Update April 27, 2018

4:COUNTING THE DAYS OF CONSTRUCTION 12: GOING GREEN 18: SEEING IN DOUBLES AND TRIPLES 20: BOOSTING THE GAME

Update Volume 40, Issue 7 April 27, 2018 H. H. Dow High School

BECOMING ONE WITH NATURE: At the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio on April 19, senior Emily Schultheis explains her IB Visual Art theme about the connection between humanity and nature. Her sculpture symbolizes the toxic relationship between pollution and the environment.

Six other IB art students joined Schultheis in demonstrating the skills they’ve developed throughout the year. page 6

photo by Anikka Thorson

Update April 27, 2018

The staff editorial is the managing editors’ response to current news events. The staff editorial reflects the opinion of the editors and staff. The final draft is subject to a vote by the Editorial Board. A majority vote is required for the document to achieve publication.

Letters

Letters are encouraged. They will be screened for libel, defamation, and/or obscenity and maybe edited for length.

All letters must be signed, although the Editorial Board will consider withholding names upon request. Letters may be rejected due to limited space, untimely material, or unbalanced representation. A full editorial policy is on file in room 218.

Open Column

The ‘My Turn’ column on page 10 is open to the whole school.

Columns will undergo the same screening process as letters. All columns should be turned in to room 218 and should include the author’s name.

Membership/Awards Update is a member of the JEA, NSPA, CSPA, and MIPA. Update was a CSPA Gold Crown Winner in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007. It was a Silver Crown Winner in 2006, 2009, 2016, 2017 and 2018. It was an NSPA Pacemaker winner in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, and a finalist in 2001, and 2003.

In 1989, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2005 the Update won Best of Show in NSPA Competition. It won second place Best of Show in 2006. It won eighth place Best of Show in 2007. It won third place in Best of Show in 2008.

The Update has won 26 MIPA Spartan Awards since 1989 and was inducted into the MIPA Hall of Fame in 2004.

As a public forum for student expression, Update, will honor the H. H. Dow High community and the journalist profession by placing truth, accuracy and objectivity first and encouraging all sides to voice their opinion.

Editor-in-Chief Maggie Duly Managing Design Helena Nitschky Managing Copy Lillian Pressnell Managing Business Zane O’Dell Managing Photo Katie Ellison Managing News Lillian Pressnell Managing Opinion Sophie Baus Managing Feature Anikka Thorson Managing Sports Ben Zeitler Managing Social Media Helena Nitschky Managing Video Trevor McIntyre Cartoonist Loree Chung Page editors 1: Maggie Duly 2-3: Faye Kollig 4-5: Hannah Raw 6-7: Jenna Wray 8-9: Amelya Jankens 10-11: Grace Sobek

PHOTO MONTH

Check online for a full issue’s worth of content, including a video about the Update’s creative process, an interactive spring flood map, a Prom on A Budget feature, a profile on the new boys’ golf coaches, coverage on Battle of the Bands, and much more.

Senioritis Video by: Trevor McIntyre Enjoy this dive into the nature of the condition known as Senioritis.

photo by Faye Kollig

SIGNING WITH THE SAINTS: Surrounded by his parents Angela and Dave Pasek, and his sister junior Ruth Pasek in the Media Center on April 18, senior Jacob Pasek signs the forms to officially designate him as a future Aquinas College volleyball player in the Media Center on April 18. Pasek acted as the team manager for the girls varsity volleyball team during their 2017-2018 season, and has played the sport on club teams.

16-17: Emi Hunt

22-23: Alex Doty 24: John Rettig Assistant copy editors Faye Kollig Katie Ramos Staff writers Robert Heyart Irshad Husain Zach Parfeniuk Jaxon Sowle Adviser Cammie Hall

Check out the Update @dowhighupdate

REACTIONS

12-13: Helena Nitschky

20-21: Ben Zeitler

update.dhs.mps.k12.mi.us March 29 Online Issue

14-15: Camryn McGee 18-19: Quinn McCaffrey

UPDATE online

Alex Liakos “Training outside my sport’s practice leads to being more prepared during my sport’s practices, and when situations come, you’ve been there and practiced it, so you know what’s going to happen.”

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Cindeyia DeBruine

“As a student I have trouble trusting what I see in the media because there is a lot of fake news. I think you definitely have to put in the time and effort to make sure your sources are credible, that you can trust what you’re hearing.”

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Allie Clipper “Mental health is a really important part of everyone’s life especially in high school. I feel as if Dow doesn’t really do much for people’s mental health.”

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SENOIR PROJECTS

Staff Editorial

Mission Statement

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Update is distributed monthly from September to June to 1350 students and staff of H. H. Dow High School, 3901 N. Saginaw Rd., Midland, Mich., 48640, free of charge. It is printed by the Midland Daily News and produced by the Advanced Journalism class.

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BASEBALL TRAINING

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Hannah Stevens “I’ve been every year. I love [the senior project fair], I love seeing the passion everybody puts into it.

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April 27, 2018

Update

Letter from the Editor

in life, take the time to appreciate yourself, your accomplishments, and the things you love. So many people of all ages in this community show gratitude for what they love You would think the feeling of and deserve appreciation. Several being in the home stretch would give articles in this issue outline the reassurance and relaxation; however, importance of appreciation, including I have found myself more unsure and one of our staff editorials highlighting uptight as ever. When that bell rings the significance of treating the on May 18, the seniors will step out of environment well. Check out Grace this school and into the new chapter Sobeck and Katie Ellison’s article of their lives. We’ve completed four devoted to students acknowledging years of preparation for this moment, the sacrifices of their mothers. Take a now it’s time to grow up. look at what the seniors of this school But let’s not get ahead of ourselves hold dear in my and Hannah Raw’s and miss the party. Graduation is a story explaining the purpose of the time to acknowledge the good times Senior Capstone Projects. we’ve had. I’d like to thank those who Anikka Thorson’s article reporting helped me get tho this point. Friends on the art shows that have happened who made the school days bearable, and are up and coming create teachers who inspire greatness, and a exposure for all the hard work art school that has truly been good to us. students have completed this year.

Graduation isn’t just recognizing These articles among others illustrate the people that have been here for a small percentage of appreciation you, it’s about recognizing yourself. happening around the community as You’re the one that did all of that of late. hard work to receive that diploma.

As always, enjoy the issue, You’re the one that stayed up to 2 a.m. finishing homework. And you are the one who’s starting your future.

I’m not trying to be sentimental.

There is a point to all of this reflection. No matter where you are

Appreciate what you love

THE FEED

Amelya Jankens page editor

Yearbook Distribution

Yearbooks will be distributed on Thursday, May 17. The yearbook staff will be set up in the cafeteria for distribution at 2:25 p.m. To pick up yearbooks, students should go to their designated table sorted by grade. Those that purchased accessories will be separate.

Students who didn’t pre-order yearbooks can buy them at the designated table for the price of $65.

Senior Awards & Cap and Gown Delivery

On May 8, caps and gowns will be distributed by the Jostens representatives in front of the main office for seniors who ordered them. They will be ready for pick-up at 10:00 a.m. The awards assembly for seniors is scheduled for May 17. The assembly will be held at 8:00 a.m. in the gold gym. Awards will be presented in the areas of Business, Art, Language Arts, World Language, Mathematics, and Social Studies.

News 3

Advertise Here Contact Zane O’Dell @ odellzm@midlandps.org

4 News

Update April 27, 2018

Counting the days of construction Overviewing road work, construction projects in City of Explorers Lillian Pressnell & Jenna Wray

managing news & copy & page editor

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tarting in June of 2017 and for the next six months, construction occured in downtown Midland, Michigan. The area received a facelift after 25 years due to deterioration caused

by Michigan weather. The total cost of the project was $9 million, which came from Midland’s millage.

“One of the primary drivers [to improve downtown] was safety,” city engineer Joshua Frederickson said. “The sidewalk ramps down to the street grate, they weren’t the current ADA standard, and then we were getting a lot of issues in the road. There was a group that was interested in doing more than just having it repaved, so they came forward and kind of drove the project to become what it is today with the full redo of the downtown streetscape.”

According to Frederickson, downtown has become much more pedestrian oriented, which sets it apart from other areas.

There is more sidewalk space, and fire pits were added. The new layout allows for more pedestrian areas which can be used for outdoor vendors and events, as well as outdoor seating for businesses and restaurants.

This construction that lasted through the summer didn’t have the best effect on businesses. Because the sidewalks were reduced to wooden boards, the businesses and restaurants downtown saw an incredible decline in the amount of business coming in. Jim Hughes, the owner of Diamond Jim’s, lost 1015 percent of total sales last year.

“You never recover from what you lost,” Hughes said. “It wasn’t just the business owners, but the employees who worked less hours and made less who suffered also.”

Downtown Midland just being a dirt road during the busiest time of the year, summer, heavily affected businesses, especially when tourists come specifically to see the downtown areas, markets, art

festivals, and Tridge.

“Midland was a beautiful city in the beginning, with the hanging baskets and the flower beds and the trees, and it’s now all gone,” Hughes said. “I’m sure it’ll grow back in time, but being here in main street close to the Tridge, we have a lot of visitors who come to town and see the Tridge and want to eat and stop in, and they talk about how beautiful the city is. We’ll see if it carries over now.”

With the completion of the downtown construction in late 2017, Midland’s engineering department and contractors have turned their sights onto different projects.

The M-20 bridge is currently under construction, facilitated by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The bridge was in very poor condition, having been built in the 1950s, and the cost of replacing the bridge was close to the cost of repairing it. The low bid for the project was $21.3 million.

Construction is expected to be finished in fall of 2019.

This construction has not only rerouted traffic into just a two lane road, but has also closed off sections of the Pere-Marquette Rail Trail.

Junior Brycen Larkowski, who lives off of M-20, goes over the M-20 bridge into Midland almost every day. The construction on the bridge has had an impact on his day as well as the routes he takes to get into town.

