Feb. 8, 2019

LOG

the sailors’

Volume 57 Edition 5 Thursday, February 14, 2019

Mona Shores High School • 1121 Seminole Road • Norton Shores, Michigan 49441

THIS IS THEIR STORY JV cheer coach Heather David, who was diagnosed with

ovarian cancer during pregnancy, now has a healthy son,

Axel – p. 12

Vaping is becoming problematic at Shores, and administrators along with the school resource officer are trying to curb its use. Additionally, a health teacher weighs in on the topic. – p. 8-9

editorial

2 Feb. 14, 2019

Border wall will protect Americans

O

n June 16, 2015, when Donald Trump announced he was running for President of the United States for the Republican party, he said, “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and Mexico will pay for that wall.”

Saying he wanted to build a wall on our southern borColumn by der to combat Chris illegal immiHorvath, gration was a sports editor large reason why he jumped to the top of the Republican primary polls and would eventually get the nomination.

More than a year later, Trump would become President; time and time again, he would say that he was going to keep his campaign promise for a border wall.

We need this border wall; it is a necessity.

President Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017. From that point until the midterm elections of 2018, he had a majority of the seat holders in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives who were Republicans like himself, yet he hasn’t started trying to build the wall until the end of last year after he already lost his Republican majority in the House.

My question to him would be, why? Why didn’t you and all Republicans try to obtain Editor-in-Chief Caitlin McCombs Adviser Warren Kent III Editorial/Review Editors Morgan Cathey Jaylene Davis Feature Editors Kali Jend Sammie Ladegast Sports Editors Chris Horvath Paige Judson

our wall before he lost the votes needed?

The government shut down because of this issue from Dec. 22, 2018 until Jan. 25, 2019. President Trump blamed the Democrats.

Trump and the Democratic leaders went back and forth for over a month, arguing, coming together for meetings, and even going on television in front of the American people pleading their case, and they would not come to a compromise.

President Trump is asking for $5.7 billion to fund the wall. In the year 2016 alone, Obamacare, heavily supported by the Democrats cost $110 billion. Republicans are asking for 5.1 percent of the money spent in only one year of Obamacare to fund a necessary border wall to ensure safety for our country.

I hear so many liberals and people who side with the Democrats saying that $5.7 billion is “too much to waste on a border wall” while from our point of view, you wasted almost 20 times that for Obamacare.

I truly and genuinely believe Democrats care more about opposing President Trump and trying their best to make him look bad instead of caring about the American people’s safety. They would rather keep our government shut down as long as they can say, “That’s Trump’s fault,” in hopes of making him look bad.

Page Designers Emma Lee Bennett Emmalee Dykstra Bailey Graham Erick Hannahs Mieke Hart Gabby Lopez Erin Powers Sarah Roman Timmy Schneider Robby Swanker Marisa VanderMolen

The Sailors’ Log

staff editorial Mother Nature needs to ‘chill’ with the weather

Artwork by Jaylene Davis

Our border wall is necessary for our country. People call our President a racist for wanting this wall.

How does that make any sense? He wants the border wall for our safety and to keep out bad people like rapists, murderers, and many illegal drug dealers.

I ask those of you who are against this border wall this question: Do you have a fence around your house? Do you have walls around your house? Would it be okay with you if random people, bad people, you didn’t even know came into your home and started stealing and vandalizing the place?

That, in a much larger scale, is what our country is dealing with right now when it comes to illegal immigration. A 2011 study by the Government Accountability Office estimated illegal immigrants had committed 25,000 homicides, 42,000 robberies

The Sailors’ Log is a public forum for student expression distributed freely to students and faculty of Mona Shores High School.

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and nearly 70,000 sex offenses since the year 2000.

Is that okay?

Ask yourself that question.

Is it okay for 25,000 Americans to be murdered at the hands of people that came across our border illegally?

Those people could have been stopped with a wall.

I stand with our President on this issue. The government shutdown was the Democrats’ fault. They care more about making President Trump look bad instead of keeping our government funded and protecting the American people.

This is one of those times in history that there’s people actually getting mad that a politician is keeping campaign promises.

President Trump is keeping his promise, and he reassured me just recently when I was watching a Trump rally on my phone, and he said: “The wall is going to get built folks. Don’t worry.”

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Dear Mother Nature, Listen up, enough is enough.

Knock off this below freezing fiasco and bring us sunshine and flowers.

We get it; we understand that you were bored and decided to whip up a storm just for the fun of it, but this has been a little excessive.

First, you create a Polar Vortex. While it was cool to have six consecutive snow days, it was a tad chilly.

Then, you get together with Elsa from Frozen and ice the roads for two more days off.

Some of us have gone stir crazy inside the house while you decided to play around and have a little party of your own.

It got so bad that some of us ended up going so crazy that we “wanted” to go back to school.

Don’t get us wrong; we loved the days off. However, the whiteout blizzard and negative temperatures were a little bit too much.

We just ask you to “chill” out a little bit and let us see some type of sun and maybe a little bit of green grass. Keep up the good work though; you really saved some of us from taking a test.

Sincerely, The Sailors’ Log staff

Our Voice is the opinion message selected by the editorial board of The Sailors’ Log. Your Voice, the letters to the editor section, is the opinion of our readers. All letters to the editor must be signed.

This edition of The Sailors’ Log was printed by The Argus-Press 201 E. Exchange St. Owosso, MI 48867

The Sailors’ Log

Helping Myself

editorial

Feb. 14, 2019

3

I am growing into the person I deserve to be

P

eople are born a seed, buried deep in society’s soil. But to flourish into a beautiful flower, one has to help themselves become happier and emotionally stable.

I’ve seen and played the role of a common teen in the world trying to find happiness in other people and overlooking what’s standing in the mirror in front of me, myself.

After all, my fate is completely in my hands and my hands only.

