In a few short days Central High is saying goodbye to six wonderful teachers who are retiring: Elaine Anderson (Psychology/Social Studies), Rose DuBois (P.E.), Jeff Gulbransen (Art), Michael Murphey (Administration), Robert Perceval (English), and Jackie Swanson (program director). These teachers will be greatly missed as they teach their last few classes of the school year.  All will be greatly missed due to the fact that we are losing so many great teachers in so many different areas of study and administration. In fact Central will not be offering an A.P. Psychology class next year due to the fact that Mrs. Anderson is leaving us next year for Texas.

Here is what a few teachers said about the changes:

“It’s bittersweet. It’s been the students I met. My colleagues have been incredible professional people and I respect them. I’ve met some cool human beings.” – Mrs. Anderson

“I’m going to miss my students tremendously and the great people on the staff that I worked with for years. People are what make Central great!” – Mr. Perceval

“I feel that we’ll be losing a great teacher and I’m happy she’s moving on.” – Mr. Spease about Mrs. Dubois

The sad part is that not only are we losing teachers to retirement but we are also losing a lot of teachers because they are relocating. Ms. Ellwein, an assistant principal, will be leaving us to become the new principal of Sioux Falls Technical High School. Along with her, Mr. Spreizer and Mrs. Prentice who will also, sadly, be leaving us next year.

“My best memories were helping kids at tough times and going to activities. It was a hard decision to leave Central but I learned a lot here and I get to move closer to family and run my own school, so it’s a good opportunity. I plan to come back to see the first theatre production in the fall. Leaving theatre is one of the hardest parts because I worked so hard to get these students where they are. Once a Cobbler, always a Cobbler!” – Mrs. Ellwein

With all these great teachers leaving us, there will be voids in the school, but the 2012-2013 school year promises to be a great one.

When I was about 8 years old I was done with Disney, done with PBS, even done with Cartoon Network. I didn’t want to be a kid anymore, I wanted to be treated like an adult; I wanted to go to bed later than 8:30, I wanted to go trick or treating all by myself, I wanted to dress myself! My parents didn’t understand. They still don’t understand, but they can’t tell me who to be anymore.

I was a little rebel, still am one too! Example? One night I wanted to stay up all night long, so I did that; at the time I was new to the IFC (Independent Film Channel). On Fridays from about 12-3 they showed films that were kind of . . . out there. I flipped to the channel while it was in the middle of a film. At the time I did not have a little TV guide that popped up and told me what I was watching. On my old TV when you went to a channel it was black for about five seconds, then the picture showed up. I will never forget what I saw: three kids were sitting in a really dirty living room huffing what looked like spray paint. This little kid was running around the place, having the time of his life. He knocked a photo off the wall making a big old pack of bugs crawl out from behind. All of a sudden flashing images of an albino girl dancing to rap music came up, she started talking about her love life, what kind of guy she wants. I was freaked out, I have never seen anything so random yet creepy before in my life. I turned off the TV and went to bed. After that I would always think about the film, wondering what the name was.

Last year in ICT, I was on IMDB looking at a guy’s list of favorite directors. A name came up, a name I had never heard of before. The name was Harmony Korine; I clicked on his page and scrolled down to see what films he had made. I came across a film called Gummo, the most famous from him. I clicked on it and guess what? The first picture I see is a bunch of kids sitting in a living room, huffing some paint. I found it; the film I had been looking for, for so long!

I went home and the first thing I did was look this movie up. I watched every trailer made for it, saw every photo taken of it; even read reviews from critics. It was said to be very different, something that most people have never seen before. I was sold; I looked it up on Netflix, rented it, and put it on the top of my list. I waited a week for it to come, one Monday (had no school that Monday) I checked the mail . . . and there it was. I canceled all my plans just to watch this movie. I made some food, got some soda, and threw it in! Only an hour and a half later . . . it was over. I sat there not even knowing what I watched.

