Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, who shot the movie in black and white, added to his growing pile of laurels by beating Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese, who directed “Hugo.” Hazanavicius also won for his original screenplay, a less expected honor for a film of few words.

“I’m very surprised,” he said. “So many people thought there was no script because there was no dialogue. “So English people are very clever. Congratulations to you,” Hazanavicius said, drawing laughter from the glittering audience gathered inside London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Meryl Streep overcame any prejudice facing a Yank playing a Brit by winning the lead actress award for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” Jean Dujardin, the leading man in “The Artist,” overtook hometown favorite Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” as lead actor as well as international heartthrob George Clooney in “The Descendants.”
All told, “The Artist” made good on seven of its field-leading 12 nominations, including victories for original music and cinematography. The feel-good tribute to the early days of the movie industry, with wins at the Golden Globes last month and from various critics’ associations, is now a clearer favorite for best picture at the Academy Awards later this month. It boasts 10 Oscar nominations, one fewer than “Hugo.”

All the winners in the major categories are nominated for Oscars as well, though the trophies from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have not been foolproof predictors of Oscar success. Streep beat Viola Davis, who has won numerous awards for her role as a maid in “The Help,” including the SAG lead actress award two weeks ago.

To complete the 8-hour math component of the challenge, students can access Math-Whizz, an online, interactive math tutoring program created by Whizz Education. “I love the idea that kids who might not excel in sports, but shine in math or reading can win a trophy,” said Marlene Dugan of the PTSA, who orchestrated the event. “Students can feel a sense of pride and have fun in the process.” As part of the Academic Challenge, students earn ribbons for each challenge they complete and a trophy for completing four challenges. Students who conquer all six challenges will receive a special “Principal’s Challenge Medal.” In June, principals of each school will present the awards at a school assembly. Students have until end of April to complete the challenges.

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DECA is an international association for marketing students.

This year was the first Oasis High has participated in the event. Dyler Baston took second place in the Business Services Marketing category, and Andrew Mackoul took first place in the Automotive Services Marketing category. Andrew will move on to compete in Florida’s State DECA competition in March.

Our choirs will perform Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the auditorium.

Orchestra II attended the Performing Arts Festival at Desert Hills High School, on Monday.

Our student council did a great job with Spirit Week. We appreciate all their efforts to increase our school spirit through some great activities.

Congratulations to our co-ed basketball team that defeated Cedar Middle School on Feb. 10.

One of our teachers, Sharon Wasden, and her daughter, Anna, an eighth-grader, got to experience the “Snowmageddon” in Washington, D.C. firsthand. They were there with the Utah Safety Coalition. Although the snow altered some of their plans, they still enjoyed their meetings and had a private tour of the Capitol building by Sen. Bob Bennett’s, R-Utah, office as well as a tour of the White House.

Our eighth-grade students begin their writing assessments this week. Good luck.

Cedar Middle School

The MathCounts Region competition was held in St. George at Dixie College on Feb. 5. Competing against 14 other regional schools, our A team – Josh Palmer, Riley Wilson, Matthew Stewart and Greyson Hulet – took second place overall. We had two students place in the top 10 high scores and a few who came very close. Palmer came home with two individual trophies, and Wilson came home with one other individual trophy. CMS was given a trophy to represent these students to put in the display case. In all, we came home with eight trophies and one plaque. Others who participated were Madeline Bertoch, Jaren Forsyth, Seth Palmer and Kole Dotson. We are very proud of the hard work these students do and how well they represented our school.

game trophies

The ability to unlock achievements has become something of a phenomenon during this generation of gaming. Microsoft started this trend with the launch of the 360 back in November of 2005. Since that day, gamers have picked up titles with ravenous glee just so they can build up a gamerscore. Understanding the popularity of the feature, Sony adopted the system but allowed players to unlock trophies instead of achievements. Both systems are similar in practically every way and have kept gamers playing titles long after they’d typically forget about them. But what’s the purpose of these trophies and points? In a word: nothing.

For those unfamiliar with the system, achievements/trophies are unlocked when certain criteria is met in a game. For instance, completing a chapter in the main storyline or winning 100 matches online could unlock an achievement. Once the specifications are met, a message appears stating what achievement was unlocked and for how many points. After this, the points are then tallied into your overall gamerscore. Your gamerscore is the amount of points you’ve accumulated from achievements and is prominently displayed next to your Live ID for all to see. Trophies for the PS3 are not added to any kind of score. Instead you can acquire bronze, silver, gold, and platinum trophies, platinum being the toughest to earn.

