Budget cuts have taken away small classroom sizes, and curriculum availability, but now it is taking away something that cannot be replaced, fifteen of Allatoona’s most loving teachers and head coaches.  Some of these educators left their former jobs two years ago in order to have the opportunity to build a program from the ground up.  Now as of this week, these same hardworking teachers are being let go.  The expression “Teaching is not a profession; it’s a passion”, can easily serve to describe the dedication that thrived and still does exist in our affected teachers.

        Personally, my past two years at Allatoona has allowed me to become acquainted with some of the best teachers I’ve ever had.  I’ve met a variety of personalities and I’ve experienced a collection of teaching styles.  The sincere teacher who is so passionate about learning, she has cried about the most inspirational stories in history.  I had the privilege of learning about science from a dry humored, yet extremely funny coach and child at heart. I’ve even had the honor of being taught by Allatoona’s mystery woman who drives one of the nicest cars in the parking lot.

       However, unfortunately at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, Cobb County has voted to cut 579 full and part time teachers.  But, rather than having sympathy for the educators that we’re losing, perhaps we should celebrate their remaining time here.  A contribution a teacher has made to students’ lives cannot be “reduced” nor is it “temporary”.  It is a gift that has created some of the most passionate student reactions in Cobb’s history.  With these last two weeks left, the teachers and students at Allatoona should still spend their remaining time growing the connection that makes Allatoona the school it is, and will continue to be, regardless of our losses.

        In order to express to the community how dear our teachers are to us, please leave a comment on this article with a memory of your affected teacher.  Writing your name on a petition is one thing, but a sincere thought is something entirely different.

Brooklyn’s Finest- Two Stars

By: Jordan Fox 

          Director Antoine Fuqua has directed similar “good cop-bad-cop” films in the past, including Training Day. Fuqua was concerned about taking on another cop movie but, regardless, he decided to pursue this one. He says that he doesn’t view Brooklyn’s Finest as a “police” movie, but more of a human drama.  “It’s about men and women under tremendous societal pressure, and they happen to be our protectors.”  In spite of his hopes, Brooklyn’s Finest didn’t stray too far off that beaten path. The movie is about police officers in, you guessed it, Brooklyn. Three cops, all of which are in various stages of mental breakdowns, will gradually fall to pieces before your eyes.

          Tango (Don Cheadle) is an undercover cop who is deeply involved in the rising drug empire of his friend Caz (Wesley Snipes). Ethan Hawke’s character, Sal, is a dirty narcotics cop who is looking to secretly score some drug money so he can move his pregnant and asthmatic wife (Lili Taylor) and their six kids out of their black mold-infested house.  Richard Gere plays a burnt out cop trying his hardest to make no impact during his last week on the force. As fate (or Fuqua) would have it, these three crosscutting stories all collide in the end.

          At a lengthy 125 minutes, the movie was extremely slow paced. Though it became more interesting as the film progressed, distraction felt almost forced upon us. Besides the three leads (Ethan Hawk, Richard Gere, and Don Cheadle), a lot of other good actors, such as Vincent D’Onofrio, Brian F. O’Byrne and Ellen Barkin, appeared in the movie. The actors were all better than the screenplay deserved. Christopher Smith commented on this disaster of a movie by saying, “For such a potentially great concept to result in such a thoroughly mediocre product is baffling, especially given the talent involved.”  If ever there was an anti-recruit movie for police work, this would be it. This film is rated “R”, for extremely graphic and bloody violence, strong sexuality (being that one of the police officer’s girlfriends is a prostitute), nudity, drug content, and pervasive language. I thought that Brooklyn’s Finest was a tremendously bleak and overrated film. I do not recommend this movie to people who don’t have the patience to watch long and sometimes overwhelming movies. We give Brooklyn’s Finest 2 stars.

Shutter Island-Five Stars
By:Lauren Gourley

          Martin Scorsese has done it once again! Well known for his other movies such as The Departed and Gangs of New York, he combines an unpredictable plot for the epitome of heart stopping suspense. Set in 1954, Leonardo DiCaprio plays U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels who is investigating a disappearance at Shutter Island, a land mass solely dedicated to housing criminally insane convicts. During his stay he begins to realize there is something awry with three asylums on the island. The first two are divided by gender, but the third is a mysterious Civil War building that holds the most dangerous patients that just so happens to be restricted to the marshal and his partner. Daniels (DiCaprio) interviews all employees and discovers that his stay on the island might just be longer than he intended.

