October 2008

The Bolt Edsel Ford High School Dearborn,MI

Gas Goes Down “Unified” Banquets?

By AMBER KOLTS

T
By MIKE BOETTGER and LAUREN VALLEE—EDITORIAL

T
he decline of gas prices has finally arrived as hur- he newest bright idea of the Booster Club is cer-
ricane season ends and oil prices drop.
tainly causing a stir among
Just last month, gas was hitting record high
prices of $4.19.These days their dropping down to about Edsel Ford’s athletic commu-
$2.88 a gallon, more than a dollar less. nity—most importantly, the decision to
“I pay $10 less than I did last month to fill up my car,” combine sports banquets has not gone
said Rosie Hartshorn, 12. over well with most athletes.
Researchers are saying this could be one of the largest Ever since most students can remember,
drops in history. The average sports teams celebrated their banquets in the
price has dropped below $3 a cafeteria with their sport only. This year, a new
gallon in seven states: Iowa, policy instituted by the administration and the Booster Club has forced
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, teams to deviate from tradition in an effort to support school unity.
Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma. This fall, there will be three banquets, and three banquets only—one
In these states gas was selling for boys’ sports, one for girls’, and
for $2.83 a gallon, on average. one for football and cheerlead-
Gasoline is highest in Alaska, ing. The teams will all eat together
at $4.133 a gallon, with Hawaii (catered food), listen to a few words
at $4.079 the only other state from our principal and Athletic
above $4 a gallon. Director, acknowledge general team
“I almost peed my pants when it accomplishments, and then split off
cost only 30 dollars to fill up my car!” said Nina Toupin, to designated areas in the school (i.e.
12. the auditorium, media center, etc.) for individual team awards.
Crude oil plunged to a 13-month low on Friday, Oct. Boys’ soccer, boys’ tennis, girls’ and boys’ cross country were com-
3. Dropping down from $88.89 to bined—the girls’ cross country team was added to the boys’ banquet to
$77.49 a barrel. That’s a far cry keep both cross country teams together. Girls’ field hockey, volleyball,
from the $147.27 a barrel seen in swimming, and golf also have a combined
July. The lower the price of crude banquet, while the football team and the cheer-
oil, the less we will pay at the leaders have to change nothing—they get their
pump. The co-founder of a gas own banquet, same as previous years.
monitoring website, Jason Toews, “The banquets were combined to share the
predicts that gas prices could drop success of all the student-athletes with the
down to $2.50 by the end of the rest of the students,” said Mr. Picano, Athletic
year. Director.
With the prices continuing to What Mr. Picano said is very true. It’s
go down, more people will be able nice to let other people know your accomplishments, but let’s be honest
to afford more important things. here—when athletes attend their banquets, it’s supposed to be all about
For example, more food can be them. It’s not necessarily that they don’t care about the other sports, but
purchased during a grocery shopping trip, or doing more they’re eager to get to their own awards, not listen to how well the other
family oriented activities. This is a hard time for our teams did. That’s what newspaper articles and morning announcements
economy and these changes are helpful to those that are are for.
struggling. continued on page 4
NHS Helps Out pg. 2 Blue Division Champs pg. 5

