Category Archives: Derek Hanke

Derek Hanke

Peer tutoring proves to be beneficial

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By Derek Hanke

Some students go through school with little knowledge of what a peer tutor does. A peer tutor is a student who helps other students overcome their difficulties and achieve success.

Senior Molly Lessig’s inspiration for becoming a peer tutor came early in her high school career.

“During my sophomore year I sat next to a kid in class with special needs and helped him. Then, I heard about a program over the summer where you could help other kids with special needs out and I fell in love with it,” said Lessig.

This summer program and her following career in school as a peer tutor helped to shape her perspective on life.

“Earlier in highschool I was selfish, but then I started channeling my energy into helping others. I really enjoy being able to help others besides myself,” she said.

Lessig said that the peer tutor program plays a valuable role in our school.

“Being there to encourage students with special needs helps them see that their are kids without disabilities that want to see them succeed,” said Lessig.

Fellow peer tutor Dylan Adkins expressed similar views about the peer tutor program.

“The peer tutor program influences our school a lot, because many of students need help with different classes and sometimes they can’t get the help they need by themselves,” said Adkins.

Adkins feels that there is a need for peer tutors at our school.

“Everyone needs help sometimes and it’s not a bad thing if you do. If you need a peer tutor, it does not mean you are failing all your classes, but it means you need help,” he said.

Peer tutors duties range anywhere from being gym partners to reading out loud.

“My daily activities of being a peer tutor include checking students homework and helping them complete it,” said Adkins.

School counselor and special education facilitator Larry Schellenberg said that being a peer tutor has a lasting impact on a student.

“Many times, being a peer tutor changes how a student sees the world in terms of how we all have our own needs and deficits that we must overcome. Many of the students become more empathetic towards others as part of the job,” said Schellenberg.

He also said that the peer tutor program helps certain students achieve success.

“The peer tutor program makes our school more accepting of other’s individual needs; it helps our struggling students become more successful and a larger part of our school community.” said Schellenberg.

Schellenberg does not know what the school would be like without peer tutors.

“I can’t imagine what our school would be like without them. We would have a lot more kids failing classes and having behavioral issues if it weren’t for peer tutors,” he said.

Being a peer tutor has led many students to pursue careers in helping those with special needs according to Schellenberg.

“I can think of at least six students who have chosen to help special needs students in my four years here at FC,” said Schellenberg.

Lessig is planning on pursuing a career in helping those with special needs.

“I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in helping those with special needs last summer. Helping out people with special needs lets them make friends and have new interactions throughout the day. It helps mainstream them into society,” said Lessig.

Lessig encourages anyone who is considering being a peer tutor to go ahead with it.

“Anyone interested in being a peer tutor should do it, because if you’re motivated for it you’ll get a lot out of it,” she said.

Derek Hanke, Features

Young authors express individuality

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DSC09414By Derek Hanke

Serving as a form of self expression, writing in high school is a creative way of putting yourself on a page, figuratively speaking. Authors tend to start writing at a young age and some even publish their works very early on.

One of these authors, senior Mark Merk, has already published a book on Amazon entitled Hillgregg: The Temple of Thought.

“The Temple of Thought is about a different world where four friends are trying to stop an ancient evil,” said Merk.

Merk’s creativity knows no bounds when it comes to his writing, and in his writing he can explore whatever avenues he desires.

“Hillgregg is like my own universe. Almost every aspect of Hilgregg comes from me,” he said.

Other young writers, such as freshman Autumn Seraiah, are preserving their works for publication later in their lives.

“Whenever I get older I will publish my stories. Usually it takes one work to be successful before writers feel confident in themselves,” said Seraiah.

Seraiah is currently working on two books and has written upwards of 120 poems.

“I started reading at three and a half and writing a short time after that. As I got older, I started writing to get my emotions out,” she said.

Seraiah feels that self expression is her favorite aspect of writing.

“There is no right or wrong when it comes down to writing, and for me, that’s perfect,” said Seraiah.

