Just a day later,  Cory Crowe and Gabby Newell, received an honorable mention for their on-site broadcast package; Tyler Oman, Excellent for Sports; Anessa Blanco-Paiz, Excellent for News; and Elena Mendoza Honorable Mention for Features.
More than 3,000 students from high schools across the country gathered for the JEA / NSPA national spring convention where students attended workshops and competed in group and individual publication contests. The DVTV staff chooses a newscast of announcements, stories and projects, then saves it on a DVD and submits it to the convention officials. Judges watch and critique the shows, choosing the best to recognize at the Saturday awards ceremony.
“To prepare we looked at previous shows about a week out and started building what important aspects we wanted to include,” said Cory Crowe.

This is only the third time the DVTV staff has competed in the national competition, but they have climbed the latter of rankings as a team with each venture.
“The staffers focus really hard to put their best work on the air,” said adviser Michelle Coro. “The amount of time that is spent coming up with ideas and producing the show is a testament to how much these staffers care about what they do.”
The competition is based on a daily newscast submitted for review and judged onsite. Ten schools are recognized in the awards ceremony, but dozens more come to submit their newscasts. In the overall contests, hundreds of students compete with each others. Strong journalism programs in Texas, Missouri and throughout the country always come with students well prepared.
“It was unreal,” said Elena Mendoza. “My first reaction was just to jump out of my seat and start screaming…and I was glad we beat Corona Del Sol.”
Several publication staffs from TUHSD and Arizona traveled to the convention, with groups representing broadcast, newspaper, yearbook and photography for best of show. Corona, Horizon (Scottsdale), McClintock, and Mountain View also received recognition for their student publications.
“At first I heard them call ‘D-TV’, which was another high school, and I got super excited so when they said ‘DVTV’ shortly after, I flipped out,” Gabby Newell said.
Having confidence in their publications, staff members sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
“I didn’t know when would hear our name but I knew we would,” Tyler Oman said.

By donating small pieces of cardboard, attendants of schools can show that they support the ongoing upkeep of their schools. Although, the prize being offered is an even more pulling incentive: a pizza party will be given to the third hour class which collects the most Box Tops from their students.

Collecting box tops can be very beneficial for any school. When students have grievances, like not replacing uniforms or equipment, it is most likely the fault of the budget. There are varying Box Top programs, and schools can earn a sum of up to $20,000 per year.

Though, some teens don’t realize what their contribution of box tops can do for their school, or just simply can’t bring them in for lack of time. “I don’t really like participating in the box tops programs, I am usually too busy to focus on things like that.” said Hunter Norton-Hill, a freshman.

Mrs. Montoya’s class is among the leading third hour classes with the most box tops. Evidently, her class has students who choose to take time out to bring in what they can.

They can be found on almost everything anyone can find in the kitchen. Several Cheerios, Chex, and Yoplait products supply Box Tops for the program. Bringing them in is not only rewarding and beneficial, but also easy. Anyone can simply clip them out of the tops, and without difficulty, earn cash for the school, while also getting the chance at a pizza party.

Why do trolls troll? Most trolls, by study, show to have been bullied when they were younger. Their lack of self confidence makes these internet prankers feel a need for power. living their lives vicariously through those they see as strong and successful. Disrupting a stable newsgroup gives the illusion of power, just as for a few, stalking a strong person allows them to think they are strong, too.

Not all trolls are harmful, or even cause a disturbance for that matter. However, not all trolls aren’t. A lot of them take their harmless jokes and words too far and can turn situations into more then just messing around. Causing harassment and bullying in others lives when they think they’re just having some fun.

For trolls, any response is ‘recognition’; they are unable to distinguish between irritation and admiration; their ego grows directly in proportion to the response, regardless of the form or content of that response. They’ll usually post just enough to get an argument going, then sit back and count the responses.

Mostly, the following techniques will be used by a troll;

False Identity- virtually never write over their own name, and often reveal their intentions in the chosen ID.