College Help pg. 3 Change is on the Way pg. 7

 Current Events
october 2008 Edsel Ford High School Page 2

Depression or Not?
By RANA ALHADI—EDITORIAL
Sight Fright
I W
By KAFAH HUSSIEN
s history repeating itself?
From our economy causing many cuts in programs to its many
hat is better than the gift of sight?
Edsel Ford’s National Honor Society
failures in stocks, it seems like we are heading towards a second
(NHS) is participating in a charity event col-
Great Depression.
lecting old or used eyeglasses or prescription sunglasses.
Right now we are facing the worst economic conditions since the
The collected eyeglasses will go to people in Africa
1930s. About 9,000 banks failed in the U.S. during the Great Depres-
and the needy. No, NHS is not going to give them broken
sion.
glasses; LensCrafters has offered to “work their magic”
How many banks will fail in today’s economy? Are we in a
and restore the glasses.
depression, and how long will it last? These questions are running
“It’s awesome that Edsel Ford is participating in this
non-stop in our minds and more questions are sure to come.
charity because I know that I need my glasses and this is
Just when the people have begun to have faith in the banks once
going to help the people who need glasses so much,” says
again, our economy heads back to the past reminding the people of
Roxy Musaad, 12.
their losses during the Great Depression.
NHS members will be responsible for collecting the
Even with the new Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
glasses. All glasses are due by Oct. 31, and in honor of
plan, which is increasing the FDIC deposit insurance coverage to
Halloween the fundraiser has been named Sight Fright.
insure the people’s money is safe if there is a bank failure.
So get up and search for some old glasses and help a
I do not think that people will trust the banks, after what happened
person see the world more clearly.
to their parents and grandparents during the Great Depression.
Members of Edsel Ford’s NHS have always been
The FDIC is a federal agency that insures deposits in the savings
volunteers around the community and this year is no
accounts of qualifying banks. But is this agency really able to insure
exception. Upcoming events include raising money for an
every savings account?
animal shelter and gift wrapping at Barnes and Noble.
By having a deposit insurance of $250,000 rather than $100,000,
it is not possible for the FDIC to insure every depositor’s deposit.
However, this FDIC plan is a good start to head our economy to
recovery and away from recession.

By MAY ASKAR
Rollie Pollie Invasion
E
dsel Ford High School has been recently invaded by Ar- most, it probably isn’t.
madillidium Vulgars. “It bothers me when I hear the ‘crunch crunch’ when the kids
Most of us know them as rollie pollies, pill bugs, or pass through the hall,” said Mrs. Reiter.
sow bugs. They are now roaming the halls of Edsel Ford and are These Armadillidium Vulgars feed on fungi, live or dead
calling C-Hall their new home. I find it to be incredibly funny plants and animals.
that their only in one Why are they in our hallways? They must have their reasons,
hall,” says Hanan Murshed, but we’re not sure why.
10. Their habitats are usually in damp places during the day, and
If you don’t know they are active during the night.
what they are, you have One of our security
probably spotted them in guards, Marlo, heard
our halls. Armadillidium that the school may use
Vulgars have a light an organic tuniper plant
Rollie Pollies in Edsel’s hallway
shell-like exterior that is from Southeast Asia to
usually a draby earth color, and they are famous for curling up get rid of these bugs.
into a tight ball as a defense mechanism. They have a life span of The custodians knew
five years. nothing about this.
Though it may be humorous watching the little bugs try to It is still Edsel
make it from one side of the hallway to the next, is it sanitary? To Ford’s little mystery. Pill Bug
 Current Events
october 2008 Edsel Ford High School Page 3

80-20 Impact On Students

T
By DANIELLE AGUIRRE
he current change in the grad-
ing policy at Edsel has students
distraught over the decline of
their GPAs.
The new policy requires that 80
percent of a student’s overall grade is
summative and 20 percent is forma-
tive. The summative grades are made
up of assignments evaluating what one
has learned. In contrast, the formative
grades consist of the everyday work that
a student does.
For example, now that 80 percent of
a student’s grade depends on test scores,
while only 20 percent of a student’s
grade is based on homework, so
students now have to rely on tests and
quizzes more than they have in the past.
“It affected my history grade the
most. Last year, I used to just get by
when I took tests and quizzes, but I
relied on homework to keep my grades
up,” says Abatesam Elmathil, 11.
Certain teachers have noticed that
not only do students rely on homework,
but other people’s homework. Students
are going to have to change their work
ethic and study habits to improve scores
on tests and quizzes, or in other words
be more productive because tests make
more of an impact on grades.
“It’s an experiment, and we just have
to see how they do,” says Mrs. Sullivan.
“I’m probably the minority, but I don’t
have a problem with it.”
Grades can change dramatically
and that’s why most students and some
teachers dislike the new system.
“I don’t like it because it’s bringing
my grades down. Not a lot, but enough.
I’m just worried it’s going to affect my
GPA. I have to keep a 3.5 to stay in the
National Honors Society,” says Stepha-
nie Jefferies, 11.
Some students have said that the
summative-formative grading could
also have a negative effect because they
might start asking themselves, “Why
even do homework if it’s such a small
part of my grade?”
“I don’t really like it because it
makes kids not want to do their home-
work or feel like they have to. It’s such
a low percentage now; it’s like what’s
the point?” said Christian Ryan, 11.
Some students are saying that instead
of getting more students to study and do
well on tests, this new grading policy
will encourage more and more students
to decide to neglect their homework.
Although some students view the
new system as something negative,
other students say this new way of grad-
ing will change the way they prepare for
tests.
Now studying and retaining informa-
tion is becoming the main focus. The
emphasis is on what is learned instead
of just doing the work.

