic of her literary debut, Vixen.
Inspired by books by and about F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife (particularly the parties and hidden darkness of The Great Gatsby), and well researched in every respect, Larkin recreates this extravagant era fabulously, from the mobsters and speakeasies to the clothes and lingo to the characters' names. Readers will feel that they stepped into a time machine and were transported back to the 1920s. However, teens today can relate to the story. Cute boys, pretty dresses, rebellion, jealousy, forbidden love, and parental pressures – these are just an everyday part of every teenage girl's life.
Gloria Carmody has it all. Beauty, brains, a good education, a good family, and an upcoming wedding to the son of one of Chicago's most powerful families. But she wants more. She wants to be a singer. She wants to do what she wants for a change. So she cuts her hair, sneaks off to speakeasies, and falls in love with the last person her parents would ever approve – a poor black musician.
Gloria's “best friend” Lorraine Dyer has her eye on two things. The first is Gloria's best friend, the adorable Marcus Eastman. The second is a higher spot on the society ladder. This social climber is tired of living in Gloria's shadow. And she'll do anything to come out on top...
Gloria's cousin, Clara Knowles, comes to visit Chicago and is immediately labeled “Country Clara” for her frumpy wardrobe and small-town ways. But it's all an act. Clara actually comes from New York City, and she only moved to Chicago to outrun her scandalous past and a man known only as “The Cad.” She vows to turn over a new leaf and live up to her wholesome facade. But what happens in NYC doesn't always stay in NYC...