To me, self-help is finding what I need to become a better person, not for others, but solely for myself and making the extra effort to ensure my happiness Column through hardships. Helping myself made by Jaylene as much of a difference in my life as Davis, watering a plant does. editorial Who knew I had to water myself too? editor My journey started when I realized I didn’t have to live unhappy anymore. I studied myself from above to see what was wrong in my life just so I could start somewhere. The easiest way to see the personal flaws that were holding me back was to elaborate small issues into the whole picture.

What I found about myself was astonishing: that every small issue burrowed deep inside my soul had a root and a branch connecting the problem to my past, my insecurities and my personality.

Just recently, I realized I had hidden my individuality for so long attempting to become someone else, someone “perfect.”

For the longest time, I thought the way to be happy was fitting in with the norm and creating a flawless “I took advantage of the time off and relaxed and enjoyed every minute with my friends and family.” – Eliseo Reyes, senior “I stayed at my friend’s house and played video games.” – Kobe Allen, junior

“I took the opportunity to sleep all day.” – Ryan Stephenson, sophomore

“I spent my time hanging out with the boys.” – Cory Cross, freshman

representation of who I am. But the plain fact is achieving an image will never make me as happy as I may believe.

I remember my therapists would tell me to “use my coping skills.” These skills work differently depending on the person. Some people like reading, writing, working out or even meditating. But if anyone is complicated like me, simple skills don’t make much impact on my overall mood.

I wish I had known the key to feeling better is not covering up what is causing me pain by distracting myself as my therapists suggested but learning from it so I can keep moving forward, be happier and most importantly, find myself.

I’ve found it’s the feelings and simple things overlooked daily that when changed could help myself dramatically. After I diverged my thoughts from unimportant things like food, weight, appearance, grades, and

Students missed eight of 14 school days due to snow days. What did hey do to fill the time?

Q

the big

In each edition of The Sailors’ Log, eight students will be asked their opinion about a current topic.

drama to what makes me feel better, I’ve felt more free from society’s chains and been able to focus my energy off things that make me upset to things that make me feel happy.

For example, a big part of this was stopping my natural overthinking, which many people do. I see this among people every day; in fact, I believe one of humans’ worst trait is believing they have the ability to read each other’s minds. This is on account of me observing that overthinking naturally causes negative thoughts and risky behavior.

This directly relates to acceptance, like accepting that some unchangeable things are negative in my life but not worrying about what will happen next, just moving forward. It’s easier for me to say this now after I’ve passed the lowest point in my life because I now see the truth in it.

I shifted my focus off other people and onto myself to put as much work into myself as my supporters would do for me. I had to learn not to rely on other people to make me happy. It had been so long being only happy when around others, that I had forgotten my first supporter will always be myself.

It is still astonishing to me how long it took me to recognize my own self-worth and that I deserve to be happy too.

Everyone I have met has left me with lessons, but I am most grateful for finding the lessons and courage in myself to discover everything I was missing, everything that is possible, and everything I deserve.

After all, I am a beautiful flower. In fact, everyone an be a beautiful flower after they learn how to blossom into whom they’re meant to be.

“I binge watched Vampire Diaries on Netflix on my days off.” – Kenzie Miller, senior

“I didn’t do much except practice hockey.” – Avery Anderson, junior

“I stayed inside and slept amidst the bad weather.”

– Jessica Lawton, sophomore

“I hung out with my friends on my days off.” – Mekhia Dye, freshman

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Feb. 14, 2019

n e k ic

review

Ch

The Sailors’ Log Culinary Review by Mieke Hart, page editor

In a restaurant and nothing looks good? Can’t decide between two items on a menu? Scared that you may not like something you order? You come across chicken tenders. Of course, the universal cop-out. No restaurant can really go wrong with chicken tenders. However, some restaurants serve better chicken tenders than others. After taking some suggestions, I made it my mission to find the best chicken tenders in the Muskegon area.

Chicken Coop

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Lakeshore Sports Centre

I began my journey with a trip to the Chicken Coop, 2544 Sanford St. The location of “The Coop” cultivates a more negative atmosphere around the restaurant; however, I have never had less than a delightful experience in my several visits.

The workers and patrons alike are extremely welcoming and sociable. The customer service is second to none.

Additionally, I would like to give a special thanks to the kind gentleman who generously paid for my order.

Unsurprisingly - I mean I did go solely for the chicken tenders - I ordered the $5.99 chicken tender deal, including four tenders and fries.

This is a great value. The strips, although not as crispy as I usually like, were delicious.

Whereas some restaurants overcompensate on the breading, creating an uneven balance between a thick crust and a little amount chicken, the Chicken Coop masterfully produces a tender in which the breading and chicken are in - and this may be a bit dramatic - perfect harmony.

The chicken itself (not the breading) was extremely flavorful and not dry at all; in fact, it was quite tender. Every time I have gone, the tenders are freshly fried right in front of me. Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned; I like knowing that my food is prepared to order and is straight out of the frier when I receive it.

I paired my tenders with barbeque sauce, which I found to be a marvelous combination. The barbeque wasn’t particularly special in taste or quality, but the savoriness of the tenders was complemented by the sweetness of the barbeque, making for an enhanced eating experience.

In sum, I would recommend “The Coop” to any person looking for a freshly-made, less-crispy, though flavorful, chicken tenders.

My next stop was Lee’s Chicken, 856 W. Sherman Blvd. I again, unsurprisingly, ordered the “Famous Recipe” two-piece chicken strips for $3.38.

I was blown away by Lee’s tenders. Although I went through the drive-through, the tenders were hot and fresh. The breading was unbelievably delicious. It was perfectly seasoned and crisp. The flavors of the seasoning well complemented the chicken and created arguably one of the best tenders I have ever had.

In terms of the chicken, it was a little drier than “The Coop”’s, but the overall flavor completely made up for this shortcoming. I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been paying extra attention to the details for the purpose of writing a review.

On this occasion, I paired the tenders with Lee’s “Fiery Buffalo” sauce because I was in the mood for something spicy. Like most of the Buffalo sauces I have had, it wasn’t particularly flavorful, but I did enjoy the extra kick of heat from the cayenne pepper with my chicken.

