Fenton InPrint April 29, 2014 | 3200 W. Shiawassee avenue | Fenton, MI 48430 gay marriage
After a district judge strikes down Michigan’s ban on gay marriage a stay was placed on ruling by the Attorney General postponing gay couple’s ability to...
T K By Cassidy Rourke Sports editor
ie THE not
On March 21, 2014, in the midst of record breaking snowfalls and a polar vortex, a 10-year ban was momentarily lifted for same-sex couples in the state of Michigan by U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman; their right to get married and adopt children together becoming a reality. But, just 22 hours later, a stay was issued on the case. “Judge Friedman’s decision meant that same-sex couples could marry in Michigan and that Michigan had to recognize marriages between same-sex couples granted in other jurisdictions,” Jay Kaplan, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said. “A stay wasn’t issued until about 22 hours after the opinion came out, so during that period same-sex couples could marry and those marriages that occurred before the stay are legal and should be recognized by the state for purposes of state benefits.” The stay placed on the lower court
ruling was issued by Attorney General Bill Schuette through the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. It means that the ruling to lift the previous 2004 ban, which passed with a 58.6 percent vote, has been temporarily revoked. Although, marriages that took place between same-sex couples within the 22 hours are considered fully legal. “A stay was issued on that decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals while the State appeals the decision,” Kaplan said. “That means that the effect of the decision was put on ‘hold.’ The stay from the Sixth Circuit can last as long it takes for the Sixth Circuit to issue a decision on the appeal; it’s difficult to predict how long that will take.” Along with the stay on the case, Governor Rick Snyder came out publicly on March 26 and said the state would not recognize the more than 300 same-sex couples that were legally married during the 22 hours before the stay, so they will not receive the same state benefits as heterosexual couples.
“We [the ACLU] filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of eight same-sex couples who were legally married in Michigan on March 22,” Kaplan said. “But because of Snyder’s statement, they cannot access state benefits associated with a legal marriage. We are requesting a declaratory judgment from the court that the governor’s actions were unconstitutional. We are also going to be requesting a preliminary injunction- asking the court to stop the State from refusing to recognize these marriages.” On March 28, the 82nd Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder, stated that the federal government will recognize the over 300 same-sex marriages, despite the state’s decision to not recognize the unions. This means that while the couples will not receive state benefits, they will receive federal benefits from the government. At time of press, the stay on the case was still in place and offices of General Attorney Bill Schuette and Governor Rick Snyder did not get back to us with comments.
The following states have legal same sex marriage: California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Washington
Timeline of Gay Marriage in
Michigan In 2004, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment that prohibited gay marriage and civil unions in the state. January 23, 2012: A lesbian couple filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage. March 21: The 10-year ban was lifted for 22 hours before being put on a stay awaiting appeal. The stay was placed by Attorney General Bill Schuette through the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. March 26: Gov. Rick Snyder releases a statement that said the state would not recognize the couples legally married in the 22 hour period. March 28: The 82nd Attorney General of the United States says the federal government will recognize the marriages.
2 NEWS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Locked In
First Reunion plans include games, dancing By RIley Wilson Writer
Pam Bunka A dvisor
With more than $25,000 being spent on Project Graduation (PG-14), the night promises to be action packed. Often called the class’ first reunion, a committee was put together to help make sure that every graduate has a chance to attend the reunion. “Project Graduation 2014, is an all-night, drugfree, alcohol free, fun-filled parent and community sponsored party provided for the Fenton High senior class the night of graduation,” co-chair of PG-14, Lisa Chapin said. “It’s a right of passage, a night to be proud, a time to celebrate achievements and an opportunity to look forward to the future.” The committee is planning on 275 students attending, which accounts for 92% of the senior class. Keeping this in mind, they created an eventful night. Many events will be happening during the night to keep the seniors entertained. “Some of the planned activities include casinos games, dancing, a DJ, inflatable obstacle course, rock climbing wall, mechanical bull, body art, airbrush tattoos and carnival games,” Chapin said. “Live entertainment will be provided by a hypnotist, a magician and a comedian; there will also be food and prizes throughout the night.” New this year, a program called Sponsor-aGrad was created in order to help students pay for the evening. Sponsor-a-Grad was created to allow students to attend the party. Sponsor-a-Grad gives people a chance to help out a specific grad by donating money for the cost of their ticket, food, and entertainment. “We want every single graduating senior to have a chance to go to Project Graduation,” co-chairperson of Sponsor-a-Grad Anette Cowger said. “This gives every graduate a way to get the money for their ticket and gives family members/employers/ etc… a way to congratulate their specific graduate by covering the costs.” Project Graduation will be held June 1-2 at AGS Middle School. Check-in begins at 9 p.m., but the doors will be locked at 10p.m. The event will get over at 4am.
Gambling Now alumni, Allison Strayer, and Jacob Rositano take part in one of the many casino themed games at Project Graduation 2013.
Community Service
Christmas in Action
Local charity helps residents in need repair houses ByAllie Howelll Editor in Cheif
Junior Nicole Dehondt will spend this upcoming Saturday working beside her mother, aunt and other close friends repairing homes for the elderly and those who cannot make the necessary repairs themselves. “My aunt and mom are a part of Christmas in Action so I thought I would join,” Dehondt said. “I have done it for only one year, but we fix houses for seniors or people who can’t fix it themselves. Everyone who works in the organization is like family to me.” Christmas in Action is a national non-profit organization that provides free home repairs for low income or elderly homeowners. The Tri-County chapter of Christmas in Action is supported by local businesses, churches and schools. “Volunteers unite around a common goal of completing free home repairs for low-income or handicapped seniors each year on the last Saturday in April,” Tri-Country Christmas in Action media and public relations spokesperson Suzette Mulnix said. “Volunteers provide home repairs to make our seniors’ homes safe and functional for the owner while improving the community as a whole.” Funds for the home repairs are provided by private donations and fundraisers in
the Tri-County area. “Money is raised for these projects at our golf fundraiser called ‘Golf FORE a Great Cause’ at the Coyote Preserve in Fenton,” Mulnix said. “This fundraiser will be held on September 19. We also receive monetary donations to pay for home repairs. Christmas in Action is run entirely by volunteers. None of our members are paid.” For this year’s event, many local seniors have sent in applications for home repairs to the group. These applications and a list of home repairs that need to be done are then approved by the Christmas in Action board. There is certain criteria that must be met in order for a project to be approved by the board. “This year we have several houses that are looking into in the Tri-County area,” Mulnix said. “We have been receiving applications from seniors and we are visiting their homes and getting applications filled out and looking over each home to put together a list of work that needs to be done. We, as volunteers, try to help the homeowner with every aspect of this process.” Christmas in Action is always looking for new volunteers. Those interested in volunteering can fill out a volunteer application at www. ciageneseeco.org/ volunteer.
NEWS 3
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Student council
Getting Involved E M A N YOUR
YOUR SLOGAN
Student Council looks to elect new members and recruit representatives for the 2014-2015 school year By Ellie Cowger Editor-In-Chief
With Staff Appreciation Week at the beginning of May, the student council will complete their final event for its school year and pass their duties to a new set of members who will be elected or will volunteer to join after elections. Anyone in the student body is encouraged to join Student Council to help plan school dances, spirit weeks and charity events. Commitments to staying a member of the council include attending weekly morning meetings and volunteering with a minimum of two events a semester. “We are looking for responsible students who have the initiative to talk to administrators, community members and their fellow students,” Starr said. “Your time commitment is based on the position you hold. The more responsibility, the more of a time commitment it is.” The election process for the 2014-2015 school year begins in mid-May when interested students can pick up a petition from sponsor Jill Starr’s room. “To get into student council students must turn in a completed petition of 25 signatures from their classmates,” Starr said. “Candidates running for office must shoot a video that will be aired before elections take place. Those just choosing to be a class representative do not need to shoot a video.” While student council provides students with an opportunity to get involved with school events, it also provides an opportunity to gain experience in leadership.
“My advice for anyone who is considering participating in student council is just to join,” senior all school vice president Corinne Beemer said. “It’s not hard and you get to help with so many activities and good causes. If you’re a freshman or sophomore and are looking to hold a leadership position, student council is a good opportunity for that. Everything we do is for a good cause and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get involved. It is definitely been a great experience in leadership, responsibility and service.” With 2013-2014 new school year came new activities that the student council hosted. These events included the Homecoming Spirit Tent, Sadie’s Powder Tuff and getting the entire student body involved in staff appreciation week. “This year’s student council worked extremely hard,” Starr said. “I was a little worried when the year began because my co-sponsor, Ms. Armstrong, left for a position in a different school district. Those worries were eliminated when I saw the dedication and effort this year’s group was putting forth. I hope to have the same if not more participation as this year because everything went very well.” New all school officers will fill the role that is left empty by graduating seniors, while new class officers will also be elected. “I’m proud of the accomplishments due to the leadership of seniors by planning new activities and increasing school spirit,” all school secretary Tori Chapin said. “I hope that next years student council keeps the traditions we have established.“
What it takes to take charge: President
Vice President
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•To preside over all Student Council meetings in the absence of the president •To communicate & report to Student Council advisor(s) on a regular basis •To attend all Student Council meetings •To assist the President at the monthly meetings of the Flint Metro League Student Council •To assist the President in coordinating activities of the Flint Metro League Student Council
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www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Election 2014 Left. Checking the top of his driver’s license for the number, a student completes his voter registration application. By filling it out, he will be eligible to vote in the May 6 election. Below. Both with their eyes on their applications, seniors Luke Fralick and Thomas McWilliams fill in their voter registration forms. The process took approximately five minutes for the 18 year olds.
ote
Fifty-five 18 year olds take first step to vote in May 6 election By Ellie Cowger Editor-In-Chief
With the May 6 election approaching, the student council took measures to get as many 18 year old students registered to vote as possible. Brought to their attention by Assistant Principal Laura Lemke, the student council became interested in hosting a voter registration for any FHS student or staff member who wanted to become a registered voter. John Gleason, the county clerk of Genesee County, was contacted to see if he would be interested in attending the voter registration. As a result, the council set up a voter registration session during SRT on March 31 where students could become eligible voters for the upcoming election under the supervision of the Gleason and Principal Mark Suchowski. “Well humans are creatures of habit and once
you establish the habit of voting you will take it throughout your life,” Gleason said. “I’d like to see 100 percent participation with voters. One of the most important things young people can do is respect the different views of our citizens and students body members.” The main reason student council looked to hold a registration event at the high school during school hours was to give students a reminder about the importance of voting along with the chance to become a registered voter. “It was easier for students to [register] while they were in school so they don’t have to go to the secretary of state’s office,” Suchowski said. ”It is a great thing that County Clerk Gleason wanted to promote this. I also think it is part of everyone’s civic duty. If you want to be an American citizen, you should participate in the democratic process, which includes voting.”
Alyssa Trapp | PHoto Editor
to
Registered
While voting is a civic duty for Americans, many high schoolers see it as a right of passage into adulthood, a chance to impact America’s future and a way to get involved in politics. “Having the opportunity to register made me feel like the school really wants to help us get involved in the real world,” senior Mackenzie Deputy said. “By having this opportunity, we have the chance to really change things and shape the future into how we want to live.” The registration was also scheduled for a time where residents of Fenton Schools would have an opportunity to vote on the upcoming bond proposal on May 6. “There are basically three areas we are looking to fund with the bond,” Suchowski said. “What we want to do is upgrade our technology, improve our security and update our buses.” As a result of the voter registration blitz, ap-
proximately 55 students became registered voters. Gleason took the Genesee County applicants’ forms back to his office to be processed while Suchowski mailed the Livingston and Oakland County forms. Voters received registration cards in the mail approximately two weeks after registering. Any citizen 18 or older who has not registered can print out a form at www.Michigan.gov/sos, fill it out and mail it to their county clerk’s office. Once the application has been processed, registered voters will receive a voter identification card in the mail which must be taken to the voting site. While it is too late for voters to register for the May 6 election, they may become a registered voter for all other future elections by going to the secretary of state’s office or by filling out an application online 30 days prior to the election in which they choose to participate.
