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News, Peter Hyle

Class registration perplexes students

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By Peter Hyle

Registering for classes is a part of high school life. Each student is given a decisions packet that gives a short description of every class offered here at the school. After reviewing the packet, the students are given a username and password to a website where they can register for their own schedules.

For some students, the entire process of registration can seem confusing.

“It’s frustrating because I don’t know what classes I want to take or what diploma I’m going for,” said sophomore Megan Banet.

There are many required and elective classes that finding the right one may be a challenge. Luckily, most students know what they want to get out of their high school career.

“I know what I want to take because I have an idea of the diploma I want. That helps a lot,” said freshman Josh Poynter. “For others who don’t yet know what they want to do, it’s probably harder to find the right classes.”

Other students have ways of dealing with their uncertainty.

“It’s not really a challenge, but it can be very confusing. That’s why I have my mom register for me,” said junior Kate Peggs.

In the past, FC has given their students more time to figure out their courses for the next school year.

“Beforehand, everyone registered around spring break in March. The superintendent would like parents to have a copy of their book bill sooner rather than later. This way, parents will know how much everything costs months before its time to pay rather than weeks,” said Dean of Students Joe Voelker.

The students have mixed feelings about their registration dates being moved forward.

“I think they should return it to March, don’t rush anything. There’s a bad tendency for your diploma to get all up in your face, and that is easily remedied by slowing down and giving students more time to think things through,” said Poynter.

Some believe that it is a better idea to have the date in January.

“This is my first year registering in high school, so I don’t know any different,” said freshman Trevor Mason. “In March everyone is so excited about spring break and no one wants to worry about their classes. It’s easier to have us sign up now.”

Despite the strong feelings from some of the students, the new registration schedule has more positive than negative outcomes.

“I think a majority of students know what they’re interested in and what classes they want to take going into high school. It shouldn’t be too big of a change for them, and it will overall benefit their parents,” said Voelker.

Peter Hyle

Junior Collin Jackson discovers his talents

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By Peter Hyle

Coming to a school as large as FC may give some new students a reason to be shy and unsure of themselves. There are so many programs available that it can often be hard finding the right path, but for junior Collin Jackson, he knew exactly where he belonged. Joining the theater program at the start of this school year, Jackson has already found himself a lead role.

Knowing that he wanted to participate in theater, Jackson started the new school year with determination.

“He always comes in prepared, learns music quickly, and when he doesn’t know something very well, he practices extremely hard to get better at it,” said theater teacher Robbie Steiner.

Though he has previously acted in plays, such as The Music Man, Jackson is ecstatic about the role he has obtained in the upcoming show, Godspell.

“For each show, all the actors interested have to audition in front of the directors. In this particular case, the show is a classroom project, so only the students in the musical theater class were allowed to audition,” said Jackson.

For the new show, Jackson is playing the role of Jesus himself.

“The role I play has a fairly large amount of lines. He has to be a leader to the rest of the cast, which is different from how I usually am,” said Jackson.

Though the role has obvious challenges, Jackson recognizes this and concerns himself with doing the best job he can.

“The responsibility involved is finding how to display to the audience that my character is both authoritative and friendly. Basically, I just want to make sure I’m doing my job really well, otherwise the whole point of the show could be missed,” said Jackson.

In the past, Jackson has spent time with a program called iTheatrics, a summer workshop in New York. Giving him the motivation to continue forward with his passion, he looks back on his time there as a helpful reminder.

“It gave me some confidence in what I was doing and brought a lot of reality into theatre for me,” said Jackson.

Aside from the positive outlook added to his theatre career, Jackson credits the program for much more than that.

“The program I was involved with encouraged me to make choices, and to look beyond what lines are directly stating. As a whole, the trip was a boost. It helped me to decide that theatre is what I want to do,” said Jackson.

Looking past what lies in front of him, Jackson is optimistic about his future here at FC.

“Even though I’ve only been here for a short amount of time, I have grown to know so many people and I truly feel accepted,” said Jackson, “I appreciate each individual involved in theatre, and cannot wait to see how the rest of my experience here turns out.”

A&E, Peter Hyle

Latest Disney animation goes beyond expectations

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By Peter Hyle

For years, Disney has been known for their warm and lighthearted animations. Being the 52nd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Wreck-It Ralph seems to be keeping up the tradition. With the constant blasts of noise, color and laughter, the film is a true “feel good” movie that continues to impress.

The story centers around the rebellious arcade game villain, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly), who one day hopes to be a hero. In pursuit of his dream, he travels through multiple games throughout the arcade via plug-in cords.  On his journey, he runs into multiple characters from other games in the arcade, including Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) and Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch), and inadvertently poses a dire threat to the entire arcade.

Along with the nostalgic feel throughout the entire film, there are some serious twists that caught me off guard. There are intense, heart-breaking scenes that aren’t expected from a Disney movie. Filled with moments that can make you laugh and frown, this movie goes way beyond my expectations.

With stimulating, colorful animation for children, and an interesting plot and character developments for adults, anyone can easily enjoy Wreck-It Ralph. Obviously, director Rich Moore was determined to give the film an authentic feel to it, adding real characters from real video games, making it even more enjoyable for older gamers.

