Communicator: Volume 45 Edition 1 by The Communicator

THE COMMUNICATOR MAGAZINE. VOL. 44 EDITION 1, OCTOBER 2018

A Long Way Home The choice was up to Lourdes: here or there, Mexico or America, family or home. PAGE 17

About the Cover PHOTO BY EBBA GURNEY

On the cover, we featured an image of Lourdes Salazar-Bautista, Community High School junior. Lourdesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; father and mother were both deported to their home country of Mexico in 2010 and 2017, respectively. When her mother was deported, Lourdes went with her family to Toluca, Mexico. Because she was born in the United States, Lourdes has an American passport and thus could legally live here in Michigan. After spending 2017 in Mexico, Lourdes made the decision to come back alone and live in Ann Arbor with her uncle; Her mother, father and younger brother are still in Mexico. Lourdes is 16 years old. BACK COVER ART BY CHLOE DI BLASSIO, SENIOR AT COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

TABLE OF CONTENTS 04

New Faces at Community

New staff members at Community High share their hopes for the year, their experiences so far and their teaching beliefs that guide them in the classroom.

Fake School No More

Community High had the fourth best SAT scores in the state, disproving the stereotype that Community students are under-performing compared to other Ann Arbor schools.

A Second Life with Ari Barajas

An in-depth Q&A about Ari Barajasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; independence, traditions and her life outside of Community High. Barajas has cut her own path.

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The Digital Takeover

A photographer shares her perspective on how the combination of social media networks and phone cameras has manifested a desire to share intimate moments on a large scale.

Suicide is Not a Funny Anecdote

A first-hand account of how suicide jokes are hurtful and insensitive, especially to those who have recently been affected by it.

The Playlist

The preview and review of a handful of diverse songs from The Communicatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s October 2018 playlist, available on Apple Music and Spotify.

October 2018

Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, The world is ever-changing and there is no exception for Community High School. We started this year with several new teachers, new furniture and construction that will bring forward a whole new back lawn. The Communicator specifically has also faced its fair share of changes. With four fresh minds stepping up as print Editors-InChief, we knew the bumps in the road would be plentiful leading up to this first edition. But it also meant that the successes would be felt even stronger. We ended last year with the devastating news that our printer of nine years was shutting down. Luckily, our wonderful adviser Tracy Anderson worked tirelessly this summer to find us a suitable replacement: Adair Graphic Communications. They have turned out to be an amazing company to work with, one that truly understands our vision and will doing everything they can to help us get there. A week before the first day of school, we came together as an editorial staff to discuss the upcoming year. It quickly became obvious that the Communicator would be unlike any year prior. After discussing how our summers were for a couple minutes, Tracy asked us a question: Do you guys want to continue doing a magazine the way we always have, or should we switch to a more classic-looking newspaper? As expected, we quickly threw this option away. Tracy informed us that we then would have to raise over double the amount that we’d raised in past years. At the beginning of September, we only had 25 percent of this goal. Luckily, an anonymous Rainbow Zebra Donor contacted us and donated $10,000, as long as we made the other $10,000. This gave us footing to be certain that we could print the Communicator in a similar fashion as in past years. Although we have this, we are trying to raise funds in order to be financially secure moving forward. The first day of school marks a fresh start for all of us. Whether it’s your first first day or your last first day at Community, walking through the doors of St. Andrew’s Church is like taking a single step into the next year. With all of the changes happening around us, opening day at St. Andrew’s is a staple that all Community students can look forward to. For Communicator itself, the late nights in the lab as we try to send the edition out are constants that we will never do away with; Tracy can say “we’re leaving by nine” every time, but we will always end up staying until 10:30… and then the next day we will be right back where we were nine hours earlier, working tirelessly to produce the high-quality magazine that we always do. With changes happening all around us, we are holding onto the things that make us The Communicator: countless singalongs, pizza parties and unforgettable memories. No matter how much has changed, we hope The Communicator is everything it has been and more.

Your Editors,

ABIGAIL GAIES

AVA MILLMAN

WM. HENRY SCHIRMER

CAMRYN TIRICO

The Communicator Magazine

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

COPY EDITORS

Abigail Gaies Ava Millman Wm. Henry Schirmer Camryn Tirico

Madie Gracey Loey Jones-Perpich Charles Solomon

WEB EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Mazey Perry

Mira Simonton-Chao Gina Liu Paige Duff

MANAGING EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGERS Owen Kelley Camille Konrad Ruby Taylor

Isabel Espinosa

SECTION EDITORS Evan Ash Elena Bernier Hannah Bernstein Joshua Caldwell Jordan DePadova Atticus Dewey Dan Gutenberg Camille Konrad Zoe Lubetkin Joshua Martins-Caufield Mazey Perry Roxie Richner Andie Tappenden Geneve Thomas-Palmer Sacha Verlon Emma Winegarden Bella Yerkes

DESIGN EDITORS Ella Edelstein Isaac McKenna

VISUALS EDITORS Ebba Gurney iO Soucy

MENTORS Lacey Cooper Sophia Rosewarne

STAFF Luke Andoni-Sevas Sophia Berry Benjamin Cooper Leah Dame Brenan Dionne Ethan Gibb-Randall Daniel Gutenberg Hope Hesseltine Jenna Jarjoura Benjamin Kessler J Kincaid-Beal Andrew Lafferty Sophia Nunez Shea O’Brien Julian Reinhart Andrea Schnell Zachary Schueler Elijah Shore Joseph Simon Meghana Tummala Taisiya Tworek Nina van der Velde Maxwell Westrum

ADVISER Tracy Anderson

Follow Us on Social Media! @communicatorchs @communicatorchs @communicatorchs Mission Statement: The Communicator is a student-

run publication and an open forum established in 1974 and created by students at Community High School. The staff of The Communicator seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas that are relevant to the community. The Communicator journalists are committed to working in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately and will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of The Communicator and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at The Communicator’s discretion. The Communicator also reserves the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Community High School or the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

The Communicator Online Read more at www.chscommunicator.com or download the app, available on the App Store.

NEWS

THE DESTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL’S BACK LAWN

FEATURE

LIVING THROUGH FLORENCE

Beginning in 2018, the city of Ann Arbor began the process of reconstructing the historic streets behind Community High School. It was only after the construction was well underway that news of upcoming enhancements to Community’s back lawn began. BY LIBERTY BONEVICH

Dierdre Portu — former Community High School student and current resident of Carolina Beach, N.C. — packed and drove 20 hours to Ann Arbor to escape Hurricane Florence. On Sept. 13, 2018, Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina. Florence itself spanned larger than the entire state, and 1.7 million people were forced to evacuate. BY SOPHIE NUNEZ

#WhyIDidn’tReport

VOICE

All three of the women making allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh were very young at the time the alleged assaults were committed; Ford was the youngest, at just 15 years old. To put all this in perspective I’ve gathered a few stories about my peers’ experiences with sexual assault and the fears that they have had about reporting the incidents. BY ROXIE RICHNER

MITSKI “BE THE COWBOY” FINDS CAMARADERIE IN ISOLATION

A & E

Mitski, the 27-year-old Japanese-American proclaimed indie/alternative queen has such a strong reputation amongst so many genres of music because of her ability to transcend situations and make listeners feel the exact emotion they she wants them to feel. On her newest album, “Be the Cowboy,” Mitski explores the array of emotions found in our lives in everyday conversations and happenings. BY GINA LIU

SPORTS

BALANCING A HOBBY WHILE PARENTING

Being a mother and a teacher is cool, but being all those things plus a soccer player, is cooler. Community High science teacher Courtney Kiley has loved playing soccer since the age of five, and the love for the game hasn’t stopped. BY EVAN ASH AND JOSHUA CALDWELL

SOCIAL MEDIA

MONARCH MIGRATION FESTIVAL

SONG OF THE DAY

“DRUGS YOU SHOULD TRY IT”

On Sept. 16, hundreds of people gathered at the Leslie Science and Nature Center’s annual Monarch Migration Festival to send monarch butterflies offon their long journey to Mexico. Complete with crafts and face paint, the event required many volunteers, some of whom were CHS students. For more moments like this follow @communicatorchs on Instagram and @chscommunicator on Twitter. COMMUNICATORCHS INSTAGRAM In the summer of 2014, Travis Scott was not the chart topping juggernaut he is today, someone who could sell over 500k records first week. No, Scott was poised to release his newest Mixtape, “Days Before Rodeo,” which gave way for his first studio album, “Rodeo.” “Days Before Rodeo,” shows Scott at arguably his most experimental as he croons hauntingly over bass heavy and otherworldly beats. BY JORDAN DEPODOVA

October 2018

New Faces of Community A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO FIVE OF THE NEW STAFF MEMBERS AT COMMUNITY THIS FALL. BY ISABEL ESPINOSA AND AVA MILLMAN

Amy McLoughlin COUNSELOR

“I want to get to know more of the students and just be more a part of the school. It’s hard to be the new person and have people know you and what you’re really about. I’m looking forward to not everything being a first impression.”

Marci Harris FRENCH

“I’ve been excited about the French language and the people who speak it all over the world since I was 16. I want to share that passion with students and have them want to communicate and travel the world.”

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News

Ryan Silvester SOCIAL STUDIES

“At the beginning of class everyday, we take five minutes to run through any people that have good news for the week. At first it was really difficult but, it’s turned into something that people really enjoy doing. My good news every day is that I get to be there with the kids.”

Becky Brent HEALTH

“My number one goal is to be comfortable here, find my place here, and how I can help here. My teaching style allows for more control for [students]. I give up a lot of my control and give it to them so our learning is really focused on where they want to go.”

Michael Strugala

TEACHING ASSISTANT

“I’ve been here since January, but this semester I want to get more involved in student activities like Future City and FIRST Robotics. I like being able to help a lot of students in a lot of subjects.”

October 2018

The Color Yellow

PART ONE OF AN ONGOING ARTICLE ABOUT REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY AND CHILDHOOD BY MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO

The Communicator Magazine

Feature

What does it feel like to know that you participated in a yellowface show? Thirteen years-old, brace-faced Anna Dang didn’t know what yellowface was. She didn’t know what it meant, and she didn’t certainly know when to look for it. So, when the producers of her show “The King and I,” which was run by an Ann Arbor based theater troupe, asked for the white actors of the production to purchase foundation “two dips darker” than their skin tone, all she knew was that it made her uncomfortable. Having grown up in a predominantly Caucasian community and attended majority Caucasian schools throughout her whole life, Anna had grown accustomed to being the only Vietnamese person in the room and, at times, the only Asian one. It was a reality of the Ann Arbor Public Schools: a district home to schools like Wines Elementary School and Forsythe Middle School with student populations over 60 percent Caucasian. Anna was a rarity— the Vietnamese/Asian token of a disproportionately white district. In the same way that Anna was never able to explain to her white peers what was wrong with “positive stereotypes,” Anna never knew how to convey her discomfort with being cited, time and time again, as the only Vietnamese person people had ever met. She felt the same way when it came to yellowface, even if, at the time, she was unable to identify it as that. In Anna’s production of “The King and I,”— a show about a white woman who falls in love with a Thai king —the role of the king, as well as his nobles, was given to a white actor. Anna, on the other hand, alongside the five to six other Asian actors in the production — a notably higher number than usual —,were given parts in the ensemble. Anna’s only line was the sentence “You like us?” And yet, even with such a small role and such a short line, Anna was told again and again that the only reason she had received it was because she was, in fact, Asian. “The King and I” was Anna’s first ever experience, or even exposure, to yellowface. But it was one that stayed with her long after the show and even middle school. It was a turning point in Anna’s life: a moment that would influence Anna’s actions and opinions throughout not only her high school career but also on into college. Thirteen years-old, brace-faced Anna Dang didn’t know what yellowface was. But in the packed lecture hall of an A/ PI “History of Images” lecture, Anna finally discovered what “two dips darker” really meant; there, she learned the explanation for the years of discomfort that had plagued Anna since her time in “The King and I.” It was yellowface, and it was not okay. “Holy sh*t. I was in a yellowface production.”

Every Part of Me

STORIES ABOUT COMING OUT AND BEING OUT FROM LGBTQ+ STUDENTS AND STAFF AT COMMUNITY. BY GENEVE THOMAS-PALMER

Shannon Thompson

Photo illustration of Shannon Thompson and the pansexual pride flag.

Shannon Thompson was sitting in the car with her mother and her favorite soup, a mushroom beef barley from Zingerman’s, waiting to leave the parking lot and go in to choir practice, when she looked at her mother and said, “I’m pansexual.” “She did this smile that parents do when they’re like, ‘Oh I’m so excited I get to support you in something!’” Thompson said. After donning said smile, Thompson’s mother looked at her daughter and said, “I don’t know what that is.” Thompson proceeded to tell her mother to Google it and then left. “I got in the car [on the way back] and we had an awkward moment where [my mom] went, ‘I Googled it.’” Thompson said. “Three hours later she looks at me and I guess she kind of figured out that gay jokes are funny to me, and she goes, ‘I’m cupsexual,’ and holds up a cup, and I was like, ‘Okay, we’re good.’” Although Thompson has come out to her mom, she has not told her grandma. She says she never will. “My grandma’s a homophobic, racist, and very conservative Christian who pops pills.” Thompson and her grandma have a close relationship, but it is a fake one. A distant cousin who came out to her grandmother was told he was forever barred from her house, family holidays and written out of the will. “It’s awful, but I’ve known for a long time that that’s the way she is,” Thompson said. “It really sucks. You shouldn’t have to feel [like an] outcast in your own family. I’ve already resigned to the fact that I will never tell her because I don’t want to deal with that. I don’t like her, but she’s getting older, and I want to spend the time I can with her, I guess. It would suck to have her say I can’t be in her house; I can’t go to family holidays; I can’t do all of these things anymore and I think that while it’s a fake relationship; I’d rather be in that situation than lose her early.” Even though Thompson and her grandma will forever retain a phony relationship, she says that she has supportive friends who she can be open with. “It’s nice to be open about every part of yourself with somebody, and I think that if you can’t be friends with me for every part of me, then I don’t think that’s a relationship worth having.” Read more stories from Every Part of Me online at chscommunicator.com

Chloe Root was walking down a public street, on the way back from reading a poem for pride month in Providence, Rhode Island, the last time she was called a “dyke.” A group of guys pulled up next to her on the road and began to yell slurs at her. She remembers being worried that they knew who she was and was therefore in danger. “That was really scary,” Root said. “I remember feeling upset and really powerless, not really knowing what to do about it and wishing I had something I could say back that would give me some power in the situation that would diffuse it. I think I went into a store because I was like, ‘I need to not be out here, vulnerable.’” A couple of years later, when applying for teaching jobs, Root, afraid that she would not be hired because of her queer identity, wrote two different resumes. One included the leadership position she had running Pride Month — the one she described as her “Yay I’m gay! resume” — and the other didn’t make any mention of her work with pride, or her sexual orientation. “I didn’t like the idea of [writing two resumes] because I really didn’t want to work someplace where I couldn’t be out. But at that point, I also felt like, I’m getting my first job, I can’t be choosy about it,” Root said. “If it’s going to be a matter of supporting myself or being out, I’d like to get a job and then eventually, hopefully, I can be out, but I don’t want that to be a barrier between me and the job. It sucks when you have to do something when you’re thinking about self-preservation and you end up perpetuating the systems that you hate.” However, there was never a need for Root to use her less revealing resume. She only interviewed in Ann Arbor, then was hired at Community High School. “It’s more that I don’t want to have to hide some part of my life from students than an active coming out as a political statement,” Root said. Root also thinks that it is vital for a school to house visible LGBTQ+ staff. When she was growing up, it was important for her to see non-straight adults, because it made her accept it as a more legitimate lifestyle. “Seeing people who are LGBTQ+ who are healthy and active and taking care of themselves and having relationships that are the kinds of relationships you want to have makes it so you can envision that as a possibility for yourself,” Root said. “It makes that normal.”

