Vol. 120 No. 44 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 November 15 - 21, 2009 The PAT 1AS POST. | Serving the communities of the Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts | www.mydallaspost.com Frida has become very Americanized By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Foreign exchange student Fri- da Freiesleben learned a lot about America from watching the “Simpsons” on television. Life in the United States isn’t quite what Freiesleben saw on the cartoon series, but she does admit to enjoying American snacks. The 16-year-old from Denmark is a foreign exchange student through ASSE International Stu- dent Exchange Programs. Freies- leben is staying with Rich and Barbara Zeglin of Dallas until the end of the school year. She is cur- rently a sophomore at Dallas High School. “The hardest part of it is get- ting to know each other, getting to know the routine and then it develops into a family relation- ship,” Rich Zeglin said. The Zeglins have had eight foreign exchange students over the years. They began opening their home when their daughter, Renee, was in seventh-grade and hosted students until Renee, now 33, graduated from high school. The Zeglins, who are now grandparents, signed up to host more students and Barbara be- came a representative for ASSE International. “I wanted to do more than talk to a 3-year-old all day,” Barbara said of watching her grand- daughter. “I had this enlighten- ing thought, ‘Why don’t I be- come an area representative?’ And in the process of going through the paperwork and ev- erything, Rich and I realized how much we miss having stu- dents.” Freiesleben is active at Dallas High School and is a member of the International Club, the Di- versity Club and the Drama Club. She is playing Juror No. 11 in the school’s production of “Twelve Angry Jurors” on Now. 20 and Nov. 21. The juror Freiesleben is play- ing is supposed to be from Eu- rope and have an accent, so she feels she fits the part well. The Zeglins have taken Freies- leben to various places from Washington, D.C. to Maine, in- cluding Chocolate World in Her- shey. That was an adjustment for Freiesleben, who never before rode a school bus to school and is surprised at how dependent Americans are on cars. “In Denmark, I just used my bicycle or took the train,” she said. “Here, someone has to See FRIDA, Page 1 Frida Freiesleben, an exchange student from Denmark living in Dallas, says she knew a lot about America before she arrived from watching the "Simpsons." 4 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Wake Schepman, of Sweet Valley, is an inline skater. He placed fourth in the 16 years old and up category in the 2009 American Inline League (AIL) World Championships held on Oct. 24 in Tehachapi, Calif. Because Schepman placed in the top 10 in his category, the 12-year-old is now considered an AIL Elite. Wake Schepman skates with the big boys By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Wake Schepman received his first pair of inline skates as a Christmas gift when he was just 5 years old. Seven years later Schepman, of Sweet Valley, placed fourth in the 16 years old and up category in the 2009 American Inline League (AIL) World Champion- ships held Oct. 24 in Tehachapi, itop 10 in his category, the 12- year-old is now considered an AIL Elite. Despite being just 12, Schep- man was allowed to compete in the 16 years old and up category 0981512007909 & Calif. Because he placed in the [o because the categories are based on skill and not age. In 2007 and 2008, Schepman competed in the AIL World Championships in the ages 10 to 15 category. He was surprised to do so well this year at his first attempt in an advanced category. “This was the first year I went into the 16 and over advanced,” he said. “I thought maybe, just maybe, I'd make it in the top 10.” Schepman was introduced to inline skating at age 5 when he first saw a television show called “Rocket Power,” a Nickelodeon animated cartoon about friends who took part in various sports, including inline skating. At the same age, Schepman went to see the X Games in Phi- ladelphia with his father, Wes. The annual sports event fea- tures extreme action sports, sparking his interest in inline skating. Schepman and his family were living in Clermont, Fla. at the time and he taught himself to Despite being just 12, Schepman was allowed to compete in the 16 years old and up category because the categories are based on skill and not age. In 2007 and 2008, Schepman competed in the AIL World Championships in the ages 10 to 15 category. skate at a local skate park in the town. “Over the years you see peo- ple skate,”he said. “You try to do tricks the older guys do.” The Schepmans soon moved to Clarks Summit but, because there are no skate parks in the area, his parents drove him to indoor skate parks in Hackett- stown and Flemington, both in New Jersey. About six months ago, the Schepmans relocated again to Sweet Valley. Wes built a skate park in the backyard so Wake can practice daily at the house when the weather permits but Wes and his wife, April, still drive their son to skate parks in New Jersey about once a week. Schepman has also been at- tending Camp Woodward , locat- See SKATES, Page i ed in Woodward, outside of State College, for six years. Camp Woodward is a residen- tial action sports, gymnastics and cheerleading camp for chil- dren ages 7 to 18. It is uncommon for a 12-year- old American inline skater to be sponsored, but Schepman was first sponsored at age 9 by De- nial Clothing. He is currently sponsored by Denial Clothing, Neglected Truth Skate Shop, Razor Skates, Denim Jeans and H-Town Skate Park. Some of Schepman’s mentors include Cameron Card, Chris Haffey, Richie Velasquez and Montre Livingston — all recog- nized professional inline skat- ers. University Voices Projec teaches students how others live By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Megan Carey and Mary Gu- lotta never knowingly came into contact with someone who has acquired immune de- ficiency syndrome (AIDS). Then they met Bryan. Carey, of Groton, N.Y., and Gulotta, of Trucksville, both 19, are among 28 students in the Introduction to Psycholo- gy class of Alicia Nordstrom, Ph.D., at Misericordia Univer- sity who worked on The Voic- es Project this semester. The Voices Project is a storytelling program about diverse pop- ulations that are often the vic- tims of prejudice, being ster- eotyped and discriminated against. As a service-learning pro- ject, Nordstrom’s students in- terviewed people in the com- munity such as Muslims, His- panics, African Americans, Indian Americans, people struggling with their weight or obesity, people with ac- quired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and people in poverty. The students met with vol- untary participants for three hours and attended a cultural event related to the subject. The students also wrote mini memoirs of their participants’ lives. Misericordia faculty, staff and students read the stories of each participant during a public presentation on Nov. 5 in the Lemmond Theater on “Somebody knows somebody who has it, whether they know it or not.” Bryan Aids victim campus. Carey and Gulotta inter- viewed a man named Bryan who has AIDS, a disease caused by the human immuno- deficiency virus (HIV). Bryan, 49, of Kingston, did not wish to use his last name in an attempt to protect his priva- cy. He was diagnosed with AIDS on Now. 16, 2001 after not feeling well for about a year. He does not know exactly how he contracted HIV or from whom he contacted it; howev- er, he does acknowledge hav- ing engaged in unprotected sex and abused drugs and alcohol. “Somebody knows some- body who has it, whether they know it or not,” Bryan said. Carey and Gulotta were re- ferred to Bryan through their professor and asked him ques- tions including how he con- tracted HIV, how he dealt with the diagnosis of AIDS, his fam- ily’s reactions, his positive and negative experiences related to AIDS and the stereotypes he has endured. The women also accompa- nied Bryan to Main Street Gal- leries in Kingston to view an exhibit based on the book “Fo- See VOICES, Page 1 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Megan Carey, left, and Mary Gulotta talk to Bryan, who is af- flicted with AIDS, as part of the Voices Project at Misericordia
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