I have always loved Lee’s, but up until then, I had never tried the tenders. Now, whenever I go to Lee’s, this will be my go-to order.

When asking others for recommendations, I was surprised with the high number of recommendations to the Lakeshore Sports Centre, 4470 Airline Rd. It seemed like an odd place to go for chicken tenders, and it took me three visits to finally have an open concession stand; in the end, however, I wasn’t disappointed.

For $5, I ordered the “chicken fingers,” which came with four chicken tenders. For all of the praise these tenders received from my peers, I was shocked to see that these tenders were pre-packaged. They weren’t anything I couldn’t have just picked up from a food service distributor store. The worker threw them in a fryer for approximately five minutes and served them with a side of ranch.

I was absolutely blown away by these chicken tenders. Coming straight out of the fryer, they were perfectly crispy. Additionally, the chicken was perfectly cooked, considering they had gone from the freezer directly into the fryer. These tenders were full of flavor and the ranch was a great complement. These chicken tenders surpassed my expectations, and I would recommend these to anyone looking for some great chicken tenders.

feature

The Sailors’ Log

Feb. 14, 2019

Meditation positively influences life’s challenges

B

eing mindful has always been something that I have wanted to get better at, whether it be focusing on my breathing or clearing my mind from a stressful situation.

Column For me, mediby Gabby tation is the best Lopez, page way to achieve editor both of these things.

Being in a state of mindfulness is not sitting still for hours

(although it can be); it is a state of being present in the moment.

Starting two years ago, there were constant thoughts flowing through my mind that would distract me from everyday life.

Being anxious seemed like a normal thing to me as I was becoming numb to the feeling of constant anxiety.

I, however, knew that this was not the way I should be living my life.

I turned to meditation as a long shot after researching ways to become less anxious,

thinking that mediation could work out for me or maybe it wouldn’t.

My first session was a quick Google search of “How to meditate,” and thousands of helpful websites filled the screen.

I stumbled across a YouTube video regarding how to start the mediation process for beginners.

I crisscrossed my legs, closed my eyes, and listened to the sounds of a river while doing what the calming voice instructed me to do.

connecting the MIND

The voice encouraged counting to four on an inhale, holding for four counts, then exhaling for five counts.

As the 10-minute session concluded, I found myself feeling relaxed and aware. I was aware of my surroundings along with the feeling of awareness and comfort.

After that first session, I knew this was going to be a game changer for me. Not only had I completely lifted that day’s worries off my shoulders but knew how to prepare for

the ones I would attack the next day.

Meditating has become second nature to me and is part of my daily routine.

I now look at the positives on life rather than the negatives, take on assignments and projects more calmly, and being more present within a given moment.

Meditation took me out of a dark, scary chapter in my life and brought me into a new, brighter one that keeps getting brighter.

& BODY

Focusing daily on mental, physical health allows for benefits to show

By Gabby Lopez Page Editor

With the busy lives that teenagers have, it can be difficult for them to find peace and quiet to calm their minds or take them away from the crazy thing called life.

However, it is important for students to take time out of their lives to take care of their minds. Doing so could be anything from going for a walk, hanging out with friends, or practicing mindfulness.

Physical education teacher Roberta Edwards said students do not take the time to rest their brains as they should due to their crazy, busy schedules.

“Teens have a screen in front of their face most hours of the day,” Edwards said. “They are judged on their selfies and Snapchats. Several feel pressure to look their best 100 percent of the time because a photo could be taken at any given moment. This and many other factors are causing higher levels of anxiety and depression.

Their brains need rest. Their brains need to learn to enjoy the moment and just ‘be’.”

Many health benefits, such as bettering one’s flexibility, lowering blood pressure, decreasing anxiety or anxiousness, and boosting one’s immune system, are connected to practicing yoga and mindfulness.

Psychology teacher Heather Hall said students need to learn mindfulness to help deal with stress.

“Students have so many more stressors than we’ve

5

Kristine Mast, Muskegon Yoga owner and instructor, said she believes there are benefits to yoga and the practice of mindfulness are overwhelmingly positive. (Courtesy Photo) ever seen,” Hall said. “We should all take a step back and take care of ourselves. Students feel like they never have the opportunity to take care of themselves.”

Hall, who is also the adviser for the school’s Mindfulness Club, said she wants students to take nothing but positive things from the practice of mindfulness.

“I want them to know different strategies they can use to take with them to be able to practice these things on their own,” Hall said, “to be able to develop the habit of daily mindfulness, to even in a moment notice that there is beauty around them and that there is another way to look at things. Even just being calm, I want them to be

able to walk away from it with tools they will eventually be in a calmer state and away from the high stress.”

Yoga and/or meditation can be intimidating at first because many people do not know where to begin or where to go when it comes to learning the basics.

Kristine Mast, the owner and instructor of Muskegon Yoga (255 Seminole Road), welcomes anyone to join her for a session to see if yoga is something they might be interested in.

“I would love to give young people simple tools that they can take anywhere with them,” Mast said, “to help them cope more successfully with stress, anxiety, overreaction, and tools to support physical, mental and soulful health.”

Mast, who started doing yoga as another way to stay fit, did not fully get into the practice until her father was diagnosed with cancer.

“I began to understand yoga beyond asana (physical exercise, poses, and stretches) to include things like meditation and pranayama (breath),” she said. “As my practice evolved, so did my understanding of the fullness of the practice. What was started as a way to stay fit has evolved into a lifestyle and an intentional way of walking in the world.”

During the practice of yoga, there are always strengths and weaknesses. Mast explains some of her easiest and most difficult experiences.

“The easiest part of the practice for me has been asana or the physical practice and being in the studio with like-minded, compassionate people,” Mast said. “The difficult part is that living a very busy, full life can make daily practice a challenge at times, yet daily, steady practice is my goal. I often hear people say they are going through a tough time or are super stressed and have gotten away from their practice. This is when the practice is most needed. We are more resilient and more able to handle life’s stress when we are feeling our best both physically and emotionally.”

