Apresentando-me: A student from Brazil.

by Paulina Valamiel Lopes

Oi! I am an exchange student from Brazil that arrived in America on August 6, to spend the school year at Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy, AR. As any person that comes from a different culture to another, many things impressed me. Before I came to America, I already had a small impression about the things that are at Americans school, in families and the people, but knowing about a culture and then live this culture, are really different things. I would never imagine that I would be so confused by changing classrooms, using a locker, using a password to buy a lunch, and a lot of other things.

As I already said, I am an exchange student from Brazil, and I will let you know a little bit about my country: Our language is Portuguese, and although many people don’t know about the existence of this language, Portuguese is the official language in seven countries and the eighth most spoken language in the world. Brazil also has the third largest capital, Sao Paulo, which has 11,037,593 inhabitants and the worst traffic in the world (haha, trust me). We also have really beautiful beaches, and one of the new wonders of the world: The Corcovado, with the huge statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Our houses are kind of different.  All of our houses are made out of concrete, where as in America many houses are made of brick or siding.  Also, our floors are made of wood or tile, never carpet like American houses. On the topic of food, we also have McDonald’s, Subway, but they are not as common as they are here. Our principal meal is lunch, and we eat lots of fruit, salads, and rice and beans almost everyday. One curiosity that I had when I arrived here, my first lunch was pizza, and we never ate things like that for lunch, just dinner; but anyway, when we eat pizza, we use forks, not hands, so it was a little bit weird to use my hands to eat this, but now it doesn’t sound so strange anymore. It is not common for me to eat fast food almost everyday.

Brazil also has the major tropical forest of the world: Amazonia, at the North of the country. At the south (the coldest part), the population is more composed of Germans and Italians. It is good to remember that Brazil is a tropical country, and our coldest winter is around 35F, so it doesn’t seem so cold for Americans.

            Many things in America didn’t reach my expectations. For instance, the state of Arkansas with nothing to do and places so far one another and a very small mall.  But, Lake Hamilton School really surprised me! I never imagined a school so big, with many different classes from which to choose, or the people and their styles. My school in Brazil is not this big, it’s almost the size of this cafeteria, and just that. There are some big schools in Brazil, but only the private ones, and even being private, it doesn’t have the infrastructure that Lake Hamilton has. For me, English is kind of hard, but before I got here, I already had a notion of this language, because since the first grade, we have studied English in Brazil. I would never imagine classes like Journalism, German, Drama, Psychology, and Economics; because these are classes that we Brazilians just have in college. For me, Math here is very easy, because we have the help of calculators, and at schools in Brazil, we have to learn to calculate everything ourselves. At Brazilian schools, we just have four hours of school per day, but it seems more tiring because we never get out of the classroom, the teachers move, not us. But over all, we study more about the world, countries, cultural movements, and social groups; and I miss that here, because most of the things here are just about America, and some people don’t have open minds to know about other cultures.

            I already have some friends that I am sure I will miss when I go back to Brazil, but I would love to have people here visit my country. It will be great to see some of you all at the World Cup and/or Olympics, or even for a visit. Brazil is a really beautiful country and I am sure that you all would love it.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The more people become aware of the heartbreaking condition, breast cancer, the better it is for the breast cancer community. Every little bit helps get closer to the cure for this disease that takes many women’s lives each year. One out of eight women is likely to get breast cancer; it’s possible that one of your female relatives could be that one person, that’s why we need to find the cure, why Race for the Cure is such a big deal, it raises money that goes towards research.

            Children need to learn to help out and be aware of world-wide subjects such as this, and I think that with what Lake Hamilton is doing helps to teach children this. Most schools don’t even bother to help out foundations that are in need, so I am thankful that I go to a school that cares enough to help out. There are many fundraisers for breast cancer, big and small, Lake Hamilton involved in a smaller one, but a fundraiser to help, nonetheless.

                Lake Hamilton School District cares about the breast cancer community, raising awareness and bringing in money; they help out every year, doing what they can even if it isn’t much. As you well know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There have been many fundraisers for breast cancer around the world, Race for the Cure being the main one.  All of the money raised during Race for the Cure goes towards the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Throughout October, the Lake Hamilton East Lab sold bracelets for $1.00 to raise awareness in the school. Lake Hamilton sells bracelets to raise money for breast cancer research every year. Each bracelet had a reassuring word on them such as hope, faith, strength, and survivor. All of the money raised also went to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, just like the Race for the Cure money. I asked Taylor Duke, a senior at Lake Hamilton, how she felt about Lake Hamilton being involved with the breast cancer community and she said, “I feel like we are setting a good example for younger kids in our school and also for other schools.”

Nikki Haak

¡Vamos a Bailar!