Run, Tiger, Run
Fourth annual Tiger Run set for May 17 bringing in enough money compared to the amount of work required. The Tiger Trot was added the second year. “We added the Tiger Trot because the 5K was a little too long for kids Early in the morning on May 17, people from Fenton and the surroundand since we took away the pig roast and family carnival, we still needed ing areas will gather for the fourth annual 5K Tiger Run and third annual something for kids,” Bakker said. “It’s about getting those kids to participate Tiger Trot. The event is the exact same as last year and Athletic Director in a run that is shorter and more age appropriate for them to have some fun Mike Bakker expects a good turnout to help raise money for the Athletic and enjoy that part of the day.” Department. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and everything will be done and over with “We’d like to see a couple hundred people in the 5K, and the Tiger before noon. Trot has always been successful with a lot of kids and hopefully that will “I ran it in 8th grade and I’m hoping to run it this year,” sophomore continue to be successful,” Bakker said. “The day that we’re running it is Emily Kinser said. “I recommend people attend because it brings the comArmed Forces Day. We are working on possibly getting a color guard here munity together and it looks good for Fenton High School.” for the start of it.” The race is a certified course, meaning runners can use the time as a The event is run by a committee of five people and is assisted by many standard that may be needed for another race they wish to participate in. volunteers on race day. The 5K is the first race in the morning with the “I did it because it was in Fenton, it was a run and I like running,” freshTiger Trot right after. One of the participants last year was gym teacher man Lucas English said. “I’ve trained a little bit more this year, and I’m Becky Moore. hoping to do better than last year.” “It’s a great time to be out and it’s a real race,” Moore said. “It’s for a A printer friendly registration form can be found good cause, and one that’s pretty important to online at FHS’ website or can be picked up in the athletic me. It’s good from a physical fitness standpoint Tiger Run Facts office. All forms must be sent in by May 2. so I do it to promote that as well; I did it too to “It’s a great event, we have a lot of fun. It’s a flat set a good example for my kids.” 5K Run & Walk: 8:30 a.m. course, so it’s an easy run or easy walk,” Bakker said. “We The idea for the run came from the effort to Tiger Trot: 9:30 a.m. encourage people come on out to have some fun and do combat declining athletic funds. It was a comFor more information regarding the Athletic Department fundraiser, see the a little physical fitness as well as help support the Athletic munity 5K and pig roast the first year, but the roast was not worth continuing because it wasn’t FHS website or visit the athletic office. Department.” By Alexis Megdanoff
Monica Bradburn | PHoto Editor
Writer
Tiger Trot. Athletic Director Mike Bakker races his son to the finish line at last year’s third annual Tiger Trot. The 2014 event will take place on May 17. Races begin at 8:30 a.m. and will be finished by noon.
NEWS 5
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Getting Personal After devoting nearly eight months to their MYP personal projects, 286 sophomores will present their final products on April 29 By Shealyn Mandle news editor
Prom 2014
Touch of Class Prom set for May 3; a Roaring ‘20s theme and celebrity appearance make it unlike previous years By Kaylee Vasbinder writer
Taking a cue from the popular film “The Great Gatsby,” the prom theme will be transporting students back to the Roaring Twenties, where flappers and modernists created a “Touch of Class.” “People should expect a fun night with good music,” junior Lydia Berkey said. “I don’t want to give away too much because we want people to come and experience it for themselves, but it should be a great night.” The committee is focusing on a color scheme that utilizes gold, black and white with accents of red as well as silhouettes in the hallway along the staircase. An authentic 1920s car will be parked outside to help emphasize the theme. “Being on prom committee, I learned a lot about things like prioritizing and especially problem solving,” junior Bri Matilla said. “I got to be creative with all of the decorations and we’re all working really hard to make sure there’s a lot going on so that everyone has a good time.” The official DJ for the Detroit Lions and channel 105.5, DJ Chachi, will be playing a wide variety of popular songs. Hicks Studio will be taking the traditional prom pictures, and there will be a photo booth. A sit down dinner will also be served, each attendee will have their choice of herb crusted steak, herb crusted chicken or a pasta choice. “We’re really excited about what we’re doing with the theme,especially since other schools like Lake Fenton and Linden have similar ideas,” junior Sarah Lawrence said. “Also, Justin Hang is bringing Disney Channel star Allie DeBerry, which will probably attract a lot of community members too.”
Hang had posted a video asking 19year-old DeBerry to prom on March 15. He already had some online connections with the actress. He had Instagramed funny pictures created by an app of them together. She liked a few of them online and they joked about the photos. “Although I was nervous for her reaction, it seemed to turn out well,” Hang said. “I tried making a legit video with the clips that are seen in the final video at first, but things didn’t work out so I just ended up talking to a camera about why she should go to prom with me.” DeBerry is best known for her role as Paisley Houndstooth on Disney Channel’s “A.N.T. Farm.” Hang first discovered her when his little sister was watching Disney Channel and saw her on screen and had to find out who she was. “Allie already knew I existed, so I decided to go for it and ask her to prom,” Hang said. “The worst she could say was no. I didn’t expect to get the 1.5K retweets on Twitter, but a challenge is a challenge so I took it on.” Hang tweeted the video to her March 20 and less than an hour later got a response from her. She tweeted “Too funny! 1,500 rts and I’ll go!” After reaching 1K retweets on twitter, he got some help from Ryan Seacrest. “I was surprised I got into contact with Ryan,” Hang said. “I never would have thought that it would happen. One of the student’s mom got me connected with an alumni who was connected with Ryan and she told me he wanted to do a segment with me.” Soon after he reached the retweets, DeBerry tweeted “I’d better go pick out my dress!” on March 27. torrey christopher | editor-in-chief
Researching different running shoes for his personal project sophomore Jake Lee learns what kind of shoes are on the market for all types of training. “I chose researching running shoes because I have been running since I was a kid,” Lee said. “It is a topic that interests me and I learned the effects running shoes have if you use them for the wrong purpose.” The MYP (Middle Years Program) Personal Project was introduced three years ago as a part of the IB program. In order to receive SRT credit students must complete 20 process journals, a report and a display of their final product. “I was proud of all my SRT students’ projects last year,” Video Productions teacher Rich Ashley said. “I spend a lot of time encouraging my students to pick something they will enjoy doing/ working on because the projects go on for a few months.” The projects have varied from students teaching younger children new skills to students teaching themselves new skills, such as learning how to play an instrument or building •Helps students to departs to a car. “For my MYP velop attributes of the project, I learned IB learner profile the Pledge of •Provides students with Allegiance and an essential opportu‘Twinkle Twinkle nity to demonstrate Little Star’ in ATL skills developed sign language,” through MYP and fossophomore Callah Sullivan ter the develpment of said. “Recently, I independent, lifelong taught the pledge learners. to a seventh •It supports the develgrade class and the song to a first opment of skills, habits, grade class; Not and attitudes that will only did I enjoy need at college or in doing this project, but the kids I the workforce taught did, too.” Students pick a topic that has to do with their interests because they have to write the relation between their interests and the project in the report. “I enjoy music, so I decided to learn a song on my soprano saxaphone for my project,” sophomore Mitchell Ferris said. “I also like playing video games, so the song I am learning is ‘Mario Brothers.’” The purpose of the Personal Project is to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the Areas of Interaction (AOI) and how they can expand their learning techniques. By using the skills they have developed through their normal classes, the design cycle and using the Approaches to Learning skills (ATL), they will showing their ability to plan, design, research, create and present. “The ATL skills in the journals aren’t just random or made up by IB; they are real life buzz words useful for college and interviews because they are going to want to know students can use these skills,” SRT teacher Brett Mead said. “Students should want to do this as a possible showcase to show their individualism and show that they can stand out in the crowd.” The showcase will take place on April 29 in the main gym and the auxiliary gym from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Personal Project:
6 NEWS
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group of about 30 FHS students grades 10 - 12 have participated in mission trips to Dorie’s Promise Orphanage in Guatemala. On the trips, the students play with the children and also do community service projects in Guatemala to help combat the abject poverty in the region. “The water there is the worst in the world,” junior Sarah Johnson said. “A good way to help the community besides loving on the children is to provide clean water. We bring water filters and sink-like structures which provide a place to store water. The biggest thing about the trip is the way your perspective changes. I like how there are students in so many grades involved so we can raise awareness in the school.” An approximately 70 student fundraising effort for this cause started with a cancelled movie. After a power outage cancelled a class field trip to the movie theater, sophomore Michael Fabatz asked his class to donate their $7 ticket money to buy water filters for Guatemala. Almost all of the class agreed and 12 filters were purchased with the funds. Fabatz later attended a mission trip to Guatemala and was able to see the effect of the repurposed ticket funds firsthand. “I went on the mission trip to Guatemala during winter break and it changed me,” Fabatz said. “I saw the need for clean water and the impact of this water poverty. I was able to hand out water filters and see the positive impact they had. This made me want to see what else we could do.” At Fabatz’s request, his Honors American Studies (AMS) class agreed to do more fundraising as an MYP community service project. The class broke into small groups to develop a logo, website and a fundraising strategy. “My group is called the One World Water Project,” Fabatz said. “We want the fundraisers to be more than just asking people for money. We want to get the student body involved in a fun way. My group’s fundraising idea is to have another Ambassadors concert to raise money.” The Honors American Studies class is also working with the Advanced Video Production class that produces “It’s Early in the Morning” to create a public service announcement (PSA) to advertise the fundraising project. Members of advanced video met with the class to discuss storyboards and a rough outline of how the videos will be created. “Each person in the group came up with a storyboard and then as a group we picked one storyboard,” Fabatz said. “We want the videos to be between 30 seconds and a minute and advertise the fundraiser to the student body.” The class gave presentations to a group of video students about their PSA and fundraising ideas. The AMS class voted to use Fabatz’s as a fundraiser, but the final decision by the Advanced Video class and Mrs. Rausch was not made at the time of press. The advanced video class has met with the group and looked at the different storyboards and has begun selecting a fundraising and PSA idea that will be easiest to execute. This project gave sophomore students the opportunity to do something different with their.
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A group of about 30 FHS students grades 10 - 12 have participated in mission trips to Dorie’s Promise Orphanage in Guatemala. On the trips, the students play with the children and also do community service projects in Guatemala to help combat the abject poverty in the region. “The water there is the worst in the world,” junior Sarah Johnson said. “A good way to help the community besides loving on the children is to provide clean water. We bring water filters and sinklike structures which provide a place to store water. The biggest thing about the trip is the way your perspective changes. I like how there are students in so many grades involved so we can raise awareness in the school.” An approximately 70 student fundraising effort for this cause started with a cancelled movie. After a power outage cancelled a class field trip to the movie theater, sophomore Michael Fabatz asked his class to donate their $7 ticket money to buy water filters for Guatemala. Almost all of the class agreed and 12 filters were purchased with the funds. Fabatz later attended a mission trip to Guatemala and was able to see the effect of the repurposed ticket funds firsthand. “I went on the mission trip to Guatemala during winter break and it changed me,” Fabatz said. “I saw the need for clean water and the impact of this water poverty. I was able to hand out water filters and see the positive impact they had. This made me want to see what else we could do.” At Fabatz’s request, his Honors American Studies (AMS) class agreed to do more fundraising as an MYP community service project. The class broke into small groups to develop a logo, website and a fundraising strategy. “My group is called the One World Water Project,” Fabatz said. “We want the fundraisers to be more than just asking people for money. We want to get the student body involved in a fun way. My group’s fundraising idea is to have another Ambassadors concert to raise money.” The Honors American Studies class is also working with the Advanced Video Production class that produces “It’s Early in the Morning” to create a public service announcement (PSA) to advertise the fundraising project. Members of advanced video met with the class to discuss storyboards and a rough outline of how the videos will be created. “Each person in the group came up with a storyboard and then as a group we picked one storyboard,” Fabatz said. “We want the videos to be between 30 seconds and a minute and advertise the fundraiser to the student body.” The class gave presentations to a group of video students about their PSA and fundraising ideas. The AMS class voted to use Fabatz’s as a fundraiser, but the final decision by the Advanced Video class and Mrs. Rausch was not made at the time of press. The advanced video class has met with the group and looked at the different storyboards and has begun selecting a fundraising and PSA idea that will be easiest to execute. This project gave sophomore students the opportunity to do something different with their.