            Personally, I absolutely loved Shutter Island. Scorsese had a great plot that keeps audience on the edge of their seats the whole duration of the movie. Originally, I was under the impression that the movie would be another terrifying “pop out” film where there were surprises around every corner; however, Scorsese used a different type of approach and kept his surprises in the suspense of the plot. At first I thought the story line was mildly predictable until the very last fifteen minutes where everything I predicted went into a completely different and unfathomable direction. Another enjoyment was the music selection of the movie. If the plot didn’t produce an eerie feeling, the loud burst of symphony music and the low yet spooky drown of strings certainly would. Though the whole movie was filled with suspense, there were a few moments of comic relief that quelled the anticipation for another major twist. All in all, I highly recommend Shutter Island for those of you who can appreciate an extreme tension film.

Extraordinary Measures-1 star

By:Jordan Fox

           Inspired by an incredible true story, the CBS Films’ docudrama Extraordinary Measures portrays one father’s desperate quest to save his children from dying of a rare genetic disorder. Working-class father John Crowley (Fraser) finally catches a break and is on his way to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease, a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. In time, it disables the heart and the muscles, ultimately resulting in death. With the apprehensive yet unconditional support of his wife, Aileen, John ditches his career and teams with specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Ford) to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of his children. Though the movie had a good base, Extraordinary Measures was nothing more than a waste of potential. Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, two reputable actors, were cast as the lead characters. While they played well off of each other, the script was far too predictable. From the bulgy-eyed stares to the slight twitches, Fraser’s performance was distracting and awkward. Going in with high expectations definitely led me to an enormous let down. Rotten Tomatoes commented on the flop by saying, “Despite a timely topic and a pair of heavyweight leads, Extraordinary Measures never feels like more than a made-for-TV tear-jerker.” We give Extraordinary Measures 1 star.

Alice in Wonderland-4 stars

By: Jordan Fox

        With much anticipation, a few friends and I ventured over to the ever-so-convenient NCG to see the premiere of Alice in Wonderland. The 3D movie kept everyone entertained to say the least. In the film, Alice is 19 years old and accidentally returns to Underland, a place she last visited when she was only six years old. While she’s tries to remember her past, Alice is told that she is the only one that can slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon controlled by the dreaded Red Queen of Hearts.

I’m not going to give too much of the storyline away, but you should keep in mind that this is not a re-creation of the original Alice in Wonderland; it is more of a sequel. It is an “extension” of Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Director, Tim Burton, said the original Wonderland story was just about a girl wandering around from one weird character to the next; he never felt an emotional connection to the plot, he wanted to make it feel more like a story rather than a series of events. Burton, however, does not see this as a sequel to previous films because of the major differences in the basic storyline. With a stacked cast including Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, and Mia Wasikowska-the characters are truly enticing. Rotten Tomatoes commented on Burton’s piece by saying “The movie’s strengths are the costumes, the makeup, the production design, the special effects, the vocal work and a terrific musical score by Danny Elfman that has a quality of magic and wonderment missing from the screenplay”. We give Alice in Wonderland 4 stars. So, grab a “dwink”, as the evil queen would say, and your 3D glasses and get ready for a surreal movie experience.

To some this may seem like a shocking situation, but for Allatoona’s sports medicine teacher Coach Armbruster, this was not only one of her graduate experiences but is also a part of her daily routine. Certified for five years, Coach Armbruster more commonly known as Coach A, teaches Sports Medicine I and Sports Medicine II in high school. Daily she teaches her classes how to care for different athletic injuries and she discusses the occupations that can result from a dedication in the sports medicine field.

Students can continue studying in college and become orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and even masseuses.  To start, Coach A recommends students apply to a four year college that has an accredited program.  At the college level the undergrads will rotate sports each semester. Coach Armbruster stated, “They learn about different injuries each semester because each sport is different.  In Gymnastics you’ll see more knee and back injuries while in baseball you will see more shoulder injuries.” This will allow a familiarity with all athletic injuries so no athletic trainer will be unprepared and will be able to help.

