Badin students headed to DECA internationals

Badin DECA students – from state to internationals

By Patrick Kuhl ‘13

            In mid-March, students from Badin High School traveled to Columbus to participate in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) state competition. I attended and was competing in these series of competitions. DECA has competitions in team and individual events.

            Student competitors do a role play and take a test. After that, you see if you made Top 10. If you made Top10, there is another role play, and that decides who made Top Four – because only the top four individuals in each category go on to the International conference, which this year is in Anaheim, Calif.

            Mr. DeAngelo, co-moderator of Badin’s DECA program, said, “I was pleasantly surprised with the number of kids we took to state.”  He went on to say, “I knew we were going to come away with some winners.”

This is the 46th year that Badin will go to the International conference. It was a pretty fun experience. There were students from all over Ohio. There was a fun dance where you could just casually talk to people. In addition, we got plenty of free time to just hang out with our friends.

There are 46 competitions, with at least 50-60 students in each. So it was very tough. But senior Mike Sanders and juniors Adam Woodward and Andrew Hayes will be competing in events at the International conference.

            I would like to thank the two wonderful marketing teachers at Badin – Mr. DeAngelo and Mr. McCabe -- for helping me along the way. They helped me study and helped me get where I needed to be. They are both very fun-loving guys who just want to help you succeed.

Gibbemeyer brothers are Eagle Scouts

Gibbemeyer brothers are Eagle Scouts

By Emily Swanson ‘14

Senior Dale Gibbemeyer and junior Zach Gibbemeyer are not just brothers at Badin High School, but they are brothers in scouting, too. Dale and Zach have both achieved Eagle Scout status in the Boy Scouts of America.

Zach has been involved with Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Troop 902 for 10 years. Zach’s Eagle Scout project was for the Fairfield Civitan Club. He built four new benches and installed four new bleachers for the club's two softball fields. Altogether the project took six months with the help of 60-plus people.

Zach states that his Eagle project and all his years of scouting has taught him responsibility, work ethic and leadership skills that he will carry for the rest of his life. In all, Zach has earned 35 merit badges, needing only 21 to become an Eagle Scout.

Zach says his favorite thing about being involved in the Boy Scout organization are the campouts during the summer. Zach has enjoyed scouting immensely over the years and hopes to one day become a leader for younger scouts.

 Dale Gibbemeyer has been in scouts since first grade, also in Troop 902. Dale’s Eagle Scout project was installing supports in the kneelers at St. Ann’s Parish in Hamilton. The construction of the center supports only took Dale two weeks to complete and took very few days to install. He completed his project during the summer with the help of around 20-30 people.

Dale stated that his favorite part of scouting was shooting rifles and shotguns when he was at camp and getting to spend his time with his friends. Zach says he likes being in Scouts with his brother and there is often competition between the two of them, but they always support each other with everything that they accomplish.

Dale has held numerous positions in this organization, one of them being the highest position, Senior Patrol Leader.

Knives on planes a bad idea

Allowing knives on planes

is a dangerous decision

By Denise Rasche ‘13

            The security check at the airport is about to get less stringent in the boarding regulations. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) declared that, starting this April, passengers will be able to carry small knives and other items with them on commercial airlines.

. The rule requires knife blades to be less than 2.36 inches long and less than half an inch wide to be carried on. The rule also allows sports equipment like baseball bats and golf clubs. The TSA intended to take the spotlight off these items to be more capable to search for explosives.

This may improve safety from explosions, but other safety issues have been questioned by many, including the flight staff. Their argument mainly pertains to the September 11th attacks. During the assault on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in 2001, hijackers stabbed the flight staff and took control of the cockpit, just with small utility and pocket knives.

A TSA spokesman, David Castelveter, argues that Air Marshals prevent this, commenting, “I feel safe knowing there are Air Marshals to get involved if there is an unruly passenger on board.” He went on to say, “A small knife will not enable a terrorist to bring down an airplane.”

An article in The New York Times later pointed out that Air Marshals are not on every flight and that 9/11 proved that men with these weapons can hijack an airplane.

I asked senior Sophie Grollmus what her position was on this issue and she said, “I think that knives on planes is dangerous and ignorant. We’ve already given people a chance to be responsible for these weapons and they have shown that they are incapable of doing so without causing disaster.”

Sophie is not alone in her train of thought. I also talked to senior Jordan

Tri-Rudolf and he said, “I don't think that these kinds of weapons are smart on airplanes because of the 9/11 attacks.”

