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In This Issue: Vandals destroy display Brittany Hughes Students divided: dissection Alison Kemp Page One workshops Page One ________________________________________	August 29, 2005
	Howland graduates worked hard on display that was destroyed by vandals By Brittany Hughes Lydia France estimates she put 75 hours into the Girl Scout Gold Award project she worked on with Becky Rosenblum. The girls, both 18-year-old graduates of Howland High School, created a display in Howland Township Park. Rosenblum sketched a map of the Howland Wetlands Trail; France researched and drew the eight most common birds seen along the trail. They also made brochures for hikers to take with them on the trail. Approximately two weeks after the display was unveiled, vandals destroyed it. ‘‘I was really disappointed that someone would do that,’’ Rosenblum said. ‘‘I put so many hours into the project.’’ Vandals took a hammer to the Plexiglas, tore out the map and bird poster beneath it and used the papers as fuel for a fire. Since then, a new version of the project has been put on display at the Howland Township Administration building, and the girls have become involved in park surveillance. ‘‘My dad and I went to a meeting (of the park trustees),’’ France said. ‘‘There’s going to be a park watch group.’’ Cameras have also been installed in the park. France said the park watch group was a collective idea between her and her father and the trustees. The girls’ parents helped them come up with the idea for their project. ‘‘My mom found the project, and we decided to do it,’’ Rosenblum said. Rosenblum said she decided to make a map because she wanted to do something ‘‘informational.’’ ‘‘I thought a map would be just great,’’ she said. France’s dad thought up the idea to draw the birds. France, who will attend Capital University for art therapy and art education, wanted to do a project using her art skills. In addition to the drawings, France included information on the brochures about what the birds eat, the trees they inhabit, their migratory patterns and what their calls sound like. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. To earn the award, scouts must earn four merit badges, and complete 30 hours of leadership and the senior challenge, a leadership award. The scout must then present her idea for a project to the Girl Scout council for approval. After completing the project, the scout will also inform the council about any problems or changes made. ‘‘Someone once described the Girl Scout Gold Award as being ‘what you really want to be remembered for’ in Girl Scouting,’’ says the Girl Scout Web site, www.girlscouts.org. “For many, the leadership skills, organizational skills, and sense of community and commitment that come from ‘going for the Gold’ set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship.’’ France said that before enacting the project, she and Rosenblum had to get permission from Darlene St. George, Howland Township Administrator, and the park trustees. St. George said she thought it was a great idea. ‘‘We’re always very excited when young people take an interest in making a contribution to the community,’’ she said. St. George said she was saddened to hear that the project had been destroyed. ‘‘We intend to prosecute the vandals to the fullest degree,’’ she said. No one has been caught in connection to the vandalism. Even though the project was destroyed, France thinks it was worth it. ‘‘I still have that experience,’’ she said. Back to Top _________________________________________________________________________ Students divided on dissection By Alison Kemp Howland High School students dissect fetal pigs, grasshoppers, birds, and sharks. Other schools, such as Hubbard High, have their students dissect cats. Victory Christian School students have participated in killing and stripping chickens before they are dissected. Some students feel that alternate methods, such as computerized dissections, should be available. Howland Junior Ross Greenwood said, ‘‘The systematic breeding and killing of animals is not a good thing, especially (since) many students don’t take dissections seriously.’’ He suggests that realistic models be used. John Leopardi, President of the Trumbull Humane Society, said that he is opposed to dissections. He said he loves animals and does not want to see them tortured. “Why cut open an animal just to see for yourself?’’ said Leopardi. He explained that the repetition of dissections is unnecessary and revolting. Jimmy Rawl, another Howland junior, said, ‘‘I feel that although it can be a fun and exciting experience to dissect an animal, it is unnecessary to kill that animal unless it is already terminally ill or better off given to science than alive.’’ ‘‘Besides, I’m sure it was exciting for Mengele to test twins,’’ said Rawl, ‘‘but does that make it OK?’’ he added, citing the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele who performed operations on twins in concentration camps during World War II, as an example. Leopardi shook his head while saying that he is a great believer in the right to life. He does not approve of experiments where the answer is already known. Yet many other students believe that dissections should continue. Howland junior Mike Smylie said, ‘‘Dissecting animals is not only something essential to biology, it is what biology is about. It doesn’t matter if you can recreate a dissection on a computer because only by truly experiencing a dissection can you understand the process at work.’’ Kelly Russ, a Howland junior, said, ‘‘I think that it is beneficial to dissect animals because it gives you a working idea of the body. It’s important to remember that it is an experiment and not a game. I also think that if a student, for any reason, feels that he can’t do a dissection, there should be an alternative.’’ Back to Top _________________________________________________________________________ Students invited to Page One workshops Page One WARREN Glenn Luther said that if it wasn’t for Page One, he would not have been on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court this month covering the John Roberts nomination. Luther, who was part of an international effort to help Afghanistan adjust to a free press, is covering the Roberts nomination as part of his graduate work at American University. He is one of many former Page One staff members who are making a mark in the journalism field, according to Tribune Chronicle Assistant Managing Editor Guy C. Coviello. Coviello said that tradition will continue when Page One restarts its journalism workshops at 6 p.m. Sept. 15. “We’ll meet dozens of new kids and there’s no doubt that a few of them will one day make significant strides in journalism and a few others will make their marks in other careers,’’ Coviello said. High school students interested in journalism, photography or simply improving their writing skills should attend the first meeting to be held at the newspaper’s office at 240 Franklin St. S.E. The Page One program offers a series of workshops held approximately two Thursday evenings per month. The workshops’ goal is to give teens the opportunity to be published in Page One. As the students progress, they may receive an invitation to join the Page One staff. Coviello named many past Page One staffers and their successes. Mark Cina is an editor at US magazine; Nick Kupensky is a Bucknell University tri-major and a Marshall Scholar nominee; Austin Trunick is a New York University student who wrote a play that received a favorable critique in the New York Times; Luis Sanchez is a two-time national collegiate photographer of the year and a photojournalist for the Santa Fe New Mexican; and Zachary Bako is a New York City artist. Coviello said future Page One staffers will emerge from the upcoming workshops. Parents are invited to the first meeting, which will last about one hour. The cost of joining is $20, though the newspaper waives the fee for anyone needing financial assistance. A schedule, more details about the program and a question-and-answer period will be held before students and parents make a decision about joining. Page One has been nationally recognized as one of the premier teen sections in the United States. Page One and the workshops together form the No. 1 teen journalism program in the United States, according to the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. Many past Page One staffers have obtained admissions into prestigious universities, college scholarships and internships. This year’s seven graduates received $200,000 in college scholarships. For more information, e-mail pageone@tribune-chronicle.com or call 330-841-1738. Back to Top _________________________________________________________________________

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