Chloe Root

Photo illustration of Chloe Root and the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

October 2018

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N. DIVISION ST

N. 5 TH AVE

LAWRENCE ST

CATHERINE ST

ANN ST

E. HURON ST

The Communicator Magazine

Feature

N. STATE ST

A. B. N. 4TH AVE

E. KINGSLEY ST

Cheap Eats

FOOD UNDER $5 IN KERRYTOWN AND AROUND COMMUNITY HIGH.

BY MAZEY PERRY

Community’s open campus is a luxury that students are fortunate to have. Students can eat lunch wherever they would like and can leave the school building at any time during the day. However, figuring out what to buy for lunch — if you choose to — can be a difficult decision. With Kerrytown right across the street, and Ahmos and No Thai a few blocks away, there are many options to choose from. Below are a few places to try with great food under $5.

A. The Lunch Room

$4-$6 Soup of the Day from The Lunch Room $5 beans and rice from The Lunch Room

B. Kosmos/Sparrow Market $2 grilled cheese from Kosmos $2 hot dog from Kosmos $4.99 Kosmo Burger $1.50 bagel and cream cheese from Sparrow

C. Zingerman’s Deli

$4.50 side of ABC Kale from Zingerman’s Deli $4.50 side of Old Fashioned Potato Salad from Zingerman’s Deli $4.99 bowl of Matzo Ball Soup from Zingerman’s Deli

$1.50 bagel and cream cheese from Sparrow

D. No Thai

$3 egg rolls from No Thai 50 cent rice from No Thai

E. Ahmos

Under $5 half size salads from Ahmos $4.99 Mediterranean Fries from Ahmos

$5.00 beans and rice from The Lunch Room

$4-$6 soup of the day from The Lunch Room

October 2018

Life After Community: Risa Gotlib BY SOPHIA ROSEWARNE AND BELLA YERKES

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TINY BUDDHA YOGA

When Risa Gotlib was 14 years old, she started practicing yoga at Ann Arbor School of Yoga with Laurie Blakely through the Community Resources Program at Community High School. She was simply trying to fulfill her high school fitness graduation requirement; she didn’t know then that yoga would become a large part of her life. Community High gave Gotlib a place to explore herself and discover who she was without punishment. “At Community, you have a lot of freedom to be able to be who you are without it being punished or labeled as bad or — all of the different things that happen with kids when they are going through those formative years of trying to figure out who they are.” Gotlib graduated from Community in 2002 and went on to attend the University of Michigan. It wasn’t until then that Gotlib got serious about school. After switching her major three times and five years of undergrad, Gotlib graduated in 2007 with a double major in biology and psychology, and a minor in women’s studies. Not knowing what she wanted to do, Got10

The Communicator Magazine

lib filled her car with clothes and moved to New York; she wanted to experience something new after living in Ann Arbor her whole life. Gotlib stayed in a friend’s dorm for a month while she searched for a job and place to live. She eventually found an apartment and a job at a television production company as the director of marketing. The company produced fashion runway footage; Gotlib had a background in retail, working at Vintage to Vogue in high school as well as a background in psychology, so she did well there but wasn’t satisfied. She worked there for about eight months and then quit in the spring of 2008 without a backup plan figuring everything would workout, but shortly thereafter the economy completely fell apart and Gotlib was unsure of her next steps. Trying to figure out what she wanted to do next, Gotlib decided to visit her mom in Chicago. While she was there she met the Midwest Regional Director of Sales for the high-end mid-century modern furniture company Design Within Reach. Gotlib talked to him about being stressed about |

Feature

the economy and not having a job. The director urged Gotlib to send him a copy of her resume. A week later Gotlib found herself in the Design Within Reach corporate offices in San Francisco. The company wanted to hire her to manage a new venture they were hoping to start. “It was the mid-century modern lovers answer to home accessories,” Gotlib said. “Their main bread and butter was couches and chairs and then they wanted to get into all the other home stuff, too.” Gotlib was once again working retail, which wasn’t ideal, but it was for a company she liked. After managing the new homeware store for about six months she was transferred to one of the company’s furniture stores. Working at the furniture store, Gotlib was frequently selling to designers and architects. Donning her MOSCOT glasses, she was complimented on them frequently. Sending so many people over to their store, Gotlib joked that she was selling the glasses at the same time she was selling furniture.

One day a women visited Design Within Reach in search of new lamps. As Gotlib was helping her, the woman noticed her glasses. After they got to talking, the woman mentioned that she was the director of marketing for the eyewear company. Gotlib helped the woman find what she was looking for and just before she left, the woman suggested they grab coffee sometime; they exchanged information and decided to meet a week later. The morning of the coffee date Gotlib received a text from the woman reading, “By the way the owner of the company, Kenny Moscot, is going to join us for coffee.” Not being sure what this meant, Gotlib threw a resume into her bag. At the coffee shop, Moscot pulled Gotlib’s business card out of his wallet. “We sat down, and he had my business card from the company I was currently working at, he put it in front of me and told me, ‘I’ve been carrying this around for three months,’” Gotlib said. “‘When I first met you, I thought I needed to bring you onto MOSCOT, and for the past several months, I’ve been trying to figure out how.” Over the next several months Gotlib and Moscot met over coffee many times to discuss her professional aspirations and what was needed from Moscot to leave her current position. Soon they came to an agreement that she would become the director of sales for their international and domestic wholesale. After beginning the job, Moscot and Gotlib became very close. “I became his righthand,” Gotlib said. “I was going to Europe twice a year for these big trade shows. It was super fun and I thought the company was amazing.” But one day Moscot was having pains in his leg. He went to the doctor and learned that he had a rare form of muscle and bone cancer, and within a couple of months he had passed away. “It was so traumatizing because he was my mentor, my boss and my friend. It was so upsetting,” Gotlib said. After Kenny’s passing, his brother ended up taking MOSCOT over. With him wanting to change the whole structure of the company and Gotlib’s job position, she decided she was no longer going to stay there. After a visit home for the holidays, Gotlib returned to New York in search of another job. Per a recommendation from a friend to work at a tech company, Gotlib took a job at LifeBooker where they were starting to tinker with API integration. Making good money, but not happy with what she was doing or where the company was heading, Gotlib quit her job again. “It wasn’t really that inspiring, I wasn’t doing anything good for the world and that’s right around the time that they started doing discounted lip injections, boob jobs and liposuction, and I was like, ‘This is whack, you guys are just making women feel bad about themselves, and trying to sell them everything possible. I’m not into it.’” Not knowing what she wanted to do, Gotlib spent about eight months living off of her savings. She became depressed and de-

cided she just needed a reason to get out of bed every morning. She decided she would go to a yoga class every day and got serious about it. Considering moving to India for a year to find herself, Gotlib consulted her dad. Her dad, a psychiatrist, pointed out that all she would be doing is running from her problems. Knowing Gotlib was thinking of moving back to Ann Arbor, a friend from Community contacted her about a possible job opportunity at a Detroit startup in search of a director of sales. After negotiating a salary with the company, Gotlib moved back to Michigan. “I worked there for about three months,” Gotlib said. “And then I realized I was doing exactly the same thing I had been doing in New York, but for a company that was less developed and that had less direction. I was super unhappy, and I was commuting to Detroit every day.” Remembering teaching yoga on the roof of her apartment building in New York, Gotlib decided to go through with yoga teacher training. She began teaching upwards of 27 classes a week at numerous studios around Ann Arbor in addition to taking on several private students. After a year and a half bouncing from studio to studio every day, Gotlib realized she didn’t want to work for anyone oth-

er than herself. She decided to open her first studio which she named Tiny Buddha Yoga. Previously a dentist office, Gotlib secured the close to 1,100 square foot space on Pauline Blvd. Opening her first studio, Gotlib struggled most with the uncertainties of it. “I was nervous. Are people going to come? Are people going to like it? Am I thinking that I’m too cool?” With success at her first Tiny Buddha Yoga studio, Gotlib decided to open a yoga clothing store on State Street. About eight months after the opening of her store, an architect’s office on State Street opened up and Gotlib opened her second studio there. Just over a year ago, Gotlib opened a third location in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town. When she opened her third studio she decided to close the clothing store so she could focus more on the studios. Tiny Buddha Yoga has been voted the best yoga studio in Washtenaw County for 2016, 2017 and 2018. “Everybody who I’m surrounded with is so fantastic and positive,” Gotlib said. “Whenever I’m doing stuff with the studio, and whenever I’m teaching yoga, it’s amazing. We’re creating this energy in each of the studios. I’m part of it. I don’t even feel like it’s just me, right? We’re all doing it together. It’s really an amazing community.”

Risa Gotlib adjusts a student’s posture during a class. “Everybody should do yoga,” Gotlib said. “Imagine the world that we live in, and how amazing and beautiful it would be and how connected to our feelings and emotions, on a deeper level, instead of all this superficial ego stuff that we get involved in.”

October 2018

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEASPRESSA

The Communicator Magazine

Feature

ON MAIN ST., AN ARIZONA-BASED CAFE REINVENTS THE IDEA OF A TEA SHOP. BY ANDIE TAPPENDEN

On Sundays the manager teaches yoga, in the courtyard around the corner. Normally, the international influence of TeaSpressa is palpable — with teas from China, Japan, South Africa, and Germany, and having been originally founded hundreds of miles outside of Michigan. But Sundays at 8 a.m, just after the sun has risen over downtown Ann Arbor, it’s only locals, yoga and tea. TeaSpressa is a modern blend of an ancient brew. Like “The Importance of Being Earnest” pulled into the 21st century — friends all gathering to work or gossip around a pot of tea — where instead of hand-written letters and cucumber sandwiches, there’s g-mail and TeaSpressa’s homemade “tea toast” with avocado, beet cream-cheese, honey, lime and rose petals. There’s something classic about the idea of a tea shop, but TeaSpressa is anything but dated. Their founder, Allison DeVane, described that part of their appeal is their similitude to a simple coffee shop. “Tea can be very complex,” DeVane explained. Often, tea shops offer a myriad of different teas, blends, strains, etc. TeaSpressa has just four foundational blends to choose from: a red herbal tea called “Cape Cod,” a Earl Grey brew called “Charles Grey,” a green matcha tea called “Green Gold,” and a black tea — which they describe as being closest to standard dark-roasted coffee — called “Manhattan Black.” In fact, Devane really considers herself as more of a coffee person. Traditional tea, in her opinion, is “quite honestly pretty boring.” But TeaSpressa is not traditional tea. TeaSpressa tea is condensed and brewed like espresso, and has the same caffeine content as a cup of coffee. According to DeV-

ane, their tea “holds its own like coffee,” with a similar body and bold flavor. Like coffee, it can be brewed into an iced latte or foamy cappuccino; these deviations from typical tea forms make TeaSpressa “more exciting [than] having a tea bag in your drink.” But the brand is more than an artistic presentation and unique flavor. DeVane initially focused on tea as a way to make her company stand out, and in the process has rejuvenated the novelty of tea. “Our brand is more about the experience and the lifestyle of it, so it goes past the product,” DeVane said. Even the phrase “C’est La Tea” — one of many mantras associated with TeaSpressa — carries a meaning deeper than just a clever saying. It references DeVane’s goals to make her company a global brand, as well as the already present “international inspirations” that lie in their design and teas. More than anything, it represents a simple, exuberance of tea. It’s like “c’est la vie,” but this is the life of tea. This dedication to the make every aspect of her brand reach the “best degree” has been paying off, even early on in the business. Just nine months after founding TeaSpressa, Allison DeVane was featured on Shark Tank, an experience she described as “fun and overwhelming.” Being on Shark Tank helped DeVane establish more of a direction for her business, since she had only just started out. After that she asked herself, “What do I really want to do?” Their Ann Arbor store opened in June, 2018, and is one of three locations to open up this year. Notably, it is their only café

outside of Arizona. Why? An old friend of DeVane’s from college had the property on Main St., and approached her about using the space to open up a new café. DeVane flew out and took an immediate liking to the vibrancy of the space and the many other local businesses nearby. She like that Ann Arbor seemed to be “community-driven.” DeVane plans to open more shops around the country, but for now the Ann Arbor location is unique to be the only TeaSpressa café not surrounded by desert. From Main St., TeaSpressa is somewhat inconspicuous, hidden in its dark wood paneling and big windowed exterior. Inside, a pink neon sign curls into thin cursive and sheds light that mixes with the natural sun rays poured from the windows. The unusual combination creates a warm glow reminiscent of the popular art installation of UMMA. “I just think the more we’re here and get to know the community,” said Maureen Harrison, manager of the Ann Arbor location, “we just become Ann Arbor more.” TOP LEFT: The inside of TeaSpressa is stylishly decorated with plants, teapots and calming colors. TOP RIGHT: TeaSpressa sells their tea for patrons to take home and enjoy. BOTTOM LEFT: “I’m sure you’ve seen Matcha,” said Maureen Harrison, manager of the Ann Arbor location. “It’s a big trend. I have to add a little flavor — like TeaSpresa’s homemade rose, vanilla, or lavender elixirs — because to me it’s a little earthy.” BOTTOM RIGHT: The outside of TeaSpressa, which is located at 414 S. Main St. Hours are Monday– Friday 7-6 and weekends 9-5.