Application Anxiety
C
By HANAN MURSHED
ollege is the number one priority for most seniors, but it Second is by scholarship, which you must earn or be eligible
still is a challenge all students will face. for. To see if you are eligible for any scholarships, visit these
Some of us are wondering if we will get accepted to websites: www.wiredscholar.com,
the college of our choice but for others it’s a question of how to www.scholarships.com, or www.
pay for college. fastweb.com. If you apply for a
Seniors should be prepared to guard against disappointments. scholarship online, and you are
It really does help to have one’s paperwork in order and a backup asked to pay for it—it is a scam.
plan. Don’t be surprised when filling out an application that Watch out for those, there are a
you’ll need to write a check for an application fee ranging from lot out there.
$30 to $60. Try not to waste time and get your applications in as Last is by work
soon as possible. study, which is a pro-
There are two ways to submit your application: online or by gram that gives students
mail. If you do submit your application online, then you need to the chance of working
tell your counselor to send any required tests scores and tran- and making more mon-
scripts. ey than normal employees. For example, the government pays for
That sounds simple, but paying for college might be a bigger the extra money, so if McDonald’s hires a work study student and
problem. There are three ways to pay for college. a normal employee they will actually pay the work study student
One of your options is to pay by loan; you could apply for a less, so the business benefits. But don’t get excited, your check
private loan or see what is available from your college. You will goes directly towards your college payments.
repay your loans by paying after graduation with low interest. For Application deadlines are approaching quickly. Don’t be afraid
financial aid, your parents can fill out FAFSA after Jan. 1. The to ask your counselors questions because they are here to help
money received is based on your parents’ income. and refer you to the best possible options.
 october 2008
Sports
Edsel Ford High School Page 4

Combined Sports Banquets continued from page 1

Banquets are already too long for most peoples’ liking. Now
they will take forever to finish—let’s add three more teams to any
given banquet, and now instead of a two-hour banquet, we get to
experience a three-hour ordeal.
There are points that can be argued for or against combining
banquets, but here is the thing that everyone somehow for-
got—what do the athletes actually want? For some reason, the
decisions were made to combine the banquets without even ask-
ing the opinion of the athletes. We were simply informed of the
switch, not asked whether or not the idea appealed to us.
Correct us if we’re wrong, but isn’t the Booster Club supposed
to support the athletes? It sure doesn’t feel that way when we’re
being told that we have to give up our traditions for something
that they have deemed to be necessary. If combining banquets
makes the administration and soccer moms happy, but upsets the
athletes themselves, then what have we achieved here? We’ve
stepped back from unity, not towards it.
This year, the field hockey team voted on whether to have the
banquet here with the other teams, or to have a separate banquet
without the other sports—not one person voted to attend the
combined banquet.
However, the team was told that exclusion from the combined
banquet is “non-negotiable.” However, the Boosters were, in
fact, open to incorporating some traditions into the combined
banquet instead (seniors eat first, etc). So basically, we’ll throw
you a couple bones, but you’re stuck with the combined banquet
whether you like it or not.
And so the teams will force themselves to attend the combined
banquet and make the best of it. If we were shooting for unity,
we’re sorry to say that it’s too little, too late.

