Mountain Gorillas

Taylor Wellman

The mountain gorilla is the largest of all primates. It lives in the forests of tropical africa. They are becoming extremely endangered. The ones still alive live in four different national parks split into 2 regions that are 28 miles apart. In 2003 340 gorillas live in a national park in Uganda.

Even though these monsters are strong and powering they are a pretty shy animal. They average about 11 gorillas in a group, each led by a dominant male. They have a slow reproduction rate which makes it even worse for their population. In a 50 year life span a female gorilla may only have 2-6 offspring. Newborns are very weak weighing about 4 pounds. They are much like us coming out of the stomach. Weird and awkward.

School comes to a close

The 2008 school year has come to a close but in the last two weeks, there have been three different assemblies recognizing the seniors and underclassmen.

The first of the three assemblies was senior solos. Many seniors participated and sung songs such as: Hero, She Thinks My Tractors Sexy & a piano version of Party Like A Rockstar.

The second assembly was for senior scholarships and tons of seniors won money towards college. Michael Bush won a full ride to UC.

The third assembly was for academic awards for all grades. Many people were honored for there academic excellence.

Congratualations to everyone on the terrific 2007-2008 school year.

My Senior Reflection

As I sat in class on the last day of my senior year, i thought to myself; Where did it all go? It seems to me that it was just yesterday that I was starting school. Now i'm graduating. It is truely amazing. Along the way I have had some great experiences, and have made a lot of great friends that i will hold close to me for the rest of my life. The past 12 years have come down to this single moment in time. As they say, it's now or never. This chapter of my life is now complete, and i am about to embark on an entirely new one.

I have only one wish for the class of 2008. That is for all to do their absolut best in life. Many jokes have been made about our senior class being stupid as well as being apathetic. Well it is time to prove them wrong. Our time is now, it is our time to shine.

With all of this being said, I simply have several things to say. I care about each and every single one of you, weather we were friends or not. I wish everyone the best in life. And that no matter where life takes us, or whatever path we choose to take, we will always be the Norwood Class of 2008.

Songs from Seniors Bring Tears to All

Thursday May 15 some our seniors sang what to their class, kind of like a good-bye song from them.

Alex was the first senior up as he plays 3 songs on the piano. The first one was a song from his church then Party like a Rock Star and lastly Don’t Matter. The seniors were touched on how well he played. Next was Aaron and he sang She thinks my Tractors sexy. And the seniors filled the room with laughter and sadness. Ben sang a song from the band Secondhand Serenade and it was just so smoothing that everyone was so into it. Travis sang this song from the artist Jack Johnson. The audience was quite as he did he best. Mike shocked the whole school when he grabbed the guitar and started singing. No one would expect him to sing how he did.
Afterwards was Marissa as she sang her heart out to Hero. Tears began to fall down out of the seniors’ eyes. It was noticeable that she had touched some people. Gwen was up and sang Impossible. The way she sang brought chills and sadness to people. Last but defiantly the best was Matt Mike and Rob. They sang a song they wrote the night before auditions. It was called Four Years, which talked about the four years of high school. As they reach senior year everyone began to cry. It wasn’t like a tear it was like bawling crying.

All songs that day were memorable, but that song was a great way to end the solos and won’t be forgotten by the class of 2008.

MACHO VOLLEYBALL

This year the macho volleyball game was very interesting. The first game was against the Juniors and the Sophomores. The Sophomores ended up winning and moving on to the final game. The Freshman and the Seniors played in the second game. There was no suprise there when the Seniors won. The Seniors and the Sophomores played in the final game. It was a good game with two good teams. The Seniors came away winning. Congradulations to the Seniors and good job to all of the players and coaches!!

Janish Gets The Call

By: Tyler Sluder

The Cincinnati Reds called up AAA short stop Paul Janish (pronounced Yanish) for Wednesday game against the Florida Marlins, and maybe the rest of the season. The reason for his call up is becasue the current short stop Jeff Keppinger could be out anywhere from 4 weeks to the rest of the season with a broken knee. Keppinger was injured on a foul ball that he hit off of his knee. However in the same atbat he drew a bases loaded walk that gave the Reds a two to zero lead. He played the next two innings in the field but then was taken out.