She feels her moods help inspire her writing.

“My moods have a big effect on whatever I’m working on. My writing is no different, reflecting whatever mood I’m in,” said Seraiah.

Junior Amber Habron writes on whatever she feels like writing at the time.

“I don’t really have a set genre. I just write what comes to me,” said Habron.

Some of Habron’s inspiration comes from every day life, while other parts come from other sources.

“A lot of my ideas come from dreams I’ve had, and I tend to accidentally add some aspects of people that I’ve met into my characters,” she said.

Habron feels a strong emotional connection to her writing, especially the characters she creates.

“I killed off one of my main characters and started crying. My characters live in my head, and they’re very real to me,” said Habron.

She said that her love for writing stemmed from her love for reading.

“During my freshman year at my old school, I didn’t have any work to do in study hall after I finished the book I was reading in about half an hour, so I started writing,” Habron said.

Habron, similar to Seraiah, loves the freedom that writing gives her.

“I like being able to have the freedom to write whatever I want. Nobody can tell me that something is wrong or impossible,” Habron said.

Merk loves writing, and he favors certain parts over others.

“I love being creative. It’s like you’re channeling yourself in a way; allowing part of yourself to go on a page,” he said.

Derek Hanke, Features, Keevin Sakai

Social media challenge accepted

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By Derek Hanke

Social media has taken a dominant position in our society today. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are used frequently by a large percentage of the youth population.

This has led some individuals to become dependent on them, almost to the point where going without them would be unthinkable.

In order to test the theory that social media can be addictive, two students were given the challenge of going a weekend without them.

Both freshman Rachel Lamb and senior Parker Hale underwent the social media challenge. Lamb initially felt that this task would be an easy one.

Before the Challenge

“Going without Facebook and Twitter won’t impact my life but I’ll probably have to delete the apps of my phone so I don’t use them,” said Lamb.

Hale said that others will not be impacted by the challenge.

“I don’t think my followers will notice my absence,” said Hale.

Both Lamb and Hale think they will be able to go a weekend without social media, although they admit social media plays a large part in their lives.

“Everyone has a Facebook. And, when I get on Twitter, it’s normally so I can have something interesting to do,” said Lamb.

“Social media gives me something to do when I’m bored and keeps me informed about what’s going on,” said Hale.

After the Challenge

Throughout the weekend, Lamb was able to go without social media while Hale was not.

“I forgot about the challenge multiple times over the weekend,” said Hale.

He blamed this lapse of memory on his familiarity with the routine of getting on social media.

“I didn’t really feel the need to get on Twitter or Instagram, I just got on there out of habit,” he said.

Hale says the weekend helped remind him of the frequency he uses social media and its importance to him.

“I get on social media quite a lot. Without it, I felt less informed because I didn’t know what was going on all the time,” said Hale.

Hale refutes the claim that social media is an important part of his life.

“It’s not that it’s an important part of my life; I could definitely go without social media, but it’s something to keep me busy when I’m bored,” he said.

Hale found there was an unexpected benefit to going without social media.

“By not getting on twitter and instagram, doing homework was ten times easier,” Hale said.

Lamb came to better understand the role social media plays in her life.

“This weekend made me realize that Facebook isn’t as important to me as I thought it was,” she said.

Even after this realization, Lamb still felt something was missing.

“I felt less informed that usual; if something went on, I wouldn’t know about it because everyone puts everything on Facebook,” said Lamb.

Lamb reports that she was more social without social media.

“Without Twitter and Facebook, I actually spent more time talking to people,” she said.

While certain individuals are more inclined to use social media than others out of habit, this process can actually hinder the socialization process by making one rely it to socialize instead of direct communication.