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Student Council hosts registering event for all 18 year old students to vote in the May 6 election; register 55 voters
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8 opinion
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Staff ED
Consuming Students’ Lives School activities prevent students from developing the ability to plan their own lives Volunteer at the next blood drive for National Honor Society. Practice for the softball game tomorrow. Go to the Key Club meeting on Wednesday. Graduation practice is coming up next week. Study for finals. The to-do list never ends. There is no question about it; high schools offer many activities and opportunities for students to be involved in the school, but all of those activities come at a cost to the student, who becomes consumed with high school. The cost of playing sports, volunteering, going to social events and taking difficult classes during high school is not limited to the amount of time and energy it takes to complete all of these activities, but the fact that all of these opportunities are offered to students in a sheltered setting, given to them as long as they can pay and find the time to be a part of them. High school is a full time job, but it shouldn’t be. Being a part of so many activities is part of the “high school experience” some would say, but the overall purpose of high school is lost and forgotten in the wake of the “high school experience.” The purpose of middle school is to prepare children for high school and the purpose of high school is to prepare teenagers for college and the workforce. In the future, all events are not planned for students, students must seek out the activities they wish to be a part of and plan their own lives and schedules. In college and the workforce, students Mackenzie Figueroa | Artist
STAFF ED The staff selects a topic for each
issue and votes to determine the direction the editorial will take. The majority rules and the editorial is written from that angle.
do not have their volunteer hours planned for them; a student in college cannot sign their name next to a time slot and be magically signed up to volunteer like high school students can do as members of the National Honor Society or Key Club. In the workforce, teachers will not be there to excuse tardies or accept late work. In college, there are limited counselors to help plan every scholastic move compared to high school. In college and the workforce, students will not know how to take charge of their own lives because in high school, no one gave them the chance to go off on their own, make mistakes and discover the world on their own. Rather than allowing parents and teachers to be so active in sheltering and aiding high school students, students should be given the chance to take initiative and plan events they wish to be a part of. Students should be able to seek their own volunteer opportunities, not depend on the ones provided to them. Students should be able to start clubs and develop the plan to make them successful. Students should be allowed and encouraged to leave the boundaries of high school to seek independent activities. Students should take hold of their lives now and learn how to create, for themselves, a successful future. In high school all of the opportunities are given to us, we are sheltered to the point of not being able to learn and grow in the world and workforce without help.
AT ISSUE Are there too many opportuni-
ties for high school to consume our lives and leave us unprepared for the future?
OUR VIEW Yes. School activities have been
blown out of proportion and leave students at a loss once high school is a thing of the past.
Disagree: 4
Columnist
alyssa Trapp| photo editor
Double “O” Dawson
Find the Hero in Your Heart
Super powers do not make the true hero; but the man or woman inside does Cast aside Superman’s powers, and what remains? An individual who wants to help others and better the world. Sometimes we look at superheroes and their powers or abilities too much. Underneath Iron Man’s suit lies a man who wants to do the best he can for those around him, as does Batman and Captain America. But when we think of superheroes, we are not drawn to the ideals or concepts they fight for, such as patriotism, instead we think of flying in the MK V Iron Man Suit, or repelling buildings via Bat-tech. These powers and abilities that writers and authors bestow upon their characters are merely a crutch for these heroes to use. Captain America is a perfect example of this idea. We begin with a scrawny, yet passionate, individual, who through being subject to “I am Hercules” steroids, becomes one of the strongest heroes in fiction. This is the exact opposite of the message that we should be presenting. I would rather see Captain America remain Scrawny McPassion, and become a hero all the same, because that’s how it really is in life.
It doesn’t take dead parents and a billionaire fortune to take a stand against crime, nor should it. The only thing that keeps individuals from doing so is a simple choice between what is right and what is easy. I don’t need to be able to shoot webs from my hands in order to help people, superpowers are no more than a crutch that make the doing the right thing easier. Look to our firefighters and police members. Not one of them has superpowers, last I checked, yet all of them have saved lives, helped others, and bettered their communities. These heroes carry their righteous morals and ideals into every encounter, just as Captain America or Batman would do. The great truth about heroes though, is that we are just as capable as our police forces or firefighters to do the right thing not just for ourselves, but for the greater whole. For the last three years I have been a lifeguard for both Fenton High and Holly Township. When I wrote lifeguard, you may have imagined the more, let’s say, dramatic aspect of the role. In full honesty, I can say that I have never needed to make a save, perform CPR or call an ambulance. The most exciting action I have undertaken as a lifeguard is simply applying bandages for children, rivaled only by checking coolers for forbidden beers. However, while these actions seem trivial, they are the products of my morals and the situation presented. If I were not vigilant, people could be hurt. The same is true for discipline; not simply enforcing the rules, but following them with respect. One requires bravery, knowing full well that the person you’re trying to save could accidentally drown you. I’m no Aquaman, but when I hit the ground running, I carry with me a hero’s heart. Even the slightest of our actions carry heroism with them. Coming to school each day, devoting your all to completing the tasks before you, and returning home to prepare for the upcoming day, is no different than any other hero on this planet. Allow the hero on the inside to become who you are, and at the end of each day you will be able to look back on the day’s events as not just a simple day of school, but a crusade against the darkness that lies in ignorance, laziness, and the harming of others.
Agree: 16
Abstain: 0
The Creed of Brad Dawson I am Brad Dawson, son of Bill and Tracey, brother of Thomas, I stand against sin in its many forms, stalwart and vigilant, For the only time sin advances is when good men retreat, I swear to drive out ignorance for understanding, I swear to replace fear with acceptance, For no soul is beyond redemption, nor care, Where I see hate, I strive for love, Where I see pain, I strive for healing, Where I see despair, I strive for hope, I am Brad Dawson, son of Bill and Tracey, brother of Thomas, I carry the virtues of the righteous in both thought and action, For though I am one, and my foes many, I may die with a smile on my face, knowing that I did right, I pledge myself to no nation or king, For I fight for the common men of this planet, Until at last I depart, and the torch is passed on to our heirs.
OPINION 9
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Gay Marriage
Same Sex, Same Rights? In 2004, Michigan voters declared same sex marriage illegal. Ten years later, on March 21, 2014, District Judge Friedman declared the law unconstitutional, allowing Michigan citizens to marry anyone regardless of sex. The day following Friedman’s decision, the case was frozen and moved up to the Appeals Court, where it remains. Those married within the time frame between Friedman’s decision and when the case was moved up will still be recognized as legal partners; however, they will not receive the same benefits as heterosexual marriage until a final decision is made.
InPrint
gay marriage should not be allowed. We accept one and not the other. It will only be a matter of time before people realize this is simply another step forward that people will take as a society, and there is nothing to fear from it. Same-sex couples also may want to be able to adopt children together to make sure the children stay in the family in case of death or injury. As of now, individuals can adopt children, but they can’t be considered the couple’s, just the children of the person who completed the adoption. If something By Bailey Gauss happens to one of the parents, the other cannot Features editor help the child. It is easy to see how this could cause problems in a medical emergency. With times changing, gay Some say that children under the care of gay marriage should become an parents are more likely to be depressed compared to children with “normal” parents. According accepted part of our society to the American Psychology Association, A recent Honey Maid graham cracker ad paintchildren adopted into lesbian and gay ed a different picture of a family than most comfamilies are as well-adjusted as children mercials show. With the slogan “No matter how adopted by heterosexual parents, and follow things change, what makes us wholesome never similar patterns of gender development. No will. Honey Maid. Everyday wholesome snacks for one would rather be in the orphanage for the every wholesome family,” the ad featured a two-dad rest of their life. They still have loving parents, family as a socially acceptable relationship. and they are probably happier with their As the ad demonstrates, there is nothing truly adopted parents than stuck in foster care. It wrong with gay marriage. Same-sex couples are would not be a problem at all if not asking religious institutions to wed them. All having gay parents was not so they want is recognition in the eyes of the law. They discriminated against. want the same rights given to heterosexual married The 1967 Supreme couples because they are not any different. court case Loving v. People may say the word marriage is a religious Virginia confirmed term and applies to only a man and woman. that marAlthough they are technically correct, that is not riage is one the true problem here. The idea of marriage is more a basic civil about the binding of two people who love each right. This applies to other, not their sex. Angering the church solves everyone, not just hetnothing, legal recognition is what is important. erosexual couples. This case Legal recognition means a lot of things, such as continues to cause more being able to make life or death medical decisions controversy the longer for the other partner, and joint tax filing. it goes on, and if society The Bible states that divorce could just see that sameshould not be allowed. Regardless, sex couples are the same as many heterosexuals who no longer opposite sex couples, wish to be married go through with society would move it anyway. The Bible also states that on quicker. Mackenzie Figueroa | Artist Editors-In-Chief: Torrey Christopher, Ellie Cowger, Allie Howell News Editors: Shealyn Mandle, Hudson Villeneuve Opinion Editor: Caitlin Heenan Sports Editor: Cassidy Rourke Features Editor: Bailey Gauss Online Editor: Lauren Davis Photo Editors: Monica Bradburn, Julie Pearson, Alyssa Trapp Business Staff: Rachel Bellinger, Sammie Schneider Adviser: Pamela Bunka
Fenton Senior High School 3200 W. Shiawassee Avenue Fenton, MI 48430
By Torrey Christopher Editor-In-Chief
Marriage should remain as a legal union between a man and woman, not same sex couples As the gay rights movement continues in full swing, it now seems impossible to watch a TV show without seeing at least one lesbian or gay couple. In an attempt to cover all social groups and promote equality, shows like ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ feature homosexuals in addition to traditional, heterosexual relationships. Allowing this type of relationship is negatively impacting what is socially acceptable. According to the Defense of Marriage Act, marriage is defined as a legal union of one man and one woman. There are exclusions to this law, including marrying a child, a close blood relative, and a person who is already married. In 32 of the 50 states it is also illegal to marry someone of the same sex. While some believe banning gays from marriage is an act of inequality, it is no different than any of the other restrictions. Marriage restrictions are put in place to define what marriage is: a bond between a man and woman. The Bible, which is where the term marriage originated, tells us through the story of Adam and Eve that God created a
man and woman to be wed. Genesis 2:18-25 states “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Nowhere in Genesis, or any other story of the Bible, does it say that Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve were to be joined together as one. The opposing viewpoint is right that divorce is also a sin, but those who choose to divorce must ask God for forgiveness. There are circumstances where it is unsafe for a person to be with their partner and divorce is the only option. In those instances divorce is tolerated by the church, but it is not encouraged. Gays, on the other hand, are making a conscious choice to go against the Bible. One reason marriage was created was to act as the foundation of a family. Gay marriage, on the other hand, has no benefit to society in this way because these couples cannot produce their own children. If gay’s marry, then children and grandchildren will no longer be taught the value of mothers and fathers being the nucleus of a family. Those in favor of homosexual marriage say these couples can adopt children, however, according to a study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, children raised by homosexual parents were more likely to suffer from depression. In addition they have lower education attainment rates and have been arrested more often. The most common argument in favor of gay marriage is that it is not the responsibility of the government to tell the people who they can or cannot love. The study from Texas, however, continued to say children of gay families received welfare more often than those who lived in traditional families. With this new law, all taxpayers will be responsible for providing for these families making it both society’s and the government’s concern. While financial stability and the right to make medical decisions may also be driving factors to get married, it is not the only way to receive benefits such as inheritance and medical decision rights. If the law is repealed, they may still secure their rights through a Health Care Proxy or a will. For the sake of keeping the term marriage what it was intended to be, the government should ban gay marriage.