Where are trolls likely to be found?
Wherever they are tolerated or “fed” as some call it.- this means any forums, networking sites, youtube, or messaging sites that have loose or lazy moderation. Where trolls are successful is a slightly different issue. ]]> http://dvthundermedia.com/classes/journalism/2012/03/19/troll-survival-guide/feed/ 0 http://dvthundermedia.com/classes/journalism/2012/03/19/mad-about-movies-why-do-we-love-them/ http://dvthundermedia.com/classes/journalism/2012/03/19/mad-about-movies-why-do-we-love-them/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:26:49 +0000 atam http://dvthundermedia.com/?p=9497 Every Friday, students all over campus head to the movie theatres to view the latest blockbuster movie. Recently it was movies like, The Vow, the romance, Chronicle, super-natural action thriller, or The Woman in Black, the horror movie.

Since these popular movies are all of different genres and has different appeal, what makes kids today want to spend five to ten dollars on a movie ticket?

Scary movies seems to be the answer.

“ I like to watch horror movies because I think its actually pretty entertaining to get scared!”says Sophomore Kyle Sese

Another movie-goer agrees.

“ I really love scary movies because I love to be always on the edge of my seat and waiting to see what happens next. They’re so exciting,” said movie lover Larissa Harris

Nowadays, the movie theatre isn’t the only place you can catch a movie. You can watch movies everywhere you go, wherever you are with movie and TV show streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu. With technology like this, you can instantly watch all kinds of movies- oldies, horror, comedy; you name it.

And even though there are probably thousands of titles on Netflix, what do users look for most of the time?

“I look for romantic comedies! I love how I can laugh but also watch the sweet plot develop. One of my favorites are The Proposal. I loved the funny action but I also loved how they fell in love in the end, “says freshman Sanjana Ramesh.

Other students say they also like searching for comedy, but a different kind of comedy.

“ I love watching comedy movies! I like dramatic comedies, or just regular old comedies. I love laugh and they always put me in a lighter, happier mood after watching them,” says freshman Melissa Kahn.

Of course Hollywood has no shortage of different genres of movies coming out this year. Thriller and mega- successful book franchise, The Hunger Games, is coming out this March 23rd, and highly anticipated horror film, The Cabin in The Woods, hitting theaters April 13.

Mega- popular books like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Twilight by Stephanie Meyers have been turned into world- wide movie phenomenon. They have built gigantic fan bases all around the world, and made billions of dollars off of not only the movie and the books but also Merchandise.  The movies have also created a new generation of celebrities that kids today talk about and follow all the time.

Many argue that kids in today’s generation would much prefer the movies, because its widely speculated that kids today don’t read as much as their parents or past generations did.  But do they really prefer the movies to the books?

Even though it seems like the movie versions of stories are more welcomed than the books after the movie releases, some people still prefer the books to the movies.

“If I had to choose, it would but books. I like books because I can use my own imagination for the characters and the movies leave out some really good parts,” said Freshmen Megan Fisher.

Another student also said they would want to read instead.

Of course, there are the students that would rather watch the story than read the story.

“ I hate reading. I would much rather watch the movie version of the story than try to read the books,” said another freshman Paul Sacco

Another up and coming book- movie adaption playing in theatres soon is the popular books The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Some fans aren’t too happy about the book turning into a movie.

“I don’t really want them to come out with a movie for it because I really loved the book and I’d hate to see the movie change parts of it. But I wouldn’t mind it if it was like the Harry Potter books where they keep to the main plot,” said book-lover Brittany Ly

Even though some fans probably aren’t going to be camping outside the movie theatre before opening night of the movie, some are getting there hours before to prepare.