A&E, Derek Hanke

Top five gaming apps reviewed

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By Derek Hanke

These are the top five apps in the iTunes app store for this week:

  1. Extreme Road Trip 2
  2. Fix-it Felix Jr.
  3. WordSearch Unlimited Free
  4. Flow Free
  5. Bike Race Free


Extreme Road Trip 2

Road trips have never before been this exciting.
Ranking first in the iTunes app store this week, Extreme Road Trip 2 will keep a player thoroughly entertained from the second they pick it up to the moment they set it down. This app, created by Roofdog Games, leaves little to be desired.
Starting off driving a compact, gamers ride in one of multiple different environments. The premise of the game is simple: collect as many coins as possible and get as far as possible before running out of gas.
As players collect coins, they are presented with the opportunity to buy new cars, giving the game a level of replayability. Extreme Road Trip 2 automatically sets new goals for players, giving them something to strive for when they come back to play again.
Extreme Road Trip 2 does almost everything right: it keeps players entertained, has smooth and easy to understand controls that don’t confuse gamers, and provides a soundtrack that livens up the gaming experience. The only drawback to it is that while the environmental backdrop of the driving course changes, the course itself never changes, leaving new courses to be desired.
Compared to other popular racing games in the app store such as Bike Race Free and Jet Pack Joyrides, Extreme Road Trip 2 sizes up. With its customizability and enthralling gaming experience, it offers a feeling of depth not seen very often in games on the app store.
Definitely worth a download, Extreme Road Trip 2 will take riders where no road trip has taken them before and gets a 9 out of 10.

Fix-it Felix Jr.

Trying to put a spin on the eight-bit games of the past, Disney has offered gamers an experience that is neither memorable nor classic.
Fix-it Felix Jr. leaves much to be desired. While coupling with popularity of the movie “Wreck-it Ralph,” it has managed to reach the position of second in the app store. This app follows the movie-to-game tradition of being a poor gaming rendition of a semi-popular Disney movie.
As Fix-it Felix, a player’s job is to repair the broken windows left behind by Wreck-it Ralph all while he is throwing boxes at the player. There is no plot and the experience is very repetitive.
A positive to Fix-it Felix is that it has a nostalgic feel to gamers and easy controls, but gamers have evolved since the time of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and expect more from games now. Negatives include low replayability, a boring soundtrack, and low immersion for gamers. This game does not have the depth or plotline needed to immerse a player
If a gamer decides to purchase the full version of Fix-it Felix (Wreck-it Ralph), they may find it to be more entertaining, but only because it comes as part of a package deal with two other games. Also, players could get more bang for their buck if they were to actually go and purchase some real eight-bit classics such as Pitfall or Space Invaders.
An eight-bit gamers are sure to forget, Fix-it Felix accomplishes little, leaves much to be desired and receives a 3 out of 10.

WordSearch Unlimited Free

No longer confined to newspapers, a classic gaming experience has been brought to the app store.
WordSearch Unlimited Free, produced by VirtueSoft, provides a new spin on word searches that is bound to keep word searchers and even a couple of their friends entertained in their spare time and ranks third in the app store.
While other apps only give players randomized word sets or a limited number of categories to choose their words from, it gives them 10 categories and eight words per that change almost every time.
Another great feature of this app lies in its ability to change the style and background of the search to any of 11 different combinations, and even more if a gamer decides to upload their own images.
WordSearch has several good qualities: it has an 11×11 search board that makes finding words the perfect difficulty for most searchers, its customization options allow for a measure of personalization to the app, and the randomized playing board allows for endless hours of playtime. The only negatives to this app is that only one difficulty is provided in the free version, and there are a few adds included.
This app is generally better than other free word search apps because of its better qualities listed above. Other apps are stuck in one format, do not have other categories or customizable backgrounds.
Going from paper to retina definitely has its benefits; WordSearch Unlimited Free is recommended for word searchers everywhere and places 7 out of 10 on the ranking scale and is recommended for download if you are a word searcher at heart.