Don’t get me wrong here; achievements and trophies can be fun to get and definitely add replayability to a title, but it’s a feature that’s weakly implemented. Adding a high score via the leaderboards for all your friends to view is nice, but practically every title already does that. There’s no real reason why people have to unlock every single achievement in a game. Yet, people willingly endure high degrees of gaming torture just to earn a few achievements they missed. Why? Mostly it’s bragging rights, sometimes it’ll net you a new gamer icon or even rarer, you’ll receive something to use in the game itself. Yeah, mostly it’s nothing.

It comes to no surprise that the games with the toughest achievements tend to be more on the competitive side. Business-wise, it’s a smart decision to implement hard to reach achievements for these games. Seeing how people throw away countless hours just to get a sliver closer to seeing that message pop up, it’s almost stupid not to. That means they’re playing said company’s game that much longer. The perfect example of this is from Gears of War 2, which is called Seriously 2.0. This achievement can only be unlocked after you’ve killed 100,000 people in any mode. It’s possible to get… if all you’ve been doing for the past five months is playing that game. And even when you do get it, there’s apparently no reward. But wait, I just got 50 more gamerpoints!

I think that the achievement phenomena could be significantly greater if developers took the time to streamline achievements with the actual game and reward the player. Let’s eliminate all this, turn the game on and press the jump button to earn five gamerpoints nonsense. Why not take the approach games like Mass Effects and Halo 3 did? In Mass Effect, once you earned an achievement it actually boosted your performance in the game. For instance, if you got 150 pistol kills, your shots with the pistol would become more powerful. In Halo 3, as you unlocked achievements you’d be rewarded with different types of armor and a sword if you achieved all 1,000 points. Developers, take some pointers from these prime examples.

Also, gamerscore as a whole is utterly pointless. Why not get creative and allow users to purchase themes, pictures, or in-game items with the points they earn from getting the achievements? We’ve already paid a premium price for the game. Oh that’s right, because you’d rather have players pay $2 for a pack of pictures or more for costumes. Having some kind of incentive to unlock achievements instead of just because would increase a game’s longevity tenfold. Imagine completing the 10 chainsaw duels in Gears of War 2 and being rewarded with different styles of the Lancer bayonet? The examples are endless and are only limited by the imagination of the developers.

Achievements and trophies are a great feature to every game, but with just a little more thought they could become something so much greater. I don’t want to look at a game’s achievements and find that I can only achieve one if I’m the greatest player in the entire world. Why bother with it when the only reward is a few more numbers attached to my Live ID? We’ve got the creativity people, time to use it.

Originally posted by Andrew Whipple III.

In the early 70′s, Archie Griffin did something nobody else has ever done; win back-to-back Heisman Trophies. This Saturday, Archie will be sharing that honor with Tim Tebow if the Florida quarterback wins his 2nd straight Heisman.

Archie joined Susie Wargin for the latest 6:20 Sidebar to talk about his thoughts on the Heisman and the memories this time of year brings around for him. To see the interview, visit the video link to the right of this article.

These days, Archie is the President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association and a strong supporter of excellence at the high school level. Being the ambassador for the Wendy’s High School Heisman (WHSH) program, Archie will award those trophies this week in New York to two of 12 national finalists, selected from a pool of nearly 34,000 applicants.

Archie Griffin, member of the College National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, the Ohio State University Sports Hall of Fame, and the Columbus Public Schools Hall of Fame, has won virtually all the top honors any single athlete could win in college football.

Griffin is the only two-time winner of the prestigious Heisman Trophy, symbolic of “The Outstanding College Football Player of the Country.” He was a three time All-American in 1973, 74 and 75. He was named “Most Valuable Football Player in the Big Ten” for two straight years, thereby becoming only the second athlete in history to accomplish this feat. Both United Press International and the Sporting News named Archie “College Football Player of the Year.”

Griffin broke nearly all the Ohio State rushing records. He set national marks and Big Ten marks, both for a single season and for a career. He also holds another rare distinction, he was named Captain of the 1974 Ohio State football team and his teammates renamed him Captain of the 1975 Buckeyes.

In 1975, Griffin was a recipient of the NCAA’s Top Five Award. This award is the top honor an undergraduate can receive and is based on a combination of athletic skill, academic accomplishment, leadership and character. Graduating a quarter early, Griffin earned his college degree in Industrial Relations.

In 1976, he was a first round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals; served as
co-captain and played with that franchise for eight years. As a professional, Archie continued his illustrious football career by ranking among the top NFL rushers with a 4.1 yards per carry average. He also commanded respect throughout the league as a very adept pass receiver.

Archie Griffin returned to his alma mater in March of 1984. He later accepted the position of Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics in June of 1985. In July of 1987, he was named Assistant Director of Athletics and in April of 1994, named Associate Director of Athletics. January 1, 2004, he accepted the position of President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association.

In October of 1999 his jersey, #45, was retired in front of a record crowd in Ohio Stadium. He was the very first Buckeye to receive this honor.

Originally posted by Susie Wargin.

