Yianni's R&R: Twilight

An Exception To The "No Book Burning" Rule

Many books and movies have been made to picture the slow degeneration of society and its values; Clockwork Orange, Road Warrior, The Crucible, etc. However, among these titles, a single dark horse really takes the cake.

It is a real life “literary” example that clearly shows off the rotting minds in our culture. One might even hope that this was the author’s purpose and intention. Perhaps one of the most overrated and worst pieces of written work of all time, Twilight sinks it’s teeth into the brains of the already brainless worldwide. Harsh words yes, but all can seek redemption. More on that further down.

As I wasn’t sure how many people enjoyed the novels in Brandywine, I kept a neutral, open minded view on the matter. “Jacob’s hot. (Twilight) is really easy to relate to. You get the best of both worlds.” Said Junior Gabrielle Kieffer. After at least twenty similar interviews with other girls in the school, all saying they were either Team Edward or Team Jacob, I really hoped to stumble upon some folks who might have a different opinion.

“I just never got what the big deal was.” A breath of fresh air from Senior Karissa Chambers. Senior Isaac Davis had a very detailed opinion on the matter. It was so intriguing in fact that I deemed it necessary to include all of it. “The cultural relevance of Twilight is utterly perplexing and misguided. On top of this, the narrative is in no way appealing. The characters are unlikeable and un-relatable. The setting is bleak and undesirable. The fantasy that is presented is full of depression and unreasonable levels of angst. Finally, it is a vampire story wherein almost no one gets bitten.” Wise words.

I began to notice that the more mature seniors had the more critical opinions on the series; though many of them still love Twilight. “…It is the most horrendous piece of literature trash that I have ever seen or heard of in my life.” said Senior Brandon Combs. When I asked Senior Ericka Pyle what she thought of the books she said, “The main character is really annoying. They’re too young to be deeply enthralled in love… The people that are really into the books are also really annoying.”

“Why then is it so popular?” I asked her. Senior Tina Cianfaro cleverly cut in, “Because it’s vampires!” I got very frustrated and began to properly compile a very general list of pros and cons on Twilight and I came up with a handy dandy, fancy shmancy chart!
________________________________
Pros
- IT’S GOT VAMPIRES, DAWG.
- A mix of two genres; fantasy and romance.
- “Relatable” main characters
- Interests of the author go hand in hand with that of the reader. (Such as taste in music.)
- Such a giant backing that it is socially in your best interests to support it.
- Good rep with the women if you’re a male who “likes” it.


Cons
- Poor narrative.
- Characters are entirely unlikeable and un-relatable.
- Bleak & boring setting makes story un-believable and hard to imagine.
- Specific fantasy presented is depressing and entirely whiny.
- Readers find themselves hoping that the main protagonist gets killed because she is so terrible; something that is very bad considering you cant have a good book wherein you absolutely hate the main character whom you are supposed to love.
- Completely creepy love triangle.
- Extremely questionable motifs on the part of Edward. He’s over 100 years old hasn’t found a woman better than this dreary, blank, 17 hormonal wench?
- Not a true love story. People don’t fall in love with one another simply because they don’t know what they are thinking.
- Absolutely no emotional attachment between the two “lovers”.
- Bella simply wets her pants every time she sees Edward.
- Therefore what’s left is a totally physical relationship since the two have nothing in common or talk about anything besides what’s going on currently
- Has no reward to give to the reader. They gain no life lessons out of reading the series.
_______________________________

There is however, one factor that I forget to put on the Pros section of the chart. Something that is actually quite important. When I asked the teachers of the English department I was extremely surprised and glad at the answers they gave me. They brought out an aspect of this series and it’s influence on society that was good. “I think that just about any book, series, or genre that stimulates kids to read and to find/rediscover the joy of reading is a good thing.” Said Mrs. Flanagan. I received other positive input such as this. For example Mrs. Sypher was able to discuss the books with her kids after they had all read them. A great family thing to do really, as I recall reading the Harry Potter series all together with my family.

Still, there must surely be a better alternatives to Twilight. If you tell people not to read something, you have to tell them to read something else. If you enjoyed Twilight, I am sure you would absolutely love any of the following books which are infinitely better reads:

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
True Blood Series by Patricia Waddell

and a plethora of others.

In the end, I come back to the common phrase I always say, “Whatever floats your boat that doesn’t sink mine.” The Twilight series doesn’t sink my boat in any way. However, the ravenous fan-girls that are “really annoying” (as Senior Ericka Pyle so rightly stated.) really deserve to have their boats sink. Hopefully there are sharks in the water.