          Have you ever experienced the wonder of Latin American Fusion?  Well I did back in October and it was one of the most spectacular events I have ever had the opportunity to witness.  Back in September, Profesora Ramsey asked my class if any of us would like to go see Latin American Fusion at the Philander Smith College Pac M L Harris Auditorium.  She explained that it was a performance full of dancing and singing, portraying the Latin American cultures fused together.

          Before going to experience the festivities of the Hispanic flamenco Ballet, I was calling the choreographed performance flamingo dancing.  That should show you how much I knew about the Spanish dancing I was going to see.  All I could think was the women were going to be dressed in bright colors and large dresses with heeled tap shoes.  In my mind the men would dress in white, ruffled shirts with black slacks and velvet or suede jackets and polished black shoes or laced boots.  The women would have elaborately curled hair with the top half pinned up on the top of their heads, while the men’s hair would be slicked back with gel and a comb.  I figured there would have been a little mariachi quartet in the corner sporting sombreros and rattling maracas.  You can tell my preconceived view of the Hispanic dance attire was generic and close-minded.  When it came to the dancing itself, I figured there would be the typical salsa, tango, and flamenco dances and that was about it.  

           To my surprise, and probably to the surprise of many other students, many of the dances the Hispanic flamenco Ballet performed were dances I had never heard of from various countries.  Aside from well known Latin American dances such as the Argentinian Tango and the upbeat and lively Malambo, the Peruvian Marinera and the Chilean Cueca were also demonstrated with enthusiasm and energy.  All of the dances were interwoven with the use of Bombos (drums) and Boloadores, weapons used by gauchos of Argentina during performances.  All of these dances formed the show Latin American Fusion. 

Each dance emerged from a Latin American country either in North or South America, or Europe.  Aside from the dancing, their appearances surprised me.  The women had their hair pulled into tight buns on their heads and wore different costumes depending on the dance being carried out.  During one dance, the women were decked in feather head-dresses and little tasseled outfits.  The men also changed from gauchos to pants, and even ponchos.  And the mariachi band in the corner that I had imagined was actually a band of three that came on stage between dances to sing and interact with the audience while the dancers changed for the next dance.

          After the performance, I sat down and interviewed my friend Nikki Haak, a junior at Lake Hamilton, about her experience.  When I asked what her favorite part of the performance was, she replied, “When they pulled people from the audience to dance on stage.  It was funny because the people from the audience had no idea what they were doing and looked goofy attempting to dance beside the experienced dancers.”  I also asked her if she would go again and she answered very enthusiastically, “Heck yeah! If I ever got another chance.” 

          So, I encourage you if you ever get the chance to see the cultural sensation, Latin American Fusion, to do so without a second thought.  By going to this event, it enabled me to have a better understanding of the dances performed and the music played in Latin American countries and so could you.

By: Taylor Duke

Yogurt's Got Ice Cream Beat

Recently I went to check out the 3 Flamingos, expecting a generic ice cream shop with a creative name. Of course I knew before that it sold yogurt, but it still took reminding by my friend Taylor Duke, student at LHHS and employee at 3 Flamingos, to set me straight:

“How do you like it?”

“It’s good ice cream.”

“Westan, its frozen yogurt…”

How can just a yogurt shop be meaningful to our community? Well, anything new in the school’s vicinity attracts attention from students and teachers. Usually students have to get creative about where they loiter, like at Sonic’s outdoor benches, but we finally have a more creative option—across the street from Sonic, in fact. The 3 Flamingos yogurt shop is not so much a place to kick around and do nothing, but to chill out and eat ice cre--frozen yogurt.

The 3 Flamingos is the third yogurt shop in a chain that just opened in October. It’s open Monday thru Thursday from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M., Friday and Saturday from 11 A.M. to 10 P.M. and Sunday from 1 P.M. to 9 P.M. It’s located in Wolf Plaza, so if you pass by Sonic and Hill’s Grill every weekday on the way to school, you just miss it! Even if they only sell frozen yogurt, the 3 Flamingos is prepared to last a long time. They have many small tables for groups, and picnic tables for birthday parties. They’re stocked up on toppings in case any run out, and they sell colorful 3 Flamingos T-shirts for extra business.

Since the shop has many first-timers, employees have a sequence ready for them: 1) Choose your serving size. There are traditional waffle cones plus three Styrofoam sizes: small, medium, and large. Small can contain a lot of yogurt and it’s usually plenty for me. 2) Pick your flavor. They have 10 flavors, and they can be mixed with each other. I’ve never had anything but vanilla, but every flavor seems to be popular. 3) Select your toppings. Fresh fruit, nuts, candy, anything. One tip from me, however, is to put the toppings in first and mix them with your yogurt to avoid making a mess. 4) Weigh and purchase. You bring your yogurt to the counter and an employee measures its weight, for $0.42 per ounce, so be sure to take your spoon out of the cup!