Student-Athlete Reaction to “Unified” Banquets

“The unified banquet takes away from the
team unity that the individual sports teams
work on building all season—however,
this does not apply to the football team,
because they have a larger team and are
more important that all the other teams. I
was looking forward to my last volleyball
banquet, but now that half the school is
invited, I am absolutely dreading it. My
only hope now is that others feel the same
way I do, so that future banquets will not
have to be held this way.”
—Michelle Gaedke, 12, volleyball
“The banquet should be about cel-
ebrating team accomplishments, and a
separate banquet for each team would
help strengthen the bond that is created
between teammates during the season.”
—Drew Wydendorf, 12, tennis
“Every sport should be separated.”
—Raven Dunn, 11, cross country
“I think the combined banquet promotes
unity and school spirit. Although I’m
not personally affected by the change, I
believe it’s a good idea.”
—Cindy Wan, 12, cheerleading
“Parents with both a daughter and son in
fall sports are going to end up paying a
ton of money to attend multiple ban-
quets, especially if they bring relatives.
Twelve dollars per person is a bit much.”
—Leah Boileau, 11, cross country
“Our team has grown so close this season, and
our banquets have so many traditions. We want
to end our season together, and the seniors es-
pecially want to continue the traditions that our
previous teammates have enjoyed.”
—Amanda Roush, 12, field hockey
“All sports banquets have their traditions, and
many athletes that I have spoken with, along
with myself, feel that the combined banquet is
intruding on our traditions. Edsel has always
been a school that is dedicated to tradition—
why change it now?”
—Kelly Mihalik, 12, swimming
“I don’t like that the banquets are set up
this way my senior year. We split off for
each team’s individual awards, so how are
we supposed to learn about other sports,
if that was the whole point of unifying the
banquets? It’s really unnecessary to change
things up on us now.”
—Jeanine Connell, 12, cross country
“The combined banquets are a
terrible idea—I just want to be
with my team. The only good
thing about it is more food for
everyone.”
—Stephen Eads, 12, soccer
“Our team has grown and suc-
ceeded together, and at the end of
the season, we want to celebrate
together. We support the other
fall sports teams, but we want to
dedicate our banquet to only our
team.”
—Annika Doner, 12, field
hockey
“I think that the combined banquet
is a good idea, and I like how you
can recognize other sports’ accom-
plishments.”
—Holly Tebelman, 12, golf
“The concept of a unified banquet
is an overall bad idea—it will be
expensive, time consuming, and
crowded. As if banquets weren’t
bad enough already!
—Jordan Hunt, 12, soccer
 october 2008
Sports Edsel Ford High School
Worth the League Champs
Wait
By MEGAN FILIPOWSKI and GABBY TOUPIN
The Edsel Ford football team tied with
Inkster to win its first league championship
T
since 1993.
he Edsel Ford girls’ volleyball team
By ALYSSA GIRARDI
ended an exciting season by winning their
T
league. o lose a Mega Blue
After tryouts ended the newly formed team entered their championship football
first tournament at the University of Michigan–Dearborn game is one thing, but to
and they placed third, the first time the team has placed in a forfeit it is absolutely embar-
tournament in years. The team also placed third in their last rassing.
tournament before the district tournament. There were many questions
“I knew when we put the team together that they had raised as to why Highland Park
lots of talent, but they should have won [the tournament],” High School decided not show
said head coach Donna Schleif. up to the football game against
This year’s team is comprised of three seniors, seven the Thunderbirds on Oct. 10.
juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman. The team has Athletic Director Mr. Picano
a record of ten wins and two losses. They started off the received a call just a few hours
season with a win, beating a tough Gibraltar Carlson team. before game time confirming
The wins would continue to add up after that. the suspicions that the opposing
“[My favorite moment was] beating Gibraltar Carlson team would not be attending.
in the first game. It was like feeling holy crap we brought it The coaches chose not to
and we won,” said Melinda Daniell, 12. tell the football players that
The team accomplished a great feat, winning their Highland Park said they would
league. It is the first league win in over a decade. not come, riding on the slight
“[This is] one of the best teams we’ve had in a long chance that the team was bluff-
time. If we decide we want to do it, we will,” said Schleif. ing to mess with our players’
The district tournament is right around the corner and heads.
the girls could be playing cross-town rivals Dearborn High “We wanted to still be
in their first game. Senior captains Megan Filipowski and prepared for what we needed to
Michelle Gaedke are encouraging their team to do their do,” says Picano.
best and leave the court after the District tournament with So why did the team not
no regrets. come? Was the forfeit due to
“I know that we can win districts and our league. It’s fearfulness of losing, as many
been my best season so far,” said junior Danielle Cowart. Edsel players would like you
to think? Or was it something
as simple as bus trouble that
prevented them from getting to
the game?
After some investigation, it
turned out that Highland Park
coach, Cedric Dortch, can-
celled the varsity match due to
students breaking the code of
conduct in the form of hazing.
“I guess the horse play-
ing went too far. Like I told
them last night: ‘If playing
The team celebrates after getting a point on a kill
Page 5
for the conference champion-
ship wasn’t enough for you
not to horse around and violate
student-conduct rules, you don’t
deserve to represent Highland
Park in no form whatsoever,”
Dortch told the Detroit Free
Press.
As far as the Edsel Ford
football team goes, they were
undoubtedly disappointed about
the game being cancelled, es-
pecially since there is only one
contest a week.
Although some players can-
not help but to feel that the title
was handed to them, earning a
conference championship title is
certainly still a major accom-
plishment.
“Well it feels great to be
Mega Blue champs. Even
though Highland Park didn’t
show up it, it doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t have gotten the title.
We worked hard throughout
the season to be put into the
position to win it,” says Sean
Haight, 11.
Dortch now claims that the
incident was not as serious as
they initially thought, and the
hazing victim failed to suffer
from any critical harm.
Even though there is no way
to get that missed game back,
Highland Park will try to re-
deem themselves in the playoffs
while Edsel Ford finishes the
season off strong and heads into
the post-season with a brag-
worthy title.
 october 2008
Editorials Edsel Ford High School Page 6