Writers: Brad Dawson, Ymani Ethridge, Mackenzie Figueroa, Lauren Lenz, Alexis Megdonoff, Carly Riggs, Sam Smith, Kaylee Vasbinder, Amanda West, Riley Wilson
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging 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.”
Photographers: Lydia Berkey, Alyssa Branoff, Nathan Brown, MaKenzie Cool, Hope Dagenais, Madison Dagenais, Josh Dagg, Asa Green, Alexis Kelly, Erica Kolanowski, Ty Reish
About InPrint The InPrint is a student-led newspaper published every four weeks by the Advanced Journalism class at Fenton High School. We are open forum. Editorials Editorials are staff editorials on which the entire class votes to decide the stance taken. Opinions expressed in editorials are not necessarily those of the administration. Columns Columns represent the opinion of the individual writer and do not reflect those of the administration. Student Polls Polls represent a random sampling of 120 students of the 1,190 students attending the school.
Artist: Mackenzie Figueroa
Phone (810) 591-2968 E-mail pbunka@fenton.k12.mi.mi.us fentoninprint.com
First amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Mackenzie Figueroa | Artist
Letters to the Editor The staff encourages students, staff and administrators to submit guest columns or letters to the editor. Letters and guest columns may be emailed to pbunka@fenton.k12.mi.us or deposited in the boxes in the main office or the media center. All letters must be signed and include a phone number to verify information. Letters are subject to editing for space. Anonymous letters and those that are photocopied or addressed to a third person will not be considered. Photography Pictures considered offensive will not be run without written consent from the persons pictured and, if necessary, his/her legal guardian. All photography
not labeled as a photo illustration has not been digitally altered in any way to change the content of the original. Corrections If the paper prints incorrect information, any necessary corrections will be made in the next issue. Advertising InPrint reserves the right to edit any advertisement that is considered to be in poor taste for a high school publication, or one that in any way suggests a violation of federal, state or local laws. Through a voting process, the editorial board makes the final decision whether an advertisement should be published.
10 OPINION
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Stay Strong
With determination one will succeed in whatever they set their mind to By Torrey Christopher editor-in-chief
Is the Affordable Care Act
Actually Affordable
Obamacare fails to help uninsured Americans; the law’s taxes and fees will devastate economy By Allie Howell editor-in-chief
The Obamacare enrollment period has officially ended and the propaganda spewing from the White House insists that despite the initial disaster of a rollout the program has been a success. After all, they say, seven million Americans have enrolled on the healthcare website. Contrary to what the White House says, this seven million signup number is not at all worthy of a celebration. The public has not been informed of any details about these new enrollees. We do not know how many have paid for their plan, how many were previously uninsured and if they are healthy or not. National Review Online estimates that of the seven million people signed up only six million are expected to actually receive coverage due to many of the enrollees failure to pay for their plans. Surveys show that two thirds or less of new enrollees were previously uninsured. This leads to only two million previously uninsured people receiving insurance - a far cry from original goals of 19 million from the Congressional Budget Office. Also, we do not know how many of these signups are part of the five million Americans that actually lost their insurance because of Obamacare. Oh wait, weren’t Americans promised that they could keep their insurance plans? The dishonesty of Obamacare aside, Health consultant Howard J. Peterson wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer that the first four years of Obamacare have only solved about 10% of the problem for the uninsured.
Even more disheartening than these low enrollment numbers is the negative impact this law will have on the economy. The Health Insurance Tax which is designed to generate revenue for the law is predicted to devastate the economy. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the costs of this tax will be passed on to consumers which will result in much higher healthcare costs. The National Federation of Independent Businesses projects that the Health Insurance Tax will add $475 per year to the average individually purchased family policy. Small businesses will also take a hit with the cost of an employer provided family policy increasing by $6,800. Small and medium sized businesses will be hit hardest by this tax and will most likely have to lay off workers to pay for the escalating costs of healthcare. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that Obamacare will cause the economy to lose an equivalent of 2.5 million workers. Consider the $27.6 billion in revenue grossed by McDonalds last year. According to the Wall Street Journal, “this new tax on our health insurance is projected to drill a hole in our economy as big as MCdonalds in just eight years, with the overwhelming majority of the damage falling on already struggling small business.” This law also blatantly undermines the American dream. America was founded on the principle of hard work to make a better life for yourself. However, with the passing of the Affordable Care Act, it will be cheaper for many workers to stay in lower paying jobs. Obamacare actually encourages Americans to stay poor and receive benefits
photo illustration josh daag | Photogra-
OBAMACARE
to do so. As stated in a USA Today article, Americans will suddenly be asking themselves if they can actually afford their paycheck. Many Obamacare supporters including White House chief economist Jason Furman call the shrinking labor force “liberating” for workers. Even more disgusting than the counterproductive effect of this law on the U.S. economy is the blatant disregard for the value of hard work. There is nothing “liberating” about encouraging people to avoid their grownup responsibility of participating in the workforce. Overall, this “liberation” will devastate the U.S. economy. With less Americans working hard and benefiting the workforce, our economy will become less prosperous and less dynamic. Countries where citizens get paid based on the radical concept of productivity will surpass America in the efficiency of their production. The question of who will have to pay for this joke of a program is actually quite simple. It is essential to the law’s functioning that the younger population pay for the brunt of new costs. Young, healthy Americans will be paying high premiums in order to subsidize older beneficiaries. Given Obamacare’s low signup number and devastation to small businesses, the youngest generation of American’s and the economy as a whole, this law needs to be reconsidered. There are better alternatives to this mess of a law such as modifying public policy to make insurance more affordable that would avoid a giant blanket of crushing regulation from covering the country.
Looking online for a basketball trainer at the end of my freshman year, I came across Hill Road Hoops. After clicking on their webpage, I found a list of three personal trainers and knowing nothing about any of them I told my mom I wanted to train with John Buterakos. From the moment I met John, I knew I picked the right trainer. He knew basketball well, and I was confident he would make me work hard and help me improve my skills. People come into our lives for a reason. As time went on and I began to get to know John better, he became like a second dad to me. We opened up and told each other details about our personal lives while I worked on my shooting form or practiced my ball handling skills. Before I knew it, my hour training session would be over, but sometimes John would let me stay longer, without charging me, so we could finish our game of one-on-one or a three point contest. About a year after I began training with him, John was diagnosed with stage four Sarcomatoid Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer in his jaw. While doctors said the odds of him surviving were small, John is a fighter, and after a long tough battle full of chemo and radiation, John became the first person in the world to overcome Sarcomatoid Carcinoma. Currently, there have been eight cases diagnosed and John is still the only person to survive. While John was still trying to beat cancer I continued to train with another basketball trainer. I never did forget the times I spent with him and I felt like something was missing from my time I played in the gym. You never know when the last time you do something will be, so it is important to value the times you spend doing the thing you love. For me, that was playing basketball at Hill Road Hoops with John Buterakos. My junior year I was cut from the varsity basketball team and since then I have put my shoes in my closet. Today I still miss playing basketball and working out with John. My days of dribbling the basketball are over. However, I now work at Hill Road Hoops and babysit for John’s daughter, Mckenna. I have never stopped learning from John and the pain he went through. The strength and determination he has inspires me every day to accomplish my goals. If John can survive cancer when all the odds are against him, then surely I can do whatever it is I set my mind to. Through his story I have learned that other people’s words will not determine my success, just because someone thinks I am not smart enough or cannot run fast enough does not mean I will not rise to the occasion and surpass even my own expectations. When the doctors said John would not survive it he had two options. He could have given up and decided to accept his fate, but instead he fought harder. Although I am not battling cancer, John’s ability to rise above the expectations set for him is something I strive to do in both athletics and academics. Too often people say they cannot do something and give up because its “too hard” or because they are afraid of failing. John is an example to all of us to remember there is no hardship we cannot overcome. When I think my life is terrible or I am stressed out I think about his story. If my only stress is that I failed a test or have a lot of homework to catch up on, then I am really quite fortunate.
OPINION 11
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Prejudice
World Born Blind
Society is incapable of eliminating prejudice, making the world an unfair, judged place By Caitlin Heenan opinion editor
Take a minute to reflect, to remember all the people you have judged. Think be considered a bonus. Unfortunately, people marry more often based on looks of all the people who have been denied chances and opportunities than for true, unconditional love. If we really stop and think as a society, because of the clothing they chose to wear, the size of those who are closest to us and mean the most to us are not the their body, the features of their face or even the most beautiful according to social expectations, but the color of their skin. people with the most valuable personalities. People judge other people. That When an individual judges another indiis just a fact; a fact of life that will vidual, only those two people are affected. The continue to be true, not because major issue comes when groups start to people are eternally mean-spirjudge groups. ited, but because of one simple The classic example of this group ability, our ability of sight. judgement is the beginning of slavery. The world should have White travelers go to Africa, see the been born blind, for the inhabitants with their dark skin purpose of eliminating and poor quality clothing and prejudice. The ability associate them with animals. of the human to see, These different people are taken combined with the advantage of as labor and proplearned response to erty. Slavery was started because compare ourselves to Africans looked different; they others creates a nasty seemed subhuman and were effect of split second forced into decades of abuse. judgements. Alex Stereotypes are also born Todorov, psychologist from group judging. As a whole, at Princeton University, members of society look at found through recent reindividuals and decide to lump search that peoples’ brains them into a category with people make judgements within of similar situations and are treated one tenth of a second of first according to their social stereotype. seeing another person. This For example, people see a young man response to judge based solely with gold chains and baggy clothes and on sight limits our willingness to the word thug comes to mind. People would accept others. treat that same boy differently and expect a difIt should not matter how fat or skinny ferent behavior from him if he were wearing a polo someone is. Personalities, rather than apand khaki shorts. pearance, should matter and be judged. People Whether individuals judge each other, or groups judge caitlin Heenan | opinion editor should want to make friends and know others who are groups, seeing should not be believing. Appearances change, but empathetic, caring and passionate, not friends who have the prettipeople are who they are and should be judged based on who they are and not est hair and smallest stomach. In love and matrimony, appearances should not what they appear to be. People as a whole should strive to get past their primimatter at all. Love is love and if a spouse just happens to be beautiful, it should tive sense of sight and get to know people before passing judgement.