October 2018

Fake School No More A PERFECT STORM OF STUDENTS CAME TO COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL TO EARN THE FOURTH BEST SAT SCORES IN THE STATE. BY ATTICUS DEWEY

The Communicator Magazine | Feature

When Nic Grofsorean was entering the room of his SAT, he was intimidated. All the prep work and talks about the SAT made it seem as if it were the most important test of his life. He knew that it would affect his entry into some colleges, and because of it he might not go to his dream school. On Aug. 30, 2018, The Detroit Free Press released and article about high schools in the state of Michigan and the average SAT scores those schools received based on how their students performed. Community High School (CHS) — a school that is stereotypically not as rigorous as other Ann Arbor High Schools, according to students at Skyline High School — was ranked fourth in the state, with a score of 1234.7. Even though the SAT is known for not being an adequate measure of students’ knowledge, as shown in a study conducted by The Washington Post, the SAT shows how different learning environments affect the way they learn in schools. According to Cherie Charbeneau, the coordinator for SAT’s at CHS, students who have performed well on the SAT have historically come from higher class families, where paying for extra SAT studying may not be as difficult as it is for other families. This presents an obvious disadvantage for students who can’t afford to do extra studying for the test. In addition to coming from lower-economic families where paying for SAT classes may be more of a financial burden, students that come from lower-economic families are at risk of not being able to test for learning barriers they have, so they may not be able to receive an individualized learning program because they never got tested for learning accommodations. “Everybody’s brain works in a different way, and so I believe that 50 percent of my job is to assist students with accommodations,” Charbeneau said. “If the only people that get IEPs or 504s are students whose parents can afford psychological or neurological testing, these same students will often be able to get extra SAT studying outside of what is provided at school. So living in an education-driven environment, such as Ann Arbor, is important for students to get more of a chance to do well on the SAT.” When the SAT was redesigned in 2016, College Board, the company that owns the SAT, attempted to appeal to a wider audience, as well as become a more accurate reflection of what students learn in school. In doing this, College Board removed parts of the exam such as obscure vocabulary and punishing students for guessing on an-

swers. Coupled with removing portions of the exam, they provided students with free test preparation materials provided through Khan Academy. While these changes assisted in giving more of an equal preparation for students around the country, research still shows that students that pay for testprep services — some of which can cost up to 1,500 dollars — still perform marginally better on the test. In an environment where colleges want to accept the best students they can find, this still poses an unfair advantage for students who can afford to pay for extra preparation. “It would not be truthful to say that your background and access to education does not have an impact on how you perform on the test,” CHS’s Assistant Dean Rebecca Westrate said. “We have additional pro-

“We have a really amazing staff here at Community that helps keeps the kids motivated and do well in school, but that’s not the only thing that lets Community do well.” gramming here to make sure students are prepared for the test, and that the finances of a family don’t have as much of an impact on the student’s performance. Not everybody at CHS necessarily comes from a background that would suggest better scores would be a result, but we still have a very high level of success coming out of here.” In addition to providing extra-assistance to accommodate all students, CHS practices a teaching environment where the classroom provides the opportunity for discussions. Instead of having classrooms where lectures dominate class time, CHS teaches students with a conversation driven approach. This allows students to come up with new ideas on topics and discuss how they relate to each other, and it cements previously learned topics in students heads by explaining concepts to their peers. “I really love that teachers encourage conversation in the classroom, I think it’s a great way to engage students in a way that feels natural,” said Aris Chalin, a senior at CHS. “I believe that the conversational approach helps students to convey their ideas in a fuller way and that it could help students share more ideas.”

Since Community was founded in 1972, a factor that has made the school stand out as an unique school is that it strives for high academic success, while still creating an environment where creativity is encouraged. Teachers present concepts in their classrooms in a variety of ways, so that if a student doesn’t understand what the teacher is saying in a format, they’ll hear in a way that is comprehensive for them in a different format. This breaks down the barricade that students face of feeling like they’re looking at a wall of content they don’t understand. Furthermore, teachers look at what the SAT is testing on, and they adjust their classroom material to cover the material that will be presented on the SAT. “We have a really amazing staff here at Community that helps keeps the kids motivated and do well in school, but I don’t think that’s the only thing that lets Community do well,” Westrate said. “Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) as a whole does a really great job at giving kids in lower grades a good foundation to build off of. Because everything in the education system builds off of each other in some format, it’s really important that AAPS continues to do this.” Even though the SAT has changed to accommodate for more people, the average SAT scores for students of color are 479 on the reading and writing portions and 462 on the mathematics section on the test. Compared to white students who on average earn 565 on the reading and writing portions of the SAT and 553 on the mathematics portions of the SAT, it is obvious there is still an unfair advantage. The SAT doesn’t show what students learn in school, and yet colleges still look at the SAT as one of the most important factors of getting into a school. Some schools — the majority of which are art schools — now require a portfolio of the student’s best work throughout high school, and look at the SAT as an un-standardized test. Schools that go the extra mile to make sure their students succeed on the test is an important step to making the SAT more standardized for all people. “Community helped me take that test to the best of all my abilities,” Grofsorean said. “The amount of preparation and aid they made available was nearly limitless. But moreover was the ability for me to get extended time on the exam because I have an IEP for slow processing and without the extra time I would not have been able to complete the test which would have resulted in an effective fail. I owe everything I did on the SAT to the ILC department and Cherie.”

October 2018

Don’t Get Sick on Monday BY JOSH MARTINS-CAULFIELD

At Community High School, the nurse is only here one day per week: Wednesday. Which means that you may not want to get sick on Monday. Or Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. The school’s nurse, Keely Hoffman, cycles between five different buildings in the district. This is obviously concerning for many CHS students, especially students with allergies. “I don’t think that it’s well planned out,” CHS senior Eve Shikanov said. “[The nurse] shouldn’t have to be running between five buildings.” School nurses do a variety of things, from taking someone’s temperature to administering an epipen; there could be a disaster if an allergic reaction occurs and the nurse isn’t there. However, there is another nurse — sort of — Katy Sanderson, the Community Resource secretary, acts as the standin nurse whenever Hoffman isn’t there. Sanderson does everything that Hoffman would normally do. In cases where she does not know what to do or has any doubts, she calls Hoffman. Sanderson is trained in basic first aid, which is about as much training as she needs on a regular day. One thing that Hoffman and Sanderson have in common is that they are both unable to give medication to students. “Actually, even the nurses here aren’t allowed to give much medication, but they are more educated,” Sanderson said. That is the biggest difference between Sanderson and Hoffman: the latter is medically trained. “[Nurses] do a lot of training with others so that they are prepared to deal with situations,” Hoffman said. “But one of the key things is that [nurses have] been trained to look for things that others may not know.” For example, Hoffman is trained to deal

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with complications stemming from diabetes and can take someone’s blood pressure. According to Hoffman, one of the most important parts of her job is training staff in order to make them aware of potential problems. That’s why at the beginning of every year, Hoffman attends staff meetings to train lunchroom staff, office professionals, teacher assistants, and teachers. This ensures that Sanderson — along with all of the other “stand-in nurses” across the district — are well trained and qualified to deal with most incidents a school nurse would have to deal with in a normal school day. However, Hoffman does acknowledge that the ideal situation would be to have nurses in every building. “If we had one nurse per building, I think that there’s so much more we can do than just giving band aids [and] taking care of immediate needs.” Hoffman said. “We can do more with wellness, health education, support and we can dig deeper into some of the issues that kids have nowadays. A lot of times it’s just putting the band aid on and sending them off, and we don’t always have the quality time to give to the students.” There’s an easy answer to why there aren’t more nurses in the district: the budget. There simply is not enough money to pay for more nurses. Which begs the question of why Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) can pay for new furniture across their schools, but not more nurses. According to the AAPS website, the district spent $3.2 million from a 2015 bond on the new furniture and plans

to spend up to $10 million on “classroom environment.” “That’s upsetting,” Shikanov said. “Instead of spending $10 million on all the new chairs and tables, we could have spent more time and money getting more nurses for the district or getting us [air conditioning] units or maybe increasing the amount that we pay our janitors and some of our teachers.” Unfortunately, unless another bond is passed, funding for teachers, nurses and air conditioning probably won’t be available. “I think in education, money is always an issue and the priorities are in our other needs.” Hoffman said. “We’re fortunate to have the nursing staff that we do. We have a great group of core nurses who work well together, but it does seem that we could always benefit from having more.” One thing that could be done about this, according to Hoffman, is to make your voice heard. It could be students, parent groups etc., but anyone who believes that this is an issue that should be raised should do their part to raise it. If there is money to be found in the budget, making sure AAPS knows where to put it could go a long way in improving the district.

A Long Way Home

AT SIXTEEN, LOURDES SALAZAR-BAUTISTA HAD TO DECIDE BETWEEN TWO HOMES: ANN ARBOR WHERE SHE HAD HER FRIENDS, HER HOMETOWN AND THE FREEDOMS SHE LOVES; AND TOLUCA, MEXICO WHERE SHE HAD HER FAMILY. . . BY CAMMI TIRICO

October 2018

2010 - UNITED STATES Rewind eight years to the day that changed everything. Lourdes’s mother, Lourdes Salazar’s day life was interrupted by an aggressive knock on the door. On the other side were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who arrested Salazar on a 1998 deportation order she says she didn’t know existed. In 1997 Ms. Salazar came to United States on a tourist visa and overstayed it by 13 years. She went on to marry a closefriend from home, Luis Quintana, who, since 1985, had been illegally working in the United States. The Quintana-Salazar family had the life those home in Mexico longed after. A large house with a backyard. Self-ran business. Clean record. U.S. born children. All three of Ms. Salazar’s children — Pamela, 19, Lourdes, 16 and Bryan, 14 — were legal U.S. citizens by being born in the United States. However, she and her husband were not. After talking to a lawyer, Ms. Salazar and the ICE officers made an agreement: Salazar could remain in the country with her children, with annual check-ins. The catch, Mr. Quintana would be deported immediately. The family decided that is what would be best for the kids and they soon said thier goodbyes to their dad in the Detroit immigration lockup. Mr. Quintana called from their home village in Mexico every Sunday and video chatted on special occasions. On Christmas break every year, the kids would go visit their extended family in Mexico’s countryside. The family has been separated by 2,290 miles and a border for eight years. Since President Trump took office in 2017, there has been a large increase in deportations and arrests of undocumented workers. In March 2017, at Ms. Salazar’s annual meeting with ICE (her first since the Trump Inauguration), they told her that they had “new instructions” and that she must leave the country. “Deportation is worse than ever and I think that’s because of what Trump has to say,” Lourdes Salazar said. “Deportation and immigrants should not be view or treated like this, and if anything needs to change in our society, it’s this.” Salazar is right, deportation is occurring at higher rates than ever before. In 2017, 81,603 people inside the U.S. were deported, up 13 percent from the year before (according to ICE reports). Ms. Salazar and her children fought the ruling. There was a petition formed with over 8,000 signatures and a rally where hundreds of people showed their support and solidarity. It did not help. 2017 - TOLUCA, MEXICO In August, Lourdes, Bryan and Ms. Salazar said goodbye to their American home, 18

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friends and lives and boarded a plane to their future in Toluca, Mexico. Life in Mexico was so vastly different from the one here, Lourdes said. At school, Lourdes, who has been diagnosed with ADHD, sat in a single claustrophobic classrooms with 60 plus kids all day. The teachers would rotate from classroom to classroom and the kids would be stationary all day, the opposite of school back at home. “It was horrible,” Lourdes said. “I hated it because I’m used to getting up and going

edge gap. Her friends began talking to her right away, the others only showed interest when they found out she was American. One commonality between the groups was that they all thought Lourdes moved to Mexico for her dad’s job. Over the 10 months she was there, Lourdes only told three people her true situation. Lourdes felt a difference not just in school and friends but in every aspect of her life. There, as Lourdes now refers to Mexico, she had to wear a uniform consisting of a

around and I couldn’t. If the teacher leaves that means we can get up and go outside, but sometimes if the next teacher is [ready] he or she comes in immediately. So we sit down for another hour.” Lourdes divides the school kids into two groups: her friends and the others. Her friends would help her with the language, though she had spoken Spanish at home since she was little, and the others would tease and bully her because of the knowl-

Lourdes works on her classwork during her Algebra II math calss. Lourdes is worried that the classes the took in Mexico will not transfer over and she will have to take extra classes senior year.

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blue sweater and white knee high socks as opposed to Michigan, her school does not even have a dress code. After school, Ms. Salazar liked to go the grocery store in town, much to the kids protest, they had to go with her — Bryan and Lourdes hated being seen in public with

“I kept telling people. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m actually staying, it’s a real thing.’ Once I landed [in Michigan] I was 100 percent sure I was in the right place.”

