The media center and staff, led by media supervisors Margaret Harrison and Kim Mayo, are making a push to conserve paper in an effort to save energy and money.  
    Harrison and Mayo are encouraging teachers and students to use some strategies to eliminate their use of paper.  Their suggestions include the use of flash drives and email instead of hard copies of assignments, recycling all paper, and printing on the front and back of papers.  “The goal is to make everything as paperless as possible.  We could save a lot of money because we spend so much every year on paper and maintenance for printers and copiers,” Harrison said.  
    Some teachers have been following these suggestions for a while and are glad to see the tactics being applied school-wide.  Engineering teacher David Rogers is one of these teachers, and he makes his class do all they can to conserve paper.  “This is what I think: Unless you are distributing something to the students that needs to be immaculate, then there is no reason to use a clean piece of paper,”  Rogers said.
    Rogers also has taken the suggestions given by the media staff one step further.  He has suggested ideas such as taking notes on used worksheets and making sure to always use scrap paper.  “When they are taking notes, I 'm just going to be giving them tips about this and that, they are not going to be taking whole pages of notes.  There is no reason to use a clean piece of paper for that,” Rogers said.  
    Some teachers feel that there are situations in which using a clean sheet of paper is necessary. “When students write a formal paper or project, their final product deserves the respect of a clean, one-sided piece of paper,” English teacher Mary Foster said.  
    Setting aside the idea of using unused paper for formal essays, teachers and staff agree that efforts to conserve paper should be made.   
By David Mayer

History teacher Kathie Davidson is heading a movement to collect toothbrushes to send to Peru as part of a Peace Corps program designed to improve dental hygiene.  
    The reason this movement is focused on dental hygiene is because buying toothbrushes means sacrificing a meal for impoverished families.  “Families can either buy something they know little about (toothbrushes and toothpaste), or they can buy enough meat to feed them for days,”  Davidson said.  
    Davidson is participating in this movement because Riverside alumni Jenny Shwartz is in Peru working for the Peace Corps.  When asked about Shwartz,  Davidson said curtly, “What do you mean what is great about her?  What is not great about someone going out and helping other people?”
    At first, some students were taken aback by the fact that the movement is only focused on toothbrushes instead of food or clothing, but eventually realized its importance.  “It seems weird to me that they are only asking for toothbrushes, but when I really think about it, it seems like an extremely good idea,” Junior Brooks Lane said.
    If students wish to help, they can bring toothbrushes to room 113 or talk to Davidson.  
By David Mayer

    ROTC senior John Farmer is teaming up with his church, New Hope Church, to help with a program called “Kicks for Community” that is designed to provide shoes for impoverished families in Mexico.  
    Farmer heard about the program at church and decided to take the initiative and bring the program to Riverside through ROTC.  “It is an easy service project that [ROTC] could help with.  Shoes are basic commodities that we take for granted.  After seeing all the pictures at church, I realized some people don't have the same advantages we do,” Farmer said.  
  

The Riverside Lacrosse team is set to take on cross-town rival Jordan on Thursday as the Pirates push for a playoff birth.  Game time is at 7 P.M. in Lenny Wrenn Stadium.  Come out and support your Pirates in what is sure to be a hard fought game on both sides of the ball.

For a preview of the action, check out lacrosse action in a new video by Alex Spathis.