“Well, all the construction down there causes a lot of traffic, and so I’ve had to find a different route to school because there is so much traffic there everyday that if I go that way, I’ll be late or I’d have to get ready like, 20 minutes earlier,” Larkowski said.

Another road that will be seeing future improvements is Airport Road. This spring, portions of the road from Perrine to Hicks will be reconstructed. A section of Airport Road from Sturgeon to Eastman is currently on the list to undergo changes as well. Funding will be

available in 2019 and construction is expected to begin in 2020.

“That’s one that we recognized a couple years ago as needing to be done and so we have this process that it has to get on the plan, get approved, and kind of move up, you know, just to try to balance the various projects around town,” Frederickson said.

This process that must happen before a road gets on the plan is called the Capital Improvement Plan.

Steps for the process include going through and rating all roads to see which ones need to be fixed the most, NEW FLAMES: A new fireplace and seating area pictured outside of Pizza Sams. These measures are supposed to balancing funding and fixing, and trying to stretch the budget. The cost create more pedestrian oriented features. of reconstrucion varies, so based off this, the engineering team must decide which projects go into which plans for which years.

The annual budget for major construction is about $4 million.

Most of this money comes from voters who approve millages during elections. The last vote for a millage was held on Nov. 8, 2016 during the general election.

An additional source of funding comes from gas and weightmile taxes. The Engineering Department receives a portion LOUD NOISES: The M-20 bridge is unrecognizable of the money to put towards the with the large amount of building going on. The road construction. construction takes up one side of the bridge.

“There are only so many contractors and so much funding, so we try to utilize that [$4 million budget] the best we can,” Frederickson said. “There’s a lot of work this summer and we’ll try to keep chasing the ones that we can and the ones that we think need to get done.”

As the weather improves, more construction will occur. Safety in these zones is a big concern, for both the workers and the drivers.

Frederickson urges students to take caution around these zones.

“We have to make sure to be safe, and we want the workers to photos by Jenna Wray and Anikka Thorson go home, we want all the people TIGHT SQUEEZE: A detour ahead sign has been placed traveling through to be safe,” due to closed roads because of the construction.

Frederickson said.

News 5

April 27, 2018 Update

Putting the cap on projects

WWIII isn’t something to joke about

Senior English classes present in front of community Maggie Duly & Hannah Raw editor-in-chief & page editor

Lillian Pressnell Pressnell’s Pressing News

photo by Hannah Raw

HARD WORK PAYS OFF: Senior Pation LeBeau showcases her binder of information about the Humane Society.

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he Senior Capstone Projects are queued for arrival on April 27 during first through sixth hours in the green gym. Students in Senior English classes are challenged with the task of presenting their research on a topic of their choosing to the school and community. Those in Advanced Senior English are required to hone in on a non-profit organization they find their passion in. These projects are not only intended to bring change to the community, but also within the presenter.

“I think the most important thing is to pick something that you truly believe in,” English teacher Brent Chambers said. “Because if you don’t, then you’re just sort of going through the motions, but if you’re in, for example, targeting a nonprofit that seeks to raise money to help people in Sub Saharan Africa get AIDS medication and you believe that that’s powerful, you can actually be moved by some of the things you see in the project and that’s my favorite part of it.”

The history behind these projects is one that goes back over a decade. It originally started as a common assessment for seniors. Students were asked to do a “multi-genre project” to show that they had the skills to create various types of writing that would demonstrate their proficiency after finishing high school. Administration then decided eight years ago to take those projects and create the senior fair.

“There’s a little bit of a change now. For example, they do a website, they create videos. We didn’t necessarily do that eight to 10 years ago, but the components are still the same,” English teacher Dawn Moulthrop-Brady said. “The concept is still true, where [you] pick something that you’re passionate about, explore it, research, write, put it in multiple formats, learn, and share what you’ve discovered.”

For senior Nathan Crawford, preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail is something he is ardent about and excited to share his research about the planning required for such a strenuous excursion.

photo courtesy of Dawn Moulthrop-Brady

SHOW TIME: Alumni Mitchell Smith stands proudly next to his senior project on PTSD in the green gym.

“Pretty much my overall topic is like preparing for the Appalachian Trail and how to best prepare myself physically and mentally before I leave,” Crawford said.

Crawford’s main inspiration for this topic is the opportunity to hike the trail with his dad after graduation. The trek takes roughly four to six weeks on foot, is 2200 miles long, and it goes through 14 states. The two plan to camp out on the trail throughout their journey.

Another inspiration for senior projects is past experiences.

“I did the Midland-Handa student exchange program because I took part in this program, so it’s more meaningful to me,” Brandstadt said. “It’s not just some topic I like found online and I feel like since I went on the exchange myself I know a lot more information and more like personal information than you can just find on like a website.”

The main focus for Brandstadt was the opportunity to create recognition for the exchange program throughout the community.

“Before I did this program, I kind of just came across it, like I don’t actually remember how I found out about it, but I know that there’s not a lot of awareness for this program,” Brandstant said. “When I came back from the trip a lot of people had no idea what this even was, so I’m just trying to create awareness, I guess, about the project as a whole and I feel like doing it in a senior project form since like many students throughout the whole student body come in and will see my project.

It’ll, like, build awareness.”

One of the main objectives of the project is to help students with abilities like writing at the collegiate level and beyond, and general communication skills that are necessary for future careers. While students are meant to develop their lingual expertise through the Senior Capstone Project, they also have the chance to instigate the spread of knowledge and change throughout the community.

We live in a world where almost anything can be joked about, no matter how sensitive the subject. It’s easy to do when the person saying it is behind a screen. The other day I was scrolling through my Instagram explore page and I saw at least three memes regarding WWIII following the Syrian airstrikes. While some people may have laughed upon seeing these jokes, I was struck with fear.

The 1940s has always interested me. The music, the films, and the fashion pulled me in and even made me wish I lived during that time. After I watched Ben Affleck’s Pearl Harbor, though, all of those thoughts went out the window.

The things they had to go through terrified me.

To me, living in a world with constant fear of my family and friends being drafted any minute scares me more than anything, and here these people are joking about it.

Last week, in an attack lasting 70 minutes, the US fired 66 Tomahawk missiles on three Syrian targets.

The Pentagon says that this attack will set back Syrian chemical weapon capabilities for years.

The reason for this was because of a suspected

chemical attack on a neighborhood in Syria.

The US’s response to this was destroying Syria’s chemical weapons bases.

This event has been the subject of jokes on social media and in my classes, some saying that it’s the beginning of WWIII or a nuclear war.

The reality is, if there was a nuclear war as Putin, other world leaders, and news outlets are saying, the outcome would be very grim, maybe even ending the human race as we know it. Remember reading Alas, Babylon?

That very well could be our life here in America, if we lived through the war, that is. So maybe next time you see a joke about WWIII and think that this is a laughing matter, imagine your best friend of yourself getting drafted to go fight in a war you know nothing about.

Imagine being a pawn in the chess game of the major elite.

As the looming threat of WWIII approaches, maybe others will start to look at Russia’s words as more than jokes.

When a Russian general says that “WWIII is inevitable because Putin will never accept defeat”, maybe the world will start to see that there is a big problem.

So far, they have not caught on. Will you?

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News

Update April 27, 2018

Going on display Artists from IB to AP status, from around community showcase their art HANDLING NATURE: Senior Emily Schultheis presents her piece on April 4, 2018 at the IB Visual Art Capstone Show. The event took place at the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio.

ROCK, CLAY, FLOWERS: Junior Rebecca Henning and seniors Abbey Huffman and Haylee Snyder view Huffman’s work.

photos by Jenna Wray, Amelya Jankens, and Anikka Thorson

CULTURAL BLENDING: Senior Varunika Salva explains her project‘s theme and how it relates to her life.

Anikka Thorson

Managing feature

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n the months of April and May there are four opportunities for DHS art students to showcase their pieces. From April 19-22, IB students from DHS and MHS displayed their artwork in the IB Visual Art Capstone Show at the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio. “[The IB visual art students are] supposed to have a gallery experience as a part of that program, and so the Alden B. Dow home gives us that space and we have a formal opening [April 19] where the kids will be dressed up and they’ll be standing by their work talking to the public that comes through,” art teacher Curtis Gledhill said.

At the IB Visual Art Capstone Show, students displayed a number of art pieces that they created throughout the 2017-2018 school year. Each student chose a theme to base their creations off of. Senior Abbey Huffman chose balance as her theme.

“My 2-D and 3-D art has an abstract connection to my theme, which is balance,” Huffman said.

“I’m not really sure if it can all fit into a category. Some of it relies on symbolism to get the point across and some is very literal. I have one piece that is literally a balance of rocks. I have another piece that is a 2-D product Photoshop filters, where the original picture has two pots on my head. That connects to my theme of balance because I needed to have a balance between the 2-D and 3-D pieces that I made because at that point I only had 3-D.” To prepare for art shows, the

students go in a few days before the art show and set up their work in an aesthetically pleasing way. Then the day of the show, the artists go in a little early to double check everything before the show starts.

“Some [viewers] are family members, some are friends, and some are complete strangers,” Huffman said. “So the artist stands by their art and can answer any question that the person might have, such as how did you make this or what was your inspiration, things like that.

And so it sounds kind of boring, but it’s really fun to see people’s reactions to your art and to be able to answer any questions that they might have, and once the show is over, then the artists come and take everything down.”

Currently, the Dow High Art Show is open in the Media Center.

The show features a compilation of art produced from different students throughout the year. This art show runs from Wednesday, April 25 until Friday, May 11.

“For the most part, we pick the pieces as each assignment occurs,” Gledhill said. “We grade all of the assignments, we display as much as we can and then before we hand them back to the students.We usually pick a sampling somewhere between three and six of the best pieces to represent the assignment.”

Opening night for the AP Studio Art Show is April 28 from 7-9 p.m. The show will take place in the Founders Room, located on the top gallery level, at the

Midland Center for the Arts.