So I waited for my brother to come home, and I showed it to him. After we watched it, we talked about it, trying to break it all down. “This film feels like a picture book,” my brother said. Smartest thing the man has said; I realized all it was was a movie with characters. It put the characters in different situations and had them talk about different things. After I realized all of this I watched the movie one more time before I sent it back.

I like this film a lot, it is very different; you can’t really compare it to anything. Harmony Korine has a very different way of storytelling; it really shines through in this film. He really puts us in with these people. We follow around Solomon and Tummler, who ride around on their bikes and kill cats for the owner of the local hardware store. They use their money to buy paint and huff it. Tummler gets a lot of girls: at the start of the film he is making out with a girl and feels that she has a lump in her breast (she later finds out she has breast cancer). Tummler is funny looking, tall, long greasy brown hair, and is way too skinny. Solomon thinks Tummler is the bee’s knees, the “greatest guy” he has ever met. Solomon does everything Tummler tells him to do; yet Tummler isn’t mean to him, he is like an older brother to Solomon. That’s why he has so much respect for the guy.

This film shows Solomon and Tummler with their families a lot. Their parents are living, breathing characters (unlike most films). This movie also follows around Bunny Boy, who doesn’t talk much. But she gets in a bit of a fight with some potty mouth kids.

I can’t explain this whole film to you, it would take way too long. This film made me realize that you don’t always need a “plot”; films can be more human, and have life to them. Just show people doing what they do every day. That’s what I enjoy about Harmony’s movies, they feel so human. Go watch this film and see what I’m talking about. It’s not for everyone (due to some subject matter), but this is really the kind of style I want to shoot my films in.

The Needles in the Black Hills of South Dakota have an unusual attraction which lures thousands of tourists each year. No one embraces this attraction more than the local rock climbers. Each towering granite spire in the Needles tells its own rich history in the eyes of these climbers. Sadly, in the past few decades this history has been threatened.

The Needles are home to huge granite spires which prove ideal for rock climbing. The quality of rock mixed with the climbing ethic in the Needles makes it the only place in the world where one can find its unique style of climbing. The granite in the Black Hills contains tiny crystals which provide small balance compelled holds and great delicate climbing. This means the rock requires small movements which involve a substantial amount of balance.

A climber on a 5.9 rated climb in the Needles of the Black Hills. Photo by Rifugio Mestdagh and shared on Flickr.

The ethic in the Needles is also very unique, even to the Black Hills area. The way the history of climbing is preserved in the Needles is by the protection of the climbs. Most climbs in the Needles were put up in the traditional fashion of establishing the route on lead. This means that the first ascensionists started the climb from the ground up, putting protection in as they ascended the rock. This technique meant the climbers had no idea of the danger or the difficulty of the rock ahead. As they wandered into the unknown they drilled bolts where they felt fit. It was not easy to stop on tiny crystals and drill bolts from a stance, and this is where the legendary Needles run-out was originated. Now, when climbers set out on one of these routes, they can connect with the first ascensionist. Because there is no pattern in where the bolts are placed, one can feel for the first ascensionist and understand exactly how the route was put up.

Due to this ethic there is danger lurking around every spire in the Needles. There are even many climbs known to be fatal. People learn to respect the climbers who established all these routes and preserve the history of how they were done, and whom they were done by. The way these climbs were put up gives the first ascensionists the right to be honored for what they did. Many people have contributed in putting up routes in the Needles. Herb and Jan Conn established over 200 routes in the Needles in the 50′s and 60′s. They were soon followed by the era of John Gill, who revolutionized difficult climbing in the Needles. He was followed by strong youthful climbers such as Paul Piana, Dennis Horning, and Todd Skinner. There have been many more climbers leading up to modern day where there are still people like Chris Pelzarski and Jack Torness establishing great routes in the Needles.