At Allatoona, Coach A has had the chance to set precedents for our athletic training program.  She hopes to motivate her students to not only participate as student trainers at games but to pursue athletic training as a college major and profession. Coach A stresses two important things to her students: confidentiality and respect.  When telling stories about former athletes Coach Armbruster always uses the up most discretion and never uses names out of respect for the players.  The second piece of advice addresses the sometimes tough obstacles females face in the field. “At times it can be difficult for a female and get respect”, she cautioned. However Coach A had nothing but praise for the reverence throughout the community’s athletic program. She also praised the Allatoona athletic administration and has never experienced any issues with fellow coaches. The next time you’re at a game for any sport, check out the athletic trainer and their students.  They are doing more than just sporting the polo, khakis, and fanny pack.

          Barbie, since her debut in March of 1959, has been the symbol of the ideal woman and is viewed as a role model to thousands of little girls worldwide.  She represents everything that girls hope to achieve, from her extensive array of jobs, long-time boyfriend, and, of course, her super-model-like body.  She continues to be the number one selling doll in the market, with Mattel claiming that a Barbie is sold every three seconds.  However, despite her massive appeal to much of the female population, Barbie has been a source of criticism and controversy over the past several years.  Critics argue that Barbie’s body is unrealistic and unattainable, giving girls the wrong idea of what they should look like and what the “ideal body” is.

          So what would a real-life Barbie look like?  When measured, Barbie was found to have a 4.6 inch bust, waist of 3.5 inches, and hips of 5 inches.  BCC used a model known as Libby to figure out what she would look like given Barbie’s proportions.  They concluded that Libby’s measurements, when scaled to match those of Barbie’s and keeping her height of 5’6, would be a 20-inch waist, a bust of 27 inches, and hips of 29 inches.  If they gave her Barbie’s actual proportional height, Libby would shoot to an abnormally tall 7’6…just a few inches shorter than the world’s tallest woman, Yao Defen.  According to Finland’s University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Barbie would lack the 17-22% Body Mass Index (BMI) that would be needed to menstruate, an obviously unhealthy weight. 

          These measurements are of course shocking, and they spark the question as to whether or not Barbie dolls can be considered one of the sources for body image and self-esteem issues amongst girls and women.  As one of the most popular icons of the 20^th and 21^st century, Barbie certainly becomes an example to those that are familiar with her, and the desire to “be like Barbie” is not a far-reaching idea.  But is Barbie’s body really attainable?  A waist size of 20 inches, though certainly rare, is not unheard of. Brigitte Bardot, a famous model from the 1950’s, is reported to have had a waist of just that size.   The University of Australia claims that the likelihood of a woman to have Barbie’s body is 1 in 100,000.  So, Barbie’s body may not be impossible but it’s certainly not likely.

          The pressure for girls to have a “perfect” body is obvious in society.  When compared to Ken, Barbie’s on-and-off boyfriend whose body type is likely to appear in 1 out of 50 men, Barbie demonstrates the intense pressure for girls to look a certain way.  While the proportions may have been designed for other purposes, like to simply fit clothing more easily on the doll, it sends a message to those that play with her, one that can be damaging in the minds of girls and women everywhere.

As a brand new high school, it’s important that Allatoona presents itself as well-organized and respectable.  The administrators and staff work hard to keep the school clean and running smoothly, so naturally it’s understandable that they want to make sure the student body not only acts appropriately, but dresses appropriately as well.  However, the idea that jeans with holes in them could be considered “inappropriate” for school clashes with the common styles of today and presents a big problem when it comes to finding a pair that fits the dress code requirements.  Most stores nowadays create jeans that have a more run-down style, and it’s difficult to find a pair that doesn’t have holes in them.  Many students’ wardrobes consist almost entirely of jeans that have holes, and do not have the economic means to go out and purchase new ones.

In addition, the punishment for wearing such jeans is quite severe.  There is no need to send someone to ISS without giving him or her the option of having a parent bring him or her a new pair of pants, even if they are a repeated offender.  There is simply no need.  ISS serves as a punishment for much more series offenses, and should not be filled with students that have merely come to school with a hole in their jeans. This punishment is not fair, especially when the student was unaware that the slight hole would be a problem.  Instead, repeated offenders could be given something to wear over their clothes, such as a lab coat.  If the hole is too far down the leg, duct tape could be placed over it.

While the dress code is an important part of keeping a school presentable, the aspect of holes in jeans is one not worth fussing about.  For many students, the kinds of jeans they wear are expressions of who they are, and it isn’t fair to punish them because they are deemed “inappropriate” or “sloppy.”