They’re 10 golden, gleaming trophies, each touting him as a “winner” at T-ball, soccer, basketball. The most recent is a pewter mega-monument he earned playing football—on a team that lost every game by about 30 points.

While certainly a winner in my book, the kid has never once been on a championship team. Or even a mediocre one. Still, he has received more trophies than birthday cakes in his life. And he’s not alone.
Mini-athletes get trophies these days just for showing up. They’re de rigeur, as much a part of kids’ sports now as Gatorade and ghastly, costly team photos. At the end-of-season pizza party (also a given), every team member gets a sizable statuette on an engraved pedestal. Play-off teams probably get bigger ones; ahem, I, wouldn’t know.

“Claire got a soccer trophy even though she sat on her fanny and cried through every practice,” says a mom I know.

What’s the cost of being so generous with awards that were once reserved for the best of the best? Are we championing mediocrity? Will our kids expect “atta boys” for everything they do?

“There is a definite shift toward an ‘everybody wins’ attitude in sports these days,” says a local dad. “It’s good and bad.” Getting a trophy was his five-year-old daughter’s favorite part of her first soccer season—which explains why, at the start of the next season, she came off the field asking, “Where’s my trophy?”

Trophy inflation seems to have started with the self-esteem movement of the 1980s, when pop psychology convinced us that “effort” matters more than “success.” Some called this progress; others deemed it hogwash.

“I abhor awarding trophies willy-nilly,” says a soccer, basketball, and baseball coach. “I have strong suspicions the trophy industry is behind the ‘trophies for everyone’ tradition.” An outrageous accusation? Perhaps. “I suspect the Trophy-Industrial Complex is behind the subprime debacle, as well.”

In real life, loss comes frequently—elections, jobs, relationships—and it forces us to reassess our performance and try harder next time. Isn’t it better to let our kids taste disappointment now, when the terms are small, than to “protect” them from it till they’re grown?

A friend of mine who works in human resources says that, as young adults, the “participation trophy generation” exudes a distinct sense of entitlement. “We don’t give merit raises,” she finds herself explaining, “just for doing your job.”

But not everyone is anti-trophy. Proponents say the token effigies bolster kids’ spirits after a brutal season.

“We aren’t rewarding them for not winning,” argues one coach. “We’re rewarding them for showing up regularly, practicing, working as a team, learning the skills and rules of the game, playing through disappointment and pain.”

Well, when you put it like that …

“Kids can be so hard on themselves and feel undeserving even when they played well,” adds my cousin, whose children play up to four sports at a time. “Some kids have uber-competitive parents and a little trophy may be their only positive reinforcement.”

It’s a fair point. It’s not like we’ve stopped scoring the games; kids, it turns out, are keenly aware of the difference between bench-warming trophies and VIP trophies. And while they may treasure a thanks-for-playing memento as a souvenir from an exacting season, they’ll be the first to tell you this: It’s small consolation for failure.

“There are only three trophies I’m really proud of,” says a sensible fifth-grader I know, who has won big in soccer, hoops, and music. “The rest I call ‘loser trophies‘ because you get them for losing.

“I actually think they’re a waste of metal.”
Originally posted by Starshine Roshell.

“There goes that theory,” Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo joked Sunday after winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the nation’s top defender.

Orakpo flew to Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, a day after participating in graduation at UT.

This fall, the son of Nigerian immigrants finished up the final three hours he needed to earn a degree in youth and community studies.

Next on Orakpo’s itinerary is Wednesday’s Lombardi Trophy ceremony, which honors the nation’s top lineman.

After a quick trip back to Austin for Friday’s Longhorn football banquet, Orakpo will leave for Newport Beach, Calif., for a black-tie dinner Sunday to honor finalists for the Lott Trophy . That award goes to a defensive player for work on and off the field.
Orakpo already is the consensus defensive player of the year in the Big 12.

He said he was shocked when he heard his name called Sunday.

“When you’re up for these awards, you never think you’re going to win them,” he said.

Orakpo’s statistics swayed the voters, as he joined linebacker Derrick Johnson as the only Longhorns to win the Nagurski. Despite missing 2 1/2 games with a knee sprain, Orakpo registered 10 1/2 quarterback sacks, sixth-best in the nation. He also forced four fumbles, which ranked third in the country. His 18 tackles for losses were 11th best in the nation.

The other finalists were Texas Christian defensive end Jerry Hughes, Southern California linebacker Rey Maualuga, Wake Forest defensive back Alphonso Smith and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes. Members of the Football Writers Association of America select the winner.

The award is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

During Sunday’s banquet, Orakpo gave tips to Spikes on how best to stop the Sooners and quarterback Sam Bradford. Orakpo’s signature game came in a 45-35 win over OU, when he had two sacks, four tackles for losses and a forced fumble.