Lourdes walks to lunch with her friend Amy Rodriguez. Both Lourdes and Amy speak Spanish, however they both take Spanish IV at Community to help improve their grammar and writing.

their uniforms — they would do whatever they could to help their mother. It was also one of the only times Lourdes would get out of the house. Back in the U.S. she was only months away from getting her drivers license and having all the freedom in the world. In

Mexico, she rarely left the house. “I feel more active [in Michigan],” Lourdes said. “Over there we would just stay in the house because everything was too far. And here, I feel like I’m more active, even just like walking around the halls.”

izen. When her father and then her mother were deported, Lourdes and her siblings never, legally, had to leave. Pamela, who is a sophomore at Michigan State University, always knew she was going to stay here in Michigan. In the summer she lived with her uncle in Ypsilanti, Mich. and during the year, she lives in the dorms in East Lansing. The family decided that it would make the most sense if Lourdes, who was 15 at the time, and Bryan, 12, moved down to live with their parents. However, the thought resonated with Ms. Salazar and Lourdes that she could live alone in Ann Arbor and stay with her uncle if she wanted. The choice was up to Lourdes: here or there, Mexico or America, family or home. In July, Lourdes and Bryan came to visit their uncle and cousins for a month. Everyone, in Mexico and Ann Arbor, knew it was a test run. “I saw how everything used to be and I really missed it,” Lourdes said. “And I just really did not want to go back here because of many reasons. Two weeks before I left to go back to Mexico, I decided I wanted to stay here.” Lourdes wanted to break the news to her parents in person. Her mom, though she would have missed her youngest daughter greatly, always had a feeling she was going to come back to Michigan. Mr. Quintana, on the other hand, did not want to let go of his daughter whom he had just gotten back. Unknown to the situation, Lourdes’s uncle called and told the parents of Lourdes’s her plan to stay. Lourdes, to this day, does not know exactly how they reacted. The family did not talk about her moving back until the days before. Lourdes says that her mom always knew she was always going to move back. “I felt like she was easing into it, Lourdes said. “She would say, ‘Oh, when you’re over there, I’m going to try to help. I’m going to try to help you with this. Or I’m a call this person to help you with this.’ . . . She kind of knew already.” Ms. Salazar, Mr. Quintana and Brian are all living in Mexico and are very happy. Lourdes says that Brian is adjusting well, has found a great group of friends and loves Mexico and everything about it. She talks to her mom everyday before school and before she goes to bed, her dad about every other day, and Bryan “when he is not playing video games.” They are planning on her coming to visit over the summer. Lourdes is now living with her uncle, aunt and three cousins — who all call her “sister” — in Ypsilanti. She is attending Community High School where she went to school freshman year. Lourdes Quintana-Salazar finally feels at home. She is back with her friends, back to being active, back to happy.

2018 - ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN Born here in the United States, Lourdes has an American Passport and is a legal citOctober 2018

A Second Life with Ari Barajas A LOOK AT ARI BARAJAS’ INDEPENDENCE, TRADITIONS AND HER LIFE OUTSIDE OF COMMUNITY. BY GINA LIU

Ari Barajas has long been self-aware of the fact that she is one of the only Hispanic students at Community. Throughout high school, she has discovered that self-reflection is one of her most viable assets in navigating the social and academic scene at Community. Yet, Barajas knows the moment she steps out of school, she enters her second life: one of uncertainty and determination. What are moments when you’re super self-aware of being Hispanic at Community? I think the times when I’m most aware of my own cultural background is when people start sharing things that they do outside of school. During breaks, people go and travel a lot, and it’s a lot of traditions. But I’m a first-generation immigrant. So those traditions aren’t really well established. Because it is much more strenuous for a single mother, who is also an immigrant, to put something together. In my case, quality time with family is a luxury. In a sense, I almost sometimes feel like I don’t have a lot in common with people. Sometimes, I wish my background was different. And I wish I came from the same place that all these other people are coming from. But other times, I think in retrospect, I’m doing just as welI 20

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[and I] come from a wildly different place. It’s a bittersweet situation. And what are your traditions? My traditions get a little tricky. Since my mom works so often, all my siblings have all been very independent. I’ve had to make my own doctor’s appointments since the age of eight. Even when festivals and holidays come around, our traditions aren’t very well established. It’s so hard to get the family in a place because work is the number one thing. It has separated our family. But we do things on Christmas. Instead of having the traditional Christmas dinner that everybody has, we have a lot of Mexican influences on the dishes. It feels good, but it is a little bit more difficult than most households. Why do you think you and your siblings are so independent? I think we’re so independent because I don’t really have a father figure in the picture. Not until just recently. My sister, who is now 27, took care of us when she was in high school. She was basically a second mother; she would come home and cook dinner, while simultaneously trying to balance her high school life. She started making dinner at twelve and taking care of three younger |

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kids. I’m the first one out of all to afford to go to college, which has its pros and cons. I have to figure everything for myself. Before junior year, I didn’t know what a college application really looked like. I didn’t know what going to college really looked like at all. They’re all much older than I am, so we grew up very separate. Everyone has had to fend for themselves. And every achievement that I’ve ever achieved has been through my own research and having to sign myself up. What’s your older siblings’ names? And what do they do now? My oldest sister, her name is Naomi. [The second’s] name is Paulina, third is my brother. My oldest sister, she has two kids, she’s married and just recently she completed two years in community college. She was just protected under DACA, so that enabled her to go to school. It was really hard [to attend] cheaply and she already had two children. My second oldest sister, she works a couple part-time jobs and she has one little girl; she’s married as well. My brother has done two years of college as well. They’ve all gone through community college, but it was very late because of DACA. They weren’t protected under DACA until a lot later. But my brother went to culi-

‘‘

I was trying to separate my school life from home and my home life from my own problems. Everything was very divided. And without realizing it, I made it like that just because it was easier to handle.

nary school. He’s mostly worked at Italian restaurants. He worked at MANI. But he makes a really mean — what is that called? Bahn mi? When your mom drives you to school, do you guys talk in the car? Not really. In the past, she would pick me up [from school], and it wasn’t like, “How’s your day? How are your friends?” Because she didn’t know any of them. She didn’t really ask me how my day was. My mom and I don’t really have a toxic relationship, but we don’t really have a well-developed relationship, because she was missing for a large part of my life. There was no structure at home. And so when I started emerging into adolescence, I became more closed off. Going into high school, the lack of relationship between my mom and I became a problem. I started going through things and she didn’t really understand. Mental health issues aren’t really talked about in Hispanic households. So she didn’t understand a lot of what I was going through. And when I told her that I had anxiety and other problems, she wanted to sit there and talk to me, like one sit-down was going to fix it. It almost felt intrusive, because I didn’t really know her. That’s not to say she was bad mother. But there’s too many factors to talk

about to why that was the way it was. I was trying to separate my school life from home and my home life from my own problems. Everything was very divided. And without realizing it, I made it like that just because it was easier to handle. That’s how that was, but we’re going through the motions of getting better. It almost seems like this year or maybe last year, we were just getting to know each other as people. How do you think you were able to bring a structure into your own life? I mean there’s only a handful of people that are completely aware of what my life is like. I think those are the people who are more intensely, like, “You should do this.” [They] motivate me in the sense that we’ll talk and they’ll tell me, “I’m doing all these extracurricular things.” I process that like, “Maybe I should be doing this too.” But otherwise, it’s just me observing, trying to sort of make my life sort of mirror that. Do you think you’ve still had to struggle throughout high school despite developing your own study habits? I struggled through high school just because I was the only support system that I had at home. If one day I wasn’t feeling well, then I didn’t have someone encouraging me to

do well. There wasn’t anyone else there to push me and discipline me. There were times in the school year where I was just like, “Wow, I’m really doing this myself.” I had to tell myself when to start studying for [SATs and ACTs]. I remember talking to other students [and they] were like, “My parents made me study the summer after eighth grade and I hated that.” But I wish I had someone who would sit down to tell me to study for this test. On top of having the struggles that every other student faces — [which] are already hard to deal with — I had to deal with things at home. What do you want people at Community to know about you? I’m constantly thinking about who I am. In interactions with friends, I’m always striving to be a good friend to them all the time. Or when I look at my stance on political issues. Even if I feel strongly about something, I’m always asking myself, “Am I really going about this the right way, and really looking at this the way that I should be?” I think I would want people to know that I always try to be a good person, even to people that I don’t know.

October 2018

Michigan’s 2018

BY SOPHIA BERRY

Gubernatorial Candidates

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WHITMER AND SCHUETTE CAMPAIGN

Bill Schuette

Gretchen Whitmer

ACHIEVEMENTS

- Attorney General of Michigan (2011- present) - U.S. House of Representatives of Michigan’s tenth congressional district (1985-1991) - Director of the Michigan Agricultural Department (1991-2002) - Michigan State Senate of the 35th district member (2002-2004) - Judge of Michigan’s Fourth District Court of Appeals (2003-2009)

- Michigan House of Representatives from both the 69th (2003-2006) and 70th (2001-2003) districts. - Michigan Senate member of the 23rd district (2006–2015) *Senate minority leader (2011–2015) - Prosecutor of Ingham County (2016)

MICHIGAN JOBS

- Training for high-wage skills - Closing the economy inequity gap - Helping competition between small businesses - The community respecting educators - Stabilizing school funding and holding accountability within schools

-Vocational education so that highschool students can be prepared for either the work force or higher education -Students should be ready for skilled trade careers so Michigan can ensure its place in the middle class Political Stance: Neutral, supporting a labor force isn’t inherently liberal or conservative but a betterment of the community

TAXES -Repeal former governor Jennifer Granholm increased income tax, which will let workers keep more of their money Political Stance: Conservative, easing up on taxation is a basic part of Republican values

OUR RIGHTS - Advance programs to rescue and help recover people who’ve been victims of human trafficking - Continue work with Michigan Right To Life and National Riffle Association (NRA) Political Stance: Combination, women’s rights especially in terms of human trafficking is not an issue usually taken on by conservatives though supporting Right To Life causes and the NRA is fairly predictable for them

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MICHIGAN JOBS

Political Stance: Neutral, supporting a labor force isn’t inherently liberal or conservative but a betterment of the community

TAXES -Repeal Snyder’s Retirement Tax, so seniors can access the basic care Political Stance: Conservative, Democrats support taxation for public funding purposes but, here consituent rights show greater importance

OUR RIGHTS - Helping women gain access to all forms of reproductive care, contraceptives, maternity care - Expanding the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act which would include transgender individuals into state civil rights laws - Promoting universal voter access - Banning the box so people who have been convicted of a criminal offense won’t be denied a job based on that single question Political Stance: Liberal, women’s and LGBTQ rights are crucial to liberal ideology and within her platforms

C E T

COMMUNITY’S THEATER GROUP, CET, IS A PLACE MANY PEOPLE FEEL AT HOME. BY GENEVE THOMAS-PALMER

When Community Ensemble Theater (CET) senior Emma Zielinski was younger, she frequently watched movies with her father. Eventually, he explained to her that the characters in the movies weren’t real, and the shock inspired her to delve into acting. “I just thought it seemed like the most fun job in the world,” Zielinski said. “You could just pretend to be whatever you wanted to be all day. Being able to escape into a character and being able to explore that character, it’s so enjoyable and challenging, and it really makes you think about who you are and how you relate to the character.” Sophomore Romeo Klobucar is the Merchandise Manager for CET. He says that the environment provides him chance to express himself on stage, without having to show his whole self. “[In] other performance arts, like music or dance, a lot of the time you’re creating things yourself and putting them out there and it’s expressing your innermost feelings,” Klobucar said. “With theater, almost always, you’re taking something that someone else has written and, of course putting your own spin on it, but you just get to express how you feel about that thing. You get to tell a story with a whole bunch of other people and it’s just a really magical experience.” Freshman Marianna Robinson is new to the CET atmosphere, but already has her own ideas about what it means to act. “Acting is an opening to being different,” Robinson said. “It goes perfectly with the school because Community is a school for different people. I think acting is the time you can show your unique difference and just pretend it’s in a play. I am able to be the kind of person I am — in a way be myself — but not be judged.” Zielinski has her own word for this unique difference. She said, “[The people in CET] are all just passionately odd. They’re funny, they’re open, they’re always kind, they’re very inviting. They’re always looking for news ways to invite you in and make you feel loved. Specifically you. You always feel supported.” That feeling of love from peers in CET is a common theme. “CET is just a really fun thing to be a part of,” Klobucar said. “It really gives you a network that you can’t get from anything else because you spend so much time together and you do so many unique things together. You get to tell a story with a whole bunch of other people and it’s just a really magical experience. You don’t get that level of bonding with many other people.” CET and acting seem to build not only community, but courage in CHS students. “For people who are self-conscious or afraid of being different from their peers and different from everyone else, standing out, I think acting is a really good class for them to take,” Robinson said. “It just pushes you in the direction of self-confidence.” “Sometimes when high school, Community even, feels big, CET is like a little family that you can always feel at home in,” Zielinski said.

“For people who are self-conscious or afraid of being different from their peers and different from everyone else, standing out, I think acting is a really good class for them to take. It just pushes you in the direction of self-confidence.” October 2018

Previewing the 2018 Midterm Elections BY JOSH MARTINS-CAULFIELD WITH DESIGN BY MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO

In one of the most important elections ever, Democrats seem primed to make major gains in the House, but the Senate map may prove too challenging to overcome. This is because of President Trump’s low approval rating (his rating is at 40 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight). The fact that the president’s party historically loses seats during midterm elections, and because Democrats are winning the generic ballot test by nine points (FiveThirtyEight). All of these seem to be signs pointing to a Democratic “wave” election — an election in which Democrats win a large number of races. The last wave election was in 2010 when Republicans won 63 house races in repudiation of Obama’s first two years in the White House.

Will it be a Democratic wave? Will the Republicans hold on?

THE HOUSE

As of right now, the Republicans have the majority in the House of Representatives, with 240 seats to the Democrats’ 195. Democrats need to pick up a net of 23 seats in order to win back the House, something that most experts see as a real possibility. FiveThirtyEight gives Democrats an 80 percent chance at winning enough seats to take the House. Here are some races to watch to get a sense of how election night will go:

REPUBLICANS HOLD

The Republicans will most likely hold on to their majority in the House if they win races like Iowa’s First Congressional District, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) of D+1; this means that it is one percentage point more Democratic than the country as a whole. President Obama won this district twice with 58 percent of the vote in 2008 and 56 percent in 2012, but the district swung towards Republicans in 2016 when President Trump won it with 49 percent of the vote. However, the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball (these three political rating sites will be used throughout the article, referenced as “the three rating sites”) all rate this race as leaning towards the Democrats. This district, in the heart of 24

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the Midwest, has been affected by Trump’s controversial tariffs, which has given the incumbent Rod Blum (R) some problems defending his seat. The average of the two polls taken of this race in September has the Democratic candidate, Abby Finkenauer, leading by 10.5 points. Because of this, Republicans have already basically given up on this race: the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has cut spending to the district (according to bleedingheartland.com). If the Republicans somehow defy the polls and come back to win this district, that would mean that they would be in great shape across the country to hold their majority in the house, and they may even gain some seats.