All the evidence that these people have shared has influenced my thinking as well. My position is based on a simple definition created by Albert Einstein: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

I think that allowing these weapons is foolish and insane. The 19 members of al-Qaeda that hijacked those planes proved that small knives can be used to endanger passengers and others on the ground. These knives have already proven to be dangerous and should still be banned on airplanes.

Never Forget 9/11/01.

Music ... or math ... for Richter

Jacob Richer ’13 well known for his music

By Denise Rasche ‘13

            One of the most well-known bands around Badin, Skyferd Lake, has been spreading its music throughout the Tri-State.

Senior Jacob Richter is the leader and co-founder of the band so I set off to find out more about it and his passion for music. He started out by learning how to play the drums in the sixth grade with guidance from his dad. He picked up the drums quickly, only taking a few months, but he wanted to learn more.

Jacob says that Skyferd Lake began with 2011 Badin graduate, Kristen Collier. They started playing together and were soon joined by current senior Sam Spoerl and another 2011 Badin grad, Doug Fredrick.

Complications arose later on, which left Jacob and Sam as the only band members. Then Sam introduced Jacob to a drummer named Jake Hare. “He’s probably the best drummer I've played with,” Jacob explains.

After that, things started looking up for Skyferd Lake when the band gained two new Spoerls, Jake and Sarah. Now Skyferd Lake is well-known throughout the Badin community and elsewhere. If you would like to see them in action, they will be playing at Rick’s Tavern in Fairfield this month.

Even though Jacob is the founder of Skyferd Lake and has a dense background in music, he still has other interests and wishes in his life. He says that some of his other hobbies are “archery, paintball, writing, but mostly music.” His favorite subject is math and especially physics because he likes “how systematic it all is.”

He plans to go to the University of Cincinnati and major in either commercial music production or secondary math education after he graduates from Badin. Jacob says that he will miss “the openness between students and teachers” at Badin and hopes to become either a math teacher or write music and scores for different media sources.

He definitely has a passion for both music and mathematics -- but who knows where he and Skyferd Lake will go with the achievements they have already accomplished. These accomplishments are mirrored in the words of Jacob’s favorite quote, “It only takes five seconds of insane courage to change your whole life.”

Badin's Kocher retiring after 40 years

Kocher retirement means the end of an era

By Patrick Kuhl ‘13

            Ms. Sally Kocher will be retiring after this year. This ends a 40-year era. Ms. Kocher has taught and coached at Badin for 40 years. In the middle of her second year she was given the title of girls athletic director. She was given this title because she was scheduling all the girls sports, as well as being the coach of all the girls sports!

            Over the years she has coached cheerleading, volleyball for 18 years, girls basketball, swimming and softball. She has taught health and physical education at Badin and she also taught yearbook for 10 years. Her favorite memory from Badin is the football team winning its 1990 state championship for Badin High School. “I was amazed at how much work the coaches and players put into it," she said.

            Some of the changes she has seen include Badin entering into the GCL and the GGCL.  She said, "When we entered into the GCL and the GGCL, we became better faster." Ms. Kocher is going to miss the family aspect of Badin and she is going to miss seeing the students and faculty and staff.

            In her retirement she wants to pursue hobbies she has not had time to do such as photography and traveling. She also hopes to stay active in her community by volunteering thanks to all the service opportunities at Badin.

 She came to Badin because when she graduated from the College of Mount St. Joseph, she looked for job openings for a physical education teacher, and she found Badin. The rest is history.

'Safe Haven' movie review

Love is the answer in ‘Safe Haven’

By Matilde Starklit ‘14

A mysterious woman by the name of Katie (actress Julianne Hough) suddenly appears in the small town Southport, North Carolina. A widowed storeowner named Alex (actor Josh Duhamel) starts to fall for this girl Katie.

She starts out by not wanting anything to do with anyone because of the things that have happened in her past. As time progresses, she changes and gets involved with Alex, as well as his two small children.

As the movie builds, the two begin to make a life together, but Katie soon finds out that you cannot run away from your past – no matter how far or fast you run. Mysterious events happen and Alex finds out there are a lot of unanswered questions about Katie’s past that she is not willing to talk about.

No matter the struggles they face, the love between them will grow and they will fight through the obstacles that her past has left behind.  Is the past going to hunt her down or will the love between widowed storeowner Alex and mysterious Katie win?

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone that likes a cryptic love story with a past trying to destroy love.

Badin presents 'The Music Man'

Can’t wait to see ‘The Music Man’!

By Denise Rasche ‘13

At first I didn’t think I knew much about The Music Man but I learned a lot after I looked up the plot. I didn’t recognize the musical because the last time I had seen it was in the 7th grade. Once I read the plot, memories started coming back to me.