The problem now arises when people get scared climbing in the Needles and decide to “retro bolt” climbs. This means that they go to the top, rappel down, and bolt or re-bolt a climb to make it safer. This is a highly controversial topic in the climbing community. People who have started retro bolting do it so that more inexperienced climbers have the chance to climb the Needles. The problem with retro bolting is that it erases the beauty, the concentration, and the history of the climb. Climbers can no longer connect with the first ascensionists in the way that they have in the past. Climbing areas all over the world have been exposed to retro bolting. The Needles is one of the last places on earth where one can still find a full traditional climbing experience.

The old generation of climbers in the needles is coming to a saddening end. There are many new young climbers rising in the Needles, but only a handful of them have the same traditional ethic. It is the duty of the past and present Needles climbers to educate the new upcoming generation of the tradition in the Needles. It is important that the history and the style of climbing are preserved in order to maintain the beauty in climbing that the Needles have to offer. If that is lost then the Needles would no longer be unique and would not be the great epitome of wonder and adventure that they were in the past and are today.

• Photo credit: Unknown Climber on Flickr by: Rifugio Mestdagh

When I review “Modern Masterpieces” they have to be considered good films. Not just by critics, but by me too. The thing I like about the Look Backs is there is no “good” or “masterpiece” in the title. I can talk about any older film I want and it doesn’t even have to be good! Now just by my saying that does this mean the movie I’m talking about sucks? Well duh!

But I don’t hate this film, it just sucks. It came out at a time where a lot of dark comic book movies were being made (Spawn, The Crow) most of these films were very over the top, had really bad effects, and horrible acting. This truly lives up to all of that but pushes it to a whole new level! Faust started out as a graphic novel written by Tim Vigil and David Quinn. Later on, after it became a sleeper hit, Mr. Quinn wrote a screen play of Faust that was  picked up by director Brian Yuzna (The Dentist, Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III).

It’s about an artist named John whose girl friend is murdered right in front of him. After that he is ready to be done with life, but then he runs into a man named M who makes him a deal. M will give John the power he needs to take down the people who killed his girl friend, if he gives up his soul. Sounds like a great deal to me! John makes the deal and becomes the demon Faust. He gets a nice cape, two swords on his arms, and a very unreal ugly face. M ends up wanting to bring hell to earth, so it’s up to Faust to save the day (spawn) *cough, cough*.

Faust, though sad over his dead girl friend, gets a number of different girls–like left and right, this demon has got it going on! This film has one of my favorite B-actors, Andrew Divoff (Wish Master), who plays the bad guy M, and he is so over the top you just have to love him. Jeffrey Combs (Re-animator) is also in this as a douche bag cop. The acting is bad, just awful, but it really wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t. The CGI isn’t anything big (sorry James Cameron, this film just isn’t for you), and there is one part in it that really doesn’t make sense . . . a girl’s body randomly expands for no reason.  You might not get a lot out of this film, but you don’t really have to. Just sit and enjoy it; you might forget it in a few hours but that’s fine, just watch it four times like I did (;

Prom was a success this past weekend, with the theme of sweet escape. In preparation for the day we asked people what they had planned for prom.

Becca W. said that she was going with a group of friends. Having dinner at a friend’s house and she planned on attending post prom.

Aaron B. told us that he had planned on taking pictures at Dinosaur Park with his group of friends and then meeting back at his home to have dinner, then later to attend prom and then check out post prom. Finally, ending up at a movie night with friends.

We also decided to ask a few teachers what they did for prom when they were in high school. Central’s very own theatre teacher, Mr. Speck, told us his very special prom experience. His date was the captain of the coeds and instead of wearing a dress to dance in; she wanted to wear a tux. So, Mr. Speck and his date both wore a tux. They were even featured in the Rapid City Journal.

Along with their past prom, we asked them what has changed since they went to prom.

Mrs. Anderson told us that prom seems to cost significantly more than it did when she went, and it is a lot less formal. Back then, you went with a date or you didn’t go whereas now going with a group of friends is very common. The dancing is also a lot different.

Prom is a day that nobody is soon to forget because of all the memories that are made.