-Yianni Jannelli

New Years

It's getting to be that time of year again when snow begins falling and the weather gets cold. Over winter break students celebrate holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah and even Kwanza. In all the hype, New Years is often easily over looked. However, New years is a pivital holiday that celebrates new beginings and rebirth. Most are familiar with the tradition of making New Years resolutions and trying to keep them in hopes of making the new year better than the last. In Brandywine, the top five new years resolutions were:
1. To lose weight
2. Start doing better in the new semester
3. Stop procrastinating
4. Save money
5. Stop Cursing

Out of 25 students and faculty members interviewed, 16 said that they actually try to follow their resolutions; 13 people said that their resolution was the same as last years, and 3 admitted that they rarely even think about their resolutions after they're made.

Whats your New Years resolution?

By: Ericka Pyle

Yianni's R&R: Introduction

Welcome to a new section of our blog:

Yianni's Rambling & Randomness

Here we will discuss loads of different things. You'll find movie & video game reviews, media rants, maybe some politics, etc. What is and isn't popular at Brandywine. Stuff going and stuff not going on. Eh, crazy nonsense (or is it?). If your not into that sort of thing then not only are you boring, but this section isn't for you. Duh.

Upcoming Reviews:
The Twilight Series
2012
Android Phones
Mr. Hagelstein vs Mr. Flynn

If you've got any topic suggestions, we'll take a look at them at: yiannilicious@yahoo.com

One of the most popular Facebook applications is Zynga’s Farmville. Farmville was launched June 19, 2009 and it currently has 62.1 million active users. In Farmville, players can plant, grow and harvest virtual crops, trees and livestock. Farmville users spend their time planting and managing their farms. Players must first plow their land, plant their seeds and wait a few hours for their produce to grow. They harvest their crops to get FarmCoins which they then can use to buy upgrades and decorations for their farms. The purpose of this game is to gain experience points from various Farmville activities to level up and unlock new plants and decorations. Farmville also allows its users to give one free gift away to their friends every day. Experienced farmer Kelly McKinley, 12th grader, says, “It’s fun to collect animals, watch your crops grow and make mad money all the while. It’s also cool to look at other people’s farms and see what they’re working with. It’s something different than just looking at people’s statuses and pictures on Facebook.”

Farmville is a free application on Facebook, but one can pay US dollars to get FarmCash. FarmCash, like FarmCoins, can be used to buy things like tractors or dairy farms or red barns. Farmville’s sales of gifts and virtual goods are set to double from last year and may hit up to $1.6 billion next year. Zynga realized that their profit from the game could be put to good use, so they created “social goods” for their game. Farmers can buy “Sweet Seeds for Haiti” with their FarmCash and fifty percent of their proceeds go towards charity.

Farmville even has advanced its social networking outreach to
Twitter. If you follow Farmville on Twitter, you can get updates on the game such as upcoming contests, new accessories and new animals. Games similar to Farmville can also be found on Facebook such as Farmtown, Yoville and Café World. Feel like farming without an internet connection? Try “Harvest Moon,” a video game extremely similar to Farmville for every major gaming system.

A poll conducted at Brandywine shows that 15 out of 20 Brandywine students play Farmville. One hundred percent of the people who play also say they have chosen to play Farmville over school work or studying. As one of the five who doesn’t play, senior Shelby Rushie very vocally believes that, “Farmville is a waste of time. I think it’s childish.” Junior Chelsea Lynch, on the other hand, differs on opinion, “At first, I didn’t understand it, but after playing it a little while, I really like it.”

Regardless of how you feel about it, the Farmville craze is sweeping a ton of computers near you! If you haven’t, maybe you should give farming a try. You might discover you’ve got a virtual green thumb.

Post written by Emily Shustack
Photo courtesy of Zynga

Farewell Mrs. Tanzer

The Brandywine High School family will never be the same after Mrs. Hinda Tanzer retired on November 13, after 28 glorious years. Over the years, Mrs. Tanzer has shared many of her talents and strengths with us all.

Twenty eight years ago, Mrs. Tanzer began working at Brandywine as a guidance counselor after some time at Mount Pleasant High School. She helped students make important decisions that impacted their personal and academic futures, and was always there when the students needed her most. Then, later in her career at Brandywine, she was moved to an administrative job and served as one of our assistant principals. As an assistant principle, Mrs. Tanzer worked to make sure our learning environment was the best it could be and she was responsible for many other things such as the Block Party, grade reports, and testing.

Mrs. Tanzer has also been a mentor for many of the staff, here at Brandywine. Specifically, Mrs. Tanzer has really helped out Mr. Sheets. “She’s helped me out a lot, especially from moving from the classroom to an administrator,” Sheets said. “I will definitely miss lunch duty; it was a lot of fun covering it with her.” Mr. Davis said, “She was a wonderful role model for the counseling staff, and I enjoyed working with her.”