This art show continues from Saturday, April 28 until Tuesday, May 15.

“The AP show that happens at the Center for the Arts at the end of the month is very similar to the IB show in that it’s the kids that tested AP and we want to have them have their own gallery experience as well,” Gledhill said. “So we contacted the Center for the Arts and they had the Founders Room available.”

Comparable to the IB Visual Art Capstone Show, the students with art in the AP Studio Art Show have their pieces focused on a theme they chose at the beginning of the year.

“Since it is the AP art show, so all of my work for testing in AP is in the show, my art is all 3-D because that was my focus,” senior Hannah Rose said.

The fourth art show is the Moolenaar Congressional Art Show. This nationwide art show is a high school arts competition sponsored by the Members of the US House of Representatives.

According to Congressman John Moolenaar’s government website, this contest is open to all high school students in Michigan’s fourth congressional district.

The winning art piece will be displayed in Washington D.C. for one year and also featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page. The exhibit in Washington D.C. will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country.

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April 27, 2018 Update

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1. “Light” acrylic paint by Em Thomas 2. ”Lonely” charcoal by Em Thomas.

3. “Art Deco Earrings” brass with enamal by Emily Schultheis 4. “Yarn clay mountains” yarn wooden dowels, and glue by Abbey Huffman 5. “Home” acrylic and clay by Kristy Srodawa 6. “Leaf dresses” leaves and ink on paper by Emily Schultheis 7. “Looking Through” acrylic paint

by Varunika Salva 8. “Flower Crown” metal, rocks, and glue by Abbey Huffman.

9. ”Claw” pen by Em Thomas.

10. “Flowers” paper, magazines, and glue by Abbey Huffman 11. “Grow” clay by Em Thomas 12. “Sky’s not the limit” acrylic paint by Vedika Salva photos by Jenna Wray, Amelya Jankens, and Anikka Thorson

8 Opinion

AP: An early start to college 10 Reasons to do AP

Students get college credit from AP

1. AP courses will expand the

managing business

mind in many ways.

2. Students who take AP courses learn critical thinking skills.

3. AP courses will impress college admission officers.

4. More flexibility is given when taking AP classes.

5. Rigorous classes help develop skills needed in college.

6. A student taking AP classes can earn college credit.

7. AP classes help with confidence in academic skills.

8. Students will save money in college by taking AP courses.

9. AP classes will challenge any student.

10. AP classes can raise a GPA

facts courtesy of onwravens.net

Update April 27, 2018

Zane O’Dell

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he difference between a standard course and an Advanced Placement (AP) course is the level of difficulty. AP is like a regular class on steroids. It is a fast paced environment in which students are expected to reiterate the information on standardized tests. Taking an AP class is like taking a college course, but at high school.

Through these classes, students are being thoroughly prepared for future circumstances at the collegiate level. It is a great benefit for students to take AP classes, not only to prepare students for future experience, but also for saving money. As of 2016, the cost to take the AP exam was $92. In comparison, a credit hour at Michigan State University costs $508. Although an AP test may seem expensive up front, it pales in comparison to the cost of a college credit.

AP classes are almost completely based on standardized tests. AP classes are helpful for students to prepare themselves for college experiences. AP Chemistry teacher Caeli Loris is trying to help prepare her students the best that she can for college level courses.

“Well, really [the] AP program, how I view is it helps students to get ready for college,” Loris said. “So essentially, I treat it as a college class where the expectations are very similar to what they would get in college so they get that college experience not only as far as content goes, but also the expectations to help prepare them for college.”

While the classes under the heading of AP aren’t taking place at a college institute, they

are still contributing to college credit, which is one of the main advantages of becoming involved in the AP courses.

Sophomore Ashwin Saxena enrolled in AP classes with this in mind.

“Advanced Placement is a standardized test which enables me to get college credits,” Saxena said. “If I’m doing a course in high school, which is equivalent to, like, a college course, then I can get credit to it and, like, show the colleges my scores. That will help in my college tuition because I won’t have to take as many courses, and it’s also, like, a proof that you’ve done something.”

Being able to start college with credit already accumulated is a great benefit and the experience of taking AP classes is something valuable on its own. Sophomore Neil Janwani has taken AP Economics and has enjoyed the experience.

“I think the AP program is really cool because you get to experience college classes and the difficulty of college classes without actually having to go to college,” Janwani said.

AP and IB classes are not the same, even in structure. Physics teacher Thomas McNamara has taught AP as well as IB classes.

AP classes do seem to have an advantage when it comes to the difficulty of the courses rather than the IB variants. “[AP] is more challenging,” McNamara said. “It prepares you for the next level of college and not necessarily maybe in your own, or in that subject matter, but just generally gets you to be a better student because the requirements are more difficult.”

The classes that are under the umbrella of AP are structured in a way that is said to greatly test the students who enroll in them.

“It really challenges the students and pushes them beyond what they think they’re capable of so that when they go to college, they’ve already had that rigor of a class and those expectations so that they already are comfortable with it and seen it before.

Where if you don’t take an AP class, you may not have that same rigor and then you get to college and you’re a little bit thrown off and have that transition period,” Loris said. “So I think it just helps students that already have experience with that, and then they can deal with all the other differences with college to high school instead of on top of, like, the rigor of the classes.”

In the end, the AP classes are going to successfully prepare students for college classes and other college experiences.

Students taking these classes show that these courses really do help with getting students in the right state of mind for colleges.

“I think that it’s a really good opportunity for students to get that college experience before they are in college because in high school, they have a lot more support,” Loris said.

“They’re able to have smaller classes, they’re able to get more one on one time with the teacher.

More support by their parents by the school in general, where they don’t really have that as much in college.”

April 27, 2018 Update

Opinion

IB: Building worldly scholars IB provides new way of thinking

Amelya Jankens

page editor ictoria Anaele began her first year at Calvin College enrolled as a sophomore because she earned enough credits to do so from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). Her test scores through IB saved Anaele a year’s worth of college tuition. Learning for the sake of becoming more knowledgeable and becoming a global citizen is what the IB program is about.

DHS was the fifth high school in Michigan to adopt the IB program in 2007 with the first class of graduates in 2008. The class of 2020 will be the largest IB diploma candidate class in the school’s history with about 40 students joining.

Students are able to get college credit for the IB courses they test for even if they aren’t in the diploma program. By getting college credits during high school, students are able to save money by not having to pay for the classes in college.

IB has many benefits for a student’s education. The program is not just a multiple choice test. In fact, most of the assessments for the program are essays and short answer questions. Junior Hannah Baker currently takes IB classes but is not a diploma candidate, and enjoys the uniqueness of the program.

“It’s not just the information,” Baker said. “I’m learning how to learn, I’m learning how to be a citizen of the world and do more than just classwork. I’m learning how to talk to people and how to interact with others.”

IB courses approach education differently by teaching students to be wellrounded while preparing them for college courses.

DHS alumni Victoria Anaele graduated with the IB diploma in 2017. Although she had doubts about the program during high school, Anaele has experienced the positive effects it can have for the student’s academic transition from high school to college.

“I did not realize the true benefits of

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graphic by Amelya Jankens

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10 Reasons to do IB 1. IB Increases academic

this program until I started college,” Anaele said. “I had a bit of an upper hand on my classmates because I had done this program.

I was able to have a smooth transition into college academically.”

Although the program was hard at times, Carolina Donoso, a 2017 graduate, would do it over again if she had the chance.

“IB has given me an insight on better approaching my educational experience,” Donoso said in an email interview. “It has taught me how to analyze different subjects beyond memorization, and has given me a network of fellow IB students around the world. I remember getting to college and easily relating to the students who had ‘survived’ IB.” Surviving the rigorous IB diploma program is a huge accomplishment for most students because it challenges their way of thinking and it expands their mind in a way that the normal high school curriculum doesn’t. In the program, students are able to take advanced and honors courses that expand their knowledge and broaden their thinking. Educator Emily Grocholski is a certified IB teacher and teaches the History of the Americas class.

“You are trying to problem solve and you’re analyzing then you’re making connections to today, which I think not every class does that,” Grocholski said.

To become a diploma candidate, a student must make a schedule with the IB Coordinator Sarah Pancost. To graduate with the IB diploma, a student needs to take a total of six IB tests in their two years in the program. To qualify, students cannot have failed any class in high school and must be on their way to taking a fourth year of a foreign language.

IB is an alternative way to get a wholesome high school education while experiencing a unique and new way of learning. IB courses are attainable for any student that wants to put the time in and learn in a new way. Senior Natalie McGuire has enjoyed her time in the program and agrees that it is very beneficial.

“If there’s a class you really want to take that can’t fit into your IB schedule, I think you should follow your heart,” McGuire said. “But if you can do it and you’re looking for like a rigorous academic program, IB is really beneficial.”

opportuinity in high school.

2. IB students care about more than just results.

3. IB encourages you to become a more confident and independant learner.

4. The IB diploma is an international qualification.

5. Graduates are globally minded.

6. The IB program encourages critical thinking.

7. IB Diploma students have proven time management skills.

8. IB assesses more than examination techniques.

9. IB courses are not taught in isolation unlike other programs.

10. IB encourages breadth and depth of learning. facts courtesy of www.ibo.org

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Opinion

Update

An ode to seniors

FIRST AMENDMENT: Congress shall make no law respecting

Kellie Sauve My Turn

an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging

To anyone that will be graduating alongside me next month, this piece is for you. First, I obviously have to congratulate you.

12 plus years of education has led to this. Every test score, lab report due, hour spent sleeping through math, studying or not, have come to this last countdown of days.

Each of these days will bring fresh feelings, some caused by senioritis, and some feelings of complete nostalgia. My message to you is to remember these feelings and make these last days count.

As we embark on these momentous final days, I want to remind everyone to look back on the past few years and be proud of yourselves. The “best years of your life” might not be your immediate thought when recalling these past four years, but I think we can all agree that we have grown immensely, in many ways, over this time we’ve shared.

