THE UCKRAKER T HE IMNDEPENDENT J OHN F. K ENNEDY S CHOOL S TUDENTS ‘ N EWSPAPER Volume X, Issue VIII Friday, March 2, 2007 Circulation: 600 PAGE 1 THE MUCKRAKER The Bandaged Charité Speaks! Lampposts snuggled up in H&M, busses ence community. To make this happen, Can you believe it’s March al- roaming the streets sporting Sketcher’s “Vanity Fair” will be posted for about a ready? Because we surely can’t. Only hottest, and for the Brandenburg Gate, year. 20 more days until spring vacation and only the fi nest off of Gucci racks. Our A hospital covered in advertisement is after that, it’s really only a matter of city not long from today: an advertise- only the peak of the iceberg though. As weeks until another school year will ment jungle. of 2007, advertisement design compa- come to its end. So let us recapitulate This fear manifests itself most clearly at ny VVR Decaux proffers an alluring new what has happened in the last month: the sorry sight of the Berliner Charité. campaign perspective for its custom- report cards with a preciously high Its central hospital building has been ers: “train station dominance”. From amount of those new Individual Educa- wrapped up and bandaged in 4200 pioneering the legendary “Litfaßsäule”, tion Plans (IEP), a fatal hurricane that square meters of plastic featuring 10 invented by the “advertisement king”, turned out to be more of a strong wind, giant yellow letters; a commercial Ernst Litfaß, to sending the fi rst horse and an unusually successful school poster that reads “Vanity Fair”. On the carriage used as an advertisement tool dance. night of February 6th, 20 mechanics into the streets of Berlin – the company It seems that the new course load for hoisted the advertisement up to the top now known as VVR Decaux, has always our little 7th grade younglings is really ten fl oors of the world famous hospital been an innovator in its league. “Train drawing its consequences. Although station domi- the 7th graders will be fortunate nance” may enough to complete their Abitur after well transform only 12 years, they now have a more our city as rigorous schedule, tougher classes, much as pre- and less free periods. As for the wan- vious Decaux na-be hurricane, although us Berlin- strategies. The ers weren’t too impressed, the strong idea behind it is winds seem to be an indicator of the that fl oor, walls, potential effects of global warming. Es- ceilings, and pecially with the moody weather we’ve poles in a sub- been having lately (Is it winter? Is it way station be spring?), it seems that the future of plastered full our children and our children’s children with the client’s will not be as safe as ours, regarding advertisements climate change. – and only that The Student Council dance, on the oth- one client’s er hand, came as a positive surprise to and now it hangs majestically above the logo and colors, hence the dominance. most of us, as school dances are nor- city, the writing lit up at night. Those of So far, two companies have shaken on mally less successful and have gained us worried about missing the market’s the deal: U-Bahnhof Ernst-Reuter-Platz quite a dismissive reputation at our latest are thanking the fashion deity, now occupied by “GRAVIS”, a computer school. Nevertheless, congratulations but what about those inside the hospi- company and U-Bahnhof Friedrich- to the SC! Let’s hope more successes tal? They’re rejoicing over the advance- straße, enveloped in “Germanwings”. will await us in the future. ments in poster engineering: The little Sounds like one building, one train sta- Anyway, as you all know, these next holes in the poster material make for a tion after another will be covered in a couple of weeks before spring break great view out the window! And what wild jungle of advertisements. Unter will be tainted with Klausuren, tests, about the lit-up letters? No need to den Linden’s elegant sap green trees quizzes, and presentations, but re- worry about that. Its lights extinguish will be lost in a blurry array of bright member, school will be over soon and at eleven - perfect bedtime for the new- printer ink. Are H&M, Sketchers, and once you get through these weeks, you borns on the 11th fl oor! Gucci what Berlin stands for? Should can pat yourself on the back. The comfort of the patients set aside, the “dominance” be in the hands of one has to ask: How do a magazine corporate companies, or is this our advertisement and a health facility fi t city, our hospital, our public transpor- together? The Charité has assuaged tation