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Feb. 14, 2019

center

The Sailors’ Log

Art students bring jo

By Sammie Ladegast Feature Editor Helping children across the globe through compassion and art – that is what the Memory Project’s essence is centered around.

Since 2004, this charitable nonprofit organization has invited artists to create portraits for children around the world who have faced challenges like violence, war, poverty, and neglect.

Art teacher Danielle Benson-Fennell, who has participated in this life-altering project since 2013, is once again having her students take part.

“The Memory Project is about bridging the gap between kids in the United States and those that live in other areas across the world,” Benson-Fennell said. “We have art students create and paint portraits of children who live in wartime countries or those who are orphaned to give them something to hold onto to remember their childhood by. If a child is living from camp to camp or orphanage to orphanage, they don’t typically have a lot of personal belongings, so we try to help with that.”

Last year, the Memory Project decided to work with an organization called Partner USA to focus on the need existing in the United States.

“I took advantage of this partnership so my students could paint children that they could relate to more since they live here in the U.S.,” Benson-Fennell said. “I hope to be closing in that cultural and economic gap through these portraits and through the commonalities we all share.”

In the past, this project has put out needs for different countries, including Syria and Cambodia. Though she doesn’t know exactly where these children live in the United States, Benson-Fennell said she appreciated the opportunity to have portraits done for those in her country.

Miah Lipps, junior

If one were to think of art, drawing might be one of the first things to come to their mind.

Junior Miah Lipps is a multimedia artist; however, drawing continues to be an art form existing in her portfolio.

“My favorite pieces that I have drawn are landscapes and cities, as well as drawing nude people using anonymous models who I don’t know personally,” Lipps said.

Grand Rapids and Chicago are among various places she has visited and used as inspiration.

“During my childhood, I always visited Grand Rapids, so that’s why I started using it to draw,” Lipps said.

Though drawing simply includes a pencil and paper method for creating art, it plays a key role is serving as the foundation existing under other forms of art.

“Drawing is a starting point in art and provides a good structure for any media,” Lipps said.

“Basically, drawing is something smaller that can lead to something bigger in the end.”

Any form of art, whether it be painting, photography, ceramics, or drawing, allows one to express themselves in an infinite amount of ways.

“I always have a lot to say and I’m constantly talking, so art acts as a visual for those things that I have to say,” Lipps said.

“Instead of speaking my mind, art allows me to show what’s passing through it on paper. It’s an alternative way of speaking, which I think is really unique.” – Kali Jend, staff writer

For the Camere the Unit “I love tion,” Be face in de pecting a in more e

A rt A

Ta lented Tr io

Shores is known for its academics, athletics, and performing arts; however, one area not often thrust into the spotlight is the visual arts. In light of this, The Sailors’ Log decided to highlight three of the countless artists expressing their talents at Shores in order to give them recognition long deserved. Whether it be drawing, painting, or photography, these artists’ inspirational natures are undeniable, and their works can be seen sitting on display and decorating several of the Shores’ hallways.

“P

to

it m

The Sailors’ Log

center

Feb. 14, 2019

oy to less fortunate children around the world

past month, art students, including junior Gypsy Bates (far left), and seniors Peighton Flowers (middle) and en Thompson (right) participated in the Memory Project by painting pictures of less fortunate children from ted States. (Photo taken by Coy Lakatos) e that students are able to have this personal connecEvery student in each art class at Shores, except for photogenson-Fennell said. “They have to look at the child’s raphy and clay, is participating in the Memory Project. etail to recreate it, and they know that the child is ex“The Memory Project is about giving to children who don’t a nice painting, which I think encourages them to put have anything,” said senior Cameren Thompson, who is an effort through giving their time and talent.”

AP Art student. “It’s also good practice, so there are multiple

A t tack

Grace Parsekian, senior

Senior Grace Parsekian has a gift of painting; and her artwork, which is on display in the auditorium lobby, catches one’s eye right away.

Parsekian caught inspiration from the song “Thief” by Imagine Dragons.

“I got inspiration from song lyrics in an Imagine Dragons song: ‘When the stars look down on me, what do they see?’” Parsekian said. “I immediately saw the picture in my head.”

This song wasn’t the only inspiration for Parsekian’s painting.

“I also was inspired by the idea of personifying a part of nature,” Parsekian said.

Painting has always been my favorite because it’s very methodical and relaxing.”

She said she takes great pride in her art after hard work and dedication.

“There are a lot of different factors and layers that go into a painting, and it’s nice o step back and see the final product of all your hard work,” Parsekian said.

Parsekian’s interest in painting started when she was in a painting class.

“I first started painting at the end of my sophomore year,” Parsekian said. “I liked more than drawing because it was brighter and more vivid, and there were a lot more options for effects you could use.” – Kali Jend, staff writer

7

benefits to participating. Not only am I helping out someone less fortunate, I’m learning during the process, too.”

Senior Jared Rottman, anaother AP Art student, had a similar take on it.

“It means a lot to me to be a part of the project because I’m able to practice and learn different ways of painting while simultaneously giving back to kids in need,” Rottman said.

Though Benson-Fennell’s classes have partaken in this worldwide endeavor in the past, the previous participation does not compare to this year.

“This is the biggest venture I’ve done yet,” Benson-Fennel said. “I’ve only had roughly 15 to 20 portraits completed each year in the past; however, we’re painting 120 portraits of children this year, which I think is amazing.”

With so many portraits being painted, supplies were in high demand.

“I needed a way to get some high-quality supplies, so I went onto donorschoose.org, and I applied for a grant,” Benson-Fennell said. “As a result, I received money to buy nice paints and canvases for this project. However, we are still in need of money since each portrait costs $15 to send back to the child. When we send them back, the Memory Project organization personally goes to where these kids are, hands them their paintings, and videotapes it to send back to us teachers.”

Despite the cost of sending the paintings back to their respective child, the smiles painted on their faces, as a result, is priceless.

“These children come from economic areas where they are not fed all the time, their parents are not always home, or they might struggle because of violence in their community, whether that be gun violence or other types of gang violence,” Benson-Fennell said. “Through this project, we are able to reach out to these children and show them that we care.”