DEMOCRATS TAKE THE HOUSE

The Democrats will most likely win back the House if they win races like California’s 48th Congressional District, which has a PVI of R+4. This district is currently represented by Dana Rohrabacher (R), who has occupied this seat since 2013. This district voted for Obama, Romney and Clinton, so it is a true swing district. Rohrabacher has been one of the most pro-Russia politicians in recent years, even becoming the butt of a joke, along with President Trump, made by Republican majority leader Kevin McCarthy, who said, “There’s [sic] two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabach|

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er and Trump.” The polls have been very close so far; the only poll taken in September showed a tie between Rohrabacher and his opponent, Harley Rouda (D). The three rating sites all classify this race as a toss up, so it will be interesting to see whether Rohrabacher can hold on to his seat. If Democrats win this toss up and other toss ups like this one, they will most likely be on their way to the majority.

DEMOCRATIC TSUNAMI

If the Democrats win races like Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, which has a PVI of R+8, they will be favored to pick up a huge number of seats. This district’s incumbent, Karen Handel (R), already survived a wave election, beating the Democratic sensation of 2017, Jon Ossoff, in a special election. Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections rate this race as likely Republican, while Cook rates it as lean Republican. However, the only poll taken in this race shows Handel ahead by a mere two points, and this was a poll from a Democratic polling company (which skews the data to the left). The Democratic candidate, Lucy McBath, should be given credit for keeping this race close: she is one of the candidates Democrats are most proud of. If Democrats can win this and similar districts, they could be looking at gains in the house of more than 40 seats.

The House (Democrats and Republicans)

The Senate (Democrats and Republicans)

54.3% 44.4%

THE SENATE

Even though Democrats only have to win two seats to take back the Senate, they are not favored to do so; FiveThirtyEight puts their chances at 30 percent. The only reason why Democrats are not favored to win the Senate, as they are the House, is because of the map. Unlike the House, where every candidate is up for election, only a third of current Senators are up for reelection (plus two special elections), and of those 33 seats, 23 are held by Democrats, compared to only nine Republican seats. Of those nine Republican seats, five of them are considered safe Republican seats, therefore Democrats have real opportunities to win only four Republican races. Also, Democrats must defend 10 seats in states where Trump won the majority of votes in 2016. Here are some races to watch to see whether Democrats can actually win the Senate:

REPUBLICANS HOLD

Democrats have to be almost perfect in defending their own seats, so any number of states where President Trump won in 2016 that have a Democratic senator up for election in 2018 could have been chosen for this category, but Florida seems like a good choice here. Florida has been the truest of swing states over the past elections, voting for Trump, Obama, both H. W. Bush and W. Bush, and Clinton in the past few presi-

49%

dential races. In 2018, the Senate race puts popular outgoing Governor Rick Scott (R) versus incumbent Bill Nelson (D). Recent polls have shown Scott ahead of Nelson until the week of Sept. 24, where several pro-Nelson polls have come out. As of Sept. 24, the average poll has Nelson ahead by 1.1 points, but Scott has much more money on hand, as he has already spent $20 million of his own money on the race (CNBC). This race is a toss up according to the three rating sites, so if Republicans win this race, the map becomes almost impossible for Democrats to win back the senate.

DEMOCRATS TAKE THE SENATE

Democrats will take the Senate if they win the race in Tennessee. Normally, Tennessee has no business being a toss up in any election (Trump won Tennessee by 25 points in 2016). But the Democrats nominated perhaps the best possible candidate for this election: Phil Bredesen. Bredesen is a very popular former Governor of Tennessee, who was elected by 29 points in his 2006 reelection bid, a larger number than Trump’s victory in 2016. However, his opponent, Marsha Blackburn (R), is also moderately popular, and more importantly, in such a red state, a Republican. This race is a toss up according to Cook, but leans Republican according to Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections. The polls show a tie so far,

51%

but the state’s red history makes this race a little bit harder to win for Democrats than usual toss ups. If Bredesen wins, however, Democrats should feel confident about their chances to win a majority in the Senate.

DEMOCRATIC TSUNAMI

Speaking of red states, if Democrats win the senate race in Texas, where uber-popular U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke (D) is making Republican incumbent Senator Ted Cruz very nervous, it most likely means that the blue tsunami has come. The new darling of the Democratic party, O’Rourke made national news and appeared on Ellen and Stephen Colbert’s shows a few weeks ago after his response to a town hall question about NFL players who knelt during the National Anthem went viral. However, O’Rourke does not have the benefit of being a very well known former governor, as Bredesen does. O’Rourke has only led one poll so far, and the average poll has Cruz ahead by 4.5 points. This is a lean Republican state according to the three rating sites, so if Democrats win this seat, the blue wave has definitely come. All information is accurate as of Sept. 27, 2018

October 2018

Catching Up With Steve Coron BY MEGHANA TUMMALA

When Community students and staff think of Steve Coron, they are reminded of the jovial art teacher. His art classes typically consist of painting, photography, sculpting and more. However, Coron implements a unique approach to his classes: writing about artwork. Now that he has completed his master’s degree, he intends to share this approach with other art teachers in Ann Arbor Public Schools as well as collaborate with his fellow CHS teachers. Coron got his master’s degree from Mary Grove College in Detroit, a degree two years in the works. What often goes overlooked is that he completed the course while continuing to teach at Community. That is not an easy task. Due to his clear passion for art, most students might assume that he got his degree in studio art, but Coron decided to get a degree in something different that interested him as well as helped him with his current and future career goals. The program at Mary Grove is what ultimately swayed his decision: Master’s in the Art of Teaching. The three main focuses of the program align with areas he currently wants to improve in: curriculum, instruction and assessment. He constantly wishes to grow as a teacher by being more mindful about what he’s teaching and how he’s teaching. That’s why he enrolled in the program. “The Educational Effects of Critical Response Writing in High School Visual Arts Classes / Why do we Have to Write in Art Class Anyway?” is the title of his thesis. Getting an master’s degree is difficult, but implementing the thesis daily is a feat in itself. But Coron does exactly that. “I’m really high on this thing,” Coron said. “I’ve been writing with art, with students, as long as I’ve been teaching. And I mean that even when I taught preschool and kindergarten.” Usually when people think of art class, they do not think of writing. But Coron finds the opposite to be true. “What we’re finding is that when you write, you think in a different way, so you’re thinking more,” Coron said. “Anytime we can get you guys to think more differently, we’re doing good work.” Implementing writing into art classes not only gives students that vocabulary to communicate about art but also teaches them that putting art along with writing is 26

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Steve Coron stands outside his art studio on the first floor, where students in grades 9–12 explore art forms: photography, digital media, drawing, painting and more. Coron has been teaching art at Community for 16 years, but constantly adapts his teaching based on his students.

not a strange combination. According to Coron, the act of writing something down cements a thought in a student’s mind, often leading to understanding on a different level. He uses that creative process to strengthen the understanding behind art pieces. That creative process is not just involved in art classes, but also in other aspects of school. Unfortunately, there are still schools that discourage creativity — unconsciously or otherwise, such as getting rid of art classes. Sir Ken Robinson said in his TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” in 2006, “I believe this passionately, that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it.” The education system teaches kids that making mistakes is a crime and they grow older believing this notion. But if we continue to teach kids like this, they will |

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never have the capacity to come up with something original, something creative. Students are often taught the systematic way of going through high school: good grades and test scores, go to college, get a job and so on. This process typically does not offer opportunities to be creative. However, Community is a different story. Coron believes that Community is packed with creative teachers who intentionally give students the chance to do creative things in their classes. He believes that the school’s relationship-based learning makes it a school that fosters creativity. The close interactions between students and teachers allow for more creative flexibility. In the end, bigger questions arise. “So we have to think, what does creative mean?” Coron said. “And how many different ways can we define creativity?”

Go For It

TIERNEY FRAIDENBURG, A JUNIOR AT PIONEER HIGH SCHOOL, KICKS DOWN THE DIVIDE BETWEEN WOMEN AND DOMINANTLY MALE SPORTS BY LEAH DAME

What started out as one big joke turned into a new title for Tierney Fraidenburg: Pioneer High School’s new varsity football kicker. Early in June 2018, Fraidenburg and her dad were playing soccer in their front yard when she kicked the ball surprisingly far. “That kick was probably 30 yards, you could kick a field goal with that,” he said. Fraidenburg didn’t think much of it at first until she jokingly mentioned it to her history teacher Mr. Bellers, who was also the Pioneer varsity football coach. The team had no kicker for their upcoming season, so he took it seriously. He wanted to see what she could do. She had been a soccer player for 12 years and was committed to diving and soccer for the fall of her junior year. She never imagined herself playing football. Fraidenburg declined at first, but Bellers’ persistence got her a tryout and an opportunity she never saw coming. After a stressful GeoPhys (accelerated science) final, Fraidenburg changed into her cleats, walked up to Holloway field with three of her friends and waited in a small patch of shade, trying to escape from the harsh sun. Like any tryout, nerves will always be present, but Fraidenburg’s jitters had more depth behind them; she wanted to show that she could be on the same level as the boys in football. All she could think about was kicking the ball as far as she could with as much accuracy as possible. Bellers was impressed with her skills and offered her the position, giving her the entire summer to think it over. She knew the offer was an opportunity too good to pass up. Later deciding to skip travel soccer in the fall, Fraidenburg pronounced her commitment to football. Midnight Madness, the first Pioneer football practice of the season, lasting from midnight until 2:30 a.m.. The night appeared long and daunting to Fraidenburg. She had never met anyone on the team before, and it didn’t help her nerves being the only girl at the practice. Nevertheless, the coaches came up to her right away and introduced themselves. Most of the tension had faded away while more and more players came up to Fraidenburg and welcomed her. The players were nothing but accepting and friendly; it was solely a positive environment. Besides watching a few videos on kicking and a general explanation from her dad,

Fraidenburg didn’t know much about kicking. At the beginning of the season, a kicking coach Hamza Baccouche worked with Fraidenburg on getting her kicking techniques down. Baccouche taught her where to look, where to plant, how to put power into your step: everything she needed to know about kicking to improve her performance and build her confidence. However, one Friday night game gave Fraidenburg more confidence than ever before. Huron vs. Pioneer. The longtime rivals brought intensity to the game and excitement to the stands. Pioneer was the favorite to win, so the pressure was piled on the players. They were hungry for the win and fought for the trophy waiting at the end of the duel. Fraidenburg stepped out onto the turf to kick the first P.A.T. (point after try) of the game. This was her chance to prove herself, but more importantly to be there for her team. She took her steps back. Lined up. And stood still, waiting for the snap. Her heart pounded through her shoulder pads. She knew the sidelines were cheering, but the silence consumed her. With a powerful kick and a smooth follow through, the ball shot through the air and between the towering goal posts: the kick was good. A roar of excitement erupted in the crowd; she did it. Pioneer players stormed the field towards Fraidenburg. Everyone was jumping up and down, high fiving her and slapping each other on the helmet. Fraidenburg could feel the affectionate energy around her. She felt included and apart of something special. Pioneer won 48-6. After the massive win, Fraidenburg hopes she’ll be awarded more playing time in future games. The teams walked down the 50-yard line, shaking hands at the end of the game. Fraidenburg noticed a couple widened eyes when her helmet came off. Not a lot of people expect to see her underneath a football uniform. Being the only female in an entirely male-dominated sport at Pioneer, Fraidenburg has not experienced any rude remarks or special treatment because of her gender. She doesn’t get out of any conditioning, drills, or punishments. She’s treated and respected as equal. “If [the coaches] were to yell at me the same way, I’m fine with that; I can take it,” Fraidenburg said. “I have this mentality for sports — you don’t complain, you don’t talk back — basically shut up and

do it.” Pioneer Football lives by their F.A.M.I.L.Y. — Forget About Me, I Love You — philosophy. This reminds the players to not be selfish and that they are not on the field for themselves; they are not working hard for themselves, but for the team. They want to prove that no matter who you are, you are a part of their family, working together for the results they crave. This experience has caused Fraidenburg to come outside of her comfort zone more than she had ever before. For any upcoming challenges in her future, Fraidenburg will think about the time she went out for her school’s football team, as the only girl, showing them what she could do. “There’s no set gender for who gets to play football,” Fraidenburg said. “If you want to really do something, you can do it, there’s nothing in your way.” You don’t have to be a kicker to be a girl on a football team, you can be the quarterback, you can be a linebacker, you can be a wide receiver, there’s no restriction that says if you’re a girl you can only play one thing. Just put in the work if you want it.”

Tierney Fraidenburg stands on Pioneer’s practice football field. She was a soccer player who was recruited for varsity football by her history teacher, Mr. Bellers. She has been playing since her junior year.

October 2018

Staff Editorial:

Change is Inevitable

THOUGH WE SAY THOSE THREE WORDS OFTEN, IT IS HARD TO GRASP THE IDEA OF CHANGE FULLY. CHANGE CAN COME AT ANY TIME, AND OUR GENERATION CAN AND WILL BRING THE CHANGE THIS WORLD NEEDS.

Acceptance of this realization is hard and scary to come to. Knowing that you will never be the exact same as you are in this moment can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking idea: If you do not like where you are, great, you can change; if you feel you are living the perfect life, unfortunately, change will come anyways. Nobody can tell you how or when you are going to change, but it is impossible to stay in the same place forever. Change can be classified into two types: inevitable and inspired. Inevitable change is the type of change that we, as humans, have no control over. At Community High School, it is inevitable that the senior class will graduate in the spring, and a fresh class of 135 kids will appear in the fall. For those close to the seniors, this change may come as a disappointing one; for those with ties to the incoming freshman, or those just excited for new faces, this change is warmly welcomed. Change, like life, cannot be viewed in black and white; it all depends on what end of the change-spectrum you are on. The other type of change is inspired change. Inspired change is the conscious change that we decide to make in our lives. “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one

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child, and one teacher can change the world,” said Malala Yousafzai, a Palestinian feminist activist, who at the age of 17 was the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient. At Community High School we have the platforms to make change happen. With a staff who genuinely cares about the students; we have the possibility to create any club that we want, a diverse selection of classes to fit every interest, fellow-students who only want to see each other grow into the person they want to be: there is every opportunity to make a change in life. Our generation (Generation Z) has been seen as one of social media, technology and independence. We would like to present a new model: we are the generation of change. Yes, we are on social media, but we use it to connect with people tens of thousands of miles away. Yes, we do use technology, but we will change the world with the programming we can do with it. Yes, we are independent, but we are independent enough to create our own thoughts and beliefs. Change is imminent and necessary. Without change, we would never advance; we would never learn more about the world around us; we would never grow as journalists, friends and people. Through our lives thus far, there has been plenty of change, but we — as journalists, Community High Students, Americans, members of Generation Z and global citizens — will make catastrophic change.