#SorryNotSorry... But We Should Be Competition, social media helps create selfish, apathetic teenagers By Amanda West writer
The same girl who was a shoulder to cry on is now scrolling through her Twitter feed and rolling her eyes at her friend’s dramatics. Earlier that day, she was content to listen as her friend sobbed over her breakup. Now, distanced from the immediate situation by time, unshared grief and two glowing phones, she resents her friend’s eagerness to share her sadness with the world. I don’t care. Frankly, it’s frightening how frequently these words are said daily. However, the context in which these words are used is even more disheartening. Teenagers consistently invalidate others’ feelings, spurn responsibility and disrespect their parents with the aid of social media platforms and society’s acceptance of gossip. With the overwhelming influence of social media in our lives, teenagers are presented with overly emotional accounts and apathetic statements in equal amounts. While a bitter teenager proclaims his indifference (#idgaf), it becomes obvious the only thing he cares about is not caring (#sorrynotsorry). And it can be hard to care: when you’ve
seen the recesses of a brokenhearted teenager’s mind 20 times over, you stop responding to it. Though emotional attachments do not make teens care, one thing continues to pique their interest in each other: performance. Competition- in school, sports and social situations- is the element that makes people selfishly curious about others. We are taught to put ourselves first. We practice extra hours to become better than both our rivals and our own teammates. We choose not to share information for the fear that someone else will use it, and they will use it better. We are selfish with our talent and our time. The pressure to perform well athletically, academically and socially destroys our empathy, and we become too concerned with our own successes to worry ourselves about our peers’ struggles. When people do worry about the performance of others, it is to gossip. The struggling student is asking too many dumb questions. That star athlete is a coach’s pet. People only talk to her because they like her older brother. The talk is destructive and used by people to make themselves feel as if they have an advantage, when they aren’t even in the same competition. It’s a way to displace stress and self-esteem issues, which would diminish if gossip wasn’t a force that hurt everyone it touched. Each time a person degrades another, he is forcing himself to be compared with the man he just discredited, and in turn he must question himself. Even aid to others has become a destructive competition. Friendship is an investment and an identity, where one gives time and confidence to
another in exchange for the title of “best” friend. Awards and recognition are given to those who complete the most hours doing community service. Even in NHS, comprised of top students and volunteers, there are members who complete minimum hours to keep the status they can put on a college application. There are others who forge hours when applying for scholarships, and all members are aware of the advantage community service experience gives you when writing application essays. The goal is to be a good person- and there is still a competition for who is better and who is best. So why should you care? Time and time again, people have given up on others, claiming they can’t make other people care. Teachers may stop compromising with the difficult student in the back row. Friends may give up on giving comfort. Parents may dismiss their children as moody teenagers. This apathy is expected and accepted, but it shouldn’t be. People are responsible for caring about one another. However, they are also responsible for being people worthy of being cared about, by being people of substance rather than shallowness, and empathy rather than apathy. Forgive the dramatics, triviality and occasional cruelty of others. Concern yourself with their hardships and worries, with no ulterior motives aside from caring. Understand that competition is forced upon us as a society- our lifestyle, economy and system of thought are based around the idea that competition brings out the best of everything. Understand that it is not competition, but compassion, that brings out the best in people.
On My Mind Which of the five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hear) would you hate to lose the most? By Caitlin Heenan opinion editor
“I would hate to lose sight the most. The world is so beautiful and it would make my life harder if I couldn’t see.” Brook VanCamp, 11 “I can’t live without listening to Hunter Hayes. So I would hate to lose my sense of hearing.” Mallory Lockwood, 12
“I would never want to lose my sight. I couldn’t see where I was going and could run into something.” Rashard Ingram, 10
“Sight would be the worst sense to lose. There are a lot of beautiful things in the world that would be missed.” Emily Kinser, 10 “I would not want to lose my sight. I would rather see my surroundings than hear or feel them.” Keegan Pomnier, 9
12 Discover New Music
www.fentoninprint.com www.fentoninprint.com | December | April 29,6,2014 2013
DON’T
PLEASE
STOPMUSIC THE
RAP COUNTRY ROCK POP ALTERNATIVE METAL R&B TECHNO
R&B SoMo ( Joseph Somers-Morales,) originally a YouTuber, recently was discovered and signed with Republic Records. Check out his latest album “SoMo” that was released on April 8, 2014. If you like Aloe Blacc you would like SoMo.
RAP
ASAP Rocky (Rakim Mayers)- An American rapper from Harlem, New York City. His album Long. Live. ASAP was released in October of 2013 and reached number one the Billboard 200 chart. He also released a popular instrumental album during the summer of 2013. If you like Wiz Khalife, you may like ASAP Rocky.
At th has nom win his t ular star Invi and mus have in th
Discove New artists co
multiple genre By Torrey Christopher Editor-In-ChieF
POP Haim- The sister trio has been making music since they were young; however, recently they performed on “Saturday Night Live” and released a full length album “Days Are Gone” which features ‘70s rock and ‘80s pop style music. If you like Lorde, you may like Haim.
METAL A band known for their use of black makeup and attire, the Black Veil Brides began in 2006. They try to reach for social outcasts through their music, preaching to underdogs and the impaired to rise up and start doing something great. If you like Falling in Reverse, you may like Black Veil Brides.
TECHNO
Greg Notill- Starting his mixing at age 14, Notill has been creating music ever sense. His most resent release is “Call Us Orbeats. If you like Greg Virgil, you make like Greg Notill.
COUNTRY
Brett Eldredge- This country newc 2010, however recently became m “Don’t Ya” hit number one on the in 2013. Eldredge performed as an Swift’s Red Tour in 2013 as well. If you may like Brett Eldredge.
Discover New Music 13
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
he age of 22, Hunter Hayes already been a Grammy minee, a Teen Choice Award nner and plans on releasing third album on May 6. Popr among teens, the country r will be on the We’re Not isible Tour this summer d fall. Along with Hayes’ new sic, other artists and genres e entered the music sphere he last year.
erompare New Music to old artists of
es
ALTERNATIVE Bastille-The indie group from London sold more than 2.07 million records this February in London and released their album “Bad Blood” in March of 2013. Their work has been featured in the TV soap operas “Hollyoaks,” “Made in Chelsea,” and “The Vampire Diaries.” If you like the 1975, you may like Bastille.
Hayes Craze By Ellie Cowger Editor-In-Chief
Competing with a record setting crowd at the Monroe County Fair, senior Mallory Lockwood and her friends did everything they could to get as close to one of the newest heartthrobs in country music. “A few friends and I went to see him at the Monroe County Fair in July,” Lockwood said. “I just really like going to see him. We didn’t go very early to the fair so we were farther away at first. We ended up pushing our way to the front so we could get a better view.” While Lockwood is a major fan of the country star, a few of her friends and her sister are also loyal fans. Seniors Mackenzie Benson and Alexis Kontorousis, sophomore Ymani Etheridge and freshman Anna Lockwood also attended the concert. “I was one of those crazy fan girls at the Monroe County Fair,” Benson said. “We were only about 30 feet away from him. You had no room to move, but it was worth it.” This wasn’t Lockwood’s first or last encounter with Hunter Hayes and his music. “I had never heard of him before I saw him open for Taylor Swift in 2011,” Lockwood said. “I
FAN Girls
Country fans await release of Hunter Hayes’ new album; attend local concerts and fairs to see him perform
really liked his music so I looked him up, but he didn’t have an album yet. It ended up coming out the following summer. I have just been keeping up with his music.” Trying to make it to all of his events that were within driving distance, the girls experienced something that only about 50 others got to. The Lockwood sisters got the chance to meet Hunter Hayes at his acoustic show prior to his concert at the Fox Theater. “We tried for a week to win the tickets to see him,” Lockwood said. “When we got a call, we didn’t know which contest my sister had actually won because we tried so many different things. It was in a big room at the radio station with about 50 other people. He sang a few songs and then we lined up to meet him and took a picture with him.” While many tears were shed, none were out of sadness. “We cried when we found out we won, we cried on the way there, on the way home and we cried on the way to the actual concert,” Lockwood said. “I have no shame when it comes to crying about him.” With his self-titled album collecting a Grammy nomination for Country Album of the
Hunter Hayes’ New Album, “Storyline” Hunter Hayes’ new album, “Storyline,” will be released at midnight on May 6. Fans may pre-order his album on iTunes or at Hayes’ official store, store.hunterhayes.com. While singles “Invisible” and “Wild Card” have already been released, 12 new songs will also appear on the album. The singles can be purchased on iTunes or be viewed on YouTube. The official music video for “Invisible” can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiUqgL5urWc and the official audio for “Wild Card” can be heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlY6NPpRJM8. Right. Freshman Anna Lockwood and her sister senior Mallory Lockwood pose with Hunter Hayes at a Detroit radio station. The sisters won a radio contest to meet him. Bottom Right. Seniors Mackenzie Benson, Mallory Lockwood, Alexis Kontorousis and freshman Anna Lockwood shed tears of excitement while watching Hunter Hayes perform at the Monroe County Fair. Below. Fans at the Monroe County Fair film country artist Hunter Hayes performing.
ROCK
All Photos Submitted by Mallory Lockwood
Blues Rock duo Deap Vally including Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards specialize in music that creates a mix of blues and rock. Two of their popular singles are “Walk of Shame” and “Gonna Make My Own Money.” If you like Tom Petty, you may like Deap Vally.
comer first performed in more popular. His single Country Airplay chart n opening act for Taylor f you like Luke Bryan,
year, Hunter Hayes co-wrote every song on his album and is most famous for his chart-topping single “Wanted.” “I wouldn’t compare Hunter Hayes’ music to anyone else’s,” Lockwood said. “That is why I like his music so much. He is young and sings the new style of country music. My favorite song of his would be “What You Gonna Do.” I listen to all of his music a lot but I listen to that song the most.” Hayes’ new album, “Storyline,” will be released on May 6 and will feature 12 new songs, two of which, “Invisible” and “Wild Card,” have been released as singles and are currently available on iTunes. Danielle Bradbery and Dan + Shay will join Hunter Hayes on the We’re Not Invisible Tour during 2014. The closest the artist comes to Fenton is at the Allegan County Fair in Allegan on Sept. 12. “I don’t have tickets to see him on tour yet, but I really want to go,” Lockwood said. “I love going to his concerts at county fairs because it is general admission and you can get as close as you want depending on what time you get there.”
14 SPORTS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 METRO MADNESS
Flint Metro League Dynasty
Fenton athletics can look forward to a more competitive year in sports in the fall as the league welcomes Flushing High to its ranks By Lauren Davis Online Editor
Fenton High athletics earned its 10th consecutive Flint Metro League All-Sports Trophy for the 2012-2013 school year, beating out second place Linden by a full 20 points. Already having four teams finish with undefeated 2013-2014 seasons, Fenton is now working to keep the trophy on its shelf for another year as they enter the spring sport season. Even though Fenton’s Metro League finishes are at the top of the pack, some teams’ standings at the district level and beyond aren’t as competitive. For these teams, part of the reason is the Metro does not possess the talent needed to challenge and prepare FHS athletes for higher level play. “League meets don’t prepare (Fenton) swimmers for state level competition,” varsity swim coach Brad Jones said. “We have dominated the league for some time, but have yet to finish high at the state meet as a team.” In order to seek out more aggressively stacked teams, FHS coaches often schedule competitions
Journey to the Joe
Die hard Red Wings fan accepts opportunity of a lifetime; watches live practice and interviews head coach By Hudson Villenueve News Editor
On a winter day colder than the ice the Red Wings skate on, I received an unexpected text message from my journalism adviser, Pam Bunka, that warmed my heart. I opened the message thinking I had missed an assignment, but to my surprise, found a picture bearing the legendary Red Wings insignia. The picture was of a letter, inviting “star journalists” to attend “High School Journalist Day” at the
against teams in other conferences. “I always try to schedule the hardest teams for non-league contests,” varsity soccer coach Matt Sullivan said. “That mainly includes schools from Oakland County and many private schools. We rarely beat these out of league teams, but I believe they have helped us go as far as we have in the state tournament.” Although venturing out of the league is a method many Fenton sports’ teams use to improve their talent, permanently leaving the league to match skill level is not a favorable option. “We shouldn’t move out of the Metro League,” Jones said. “We are not top in every sport to justify leaving the league. It is a better fit just to travel outside of the league for out-of-conference competition. However, I am open to welcoming stronger schools into the league.” Welcoming stronger schools into the Metro is something league officers have done and that athletes can expect next year when Flushing High School appears on the sports roster. “Flushing will officially join the league during
the 2014-15 school year,” Flint Metro League President Brian Wiskur said. “It was the general consensus of the league members that Flushing was a good fit for the league because of their similar enrollment to other Metro League schools and the quality programs they offer.” Flushing’s quality programs are looking forward to creating new rivalries, according to Flushing Athletic Director Paul Brieger, which means FHS athletes may struggle to maintain perfect seasons come fall. “Flushing is strong in all sports but I’m nervous about the All-Sports Trophy and potentially losing it,” Sullivan said, “but stronger competition makes everyone better, even though it may hurt our record.” Having the chance to compete against Flushing High next year at the Flint Metro League level should be a great opportunity for Fenton’s sports’ teams to challenge their skills and prepare for competition at the district level and beyond.
catch during varsity baseball practice. The baseball team will face new competition from Flushing next year.