system? Whether we like it or Charité 1 concerns over this discrepancy saying not, advertisements are growing in size JFKS Life 2-4 it’s not and will never be a cigarette and prevalence. At least no must-have commercial. The hospital depends on product will escape us. Opinion 4-6 the money it gets for advertising; it Culture 6-7 is remodelling its façade and adding Entertainment 8-10 seven new fl oors – aiming to make the Lena Walther building symbolic for the Berliner sci- Volume X, Issue VIII Friday, March 2, 2007 Circulation: 600 PAGE 2 JFKS Life The Student Council Graffiti, Valentine’s Day Dance the newest What have the Student Council Presi- self, after the helpers and of course our trend? dents Max Jürgens and Julian Lasius SC presidents themselves had finished When reflecting back upon the year achieved till now? Many students who setting everything up for the big bash, 2006 it seems that a lot of new trends had once put their hope into the newly a lot of people started to show up. Al- have come about. One of the biggest elected presidents became some of the though most 10th – 13th graders, ex- trends is that we teenagers seem to Student Council’s strongest critics. The cluding those who helped out, stayed have taken a liking to graffiti. I for one same people who had once congratu- true to their promise of not attending would be lying if I said I didn’t love see- lated ideas such as the Grade Council, the dance, some fun-loving older stu- ing a good “piece” on a building or an now doubt the capabilities of Max and dents did show up and appeared to en- S-Bahn. Julian. However, the SC presidents have joy themselves. Not to forget the hoard But what I don’t like - and I think many of younger students who of you will agree - is seeing some ama- gladly joined in on the teur kid’s sloppy tag smeared all over festivities, which guaran- the walls of our school. It’s ugly and no teed a huge amount of one finds it cool. profit due to the amount I know a lot of you think it’s funny or of tickets and drinks sold cool to tag in the bathrooms or the at the dance. The DJ banisters but it really isn’t. I am friends (Jakob Thomae) and the with people who spray: they are amaz- extremely amusing break ing artists and they spray in places dance moves of one of the that don’t jeopardize other peoples’ SC presidents were some well-being and because they love and of the most entertaining respect the art of spray painting – now events of the night. that is cool. However the kids tagging Although many of us still in the bathrooms of our school are try- have a lot of questions ing to impress the older kids – its not concerning the work impressing them. I talked to an old and achievements of the friend of mine, who is also an amazing SC presidents, all of us sprayer and he said that that kind of managed to not only continually work should at least acknowledge the hard tagging just doesn’t make an impres- very hard behind the scenes of school work and successes achieved by the sion on him and that if those kids want business but they also managed to pull young men that were elected by a vast his respect they should be out there do- off a big successful event to ring in the majority of the school. ing what he’s doing and not destroying second semester. Let’s hope that the SC dance wasn’t our bathrooms. The SC Valentine’s Day Dance, which just a glimpse of success but rather If you’re trying to make a point, con- many students had looked down upon, the start of an exciting, eventful, and gratulations, you’ve made it: all of the turned out to be a huge success. Al- extremely successful second semes- JFKS bathrooms now look like public though the SC had managed to plas- ter, especially since another semester toilets at an U-Bahn station. The bath- ter the entire school with posters, it largely filled with empty promises and rooms have become nasty and are hurt- still didn’t seem as if the dance would behind the scenes work isn’t what any- ing our school’s reputation. be well visited. When asked whether one bargained for when they voted for So, if you guys are really into graffiti, they would be attending this pivotal their SC presidents. For now, we can that’s fine, but a lot of kids at our school dance – at least for 7th and 8th grad- just try and be positive, seeing as some may not be and it’s not fair to them if ers – older students just laughed at the positive thinking at least once in a while they have to walk into those bathrooms idea, claiming that going to a school can’t harm anyone.