Why does everyone love ninjas so much? They are ruthless. They kill whatever they want for their own gain. But why does everyone seem to look at them as the good guys? “They were rebels against the system” yeah, yeah, cool, cool. But most of them were dirty rapists, thieves, and they terrorized people. Samurais, on the other hand, go by a code of honor; they don’t fight a man who does not have a weapon; they don’t kill women or children; they are just gentlemen with swords and the will to defend and kill.

This little gem right here is all about the code of the samurai. A man who goes by the name of Ghost Dog is our hero (who knew a dead dog could bark?), a mafia hit man who is untraceable. He talks to people through a little messenger pigeon. Years ago when Ghost Dog was of a younger age, he was ganged up on and nearly killed. A man came to save him, and now that man is his “retainer” or master. One night, Ghost Dog goes out on a hit, but it soon goes wrong. Now everyone is against him.

Action packed, you ask? No, not really, it’s slow, but not boring. It reminds me a lot of Pulp Fiction, where everything these people talk about you want to hear. Don’t miss anything, while there are pointless conversations at times, they’re entertaining. Ghost Dog befriends a little girl (why do all these guys seem to make friends with the little ones?). Ghost Dog has another friend who is an ice cream man who doesn’t speak one word of English, yet they’re still friends. Most of the funny parts of the film are between them. The Ice Cream Man will say, “I bet you’re very busy.” Then Ghost Dog will say, “Sorry, I’m very busy.” It makes me giggle.

Every now and then a little screen will pop up with some sort of samurai proverb. They’re always really deep and make you think; Ghost Dog soon learns that everyone is against him, so he goes out on a hunt, initiating the best part of the film if I do say so myself. One of the best “kills” in the films is when he opens up a guy’s pipe from under his sink and shoots him. Yes . . . he shoots him through the sink–it’s pretty boss. You can see the ending coming from miles away (I knew what would happen), yet some parts are shocking and you won’t see them coming. This is a nice little film, it’s very deep. It almost feels like one long poem. Forest Whitaker does a great job as the lead role, he plays the bad-ass card very well. This film is directed by Jim Jarmusch, who is not one of my favorite directors, but he has made some pretty good films. If you’re into really chill movies with a bit of action thrown in the mix, I would check this out. It’s on Netflix! Where do you think I saw it? (;

Fighting has always been a part of hockey, as it draws fans to the game, but in the NHL playoffs this season it has been nothing but cheap shots and fights. There have been several brawls this post season in nearly every series. One Central High School student said that he likes to see a good hockey fight, however there has been too much fighting this postseason and it’s making the NHL less attractive and more boring. On top of all the fighting there have been several cheap shots in these playoffs, leading to multiple fines and suspensions.

The worst of the playoffs, so far, came from the Coyotes versus Blackhawks series when Raffi Torres, of the Coyotes, hit Marian Hossa, of the Blackhawks. Torres left his feet to hit Hossa who didn’t even have the puck, and Hossa would end up leaving the game on a stretcher. Torres’s hit landed him a twenty-five game suspension.

The Torres hit was the worst of the playoffs but it wasn’t the first. In the Predators versus Red wings series a Predators player grabbed the back of a Red Wing’s player’s head and slammed it into the glass, however that only received a fine. There have been several cheap shots this postseason but by far the most chippy series has been the Penguins versus Flyers series, where it seemed like there was a scrum after every whistle.

With all the fighting this postseason it has brought up the question of whether there should be fighting allowed in the NHL. On that, the debate may rage, but it’s likely that fighting will continue.

What do you consider horror? Spooky atmosphere, creepy music, messing with your head? No, modern people don’t see horror as that. They see gore, they see people being eaten, they see shaky cameras. That’s not the same. If you want to find some good old creepy horror films, look to lower budget movies.