fabled Joe Louis Arena, which was presented by to ask one of my questions, I listened to their words ITC Holdings Corporation. of wisdom, then waited for my main target, head Being a lifelong sports fanatic and living in an coach Mike Babcock. age in which the Red Wings had never missed the Following the initial press conference, chaufplayoffs, the invitation was a shining beacon. Imme- feurs escorted us through the pristine halls of the diately, I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime offer. Joe Louis Arena and into the press boxes. From A few weeks later, I walked into the Joe Louis there, we traveled down the worn stairs and into Arena with my grandfather, also a lifelong Red the rickety seats to watch the Red Wings practice. Wings fan. Anxious, I entered the press room at Exhilarated as these unparalleled athletes crashed Olympia Hall and sat down to finds dozens of other into the glass mere inches from my face, I sat in awe high school journalists, just as nervous as I was. of their tremendous athletic ability. Moments later, enter four members of the Instinctively, the journalist side of me kicked Red Wings media; radio play-by-play announcer in and I began to watch the practice objectively, Ken Kal, Kevin Allen of USA Today, Bob Duff of looking for potential questions to ask. I noticed the Windsor Star and Michael Caples of Michihow they practiced their scoring drills and referred gan Hockey. After an to my notes, when the inspiring introduction About the Detroit Red Wings ideal question came detailing the effort and to mind. High School Journalist Day dedication it takes Babcock walked Seventy students [in 2014] attended a to work in the sports into the room wearing mock press conference, where they got to his intimidating short journalism field, the panelists began to take watch the players practice and interview shorts and Red Wings questions. Knowing I the staff, players, coaches and professional cap. Raising my media members. would most likely get hand, I was handed a
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microphone by one of the assistants: it was time. I stood up shaking, perspiring, trying to find the words I was looking for. After briefly stuttering, I asked my question: “You guys have been outscored 70-51 in the third period, what is the disconnect there and how can you guys improve in that aspect of the game?” He responded by first acknowledging the quality of my question and the professionalism of the manner in which I asked it. I knew I had made it when he mentioned a reporter had asked the same thing. Continuing, he addressed what he felt the issue was. “Do I think we’re out of shape, absolutely not. Do I think we do not try, no, but under the gun we do not execute as good, and when you look at our lineup we do not score,” Babcock said. “However the game is always close… We have been in overtime more times than anybody in the league, that’s what it’s about being a team that’s just scraping and clawing and trying to win. Good question.” What started as an opportunity now became a reality. For one day, I was a professional sports reporter.
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SPORTS 15
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
A View From the Golden Gopher By Ellie Cowger Editor-in-chief
Mastering the Art of Defeat
Last week I was watching the University of Minnesota hockey team as they took on Union College in the NCAA National Championship game. The Gophers came into the game as the favorite, ranking as the number one overall seed. As the final seconds of the game ticked away, every fan in that arena knew that it wouldn’t be the number one seed that came out victorious. The Gophers dropped the final game of the season, and Union won its first ever National Hockey Championship. Finishing the season with a 28-7-6 overall record, the Gophers likely learned more from their defeats rather than their triumphs. While the media and fans dwell on the victories, athletes focus on learning from the losses they experienced. Much like the Minnesota hockey program learned more from the seven losses they had than the 28 wins, I have found that I make more out of my losses in life than my victories. Losses to me are just chances to improve. When I am experiencing individual success or my team is on a hot streak, it is difficult to see anything except what is going right. Until I realize something in my game isn’t working, I do not go about fixing it. Defeat highlights even the slightest flaws I never would have known existed while winning. As many competitive athletes do, I hate to lose more than I like to win. While I know I have a long way to go when it comes to handling defeat, I quickly came to the realization that I have to accept the fact that defeat is imminent in sports. As the younger sister of a successful collegiate athlete, I have been given many wise words of advice of not only how to win, but how to lose. Sammi always says to me, “If you let the little defeats get to you, you’ll never win the big ones.” She often reminds me that in a single game, there are many defeats. As athletes, we experience mini battles throughout the game that we can learn from and bounce back from. That is why I love athletics. There is always another opportunity to pick myself up and make a great play for my team. Baseball experts say that if a player gets a hit three out of every 10 times, they’re doing something right. If I cried every time I struck out or popped up to the shortstop, there would be a lot of tears on that softball field. As an athlete, I have learned how to handle defeat. Although things don’t always go the way I would like them to, every defeat gives me another opportunity to overcome obstacles and reach the goals I have set for myself.
P
Heavy Weight
ower Liftin Senior Crystal Krupp dedicates everything she has to become a state champion powerlifter By Alexis Megdanoff Writer
Submitted By Crystal Krupp
Harder, Better, Stronger. With the face of focus and concentration, senior Crystal Krupp makes an effort to lift the bar at one of her matches. Krupp lifted for four years and has three state championships under her belt, but retired from the stress that lifing put on her body. She also got scholarship offers from colleges and even a chance to compete in the Olympics before ‘retiring’ from her powerlifting career.
G
The inside of a gym is a familiar sight for senior Crystal Krupp. For four years, she has trained every week to succeed in the sport of powerlifting. Powerlifting at the high school level involves three separate lifts: the squat, bench and deadlift. Each participant has three chances, the highest score is taken from each lift and the total is their score. “There are different weight classes just like wrestling,” Krupp said. “There’s a women’s powerlifting, too, so I don’t compete against guys like some people think.” Krupp has been a state champion three times and has broken nine state records. She is retired now because of the stress powerlifting has put on her body. “I started September of my freshman year,” Krupp said. “I worked out four days a week for three hours. Let’s just say I was never on time for a football game on Friday night my entire high school career.” In order to be successful during the powerlifting season, Krupp had to work out year round. Other than working out, she also had to follow a strict dieting plan, consisting of high protein and zero processed foods. “To be a powerlifter, you have to have determination; you have to really want it,” Krupp said. “I told myself to keep going and that I’ll never be able to do it again so I need to do it now.” This self-encouragement came in play a couple months before her senior year when her body began to break down from the weight she was lifting. Her doctor told her to quit, leaving Krupp to make a decision between continuing to lift or give it up for her health. “My spine is compressed and I have to go to rehabilitation now,” Krupp said. “Probably wasn’t the greatest idea, but I wanted to finish my senior year.” Krupp saw a future with powerlifting when she received scout offers to colleges in northern Michigan and a scholarship to the Olympics. The decision on whether or not she would go into the Olympics has to be made now because of the short amount of time powerlifters have as a powerlifter. The strain on the body is too much to do it for too long. “My trainer said he would go through it with me if I wanted to,” Krupp said. “But he explained to me everything I would miss out on. You don’t go to college, you can only take some classes but you can’t go full time.” Instead of following powerlifting into the future, Krupp is attending Kettering University in the fall. She is going for Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Biomedical Engineering.
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16 SPORTS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Spring Sports Updates
Springing Into Sports By Shealyn Mandle News Editor
Sport: Boys Golf “My stand out athletes include junior John Lloyd and four seniors: Jack Berry, Max Martin, Michael Conroy and Anthony Flannery. We are off to a 1-0 start; we beat rival Holly in our opening match,” boys golf coach Ty Szczepanski said. “I anticipate this being another strong season for our program because of our senior leadership. The team has high expectations for themselves and if they continue to work hard at improving their games I’m positive we will have a successful season.”
Current standings in the Metro League and standout athletes of spring sports
Hope Dagenais Photographer
Sport: Girls Tennis
Monica Bradburn Photo editor
“We return Madison Ballard this year at one singles who is two-time AllState. We have added Sydney Phips at two singles who is also a two star recruit. At one doubles we have Ashley Bearden and Hannah Horton who are potentially an All-State level doubles team,” girls tennis coach Gary Ballard said. “Our expectations for this year are to win regionals, win the Metro League and for the first time in 32 years, beat Holly head-to-head. Our entire team, for the most part, played all summer, all winter and have been working every day to get these goals.”
Sport: Baseball
Sport: Boys Track
“Players who stand out are seniors Jamie Castigilone, Landon Mikulenas, and Max Barker and juniors Justin Norris and Zack Kostka,” boys baseball coach Shawn Lawrence said. “Our record is 1-3. The team is a great group of kids who work very hard and are very coachable; they are very close as a team and seem to get along very well. We will get better every game and it should be exciting to watch them improve Julie Pearson | Photo editor every game.”
“My expectations for this season are to bring our young guys along and help them become competitive within our league,” boys track coach Anthony McMillan said. “We are going to push ourselves, working every day to get better than the previous.” Standouts: Matt Cubr, Jacob Lee, Dominic Dimambro, Matt Shampine, Mitch Campbell and James Kryza. Metro League Record: 2-2.
Parker Toonder Photographer Parker Toonder Photographer
Sport: Girls Soccer
Sport: Softball
“Our key offensive players are Brennan Sullivan, Carly Granger and Chloe Foor. Our key defensive players are Kaleigh Keyandwy, Mackenzie Murphy and Bri Costigan. We are 2-2-2 so far and look forward to defending our Metro League and district crowns,” Coach Matt Sullivan said.
“All of my players are stand-out player,” softball coach Stephanie Roberts said. “They all use their individual talents to contribute to the good of the team. Our team goals are to win the Metro League and districts.” Metro League Record: 5-1 Overall Record: 6-1
Alexis Kelly | Photographer Nathan Brown | Photographer Torrey Christopher and Hope dagenais | Photo illustration Clockwise from center: senior Thomas Pilarski, senior Ellie Cowger, sophomore Kayla Csapo, sophomore Joe Haas, senior Mackenzie Murphy, senior corinne Beemer and Senior Max Barker
Sport: Girls Track
“This year, we are bringing back some very talented runners. Key returning runners are senior Kayla Stiles in the sprints and long jump. She was on top of the league last year and we are looking for her to be on top again this year. Also Ellen Sage, she was our fastest 400 runner last year and our best high jumper, senior Tori Chapin is again one of the best pole vaulters in the league, I expect she will be soaring high all season and also scoring points in the long jump. Senior Emily Bemis continues to be instrumental in anything from a 200 to an 800. She will score big points this year. Sophomore Nina Lombardi has shown a great deal of improvement in the hurdles and should be one of the top five in the league. Freshman Jenna Keiser will be a key player in the distance events,” girls track coach Todd Mills said. “ We are 4-0 in the league right now. I think we should be one of the top three teams in the league. If all goes well we should be number one, but it’s early and there are so many variables. The goal is to work hard and become a competitive team.”
17 ARTS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Alyssa trapp | photographer
Break a leg
Dancing to the Future
With plans to make a life out of her craft, sophomore Katie Piwowarczyk devotes four days a week to practicing dance By Alexis Megdanoff WRITER
Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, sophomore Katie Piwowarczyk practices her most recent routines at Fenton Dance Academy, set to be performed at her studio’s next convention. Piwowarczyk has been dancing for 13 years, has won several awards for her routines and plans on continuing to follow her dream into the future. “I looked up to a lot of the girls at our dance studio,” Piwowarczyk said. “Many of them graduated last year and I watched them go through dance. I have the most amazing dance studio, teachers, friends, and family who all encourage me to keep going.” Piwowarczyk travels around Michigan with her studio going to different competitions such as Starquest, Starpower and Encore. She participates in all types of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, modern and pointe. “I’ve been going to conventions through my studio and now I’m at the state of trying to branch out and get noticed,” Piwowarczyk said. “If [dance] wasn’t in my life, I don’t know where I would be. I feel like I take it for granted because if I didn’t have it, I don’t know what I would do.” Fenton Dance Academy has won many awards, including first overall at the Encore convention as well as several choreography awards. For her solo this year, Piwowarczyk won platinums at the Starquest and Encore conventions and a special Musicality Award, also at Encore. “Personally, I consider the highest award I’ve ever won to be when my studio recognized me as the Performer of the Year,” Piwowarczyk said. “The studio director’s husband passed away and the year after, the
award was dedicated in his name. It was a scholarship that gave us money for tuition and that meant a lot to me because of how close we are to that family. It was something so small, but it meant a lot.” This does not mean Piwowarczyk has always been as dedicated as she is now. When she was little, she hated to dance. It took her mother stepping up and making sure she powered through it to get past that stage. “I would cry and cry and cry,” Piwowarczyk said. “My mom would have to physically shove me into the dance room. My dance teacher saw something in me and she really wanted to make sure it wasn’t lost. After that, something clicked and suddenly that’s all I wanted to be. I watched the Rockettes and I was like ‘I want to be a Rockette. I want to dance.’ ‘So You Think You Can Dance ‘got popular and I watched that. I wanted to be on stage. I wanted to perform.” Piwowarczyk’s final goal is to end up on Broadway. She is looking at colleges known for dance programs, but until then she is focusing on the opportunities in front of her. “I received a scholarship last summer at our nationals competition in Chicago,” Piwowarczyk said. “I get to go back to Chicago to dance with a group this summer. I also received another scholarship at my first competition this year; it allows me to go to L.A. and dance with another group. These scholarships give me the experience of working with a bunch of different people that are already in the industry.” According to Piwowarczyk, getting this far has been filled with a lot of hard work and not giving up. While her future is most likely going to include much more of this, she is willing to take it all the way.