Everyone’s experience within these walls has been unique and has helped build each one of you into the individual you are today. From freshman orientation as an eighthgrader, sitting in the library at DHS wondering what high school would be like, saving important notes like “walk on right side of hall in high school,”

(no joke, I did that) into your phone, to the steps we will take at graduation, reflect on your time here.

Remember the faces who helped you get to where you are.Think of the friends you started with and the friends that you are finishing high school with, of the relationships that built you and broke you, and of the people who have shaped your path throughout these four years. Soon, faces you’ve seen since elementary school may never cross your path again. Take these people and do something special for them: tell them what they’ve done for you, thank them, remind them how much of a difference they’ve made in your life, and most importantly, treasure each memory you have here because each day is another last day.

Your future all depends on you, but we can all be proud of the fact that we came from the same place: Dow High School. Before life gets too real, seniors, let’s come together to reminisce and be gracious of the good times and good people we’ve met, and finish our high school careers with our heads held high because WE are Dow High and we are the world’s tomorrow.

the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

EDITORIAL BOARD: Maggie Duly Lillian Pressnell Katie Ellison Sophie Baus Anikka Thorson Ben Zeitler Helena Nitschky Trevor McIntyre Zane O’Dell

YOUR TURN: Want to share your thoughts on a recent article published in the Update? Write a 250-word Letter to the Editor for our next issue. Submit your letter by Mar. 26.

Need more words to share your opinion?

Then write a 450word My Turn column for our next issue.

Contact Maggie Duly to have your turn in the next issue of the Update by May 1, 2018

April 27, 2018

Together is better Cleaning the Earth to unify the world Staff Editorial

N

ot only does the quality of the environment reflect the choices people make, but it will impact their health and the lives of future generations. Health is just one of the many reasons we believe that the environment should be more respected.

According to a non-profit environmental organization called Pure Earth, toxic pollution affects more than 200 million people worldwide.

What people need to realize is that even just by using cars, producing smoke, and factory emission they are contributing to levels of air pollution. Not only does air pollution harm the environment, but also the health of people.

According to the US EPA, outdoor air pollution is associated with heart and asthma attacks, bronchitis, and premature mortality.

There are little things everyone can participate in to better the world we live in. These simple tasks include recycling, not littering, composting, become more energy efficient, turn off lights when not in a room, and unplug utilities when not using. Water is one of the most important components of our world so make sure to watch water usage

in showers and baths and try to drink tap water instead of bottled. Walking or riding bikes if possible instead of driving is a way to be active and help to preserve the environment.

Not only will participating in just a few of these little tasks help eliminate some of the possible pollution to the environment, but will also reflect a person’s morals. Caring about the environment and the health of others speaks a lot about one’s character in a positive way, which others will recognize.

By not participating in small tasks to try and aide the world shows that a person is careless and irresponsible.

Nature and the environment plays a larger role than some realize. The air, food, and products people use all come from raw materials in the natural parts of the world. Without the environment, nothing in this world would be possible, not even life. With that in mind, next time you finish a Gatorade or lemonade, chose to recycle instead of tossing it in the grass. Take an active roll to save the environment because that’s the right and necessary thing to do to help the world.

April 27, 2018

Update

Opinion

Developing communal growth Seeing the positive side of Midland construction Staff Editorial

I

t is safe to say that construction is a hindrance on those who encounter it. Whether it’s construction on the way to work or school and the trip is slowed down or redirected due to construction ahead or there’s a new building being built right down the road and work begins bright and early, it is easy to become annoyed. People are generally put off by construction.

But if people were to take the time to look at the bigger picture, this minor inconvenience is really something that betters the city.

Construction isn’t being done on roads and bridges just for the fun of it. In fact, the job at hand is actually very hazardous. Workers are out at their job every day knowing they are risking their safety to do a job that is meant to enhance the welfare of

civilians in the community. As a staff, we ask people to have patience with the construction happening downtown, near M-20, and projects that will be taking place in the upcoming months.

The number one thing to remember about construction zones is the safety, not only of the workers that are leaving their safety in the drivers’ hands, but also the people operating their vehicles.

According to MDOT, there were 4,908 work zone crashes in 2016 resulting in 17 deaths. While drivers

may feel inconvenienced or frustrated by a lower speed limit in work zones, it is crucial for them to follow the adjustment and stay calm because it is for everyone’s safety.

Another way to look at situations like running into traffic or taking a detour is thinking about the benefits community members will reap when the final project is done. Society should switch up their mindset in which we think of construction.

The city isn’t trying to make

traveling around town difficult, they are truly trying to make the most of their budget to better the area. For example, the city of Midland’s list of projects for 2019 includes many road reconstructions to eliminate potholes and create a more seamless commute around town. One focal point is Airport Road from Sturgeon to Eastman because of the potholes, a road used by some students to go out to lunch near the Midland Mall area.

Like many things in life, people tend to have a negative view on construction and how it is inopportune for them. We suggest to look at the bigger picture, consider the positives of the situation, and to most importantly be patient. Perhaps instead of calling it construction, we give it a more suitable name like developing communal growth. graphic by Farryn Cook

CORRECTIONS FOR MARCH 8, ISSUE - On page 19, Sarah Pisarcyzk’s name was misspelled.

- On page 6, Camryn McGee’s name was misspelled.

Cartoon by Loree Chung “Spwinter”

-On page 8, senior Kyle Kleinhans’ first name and grade was left out.

-On page 13, Emily Danielsen name was misspelled.

-On the cover, the photo was taken at Sadies not Homecoming.

11

12 Opinion April 27, 2018

Environmentally friendly measures thrive surrounding E Using second hand stores to give to future generations

A week for green

Helena Nitschky

Jaquline Lauren

plastics are: managing design editor ustomers comb through 60% s n i e green, orange, and red und speci o f tags as the smell of foun ird of b moth balls waft their noses. of tu d in 100% rtle s Clothes are color coordinated pecie in endless rows, bursting to s the ends with hand-me-down ver o g clothes. This may not sound s tin like the ideal place to find an outfit, ffec specie a but to some students, thrift stores 700 have become an optimal way to find affordable and unique clothes.

Students who want to be frequently, and I kind of want 150 m environmentally friendly should to get the good deals,” Zahn said. v olum illion ton consider shopping at thrift stores.

Senior Haylee Snyder also s e in t Thrift shopping in Midland not only thrift shops while she is out of he oc in eans helps student’s pockets, but helps town. Some of her most successful future generations by preventing secondhand shopping trips have the further uses of plastics. been in Georgia and Northern “I started [thrift shopping] Michigan, where different types of for environmental sustainability clothing can be found. reasons because clothing contains “It is good to search around for plastic that stays around pretty target areas for different types of much forever,” senior Kaitlin Gandy clothing,” Snyder said. said. “So I decided to stop shopping While the average Urban at stores for clothing, which is why I Outfitters t-shirt can cost up to $40, r 34 e really like doing it.” finding the t-shirt at the thrift store v o hat e in the According to Ocean Conservancy, is beneficial for cost savings. t w b o microfibers are tiny strands of “I think also thrift shopping s sh s could 0 d n e material shed during the production is good for low income families, tr n ton y 205 of textiles, and are becoming some especially now that it is becoming illio cean b m o of the most commonly detected trendy because it helps people find types of microplastic in water clothing that they may not be able to samples such as rivers and oceans. find for a cheap price from a name Plastic production and consumption brand store,” Snyder said. is predicted to double, which means Thrift stores also offer the ability that over 250 million metric tons to find unique clothes that are could be dumped in the ocean in less unable to be replicated which can than a decade. boost self confidence.

“The costs to manufacture “I guess when you find a piece clothing really has a very big of clothing that you haven’t really environmental impact,” Snyder said. seen anywhere else and it looks Senior Jared Zahn finds himself good on you, you feel really good at the local Salvation Army often. about yourself and you can create Zahn goes thrift shopping at some your own look,” senior Kaitlin secondhand shops in Midland, but Gandy said. also tries to find different shops The perks of thrift shopping are when he is on vacation. numerous, but the idea of being able “I go at least once a week to give back to the environment because the secondhand stuff that while shopping for clothes adds an goes through the stores rotates extra edge to a ever growing trend. information from The Ocean Conservancy

C

Go Green club member You may have heard a bit about a new club here at Dow High: Go Green.

This environmentally-conscious group has many ambitions for the upcoming years and plan on finishing off the year with events for Earth Week and the weeks surrounding it. Earth Day was April 22 and to celebrate, Go Green has been sponsoring various events designed to get people thinking about some of the many environmental issues we face and, hopefully, nudge students and staff alike to make a difference.

I am passionate about the club’s endeavors and am especially supportive of the milkweed seed handout. For those who haven’t heard, milkweed seeds were handed out free of charge at both lunches and water bottles are available for purchase to promote the club and raise awareness of the monarch butterflies’ plight.

One of the most exciting projects that this year has brought is the possibility for Dow High to build its very own greenhouse! With help from a $5000 grant from the Midland Community Foundation, the club is hoping to jump-start this. We are currently addressing questions of who will use the space and what projects will be conducted by asking teachers how they will use the greenhouse to enhance students’ experiences. This is a way for us to develop an idea to determine which plants to grow and to begin designing blueprints. One particular member of Go Green has created his own solar panel which we are now looking to incorporate into the plans for a power source.

If Go Green and its values is of interest to you, be sure to check out the plastic sculpture soon-to-be installed in the cafeteria. It is constructed of a portion of our school’s plastic waste to serve as a reminder to everyone to monitor their consumption of singleuse plastics and to be aware of the many environmental issues we face as a school, community, and world.

LOVE YOUR EARTH: (top to club works to make DH friendly place by creatin initiatives. Speakers Dr. give lectures on climate

Earth Day

April 27, 2018

Alternative programs offer concertgoers ability to see multiple artists Sophie Baus & Katie Ramos

managing opinion & assistant copy

T

he shiny black MP3 player containing songs like “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction quickly catches a sparkle of sunlight as another day of collecting dust and dirt slowly passes by. In middle school and elementary school, listening to music started to become a weekly habit.