The Music Man is about a salesman named Harold Hill who wants to convince the town to start a boys’ marching band. He plans to start the group so he can charge them for the equipment and leave with the profits because he cannot train the band to play music. He then falls for the beautiful librarian, Marian, who suspects that he will leave with the money. The musical describes his decision to stay with Marian and train the band or take the money and run.

Badin Drama will be performing The Music Man premiering on March 7th. Senior Patrick Kuhl is starring as Professor Harold Hill and sophomore Anna Schindler is Marian the Librarian.

According to senior Tori Getz, the musical is going well. Getz said, “The play is very interesting and should be entertaining to the audience.” Tori plays the role of Alma Hix, an older woman who likes to spread gossip and cause trouble.

I can’t wait to see the production when it is finally finished. It will certainly bring back the good memories of my first encounter with The Music Man.

The Music Man will be performed Thursday through Saturday, March 7-9, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 10, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 apiece, or a group of six or more for $8 each.

March for Life recap

A memorable March for Life

By Matilde Starklit ‘14

The trip from Badin High School to Washington D.C. for the March for Life took just around eight hours.

When we got into Washington, we got off the bus at the Comcast Center. This is where the Youth Rally Mass took place. This is one of the two places where we all gathered together right before the march.

The Mass lasted two hours and there was a lot of praise and worship music. Right after the Mass, we went into downtown Washington and went to the march. There were over 500,000 people at the march.

There were many camera crews there to record this historical event. Once the march was done, we went to a reception that was offered to those who marched.

We got free food -- which was much needed after an eight-hour drive, two hours of Mass and another couple of hours of march. After the reception we went to the hotel and this was even more needed.

The next day we had by ourselves and our group. My group decided to walk around a little bit and after that we went to Hard Rock Cafe where we had a wonderful meal. We got picked up later and we all went to Mass at The Basilica.

And once again we were on the bus on the way home. I think it is safe to say everybody went straight to bed and slept for about 10 hours when we arrived home at 5 am Sunday morning.

I was really happy to be there, and so happy to be able to witness so many people of different ages and backgrounds fighting to make a difference. I was truly touched and will never forget this very memorable event.

On Spirit Week

What Makes Badin Great!

By Denise Rasche ‘13

            The spirit was almost tangible at last week’s Spirit Week. There was competition in the air and school spirit throughout the halls.

The halls incorporated school and class spirit, a walk through Candyland (freshman hallway), a Wintery Wonderland (sophomores), and a stroll through Gotham City (juniors).

The clothes worn according to the daily themes were also a spectacle event. College Day was oozing with future plan pride, Pajama Day was full of onesies and bedroom slippers, the new Red, White, and Blue Day proved to be a new challenge to show our support of the country, Costume Day crammed the halls with Minions from Despicable Me and superheroes, and Class Color Day was jammed with a competitive attitude and an edge-of-the-seat feeling to see who were Spirit Olympic champions.

It started with the seniors in the lead with winnings in the Penny War, Raffle Ticket Turn-in Day, and Hallway Decorating Contest. The juniors attempted a comeback as they won the basketball relay and closed the gap. The sophomores were not far behind and the freshmen were also still in the running.

It all came down to the finale: The Tug-of-War. The seniors came through, winning both events, and hold the title of Spirit Week champions two years in a row.

. After the events, I was happy to see people hugging and celebrating. Even though there had to be a winning class, we are all still a family. Correction: a Ramily.

Culinary Club all about food!

Culinary Club –

An Awesome Opportunity for Food!

By Patrick Kuhl ‘13

           

            The newest club to Badin is the Culinary Club.  I recently interviewed Mr. Gretz, the club co-moderator, to learn about this new club. They meet every other Tuesday right after school. If you are interested in being part of the club, listen to the announcements for more information about the next meeting.

            You might be asking yourself, who can join the Culinary Club? Well the Culinary Club is open to all Badin students. The current 65 members have many different skill levels – from making PB&J to fancy dishes. The purpose of the club is to learn how to cook better in a safe and sanitary way. So far the club has had a great deal of interest but they are always looking for new members.

            Mr. Gretz’s first cooking experience was making breakfast for his family.  He later had the opportunity in high school to cook for a large group of people.  Mr. Gretz loves to cook anything on the grill.  When asked about cooking disasters, Mr. Gretz said when he was much younger; he floured and fried some meat and gravy.  When he was finished, he realized he used powder sugar instead of flour!

            The club president, senior Noah Jones, loves to cook.  His favorite thing to cook is bacon wrapped chicken breast. He plans to attend the culinary school at Cincinnati State.