As for the box office, Wreck-It Ralph was a definite hit, grossing over 127 million worldwide so far. On opening day, the film hit an above average mark of 13.5 million.  As for the opening weekend all together, the movie topped the box office at 49 million dollars. This was the largest debut for Walt Disney Animation Studios since Tangled’s 48.8 million dollar opening.

But this isn’t the end for the character Wreck-It Ralph since Disney announced a tie-in game based on the film for the Wii, Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo 3DS. A game was also released as an app for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. As if that wasn’t enough, Disney recently released browser-based versions of some of the featured arcade games in the movie, Sugar Rush and Hero’s Duty on their new official website.

As for a sequel, Moore has stated in an interview that he and Disney have ideas about another movie. Whether a sequel is released or not, the movie Wreck-It Ralph is a clever, familiar Disney movie that has impressed me more than I thought it would. This movie casts a very wide net and attracts an audience of all ages. Based on my experience, a movie as well put together as this one will not disappoint.

Features, Peter Hyle

Sophomore Madeline Coffey pursues theater dream career

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By Peter Hyle

Standing on stage in front of hundreds, sophomore Madeline Coffey sings as loudly and clearly as she possibly can. Having a love for theater, performing comes naturally to her. Coffey’s enthusiasm for theater arts is palpable as she goes over her countless lines.

“I have such a passion for singing, as well as acting,” said Coffey, “I can’t imagine my life without theater.”

Thankful for their helpfulness, Coffey’s family provides a tremendous amount of encouragement.

“Words can’t even express how much they support me. They’re at every single show and concert. All the love and support I get from them is truly unbelievable,” said Coffey.

Showing signs at an early age, Coffey’s family realized her love for performing.

“I remember when she was in a kindergarten talent show she stood on her head in front of everyone, in a patriotic costume, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance,” said mother Suzanne Coffey.

But her first major performance came later in her life.

Sophomore Madeline Coffey goes through her lines for “The Music Man” at last week’s play practice.
Photo by Keevin Sakai.

“When I was younger, I had a friend who was into theater and she asked me if I would like to come and audition for a play called Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Colored Dreamcoat at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre. And that actually turned out to be my first big performance,” said Coffey.

After Joseph, Coffey realized how much she loved being on stage.

“That first show was a lot of fun, but my passion for it started when a few prominent people gave me a lot of applause and encouragement,” said Coffey.

For Coffey, she could not ask for a better program to help her gain experience in this field than FC’s.

“It [the FC theater department] is a family. I’ve gotten so close to everyone, and they’re all just so supportive.”

Generally, the upperclassmen gain the lead roles due to their experience in the school plays.

“I don’t think age or experience should be an indicator of the part someone gets,” said Coffey. “It’s all about your talent and perseverance. You just have to fit the role.”

Coffey has fit a countless number of notable roles in her few years here at FC, including the Ghost of Christmas Past in The Christmas Carol and Kate Keller in The Miracle Worker.

As for her future, Coffey is confident that theater will be a major part of it.

“I would absolutely love to turn this into a career,” she said. “I’m not sure which field, but there’s nothing I would love more. It’s actually kind of scary to think about not doing it.”

Coffey could not be happier with her time spent on stage, and she only hopes to gain more talent and experience as she continues to pursue her passion in theater.

“Even if I wasn’t a lead, that wouldn’t discourage my longing to perform.”

Features, Peter Hyle

Freshman artist gains inspiration from family

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By Peter Hyle

Freshman Julia Bays stares at a blank sheet of paper as her mind searches for something to draw. Starting out slowly, she sketches the picture in her mind. With art being such a big part of her from an early age, a life without her talent seems unimaginable.

“I started drawing ever since I picked up a pencil; it just came naturally to me,” said Bays.

With a family full of talented artists, it is hard not to pick up an interest for art. Gaining all kinds of encouragement and inspiration, Bays’s family plays a crucial role in her own artwork.

“I give her a lot of advice and tips,” said Bays’s older sister, sophomore Olivia Bays. “I like to raise the bar and challenge her with all of her art.”

Despite the support she receives from her entire family, there is only one person who is credited for her initial spark in art.

“My dad is an artist and he is my idol. He really inspires me and makes me want to be as good as him one day,” said Bays.

In the past, Bays’ artwork has helped create new friendships, and even strengthened existing ones.

“I really like how she can take a lot of different artist’s styles and use them in her own, unique way,” said sophomore Dakota Arnold.

Not only with friends, but family as well.

“She encourages me with my artwork, too,” said Olivia, “We collaborate a lot and share some ideas and styles.”

Because art is so important to her, the strong arts department at FC mean a lot to her.

“I really enjoy the art program, because at my old middle school, we didn’t even have one,” said Bays. “There’s so much to do here with my art.”

In the future, Bays plans on taking advantage of the classes offered.

“I’m only in Intro to Art right now, but I hope to take drawing and painting classes for the rest of my years here,” said Bays.

Not only does she have plans to use her talent in high school, but she hopes to use it in the years following.

“I think it would be amazing to draw for children’s books, or short animations,” said Bays.

Bays’s passion for drawing is evident in every picture she creates. Whether she’s sketching something out in class, or at home working on every last detail, her artwork plays a huge role in her life.

“Drawing helps me express myself,” said Bays. “It’s my life.”