Bobcat Banner Homecoming Issue 2015

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GBHS STUDENT PRESS VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1-OCTOBER 7, 2015

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Ticking Time Bomb A fight to end Islamophobia starts with a teen Reagan Fechter News Editor

Social media is currently ticking over the impact that Ahmed Mohammed has created. After creating a homemade clock for one of his classes, Mohammed walked into his school in Irving, Texas just like any normal day, proudly holding his work of art. Before he was able to get credit for his work a teacher stopped the 14-year-old Muslim student and claimed his clock was actually a bomb.

“In terms of schools I understand that they have to be cautious,” teacher Chad Carney said.

“They check a lot of other students for things. Teach-

ers get searched, too. He may have been wrongfully accused but it was for the safety of the students.”

It has been rumored the student was searched due to the fact that he was Muslim. Some point out that on any ordinary day, Ahmed could feel free to roam the halls and go to class. He usually never felt targeted due to his appearance and beliefs. The creation of his clock was to get credit for a class, not to harm anybody.

The Internet came out in defense of the young male. With hashtags like #IStandWithAhmed high school students took a stand

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He may have been wrongfully accused but it was for the safety of the students.

--Chad Carney

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against what they perceived as Islamophobia. Teens are speaking out on social medias saying, “If Ahmed had been a white kid, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

Not only did the issue spark interest on social media, even President Obama has spoken out, inviting Mohammed and his family to the White House with his sincerest apologies.

Kids at Grand Blanc High School are just as upset.

“A lot of other kids had created just as intricate projects to bring to school,” senior Katy Howie said. Ahmed is differ-

Gay Marriage

Marriage equality’s law of land Elizabeth Hornung Staff Writer

Although the gay rights community had a long fight for equality, on June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court voted 5-4, legalizing same sex marriage in the United States. This was a historic event for many Americans.

Senior Max Harrison believes marriage makes a person who they are, whether or not it’s with the same sex. He’s not going to let what makes a person happy dictate what he thinks about them. Harrison doesn’t think same sex marriage should be something to

debate, you fall in love with who you fall in love with, you can’t help it.

“It was a long time coming,” Harrison said. “It was pretty much inevitable!”

Sophomore Aleks Velbabothinks the newly passed law is doing America good. He fully supports the idea of same sex marriage and doesn’t see why it should be an issue.

Even though the topic does not apply to him personally, “It’s making America more liberal,” Velbabobic said. He is very accepting to same sex marriage, and wouldn’t let it affect how he treats people.

For some people this subject touches closer to home, Senior Caysé Stallworth has two uncles that are happily married. She is very close to them and loves them very much, she believes you should “just do you”. She is very sympathetic towards same sex marriage and has never let it make her think differently of someone.

Teens seem not to let same sex marriage affect them. They don’t really have specific opinions about the newly passed law and are mostly neutral about the topic.

ent, that doesn’t mean he’s bad.”

This is not the first time a student has been stopped due to race, religion, or appearance.

In April of this year, a French Muslim girl was suspended from classes because her skirt was too long.

The student, who chose to be remain anonymous, had already been banned twice due to wearing a headscarf that was deemed “a conspicuous display of religion.”

People across the world posted images on Twitter comparing the French students skirt on herself, to women of the white race. If this skirt had

been worn by any white women, there would be no problem.

In fact, they would most likely be praised for covering up.

Do you stand with Ahmed? Can a skirt be too long?

Go to bobcatbanner.com and take part in our survey.

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Firebirds Meet Bobcats

Five members of the Flint Firebirds at GBHS Lindsey Beaudoin Staff Writer

Blending into the halls of our school are five members of the Flint Firebirds OHL hockey team and whether from Canada or Florida, they are transitioning to life in Grand Blanc.

“I came from a school of like 900 kids,” senior Nicholas Camaano explained. “It’s a lot different, like we don’t really have tardies or anything. Our classes are 76 minutes and we only do four.”