            Currently, the club is planning their first event, which will be called “Soup’s On”.  It will be held in the Badin cafeteria on Saturday, Feb. 23.  If you are interested in checking out this event, you will be able to eat in or carry out.  Each meal will contain a piece of bread and a bowl of soup. The soup will be served in a handmade bowl made by sophomore Laura Gracia-Rodriguez’s grandparents. More information about this event is available on the Badin web site, badinhs.org.

In addition to learning how to cook different foods, there is also a service aspect to the club.  At some point in the future, the club members would like to cook a meal at a place like the Community Meal Center.  It would be awesome if they can cook a meal on the 2^nd Friday of some month when the Badin students are working!

Tyler Nusky revealed!

10 Questions with Tyler Nusky

By Emily Swanson ‘14              

1. What do you like most about being Junior Class president?

You’ll get the most out of Badin by putting in your own personal touch. It’s a great privilege to be able to share my own ideas, and be the guy who listens to others' ideas, too. I take pride in knowing that I will leave something personal behind at Badin. 

2. What do you find most challenging about being class president?

Being a leader takes time. Whether it’s driving to the mall for Adopt-A-Family, or just attending the Student Council meetings, it may become difficult to accomplish everything. I’d hardly call it challenging when I enjoy doing it.

3. What’s your favorite memory from Badin?

My first day of freshman year. Entering Badin I would have considered myself a bit shy and quiet. You can’t really expect a first day at a new school to be relaxing and enjoyable. This time was different. Walking in with the applause of 100 seniors really gave me a sense of belonging to Badin already. This pleasant surprise made a lasting memory. 

4. What do you want to accomplish as Junior Class president before the end of the year?
I just want to leave something behind. Maybe a new event or fundraiser. Something that will last longer than my four years as a Ram.  

5. What do you like to do when you’re not busy with school?

Work, Work, Work!  Just kidding. I love to hang around with friends mostly. I also like taking short trips whenever I can. 

6. What do you like best about Badin?

I like the smallness. It’s pretty awesome to be able to know all of your classmates by name. I think it builds friendships much faster. 

7. What’s one thing most people might not know about you?
I’m a pretty dedicated worker. I work at McDonalds as a Crew Leader year-round. I also work as a Rides Operator at Kings Island from April to October. I love working at Kings Island, operating the Monster, Scrambler, and Dodgem rides mainly. I’m proud to say I’ve been trained at a total of 15 rides in 2012 alone, including five roller coasters, and a movie theater. This is the job that gave me social skills and the ability to speak to a crowd of people.

8. What’s your dream vacation?
I have wanted to visit Japan for awhile. It seems like a place that is always filled with exciting things to do. I have never visited a Disney theme park, but I’ve been told Tokyo Disneyland is one to visit.

9. Favorites – TV, movies, sports etc?
I’m a big TV show fan. I am currently following Breaking Bad, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Saturday Night Live, to name a few. 

10. Any advice for underclassmen?

Yes, always give your opinion on things going on at school. If you don’t like or understand something, tell the leader what you think. You would be surprised how much better it is when people know how you feel. 

Flu season strikes early this year

Flu plague strikes early this year

By Denise Rasche ‘13

            It seems like everywhere I look someone is sick. I was watching TV when I saw a story on the flu and if the flu shot is effective. During the program they flipped over to footage from a New York hospital where the trauma unit was crowded with victims of the flu. They ran out of room so they started moving patients to the hospital lobby, which was also flooded with flu patients.

Badin’s school nurse, Mrs. Amy Bonham, shared her thoughts: “The flu is early this year. It usually starts in January or February but this year it started in late December.”

 Although Mrs. Bonham has seen a lot of the patients, I talked to senior Morgan Walker, who experienced the flu last week. “I rested most of the three days I was absent," Morgan said, "but I also watched the Harry Potter series three times.”

Mrs. Bonham says that to avoid the flu, you should wash your hands regularly and especially before eating. You should also try to keep your hands away from your face particularly your eyes and mouth because germs mostly spread through the hands.

If you have the flu, get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. The symptoms of the flu include a striking fever that persists for at least three-to-five days. That is the difference between the flu and the common cold, according to Mrs. Bonham. The cold can last from seven-to-10 days and does not include the same fast-hitting fever.

Whatever the case, stay healthy!

Colleen Monaghan unplugged

Ten Questions with Colleen Monaghan ‘13

By Alisha Bradbury ‘13

We asked Badin senior Colleen Monaghan to talk about her BHS experience.  She is president of the Pro-Life Club, an Ambassador, an iMentor, a member of the Liturgical Music Group, and plays soccer and softball.