Janish made his Major League debut in Wednesday nights game in the eigth inning against the Florida Marlins. The Reds were up six to nothing at the time. In his first inning he made two putouts. He got out on his first at bat. In the top of the ninth the Reds gave up six runs and the lead. The game had to go to extra innings. There were no outs with men on first and second base and Janish came up for his second bat of his Major League career. He hit a ball down the line that scored the winning run for the Reds. A perfect way to make an immediate impact and to get your first hit.

On Thursday May 16 the Reds were rained out. On Friday May 17 the start a series with inter league rival the Cleveland Indians.

TTYL

Nikole Picklesimer

TTYL by Lauren Myracle is about three teenagers who are sophomores in high school. Anglea, Maddie, and Zoe are three totally different girls that are somehow best friends. It shows what the life of a teenage girl is all about. The girls deal with many problems including fights and boy drama.

What's most interesting about the novel is that it is written in all instant messges. With a new style of writing and a storyline all teenage girls would love, TTYL is a great read for just about anyone. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about friendship.

TTYL is only the first out of three books! The sequels to TTYL are TTFN and L8r, g8r. These two books also explore the world of Angela, Maddie, and Zoe while they go through high school and encounter more difficuties along the way.

To high?

Rising gas prices are affecting more than the family budget. More pain at the pump results in more employee stress on the job.
The information by surveying more than 800 full-time employees this spring when gas prices hovered at about $3.50 per gallon. All of the people surveyed work in a wide range of occupations, primarily in the southeastern United States. All drove personal transportation to work and had an average commute of 15 miles each way. Survey respondents said gas prices were foremost on their mind, including a disgruntled factory worker who wrote. Since gas prices has rised some effects come on into play.
- 52% of people have reconsidered taking a family vaction
- 45% had to cut back on card payments
- 30% of people had gone without the basics such as clothes, food, medicine, ect.
- 45% have gone behind on payments
- 33% say they would quit there job for one close to their homes.

Many employees report that gas prices rank as the No. 1 water-cooler discussion topic, ahead of family, sports or work, he said. He found little difference in responses among different ages, gender, work tenure and occupations.
As gas prices rise, so does the stress.

Top of the charts

This week on the billboard charts the top ten albums are:

• Hard candy by Madonna
• E=MC2 by Mariah Carey
• Spirit by Leona Lewis
• Lyfe Change byLyfe Jennings
• Songs from the Sparkle Lounge by Def Leppard
• The Roots by Rising Down
• Portishead by by Third
• Mudcrutch by Mudcrutch
• Now 27
• Greatest Hits by Tim McGraw

The number one song in America is bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. Bleeding love was originally written by Jessie McCartney.

You're Gonna Miss This...

--Cheyenne Hamberg

Well gang, we're at that point. That point where all the norm melts away into the bright and terrifying unknown. The point where the baby birds are tossed out of the nest to fly or plummet to their demise. Let's hope most of us can make the jump.

So as I sit here, the realization that this very well will be one of my last web posts for The Mirror, I begin to wonder what other seniors will miss.

I know for me it's the relationships I've made;

Those friends I've made who put up with my dorkiness and indulge sometimes themselves. Who've never failed to be at my back when I've faltered to offer a helping hand and a smile, never once judged me for not being as smart or pretty as others but have accepted me just as quirky as I am.

The teachers who've been so kind to me and become my mentors and friends, who've each given me something wonderful to take away from their lessons. You really get to know the teachers at Norwood, they watch you grow up and they know you. They've always treated me as an adult, as a being of equal intellect, worthy of their time and attention and for that I couldn't be more grateful.

I'll miss all those relationships I've made in the plays where for about two months we become something of a family, all hugs and laughter one moment then cutthroat fights the next. It was something special to be backstage with someone you know you'll never see outside the auditorium and cry with as you finally write your name on the wall, having waited and suffered through countless musicals and plays with this person just to get to that point, all to scribble your name in white out then leave the warmth of the stagelights and the chill of the concrete steps forever. I'll miss late night practices and Saturday morning rehearsals. I'll miss whinning about the cast and the play in general and secretly loving every minute of it. I'll miss those few moments when an entire sea of people are watching you, fixed on your every word and cheering you with applause, not because they were forced to come, but because they wanted to be there, they wanted to see you rise up to a challenge and soar above expectation.