Paying to Participate
By LAUREN VALLEE—EDITORIAL

W
hen budgets are tight, pay-to-participate costs and In addition, Student Council and National Honor Society are
activity fees seem to continuously rise, and once again NOT charged the activity fee, along with French, German, and
the heaviest financial burden to bear has been given to Spanish NHS.
the most involved students. During my freshman year, the fee to be a part of International
The sports and activities fees this year are as follows: A $150 Club was a whopping $3. International Club does not charge the
flat rate for sports only, no matter how many a student plays, a activity fee, but Edsel
$200 fee for sports plus academic activities, like after school Ford clubs like Lit Mag A $150 flat rate for
clubs and organizations, and a $75 fee for academic activities and Drama are; these
only. Each family has a maximum of $350. activities contribute to our sports only, no mat-
This new setup does benefit some students, specifically those school pride, and involve- ter how many a student
who play multiple sports. Last year, it was $100 per sport, with a ment may drop because of
$250 maximum fee per student. This year, with a one-time pay- the new fees.
plays, a $200 fee for
ment of $150, many students save. Also, most ninth grad- sports plus academic ac-
Keep in mind that every club at Edsel has certain requirements ers are shy and somewhat tivities, like after school
for members—for example, National Honor Society students reluctant to get involved
must pay a $10 fee, since it is a nationally recognized society that in the first place—they clubs and organiza-
collects dues. The following list reflects the clubs/activities that aren’t sure if they will like tions, and a $75 fee for
require the $75 “academic activities” fee that is collected by the a new club or sport, or if
district—for the record, this policy was not created by the Edsel their friends will be in it,
academic activities only.
Ford administration. and a high price tag may Each family has a maxi-
The activities that students must pay for are as follows (some ultimately be the deciding mum of $350.
are clubs that Edsel Ford does not offer): BPA (Business Profes- factor.
sionals of America), DECA, HOSA, Photography Club, Debate, We can only hope that
Drama, Intramurals, Model UN, Chess, Challenge Bowl, MOOT the new fees don’t shatter our school spirit.
Court, and Literary Magazine.
The following are considered classes, and are NOT charged: For more information, feel free to speak with Mrs.
Choral Music, Instrumental Music, Ignite, Yearbook, and News- Noland, our Student Activity Administrator, or Mr.
taff.
Picano, for questions regarding athletic fees.
Clubs with Activity Fee
BPA (Business Professionals of America) Clubs without Activity Fee
DECA
Choral Music
HOSA
Instrumental Music
Photography Club
Ignite
Debate
Yearbook
Drama
Newstaff
Intramurals
Student Council
Model UN
National Honors Society
Chess
French National Honors Society
Challenge Bowl
Spanish National Honors Society
MOOT Court
German National Honors Society
Literary Magazine
 october 2008
Editorials
Is Change on the Way?
By DEANNA SULEIMAN—EDITORIAL
W
e need change.
There is no other way to put
it. From our economy quickly
going downhill, to the
nearly impossible to get
healthcare, and foreign
policy on the forefront.
No matter who our
president is, our country
needs a leader to care
more about our nation
and its many troubles
rather than trashing his
political opponent.
But it seems to me
that John McCain is
more interested in at-
tacking Barack Obama
in desperation than focusing on significant
issues that really matter to Americans.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that presi-
dential candidates are supposed to point
out the flaws of their opponents, but being
so disrespectful as to refer to your oppo-