Brendan Cierlak, junior

Junior Brendan Cierlak did not expect taking a photography class would spark a passion for it, but to his own surprise, an enjoyment for it has sprouted.

“I originally took Photography 1 to get an easy A,” Cierlak said, “but during the class, we were taught different ways to take unique photos and how to develop them, and I gradually became more and more interested.”

Cierlak’s favorite photo he has taken was for a movement project in his class.

“I thought other classmates were going to take photos of inanimate objects because that is the easy route, but instead of doing that, I decided to challenge myself and take a fellow classmate outside asking her to do movements while I took photos,” Cierlak said, “She jumped several times until we got to the wall with the right light and camera speed. We got this beautiful picture of her and her shadow frozen in time.”

Photography is Cierlak’s favorite form of art to create.

“Photography is different because you’re using a machine to copy and paste exactly what you’re seeing on a piece of film to make art,” Cierlak said. “I like learning about developing and light exposure because you have be careful about how much light you’re getting because too much or too little light can cause you to have no photos at all when you go to develop them.”

– Kali Jend, staff writer

feature

8 Feb. 14, 2019

The Sailors’ Log

Lending more than just a hand Counselor says giving is rewarding

By Sydney Fetters Staff Writer There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

Helping somebody, it’s as simple as that.

Although such a mere task, it’s often overlooked. Not only does it help the individual the aid is being given to, but it allows one to feel a sense of purpose, something to take away from the day or life knowing a difference was made.

Counselor Amorette Clausen agrees, for she has devoted her life to helping people.

“There’s so much sadness and struggle in the world, and showing love to others is one way to combat that and make the world better,” Clausen said. “Lifting someone’s spirits or making them feel cared for is enough to make a real difference in a person’s life. Why not choose to do that? It often doesn’t take much at all.”

Other than attaining feelings of achievement, when helping others improve their quality of life,one’s own life is improved such as an increased positive outlook upon the people met in everyday life and situations one may face in the future.

Clausen said she also believes that “when someone feels loved, they are more likely to show love to others.”

When one focuses on themselves, the joy ends there. When one focuses on others, it is shared and better relationships are formed.

“The joy of giving is longer-lasting and more satisfying than receiving,” Clausen said. “I’ve noticed that when you do something for someone else, you nearly always feel good about that and want to continue.”

Helping people in need is a good and essential part of life. Helping people not only benefits the person receving the help but also benefits the person giving or advising. (Sarah Roman)

Help others who just need someone to listen

B

ritish actor Paul Shane Spear once said, “As one person, I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to change the world of one person during one of the darkest times in her life.

My therapist reached out to me asking if I could talk to one of her other clients and share my story with her. This girl was going column by through something similar Sarah to what I went through. She Roman, was having eating disorder page editor thoughts. Although her thoughts were closer to bulimia while mine was anorexia, the core thoughts and voices are the same.

When I was 13, I developed severe anorexia. I went from 115 pounds to 80 pounds in the span of six months. Weekly doctor and therapy appointments consumed my life for almost two years. I had to get my blood drawn every once in a while to make sure my organs weren’t beginning to fail.

When I was 14, my mom passed away, and my last promise to her was to recover.

That was my “wake-up” moment. I spent the whole summer going into my freshman year recovering and pushing through the grief and illness.

My therapist was having a difficult time getting through to her. She thought my story might help.

She was a girl around my age and went to a different school. I arrived at the building, and I was in the waiting room, and while I was waiting, I became nervous.

What if she doesn’t want to listen?

What if she doesn’t like me? Or worse… what if I say the wrong thing, and I make her situation worse? All these thoughts were running through my brain.

Finally, my therapist came and took me back to the room. I met the girl and started asking her questions about herself so she started to feel comfortable around me.

After we got to know each other a little better, I started going into my story, my struggles and how I overcame them.

As I told her my story, I watched her face, and I could tell she was taking things to heart.

I wanted her to understand that she was more than her eating disorder and that her “wake-up” moment to push herself to recover is this moment right here. I didn’t

want her “wake-up” moment to be as traumatic as mine was.

I wanted her to understand that the way she is living now isn’t sincerely living; it’s surviving, and that’s no way to live life.

I wanted her to understand that she doesn’t only need to recover for her family and friends but for herself.

I wanted her to understand that the voices in her head don’t define who she is and to tell those voices to be quiet.

I wanted her to understand that she couldn’t control suffering from an eating disorder but she could control her recover.

She is a strong girl, and I truly believe she will recover.

Being able to share my story with someone who is going through the same thing I was and being able to help her was something I will never forget.

My struggles, my journey, my recovery, and my story helped someone.

I can’t wrap my head around the idea that my struggles and my story were used to guide someone to recovery and push someone to a new chapter in their life.

If the opportunity arises to help someone, I hope people seize it. Always help someone, you might be the only one who does.

The Sailors’ Log

on the

9 feature OWL as PANTHERS Feb. 14, 2019

Pr

Shores

Seniors Emmalee Dykstra (left) and Caitlin McCombs (second from right) were “on the Prowl as Panthers” at West Ottawa High School on Dec. 19, shadowing senior Maggie O’Brien (second from left) and senior Maddy Epard (right).

This is the second installment of reporters from The Sailors’ Log visiting other schools. Previously, we visited Kenowa Hills. A private school and a rural school are both anticipated to participate in this series.

WO

Blue & White

School colors

Black & White

Sailors

Mascot

Panthers

Trimesters

School Year

Semesters

1217

Total Enrollment

2190

7:40 to 2:50; 5 classes, 74 minutes each

Daily Schedule

7:45 to 2:43; 6 classes, 51/59 minutes each

Open Campus except for freshmen

Lunch

Closed Campus except for seniors

4 Honors, 17 AP

Classes

13 Honors, 20 AP, 15 IB

25 Varsity Sports

Athletics

28 Varsity Sports

4 Elementary (Ross Park, Churchill, Lincoln Park, Campbell), Middle School, High School

Schools

8 Elementary (Great Lakes, Lakeshore, Lakewood, North Holland, Pine Creek, Sheldon Woods, Waukazoo, and Woodside), 2 Middle (Macatawa Bay and Harbor Lights), High School

Seniors become students at West Ottawa for a day

C

ontrary to popular belief, Shores is not a “big” school. If one wants to see a truly “big” school, one only has to venture to West Ottawa, a Division 1 school located in Holland.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, we ventured to the land of the Panthers.