I'll even miss all those quiet relationships I've made, the ones nobody's supposed to know about or talk about out loud. The ones with the Time Gods who enjoy making that clock tick just a half a second slower or running it too fast when you're racing to finish something important. My locker, the fiend, as I battled it daily for my books and failed miserably for the first couple years. That voice in my head that soothes when I've failed or inflates my ego when I've excelled. I'll miss the odd acts of kindness in the hallway, the person that smiles and says "excuse me" when they bump into you or the kid that takes the time to just nod a hello when they make eye contact.

I wonder what others will miss about Norwood, what they won't say outloud because it's uncool or so small they think no one will care. I wonder if many of these people even realize what they have and how much they're going to miss it when they leave.

I know I will and every time I walk through the halls of NKU, feeling small and uncertain if I can find my way on the big scary road of life, I'll think of all you and the special things we shared and I'll feel that I'll always have people at my back to help me.

And I thank all of you for that.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Kendall Jent

Greek history is back with a new twist. The award winning series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan will continue on May sixth with Battle of the Labyrinth. From what I can gather Percy Jackson the main character and his close half-blood friends must save their camp from ultimate destruction. To accomplish this they set out on a journey through the Labyrinth to "find something that has been lost for centuries." On a side note the Labyrinth is said to have belonged to Pan (the long lost god) which helps explain the title. The reason for going to the Labyrinth is to stop the main traitor Luke from breaching the borders of Camp Half-Blood.

Also I've gathered that the war between the Olympians and the evil titan Kronos won't happen but that just means the series will continue.

Mauk Still May Still Have A Chance

By: Tyler Sluder

University of Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk may still have a chance at playing for the Bearcats this coming season. After being denied a sixth year of eligibility two times, Mauk now will have a chance to talk to the commitee face to face and tell them his story.

Mauk's case is this. His freshmen year at Wake Forest he was redshirted. He played his sophomore year, and at the start of his junior year in the first quarter of the first game he broke his arm and required season ending sergury. He then transferred to Cincinnati were he played a third full year of football. Mauk thinks that he should have a final year of football becasue he has only played three full years of college football. The reason he was not granted eligiblility the first time he appealed the commitee is because they believe he sat out his freshmen season because he thought he was not going to play. Mauk says he sat out because of an injury. His second appeal was denied because Wake Forest did not provide enough information on Mauk and his health.

Mauk is believed to have one more shot at eligibility. He will talk face to face to the commitee sometime within the next month. If he is denied eligibility he wants to become an assistant with the Bearcats or help his dad coach his old highschool team.

The top runners for the starting quarterback job if Mauk does not come back are Senior Dustin Grutza and sophomore Demetrius Jones who is a transfer from Notre Dame.

PROM 2008!!

Tonight is the big night that the senior class has been waiting for,PROM!! This year prom will take place at The Great American Ballpark. The theme this year is Blacktie Affair. This year the Seniors got out of school at 11:15 to prepare for the big night. It is going to be a big night for all of the prom king and queen nominess. We hope for the best! Hope the See you there!!

Spirit Week

The week of 4-28 through 5-2 Norwood had their spirit week. Monday was PJ day. Students wore their slippers to their baths ropes.

Tuesday was hat day. From big colorful hats to small baseball caps Norwood rocked it out.

Wednesday was favorite team day. Students wore the jersey of the Bengals to the reds. Also Bearcats to golf/skating shirts.

Thursday was twin day. Each student had a twin that day. They wore the same hairstyles to the same shoes. It was one senior to one sophomore. They didn’t have to be in the same class but they looked so much alike.

Friday as always was class colors. Freshman wore white, sophomores wore red, juniors wore bed and the big seniors showed off all the colors. Red, blue and white.

All of this to count down the day till prom. Which was Friday May 2nd.