FHSTheFlash The Flash Volume 46, Issue 5 April 2006 | Page 5

Takes Over

Bess bites teen sites
By Samantha Saenz ‘07
Flash Staff Reporter
Self-expression is very important especially to boys and girls
during their teenage years.
Kids are becoming aware of a
somewhat new approach to
express how they feel about
how things are going on in their
life. So why is self-expression
being banned during school
hours?
“Kids are more interested in
going on Myspace and playing
games, than doing the work
they’re supposed to be doing,”
said Mrs. Barsotti.
Major websites like
M y s p a c e . c o m ,
Livejournal.com,
and
Xanga.com are banned from
being used by the students by
Fraser’s Internet watchdog
Bess. But Bess doesn’t just
block their sites, but other
blogging sites along with some
clothing store websites.
“We do not block the
websites, the MISD (Macomb
Intermediate School District)
does,” said Barsotti.
Not surprisingly, the student’s
views differ from the staff’s on
what should and shouldn’t be
permitted to be viewed on
school’s computers. Students
consider they should be allowed
to play games and observe the

sites they want to during excess
time. Teachers believe that students should do their work, and
then do productive work afterwards. Some students may try
to get past our watchdog; others might choose to do other
teacher’s work they have
given.
“It doesn’t matter, those sites
are not bad. They are meant
for you and your friends,” said
Jessica Chynoweth ‘07.
Lately, blogging has become
a problem with teachers and
parents. More and more parents have become aware what
their children are doing since,
they’re showing what their doing on the weekends, with pictures. On Livejournal.com,
you’re can share how you’re
feeling, share pictures, and comment on your friend’s pages.
Myspace is the same idea, but
some things are different. Parents are finding that sexual
predators are now more on the
prowl, and talking to parent’s
young daughters and sons.
“Sexual predators are everywhere you go,” said Erin
Cardwell ’08. “If you keep
away from them on the
Internet, they’ll find you somewhere else. The matter at hand
is being careful whether you’re
online, or on the street,” finishes
Cardwell.

5

Fraser steps in
By Nicole Hinchman ‘06
Flash Staff Reporter

member is responsible for their
own area,” said Dr. Richards.
“I am amazed by the teachers,
they have really jumped on
With the recent passing of a
board.”
59 million dollar bond for Fraser
The personal web pages that
High School, the steps to creathave been designed by teaching a new and improved facility
ers allow students to stay uphave begun. Major plans are in
dated and informed on class dethe works for a complete rescriptions, curriculums, and asvamping of the school in upsignments.
coming years, but
“If a student is absent
changes have althis is just another tool for
ready been initiated,
them to stay caught up
starting with the latand on task,” said Thompest technology.
son.
“We want to utilize
With all the new techtechnology as a loop
nology added to the
for teachers and stuschool, FHS added a new
dents to access,”
department of tech
said Fraser High
coaches, staff members
School Principal, Dr.
helping other staff memDave Richards. “We
bers with technology, to
know that connectivmake the transition easier.
ity is king.”
“You’re only limited
Once the bond
Mary Thompson is wired for technology.
with what you are compassed, FHS wasted
fortable with,” said Thno time and computer workstations were in- http://www.fraser.k12.mi.us, ompson. “If you’re willing to try
stalled in all classrooms for providing everyone with the op- it you can open so many doors.”
Although FHS has advanced
teachers, allowing everyday portunity of access to Fraser’s
tasks such as attendance and schools and the upcoming forward in the world of techgrades to be done in a more ef- events. The website has been nology, there are many more
ficient fashion. The worksta- utilized as a new teaching tech- changes to come in the near
tions also allow teachers to com- nique, allowing each teacher future.
“We’re moving and it’s all in
municate through e-mail and and staff member to create their
the right direction,” said Dr.
make use of Fraser Public own page.
Richards.
“Every teacher and staff
Schools new website.
“My time is so crunched and
inner-school e-mail allows me
to type one note and ‘boom’ it’s
there,” said English teacher,
Mary Thompson. “That’s the
beauty of technology. People
are linked in an easier, faster
way.”
Fraser Public Schools has
also renovated their website,

The music download debate
By Kyle Snarski ‘08
Flash Staff Reporter
Yarrgh ye owe the government 15 thousand gold
dubloons! Why ye ask? Because ye be the scourge of the
World Wide Web. You be a
music downloadin’ pirate. So it’s
true the U.S government does
have right to fine you for the
“illegal” downloading and sharing of copyrighted music. But
in this confusion, one may ask
what does it all mean?
For a brief history on downloading music, we must go to
where it all began; we must
start with a program with a
spunky little kitty logo called
Napster. In short, a Northwestern college student was bored,
and he so happened to have a
computer at the time. Well, one
thing led to another and Napster,
an mp3 file-sharing program,
was born. Soon afterwards, a
puppeteer, a pilot, and a psychiatrist
were
sharing
Metallica’s hit song Master of
Puppets. In the true style of a
butterfly effect, Metallica themselves became upset and with
a team of hotshot lawyers and

the Supreme Court, Napster
was officially shut down and
was no more. Unfortunately for
Metallica, several other
websites have spawned in the
spirit of the fallen Napster and
the file share revolution continues. Sites
like Kazaa,
Limewire,
a
n
d
Morpheus
have risen
like phoenixes and
have proven
popular
a m o n g
teens and
adults alike.
Music Piracy
1:
Meta