nent as “that one” in a presidential debate
is going too far.
Senator McCain with all years of ex-
perience that he loves to publicize should
know better. His on-going personal attacks
on Barack Obama are uncalled for and not
in good taste.
Cheat Now, Pay Later
F
By LINDSAY FINNERTY—EDITORIAL
rom plagiarism, forbidden col-
laboration on assignments, copying
homework and cheating on exams,
statistics show that cheating among high
school students has risen dramatically dur-
ing the past 50 years.
The question is do students think it’s
acceptable to cheat?
Honesty and integrity are not only
values, but should be habits to students. In
high school, cheating is looked down upon
and if caught is usually disciplined for, but
students still keep copying and are getting
away with the bad behavior.
“I know that all throughout high school
Edsel Ford High School
To add fuel to the fire, he did not once
mention the majority of those suffering—
the middle class—during the Oct. 7 presi-
dential debate. Maybe he was
too busy preparing himself to
debate whether or not Obama’s
middle name has anything to
do with Muslim extremists. His
constant eye rolls and smirks
during the Oct. 15 debate were
disrespectful and didn’t
help him in the polls or in
winning the debate.
So why do it? Why
make automated phone
calls to states and rant-
ing about Obama’s ties
with “terrorists” instead
of about his tax or healthcare plan?
If McCain loves being the underdog
so much, he should stay there instead
of constantly looking for flaws in
Obama that have nothing to do with
issues negatively affecting Ameri-
cans.
Barack Obama had several opportu-
nities to make personal attacks on John
McCain and his running mate, Sarah
Palin. From Palin’s rumored “witchcraft”
to McCain’s involvement with “Keating
Five” to Cindy McCain’s drug addiction,
I have cheated on tests and homework, but
only when I was having a hard time with
the work,” says an unknown source.
If you are a student who has been
cheating your way through high school let
me give you a little reality check. YOU
WONT GET AWAY WITH IT IN COL-
LEGE! You’re not helping yourself in any
way. You’re only hurting your chances
of getting a real education. Colleges and
universities are becoming stricter and
coming down harder on students who
think they can cheat their way through the
system. If caught cheating some actions
by the university may include: a warning,
Page 7
Obama could have used any of those
things in his favor. But I guess he under-
stands that our country is in just in too bad
of shape to focus on such personal things
that have nothing to do with the suffering
of Americans.
I truly respect John McCain and all that
he has done for our country. But he has no
right to make accusations that don’t have
any real basis and aren’t tangible.
John McCain
should put his
experience too
good use and
think about ways
to improve our
country, rather
than researching
his links to Pastor
Jeremiah Wright
when he once
called addressing
that subject “out
of bounds.”
I am not en-
dorsing any candidate, but I am endorsing
fair, respectful campaigning. My hopes are
that who ever our president is will focus
more on the crisis our economy is facing,
rather than the backgrounds of those he is
against.
probation, suspension from the university
for a designated period, or even expulsion
from the university.
“I don’t cheat on anything. When
I cheat I don’t feel like I am learning
anything and I know that it wont help me
with my future education,” says Dakota
Joseph,10.
So to all the students at Edsel Ford
who think cheating is okay and you think
your being sneaky and getting away with
it. Keep it up and see what happens when
you’re on your own and don’t have any-
body to cheat off of. It’s only going to hurt
you in the long run.
 October 2008
Features Edsel Ford High School Page 8
STAFF
Sex is a Killer 2008