1.      Why do you like Badin?

When I shadowed, people were always coming up to me welcoming me and seeing how I was doing. I've never felt so invited my whole life and it was a great feeling. The student-to-teacher ratio was also comforting.

2.      How was your soccer season?  Do you want to play in college?

My soccer season was anything but enjoyable. While the very beginning was fun, the rest of it was the exact opposite. Nothing good happened after I suffered a concussion. I was released to start therapy, and a week later I was in a car accident, setting me back another few weeks. I ended up playing 7 out of 19 games, and didn’t get to play in our district championship game.

It was heartbreaking knowing my whole life I prepared for the big games and college, but in one day, it was ruined. I am most likely not going to play soccer in college, but I'm going to try for college softball. It'll take more focus since it’s a new dream, but I'm determined as ever to make it happen.

3.      What are your college plans (school, major)?

I plan to go to Thomas More College, even though I haven’t submitted my application yet. I meet all the requirements and then some, so I’m not too worried about that. And eventually, I hope to earn my MBA (Master in Business Administration).

4.      Give us one great memory for you at Badin?

Spirit Olympics. They are great every year, but the feeling you get when you run out to the middle of the gym to get everyone pumped makes the challenges through the year worth it. It’s when you can really see your class unite as one to get many things done, and hopefully win big.

5.      What has been your favorite class, and why?

I would say it’s a tie between Speech/Drama, and any of my Art classes. I love how in Drama class, you can express yourself in front of many, and just become a new person on stage. It also has helped me a lot with my public speaking. I don't feel like I'll pass out any more!

And my whole life, I have created many things, but never really trying to make it look good. With Mrs. Palmer’s help mainly, I have learned many new techniques and that it’s okay to completely focus on one thing at a time to make it the best you can. With art, my OCD can be a good thing.

6.      If you could meet anyone, anywhere, anytime, who would that be?

Definitely my Great-Grandfather. When he was in his 20s or 30s, he moved himself and his wife from Ireland to here. I applaud that type of courage, risking everything you have to live a new life. Many know I am in love with the culture over in Ireland and that I plan to go back permanently sometime, but it’s all because of the hope he has given me. I know it’s possible because of him.

7.      If the world was going to end in December, what’s the last thing you

would have done?

I think it’d be amazing to go skydiving or bungee-jumping. I’ve never done either, but I've always wanted to. I can just imagine the rush it would give you and it is fascinating.

8.      If you could be an animal, what animal would it be? Why?

A red panda. I don't know what it is about that animal, but it is like an obsession of mine. First, they are a half “ginger” animal. Not much gets better than that! Also, they get to sleep around all day like a panda, but are adventurous like a raccoon. Look up red pandas playing and you’ll see why I love them so much.

9.      What three words best describe you?

Adventurous. Daring. Childish.

10.  Tell us one thing we don’t know about Colleen Monaghan that helps

make you interesting?

An example of just how childish I can be is that I have a huge collection of bouncy balls at home that I've collected since I was 2. I could be entertained for hours at one time with them.

Sandy Hook shootings: Terrifying

Opinion:

Hard to fathom the tragedy of Sandy Hook

By Denise Rasche ‘13

            The attack on Sandy Hook Elementary was an event that no one can even fathom because it was just so bizarre and scary.

On Friday, Dec. 14, a mentally ill Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and open fired on 26 unsuspecting students and teachers. It is hard to even describe this terrifying event with words … terrifying was just the most accurate word I could think of. All of the photos associated with the event pretty much speak for themselves.

The terror is almost palpable on the children’s faces when they were walking/running out of the school. They were told to put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them and close their eyes so as not to see the carnage of the attack.

Lanza’s body was also present because after the attack, he committed suicide. That’s the thing that scares me the most about this story -- the young man who decided to pull the trigger on this seemingly regular day. I wonder how someone would even think of killing innocent people, or especially the little kids. Why would he do this?

 Lanza killed the children and teachers and took his own life after killing them. Why would he hurt them when it won’t affect him at all?

I know people say that Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, but what is wrong that would make him do this? I can understand making food a different way or something simple, but this is such a radical reaction. What made him think to do this?

On the other hand, my hat goes off to the first responders and the brave teachers who did above and beyond for these children. I admire the woman who hid the students in the bathroom and also the little boy that told his teacher it would be okay because he knew karate.

Out of all this tragedy, the things that really matter can still be seen in the teachers, families, and the church that offered the mourning and remembrance services in honor of the victims for comfort from the rest of the community, including the families of the deceased.

My prayers are with the entire town in this time of mourning.