As students start to connect with songs, hearing music in concerts and festivals has only made musical experiences more emotional and exciting.

Concerts are the main option for those who want a short, memorable experience and don’t want to spend multiple days at a festival.

Sophomore Kiran Sequira attended The Weeknd concert in late 2017.

“I went with a group of friends and we went all together and it was before the concert we were all getting really excited and once we got there, it’s like we are actually here, this is actually happening and we were really close to the stage,” Sequira said. “It was really cool and everything was blurry and the night goes by so fast and you’re like I want to go again.”

Some upcoming concerts include Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town on Aug. 24 at the DTE Energy Music Theater, Led Zeppelin 2 on June 23 at St. Andrews Hall, Ke$ha on July 6 at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, and 21 Savage on May 23 at 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids. According to ABC News, the average concert ticket price is only around $46.69.

However, festivals last longer and have

individual performances by different artists. Music festivals provide for an overall better escapade.

Electric Forest is an eight-day music festival in Rothbury, Michigan. Containing bright light shows and multiple genres of music like EDM, students like senior Claire Walker and Jared Keskey had an experience they’ll never forget.

Music festivals have become more popular due to student’s tastes branching out to different genres. Some of the most popular festivals in the Midwestern region include Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, and Mo Pop. Even though festival tickets cost more than concert tickets, the experience and inclusives like seeing more than one artist is greater. For general admission into Electric Forest, camping, and carpool parking, the cost is $309.75. If one is looking for VIP access and tent rentals, tickets can cost up to $700 for the three-day event. Lollapalooza general admission tickets vary around $120 per day for Thursday through Sunday. Tickets can skyrocket to $2,200 for the four-day VIP passes.

For Mo Pop, a weekend four pack of tickets are $480, weekend tickets are $125, and single day tickets are $85.

Electric Forest is unique considering most people attending camp or even have the option to rent a cabin at the Double JJ Ranch where the festival is located. Not only is this very convenient, but also gives a fun experience to share with friends.

Unlike a concert, festivals contains more than one stage. This not only pushes for attendees to explore the grounds the festival is held on, but also visit of the food and souvenir vendors.

“So they have like this huge venue with, I think like six or seven stages maybe, and there’s a schedule that you get before so you can plan out walking time between all the places and what times the different people are

Opinion 13

going on,” senior Claire Walker said.

Even though concerts require less planning than music festivals, the overall outcome of a festival is unforgettable.

“Music festivals are really exciting and being able to see artists that you listen to everyday is a really incredible experience,” senior Chloe Ambas said.

If looking for a multi-day musical adventure, students should attend music festivals rather than concerts, but if long days aren’t one’s cup of tea, concerts are the way to go. Festivals and concerts also come with exposure to not only new artists and music but other life events. Both of these significant events are once in a lifetime opportunities that will forever be remembered.

photos courtesy of Taylor Hunter & Britney Bawar

IT’S ELECTRIC OUT HERE: Seniors Taylor Hunter, Claire Walker, and Alexis Carras attended Electric Forest in 2017. Camping is optional at the festival.

LOLLALIFE: Seniors Chloe Ambas, Britney Bawar, and Holly Stauffer capture a moment at Lollapalooza in August 2017. Lollapalooza is a four day festival.

photos by Helena Nitschky

o bottom) The Go Green HS a more environmentally ng a specific week focused on Martin Arford and Peter Sinclair e change and the planet.

photo by Helena Nitschky

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Feature

April 27, 2018

Update

The act of giving back

Activating social awareness New club helps challenge societal stigma Camryn McGee & Irshad Husain page design & staff writer

Anikka Thorson Anikka’s Anecdote From a young age we’re taught to do onto others as you would want done on to you. For most, that means say please and thank you, don’t make fun of others, and be nice. However, only using your manners and not being mean is a weak demonstration of this saying. To truly embody this saying, it’s important to be not only a nice person, but to give back as well.

This year for spring break I went on a mission trip to Louisville, Kentucky with my youth group. For the first part of the week, my group was working at Grace Children’s Church located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Louisville. I learned that the church we were working at was helping to give the children in that neighborhood a safe place to go and a positive place to turn when their home lives got tough. It was an amazing feeling to work on revamping a place that had such an incredible cause. The pastor at Grace Church told us story after story of things that the children who attended his church had been through in their lives. To hear

stories about children witnessing the deaths of their parents and not being able to do anything to help them was absolutely heartbreaking.

I’ve gone on mission trips before, but this year I saw a level of poverty that I’ve never truly witnessed in person. Before going on this trip, I knew that I and many others in Midland have a lot, but I never understood how truly privileged we really are. I have a roof over my head and a great school to go to and I never worry about not having food in my house.

Volunteering can be an easy way to give back to others. With clubs like National Honors Society and Key Club, there are many opportunities to get involved in volunteering.

The way to have a successful society is through people helping people. Maybe you just go and rake leaves in someone’s yard that can’t do it themselves or you go serve food at a soup kitchen. Even that small act can radiate positivity into someone else’s life. If you’re ever unsure of what you could do to help, think of what someone could do to help you if you were in need.

I

ssues with mental health are a widespread phenomenon.

According to Mental Health America, one in five US adults deal with some form of mental condition. A group of students at DHS are taking action to solve mental health issues one step at a time.

The Mental Illness Awareness (MIA) Club was started by junior Grant Wiese, who is very invested in the issue due to how prevalent he believed it was around him.

“I started the club because I just saw around Dow High, and around a lot of places in society that mental illness was a real problem,” Wiese said.

“A lot of people suffer from it and they deny that they actually have a problem, and that means they don’t go out and get things that they need so that’s why.

And me starting this club lets other people have a place to talk about it and break the stigma of mental health.”

The MIA Club is overseen by Spanish teacher Erica Meyer and social studies teacher Kathryn Snyder. The advisors are supportive of the club and have faith that the club is being steered in the right direction.

“One of the big things that we talked about was their approach to starting the club,” Snyder said. “That’s going to be really important in the success of the club. If it is put forth in a way that is more about awareness and support, then I think the

Approximately 20% of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder.

4 out of 5

people say admitting to havinga mental illness is harder than the illness itself Lorem ipsum

1 in 5 adults have mental illness

13% of youth live with a severe mental illness

information from http://www.nccp.org/ publications/.html

graphic by Grace Sobeck club has a great deal of potential to become very successful and to really help kids understand the prevalence of mental illness as well as some of the great success stories that are out there as far as people that have gotten a handle on their illness.”

The student officers spoke to counselors and learned about different mental illnesses and how to handle them.

They are planning out what they’re going to be doing at each club meeting.

“Being rolled out too quickly without much organization could be where the club wouldn’t be successful,” Snyder said. “But from what I see, the group is doing a really good job to try to make sure they have all of their plans in place before they roll out the club.”

The club is taking action to ensure that outreach is

established and make the club gatherings enjoyable overall.

“We plan on having a meeting every week after 7th hour on Tuesdays,” sophomore Samantha Ludwick said. “We really just want to save space and promote mental illness awareness, and we’ll have a lot of education, and we’ll also have a bunch of fun, de-stressing activities like service dogs and a lot of other fun things to make just a fun environment.”

Wiese believes that there’s an important link between awareness and support for mental health, and that awareness really does lead to positive care for people with mental illness.

“Well, awareness is always part of helping mental health,” Wiese said. “Because if we raise awareness, more people will talk about it, and the more people who have mental health issues will say ‘Oh man, I actually struggle with some of these things and I’m actually going to go get help.’”

April 27, 2018

Update

Feature

15

Taking time to appreciate moms Honoring presence of mothers for more than just one day Katie Ellison & Grace Sobeck

managing photo & page design

T

he thing I love most about my mom is how much she’s willing to sacrifice on a day to day basis,” senior Duncan Donahue said.

Over a century ago, the first Mother’s Day was celebrated to recognize moms across the country. Today, the holiday has evolved to honor 85 million women.

Students spoke up about their moms and the qualities that they admire such as how supportive, selfless, and loving they can be. They took this holiday to heart, reflecting on what makes their moms so special to them. “[My mom] does so much behind the scenes work like taking me to practices and stuff,” junior Izzy Velasquez said.

“Even though I can drive now, she still takes me to tournaments and makes a habit of coming to all my games and like always supporting me.”

Between taking her to practice and watching her games, Velasquez credits her mother for being a great role model and leader.

Leadership and guidance of their children is not uncommon for most moms.

“When she sees something that’s wrong and she doesn’t like, she will actively tell me,” junior Emilio Cuellar said. “She always shapes me to be the best I can possibly be.”

Cuellar’s and Velasquez’s moms are not alone in their love and support of their families.

Many other student’s moms are caring figures in their lives.

“I love that she’s always there for me,” sophomore Ellie Penn said. “[She] lets me follow my dreams.”

Not only are children taking time to recognize their mothers, but some husbands of these women are also appreciating what they love about them.

Ellie’s father Richard Penn appreciates the time and effort his wife puts into being a good mother.

“One thing in particular that I love is how Wendy [Penn] takes so much pride in being the best mom and wife she can be,” Richard said. “She gives herself selflessly and never expects anything in return. She is also the most honest and truthful person I know.”

According to the 2017 Census Bureau, 81.4 percent of families are headed by single mothers, accounting for the majority of families.

Female sole providers, or single mothers are not uncommon at DHS either.

“I guess you’d say she kind of takes the role of both my mom and dad,” junior Paige Messick said. “So she kind of does everything, but she balances her life, as well as mine.”

Similarly, Donahue’s

mom is a single parent supporting their family.

Donahue and Messick both admire the sense of balance their mothers have provided them. “[My mom puts] my sister and I first before anything else,” Messick said. “She’s always making sure that we stay on track with everything in school and sports.”

Sacrifices made by mothers are another thing to praise this Mother’s Day. Some mothers, such as Donahue’s, make sacrifices to benefit their children.