A
By MEGAN FILIPOWSKI Chief
n African child dies every 30 Another part of our mission was to set up a Rydzik
medical clinic. One day I worked in the clinic and Editors in Chief
seconds from malaria—just think
saw a woman who was living with AIDS. She Megan Filipowski
that’s two kids every minute, 120 could barely move a muscle and the disease had Lauren Vallee
kids an hour and 2,880 kids a day. really progressed. Sadly, she will probably not live Copy Editor
As a technologically advanced nation, we have to see the end of the year. Deanna Suleiman
medical benefits that allow us to do the small Here, we have the technology to live with Managing Editor
AIDS. The best example is Magic Johnson. He has Lindsay Finnerty
been living with AIDS for over a decade and has Sports Editor
been given the chance to live life to the fullest. Amber Kolts
However, people in Zambia may not be so Layout
lucky. In 2007, there were 600,000 AIDS orphans. Rana Alhadi. Megan Filip-
These kids are forced to live out on the street with owski, Donovan Golich
no parent influence and are at risk of spreading the Reporters
disease to others. Danielle Aguirre, May
The medical developments in the United States Askar, Mike Boettger,
cannot compare to anything that they have in Af- Bianca Chiaravalli, Emilee
rica. Minor aches and pains are cured with some Curran, Alyssa Girardi,
Tylenol or Ibuprofen. In the villages of Zambia, Kafah Hussien, Safa Kaid,
they don’t have access to that, and the daily minor Andrew Lyon, Cari Moore,
One Zambia, One Nation, One Man, One Wife aches turn into major medical issues—even poten- Hanan Murshed, Gabby
things, like curing aches and pains, all the way to tially fatal ones. We supplied people with medi- Toupin, Nina Toupin, Scott
the big things, like brain surgery; however, there cine for these aches and pains, and the amount Werth
are places that can’t do these things.
In Zambia, if one has a serious injury or dis-
would last about two weeks before the pain would
return.
MISSION
ease, the medical costs are outrageous, and if the
injury is really bad, one has to be flown out of the
STATEMENT
The Bolt staff is commit-
country. ted to bring the Edsel Ford
Going into the trip, we were debriefed about student body and adminis-
how Zambia is a nation that faces an AIDS epi- tration newsworthy articles
demic. The first reported case of AIDS in Zambia that will inform, educate,
was in 1984, and since then, more and more cases and entertain in a reliable
have been reported. Zambia has a population of and timely fashion while
almost 11 million, and more than one in seven maintaining the district-
adults is living with AIDS. wide core values, and con-
As part of the trip, the youth team went on tributing to the overall pride
trips to the schools to talk to the kids about Jesus, Sex Kills Sign at Kosonga School of our school.
but what I discovered was that the faculty of the Doctors, hospitals, and medicine are all things Editorial Policy for Letters
schools focuses on saving their students’ lives. At that we are lucky to have around. Edsel is around to the Editors
one of the schools, painted on the wall was a sign the corner from a hospital that could take care of The Bolt welcomes your
that bluntly said, “SEX KILLS.” This is because any one of us if we were to get hurt. Take advan- opinions on stories or
17 percent of people aged 15 to 49 have contract- tage of that, because there are people that would editorials featured within
ed AIDS or HIV. love to be able to treat their symptoms and bad the paper. The editorial staff
Another AIDS prevention idea that I noticed health. reserves the right to print
was placing a box of condoms in the public bath- Just think that in the time that it took to read and to edit letters. Authors
room in the hotel that we were staying in. It was this article another three to four children in Africa of edited letters will be con-
the first thing that we noticed, and anyone was died from malaria. tracted before final printing.
free to take them. Anonymous letters will not
be accepted