Category Archives: Claire DeFrancisci

A&E, Claire DeFrancisci

Where to chill when you cannot get to the ‘Ville

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By Claire DeFrancisci and Bekah Landers

“What are we supposed to do this weekend?” said sophomore Justice Gunter. “With the bridge closed I can’t get to St. Matthew’s [mall] and there isn’t anything to do over here.”

Contrary to the popular belief, there are ways to have fun without dealing with the traffic. From going out to eat, shopping, seeing a movie, and even just getting that downtown feel, the downtown areas of New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville are filled with plenty of things to do that are not going to be a hair-pulling disaster across Sherman Minton.

Downtown New Albany flourishes with fun activities to do, see, and eat. This weekend discover new things by making a day of exploring the downtown area. Have a brunch or late breakfast at Toast on Market, a common favorite of some students of FC.

Explore the artistic side of New Albany by going to places like the Carnegie Center which offers local history and contemporary art. Open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and admission is free. Have a treat from Rookies Cookies or Patticakes & Pies cafe. End the trip with an afternoon walk by the river or going to The Gallery on Pearl St.

“Shermageddon” is not the end of the world, there are plenty of places to have a good time with friends on this side of the river.

Claire DeFrancisci, News

Sherman Minton bridge closing brings stress to commuters

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By Claire Defrancisci

Regular commuters on the Sherman Minton bridge were surprised with an uncommon amount of traffic on I-64 in the last week. The traffic stretched all the way to Paoli Pike and made going and leaving Louisville into Indiana a challenging and frustrating task.

“I went to Louisville the other day and it took me an hour to get to the bridge. It was terrible,” said sophomore Sloane Lewis.

Despite the nuisance of needing to take alternate routes and sitting in what seems like never ending lines of cars, the closure of the Sherman Minton bridge last Friday afternoon was a matter of safety. The bridge, built in 1962, was found to have structural cracks in it. The cause of the cracks and the amount of time that the bridge will be closed is unknown.

In August 2007 the Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, causing dozens of cars to fall into the river. By closing the Sherman Minton bridge before a disaster of that measure could have occurred, the engineers and officials possibly saved countless lives.

The traffic could affect businesses in the downtown New Albany and Louisville area and the commute to work for many parents and teachers. Students who have jobs may also be affected as well.

“I work at Jeffersonville Aquatic Center and I have to wake up an hour earlier, take side streets, and there’s still traffic. It used to take me 20 minutes to get to work; now it takes me an hour, ” said sophomore Lexi Miyahara.

History teacher Donovan Robinson has a particularly hard time with the traffic, because he lives in Louisville.

“Coming to work is fine but leaving work takes me almost an hour longer to get home. I think it’s better in the mornings because more people are going into Louisville instead of out of it,” said Robinson.

Tips for dealing with the potentially heavy traffic include: allowing extra time to get to your destination, selecting alternate routes, and remembering that a little patience will go a long way.

Claire DeFrancisci, Features

The Lanesville Heritage Festival will kick off the fall season this weekend

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By Bekah Landers and Claire Defrancisci

The sound of roaring tractor engines and the sight of whirling fair rides sends one into a flurry of crisp fall memories. This is the Lanesville Heritage Festival.

“I’ve never been there but I’m going this year because the rides sound really fun and I heard that you can milk a goat. That sounds really exciting,” said sophomore Garrett Glass.

The festival offers a wide variety of things to do this year such as helicopter rides on Saturday and Sunday, tractor pulls, the traditional hot air balloon glow, and the main parade on Saturday at 1 p.m. featuring FC’s NJORTC.

“I’m thrilled to be in the parade this year,” said sophomore ROTC member Alessa Farnsley. “We practice after school and warm up before the parade and then we march and represent FC.”

The Lanesville Heritage Festival also offers plenty of camping spaces.

“I’ve been camping there for four years now and it has been really fun,” said sophomore Gunner Turner. He added that he and his cousin go four-wheeling during the day and then ride the rides in the evening.

The rides at the festival are a popular attraction that some teenagers look forward to the most.

“My favorite ride is the ferris wheel that goes upside down and spins around; I ride it every time,” said Turner

“I really like all the rides,” said sophomore Caroline Wiseman. “I could eat an entire thing of nachos and then go and ride the hamster wheel and not be sick.”

The festival is a chance for teens to hang out with their friends, try new foods, check out interesting booths, and ride their preferred rides.

“My favorite memory was the night that I went with my friends, and we all just hung out and had a good time together,” said freshman Zach Robinson.

The festival has something for almost every age. Rides and games for small children, agricultural exhibits and booths with all sorts of different products for adults, and more mature rides for teenagers.

“The little kids hang out with their families, but the older kids tend to go off and do their own thing,” said Robinson.

The festival is located on the Heritage grounds behind Lanesville High School at the west end of town. There will be a shuttle that runs from the high school to the Heritage grounds as well. There will be a tractor and truck pull that runs tonight and Sunday afternoon. The spectator fee is $7. The Hot Air Balloon Glow will be held tonight at 9 p.m. and the main parade is at 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.

The three-day festival will be held today, tomorrow, and Sunday with free admission and free parking.

Be sure to check out this article later this weekend for photos of the fun.

Claire DeFrancisci, Columns, Forum

Stereotypes lead to poor judge of character

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By Claire DeFrancisci

Let's Be Honest

Whether anyone knows it or not, every day when they walk into school they are being stereotyped. In other student’s minds they may just be “that goth girl” or “the kid who thinks that he is funny but he really isn’t.”

Characteristics such as how people dress, the people they are friends with, and the way that they act in public reflect on how other people see them. In reality, one should look past the stereotypes.

The fact is when we see another person whom we are not familiar with, our brains automatically file them away under a category.

Just one glance can provide enough information for people to make quick and often incorrect assumptions.

Seeing a student surrounded by friends all the time, does not mean that they do not feel alone or depressed.

According to the World English Dictionary, a stereotype is defined as: a set of inaccurate, simplistic generalizations about a group that allows others to categorize them and treat them accordingly.

This means that when someone is calling a group of students “preps” for wearing Hollister brand clothing, or “emo” because they wear mostly dark colors and listen to a certain style of music, they are treating them by what they see at just a simple glimpse of their life.

Even if stereotyping people is bad, every so often these premature assumptions could very much be true. Not everyone is a nice person; occasionally people will come across someone who is exactly how they predicted. Don’t let an experience like this change your point of view though, confirming your prediction always will be beneficial.

From personal experience I am aware that someone that appears to be really weird or too cool to talk to, can truly be nice and someone that could be a great friend.

Having a different variety of people as friends are what make life interesting. Judging people before you get a chance to know them is a missed opportunity.