Their selflessness was duly noted by students.

“She saddled herself with a lot of debt so that she could give us more opportunities,” Donahue said.

Donahue’s mother is a photo courtesy of Izzy Velasquez doctor who works long hours.

He admires her persistence.

“She works really hard every single day to provide for me and my brothers,” Donahue said.

With what mothers do for their children, from driving them around, helping them with schoolwork, to even making their lunches, the question of how to celebrate them can arise.

Some ways of doing this include getting her flowers, a card, making her favorite food, or doing the dishes.

As a day designated to photo courtesy Duncan Donahue photo courtesy Paige Messick moms across the country approaches, families MOM & ME: (Top to bottom, left to right) Junior Izzy Velasquez and mom search for a unique way to Jenne Velasquez, junior Paige Messick with her mom, Amy Anderson. honor their mothers. and senior Duncan Donahue with his mom Jennifer Dear.

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Feature

Update

April 27, 2018

Finding news outlets everywhere

Revealing different ways of keeping up to date with current events Faye Kollig & Zach Parfeniuk assistant copy & staff writer

W

hether it’s the news of the Central Michigan University (CMU) shooting filtering into the school through major news websites and texts from friends on March 2, or information about the Mark Zuckerberg Senate hearing coming in through Twitter moments and Reddit memes, students get news in diverse ways. With the development of social media and the technology age, there are terabytes of information circulating on the social grapevine and on the internet, which can make finding reliable information difficult and time-consuming. Some students keep up to date using the quickest or most convenient way for them: the internet.

“A lot of [my news] is actually through Twitter, looking at Twitter moments, just because it’s convenient, where I check what my friends are saying and then what the world news is,” senior Adi Middha said. “Twitter is the easiest way because it gives me the headlines and a summary, so I can know what’s going on.

I understand it’s not the best way to get news, it’s the fastest, and so we just go on that guarantee that it’s the most credible, even though it’s not, and it’s the short attention span that we have right now.”

Aside from social media, another way students keep in touch with what’s happening is through the people around them. In the case of the CMU shooting, word of mouth and text messaging, in addition to news applications, was how information moved from the CMU campus. This method of communication is used to relay instructions and updates as well as less urgent news.

“I don’t tend to keep up with the news a lot, but as far as events around Midland, I use other people just talking about what’s going on, friends and family and then like a lot of acquaintances,” senior Sarah Saead said. “I just run into somebody and ask them what’s going on. Coffee shops are a good place to have people tell you about what’s happening.

Lots of different people will give different views and focus on different events that are important to them.”

While some students get news from

social media and from people, other students still use conventional news sources and major news organizations to stay informed. Among these sources are radio, television, and newspapers.

“I get most of my news from NPR, which is on the radio, and usually when I’m in the car I listen to it, so on my way to school, on my way home,” sophomore Ben Vercellino said. “I think they have really good stories. I think they’re really unbiased and they do a really good job of just saying the facts and not putting their own opinion into it. I think they’re super reliable. My main sources being NPR and PBS. They’re right down the party line and they don’t have huge sponsors from biased corporations either.”

The recent polarization of political opinion has left students like Vercellino with a desire for news that doesn’t preach an agenda. Alongside this is the question of objectivity, and whether the news should be purely focused on relaying complex information only, or whether opinionated anchors and hosts can help bring a sense of engagement to the news.

“Objectivity has its values, but sometimes it can backfire,” junior Luke Mavis said. “Having a base of that is good, but people who are exploring the news and telling it to you should have some emotion to it. I think that the news anchor or whoever’s

writing or talking about it should say that this is something off base, because sometimes when you do full-on objectivism it doesn’t really show that.”

One phenomenon is what some students dub as the “Midland Bubble” which affects the access to and attitude about

information. This theorizes that Midland tends to be conservative and relatively isolated from the rest of the world.

“I know some that I’ve talked to just shut themselves out,” Mavis said. “I don’t think it’s that healthy to do that, but it’s kind of this culture in Midland.

You have a lot of kids that are heavily influenced by their parents so they’ll usually get one doctrine and they tend to just live off of that doctrine. I’ve noticed a lot of people just don’t

Feature

April 27, 2018 Update

“In the ideal world, [news] comes directly from the source and the way to get it directly from the source, in the large nation that we are, would be through credible journalists, although that’s diminished in recent times because of bias, or bias against media that people don’t believe in the news anymore,” Adi Middha, senior know that that’s happening.”

While students like Mavis see the effect of the “Midland Bubble” in their peers, some students disagree as to the extent of the phenomenon.

“I think that especially among our generation, [the effect of the Midland Bubble] is less true because of social media and not just social media but just the expansion of communication amongst different groups of people,” Saead said. “Anyone can choose to seek out media that is not filtered through a conservative bend. I think as far as the adults that we interact with, there’s typically a conservative understanding, like that’s how things are and everyone

agrees with them.”

A second factor that some students agree impacts the quality of the news they receive through any source is political bias and the subjectivity and misreported facts. These are a result of when news sources let sponsorships or partisan influence impact the content they produce.

“I think people definitely just listen to people who agree with them, especially people that I talk to, like very left or right leaning people tend to go to those sources,” freshman Anna Stoltz said. “I think that has the effect that they don’t see things from the other point of view and it can lead to stubbornness. Politics, especially right now, are super heated and people are very passionate right now, which motivates them to lie a little bit, or fudge the news, which is what leads to fake news. So I would say that the drama of politics right now makes it harder to find real news.”

In such a polarized environment, finding an accurate, reliable source can be involve some exploring. Some students have sources that they’ve been listening to for years, but for those who don’t have that luxury, exploring the news for them requires a certain mindset.

“I figure out what I believe from seeing it from every point of view that I can,” Stolz said. “Morality is a big factor.

Like, if there’s a morality question, I try to take the righteous side. I analyze how credible the sources are said to be, dates they were published, their publishers, and other things that the people who wrote the articles have done.”

Altogether, when learning about what’s going on, there is a great deal of information available to students.

Through conventional or unconventional sources, liberally or conservatively bent news, or corporations or nonprofit organizations, people are tasked with deciding what to believe about the world around them.

“In the ideal world, [news] comes directly from the source and the way to get it directly from the source, in the large nation that we are, would be through credible journalists, although that’s diminished in recent times because of bias, or bias against media that people don’t believe in the news anymore,” Middha said. “It’s muddled right now, but I still believe in the credibility of journalism.”

17

67% of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media

45% of Americans say that they get news from Facebook

15%

of Americans have a lot of trust in news they get from friends and family

44% of children aged 10 to 18 feel that they can tell fake news sources from real ones

information from the Pew Research Center & Common Sense Media graphics & illustrations by Faye Kollig

18 Feature

Update

April 27, 2018

Seeing in doubles and triples Delving into relationships between similar siblings Emi Hunt

Garrett Gabby 11:00am 10:00am

page editor

Q A A

MARCH 13 AND APRIL 29, 2003

: Do you think your life would be different if you weren’t a twin/triplet? : “I’d rather be a triplet, it’s more fun. It’s more of a crazy story,”

freshman Gabby Wilson

Grace 10:00pm

: “I think that it can be fun a lot of the times because you get to trick people and stuff like that, but other times it can be really competitive,” junior Julia Stephenson

Q A A

sophomore Adam Barber

: “I think we are close, but we are starting to distance ourselves, because college is coming up so we need to separate,”

Lydia 2:21am

: “We’re pretty much the same person,”

MAY 31, 2002

Adam 2:20am

: Are you all close? What is your relationship with your twin?

junior Julia Stephenson

Q A

Q A

: What are the benefits to having a twin?

: “Some of the benefits are that there’s someone always there for you, and plus since we have the same classes, it’s easier to get help on that, and I drive her around,” senior Adrianna Ellis

Julia 5:00am

Adrianna 2:06pm

freshman Gabby Wilson

photo by Ben Zeitler

JUNE 7, 2000

A

: “That’s a real thing. Garrett and I pick the same thing all the time. Sometimes me and Grace have the same thought, but it’s more me and Garrett because we share the same birthday.

We’ve said the same thing a bunch of times, and we’ll want the same food,”

Julia 2:05pm

sophomore Lydia Barber

JULY 30, 2001

: “[Twin telepathy]is kind of funny to me, but it’s not real. Sometimes, we get vibes from each other, like I can tell when he’s really, really angry,”

Maya 5:01am

: Do you think twin telepathy is real?

photos by Emi Huny and Grace Sobek and courtesy of

April 27 2018

Update

Feature

Cutting costs, bargains, and budgets

19

How to eat at dives, bistros while staying within spending limits Quinn McCaffrey & Robert Heyart page editor & staff writer

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NOODLES & COMPANY

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$16.99

(Bay City) Jambalaya $19.95 MOUNTAIN VIEW $17 (Freeland) Sizzle steak JAKE’S OLD CITY GRILL (Saginaw) Pasta primavera alfredo FUSION 1 CAFE $18 (Bay City) an

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$6.99

Number One Chinese with broccoli (Freeland) Shrimp & rice

MCDONALD’S Buttermilk crispy tenders meal

$8.49

ALEX’S RAILSIDE (Sanford) Philly cheese steak

$5.89

“My girlfriend and I try and find cool diners instead of going to fancy restaurants,” Easton Block junior

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PANERA BREAD

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“Every now and then you gotta splurge on something like going out of town,” Alexis Whiteman senior graphic by Quinn McCaffrey

20

Sports

Update

April 27, 2018

Dedicated boosters support athletics Athletic booster club looks to help all teams by funding equipment Ben Zeitler managing sports

N

ew tennis balls, basketball uniforms, and wrestling mats are far from free, yet studentathletes rarely consider the costs of these items. The funds have to come from somewhere, and the DHS Athletic Booster Club exists to cover these expenses and many more.

DHS booster club president Mike Skinner leads the effort to provide athletes and coaches every tool they need to succeed.

“Really, what the booster club is trying to do is give the student-athlete the most positive experience possible in high school athletics,” Skinner said.