After a 45-minutes drive, we arrived at 7:30 a.m., 15 minutes before classes began.

Emmalee After waiting for CaitDykstra lin’s guide (Maddy) to meet us, we checked in to the front office. Then, we set off to find Maggie, Emma’s guide.

Once Maggie arrived, we set off for our first hours; Emma headed to Caitlin the South Building while McCombs Caitlin stayed in North. Students must walk outside between buildings to get to their next hour depending on their schedule. The walk is about five minutes between the two buildings.

During our first hour, we were able to watch that day’s episode of “Senior Survivor,” a fundraising event that the seniors hold during the week before

Christmas Break. On that particular day, seniors were set to wear their team’s colored t-shirt. Teachers and students who sponsored certain students’ teams also joined in on wearing their T-shirts.

The event consisted of a group of seniors who had to stay at the high school all week. No leaving until eliminated.

The students had to do events each day, including early morning events and fundraise throughout the school day by selling treats, drinks, etc. that helped their team raise money for Win WO, which stands for “When in Need West Ottawa.”

The program helps families in need in the Panther community.

Emma’s first hour was Links, a class in which a student is assigned to a student with special needs and is there to assist them with their schoolwork. Austin, Maggie’s “Link,” was beyond welcoming. After his work was done, we spent time telling stories and getting to know each other.

After first hour, Caitlin had to walk from the North Building to join Emma in South Building for second hour.

The things we found most different between our schools was not the two different buildings but the sheer number of students – West Ottawa has nearly 1,000

more students.

Luckily for the two of us, third hour was in the same building, so the only walking involved was down the stairs as each building at WO has two stories.

We had third hour, newspaper, together. It was run pretty much the same as ours except they do not have a printed edition; all stories go online.

The teacher talked about upcoming due dates and things they needed to get done, then set them off to do their thing. During this time, we went on a tour of the South building, which was similar to North, but included a pool and was slightly smaller.

After third hour, it was lunchtime. At West Ottawa, only seniors are allowed to leave. Since our guides are seniors, we headed to Chick-Fil-A. The drive was about 10 minutes, but we had a slight advantage as we were allowed to leave early.

The lunch lasted 30 minutes, just like Shores, and we ate our food in the car before heading inside for fourth hour.

Again, we had fourth hour, AP Environmental Science, together. During this time we went on a tour of the North building, which is the main building and includes the main office, classrooms, gymnasium, and library.

Then, we split up for fifth hour. Caitlin headed to the South building while Emma stayed in North. During work time in Emma’s fifth hour, Maggie brought her to check out the behind-the-scenes of WOBN, their broadcasting class. Similar to SBN at Shores, they produce video announcements each morning. The classes at each school were extremely similar, so it was interesting to see how they went about making their announcements.

Before the final class of the day, Emma and Maggie met up once again with Maggie’s Link, Austin, and headed to the South building to meet Caitlin.

Maddy left the school for her final class of the day to go help out at the elementary schools and middle schools. After sitting through AP Calculus for a little bit, Maggie let us go so we could beat the traffic and head home.

Though the school was big, it was nice to have familiar faces who made our one day at West Ottawa feel like we were at home. Each class was welcoming, and it was nice to make new friends among the ones we had.

One day didn’t seem like enough to get to know the whole school and its inhabitants, but we felt lucky enough to become Panthers for a short time.

feature

10 Feb. 14, 2019

The Sailors’ Log

Picture Perfection

Since its birth on the app store in 2010, Instagram’s popularity has done nothing but increase. For many people, it is a way to share the best things about their life; for others, it’s a new kind of art medium for photography and overall aesthetic; and for the select elite, it is a job. It has become a world where a person’s profile is what people know someone by. This being said, everyone wants to put the best pictures of themselves and their lives up so that they can present only what they want the world to see. Many people spend hours editing photos, have a specific posting schedule, and even an overall theme to all their pictures while others barely post at all. The effortlessly aesthetic profiles are not always effortless, so we went behind the posts of some of Shores Instagrammers.

Five Instagrammers stand out at Shores Junior Chloe Knowlton is one of Shores’ most popular Instagrammers with upward of 1,100 followers and an effortlessly aesthetic look where she likes sharing things like vacations or cool events she is taking part in.

Sophomore Audrey White said she likes Instagram because she loves to look at all of the funny videos, memes, and artsy pictures.

White has an aesthetic page that is unified by her editing choices.

Knowlton divulged the secret behind her visually appealing profile by telling what goes into one of her typical posts.

One male student who has a popular Instagram is sophomore Andrew Taylor.

Taylor is a great example of how different boys’ and girls’ Instagram pages can be. He said he does not do much editing other than a few things offered on the app itself.

“My Instagram doesn’t have a theme,” Taylor said. “I just post things that look cool or are important to me.”

Taylor shows a different side to Instagram that has less effort put into it while still holding a solid following.

“I use the filter C4 from the app VSCO on all my pictures,” Knowlton said.

“I switch up the rest of the editing so that my pictures are cohesive without being too similar.”

“I edit all my pictures using VSCO,” White said. “I use the filter F2 with the same preset for all of the other editing features.”

One male who puts a lot of effort into his profile is junior Hayden Helmer, an active user of Instagram, knows what he’s doing.

While many users do not post on a regular schedule, Helmer said he likes to post 3-4 times per month to keep everything fresh and relevant.

“I like Instagram because I can quickly scroll through and see what my friends are doing, and it just makes me feel like I’m caught up in the world,” Helmer said.

White said it takes her a few minutes to edit pictures because she was able to perfect her preset.