Foreshocks of the Blue Tsunami WHY THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS MATTER. BY LACEY COOPER

alfway through Donald Trump’s presidency, the time for midterm elections has come — and this year, the elections hold more significance than ever before. Since Trump’s initial election in the politically-charged fall of 2016, political experts have long predicted a “blue wave” of success in the democratic party. Up for grabs are the positions of the 435 members of the House of Representatives and approximately one third of the Senate. Currently, both sections of Congress are dominated by Republicans. The House of Representatives has a ratio of 237:193 (approximately 54 percent Republican, 46 percent Democratic), and the Senate has a closer ratio of 51:47 (exactly 51 percent Republican, 46 percent Democratic, excluding five seats that are Independent.) A “blue wave” would have the potential to make or break the democratic party, and raises endless questions: Would the wave be one of mainly progressive liberals, or traditional, corporate candidates? How would an influx of democrats affect such a conservative presidency? In many ways, the supposed blue wave seems to be shaping up to be something more akin to a tsunami. Before a tsunami, scientists say that an area may experience foreshocks: smaller earthquakes that are big enough to feel, but not quite strong enough to cause great damage. These foreshocks often precede a tidal wave of action — reliably altering

the surrounding landscape forever. However, geophysicists have to be careful when interpreting them, as seismic movement can just as easily mean nothing at all. The same holds true in politics: since 2016’s momentous election, several signs of the predicted “blue wave” have already been appearing. For example, in December of 2017, Democrat Douglas Jones beat Republican Roy Moore for the Senate seat of our current Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, in the notoriously Republican state of Alabama. Even more remarkably, Moore had already achieved the enthusiastic support and endorsement of Trump — easily the most powerful weapon for a Republican candidate to wield. The anomaly of Moore’s victory sent waves of seismic shock through the entire nation. These changes have also appeared within the democratic party itself: in late June, Latina Bronx-native Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the primary midterm election of New York. Her opponent was Joe Crowley, a powerful house Democrat known to have views on the more moderate end of the democratic spectrum. Crowley had raised over $3 million for his campaign. In comparison, Ocasio-Cortez had raised a meager sum of $200 thousand. “This race is about people versus money,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a campaign ad. “We’ve got people. They’ve got money.” Her views were far more progressive than those of

Crowley: They included a federal jobs guarantee, the abolishment of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), gun-control laws and the support of Medicare. Ocacio-Cortez’s campaign appealed to the working class, and, despite the small amount of funding, she pulled off a victory of 57.5 percent of the total votes cast, beating Crowley by a whopping 15 percent. The mere fact that the triumph of such a prominently progressive campaign against that of such a powerful, well-known, moderate democrat was possible was highly indicative of a major shift in the Democratic Party. Fracture lines beneath the Earth called faults move, often building up enough energy to create an earthquake or tsunami. During these midterm elections, the citizens of the United States will tiptoe around the current “faults” of our political world: issues such as abortion, immigration, tax reform, Medicare and gun-control. The results of the midterms will ultimately determine whether the Democratic Party will gain majority, enabling it to resist Trump’s actions and to hinder his decisions on these delicate issues, or whether the Republican party will remain in majority. Is a blue wave truly on its way, or will Trump’s administration continue unchanged? There’s only one thing we can know for certain: The aftershocks of this political, seismic movement will be felt for many years to come.

Senate seats currently held by democrats Senate seats formerly held by democrats, currently being voted on Senate seats formerly held by independent parties, currently being voted on Senate seats formerly held by republicans, currently being voted on Senate seats currently held by republicans

The illustration above shows the current balance of red and blue seats in Congress. This election has the potential to bring tidal wave of change. October 2018

The Digital Takeover BY EBBA GURNEY

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Opinion

These days, scrolling through Instagram is second-nature for most, as is using Snapchat, taking pictures for VSCO and sharing photos on Facebook. Now, with 1 billion Instagram users (statista.com), it must be assumed that photography as a whole is more widespread, as Instagram is based around photos. But is it too widespread? Three years prior to the creation of Instagram, the iPhone was developed. It sported a thick silver rim and more importantly, a low quality camera: the start of an era. 18 models later, the iPhone camera has amounted to something comparable to an interchangeable lens camera. Quality photography is now more accessible than ever. “The phone cameras are brilliant because they use advanced technology to do what used to be a difficult skill, finding the proper mix of aperture, shutter speed and ISO,” said Michael Smith, Adjunct Photography Faculty of Digital Media Arts at Washtenaw Community College, and former “Media in Motion” teacher at Community. “Most of the picture takers in the world neither know or care about that. Their cameras are so smart, it is actually difficult to get a bad exposure.” The slow process of film cameras in the early 20th Century meant photos were not as plentiful as today. Each photograph required time and effort; no two photographs were even similar, a contrast to today’s “burst” feature on iPhones and multiple photos of the same event posted daily. “Visual media is still in its infancy,” Smith said. “The idea that people can easily make pictures is still very fresh.” Photographs of the 21st Century still hold deep meaning. Often, the goal of each photo is to capture emotion in the best way we can; they are an attempt to hold onto a feeling or moment in time we have no desire to forget. “A good exposure is only part of a good photo,” Smith said. What is the subject, how is it framed, is there some depth of meaning beyond the experience of snapping the shot?” What has changed since the era of film photography is the pull to share intimate moments on a larger platform. The combination of social media networks and phone cameras has manifested a desire to share intimate moments on such a large scale. “Access to an audience bigger than the front of the family refrigerator used to be limited by who could pass any number of large hurdles in the publishing business,” Smith said. Now, anyone can publish a blog that has the potential to reach millions.” Although photography has become more widespread, photographic sentimentality remains in the photos that matter.

October 2018

Inclusivity to LGBTQ+ Students at Community WHAT THIS SCHOOL IS DOING, WHAT IT COULD DO BETTER. BY J KINCAID-BEAL

Vanessa Farkas was in geometry with her friends last year. She was going through a difficult time, figuring out her pronouns and who she was. She told her friends what was going on, and in response, they laughed and said “granny tr**ny” right in her face. Farkas was offended, hurt and disgusted. “I didn’t talk to anyone about because I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but I regret not reaching out,” Farkas said. “There has been a problem with the use of slurs at me and around me, which is an issue that I do want to try to fix,” Farkas said. Farkas is currently a sophomore at Community. “I feel like when slurs were used, it was meant to be in a joking way, but it was actually kind of offensive. I feel like some students can’t see the line between what is offensive and what’s a joke.” Farkas’ experience is just one story, but it is one story too many. According to the 2011 National School Climate Survey, one-third of gay students had missed a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe. Sixty percent of LGBTQ+ students say they did not go to staff when they were bullied. “I haven’t really seen a huge effort on behalf of the non-queer students… in teaching themselves to be better allies, but since we have so many queer students, you still feel validated and comfortab;e even despite some of the non-queer students, because there are so many people who do understand you, ” Romeo Klobucar, a sophomore at CHS said.

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Slurs and stereotypes are subtle forms of bullying that hurt just as much. “Non-queer people kind of treat me like a walking stereotype, in a way they’re kind of like ‘Oh yaaasss queen, slay, and be fierce, yaaaasss,’” Klobucar said. “That’s kind of objectifying in a really distasteful way, like they’re just seeing me as ‘oh he’s a gay boy so he’s XYZ.’” There’s more that schools can do for LGBTQ+ students, beyond just preventing bullying. QSA is a club that is a safe and brave space for students of all identities to come and feel welcome and included, and like they belong. Schools, and all public facilities, should have accessible, multi-stall gender neutral bathrooms. CHS does have a gender neutral bathroom, but it isn’t enough for the amount of nonnbinary students at CHS. There is usually a long line at it between classes, so it would be nice if it was expanded or another one was added. CHS also has a QSA; Chloe Root is the adult advisor. “Sometimes it’s been more of like a support group,” Root said. “People come in and have discussions and share advice, and ideas, and what’s going on in their personal lives. It’s just been like a fun supportive group of people.” CHS is clearly working on being inclusive, and though it’s a good start, there is always room for improvement.

Opinion

Are You Really the Adults in the Room? A RESPONSE TO THE ANONYMOUS EDITORIAL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES. BY CHARLES SOLOMON

When the anonymous Opinion Editorial (Op-ed), written by a “senior official in the Trump administration” was published in September 2018 in the New York Times, the country exhibited a plethora of reactions: some applauded at the idea of people keeping an eye out for our country, others howled about who would dare to write such an article, and the president blustered. But the fervor quickly died down. The Op-ed and its remarkable contents quietly faded into the background. We should not forget about this shocking article, however. We should be very concerned about the implications the situation portrayed in the article — where some official is redirecting and thwarting “Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses” — could have for our democracy. And if these officials in the White House are truly the “adults in the room,” as they claim, they should be taking more drastic steps in speaking out. Some may read the Op-Ed and ask what the cause for concern really is. The picture it paints of President Trump in the Oval Office, with “repetitive rants” and “halfbaked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions,” is by no means a pretty one, but it isn’t new. Several books and accounts by former White House officials tell the same story. But the most concerning part of this particular revelation is not the sections about the president. It is the idea that people with-

in the White House are actively “thwarting” our president, and are trying to “keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing.” To the many worried about unintended consequences of ill-considered presidential actions, the idea of someone trying to keep Trump in some sort of check may sound good at first. But consider this: Who here is deciding which of Trump’s decisions are ‘good’ or ‘bad?’ Elsewhere in the Op-Ed, this member of the “resistance” cites examples of what he or she considers good things the Trump Administration has achieved. But these socalled “bright spots” — deregulation, tax breaks for the wealthy and more military spending — are things many Americans strongly disagree with. What gives this official the right to decide which presidential decisions to pass on and which to contain? At best, this doesn’t sound right. At worst, it feels almost treasonous. And it begs the question: if there’s someone interpreting and editing Trump’s decisions, are all of the policies and executive orders that come out of the White House really his, or are they results of redirection and “thwarting” by his aides? Is Trump really the one running the show here? The very fabric of our democracy relies on respect and compliance to our elections. Free elections, among other things, are what set us and other democratic nations apart from totalitarian regimes. For better or for worse, Donald Trump has ended up as our pres-

ident. Having someone behind the scenes steering things sounds uncomfortably like a shadow government, the antithesis of what our country — with openness, free speech and free press — is supposed to stand for. Another concerning thing about this OpEd is that it was even written at all. As previously stated, the story it tells about Trump is nothing really new — several former aides and White House staff members have spoken about it. So why throw the nation into an uproar? Really, this seems like someone’s safety net — a way to show people, if the administration collapses, that this official wasn’t a part of it. If this official really has the best interests of the county at heart and believes President Trump is unfit for office, he or she should do one of two things: either resign and speak in person about President Trump’s ineptitude or, under the 25th Amendment, band together with the rest of the “resistance” and begin a process — under Section 4 — to have him declared unfit for office. In the article, the official states that the 25th Amendment has not yet been invoked because “no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis.” But wasn’t the 25th Amendment designed for just this kind of situation? By not invoking the 25th, we have already landed in a constitutional crisis, with an unfit president who may or may not be making his own decisions.

October 2018

SUICIDE IS NOT A FUNNY ANECDOTE BY LOEY JONES-PERPICH

In September of my freshman year, while talking to a friend who had just lost someone to suicide, I made the first suicide joke that I was conscious of. “I think I would kill myself if that happened,” I told her. Seconds later, my heart dropped to the floor as she looked at me with discomfort and hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive,” I quickly responded. That was the moment in which I consciously made an effort to stop joking about suicide. It was the first time that I became aware that my words could hurt someone without my knowing it. I worked hard in the months that followed to replace texts of, “ugh kms [kill myself],” with messages reading, “ugh, so annoying.” Nine months later, when I lost a friend to suicide, my tolerance for suicide jokes dropped away. It no longer felt like a joke, but a personal attack. It didn’t make sense to me. How could suicide be a laughing matter to someone when to me, it was the force that had ripped my heart into a billion pieces? Suicide jokes were absent from my life for a long time; the only people that I spent my time around were people that had been affected by loss just as I had. Towards the end of my sophomore year and over the summer that followed, however, I began to notice the jokes again as I started spending my time with new people. Hearing them made my heart skip a beat. I was shocked to realize that people actually still said things like, “okay, I’m going to kill myself now.” However, I was always so viciously uncomfortable in those situations that I refused to speak up; I figured that if I didn’t respond, people would get the message and stop joking. I soon found that that wasn’t effective, yet I continued to silently tolerate the jokes. Still, a question gnawed at the back of my mind: What if one of those was serious? “Suicide jokes make my job as a peer ed-

ucator really hard,” said Andrea Schnell, a senior entering her second year of Depression Awareness Group at CHS. “I’ve been trained to immediately respond and contact someone if I see something that resembles anyone [threatening] to harm themselves. It’s not worth it to let it pass by and [assume] that it’s a joke. It’s not worth the risk.” After receiving extensive training from Robbie Stapleton, the teacher advisor of Depression Awareness Group (DAG) at CHS, and at a conference held at Pioneer High School, Schnell has consciously worked harder to prevent suicide jokes from being present in everyday dialogue at CHS. Though it’s proven hard for her, she continues to work hard to educate and bring awareness to mental illness and suicide. “[The jokes] have been so normalized, which I find just awful,” Schnell said. “It belittles the experiences of others who have dealt with thoughts of suicide; people who are depressed or having thoughts of suicide work so hard to get out of that negative pattern, and it just feels mean to destroy all of their work [by turning it into a joke]. And it’s also really insensitive to people who have lost others to suicide.” Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death in Michigan for people aged 15-34, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). There are an average of 123 suicides every day in the USA. For every death by suicide, there are 25 attempts, many of which go unnoticed due to underreporting caused by stigma surrounding suicide (according to the AFSP). When we make suicide jokes, we subconsciously take away from the legitimacy of suicide or suicide attempts. Suicide is a pressing issue in today’s society, with a rate of 13.15 per 100,000 people between 15 and 24 (AFSP). It is often linked to depres-

sion and is a result of extreme mental pain and despair (according to Project Semicolon). It is not an anecdote in conversations about being bummed out or getting a bad grade. “[Jokes] hurt the cause so much; it normalizes the experience,” Schnell said. “It makes it seem small, when [in reality] dealing with thoughts of suicide or dealing with having lost someone is really, really difficult, and people need to know that it’s okay to have a hard time and it’s okay to have these thoughts.” Though I argue for the complete eradication of suicide jokes, I am always aware of the heavy stigma that suicide carries. Healthy, educational conversations about suicide should be normal in our lives. By talking about suicide in a serious manner, we have the opportunity to eliminate stigma and spread awareness, thereby helping the worldwide prevention efforts. When considering making a suicide joke, observe your surroundings: Who is listening, and how might they be impacted day to day by mental illness, suicidal thoughts, or the loss of someone to suicide? Do your words negatively impact the suicide stigma? How could you rephrase your sentence? My hope is that after considering these factors, you could change your choice of words. If you hear suicide jokes, don’t be afraid to call them out. You have the power to change the world and our society’s view of mental health issues. Stand up for this cause — not everyone is able to. And lastly, because September was National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, I advise you to check in with yourself and with the people you care about. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. You are supposed to be here, and there are people who want you here.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AT 1-800-273-8255. 34

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Opinion

How to: Self-Care Box

SELF-CARE BOXES ARE A SMALL PRESENT TO MAKE FOR YOURSELF THAT ARE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU’RE FEELING MAD, SAD OR BAD. BY ANDREA SCHNELL

EXTRAS:

Outside of the items focused on the four senses, there are more extras to put in! I highly recommend putting in a small notebook or journal to get the thoughts out. Coloring books are a nice way to focus your mind on one task; be creative, relax, and feel productive! Lastly, any personal knick-knacks or treats that will put a smile on your face are a great addition to the box.