Grand Blanc is fairly different from Ontario according to junior Samuel Duchesne.

“There’s not too much to do down here, it’s a pretty empty place,” Duchesne stated. “Back home there’s plenty of things to do.”

Each one of the boys have been placed in homes with a billet family while they’re here.

“You’re not as comfortable because it’s not your house like going to get food or drinks,” junior Kyle Keyser said.“You just gotta be polite and as time goes on you just adjust to it.”

While the boys are all high school students they are also professional hockey players.

Transitioning from the high school level to playing in the OHL is a bit different.

“It’s a huge step from high school hockey; back home you only play two tournaments,” senior Jacob Collins said.

“This is a 68-game season, so

it’s a lot different.”

Aside from the quantity of the games, the intensity of the sport has also been a major factor. The Firebirds play 20 teams from Canada as well as the United States, each with their own future professional players.

“It’s a step up so it’s faster,” senior Dane Johnstone said.

“It’s a lot harder so everyone is bigger and stronger.”

Government teacher Nate Riek is the academic advisor for the hockey players. He helps them will their classe s, runs a study hall once a week and makes sure that they are staying on top of things.

“Any issues that come up whatsoever I report back to the team how the guys are doing,” Riek said. “Kinda like a coach in the building.”

Riek has noticed that these young men are very serious about what they do and very positive about keeping up with their education.

“I’ve worked with high school athletes for a long time,but they’re professional athletes,” Riek said. “They’re very organized, they take hockey and school very seriously. They sacrificed a lot of things to do this.”

The Firebirds have been destroying this season so far with their winning record of 2-1.

The next home game will be Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Dort Federal Event Center.

“There is not much to do down here, it’s a pretty empty place. Back home there are plenty of things to do.”

Samuel Duchesne

“It’s a huge step from high school hockey: back home you only play two tournaments”

Jacob Collins

“You’re not as comfortable because it’s not your house like going to get food or drinks. You just gotta be polite and as time goes on you adjust to it.”

Kyle Keyser

“It’s a step up so it’s faster. It’s a lot harder so everyone is bigger and stronger.”

Dane Johnstone “I came from a school of like 900 kids. It’s a lot different, like we don’t really have tardies or anything. Our classes are 76 minutes and we only do four.”

Nicholas Caamano

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The Pressure of the Perfect Proposal The Girls Take...

The Boys Take...

Katelyn Stuck

Bella Campana

Staff Writer Homecoming can be a real hassle- from picking out a dress, making your plans, and the pressure of being asked. Girls at GBHS were asked about their take on being asked to the big event. Is it hard to say no to such a big proposal? Are girls pressured to say yes to someone they don’t want to go with? And what happens if a girl says no?

“I got asked by a cardboard cutout of my boyfriend in the army,” sophomore Hope Welter said. Welter’s boyfriend is serving in the army and wasn’t able to come to propose in person. She didn’t feel pressured at all to say no. “If it’s like a public proposal then you can’t say no,” Welter said.

Other girls think that it would be wrong to say no

Staff Writer

to a homecoming proposal.

Sophomore Camryn think that the new trend is Silverton thinks that girls necessary. are pressured to say yes to “I don’t think that they a proposal if it is big and have to make it big; they thought out. just should come and ask “I know someone that you and they can bring said yes and then afterwards some candy or something,” they said no,” said Silversophomore Mariah Foote ton. said. “They Peoeven You don’t want to don’t ple find have to that it be that one girl write it on a would be poster.” that says no. awkward Others or social--Gabii Younce didn’t have ly wrong any pressure to say no. to say yes to “You a proposal. don’t want to be that one “It was my boyfriend girl that says no,” sophothat asked me anyways,” more Gabii Younce said. sophomore Caitlin Palmer If a guy put Photo Credit: Maverick Foster said.”It was already kind in a lot of work to of a given that I was gomake a giant proposal, ing.” Palmer thinks that it girls can feel like they isn’t necessary for people would be guilty to reto make a poster if they’re ject it. “They do put in really shy. the time and effort to Senior Libby Wicker make a sign and you’d didn’t have any issue with feel bad if someone being asked to homecomsaid no,” sophomore ing.

