Category Archives: Derek Hanke

Derek Hanke, Features

Senior gives advice for incoming freshmen

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By Derek Hanke

As a freshman, joining in with the ranks of high schoolers can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a few good rules you can follow to try and get off on the right foot.

First things first: congratulations on making it through middle school and welcome to Floyd Central! You have been fortunate enough to become a student of an exceptional school with a great staff and with some honest effort you will be on your way towards a successful future. However, there are some things you should take into consideration as a freshman that can help shape your high school career:

1. Avoid Drama

Drama can sour your time in high school more than anything else if you let it. It is easy to get caught up in drama, but it is just as easy to avoid it. If you treat others like you want to be treated, refrain from gossiping, and listen to others more than yourself, you will easily escape any would-be stressful conflicts.

2. Be Yourself

Popularity is not everything. If you choose to act like someone you are not, you’re betraying who you really are. When you look back at your high school career, the friends you make and activities you pursue will all reflect upon your character and who you have become, so don’t worry about others’ opinions of you and just go with your natural character.

3. Come Prepared

Studying and doing your homework is not too much to ask of yourself. If you want to be prosperous later in life, you will put in the effort now. Come graduation, a higher GPA will help you get into the college of your preference. It can also make the difference in your performance in college, because the skills you develop in high school will last you for the rest of your life.

4. Ask Questions

If there is something you do not understand, you should ask the teacher about it. Asking a teacher about a problem you may be having is nothing to be afraid about. Other students may be having the same problem as well, and reviewing it with your teacher can make the difference in class the next day.

5. Socialize

Don’t let your high school career be a rut in the ground. Being social and hanging out with friends is beneficial not just emotionally but mentally as well. Having a few good friends can make the difference between a miserable high school career and a great one. There is nothing to be afraid about, and you don’t have anything to lose.

6. Get Involved

This one ties in with number four, in that the more extracurricular activities you are involved in, the more friends you are likely to have. Being involved also means that you will learn things such as how to work as a team member and operate well under pressure.

7. Have Fun

You only get to go through high school once, so make the most of it. Memories you make here will stick with you for a lifetime and then some. If you come into school with a good attitude and a smile, things will go much better for you. Be ready to come in as opposed to getting out, and you will do great!

Derek Hanke, Features

Radio/TV program provides real-world skills

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Helping to put FC on the map, the Radio/TV program inspires students to put forth their best efforts when covering the school’s various athletic and academic activities.

“Participating in the Radio/TV program is a matter of ultimate accountability: bottom line is, if we don’t advertise, we don’t exist,” said WNAS station manager Tim Dench.

Dench, who has been teaching for 38 years, is proud of his students and what they have achieved.

“The students at FC have shown me that when I demand more of them, they respond by becoming more productive,” he said.

Dench attributes the success of the program to his students and their hard work.

“I teach the students the skills they need to operate things, but when it’s show time, it’s all up to them,” he said.

In the 2012 fall semester, the program has broadcast more live concerts and sporting events than at any time in WNAS history.

“My favorite aspect of our program is broadcasting live sporting events, because more people watch them that any other event and a larger number of students are involved,” said Dench.

Senior Lucas Corley, a sports broadcaster for the Radio/TV program since his freshman year, also favors broadcasting sports activities.

“You get to spend a lot of time with other students and athletes doing what we do. I’ve learned a lot of their backstories from it,” said Corley.

Corley had planned on taking engineering courses once coming to high school until something happened that changed his plans.

“Before Radio/TV, I planned on taking an engineering course. Then, my eighth grade class at Holy Family voted me as Most Likely to Become a Sports Announcer, so I figured I’d run with it,” he said.

Along the way, Corley has made connections that he would not have had he chosen another path.

“I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of great broadcasters and have become good friends with them as a result,” he said.

Corley has also gained higher sense of responsibility unique to the position that he holds.

“I’m like the go-to guy when crunch time comes around. It’s good to feel counted on by my peers and Mr. Dench,” he said.

Co-host of the FC TV program the J n’L show, junior Julie Jackson, is an avid fan of the spotlight.

“I love getting in front of the camera and telling people what’s what,” she said.

Besides broadcasting live video announcements every morning for FC, another accomplishment that Jackson is proud of is the lip-sync video she recently helped produce.

“In March, we created a music video that challenged us to our full capacity. We’re extremely proud of it,” said Jackson.

Jackson spends a lot of her time working on projects for the program, including her TV show every Wednesday and whatever other pieces she may be producing or editing at the time.

“Many students think Radio/TV is an easy A, but that’s a huge myth. There’s a lot of work and effort behind receiving one,” she said.

Jackson has a positive view of the program and is glad that Dench is her instructor.

“Mr. Dench is not just a teacher. He is an amazing friend. He will go to extreme heights to try and get students to succeed,” she said.

Corley recommends the course to anyone with an interest in media as a career option.

“If you’re a student with an appreciation for hands-on work and are looking for real world skills in the production field, this class is a serious option for you,” he said.

Dench, whose days begin at 4 a.m. and end at 12 p.m., said others sometimes ask what motivates him.

“People ask why I do it and I tell them it’s fun. It’s a whole new level of teaching.”

A&E, Derek Hanke

Ready Player One provides great read for gamers

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By Derek Hanke

In a world where reality has become unpopular, one teenager must traverse a virtual world in search of the answer to a puzzle that could alter his fate forever.

The year is 2044 and teenager Wade Watts is just one of the billions of impoverished people on Earth. He has no job and no life outside of OASIS, the virtual reality system that people have come to rely on as an escape from a cruel and unfriendly life.  Then, everything changes.