STEP ONE

Find a box. It can be any old box — big or small!

STEP TWO

Gather. Start by gathering one or two objects for each sense: smell, touch, hear and taste; something to see comes later! When having an anxiety attack, finding one thing for every sense can help ground you.

HEAR:

Music is an amazing tool to help you when you are feeling down. I have made a playlist especially for when I’m sad or anxious. I highly recommend you make your own.

STEP THREE

Decorate. This is where you can finally use that last sense and ground yourself by using happy images. Find stickers, markers, confetti and do what you want! Bright colors make me feel better, so I chose to put those on the box. I also chose to print out some photos of good memories with friends. However, it can also be something that makes you laugh! For example, pictures of Dwight from The Office or a golden retriever puppy wrapped up in a blanket. Lastly, I highly recommend you write some notes to yourself saying how cool you are.

SMELL:

Essential oils are great additions to a self care box because they help calm you down and bring your mood up. Citrus essential oils are known for their uplifting power; the best example of this is bergamot. Floral essential oils often are used to help calm down as well, one popular example being lavender.

TASTE:

TOUCH:

Fidget cubes are perfect to help distract the mind! I also put in a cute llama stuffed animal because it makes me happy to look at and it’s soft to touch.

RELISH IN KNOWING YOU TOOK THE TIME TO MAKE THIS FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE AMAZING AND DESERVE TO FEEL AMAZING. Feature

Peppermint helps relax nerves, so I put some peppermint gum in my box. Gum also helps distract you! I personally love chocolate; it always makes me happier, so I made sure to put it in the box. This, of course, was my personal choice, but put in any of your favorite snacks!

October 2018

The Awakened Masculine AN ODE TO MAC MILLER.

“DANG!” BY ZOE LUBETKIN

It started like this: “Dang!” in my friend’s old room. Grooving from the first note. I liked it so much that I showed it to someone else later that day - a different room, different people, same rapper with the same catchy tune. In an interview with Craig Jenkins for Vulture — the last one before his death — Mac Miller said, “You just have to get out of your own way, and everything will just connect for itself.” “Dang!” starts with Anderson.Paak talking about how he can’t keep losing the people he loves (loved?). The opening lines of that song are still the first thing I think of when I think of him. And it connects, in a sad way. “I can’t keep on losing you. “Gone too soon… wait! We was just hanging.” That’s how it feels knowing Mac is gone, like he dipped out to smoke and should be back in any moment. Each time I realize that isn’t the case, it hurts a little more. I was really struck by Mac’s death in a way that I wouldn’t have expected. The other deaths of celebrities didn’t hit like this one. Mac wasn’t my favorite artist; he wasn’t the one I listened to the most. But his music got me grooving and put me in a better mood each time I heard it throughout the years, and in the context of the complexity and sheer oddity of life, that’s a pretty sick thing to do. Mac made love music, but not just in 36

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what he talked about; it was the way I felt when I heard it. A lot of his songs I got into through others, so besides grooving when I hear those songs I am reminded of those people. Those memories blended together. He was in the car during the turn up. He was vibing on the lazy Sunday mornings and through the foggy Thursday afternoons. He was there, throughout all of the days and emotions, and I must thank him for that. Quite literally, “The Divine Feminine” was a love letter in album form. It’s pretty impressive and highly ambitious to make an album composed entirely of love songs, but he pulled it off eloquently, with more than a few songs destined for steamy Spotify playlists (see “Skin,” “We,” certain other playlists…). “‘The Divine Feminine,’ to me, is the universe,” Mac said in an interview with Complex in 2016. “It’s so real. Treating the world how you’re supposed to treat a female is awesome.” That respect, maybe even reverence, was hard to find in other artists. Mac stood out. Let’s face the facts: an album full of love songs. Talking about how you’re supposed to treat women. The existence of the lyric “I just eat p**sy, other people need food.” That lyric was off of “Dang!” It was bold, but he pulled it off. In this pop culture environment, it’s common to hear lyrics about |

A&E

women performing oral sex on men; references abound in mainstream rap. It’s rare and incredibly refreshing to hear the reverse. He said this about it: “You can go on an all p**sy diet. It’s not the healthiest thing. There’s not a lot of nutrients, but it feels great.” I can’t think of any other prominent male rappers who speak that frankly, and in other genres, references like Mac made are few and far between (honorary mention to Daniel Caesar). He wasn’t afraid to talk about the things other people wouldn’t, which was a welcome change. The world didn’t just lose a great rapper; it lost a genuinely great guy. He didn’t take himself too seriously, a refreshing quality in this pop culture climate. He respected women and wouldn’t shut up about it in the best way. Just look at “Dang!”, the first song I ever heard. Certainly not the last, but the first that comes to mind when I think of him, and I’ve been thinking about him a lot recently. “Keep crying because I still ain’t over my bitch…!” –Mac Miller I can’t say you were my bitch, Mac, but I won’t be over you for a long, long time.

“KNOCK KNOCK” BY MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO

With the lyrics of Mac Miller’s “Knock Knock” pounding in my ears and the familiar ring of my best friends’ voices in the background, I discovered peace. Miller’s doozy of a frat-anthem, shallow at its best, was the light at the end of my dimly-lit tunnel. It was a way for me to escape from reality and find solace among the chaos that had become my life. While Miller’s style and flow has changed drastically since “Knock Knock” and “Donald Trump,” he still maintained an almost magical ability to transport his listeners to different worlds. If music is a form of escapism, then Miller was a Houdini of the music industry. From his beats, to his flow, to his ever-improving and reforming style, he was a god among both white rappers and the rap game as a whole. Miller was an underappreciated icon of hip-hop; through his diverse use of samples, he was on the forefront of a new wave of rap and hip-hop. His death was a tragedy — there is no other word to describe it. We lost a talented artist, but also a kind and gracious soul. He was a rarity in the musical world. Not only did he respect women, but he revered them. Miller loved to love and loved love. He saw the dichotomy that exists between music and love, and through albums like “The Divine Feminine” and “Swimming,” captured it. Miller was no ordinary rapper. He was

the physical embodiment of white rap done right — no Marshall Mathers gimmicks and no disrespect — and a constant source of inspiration and admiration. He may not have been particularly recognized, but he was young. At the tender age of 26, Miller was just at the beginning of what could have been a ground-breaking career. Tragedy is the loss of a future as bright as his. It is the loss of a man who truly understood what it meant to respect and to love. Miller was a 14-year-old with a dream. He was a kid, a teenager and an adult. He was as normal as you and I, and, because of that, just as mortal. Miller’s death was like a shock to the system; it came hard and fast with little explanation of why. While shock and sadness are, of course, very normal emotions when faced with death, I have rarely ever felt this way about the death of a celebrity. But, then again, I had never before experienced the death of a celebrity that I looked up to as much as Miller. He wasn’t my favorite artist or even someone I listened to all that often, but he was a steady constant in my life. He was there for the worst and the best, and, because of that, I thought he would always be. It was naive, of course, for me to think that Miller did not do “hard drugs.” But I had always viewed him through the singular lense of “pothead.” He just seemed like he smoked a lot of weed. I was a fan;

I didn’t know him. What more was there to say? But really, I think that’s where all the shock came from. I viewed this man through a lense of my own creation — that was based only loosely on the realities of his life — and I never would have expected him to die. To me, Miller felt less like a celebrity, and more like an acquaintance. He was relatable in a way that idols such as Michael Jackson and Prince could never be. Miller was the kid I took geometry with freshman year; he was the friend who felt like the world never seemed to stop spinning and the everyday teen who was just beginning to figure out his life. He was a musician for every emotion and true to himself in a way that I find to be incredibly rare in the music business. He was willing to rap about the “really dark sh*t,” and yet never ceased to forget or enjoy the “good” things in life: girls, sex, drugs, girls and more sex. But he did so in a way that meant something and was relatable to the everyday teens of America. He was a voice for the pain, love and joy of the human experience, and, for that, I will forever thank him. “When I die, throw a couple bad bitches in my casket.” – Mac Miller

“When you feel sad, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Everyone has those days when you doubt yourself, and when you feel like everything you do sucks, but then there’s those days when you feel like Superman. It’s just the balance of the world. I just write to feel better.” – Mac Miller

What exactly is “the awakened masculine?” It’s the counterpart of the divine feminine. The divine feminine is the essence of life that everything grows from. The awakened masculine is the aspect of us that recognizes that we know things through our own experience instead of what we’re told. It realizes the importance of the divine feminine. This is an ode to the awakened masculine Mac Miller.

October 2018

A2 Murals BY MADIE GRACEY

1) Unknown Name, located in the alley next to Tomukun’s Outdoor Patio on Liberty St. The mural was a team effort. Rebecca Arends provided Cate Tinsley with the stencils, and Tinsley took it from there. The goal of putting a mural up in the alley was to decrease the number of tags by graffiti that were occuring over time. The plan worked and has been successful since the mural has been up.

2) Shur! Public Mural Project, located on Liberty St. in the alley between Pieology Pizzeria and Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop. June 2014, more than fifty community members got together to paint the mural. They mangaged to finish it within a day. 3) McKinley Mural Project, located at 320 N. Main Street. This mural can be seen by all the drivers heading towards M-14. It was painted in the Summer of 2015 and was funded by the business who owns the building, McKinley’s Corporate Offices. 4) Graffiti Alley Mural, Unknown Artist, located at the end of Graffiti Alley in the corner. Here lies an abstract face. The artist is unknown, but the details make it intriguing to look at and the colors pull it in.

5) “The Bookstore Mural” located on the side of Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop on the corner of State St. and Liberty St. It is one of the most well-known murals in downtown Ann Arbor. It features four authors: Woody Allen, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Hesse, Franz Kafka and Anais Nin. This mural was painted by Richard Molk in 1984.

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in season

Almost as fun to cook as it is to say, shakshuka makes use of tomatoes in and after their prime.

Ingredients: 5–6 large ripe tomatoes 6 eggs 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 jalapeño 1 tsp cumin 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 cup feta (optional)

“ shakshuka... BY ELLA EDELSTEIN

The best tomatoes are harvested in early September. Unlike at larger grocery stores where tomatoes are delivered hard and green at the top, at the local grocer where I work, the fruits arrive at peak ripeness and almost every color imaginable: purple so deep it nears black, orange with golden stripes, green, pink and the classic red. For these fruits, prime eating condition passes in a flash; in the span of a day, they can go from luminous and smooth to dripping, fly-infested blobs. Culling bad tomatoes can consume an entire shift and yields piles of twenty, thirty damaged fruits now deemed unsellable. Being the frugal chef I am, at least seven of these sticky orbs usually end up in my kitchen after any given shift, along with any other food I had gleaned from the free bin that day. The issue of getting to the leaking tomatoes before the fruit flies can be remedied by one dish: shakshuka. The dish is simple yet rich; spicy tomato sauce provides a resting place for soft eggs and sometimes browned feta. The dish is often considered an Israeli staple, but it is originally North-African — the name means “mixed up” in Arabic. It was in Israel, however, that I had my first taste of the dish, prepared by my cousin’s husband, a Moroccan-Israeli. After my first introduction, shakshuka became a routine. Almost every week, I pare away the blemishes and form mounds of chopped tomato. Carefully, I slice jalapeños, cube onions and chop garlic. When the sauce is thick and fragrant, with a spoon I create divots and crack an egg into each. Served with a crusty loaf of bread (also foraged), the meal costs me only a few dollars and a half an hour of my time.

Olive oil

1. Chop tomatoes in large chunks and jalapeño into thin slices. 2. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add spices and pepper and continue to cook for a few minutes. 3. Add tomatoes and continue to cook on medium-high for about five minutes. Then lower heat to medium-low. 4. Cook until sauce is thick and fragrant, like tomato sauce but chunkier. Then make six wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Turn heat up to mediumhigh. If using feta, sprinkle it on now. 5. Cover pan and let cook until egg whites are solid, but yolk is slightly runny. * If desired, one could stick the pan in the oven right after adding the eggs and feta. This will ensure that the eggs will cook more thoroughly.

... is Arabic for all mixed up.”