3 Flamingos gets a flood of students right after school, but don’t be fooled by their colorful walls and spoons that smile at you. Adults like this place too, and that’s what helps make it so popular. After work ends for most adults, 5 P.M., the 3 Flamingos gets another wave of customers.

Yogurt or not, people like the 3 Flamingos and word is spreading. Perhaps it was your granddad that told you about his Espresso Cappuccino with gummi bears and sour Skittles, or your sister who likes Strawberry Sensations with brownies. If you want to host an event for any age, whether a birthday party or a baby shower, the 3 Flamingos is a particularly tasty place to do it.

By: Westan Lakey

It's A Cruel, Cruel World

            Sharpie scribbled words on the bathroom walls, rumors flying ninety to nothing, derogatory names being yelled in the hall; what do all these things have in common? Whether it seems like it or not, they’re all forms of bullying. When you think about it, we high school students witness these taunts, words, and actions on a daily basis. How many of us though, can truthfully say that we try to stand up for the victims? We’ve heard the stories about teen suicidal incidents, but most people don’t realize that those tragic catastrophes stem from the gossip, slander, and pranks we witness or even partake in every day. There’s no way to sugar coat the brutal fact that it seems as if it’s going to take someone to commit the unfortunate action of suicide in order for the people who deliberately hurt others to realize how yelling “whore” to the girl walking down the hall or playing a prank on that boy who’s to shy to stand up for himself (whether joking or not) traumatically affects the people that it is intended on emotionally hurting.

            Recently, a freshman at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, ended his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge located in New Jersey.  Tyler, a homosexual student who, after a private video of him engaging in an intimate conversation with another man was streamed onto the internet, was tormented and bullied for months by fellow students. Events like these take place everyday, but no one really thinks about it much unless they’re actually involved. Granted, nothing like that has ever happened here at Lake Hamilton where we are supposedly known for our “atmosphere.” According to various staff members, Lake Hamilton consists of a no bullying tolerance policy, friendly attitudes, and safe environment. Numerous fights, rumors, cliques, and pranks take place or exist here at our high school on a daily basis. These things are due to different views on what’s accepted towards race, sexual orientation, or even the amount of money you have. Consider that those very things are actually what surround us here at Lake Hamilton, and I think it’s safe to say that our so called “atmosphere” needs some cleaning up.

            Many of us are oblivious to the fact that the foundation for these events, such as that of Tyler, has already been laid. It was laid the moment you were born. As children, we are greatly influenced by the people and ideas that occur in our households. Whether that means having a particular dislike for a certain race or believing that everyone who shops at stores other than Chanel and Juicy Cotour are below you, these beliefs and opinions you are exposed to and taught at an early age carry on through your life, becoming more and more accepted as you grow up. As highschoolers, we tend to befriend the people whose beliefs, hobbies, and opinions match our own, causing groups of people who accept those commonalities among each other and have a narrow mind when it comes to “outsiders” perceptions of right and wrong. Then the tiny things no one gives much thought to, whether it is a word mumbled under your breath or the gossip you can’t help but spread, begin to add up. They add up to the point where you believe that death is the only escape from the pain you suffer every single day. You see, no one thinks about the consequences of their actions. We are humans, not mind readers. We don’t see the pain our actions cause others. It takes some shocking eye opener, like a suicide, for people to stop and think, “Wow, maybe I was a little cruel.”

            Phoebe Prince moved to Massachusetts from Ireland at the beginning of her freshman year of high school. After being degraded day after day by the other girls who called her a “stupid slut”, Phoebe ended her life. This young girl was in high school. Phoebe went through some of the very things we see here at Lake Hamilton everyday such as name-calling.  According to the anti-bullying website, teenangels.org, the number of teen suicides has dramatically increased over the past few years.  These sons, daughters, friends, and students, like Phoebe, killed themselves to escape from their lives. Their lives were filled with the very words, writings, gossip, and jokes that we see everyday. These things are happening all around us, yet no one seems to do anything about them and the people doing the bullying don’t even think about how much they are hurting the victims.

Let’s be honest here, if we don’t start thinking about how it would feel to be in that other person’s shoes and take a hint from stories like that of Phoebe’s and Tyler’s, something tragic is likely to happen. Lake Hamilton is supposedly known for its “atmosphere.” Think about all those people you see bawling their eyes out in the bathroom stalls and the ones who everyone just loves to upset. It’s those people, those boys and girls, the ones who are hurting, who we need to look out for. We need to start standing up to those jerks that push people to their limits and also take a look at our own lives and how we would want to be treated. It’s those kinds of actions that need to happen in order to prevent the odds of the day when we’re all either dressed in black or sitting in the emergency room thinking, “If only…”

 

By: Candace Boehm



The 19th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

In 1992 the collaboration between the film alliance and volunteers of Hot Springs formed what is now the 19th Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. Hosted in the historic Malco theatre in downtown Hot Springs, the film festival shows independent films directed and produced by people all over the world. I sat down with the director of the festival, Dan Anderson and got to know quite about the festival and films going to be shown there.