Jules Sands said.

“I was really open to going Students also have with him and I wanted to go the pressure to make a with him in the first place,” giant sign with flowers Wicker said. in order to ask some“He’s my boyfriend and one to homecoming. we’ve been dating for like 6 Girls don’t always months, so I kind of knew,” senior Elisabeth Hamilton Maverick Foster’s Homesaid. coming proposal.

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Homecoming proposals aren’t always the glitz and glamour they seem to be. It takes quite a bit of reassurance to know if your idea is okay, and if you’re asking the right person.

There’s always a bit of pressure when figuring out a way to ask, especially because now there’s this idea that your proposal has to be something huge and extravagant. But when it comes time to ask, and the person you’re asking has other people around, it multiplies all that pressure by 10. Timing is also key because you don’t necessarily want to ask the person too early, but you definitely don’t want to wait too long to ask, and miss your chance.

“You feel nervous because you don’t know if she will say yes or no so you feel embarrassed,” Photo senior Jordan Banks confessed about proposing for Homecoming, “then when she says yes the pressures gone,” senior Jordan Banks confessed about proposing for Homecoming. ww Things are a bit different for proposals when you’re already in a relationship but that

doesn’t always mean you’ll be totally secure about it.

Senior Tyler Carnes asked his girlfriend, junior Sydney Lushin, to homecoming for the second year.

“I hope she loves this,” Carnes repeated to himself when getting ready to pop the question.

Sometimes proposals don’t always happen the way you want. There could be some confusion, miscommunication or plain out backfires, which then add even more pressure because you aren’t really prepared for it to not work.

“It didn’t end up working because she didn’t follow what I planned, so I had to lead her through it,” senior Julian Russell said about his proposal.

Credit: Sydney Lushin

Tyler Carne’s Homecoming proposal.

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Social Justice Club Profiles Hannah Bokor

Staff Writer From making a differnce on campus to making a difference on the town, GBHS offers clubs in which students can volunteer to make a difference.

Club Fingerprints: The brainchild of senior Bailey Braum, the club meets in the small auditorium at 2:25 every Tuesday.

“Last year sitting in class my AP Econ teacher mentioned a story about someone helping another individual out, and something clicked inside me.

That night, I e-mailed Mr. Mitchell and asked if he would help me start a club.”

Braum said.

Braum’s goal was to make a different kind of volunteering club.

“We bring the event here!” she said. “Instead of getting on a bus and volunteering for a day, we assemble the specific project and then distribute to the designated group.

GB Dignify: Club leader Grace Joseph and Marwa Tahboub started the club late last spring and saw that the club was an instant success.

“We started the club because we wanted to not only make a difference in our community, but to bridge the distance between people who have and people who have not,” Tahboub said.

“You should join to give back to the community that’s been so generous to us our whole lives, to make new friends, and to become part of a group that gets excited about filling a need.”

The Feminist League: The Feminist League’s sponsor is a man, Math teacher Mike Arbit, an ac-

tive advocate for feminist matters. The league meets every Tuesday after school in room 238.

“The Feminist League works for feminist causes which fight for equality between the genders but also other groups of people, you know different races, different sexual orientations, people who are generally oppressed by thoughts and policies and opinions that aren’t in laws in our society,” Arbit said. “So we work to do what we can to sort of fix those inequalities, those injustices.”

Model U.N. Model United Nations formed last year and meets every Wednesday in room 639 at 2:30.

“As students we take on the roles of individual countries, we go to the conferences and we debate with students from other schools while arguing the perspective of the specific countries,” econ teacher Robby Coon said. He has been involved since high school.