Boys tend to be much less invested in the look of their Instagram pages, but some, like junior Logan Armstrong, still have a popular and aesthetic profile.

“I like Instagram because it is an easy and cool way to share your passions,” Armstrong said. “I have a kiteboard theme to my page because it is my favorite thing to do.”

Although he doesn’t edit his pictures much, Armstrong is able to maintain a popular page because of the common focus in his posts.

sports

The Sailors’ Log

Feb. 14, 2019

BALLHAWKS

11

Brothers manage Muskegon’s semi-pro basketball team

By Paige Judson Sports Editor For brothers James McBride and Jamarrius Gardner, being managers for the local semi-pro basketball team, the West Michigan Lake Hawks, is more than just an after-school activity.

To the brothers, being a part of this team is like having a second family.

“I don’t even have a favorite part about being a manager,” said McBride, a junior. “It is all always good because it is like a team full of brothers.”

McBride and Gardner, who is a sophomore, found out about this position from their friend KJ McKinney who is a player on the team.

“Last summer at Campbell (Elementary), we were shooting hoops with our friend KJ, and he told us he was trying out and that we should come along and see if there was anything that we could do for the team,” McBride said. “Because of KJ, we have been with the team since the beginning of this season.”

The brothers typically attend practice Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. as well as Fridays or Saturdays depending on game days.

Lake Hawks coach Ronald Jenkins said he loves having the boys as a part of the team. He said they are helpful and are wonderful young men.

“The best part about having the guys as managers is that I don’t have to worry about practice details, such as when it is

Brothers Jamarrius Gardner, a sophomore, and junior James McBride enjoy traveling all over the mid west while managing Muskegon’s semi-pro basketball team The Lake Hawks who play out of Muskegon High School. (Paige Judson) time to move to the next drill or setting up practice,” Jenkins said. “They are always handy and on top of things. They are very helpful and will always say, ‘Coach we got this’ or ‘Coach we can do that for you.’”

Gardner said his favorite part of being

Boys’ Basketball Under first-year coach David Chana, the Sailors have struggled in the win column, going 3-11, 2-5 in the OK Black. Senior James Gilbert has been the leading scorer in 12 games with a season-high 29 points against Reeths-Puffer last Friday.

Girls’ Basketball In coach Mike Phillips’ first season, Shores has a 3-10 record, 3-4 in the OK Black. Sophomore Riley Rosenthal has led the offense in seven games, including a season-high 25 points in the 49-47 win over GR Union.

on the team is all of the new experiences and the people he meets.

“The best part of the job is being able to travel and go a bunch of places that I had never seen before,” Gardner said.

“Also, I like getting to know the players because they are like brothers.”

Sports Briefs

Jenkins said having McBride and Gardner as managers has worked out well. He said they both stand out in their own way as managers, and he would never take one without the other.

“What I believe makes James stand out as a manager is his strong will toward details. He always looks over practice plans once handed to him,” Jenkins said. “He also helps to oversee the other managers.

Therefore, James is a true leader for his generation.”

But it is not just McBride who stands out. His brother Gardner is also a great addition to the team, Jenkins said.

“What I believe makes Jamarrius standout as a manager is his willingness to learn more about the game,” Jenkins said. “Because Jamarrius is also a potential future basketball player for his school, he’s always trying to observe techniques of the players and assist with drill work. Sometimes, he will get in shooting drills with players when we need an extra person.”

Jenkins said there are no other managers he would rather have. He said he believes in these young men and is excited to see what their futures hold for them.

“Having both James and Jamarrius as managers has been great not only for them but for me and the team,” Jenkins said. “Both young men are great leaders and have skills that will allow them to be successful in life. These young men will give back to their communities in the future and be very productive citizens.”

Boys’ Bowling Freshman Dylan Goryl has led the team (4-7 record) in at least eight events. His season high is a 424 series (201, 223) against Kenowa Hills.

Hockey The Sailors have struggled to a 2-16-1 overall record. The lone wins came against Wyandotte and Grandville. Senior Jager Kelly and junior Cayden Mollema have both scored six goals.

Girls’ Bowling The highlight is the championship at the Rocket Invitational. Senior Marisa Bacon and juniors Lindsay Cross and Krystina Richards have led the team to a 9-2 record.

Boys’ Swimming The Sailors have a 1-5 record and have been led by senior diver Tommy Cotner, who posted a school-record of 297.10 points at Fremont.

Competitive Cheer Shores has placed first in nine of the 10 events.

In the conference finals, the Sailors had their highest score (781.32).

Wrestling Shores finished with a 4-10 record. Seniors Josh Hill and Colt Stout each won a City title while senior Anthony Gaiser was a conference champ.

sports

12 Feb. 14, 2019

The Sailors’ Log

Her Story is His Story

His Story is Her Story

JV cheer coach battles cancer for her son

By Robby Swanker Page Editor

This story is about her.

This story is also about him.

Because without him, she probably would not be alive today.

Because without her, he definitely would not be alive today.

A mother and a child will always have a special bond; however, the bond between Heather David and her son Axel is one that transcends most others.

When Heather, a 2012 graduate of Shores, was pregnant with Axel, an ultrasound in July of 2018 alerted doctors to a mass on one of her ovaries. That mass turned out to be small cell carcinoma of the ovary, which only 0.1 percent of women with ovarian cancer have.

“Being unique is not something you want to be when you have cancer,” said Heather (formerly Heather Hoover), one of the JV competitive cheer coaches. “It means there’s not as much evidence and research out there to help your case, so it makes this whole journey a lot more nerve-wracking, especially when talking about remission and being cancer-free at the end.”

Because Heather was pregnant at the time of the diagnosis, doctors decided to induce labor at 28.5 weeks rather than the typical 37 weeks.

“I was terrified to have him at only 28.5-weeks because of our previous loss with Deklan,” said Heather, whose first son passed away at birth. “It was hard to keep positive, but my doctors in Grand Rapids kept me sane and upbeat and assured us that Devos was equipped to deal with deliveries this early.”