AR: What is your favorite part about working with the film festival?
DA: Getting a chance to work with all the films. Theres close to 1000 films. Most of the films are independent, so most of the time its a once in a lifetime viewing.

AR: How are the films for the festival selected?
DA: We have a screening committee of 25 members. The members are of all ages, mostly volunteers. We have several meetings and usually narrow the films from 1000 films to 110 films.

AR: Are there going to be any celebrity appearances at the festival this year?
DA: Wes Studi,(dances with wolves.)
        Mathew Lesko, (infomercial guy, wears colorful question mark suit)

AR: Any filmakers?
DA: The filmaker of Disfarmer, who is from canada. Japanese filmaker (A normal life, please) Two filmakers from New Zealand (Once was an Island and Free China Junk)

AR: Any suggestions for filmakers trying to get films into the festival?
DA: Finding a good documentary subject, putting in the time and making the subject just as if not more interesting as it is in person.

2010 HSDFF Films ( A few)

Beard Club - Visiting barbershops, religious sanctuaries, and even mens bathrooms, one woman journeys the globe examining the beard and its ties to tradition, status, gender, and power. Along the way she learns that the facial hair has many meanings, it is more a decoration, it is a window into an individual's identity.

Bouncing Cats - An inspiring story of one man's attempt to create a better life for the children of uganda using the unlikely tool of hip hop culture with the focus on break-dance.

Disfarmer - Discovers the once known portrait photographer, Mike "Disfarmer" Meyers, his influence on the modern Manhattan art world, and the legacy he left behind in his hometown of Heber Springs, Arkansas.

Dogpatch USA - chronicles the history of "Dogpatch USA" a rural theme park inspired by Al C app's comic strip, "lil abner' the park operated from 1968 until 1993 in the hills just outside Harrison, Arkansas.

Haack: The King of Techno - A look into the underground world of Bruce Haack, a genius whose pas work continues to garner recognition with time. Haack's homemade experimental electronics influenced artists such as Beck, The Eels, Mouse one Mars, and others.

Invisible Girlfriend -A man named charles rides a big red bicycle through rural Louisiana to find his invisible girlfriend, Joan od Arc.

The 2010 HSDFF will be held October 15-24th. the films showing roughly from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
If you are interested in volunteering at the HSDFF they do accept high school students. Just go to the Documentary film Office or Call the office at (501) 321-4747.

The Hustle and Bustle of Homecoming

The morning of October 1^st, Homecoming, students finished the final preparations on their club floats. For myself, I began at 9:45 and stayed outside all day working with my fellow LH Productions staff on our ‘Wizard of Oz’ float. Arriving, I was nervous that there wouldn’t be enough time to finish our yellow brick world and Emerald City, but throughout the day the staff worked hard, some skipping lunch, to make this a Homecoming to remember.

. Halfway through 5^th period, students began to dress in there Disney-themed costumes while on the other side of town, Homecoming maids were putting on the finishing touches to their look.

Around one thirty, students in the surrounding schools were lining up outside and high school students were hopping on their floats, getting ready to descend down

Wolf Street

  Starting at the Primary School, kindergarteners and first graders faces’ lit up as they saw all of their favorite movies portrayed larger than life on floats in front of them. Whether it be Disney classics such as Toy Story, Pocahontas, or The Jungle Book, or the action-packed epics such as Zoro, Harry Potter, or 300 the little wolves could not believe their eyes. One of the floats that took a trip to the Emerald City was, the LH Productions float. Clad with Katelynn Churches as the good witch, blowing bubbles dressed in her princess-like dress, and Kacey Westerman’s adorable Chihuahua as Toto. Myself, dressed as the Cowardly Lion, and Katelynn blew bubbles to add to the effect.

Later that night, the Homecoming court, linked by the arm to their fathers, stepfathers, or grandfathers were escorted to the middle of the field where the Queen would be announced. Karah Poole, one of the senior class maids, was named Homecoming Queen of the 2010 Football Season.

At 7:00, the LH Wolves began their fight against the Benton Panthers. During the first half of the game, Wolves upheld the scoreboard with the Panthers lagging far behind. When halftime began, Benton’s band performed music from Sweeney Todd right before “The Power Band of Arkansas” performed their perfected Star Trek theme routine. After the Steppin’ Wolves stepped, the Wolves continued their victory, and in the end, beat the Panthers a rough 48-14.

Throughout the entire Homecoming Day, students of LHHS prepped and practiced to make Homecoming of 2010 a day that would never be forgotten and seeing the primary and elementary students faces light up at every float and maid, the students of LHHS did just that.

-Kortnie W.