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OPINION

BANNER Staff Listing Co-Editors in Chief Hunter Bostley Ty Garza Managing Editor Angela Kiester News Editor Reagan Fechter Feature Editor Anna Levaskavich Opinion Editor Brendan Rogers Entertainment Editor Cyerra Haywood Sports Editor Jensen Hansen Photography Editor Emma Tripp Business Manager Alanah Houston Social Media Editors Lauren Hobson Elizabeth Hornung Staff Writers Victoria Aubry Lindsey Beaudoin Hannah Bokor Isabella Campana Matthew Cocagne Elizabeth Crawford Dayton Hammon Sha’niya Hayman Naomi Sauvola Victoria Schmitt Katelyn Stuck Madison Vedder Erin Walter Alicia Woollcott Olivia Wyzgoski

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Staff Editorial

School dress codes. Unpractical and useless in the eyes of students. Are some of these newer codes really necessary? Is a two inch difference really gonna matter in the long run?

It’s 2015, formal dress is dead in the common workplace (excluding law, finance, and banking). Unless you find yourself working in one of those three careers, you can practically wear anything you want to work. So if formal dress is dead, why do schools like ours repetitively try to shove policies like these down our throats?

Dressing formally in the workplace used to mean you were a high ranking, prestigious, and an extremely professional young man/ woman. Now as millennials, we perceive this formal wear as a form of rank and file.

Schools like ours claim the reason behind the code is to help us prepare for dress in the workplace, but what is there to prepare for if our generation doesn’t care for this kind of wear?

Places like the Twitter offices, that are mainly comprised of younger adults, do not follow a specific dress code. They

focus on their work, and enjoy the community around them, rather than focusing on another person’s outfit. Realistically, dress in the workplace should not matter. So our school’s administration shouldn’t make it a big focus!

Another point of concentration with our school’s dress code, is the way it ends to penalize female students more than males. It’s utterly ridiculous that a female student could be sent home, just because their dress choice is “too distracting” to a male student.

What about a female shoulder is so enticing? There is absolutely no reason a female student’s education should have to suffer while she waits in the office for a change of , so some childish male student’s education can prosper.

Seriously Grand Blanc Administration, let’s get rid of these misogynistic views.

If a male student can’t control himself when it comes female clothing at the high school age, there is no way he will be ready for the common workplace. In order for a male to succeed in the workplace, he needs to focus on his work rather than what a female coworker is wearing next to him.

Illustration Credit: Naomi Sauvola

Beware of the killer, non-professional shoulders!

They’re out to get you!

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Staff Policy

Our goal for our paper is to provide the entire Grand Blanc Community with accurate and informative news entertainment and sports. The opinion exhibited in this section are only those of the individual writers.

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Planned parenthood necessary Emma Tripp

Photography Editor

There’s no doubt that teen pregnancies and STIs have increased in the last 50 years.

However, thanks to organizations that focus on educating the general public about honest sexual health, we have begun to see a gradual decline in the number of STIs and teenage pregnancies.

These organizations, like Planned Parenthood, offer healthcare services for everyone. Unfortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted recently to pull government funding from Planned Parenthood. What does this mean? Well, this means that screenings for HIV, other STIs, cancer, and other crucial health screenings will be more expensive and less accessible for people.

Why would the Republican representatives ever think it would be a good idea to defund something so crucial for citizens? They go on and on about people not supporting themselves and relying on the government. If those 700,000 fetuses that were aborted were brought to term, they wouldn’t want to support them. Planned Parenthood offers the best healthcare option for people who struggle to get by.

Perhaps they have been scared away by the videos that

pro-life organizations have posted online that were out of context to make Planned Parenthood appear like cold-hearted baby killers. They use the fetal tissue (with the patient’s permission) for research. Fetal tissue is used to test cosmetics, better understand cell biology, and developing vaccines to name a few. In reality, Planned Parenthood doesn’t even perform abortions that often, only three percent of their services being for abortions.

In fact, there are already laws that state that the government funds cannot be used for abortions, in the exception of rape or incest cases.

For the most part, Planned Parenthood uses government money spread sexual health awareness.