Watts hears about a contest within OASIS where  OASIS’ creator James Halliday has left his vast fortune to anyone who can solve an elaborate puzzle hidden within it. This begins a search that goes unsolved for years until Watts discovers the first clue and becomes renowned for doing it.

Watts is a member of a group known as the Gunters, short for Egg Hunters, who are on a quest to solve Halliday’s puzzle. When he gets the first clue to solving it, his fame skyrockets.

No longer is he the little known Wade Watts, but instead his online avatar becomes spoken of in households around the world. This earns him the girl of his dreams along with money that he has never had before. Everything goes well for him until Innovative Online Industries (IOI), a super corporation trying to take over OASIS, threatens to take his life and almost succeeds in taking it.

Author Ernest Cline does an excellent job in his first novel Ready Player One. Even with all the 80’s video game references, his humor is not lost on the average reader.

Cline’s novel has received praise from sources ranging from USA Today to Entertainment Weekly. His book is so addictive that you won’t be able to stop reading it once you pick it up. Cline’s characters are so real and reliable you might have trouble not thinking of them as real people. The only con is that if you read it and aren’t a gamer you may not appreciate the book as fully.

Journey with Wade Watts as he takes on an epic quest to win fame and fortune in the face of dangerous opponents and puzzling mysteries. Ready Player One earns a five out of five and a shining recommendation to any gamer who feels like reading a great novel.

Columns, Derek Hanke, Forum

Columnist discusses dating standards

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By Derek Hanke

In high school, there are three types of daters: those who date with standards, those who date without standard, and those who choose not to date at all.

Each type has its own set of merits and pitfalls. Understanding the three types can help a student know what to look for and what to avoid, and also to help them form their own dating standards.

Dating with standards

In some instances, dating with standards can be overly pretentious, but in others it can save you from a lot of trouble down the the road if you are looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend you are compatible with. There are two personalities of those who date with standards: lonely hopefuls and happy moderates.

Lonely hopefuls are individuals who have too strict of standards to successfully find a boyfriend or girlfriend due to either an inability to accept the shortcomings of others or a falsified vision of reality.

For example, Suzie Twoshoes is looking for a boyfriend who will be a future athletic star, is a strict vegetarian, and will make her happy every moment they are together. There are several problems with these predispositions.

Not every guy you meet will become a professional athlete, and those who do may not be strict vegetarians. The same applies with strict vegetarians. Also, relationships will always have issues at some point or another, and you must be able to respect that and take them in stride.

Suzie Twoshoes will be a very lonely girl unless a miracle happens and she finds exactly the boy she wants, which the chances of are slim. It is important to learn that people like Suzie have too high of expectations, and may want to lower them in order to find a boyfriend or girlfriend they are happy with.

Happy moderates are people who date with a less strict set of standards, leading them to date others who they find agreeable and have relationships that are much more fulfilling.

The example here is Johnny Appleseed. Johnny wants to find a girlfriend who shares the same faith as him, dresses properly, and is truthful and honest. These standards are rational, and finding a girl who meets them will not be that difficult if he puts his mind to it.

Within the right social circles, finding a girlfriend who meets Johnny’s standards will not be hard because Johnny is aware of social functions which are filled with people just like her. These functions could range anywhere from church to charity events.

Johnny Appleseed will most likely find happiness in his relationship search as his standards are reasonable and he is not harshly judgmental. People like Johnny are prime role models of what to do in high school if you desire to date others.

Dating without standards

If you decide to date without standards, you are opening yourself up to a world of possibilities, both positive and negative. You could find yourself with someone completely original who you share some things in common and are compatible with. On the other hand, you could end up in a relationship with someone you have little to nothing in common with.

If you are exceptionally lucky, you could find yourself in a happy relationship with someone you have chosen to date without standards. When this happens, there is a large measure of leniency involved, as with no standards almost anything can be considered acceptable.

One thing to keep in mind is that dating someone without standards does not last for long periods of time, and the resulting heartbreak from when you become discontented with your relationship can last a lot longer.

When students first start dating they usually have little to no standards. In these initial stages, they tend to go for whoever is appealing to them at the given time.

Although it is good to date someone who is attractive to you for whatever reason, you must keep in mind that your preferences may change with time and you could wind up regretting your decision.

This would only lead to a breakup and awkward feelings between you and your ex-hubby. So as to avoid this, it is recommended that you choose not to date without standards.

Not Dating

For some, dating another person in high school is too bothersome or time consuming to pursue. This path is understandable, as many high school relationships are plagued with drama and hardship.

However, even though they may have their own measure of difficulty, high school relationships help pave the path to more serious relationships later on.

Choosing to not date in high school is preventing yourself from a lot of grief, but also prevents you from gaining valuable relationship experience.

How will you ever know what kind of person you are compatible with if you never get out and see what kind of personalities you appreciate? Even with the adversity you may face, it will only add to your relational maturity and provide you with more experience.

Experience can help you treat your future girlfriend or boyfriend better, stop you from becoming too emotional in the face of drama, and make you stronger and more better equipped for future relationships.

On the other hand, perhaps you have dated before and decided to stop. This decision could be due to bad experiences or motive to wait until later to date again.

For those who have had bad experiences, it is important to not give up. Giving up now could ruin your chances later because of insecurity and self-isolation.

A dater must remain optimistic that one day he or she will find the right person to have a relationship with. Optimism is essential to being happy down the road. If you have decided to stop dating in order to wait, this question is important. When do you intend on starting to date once more?

Life is a constant journey, and once you stop doing something, it can be hard to start again. Dating is no different, unless you have set for yourself a specific time to start again such as after high school or college.

For those who have not, it is better to start now than wait until later. Don’t risk a relationship with someone you are happy with for someone you haven’t found yet.