Flow Free

Connecting pipes has become so fun it has dripped its way into our hearts.
Placing fourth in the iTunes countdown today is Flow Free, a puzzle game that gets harder as players progress through one of its 150 levels.
The goal of the game is to connect all the dots using all the space given on playing spaces that range from 5×5 to 9×9. There are thirty levels per set and anywhere from five to nine pairs of dots.
A feature Flow Free has going for it is that is is almost completely unique to the iTunes app store. It has virtually zero competition from similar apps because it is the best at what it does. It also has time records, so a player can go back and try to beat their own or other’s records at a set. The only negative to Flow Free is the lack of soundtrack for the game, leaving gamers with an empty feeling when playing it.
As mentioned before, Flow Free has basically no competition from other apps due to the fact that little to no other apps exist that compare to it. If one were to come around that had a soundtrack, then it might be considered better. Since there isn’t one out there like that, however, it’s not an issue.
Mind-boggling and addicting, Flow Free has done its job and gets a 7 out of 10.

Bike Race Free

Navigating a difficult obstacle course on a dirt bike is as rewarding to a player as a lab rat finding cheese.
Fifth and final in the top five on the iTunes app store is Bike Race Free, a challenging game that can make or break gamers with it’s tedious but rewarding levels.
Gamers are given three level packs to start off with, but can unlock more as they progress through levels and play multiplayer matches with others via the internet. Players navigate these courses by tilting their iPhones/iPads forward or backward and giving the dirt bike gas by pressing on the screen.
Luckily for gamers, there are infinite numbers of retries so that when they fail (and they will fail), they can try again until they complete the course. There is a multiplayer component to this game which adds even more depth. A player can compete with others online by trying to get the best time on courses all the while their opponent does the same.
This game makes up for not having a soundtrack by implementing realistic dirt bike noises. Strengths of Bike Race Free are its unlockable bikers, challenging but rewarding levels, and multiplayer mode; all of these give Bike Race Free a high measure of replayability and sharability.
Who knew dirt biking on a dangerous life-threatening obstacle course could be such a thrill? Bike Race Free comes with high recommendations for download and gets an 8 out of 10.

Derek Hanke, Features

Band members voice differing opinions on relationships within clubs

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By Derek Hanke

Marching band relationships can cause everything from distraction to increased satisfaction from band.

“If you’re dating someone within the band, you’re dating the band itself,” said senior Christian Thomas.

Being a veteran of a number of band relationships himself, Thomas can see both the positives and negatives of having one.

“You get to spend time together, but you’re also spending it with 120 of your closest friends,” Thomas said.

He thinks band relationships can turn out good or bad.

“It all depends on the people involved. There are some people who cause a lot of drama, and that’s not fun for anybody,” he said.

Sophomore Steven Pierce stands against band relationships.

“After my experience, I came away with new knowledge of why I shouldn’t be in a relationship in band,” he said.

Remaining professional is a priority to Pierce.

“I am against relationships because band is a completely serious thing, and a band relationship can get distracting,” said Pierce.

Pierce concedes that while band relationships may have benefits, they can also impair the marching band itself.

“A negative is that you can lose focus, and not use full potential,” said Pierce.

Pierce says he is okay with people who have them.

“I don’t have a problem with people being in a band relationship, I’m just going on past experience,” he said.

Senior Parker Lyons supports band relationships.

“When you’re already spending a lot of time with people in band, you’re presented with a great opportunity to date someone if that’s what you want,” said Lyons.

Lyons said band relationships are fine as long as they do not interrupt the ensemble.

“It’s important to keep things professional,” he said.

Lyons feels that outsiders are indifferent to dating within the band.

“People are okay with it. There’s always going to be a couple of people that aren’t okay with it, but that’s just their perspective,” said Lyons.

Junior Jacqueline Howard and her boyfriend sophomore Christian Bush have been in a successful band relationship for around five weeks.

“Band helped give us a lot more time together. It’s a great thing,” said Howard.

Howard is glad she is dating someone in band.

“Christian and I share the same interests and personality type,” said Howard.

Bush thinks the time spent together has an effect on the relationship.

“Band has brought us closer and given us more bonding time,” said Bush.