Orakpo said he told Spikes: “If you put our film on there, you see how much pressure we got and that’s why we were successful in the game. You can’t let him sit back there all day.”
Originally posted by Suzanne Halliburton.

Marlborough wine has done it again.

Wineries in Marlborough have another reason to celebrate after winning nearly half of the trophies at the Air New Zealand wine awards.

The awards were dominated by Marlborough and Hawkes Bay, with each region winning eight trophies. Central Otago picked up two trophies.

Marlborough winners were: Goldwater Sauvignon Blanc 2008, which won both the champion sauvignon blanc and champion new world white wine trophies, Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blanc 2000, Forrest The Doctors Riesling 2008, Shingle Peak Reserve Pinot Gris 2008, Hunter’s Gewurztraminer 2008, Forrest The Doctors’ Noble Chenin Blanc 2008, Nautilus Four Barriques Pinot Noir 2007.

Nautilus Estate winemaker Clive Jones said he was pleasantly surprised to win the Kapiti Champion Exhibition Red Wine Trophy.

The wine was a blend of what they considered the best in the cellar in any particular year.

Forrest Estate owner John Forrest said he was a man of riesling, so to see The Doctors’ Riesling 2008 win acknowledged his passion for the variety.

Winning the Wineworks Champion Medium Sweet of Sweet Wine Trophy with the Forrest The Doctors’ Noble Chenin Blanc 2008 was brilliant, he said.

It is the fourth time in seven years, Forrest Estate has won this trophy.

Goldwater Estate owner Peter Scutts said their style had won the judges over.

“We’re very excited, obviously the judges liked the style … we picked before the rain and we picked for flavour, rather than the more technical sweetness or sugar levels.”

For Hunter’s managing director Jane Hunter the trophy topped off a winning end of week for the winery.

The Gewurztraminer 2008 followed up a win in the Royal Hobart Wine Show on Thursday with the Label and Litho Champion Gewurztraminer Trophy on Saturday.

“We’ve been growing gewurztraminer since 1982.

“It’s been a long time coming … everyone’s been focusing on pinot gris in the aromatics but we’ve kept on with gewurztraminer.”

New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith said it was great to see so many different wineries win trophies and not just one dominate the night.

Everyone was in celebration mode on Saturday night at the awards, which was attended by more than 700 people, Mr Smith said.

A panel of 26 judges picked the winning wines.

The champion wine of the show was awarded to Church Road’s 2007 Reserve Syrah which beat off competition from a record number of entries, 1751 in total.

Hawkes Bay also impressed the judges with its Crossroads Winery’s 2007 Elms Vineyard Reserve Vidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007, Villa Maria Single Estate Omahu Gravels Viognier 2007, Selaks The Favourite Merlot Cabernet 2007, Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Tempranillo 2007 and Villa Maria Estate Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006.

Central Otago wines’ two trophies were both for Rockburn Pinot Noir 2007.

Originally posted by Rachel Young and Cherie Howie.

Trophies are treasured prizes — whether bestowed on professional athletes who have just helped their team win a national championship or presented to a youth soccer player who showed up for every game and played his heart out. Corporate executives and third-grade spelling bee winners alike gratefully receive these awards and proudly display them in their offices or bedrooms at home.

“People like to be recognized for their accomplishments, what they’ve done in the workplace or on the playing field and other avenues,” says Jay Stelmach, the maker of monuments and owner of Colonial Trophy in Lakeville.

The family owned and operated business first opened in Taunton in 1955 and has been at its current location next to Mucky’s Liquors on Route 44 since 1968.

Stelmach offers a huge selection of trophies, plaques, medals and other commemorative items for a vast variety of sports and activities. Trophies for every major sport are available and if it’s not, Stelmach takes special orders.

“I had a guy today pick up 15 cricket trophies for his cricket club, and we’ve done trophies for a chicken show, pigeon racing, stuff like that,” he says.

While youth sports teams and adult leagues make up a large portion of his clientele, jobs for local businesses and corporations keep Stelmach busy as well.

“We do a lot of work for Ocean Spray and Johnson & Johnson,” Stelmach says, while removing a Customer Focus Award plaque made for an Ocean Spray employee from the laser engraver in his shop. The engraver, which Stelmach invested in this year, has cut down on the time it takes to etch the plates for plaques and trophies. Production improvements like that help Stelmach keep up in the face of various online competitors.

Keeping up with the latest trophy trends does, too. For instance, a new soccer trophy featuring a soccer ball that spins around in the mounting, rather than the traditional soccer player figure, has been very popular this season, Stelmach said. Plug-in or battery-operated trophies that glow and flash in pastel colors are another hot item, he said. Stelmach is also doing more work in acrylic and glass engraving, which is now in greater demand with his business clients.

Originally posted by Alice Coyle from the Taunton Daily Gazette.