Cutting this funding could lead to more sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) spreading, more unplanned pregnancies, and more teenage pregnancies.

I believe that the best way to advance our society is to provide easily accessible healthcare. The government should not take away such a great source of sexual education from people that need it most. The fact is that, people will have abortions no matter the law. More specifically, one-third of women will have an abortion at a point in their life. Abortions need to be performed in a safe environment that is available to everyone, no matter the cost.

Society cannot advance with primitive thoughts such as costly healthcare.

ENTERTAINMENT

Alicia Woollcott

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Pumpkin Spice Craze

Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again, time for the overuse of the infamous “pumpkin spice.” From brownies to frappucinos to cream cheese, there isn’t anything that people won’t put pumpkin spice in, especially during this time of year.

The pumpkin spice frappuccino from starbucks is a great alternative if you love the fall flavor but don’t want a hot drink. It’s just as sweet and seasonal as a pumpkin spice latte but with a little chill.

#TGFT Entertainment Editor

Photo Credit: Fox

Scream Queens Get Ariana Grande, Emma Roberts, Nick Jonas, Keke Palmer, Lea Michele, and a whole bunch of other celebrities, put them in a sorority dominated college, and you’ve got “Scream Queens.”

Ryan Murphy does it again with the Fox show, “Scream Queens.” Chanel (Emma Roberts) serves as the queen of Kappa Kappa Tau, an elite sorority that doesn’t enjoy accepting new members. In fact, there’s only four members when the show first starts:

Chanel #1, Chanel #2, Chanel #3, and Chanel #4, because Chanel #1 doesn’t bother remembering their names.

Chanel can be compared to a modern day Cher Horowitz from the popular ‘90s movie “Clueless,” but 10 times meaner and 100 times snobbier. The dean described her as “everything that is wrong with teenage girls today.”

I guess the show is okay for what it is and the jokes in the show - like Emma Roberts referring to her maid as “white mammy” - aren’t really meant to be taken seriously.

Tune into Fox every Tuesday at 9 p.m to catch “the fresh hell” that is “Scream Queens.”

Photo Credit: Fox

Staff Writer

Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice bar gives you the pumpkin flavor that everyone loves in pumpkin pie in the form of a brownie. Priced at $13, its pumpkin and nutmeg flavor makes it a treat you can enjoy in any season, not just fall.

Think of pumpkin pie without the crust and you’ve got pumpkin spice cream cheese. Courtesy of Kroger, if pumpkin pie is your favorite thing in the world then this cream cheese is definitely for you.

Cyerra Haywood

Entertainment Editor

Thank God for Fall TV! Cyerra Haywood

Erin Walter

Welcome back to the Lyon’s Den The Fox hit, “Empire” premiered back in January and the first episode of the second season was meant to tie up ends that were left loose after the explosive season one finale.

The show opened up with a “#FreeLucious” rally and Cookie, Lucious’s ex wife, preaching about the wrongful incarceration of blacks (even though Lucious actually is guilty of murder).

Even though the plot of this particular episode was all over the place as they attempted to present the answers to the questions that were raised after last season’s finale, the importance of this show to pop culture and today’s society was not to be missed.

“Empire” showcases black people as successful, at the top of the economic food chain, battling through extremely relevant issues. It supports

the LGBT community in that a new investor on the show (Marisa Tomei) is a very open lesbian.. Even one of the main characters is also gay, who just happens to be one of Lucious’s sons.

If last season is any indicator, this season of “Empire” will be unpredictable and sensational. Tune in to “Empire” every Wednesday on Fox at 9 p.m. You won’t wanna miss it.

Photo Credit: ABC

Cheers to New Beginnings After what seemed like the longer hiatus in the history of hiatuses, the popular “Shondaland” political drama, Scandal, is back with it’s fifth season

and it’s better than ever.

After firing his chief of staff and kicking the First Lady out of the White House in last season’s finale, President Fitzgerald Grant is free to be with the woman he loves: Olivia Pope.