“It costs money to do these sports.

It’s expensive. What we want to do is offset those costs, raise money, and just create a very positive experience for the student-athlete.”

A former Charger himself, Skinner has a number of connections to the sports booster club that inspired him to become the club’s president after the position opened last school year.

“I went to Dow High, and my father

BY THE NUMBERS

$500,000

raised through the Booster Bash since 2011

$5,000-6,000 generated in concessions sales during the Midland/ Dow football game

26

different sports supported by the club

was booster club president when I was a senior in high school,” Skinner said.

“I saw a lot of the stuff my dad did, and booster club is a very good cause, so that interested me. The other thing is that my wife Amy, who also went to Dow, her dad was a booster club president as well, so it kind of runs in the family. On top of that, I’ve had four kids go through Dow High playing sports.”

Rich Juday had similar motives for becoming a part of the DHS Athletic Booster Club. After serving as the club’s president from 2011-2014, Juday is now the Booster Bash spokesperson.

“I’m a Dow High grad myself, and my children were in a spot where they were now student-athletes at Dow High,” Juday said. “I wanted to give back.”

In order to support the many sports that the sports booster club covers, a multitude of activities and fundraisers are necessary.

“We generate a lot of money on concessions,” Skinner said. “Almost every sporting event has some type of concessions. For instance, football games are very popular and a fan favorite, so our revenue on that, particularly at the Midland-Dow game, you get tons. We resource that accordingly. We set up volunteer groups to run the concessions, and reap the benefits. The concessions at the robotics event a couple weeks back brought us around $3,000, and the Midland-Dow football game brings in somewhere between five and six grand.”

In addition to concessions, Skinner has helped brainstorm other methods to raise money for the booster club.

Among other ideas, Skinner says he has proposed selling five-gallon buckets with the DHS logo imprinted upon it, as well as a high-reward raffle for a new car or cash payout.

The most well-known fundraising effort for the high school athletic programs of Midland Public Schools is

the Booster Bash, an event held annually at Dow Diamond. There, attendees can converse, eat and drink from a selection of refreshments, bid in silent auctions, and much more.

The Booster Bash requires a substantial amount of marketing in order to attract customers. Flyers promoting the event are placed throughout the city of Midland and commercials are broadcast on local radio.

“Starting right around the holiday season, we run a voiceover for a commercial promoting the Booster Bash on ESPN 100.9,” Juday said. “If you were to listen to the morning show anytime between January 1 and March 24, you’ll hear old Coach Juday’s voice on the radio. No one knows it’s me, unless you know my voice, but we talk about the Booster Bash and all it entails.”

One of its original founders, Juday has been a member of the Booster Bash board of directors since its first year, back in 2011. In years past, the Booster Bash has brought in somewhere in the ballpark of $80,000, according to Juday.

The Bash has served as a significant chunk of revenue since being introduced eight years ago.

“The Booster Bash, since its inception in 2011, has grossed over half a million dollars,” Juday said.

In order to make the Booster Bash as successful as possible, the DHS sports booster club works in unison with their MHS counterparts.

“We get all the revenue, then we take out all the costs,” Skinner said. “For the sake of math, let’s say we generate $100,000 worth of revenue, but let’s say our costs are $30,000. We net $70,000 after all our costs, and after we split it with Midland High, each school’s athletic booster club would get $35,000.”

With all of the revenue accumulated from a variety of fundraisers, the DHS sports boosters then distributes the

“It costs money to do these sports. It’s expensive. What we want to do is offset those costs, raise money, and just create a very positive experience for the student-athlete.”

Mike Skinner, DHS Booster Club President money back into the respective teams by means of purchasing new balls every year, updating equipment, buying new uniforms, and more.

“When I was president we came up with a plan to provide a rotation process for all the sports,” Juday said. “I believe it’s a five to seven year process where each sport then has the opportunity to come forward to get new uniforms.

Money is allocated by the boosters each year for that to take place, depending on what sport is up for that year.”

The sports booster club also grants requests from coaches on a regular basis. Jen Chichester, who has been the booster representative for boys basketball in each of the past three school years, has yet to hear of the sports boosters denying a coach’s request.

“There’s all sorts of special requests,” Chichester said. “Last year, we supported and helped fund for a batting cage, a shooting gun for basketball, and a couple other things. If coaches are smart about it, they go out and get a couple different bids, do their homework and try to get the best price, and make a presentation.

I don’t know that there’s ever been a

April 27, 2018

Update

request that’s been turned down.”

Juday has been involved with such requests in the booster club for over eight years, and he confirms Chichester’s explanation.

“Money is distributed based on what coaches’ needs are,” Juday said.

“Coaches approach the boosters for particular items that are needed for their program and they make a presentation.

As to whether they receive it, since 2010 there’s never been a denial. If the coach needs it and they make a great presentation, they’re going to receive it from the boosters.”

Although the final tally for the revenue generated by the 2018 Booster Bash will not be in until June, Chichester fears that this year’s numbers are down from previous years. Chichester is concerned that the dip in revenue will critically hurt all aspects of DHS athletics

Sports 21 if the trend continues.

“When less funds come in from Booster Bash, the sports boosters will have less money, which means they might have to start turning away requests in the next few years,” Chichester said. “If it gets bad enough, the uniform rotation may go away, support for balls goes away, and so on. The money has to come from somewhere. We as parents already pay $150 for each sport our kids play. That fee per player would go up, fewer sports would be offered, I don’t know. But something would have to give.”

In addition to the importance of attendance at the Booster Bash, Skinner is worried that it is becoming more difficult for him to find enough parents to volunteer for activities.

Skinner’s main concern in regard to the future of the DHS Athletic Booster

Club is that the organization is full of parents of juniors and seniors, meaning that there’s a pressing need for parents of youths in younger grades to fill in once the older student-athletes graduate.

“We really need parents involved for the booster club to be successful,” Skinner said. “Obviously you have to cover the president, vice president and treasurer positions, but you also have representatives for each sport. Right now we’re kind of heavy with parents of seniors and juniors, so we want to see the parents of freshmen, sophomores, even of eighth graders to step up.”

Current representatives are interested in recruiting more community involvement.

“I was thinking I’d probably be done with booster club after this year, but I’m actually starting to think about ways in which I can help the entire booster

club,” Chichester said. “I won’t be the basketball booster rep anymore, but I want to try to inspire more people to get more involved and do more things. There has to be more support from parents and the community in general.”

SMILE FOR SPORTS: A representative from each sport, and each high school, poses for photographer Kathy Morley, who then designed a flyer to promote the Booster Bash. Row 1: Luke Pajk, Jessica Bunnelle, Liam Grady, Carter Bean, Eric Parsons, Sarah Saead, Brent Booth, Bethany Wilson, Kyle McIntyre, Micah Olgine, Cecelia Mosqueda. Row 2: Quinn McCaffrey, Drew Gandy, Taylor Hunter, Martin Money, Alexa Wild, Kyle Hop, Corinne Dunsmore, Caden Skinner. Row 3: Riley Legge, Will Adams, Sarah Jean, Jessica Brown, Allison Gray, Michael McNamara, Grace Rekeweg.

photo courtesy of Kathy Morley

22

Sports

Update

April 27, 2018

SEASON Report: Spring Edition

Catching up with sports teams’ season scores, schedules, records Jaxon Sowle staff writer The Season Report offers the most up-to-date information regarding the current sports and will run one time during each season. The spring season is home to

girls lacrosse, track, boys lacrosse, boys golf, softball, girls tennis, and girls soccer.

Each sport has its own stats, scores, and updates which are listed below.

Boys Lacrosse

photo by Sydney Bryant

ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM: Sophomore Sydney Haiser pitches against Hemlock on April 10 with sophomore Krista Moe ready to field. The Chargers fought the entire game, but fell short, losing 11-12.

Girls Lacrosse

After starting off the season with a 5-1 start as of April 22, the boys lacrosse team is looking to repeat success. With many of the same faces returning from last season’s quarterfinal run, the bonds between players are at a high point.

“Our biggest strength is our team chemistry,” senior Jacob Pokriefka said.

The Chargers defeated Haslett 6-4 on April 13. In goal, Pokriefka had 12 saves.

Senior Jared Zahn led the team with five ground balls.

In a thriller against Saginaw Heritage on April 10, the boys won on a last second goal made by sophomore Ben Brueck off of an assist by senior Garrett Brillhart. Zahn led the team scoring on the night with two goals along with three assists.

The boys’ next game is April 27 at home against Salem High School.

Boys and Girls Track

The girls lacrosse team started the season with a resounding victory, scoring 20 goals in a 20-2 victory over Davison.

“For the start of the season, our transitions are better than they were last season,” senior Ashley Neuenfeldt said.

Neuenfeldt posted three goals in the win. Juniors Chelsea Long and Megan Pnacek and sophomore Alyssa Keptner scored a goal apiece.

The team is 1-1 as of April 22 and play on April 27 in a rematch versus Davison.

After a close loss to Heritage, the boys track team is looking to bounce back in their upcoming meets.

“I feel our sprinters are our biggest strength, that’s where we get most of our points,” senior Jacob Johnson said.

The girls track team is led by first year coach Maggie Rettelle. The team has high hopes for this season with experienced athletes competing in each of the events. Their next meet is against Bay City Western on May 1.

Softball

Boys Golf

Girls Tennis

Girls Soccer

The girls varsity softball team opened up the season with a few tough losses. Putting up good numbers, the team scored 11 runs in game one against Hemlock and 10 runs in game two. The team is looking to rebound from the losses and make a run in the playoffs.

Coming up, the girls play against Carman Ainsworth High School in a conference matchup on April 30.

The boys golf team has many familiar faces returning from the previous season.

“We have a lot of guys from last year coming back this year, which is exciting,” senior Jon Baillargeon said.

The team will be looking to knock off rival Midland High atop the SVL this season. The boys face off against Mt. Pleasant on May 2.