Many of us don’t know that Mrs. Tanzer is a big sports fan and loves karaoke. One of Mr. Houk’s favorite memories from Mrs. Tanzer was when there was talent show a few years ago and she said she was going to sing, “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me.” “She had a good sense of humor, and was just fun to be around,” Mrs. Tanzer loved all of the Philly sports teams especially the Phillies and the Eagles. She also loved to go to a lot of the Brandywine sports games, especially the basketball games. She was a “big cheerleader (for the school sports) and had a lot of school spirit”, said Mr. Davis.

One thing definitely is for sure, Mrs. Tanzer will be missed dearly. Student Kathie Wu said, “Mrs. Tanzer was such a great asset to Brandywine. She was not only a dedicated administrator, but she also cared about the well-being of the students here. I’m sure we will all miss her.”

Post written by Alexa Borrelli

Senator Carper visits BHS

Senator Carper came to visit our school on Monday, November 23. He came to see Mrs. Pinkston (Delaware's State Teacher of the Year), talk to students about his life as well as answer any questions they had.

As his student tour guide I took him around the school and answered his questions about Brandywine. After a quick meeting in Dr. Thompson's office, I escorted Senator Carper to Mrs. Pinkston's 2nd period class. While there he delivered a quick speech and observed Mrs. Pinkston teaching.

Next stop was the audion where the Student Council had gathered to hear the senator speak. He spoke mainly about he has achieved success in his life and career. He then answered student questions, offering insightful solutions to their concerns.

Overall it was a quick and beneficial visit, and Senator Carper left the Brandywine students with a lot to think about. One thing I found particularly helpful was the senator quoting Thomas Edison, saying "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

Post written by Drew Hayes

Ms. Pinkston Named Delaware's State Teacher of the Year

Ms. Mary Pinkston has been teaching for almost as long as any student currently attending Brandywine has been alive. She first became a teacher in the Brandywine School District in January of 1992, which means this year marks her 18th year of teaching. In 1994 Ms. Pinkston moved to Brandywine High School and has been teaching here ever since.

Being a teacher for all of these years has given her time to perfect her teaching as as well as finding ways to truly connect with her students. All of her hard work finally paid off last month when she was chosen as the Delaware State Teacher of the Year, a very prestigious honor.

The process by which Ms. Pinkston was chosen is a very long one. She explains, "Each building selects a teacher of the year based on their own criteria. The process here at BHS involved submitting a resume, your educational philosophy, peer observations as well as a vote by students, parents and faculty. The points are then added up and a winner is announced."

After being named teacher of the year at BHS, she went through a similar process at the district, and ultimately state, level. Ms. Pinkston continues to work hard every day providing each of her students with a successful example to follow.

Post written by Tommy McKee
Photo courtesy of Brandywine School District

Mr. Rolph Named Assistant Principal

Many students have noticed an old friendly face in a new position. That face that we have all came to love is Mr. Rolph, who is now Brandywine’s own Assistant Principal.

Before Mr. Rolph became the Assistant Principal here at Brandywine, he was a teacher and an instructional coach. Rolph taught World History for 16 years, and in those years he has received many compliments from students. Junior Alexa Borrelli says "Mr. Rolph is always willing to help students and is very supportive of all school activities."

My interview Mr. Rolph went great, he is a friendly, funny guy and was willing to answer all question asked without hesitation.

When asked how he felt about his new position, he first claimed that he isn’t sure yet, because he has only been an Assistant Principal for the last month, but that it is “different.” He then elaborated and said that he loved being a teacher, but also loves his new role. “Everyday is a new day with new things to learn and get use to.”

Mr. Rolph said that he feels like a student again. He is learning how to become an Assistant Principal. The only challenge his new position brings is time management and getting the chance to see students participate in all different extracurricular activities. He believes that it is “important for students to see that he and the other teachers are there to support everything that they do.”

It can be a hassle for him to find the time and be able to get to all of the sporting events, but he is working hard on being able to.

Mr. Rolph’s favorite part of his new job is “being able to watch so many teachers engaged in teaching.” He finds it exciting to be able to see other teachers work within their classrooms. “Some teachers teach differently then I did, and it’s great to see their techniques working,” said Rolph.

He also claimed that “criticism doesn’t lead to improvement but collaborating in a new way does,” when asked what he does if he doesn’t agree with a teaching technique. One thing that remains the same in Rolph’s mind is what he wants to accomplish. His goal is to make sure that the students at Brandywine High School “are learning everything that they can learn, and that they feel at home when doing so.”

So far, many students have agreed that Mr. Rolph is doing an excellent job as the new Assistant Principal and will hopefully continue to throughout the future.

Post written by Becki Barrett

Mottola’s Legacy to live on at Brandywine

On Wednesday evening, September 2nd at the Brandywine Field Hockey parent meting, parents and coaches learned that the Mottola family will be donating a brand new scoreboard to the field hockey team by an emotional and heartfelt announcement by Tony Mottola, brother of Jeanine Mottola. It will be in honor of Jeanine Mottola, a past field hockey and softball player at Brandywine High School class of 1984, who passed away from a year long battle with cancer.