It’s only what a majority of the 10.2 million people who tuned in on Sept. 24 to watch the first episode of season five had been anticipating for the last four seasons.

It seems as if the “Shondaland” writers are finally giving their viewers what they want: the main couple on the show actually getting to be together, even with the obstacles that they’ll undoubtedly have to face. To those who watched the show in it’s humble beginnings but fell off the wagon, it’s time to hop back on!

Tune in to “Scandal” on ABC every Thursday at 9 p.m and get ready for the ride of your life. Spoiler alert: someone gets divorce papers!

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The Kicking Cats

Photo Credit: Lindsey Beaudoin

BOBCAT

SPORTS

kicking one team out at time

Sports Editor

Starting off with quick feet and a record of 8-2, the boys varsity soccer team is dominating the field.

Whether they’re practicing in the scorching heat, spending countless hours on the field, or perfecting their technique, the Cats always come together as a team in the end.

“We all want the same thing,” senior and Captain Jared Pitser said. “We all want to win and hopefully get that State title… having a common goal really helped us unite.”

Mental game in soccer is very important to your success.

One way to boost confidence and develop composure is creating a positive mindset.

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We all want the same thing.

Having a common goal helped us unite.

--Jared Pitser

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Jensen Hansen

“Staying positive will benefit us all,” senior Dayton Rush said. “We have a long road ahead of us but being positive is a must.”

Soccer can also be straining both mentally and physically.

Having injuries can affect the mindsets of many in a negative way. It can make someone feel defeated and have a sense of

GB

Soccer:

9/24 GB vs. Milford - 1-0 GB 9/29 GB vs. Howell - 0-5 GB 10/1 GB vs. Brighton - 2-0 GB

lost hope. But for some people, it makes them stronger both mentally and physically.

“I tore my Meniscus playing soccer,” senior Billy Turk said. “I had to have surgery on it following countless hours of physical therapy… it was tough but I got through it and it made me stronger both mentally and physically.”

With hour and a half practices, the Cats have plenty of time to execute their goals, and work on their form.

“In a typical practice we run a few passing drills,” Turk said. “We also have a team scrimmage and then practice some more shooting drills.”

The Bobcats have plenty of room to enhance their playing skills. Kicking one team out of their way at a time.

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Powderpuff Cheerleaders Taking a step into the girls’ shoes Elizabeth Crawford Staff Writer

Guys are notorious for saying cheerleading is not a sport.

Although, the Supreme Court ruled cheerleading not a sport in 2012, that was not the case for the senior guys that were the cheerleaders for the 2015 Powder Puff game.

“I have much more appreciation for what they do,” senior Andrew Robson said.

“It was very tiring.”

Seniors Kenna Hale, Halie Hetherington, and Mariah Johnson were the coaches of the seven senior guys. There was seven of them that were cheerleaders for a couple of weeks because they had to practice ahead of time.

"It was not as hard as I thought it would be to teach them," Hale said.

They learned a couple of stunts that looked solid and they also knew many cheers.

They had to keep the crowd hopeful and enthusiastic because juniors were leading 14

to 0 at the end of the second quarter.

At halftime, the Senior guys took the field for a halftime performance. The routine was put together by Pom Pon member Bayleigh Ivan.

"We knew she was on Pom and we saw her practicing so we just said hey will you help us," Robson said.

The routine featured many hit songs. The guys started with twerking and ended with a kick line.

"The twerking was the hardest part!" Senior Tosin Aluko said.

The senior girls won the football game 20-14. Daliah Walker had the winning touchdown in the last minute of the fourth quarter.

Overall, the senior guys can definitely agree that cheerleading should be considered a sport.

"If it's not considered a sport,” senior Zach Pinder said. “It’s definitely a form of art.”

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Boys Cross Country: 9/22 GB vs. Milford - 30-26 GB 9/29 GB vs. Howell - 31-24 GB

Varsity Football:

9/25 GB vs. Howell - 33-21 GB