“ I think it really cool when books are turned into movies because I can always compare the movie to the book. Yeah, sometimes they change the scenes and they might cut out my favorite part but it’s really interesting to see what they replace it with instead.” said Junior Kyle Fisher

A treasured favorite, The Lorax , by lyrical genius Dr. Suess, has already made an appearance on the big screen this year. The star- studded movie, staring high- profile celebrities such as Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Betty White, the movie was an instant crowd pleaser, for all ages.

Many books-into- movies are also coming out later this year, weather fans are calling for more or some are begging for it to stop.

Celebrities are online, updating followers with what they are doing and thinking at any given time. Lady Gaga has the most followers, and Justin Bieber is a close second. “Everything we do is about getting people to be more open, more creative, more courageous.” Said Jack Dorsey, the credited founder of Twitter.

The relatively new trend online is Tumblr. Teens log on, and tumble, posting photography, music, and anything that really interests them on their page. “I like Tumblr because it’s like a picture gallery,” said freshman Victoria Robles. Photographers like Joel Zimmer and Chris Payne use Tumblr as a medium for their art.

“My favorite celebrity is Justin Bieber because he has the voice of an angel,” said Brennan Egan. “I think he is a good role model because he is just a great person and singer. The good quality I think someone could have to be a good role model is their hair.”

However, some students do not look at celebrities for inspiration. Some don’t have one as a role model or someone to look up to.

“I’m not really influenced by any particular celebrity in my life,” said Maggie Jenks, a senior. “I don’t think anyone should look up to celebrities because for the most part, those famous people are famous for no reason. When I think of celebrities, I think of people like Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian, people who are unskilled and unintelligent yet are idolized by so many. I would say that I’m inspired by certain writers or business people who work hard for their achievements and are humble in the end.”

While most students look up to celebrities just because they love them, or they also want to be famous, others look up to them because they could relate to their childhood, and have a connection with that particular person, like songwriters or singers, and admire them for their bravery to put their life into their music for everyone to hear.

“I admire Oliver Sykes because I can relate to his music. He puts emotions into his music, something that most artists cannot do. I really feel the music when he puts in true feelings to go with the type of song it is. I just admire his bravery.” said Jeffery Lopez.

Students look up to celebrities just because they love them, or they also want to be famous, others look up to them because they could relate to their childhood, and have a connection with that particular person, like songwriters/singers, and admire them for their bravery to put their life into their music for everyone to hear.

“I admire Oliver Sykes because I can relate to his music. He puts emotions into his music, something that most artists cannot do. I really feel the music when he puts in true feelings to go with the type of song it is. I just admire his bravery.” said Sierra Brink.

Summer school used to be the jail kids were forced into when their Algebra grade slipped down to a D over the school year; it meant extra work and less time to relax. Good grades were rewarded by long summers of hanging out at the pool and generally doing nothing. But times are changing and now more and more ambitious students are breaking the Summer School taboo by choosing to hit the books instead of hitting the waves.

“I need the time to take extra classes that would mess up my class rank if I took them in the school year,” said freshman Julio Esteban. 
 Esteban is signing up for health online this summer, and possibly online AP Art History.

Apart from having the choice of what classes to take over summer (assuming their Algebra grades stayed up over the school year) students can also choose between online classes and classes at Mountain Pointe High school. Face-to-face classes are four hours every day five days a week, for a period of 3 weeks or 6 weeks, depending on how many sessions are taken.

Because the entire Tempe High School District is entered in summer school, classes tend to fill up quickly. Health is one of the most popular summer school courses and is usually filled within the first day of registration, and now it may be even more pressed for spots because online health may be cancelled.

“We are having problems with keeping track of attendance and who logs on and for how long,” said Mrs. Heinz. “The class might be cut.”

With places for summer school already tight, having online health cut is going to leave people rushing for spots.

“I really hope it doesn’t get cut,” said Esteban. “ It’s much more convenient for those of us who don’t have stay at home parents who can send us. We can just take it from home, and it saves gas.”

Eight hour, zero hour, and summer school classes are all ways students are pushing to get ahead. But what exactly is the motivation behind it?