Head Coach Willy Miranda stated, “It’s very gracious of them (the Mottola family), it’s very tough and a very tough loss for the Mottola family. She played goalie for me. Since I’ve been coaching here we’ve lost four of our players, two to cancer, and two to tragic accidents.”

Jeanine passed away last spring. The family allowed people to give monetary donations in her name and they received much more than ever expected. Some gave five dollars and others gave thousands. Both of Jeanine’s parents worked within the Brandywine School District. Her three brothers also attended Brandywine High School as well. With the money they received, they wanted to somehow make a difference at Brandywine as well as leave a legacy for Jeanine. “It came together effortlessly for us. We thought it would be a cool idea to donate a small token to the school,” Tony said.

Athletic Director David Berlin is very excited about the scoreboard. “I’ve been involved with the field hockey team with Willy since 1982. One of the biggest concerns we’ve ever had from the parents of both the home and visiting teams was that they never knew the score of the game or how much time was left. We’ve never had a scoreboard.”

The scoreboard is located near right field of the baseball outfield. This allows the Brandywine Baseball team to also use the scoreboard during their season as well. The scoreboard is also environmentally friendly. It’s battery powered and rechargeable with solar panels.

The scoreboard was installed at the end of September, but not in use until Brandywine Field Hockey’s home rivalry game against Concord on October 7th. “It was an emotional day,” Berlin said. “We had a dedication ceremony before the game and refreshments after the game.”

“Anyone who knew Jeanine knew she had a huge heart, as love for people, and a passion to compete. Brandywine made many lasting memories for our family,” Tony said.

Post written by Alexa Borrelli
Photo courtesy of Vincent Borrelli

The Year of Bekir

Has your high school experience been amazingly dull, or boring? Have you been looking for ways to have fun and enjoy yet another great and fun-filled high school year? In many ways our very own Bekir Gunaydin has found ways to make his year fun and weirdly entertaining. No matter what the circumstance Gunaydin knows how to have fun. So you ask your self is Bekir Gunaydin the new face in schools across America? If so he seems to have certainly found a way to be the face in our very own Brandywine High. As the “Year of Bekir” has taken flight and reached out through our student body. Whether you know him or not “The Year of Bekir” is here and people are talking.

Bekir’s main purpose for promoting “his” year is to bring joy into the school and social atmosphere, and for seniors he states that “senior year should be celebrated and lived in a purpose of having the best time of your life.” The preferred drink, food and, sport for the Year of Bekir would have to be orange soda, hot wings, and playing ping pong. Some effects of the Year of Bekir are that random people he doesn't even know in school come up to him asking about the year. Also the side effect of living in the Year of Bekir may result in being tardy to school because he is late to school, a lot!

Many people are asking how long this year is going to last, he decided that it would be best if it expired at the end of May, because he will not be attending school anymore after that, he will be graduating with the Class of 2010. When he passes away one day, Bekir's family and friends plan on donating a monument of him outside of the school in memory of him as a legend at Brandywine High. The motto to live by is “Senior year comes around once, so have fun and don't grow up.” After the year expires Bekir is having a big party that the whole school is going to be invited to.

If you ever hangout with Gunaydin for a day you will see that he does live up to his motto “have fun and don't grow up.” He loves playing ping pong, Farmville, Madden 10', and Kung Fu Panda games. Also, on a daily basis he loves making fun of his friend Marc Gold. During his free time he enjoys working 48 hour shifts, doodling on paper, going to social gatherings, hanging out at the Riverfront Apartments on the 9th floor, and “mackin” with the elders. Last, but not least; any good-looking ladies that want to have a great time with a Turkish-stallion on any given weekend, please contact Bekir Gunaydin.

Post written by Jackie Sheldon
Photo courtesy of Bekir Gunaydin

Parking Lot

The parking lot at school seems to be increasingly inefficient despite the increased involvement of school administrators. In fact, the other day I almost ran over Mr. Hagelstein because he just stands in the middle of the parking lot and waves at people for no reason. I do not wave in return.

I'm late to class everyday because of this bureaucratic nightmare. Mussolini would not be happy. I honestly don't remember the last time I was actually here for the morning announcements. I miss the sweet sounds of Ms. Sudler-Lawrence saying "Milk." You just can't put a price on that.

I believe the administrators think that they're helping us, but they're not. All they're doing is making parents that drop their kids off want to drop them off in the middle of the road, and the students who drive to school want to come late purposely because they're probably going to be late regardless.

So all in all, I really hate the parking lot and the new traffic flow pattern. Perhaps we should have wave arrivals. That would probably fix everything.

Post written by Kelsea Hertzler