18 ARTS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
All School musical
We Love You, Conrad Joining the cast of “Bye Bye Birdie,” students showcased their acting, singing and dancing talents for the last time this school year. From the lead speaking roles, to the fan girls falling in love with Conrad Birdie, the group brought the ‘50s back to life. ByTorrey Christopher Editor-in-Chief
Fighting off his mother (sophomore McKenzie Mead), junior Jack Kennings performs as Albert Peterson during the production. “Working with McKenzie was amazing,” Kennings said. “She is incredible at acting and is a blast to be around. She made it easy to play her son.” Alexis Kelly | Photographer
Hands stretched out, singing a ‘What Did I Ever See In Him’ sophomore Emily Battaglia acts as Rose Alvarez.“My favorite song was ‘Healthy, Normal American Boy,’” Battaglia said. “I had no singing experience, so it was hard to get used to.” Alexis Kelly | Photographer
Girls praising him, junior Cord Alvarado sings “One Last Kiss.” “This character was hard to take on,” Alvarado said. “Conrad Birdie is a huge character and prior to the play, I knew little about him. After a lot of character research and practice, I feel like I did a great job.”
Alexis Kelly | Photographer
Screaming like an obsessed fan, sophomore Leah Lynch reacts to the sight of Conrad Birdie. “I was Ursula,” Lynch said. “She was crazy and very hyperactive. I loved the muscial and met a lot of new friends. It was a life changing experience.”
Alexis Kelly | Photographer
In love with Conrad Birdie, senior Sadie Thompson’s character Kim Macafee gets to be the last girl he kisses before leaving for the military. “Cord is always full of energy and amazing to work with,” Thompson said. “He is so professional it’s unreal. Getting into character was a blast because my character was basically an over exaggeration of myself.”
Hope Dagenais | Photographer
Makenzie Cool | Photographer
Striking a pose with sophomore Leah Lynch, freshman Chase Raymond dances with a phone during “The Telephone Hour.” “My favorite scene was ‘Got a Lot of Living’,” Raymond said. “I got to hide under my sister, Kim Macaffe’s bed. I miss talking to all the cast I met.”
ARTS 19
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Graffiti Artist
Following in her mother’s footsteps, senior Maddy Morris spends her free time creating graffiti style artwork By Allie Howell Editor-in-Chief
During a few moments of free time in class, senior Maddy Morris ignores the drone of voices around her and begins to sketch a masterpiece. Morris was always drawn to graphic design and artwork, growing up in an artistic family made it a natural attraction. “My mom is really involved with my art,” Morris said. “She started me out when I was young and really pushed me to do my best at it. She also helped by giving me tips and tricks because she is pretty artistic, too.” In middle school, Morris hung out with a group of artistic friends who inspired her to create her own unique artwork. “In fifth grade, I was hanging out with a group of kids who were into graffiti,” Morris said. “I had always liked graphic design and art so I was drawn to it. I was not very good when I first started, but I got better with practice.” Despite having since lost contact with that group of friends, Morris now spends much of her free time at school and at home working on artwork ranging from quick sketches to detailed cartoons. “I draw non-realistic things like cartoons, graphics and logos,” Morris said. “Sometimes I will be sitting in class and think of something to draw and
sketch it then. I also do it at home in my room.” Morris is currently enrolled in advanced art and has taken art foundations and drawing and sculpture as well. Her artwork has won her the admiration of art teacher Suzzane Jule. “Maddy is really precise with her artwork,” Jule said. “It is always really detailed and perfect. She tends to do a lot of graphic art so it is always colorful and has lots of energy. She is really committed and focused when she works on her projects.” Besides being a talented art student, Morris has impressed Jule with her attitude and work ethic. “She is the prefect art student,” Jule said. “‘She is a hard worker, creative and focused. She is also pleasant, kind, never misses a class and is always on time. I’ll miss her when she graduates.” While her artwork is a passion, Morris has decided to keep it as a hobby instead of pursuing a career in the art field. “My freshman and sophomore year of high school I really thought I wanted to have a career in graphic design,” Morris said. “My uncle is a graphic designer so I thought I would want to do that. Now I want to keep my art as a hobby so I do not get burnt out on it.”
torrey christopher | editor-in-chief
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20 ARTS
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
The Irresistible Urge of the Creative Artist
A new class of seniors is going off to college soon and some of them may just become part of the art forms we love in the near future.
From Cigarettes to the Screen
By Samantha Smith writer
With graduation fast approaching, some seniors have decided to devote their many talents to pursuing the arts as their future career. “I’m going to college for sound production or recording engineering,” senior Logan Ganter said. “I’m currently deciding between Berklee College of Music and Belmont University. I love being able to create music that I’m proud of and that, hopefully, other people will also enjoy.” Also pursuing the arts, although focusing on another medium, is senior Alexis Kelly, who is pursuing fashion at Central Michigan University. “The thing I love about fashion the most is the expression through clothes,” Kelly said, “It’s fun to pick out something nice to wear and it’s a confidence booster.” These seniors may seem experienced and professional in their chosen art forms, but they were beginners once as well. They all underwent a start to launch them into their passion at one point or another. “I started playing music in fourth grade and got involved in recording through music technology class,” Ganter said, “I instantly enjoyed the process of recording and producing music to make it sound as good as possible.” Some, like Ganter, got their foothold in their art through classes and clubs. Others, like Kelly, were born into their art skills. “When I was little, I loved fashion,” Kelly said, “My mom dressed me in skirts and dresses and just sort of passed the love on. I’ve also built up my own interests through fashion magazines like Teen Vogue for the past six years.” Now, after building up their skills, they are now being forced to become greenhorns all over again in college. However, the anticipation outweighs the anxiety for most. “I’m most excited about being able to collaborate with other people that love doing this as much as I do,” Ganter said, “I am also excited by the opportunity to become better at what I love. I’m a little anxious about having to leave home and make new friends but I know it’s going to be worth it.” Before these seniors leave, they have some helpful advice to offer underclassmen involved in similar activities. “If you’re going to pursue fashion, I can only offer up one word of advice: networking,” Kelly said. “I went to a Teen Vogue fashion university with plenty of other teens, designers and other important people in fashion and that was all they told me. I wanted to keep them as contacts and it’s been a lot of help.”
The Evolution of Trading Cards Over Time
By Brad Dawson writer
Chances are, when you walk through a retail store, such as Target, you’ll notice the small packs of cards near the checkout. Some of these packs have depictions of famous sports players, others mythical creatures, and a few even have popculture icons across their faces. These cards have been a part of our society for quite some time, dating back to the late 1800’s, where cigarette pack stiffeners would have advertisements and pictures printed on them. This practice ended when WWII began, due to the rationing of paper, however the practice had spawned the first baseball cards. By the late 1860’s many sports, candy, and tobacco companies had began producing collectible versions of the heroes on the diamond field. Yet when one speaks of trading cards, a game other than baseball often comes to mind. Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh, are three of the most popular card based games
in the world. Magic predates the later two, beginning in 1991. The company, Wizards of the Coast, known then for its Tabletop Role-Playing Games, had the idea Magnim digna accum ercinim veliquat lumsan ut wisit augueri liquam zzrilis nons digniate tat nullamcons nos augiate er sed eugiam dolor suscili smolorpero dio commolor iriurem vent praessi. Lesed tat. Ut non ullandion verat wisit lum eugiat accum velisim quat luptat, corem vullaor tionsed delendreet euisit, commolortie feugue vullaUlla conum doluptatuero odolore faci elit nonullut auguer iusci bla feum vel endion et, vel estinci pismod diat. Ut augue mod dunt delit aliquatum ecte magniam aute min hendiam eum quis dolorperos nit, sustie feu faccummy nonse estisi blandit alisi bla am doloborting erciliq uipismod erillandiam iure ecte dolor sim dunt iliquat loreros dolorerostie voloreetue ea commodi onsenisi.
While these students may be leaving, the cycle will always go on as new freshmen arrive with new talents and old seniors leave with what they’ve learned over the past four years of their education. So, farewell to all of these students and FHS looks forward to seeing your work in the future.
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www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Nurture your green thumb
B e g i n ne r s G u ide to G a r de n i ng 10 tips to starting your first garden By Allie Howell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
G
ardening is making a comeback. Once used to provide a food source, it is now used as a hobby and source of entertainment for families. While digging your first garden may seem daunting, these simple steps can give you a head start to gaining your green thumb.
1
Start small. Having too large of a garden at first could be overwhelming. Try starting with a 10 by 10 plot.
2
Fertilize. Use soybean meal over an existing garden or an inch deep compost. In the early spring, try putting organic fertilizer over the soil.
3
Find good sunlight. Different plants require different amounts of sunlight. When purchasing plants, the tag will inform you if the plant requires part sun, full sun or shade. Full sun requires six or more hours of sun a day and is
best for flowering plants and vegetables. Part sun requires between two and six hours of sunlight and shade gets less than two hours of sun a day.
4
Water. Put the sprinkle on your garden at least once a week. If you are unsure about how much to water, put an empty tin can in your garden. After a week, the can should be filled with about an inch of water.
5
Weed regularly. Weeds are easier to pull out when they are small. Keeping up on weeding prevents weeds from taking over the garden.
6
Have the right tools. Gardening gloves, a shovel, a rake and a hoe are all necessary for gardening. Use a rake and hoe to break up the soil and then smooth it out again which makes planting easier. Use a shovel to plant large plants and to help dig up weeds. Finally, gardening gloves can protect your hands from thorns and bugs.
7
Clean up old plants at the end of the season. Annual plants will only grow for one year and should be pulled out in the fall. Perennials will come back year after year and do not have to be pulled out. You can easily see what type of plant you have by looking on the plant’s tag or checking online.
8
Change it up. Try not to grow the same plants in the same area year after year. By changing where you plant each plant the soil will stay fertile.
9
Make it pretty. You’re more likely to go work in a colorful garden than a dull one.