“ It it’s important to me because I’m competing with everyone else in the class rank system,” said Esteban. “It’s good for my future. I want to get into a good college or just get a good scholarship.”

Summer school class registration goes up February 27th.

Orion Healan struggles to stay awake during school.

Teens that sleep less than 6.5 hours every night double their chances for high blood pressure and are at risk of diabetes. Along with those odds, kids, as well as adults, are known to begin an irregular heartbeat, and can suffer from heart attacks.

The more common (and less life threatening) issues that come with insufficient sleep include impaired alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. Teens who are sleep-deprived are still expected to understand calculus, even when they are functioning at the level of the average zombie.  Yet bad sleeping habits can hardly be blamed on the teachers.  In the end, its up to the students to ensure that they are getting enough sleep to make it through the next day of school.

“Every night I stay up on the phone, and the next day it’s really difficult to stay awake in all my classes,” said Tori Lapre. She admits to sleeping every now and then during school.

When students are not awake enough to learn properly, their knowledge and grades can suffer.  Not getting the right amount of sleep diminishes the quality of time when awake. Staying up until 3am, to talk on the phone with your friends, is not worth the trouble in the long run.

“Merry Christmas!” “Santa is coming!” “What do you want for Christmas?” “When are we getting a Christmas tree?” “I love Christmas!”. Gingerbread houses, elves, wreaths, trees, sugar cookies, candy canes, Santa, reindeer, hot chocolate. Christmas is said to be the most common holiday in the Nation.  But what about Hanukkah? Or Kwanzaa? Or even Deavali?

These holidays are rarely spoken about throughout the year, because Santa Clause  is the main event. Christmas usually acts as a big blanket that covers many religion’s stories and fame. This blanket also covers the history and the people that celebrate these holidays. However the people underneath the cloak of invisibility, are still enjoying their holiday as a different way to celebrate.

The lighting of Menorahs, the giving of presents over the sacred eight days to family, and celebrating with relatives until the sun goes down, is how another winter holiday is celebrated – Hanukkah. Unlike Christmas or New Year’s, Hanukkah starts on a different day each year and instead of celebrating for one day, Hanukkah continues for eight days, but same traditions are still celebrated.

“Most of our Hanukkah traditions is just spending time with family and celebrating and having a good time,” said Jefferey Herman, a freshman.
Hanukkah is known as the festival lights. It came from a light from the Torah in the temple of Jerusalem. That candle was only supposed to stay lit for a couple of hours and, at most a day, but the light shone for eight days. That is where the eight days in this holiday comes from.

Festive music, tables heaped with food, and the opportunity to wear fancy and festive dresses, Deavali is an Indian holiday that is also celebrated around the time of an American holiday. A vast amount of candles are lit and everyone is in their best clothing. Like Hanukkah, Deavali changes every year but only lasts about a day.
“It’s a lot of fun. Everyone joins together to participate in games and eats a great amount of food, while the girls get to dress up in their prettiest dresses,” said Nisha Velu. “But, most importantly, you get to spend time with family.”
Traditional food is served and many different games are played, card games, board games, and some cultural games.

One holiday largely celebrated in the asian countries and here in the U.S, is Japanese New Year. This holiday is full of crazy partying and food, like an American new
year, but there are a few exceptions that are celebrated differently.
Different kinds of food are eaten at Japanese New Year, foods normal people would not eat on a day to day basis.
“We eat  soup with long noodles, which symbolizes long life and we eat the same number of read beans as our age.” Katelyn Miasaky said.
Like an American New Year, Japanese New Year is on the same day every year, which is the first of January. Besides the eating of different foods, Japanese churches also ring bells to celebrate the New Year. Families come together to watch the ringing of the bells and start a new year together.
“I love being with my family on this holiday, especially when we clean our house, to chase away spirits from the previous year, and just cleanse the house for a fresh new year,” said Myasaki .