After winning the State Championship the past two years and winning a SVL Championship last year, the girls tennis team is looking to continue their dominance in the state.

The team has already started off 4-0 as of April 20, led by senior co-captains Jessica Brown and Tatum Matthews.

The team’s next match will be held at Bloomfield Hills on May 2.

The girls soccer team kicked off the season with a couple of promising performances, dropping their first game 3-1 to Clarkston. In an 8-0 win against Bay City Central, sophomore Brooklen Reid led the team with three goals.

The team is currently 1-1 as of April 22 and will play against Bay City Western on April 30.

April 27, 2018

Update

Sports 23

Bay City offseason training helps improve players’ games

A change of scenery

Alex Doty

page editor hen seniors Caden Skinner and Jacob Lapham started playing baseball competitively in second grade, they dreamed of playing at the collegiate level. Both understood that they would need to improve their game significantly in order to achieve their goal.

However, they found it extremely difficult to train during the offseason and winter months with limited cages and gym space in town. That’s when, with a little research and a lot of driving around, they found the perfect solution.

The two went to Peak Performance in Bay City once a week to improve their game throughout the offseason. For about an hour, they would work on a variety of skills, but mainly focused on pitching with trainer Mark Krzysiak.

“He’s worked with a lot of big league kind of people and people going to the next level,” Skinner said. “Lapham told me about Mark and since he knew hitting and pitching, he helped me with all of my mechanics.”

Krzysiak felt the same about Caden’s abilities.

“He was more or less an outfielder with a strong arm and we were able to develop some basic pitching mechanics,” Krzysiak said. “He has a strong arm and a good frame and when he came to me as a sophomore I saw a lot of upsides.”

Krzysiak has plenty of baseball experience as well.

As a player, he was an infielder at several colleges including Central Michigan University, Calhoun Community College, and Lake Michigan College. At Lake Michigan College, he earned honors as MCCAA AllConference and NJCAA All-Region. He also has coaching experiences at schools such as Bay City Central and Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central High School. With 18 years of coaching and several years of playing under his belt, he had lots to share with the players.

“My playing experience is almost vital,” Krzysiak said. “My coaches have provided me with the insight and I’m able to share that with the kids I work with.”

W

Lapham attended these workouts starting his sophomore year and stopped in the winter of his senior year. With his main focus on pitching, Krzysiak had several drills that helped Lapham hone in on his technique and help improve his pitching all together.

“There are a ton of pitching drills out there that we used,” Lapham said. “Board and towel drills were something we worked on a lot.”

Board drills are used for improving a pitcher’s balance during their windup, while towel drills improve a pitchers arm strength.

“Most of the drills are specialized for players based on their weaknesses and a lot of them are for specific positions,” Krzysiak said. “Jacob was an extremely hard worker and anything he can get out of his ability is a plus for him.”

Senior Zach Nelson has played with both players, so he has a feel for both of their games.

“I think having those lessons in Bay City helped them find confidence in themselves,” Nelson said.

“Even when they get rattled on the mound, in the field, or not hitting super well, they still know that they could go back out there the next day and make some plays.”

Lapham plans to further his baseball career after high school at the University of Michigan-Dearborn to pitch. Skinner plans on attending Grand Valley State University next fall and is open to the possibility of being a walk-on in the spring of his freshman year.

Both seniors had strong first games of the season in a double header against Hemlock. Lapham pitched a no-hitter in the four innings he was in, and got a hit one time during his two at bats. Skinner also had a strong performance with a double and reaching base five times.

This season, the Chargers are 2-2 on the season and went 1-1 in the Snowflake Tournament.

“I’m looking forward to playing Midland High and having a chance to beat them,” Skinner said. “Also, I’m excited about how far we can go this year in the playoffs because I feel like we have the team to do it. State championship or bust.”

Jacob Lapham Player Profile

Caden Skinner Player Profile

Throws: Left Position: Pitcher, First Base, Left Field Batting Average: .314 Strength: Pitching Earned Run Average: 2.8 Best Pitch: Curveball

Throws: Right Position: Right Field, First Base, Pitcher Batting Average: .305 Strength: Strong arm Earned Run Average: 4.3 Best Pitch: Fastball

*statistics from 2017 season

photos by Alex Doty

Zeit Writes In fall, I’d jog out to meet my teammates in the huddle, bark out the play, then watch my guys line up. I’d receive the snap, roll left, and calmly flick a pass to the tight end for him to rumble into the end zone. After rapping on a lineman’s helmet to thank him for throwing a good block, I’d trot to the sideline and ready myself for defense.

In winter, I’d catch the ball in the corner, a defender’s chest pressed against me. I’d square up to him, blow past him and throttle down as I crossed the half court line. A second defender would come up to guard me, and I’d fire a dart to my open teammate for a shot.

Backpedaling, I’d nod to myself. I was in control.

In spring, I decided to sign up for golf and rec soccer. Never mind that the number of rounds I’ve played over the past three summers does not exceed the number of fingers on my hands; I wanted to play golf. Never mind that when I last played at the Midland Soccer Complex, I was listening to 102.5 WIOG while they played Party Rock

by LMFAO and Adele’s Rolling in the Deep as my mom drove me to

BenZeitler Zeitler Ben practice; I wanted to play rec soccer.

I knew going in that my golf game would be rough, but my first week of practices went so poorly that I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

On the range, the balls flew everywhere but where I wanted them to go: they skittered over the frozen earth, they fluttered high in the wind, they sliced horribly, they took a nosedive after thirty yards.

The same could be said of my soccer skills.

I’m sure it was like watching a cow ice skate.

Perhaps most frustrating was the fact that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the ball, but my feet had other ideas, leaving me off-balance and off-target every time I aimed a pass or shot.

Though I feel uncomfortable with feeling uncomfortable while playing sports, I might as well learn how to adjust to new and humbling situations.

After all, I’ve got plenty more coming up fast: in less than a month, I’ll no longer be a senior sitting comfy atop the high school ranks.

Instead, I’ll be relegated to the role of wide-eyed freshman. Scary stuff, but nothing I haven’t readied myself for.

April 27, 2018

Sports

Update

24

Don’t wait to pick up weights

Fitness enthusiasts weigh in on unique innovative regiment

John Rettig page editor

L

ifting weights has been the traditional way of building muscle since the early 19th century.

With various types of lifts worked into a routine, it is possible to see improvements in the matter of weeks.

Many students participate in weight training because it’s implemented into some sports at DHS. In 2000, CrossFit was created. It is an intense workout plan that involves a lot of keeping track of weight and time.

The exercise that comes with sports isn’t enough for some students, including junior Kyle Brennan.

“I usually try and go to the gym six out of the seven days of the week,” Brennan said.

Traditional gyms, like North-End Fitness, offer many different types of exercise other than weight lifting such as treadmills, ellipticals, and resistance machines. Brennan is a regular at North-End Fitness, owned and operated by Greater Midland community centers.

Over the course of the past 10 years, Crossfit, a new fitness regiment, has emerged. Created by Greg Glassman, the program is based

off of movements and weight-bearing exercises performed at high intensity.

The movements and workouts that CrossFit includes are pulled from gymnastics, running, rowing, weightlifting, and more.

“I tried CrossFit for the first time last year,” senior Joey Kilbride said.

“It’s much more intensive than regular weight lifting, and I dig that.”

One of the only CrossFit gyms in the city is Q2, located on N Saginaw Rd near the Secretary of State building.

“At Q2, our focus is on GPP, General Physical Preparedness,” Q2 employee Buddy LaFrate said. “Our specialization is that we do not specialize.”

Q2 has been open for five years and is going into their third year at the latest location. With many staff members, equipment, and a group of supporting members through every exercise, the gym receives high ratings from reviewers on Google and Facebook.

“Q2 is the best place in the area,” Kilbride said. “They are welcoming and promote many healthy habits. It’s a great environment.”

As opposed to regular weight lifting, which can be done alone or with

photo courtesy of Kyle Brennan

WARM UP REPS: Junior Kyle Brennan warms up with 135 pounds on the bar at North-End Fitness center. “I would tell starters to find someone who looks experienced,” Brennan said. “Ask for advice on whatever you need to know.”

a partner, CrossFit is group based.

Workout groups are available for people of all ages. These groups accommodate a wide range of athletic ability.

“CrossFit contains all three of the traditional weightlifting disciplines: bodybuilding, olympic weightlifting, and powerlifting,” LaFrate said. “We use them for specific purposes in our general physical fitness program. This means we combine the elements of weightlifting, with gymnastics and cardio movements to create a more completely fit athlete.”

“I think that crossfit is a waste of time,” senior Alex Jonas said. “Why throw around light weights that look heavy, rather than spending time grinding at the gym for gains?”

Since weightlifting has been around for many years and a large population has grown accustomed to it, and CrossFit has only recently become largely popular, it is especially susceptible to criticism.

“People criticize CrossFit all the time,” Kilbride said. “I think that’s because they don’t have the physical endurance and strength to make it through a workout.”

CrossFit routines are unique in the way that everything is tracked using datasheets or whiteboards, updating individuals records and goals while timed. Form, rules, and efficiency are of utmost importance.

“The fact that you can track your goals and see your progress is the best part,” Kilbride said. “I noticed a difference in my performance and gains in a month. I’d reccomend it to all highschool athletes.”

Motivation plays a big role in CrossFit, as many participants are trying to improve their physical fitness or appearance.

“I’m a weightlifter primarily, so I don’t do any CrossFit, at the time, although it is effective and healthy,” Brennan said. “I would try CrossFit someday, as it includes cardio work which is good for fat loss.”

Q2 is always accepting new members, especially students who want to work to improve their GPP. “Call, email, find us on Facebook, or drop in to our facility to get started,” LaFrate said. “We have a number of successful student athletes who can share their experiences.”

photo courtesy of Buddy LaFrate

GRIND SEASON: An adult class preforms an Olympic lift routine in synchronization.

Crossfit is based off of all group exercises. Working in groups improves form and personal motivation.