Think about it like this. They barely have any money, not even enough to make a good effect or two. All they have is some fake blood and a few fake eye balls. What can they do? Film it in darker light so no one can really notice. They also don’t have enough money to make a whole set or rent a place, so what can they do? Decorate their apartment a bunch of different times to make it look like their characters are going to different places. Also, one more tip is to get as many creative shots as they can; if their cinematography is crap their film might just fall apart.

Why am I talking about this? Because everything I just said, Nails does, and it does it well. This is a Russian film that came out in 2001, directed by now somewhat famous underground director Andery Iskanov (he’s my friend on Facebook, I’m cool!). This film is about a hit man that is stressed out by his job. What’s there to be stressed out about? Sounds like a good paying job to me! Anyway, he has been getting these really bad headaches. He has tried everything but they just won’t go away. He soon finds out that the only way to make this pain go away is to drive nails into his skull (has he ever heard of Advil?). He starts seeing things and is slowly going crazy, go figure! Driving nails into your skull can you mess you up! At the end drills his head open and pulls his brain out. THE END.

Really, that’s about it. It’s a fairly short film; at the start of the film you see a bit of action, him killing some mafia looking people. And no more after that. You get some flashing pictures of the people he killed, but it really doesn’t go too much into his work. But that’s not bad cause it’s not really that kind of movie, it’s not really shocking either, it just makes you think. This movie is really just about a head ache from hell, seriously people! Haven’t you ever wanted to smash yourself in the head when you have a head ache? I know I have! I have watched this film many times: I love the music, I love the set up, how the people dress. It wouldn’t be the same with a high budget, and it does a good job for what it is. Everyone needs to learn: money doesn’t make a movie, creativity makes a movie. That’s what film making is all about.

Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill. This is because heat rises; if a fire is going uphill the flame from the top of one tree would burn the bottom of the tree above it, causing that tree to burn and continue to the next tree. They also move faster uphill because fires need oxygen, fuel, and heat to burn. If you hold a match and its is burning the correct way it will burn slowly down to your fingers. If you turn that match upside down it burns faster and will burn your fingers. Let’s say that a fire is burning down hill. The flame on each tree would have to burn down to the ground to start the next tree’s top branches on fire. If it burns uphill the flame has to burn halfway until burning the next tree.

• “Do Forest Fires Move Faster Downhill or Uphill?” WikiAnswers. Answers Corporation, 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_forest_fires_move_faster_downhill_or_uphill>.
• Sebastian, Kansas. “06c Station Fire – DC10 Dropping Phoscheck from San Rafael Hills (E).” Flickr. Yahoo!, 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/kansas_sebastian/3872462578/in/photostream/>.

Central High School’s photography club, run by Mrs. Allen, has just completed a photography contest on who could be the best photographer at Central. The contest was open category and was one dollar per entry. At first things weren’t really kicking up, but with the great support of our Cobblers, including teachers, the contest had a great outcome for contestants.

There were a lot of amazing pictures, and it was really hard to choose only three. The three winners had some competition, but they proved through the pictures they took to be dedicated in photography.

First place was taken by Cheyenne Charlton, a sophomore who is very dedicated to what she does. I had spoken with her about the contest and she was not expecting her placement. “I didn’t expect to win. There were so many amazing pictures; I only entered to show the world that I have potential,” she said. When I asked her if she was excited about winning first, the response I was given was, “Very.” This is a girl who is in love with photography, and who has shown us Cobblers’ just how much potential she has.

Cheyenne Charlton's first place photo.

Second place was taken by Abby Zick, with her amazing photograph of a “set up for Santa.” This picture made the judges feel warm and young at heart. It was a very “eye catching” picture.

Abby Zick's second place photo.

Third place was taken by Katie Layton, who had the fire fighter photo, which was great. Her picture gave the judges a warm-hearted feeling and a rush of respect for the people who lay their lives on the line for us.

Katie Layton's third place photo.

These girls have shown their talent, and from what the photography club has seen, a lot of Cobblers have talent. Step up, and show it off Cobblers! Congratulations winners!

The three winners of the photo contest.