10
Use your resources. This is certainly not an extensive guide to gardening. Look online to find more information about the specific plants you choose to grow. A good website is garden.org. sources: Associated Press and Woman’s Day
math teacher John Gilbert
senior Josie Foguth
monica bradburn | Photo editor
junior Danielle Hack
josh daag | Photographer
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Torrey Christopher | editor-in-chief
senior Julie Siefker
josh daag | Photographer
22 FEATURES
such as Diabetes, Arthritis and Crohn’s do Overcoming Obstacles Diseases not stop teachers or students from living normal lives By Torrey Christopher Editor-in-chief
Overcoming hardship is part of nearly everyone’s daily routine. For some this means failing a test or being injured and unable to compete in their sport. While these may be difficult to overcome, several students and teachers have had to adjust their lifestyle every day to accommodate their health conditions. Checking her sugar one last time before heading to the start line on the track, junior Danielle Hack makes sure it is safe for her to race and removes her insulin pump. “I don’t run with my pump because it can get in the way or be distracting,” Hack said. “People don’t always understand what is like to have high or low sugar. Sometimes I get accused of making up excuses, but diabetes affects your decisions, actions and performance both in academics and athletics.” Not only does dealing with diabetes affect a person’s performance, it is can also be expensive to purchase necessary medical supplies such as insulin. “Having diabetes is expensive,” Hack said. “Every few months I have to buy supplies. I have to get insulin and replace the parts that connect to the pump, like tubing.” However, Hack is not alone. According to the American Diabe-
By Carly Riggs writer
tes Association 25.8 million Americans, have diabetes which makes up 8.3 percent of the population. Math teacher John Gilbert also suffers from diabetes. “I have had diabetes for 11 years,” Gilbert said. “My complications are more sporadic sometimes my blood sugar is off, but as long as you control it, it is fine. Later in life the complications can get worse depending on how you maintain your health. Your organs run on glucose and it shuts down when you eat badly. When you eat sugar your body produces insulin to bring it back down.” While Hack and Gilbert adjusted their lifestyles because of diabetes, senior Josie Foguth learned how to function with arthritis. “I’ve had arthritis since I was three,” Foguth said. “I used to have it in almost all my joints, but now it’s just in my knees ankles and fingers. When it’s cold, I feel achy and don’t want to leave bed, but other than that, I live a normal life and I forget I have it sometimes.” Although Foguth does not face many challenges now, as a child she had difficulty walking. “When I was little, I couldn’t walk until the doctors figured out how to treat me,” Foguth said. “Now I try not to run longer distances than three miles and I take pills twice a day. Every few years I have to get my knees drained too, because the fluid builds up.” Foguth knew about her arthritis since she was a toddler which
allowed her to get her symptoms under control, but not all those dealing with health problems were as fortunate. Senior Julie Siefker was just diagnosed with Crohn’s disease this past fall after dealing with symptoms for quite some time. “I’ve had it for awhile but I got diagnosed in September at the beginning of the school year,” Siefker said. “At first I had to take steroids and now I’m on a long release medicine that has kept my symptoms in check.” Crohn’s disease causes ones intestines to become inflamed and they experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and fever. Often times people become diagnosed because of immune system problems, however, other times the disease is genetic. Siefker has to monitor these symptoms, being an athlete, this sometimes means taking time off. “The biggest challenge was that it was the worst right in the middle of swim season,” Siefker said. “I worked really hard that summer then I had to take a few weeks off and not practice or compete.” While dealing with health problems can be challenging regardless of the disease Gilbert suggests students have a positive attitude. “Diseases are just like anything else,” Gilbert said. “You can choose how your deal with it, either be positive or be negative.”
High school meets high stakes legal system
Experienced prosecutor Mike Tesner takes in one last deep breath before walking up to stand in front of Mr. Gregory’s 2A class, he’s not nervous, he’s been in front of more jurors and defendants than he can count, with much higher stake than this. However he still wants to try to make a good impression and really get the importance of the American Legal system and what power it has in the world. This course combines theoretical analysis and hands on clinical explorations of the justice system. Students write in journals every day, this course provides students with an in depth understanding of how courts and the legal system impact the negotiation of conflict and achieve resolution. They also become connected with others of different backgrounds and philosophies in the government, business and nonprofit sectors. “This semester has been dedicated to guest speakers that are in the justice system, these speakers bring topics to real life experiences, and to give the students an idea about what being in the justice system is really like,” American Legal System teacher Nick Gregory said. “This is definitely the coolest part of learning for me; this is my first year teaching the class and it’s really been a great experience.” Students bring in guest speakers that relate to the class. The students take note and write in journals.
While mostly seniors take this class some juniors are also in the American legal System class. “I greatly enjoyed speaking to Mr. Gregory’s class. In fact, I stayed after the 2A class and also spoke to his 3A class for about 40 minutes,” prosecutor Mike Tesner said. “The students were very attentive and asked good questions. Mr. Gregory also asked questions that he was interested in and that kept things moving very easily.” While speaking with the class, Tesner talked about working as a prosecutor in Genesee County. “While in the class I spoke about my background and the educational requirements for becoming a lawyer. I urged students interested in the law (and for any other profession, really) to work on their communication skills,” Tesner said. “I suggested they take as many classes as possible that require writing papers and speaking in front of others, as the more they do these things the better they will become at communicating.” Not only is this class to prepare for after college, these guest speakers actually talk to students about what its like to work in the specific career. “I gave an overview of the criminal justice system,” Tesner said. “We discussed how a criminal case proceeds from investigation of crime by the police to the decision by prosecutors to charge a suspect.”
Learning the ins and outs of the American Legal System
FEATURES 23
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014
Flying High Challenging the measure of intelligence, senior Amanda West becomes a National Merit Scholar By Alexis Megdanoff Writer
Photo submitted by andy cocagne
In celebration. The Titanium Tigers raise their fists in triumph and high five their fellow teammates at their competition at Kettering on March 8.
Titanium Tigers
Robotics Rookies
Finishing their first season as a team, the Titanium Tigers receive high state ranking helped us come up with a plan,” Lane said. “We set goals for the season which helped the team decide what we wanted Looking back at a video her dad took at the last robotto do with our robot. I enjoyed scouting at the competitions ics competition of the season, sophomore Emma Lane is and seeing all of the hard work that went into the robot pay reminded of the time she spent as the Titanium Tigers’ off.” mascot. One season now under their belt, the underclassmen “My favorite memory is members have begun setdancing in the tiger suit,” Lane ting goals for next year. said. “I was doing a dance in “Next year our goal is the middle of the room and to go to state,s” Lane said. I slid. When I fell I heard a “We need to place in the gasp, but I wasn’t hurt so I got top 60 something and we up and pretended to stick the can do that by building landing and everyone started another good robot which -Rookie All-Stars clapping.” will depend on the hand -Ranked 26 in the state Despite being a new team, and how much money we -Highest Seeded Rookies the Titanium Tigers were have.” ranked 26 in the state out of While the underclass-Rookie Inspiration Award 300 teams. The state meet men prepare for next -Industrial Safety Award was held over spring break, seasons competitions, this so there was not enough year’s seniors will prepare members home to attend the for a STEM career with competition. the skills they learned “We didn’t go to states because they were during spring while being a part of the robotics team. break and all of the seniors and many others had plans “I am going into a medical field, physical therapy,” already made over break,” senior Mallory Turner said. “I am Turner said. “I’ve always known I wanted to do something very pleased and proud of the place we ended up in though, medical because I like helping people so I chose physical being a rookie team, we had an amazing season.” therapy. I learned to appreciate all the effort that goes into Not only were they ranked 26, they also received many making equipment that I will be using. I also learned teamother honorable awards throughout the season including work, communication, organization and leadership skills I the Industrial Safety and Rookie All-Star awards. can use as a Physical Therapist.” “The most honorable award we got was the Rookie In additon to learning skills from the high school robotAll-Star Award at Kettering,” teacher mentor Andy Cocagne ics team Turner also did robotics at the middle school level. said. “I was very pleased, we had a lot of success this year, “I did robotics this year because I did lego robotics in and we were rated in the top ten percent of teams.” middle school,” Turner said. “I loved it then and I thought it In order to obtain a high ranking in the state and several would be fun to do it again.” other awards the Tigers had the help of a more developed While this season has come to a close the skills the team, Truck Town Thunder. Additionally, they would scout members of the Titanium Tigers will continue to be used out teams at the competitions to pick up ideas. whether that is next year’s team or in the workforce. “At the beginning of the season Truck Town Thunder By Torrey Christopher editor-in-Chief
Awards Won by the Titanium Tigers
Although senior Amanda West is not one in a million, she is one of about 15,000 students in the United States who have been named National Merit Scholar Finalists. All of these students meet high academic standards and other requirements and have the possibility of being rewarded a number of different scholarships. In order to become a finalist, West had to score high enough on the PSAT and SAT as well as complete an essay and turn in a principal recommendation. The qualifying score for this year’s graduating class in Michigan was 210. She was notified in February that she officially earned the award. “The PSAT can help you predict your score for the SAT, which is then used to “confirm” your performance,” West said. “What I did was compared my score to qualifiers from the past year-I think New Jersey’s was highest then-and when I saw I would’ve qualified there, I realized I may have qualified as a semi-finalist.” West has been taking standardized tests all her life. She has taken the ACT five times, starting in seventh grade as well as the SAT in eight grade. Freshman and sophmore year she took the PSAT and the SAT again junior year to recieve confirmation of her qualifying score. “Mostly it was my own personal drive and my parents encouraged it,” West said. “I do have two younger siblings, so trying to lessen the cost of college and open Photo submitted by amanda West up out-of-state opportunities Test Scores. Senior Amanda West scored 228 on her PSAT, 80 on Critical Reading, 76 on Mathemathave always been imporics and 72 on Writing Skills. tant to me. I always knew I wanted to leave Michigan for college and knew this was an affordable way to do it.” By earning this award, West has been offered five years of tuition and one year of housing at the University of Alabama along with $3,500 per year for four years, $2,000 for research and international study, and an iPad. She has chosen to follow through with the offer. “The scholarship has helped because I want to go out of state, but am undecided on a major. So I will not have to pay a ton of money toward an unclear future,” West said. “One motivation to go for the National Merit Scholar was the scholarships offered if I did end up getting it, and now that I’ve committed to the University of Alabama, I am on to trying to find roommates.” Her drive to leave Michigan as well as her ambition to pursue higher academics can be attributed to the amount of moving she did when she was younger because of her father being in the military. She has stayed in Michigan for six years now and says she is looking for a change from being in the same place for what she considers a long time. “I’ve definitely gone through more competitive stages than what I’m at now,” West said. “Now, I’m trying to figure everything out. I have gotten this far and I do not know what to do next. I set a goal for myself in high school to be top ten and keep a high GPA and get into a good college. Now that I’m past that I don’t know what I want to do with my life.” While her next step is not set in stone, West’s new goal is to take advantage of the possibilities in front of her. Her decisions will be influenced by all the opportunities she has been granted.
24 Picture Perfect
www.fentoninprint.com | April 29, 2014 Playing “Bee on the Football Field,” senior Jack Pooler is poised to throw. “During spring break my friends and I got a group to come out and play a game of Ultimate,” Pooler said. “It is a hobby of ours, and we were lucky the weather was really nice without a lot of wind.”
Alyssa Trapp | Photo Editor
Painting a shoe in her Sculpture class, sophomore Emma Bayer is finishes her class project. “It was something fun to do before spring break,” Bayer said. “While making them my friend told me she liked them, so I am giving them to her.”
Sitting on her knees, senior Ellen Sage watches her physics car roll down the hallway with her partner, senior Mazzen Saab. “The project was different than anything else we’ve done in class,” Sage said. “My partners and I worked well together. We had different talents, but our ideas went together well.”
Alyssa Trapp | Photo Editor
Josh Dagg | Photographer
Trying to get warm, senior Kayla Stiles gives a hug to senior Emily Bemis before Bemis’ relay race. “I was really nervous, but also excited,” Bemis said. “My goal for this season is to make it to states again and win the team title for the Metro League.”
Up in the wood loft, sophomore Erin Wiley works on taking down the set of ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ “This year, I learned how to run the lights so I can take over next year,” Wiley said. “When you participate in plays, everyone becomes a family. It’s weird once it’s done.”
Makenzie cool | Photographer
Spring has Sprung
With her sister leaning over her shoulder, junior Lydia Berkey shows her a picture of herself on Lydia’s camera. “I was showing her how to use the camera because she loves photography,” Berkey said. “I’m closer to my sister than my brother because both of us have the same personality.”
Photo Submitted By Lydia Berkey
Ty Reish | Photographer
A new sports season, end of the year projects and spending time with friends allow students to take full advantage of the shift of seasons. By Alexis Megdanoff | Mackenzie Figueroa Writer | ARTIST