October 2018

“The scrunchie is like a bracelet, because I don’t like wearing bracelets,” Satz-Kojis said. “They are uncomfortable. But you gotta be prepared, you gotta know what is going to happen.” Glasses are an essential item for Satz-Kojis. Not only are they necessary for her to see, but they are also an integral part of her style. “I wear contacts for gymnastics, but I like to wear glasses to school because it is just easier,” Satz-Kojis said. “Glasses are fun; it is like another piece of jewelry for your face. In terms of clothing, Abercrombie and Fitch is Satz-Kojis’ go-to brand. Both her t-shirt and jeans are from Abercrombie, as well as (almost) her entire wardrobe. The jeans feature a red cotton stripe sewn into them, a contemporary design with influence from the athleisure realm. The white-and-yellow sneakers — Satz-Kojis’ favorite colors — were bought at J. Crew, whereas the shoe brand, ‘Gola,’ originates from England. Satz-Kojis puts the cherry on top with a pair earrings from her mother’s collection, a myriad of retro designs that Satz-Kojis inherited. She always wears a pair from her mother’s old selection in order to keep the funky vibes alive.

BY SACHA VERLON AND MIRA SC

LOOKBOOK: AVIVA

AVIVA SATZ-KOJIS, A SENIOR AT COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL, KNOWS HOW TO PROPERLY ACCESSORIZE. SHE ALWAYS KEEPS A SCRUNCHIE ON HER WRIST, ALONG WITH TWO OTHER MANDATORY HAIR TIES, WHICH ARE A MUST FOR S-K.

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Constant

TOP: Satz-Kojis pays attention to color, matching the red, black and white tones of her earrings to the rest of her outfit. BOTTOM: Satz-Kojis wears a pair of distressed and cropped denim to give her shoes some room to shine.

October 2018

GETAWAY SOUTH HAVEN

BY ISABEL ESPINOSA

3 42

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Constant

2 1. SOUTH HAVEN LIGHTHOUSE

The original lighthouse, a wooden square pyramid with a room for an oil lamp in the top, was built in 1873. It stood at the end of the 300 foot pier at the mouth of the Black River. In 1903, the lighthouse was taken down due to safety concerns and replaced with the current lighthouse designed by James G. Warren. The red steel lighthouse is a shortened version of the Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse. With each extension of the pier, the lighthouse was moved to the end, and now sits 1,200 foot into Lake Michigan. 2. SOUTH BEACH

Located just south of the Black River, South Beach is a kid-friendly lake access point. It is free to the public, with some free and paid parking within walking distance. Located at the end of the riverfront park, South Beach has play structures for children, a food stand for anyone visiting, and access to South Pier, all located a few feet from Lake Michigan. Every year in mid-August, South Haven hosts a blueberry festival that extends from the riverfront park to South Beach.

3. BLACK RIVER

The 4.2-mile-long river gets its name from the large amounts of wildlife and settlement deposited in the river. The Black River runs through all of Van Buren County, finally emptying into Lake Michigan. The river supports trout, snapping turtles, leeches and several other fish species. 4. CLEMENTINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

Known as one of the most talked-about restaurants in Southwest Michigan, Clementineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost always has a line out the door. In 1982, Al Rupert took over an old tavern and began serving American classics. He redesigned the interior of the old bank building to showcase its extensive brickwork and rich architecture. 5. SHERMAN DAIRY BAR

Opened in 1916, Sherman Dairy Bar was meant to be a tastier, more affordable ice cream choice for people of South Haven. The ice cream is made the old-fashioned way, without the use of hightech equipment and natural flavorings whenever possible.

5 October 2018

Humans of Community BY SOPHIA ROSEWARNE AND GENEVE THOMAS-PALMER

Emma Hoffman “So far the year has been good. It’s a lot of adjusting, but I’m up for a new challenge. I’m starting to be more responsible and taking care of things by myself. I’ve been asking teachers for letters of rec and asking teachers to help me look at different schools… I’m taking a U of M class called Introduction to Digital Media Studies so that’s pretty intense, but it’s a fun challenge. It’s a huge lecture class and then we have small discussion groups that we met with as well… I like the combination. It’s a little intimidating to be the youngest person in a discussion group because it feels like my opinions aren’t as relevant… I would say I prefer the lecture more because it’s a lot more absorbing information instead of talking about your opinion on it.”

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Constant

Eve Shikanov “[Adjusting to senior year has been] a little rough. I’m taking a college class and it’s a lot more work. [The class] is Honors Calculus at U of M. It’s a little stressful but it’s a challenge that I’m up for. I finished calculus here and I want to do engineering so it’s a good class for me to take in order to understand math and really be able to move forward.”

Meghana Tummala “I’m proud when I complete something that I’m not good at. I’m not the best at writing, but lately in Art of Writing and Journalism completing a lot of writing and feeling good about it is one of my proudest moments. I’ve finished a couple of my college essays. It’s stressful and definitely a lot harder to write about yourself than to write about something else. For my U of M essay about what community I belong to I wrote about my Indian community here and in India and how my family and friends there have influenced me.”

John Reed “My dad’s always on business trips. Sometimes he’s here for a while, sometimes he’s gone for a while. We went on this hiking trip over the summer. [We talked about] how you think about things, the way to approach problems. [He taught me that] worrying about the problem is never what you should be focusing on. I tend to spend more time thinking about the problem than actually solving it. Taking action is the first thing you should do.”

Carter Phillips “[Last spring] I pushed away some of my friends. I got in a bicycle accident and I hit my head when I crashed, so I couldn’t focus on things. I couldn’t do my schoolwork. Instead of trying to talk about it with people, I tried to muscle through it by myself. Ruminating on all that let it fester into something more negative. [Opening up about things with your friends] strengthens your bond with them. It gives you something to fall back on if you need help. It sucks to lose a friend, but you learn to let people in more.” October 2018

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October 2018

THE

KYLE

Babies (feat. Alessia Cara) From the optimism of his breakout single “iSpy” to the upbeat synths and crooning vocals of Khalid on “iMissMe,” KYLE’s 2018 LP “Light of Mine” is a standout summer album. Featuring Alessia Cara, the 2018 Grammy Best New Artist, “Babies” is the perfect song to get back into the groove of school or work. Swelling synths and a driving beat run perfectly underneath KYLE’s signature crooning vocals, which combine beautifully with Alessia Cara’s smooth vocal harmonies. This carefree song of love and innocence offers a guaranteed mood boost.

Day Wave

Louis The Child

Moonchild

Jackson Phillips, the singer/songwriter behind dreamy rock band Day Wave, creates relaxing tunes with layered guitars and atmospheric synths. “Headcase” starts with a lone, quiet, and yet piercing guitar, and adds Phillips’s signiature muffled drums, bass, and synths, creating a soundscape that is both melancholy and bright. It reaches a satisfiying climax in a swirling cloud of noise, finally fading out on the hook: “You said, bury me alive this time. Well I can try, but you’re always on my mind.” Day Wave released their debut “The Days We Had” in 2017, with their breakout single “Drag” continuing to retain strong popularity.

Chicago electronic duo Louis The Child’s EP “Love is Alive” is filled with darkly chilled out songs, so the upbeat pulse of “Go” makes it stand out. The song gained popularity after being featured in an Apple commercial, and its distinctly separate sections and short length make it a perfect song to loop while studying or relaxing outside.

LA-based trio Moonchild blend jazz and soul to create groovy, colorful music. “The List,” with flowing piano and smooth vocals, will appeal to a wide variety of music tastes.

Headcase

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The List

For the rest of the playlist, go to: bit.ly/playlistoct2018

Art Throb BY SKYE GAMZU

he grew up going to art shows and watching her father take photos, but was too young to appreciate the beauty while he was alive. When he died in 2013, the first thing she asked for was his camera. As she started practicing more and more, her eye developed and she came to find passion and art in her photos. “I never saw the art in it until I started doing it,” Gurney, 15, said. “[My dad’s photography] originated my love for it — it sparked my interest.” From the minute she first picked up her father’s old Digital SLR camera, she felt at home. Having “the eye” gave her the ability to find the perfect angle and turn the simplest colors into artwork. “I’ll be taking pictures of [my friend] and the angles will just come naturally to me, what looks good will just come naturally to me,” Gurney said. “If somebody who doesn’t have the eye for it, they can take good pictures, but it’s not going to naturally come to you.” She has continued to develop her skills and passion for photography through countless photoshoots, videos, and hours spent with her photography tutor. Gurney felt a professional career begin when family friends asked her to film their 2017 destination wedding in Colorado. Her family flew down and she spent the day filming preparation, vows, and dancing at the outdoor ceremony. She captured shots of paper cranes suspended from trees, dancing in the wind; intimate moments between the bride and groom next to a flowing river; the first kiss. “It was super scary because the perfect moment happens, and it’s not going to happen again,” Gurney said. “They kiss, they’re not going to kiss again. They’re not going to walk down the aisle three times. I had to get every moment when it happens, and if I don’t get it then I’m just screwed.” Since filming the Colorado wedding, Gurney has received two other offers to film weddings, multiple requests for senior pictures, and four opportunities to take family portraits.

“This is the standard drop quote font. Do not change (except for special circumstances). Gloucester MT Extra Condensed 20 pt font with 18 spacing.” October 2018

Pixels

Photography from Steve Coron’s art classes.

“I took this picture in Nickles Arcade because I was trying to take a picture of just the sign and I noticed a cool reflection off the window.” - Molly Maloy

“I took this picture outside of Sava’s. I liked the shadows on the side of the building and wanted to capture it.” - Isa Grofsorean

“I took this photo in Graffiti Alley. I was experimenting with the editing and I’m not sure how well I did but I like it and I’m proud of it.” - Ezabella Pennisi-Vogel

“I thought the symmetry of the image and the contrast between the light of the ceiling and the shadows on the sides of the Arcade looked interesting, so I took this photo for Steve’s photography class.” - Karenna Collins-Thompson 50

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Our Donors

Thank you for making our magazine and website possible.

STUDENT SPONSORS Ariella and Sergey Shikanov Judi Hoffman Henry Holcomb Gene Senn Corry Berkooz Miguel Clement Anne Heise Zack Schueler Kathy Scarnecchia Matthew Toschley Kelly Stupple Christine Kelley Leo Kupperman James Eddy Carlos Fiori Calvin Shaw

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WASHINGTON D.C. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; On Pennsylvania Ave., mere blocks away from the Capital Building, stands the Newseum, an interactive museum to promote free expression and the First Amendment, while tracing the evolution of communication. Visitors start in the basement and after visiting an exhibit on the Berlin Wall, travel to the sixth floor and work their way down. The Communicator will be visiting the Newseum in November 2019.

October 2018

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1000 Words BY MADIE GRACEY

Over the summer of 2018, Maddie Ohye was traveling around Europe with Max Reimann. While they were in Zurich, Switzerland, Ohye was consumed by the colors and the reflection of the buildings in the water. “It had just rained which you can see by how dark the sky is,” Ohye said. “It just made everything look grey which added a cool effect on it.” Ohye took the same photo a few times before she headed back to the apartment they were staying at. She played with the exposure, how much water was shown and which buildings she wanted in the photo. Ohye and Reimann stood in the same spot for about five minutes before Ohye pulled out her phone to take the photo of the view on the other side. Her goal was to get the reflection of the buildings, what she accomplished was very pleasing to the eye. “I am really proud of how it turned out,” Ohye said. “You never know what you are going to see or run into when exploring somewhere new, it’s amazing.”

October 2018

STYLE-GO-ROUND BY SOPHIA ROSEWARNE AND BELLA YERKES

LOOK ONE

LOOK TWO

Simple.

Transform.

Top: Madewell Bottom: Madewell Shoes: Adidas

Top: Forever 21 Dress: Forever 21 Shoes: Nike

LOOK THREE

LOOK FOUR

Color pop.

Sophisticated.

Top: Topshop Bottom: Forever 21 Shoes: Timberland

The Communicator Magazine

Top: Abercrombie Bottom: Salvation Army Shoes: Blundstone

Chalk Talk

FAVORITE FALL TRADITIONS BY JENNA JARJOURA AND TAI TWOREK

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October 2018

Our Turn: Summer BY MAZEY PERRY

This was my first summer in 12 years not going to Camp Algonquian. I worked as a day camp counselor at the YMCA this summer though, so I still felt connected to the Y. I spent a lot of time with my friends and my family, but I didn’t see my sister for 11 weeks because she went up to Algonquian, which was really hard. I don’t think I have one favorite thing I did this summer. I think it was mostly just the little memories that I made with my friends, and I spent a lot more time with my parents, which was just nice.

CAMILLE KONRAD

I went to Colorado, which was the farthest west I’ve ever been. I’ve never seen any mountains before. It was a backpacking trip so that it was fun. The trip was four days and three nights. I went with my dad and my brother. The trip was in Indian Peaks National Forest. I think that there was a lot of bonding. It was a physically draining trip, and my little brother, being younger, had moments where he got tired, but we all pushed each other to keep going. I definitely wasn’t as close with my brother before this trip, but now we have a much stronger relationship.

ANDREW LAFFERTY

I did a backpacking trip (Outward Bound); I really loved that. It was two weeks in California. I learned a lot about myself. That was something that I’ve always had problems with because I’m not very self reliant, but after having to do pretty much everything for myself (such as cooking, making a fire and carrying up to 60 pounds on my own), with almost no resources for a long period of time, I felt like I could bring some of that home. I am much more responsible now and have my stuff together.

RUBY TAYLOR 56

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ONE LAST THING

Emma Zielinski CHS SENIOR REFLECTS ON HER LAST FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. Who was the last person you hugged?

My big sister, who came into my room at like 6 a.m. this morning before she got on a flight and she made me get out of bed and hug her. I didn’t really hug her at first, but then I ran downstairs right when she was about to leave because I felt bad and I hugged her again.

What was the last movie that made you cry?

I am such a crier during movies! But I think the last time I was watching a horror movie, it was this weird, old horror movie on Netflix and somebody that I really, really liked died and then I cried and it was really stupid.

When was the last time you danced?

This morning, I was listening to Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers and I was brushing my teeth.

Where was the last place you shopped? I went to a thrift shop with my little sister the other day and I bought a bunch of random pins that said a lot of random stuff on them. One of them said “Eat macaroni and cheese” and cute stuff like “Love yourself.” I bought a bunch of them and I’m going to put them on my jean jacket.

When was the last time you did something for the community? This morning, I volunteered at the breakfast program across the street [at St. Andrew’s].

When was the last time you were embarrassed?

Last Friday, my stepdad had a bunch of important faculty members over and they were having this big quiet dinner party. I came downstairs to get a snack or something and there was a dish towel on the ground and I just slipped on it like a flipping banana peel and face planted in front of this table full of executives.

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ART BY: CHLOE DI BLASSIO