So Heather could start chemotherapy, Axel was born Oct. 3, 2018, instead of Christmas Day, his due date.

“One of the hardest parts was facing the fact that I had to start chemo right after birth, so I was not able to be a parent right away,” Heather said.

However, Heather remains strong because this is not the first time she and her husband Zack, whom she mar-

Heather David, the JV cheer coach, gave birth to Axel at 28.5 weeks so that she could begin chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. (Courtesy Photo) ried Sept. 6, 2017, have had to deal with adversity.

The Davids’ first child, Deklan, was stillborn at 35 weeks on Aug. 31, 2017.

“Getting pregnant a second time was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I knew this would make or break Zack and me, and we were so lucky that it made our bond that much stronger,” Heather said. “I had high blood pressure and just wasn’t healthy during (Deklan’s) pregnancy, so it kind of motivated me to drop weight and get healthy before we tried for our second baby. There was no question we wanted to have another baby; it was just when we were mentally and physically ready.”

Heather then made a promise to herself to get healthier; she started by losing 50 pounds and, “luckily,” got pregnant again.

From the cheerleaders She absolutely loves coaching, and I could always feel that (when she was my JV coach). She is so fun to be around and is so supportive of everyone. She has shown me that no matter what happens you have to keep a positive attitude and keep fighting because it will be worth it in the end. – Erica Pletcher, junior

She is loving, sweet, outgoing, caring, and helping. She has made the team want to work harder for her we wanted to take first or top three every time because it would make us feel like we are making her happy while she’s at chemo. Everything we did from the time we found out until now we do for her. – Alisha Livers, sophomore

“Luckily,” because her tumor was found at Axel’s 18week ultrasound on July 26, 2018. Without the ultrasound, Heather’s tumor could have gone unnoticed.

Nearly a month later, she had her tumor removed along with her right ovary and one of her fallopian tubes that contained cancer.

Heather said she had to learn to walk again after this and needed help for multiple weeks to do simple tasks.

She had only 11 days from Axel’s delivery to recover, as she started chemo on October 15, 2018.

Axel spent more than 50 days in the NICU at Helen Devos, where Zack and she traveled back and forth daily in between her chemo treatments at Butterworth Hospital.

“Axel and I both had many ups and downs with our battles in the hospital, but we have both fought hard and made it to today,” Heather said.

He came home Nov. 24, 2018, at 35 weeks along, weighing a healthy 5 pounds 10 ounces.

“My biggest support throughout my journey has been my husband and the cheer program,” Heather said. “I don’t know how he can balance taking care of me and Axel at the same time.”

During the Homecoming football game, the cheer teams held a “Miracle Minute,” where they went around the stands for one minute to get people to donate money.

They ended up raising more than $2,000. The JV cheer team also dedicated the season to Heather, calling it “Finish the Fight.”

She was due to end chemo (she had six rounds) for good last Thursday. Throughout her journey, Heather said she has tried her best to keep a positive attitude and have the right mindset.

“I experience about every emotion weekly, so you have to find the light in each day. My advice to others suffering from cancer is to take on your journey as your own,” Heather said. “Your diagnosis is yours, so take it day by day because you can’t plan everything.”

This story is about them.

Because they couldn’t live without each other.

In my first year of competitive cheer, she was always positive and helpful with anything. She helped me grow to enjoy cheer enough to come back senior year. – Zoie Willeke, senior

I always have (her cancer) in the back of my mind when I’m at a competition and think about how she has pushed me to where I am now. At the state finals last year, I realized I wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for her and all her knowledge about the cheer world. – Gabby Ward, junior

Race In America The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Truth

Artwork by Caitlin Williams

Pictured: 16 of the at least 80 unarmed black Americans killed by police since 2012

We’ve come a long way since the first official Black History Month in 1970, but, as a country, we still have a lot of ground to cover. To this day, unarmed black men are still three times as likely to be killed by police than unarmed white men. Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 to bring attention to the jarring number of unarmed black people killed by American police every year. Editorial Editor Morgan Cathey and staff writer Timothy Schneider created this center section to draw attention to only a few of the many issues we have left to fix as a country.

Black people and the police

The Black, The White, and The Should non-black people be allowed to say th Inbetween

The N-word.

It’s a word that everyone knows, but most people tend to avoid.

The only problem is that sometimes certain people don’t avoid it. Of course, every person has his or her own opinion, but that’s why the question of who is allowed to say it is a question in the first place.

To many, the question has a definitive answer: It’s unacceptable.

But I’ve noticed more and more non-black people saying it. Why is that?

To understand why it’s said, one must look at where it came from.

What is the word, and where did it come from?

According to the African American Registry website, the word originated from the Latin word “niger,” which means black (as in the color).

The word niger evolved and became the noun, Negro (black person) in English.

The word continued to develop and have its meaning altered until it landed in the southern United States during its early years. Niger then evolved into the word nigger.

From there, the word became much less about describing a black person as black and more about letting a black person know they were considered lesser than everyone else.

In more recent times, the N-word has evolved even further, replacing the -er with an -a at the end. Though the slang version has sprung out of the original N-word, they are not the same, but some people don’t seem to be able to understand that difference.

The difference between the real N-word, Police and Black Hair stories by Morgan Cathey hard ‘R’ and all, and the slang version is a N-word and Blackfishing stories by Timothy Schneider large and important one. and Morgan Cathey Nigga is said in songs and in conversations Artwork by Morgan Cathey and Emma Lee Bennett all across the world. While the word nigga is

February has been dubbed the official Black History Month. Though the month is traditionally dedicated to remembering events and prominent people of the past, it is also the perfect time to look to the future.

As a country, we’ve come far, but we haven’t made it all the way just yet. These stories are meant to highlight the things in America that have yet to be changed and have yet to be corrected.

In today’s society, one of the most consistent, yet kept quiet, topics is the continued confrontation between black people and the police.

According to the official NAACP website, black people are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of white people. Nationwide, black people and white people use drugs at similar rates, but the imprisonment rate of black people for drug charges is almost six times that of white people.

Black probationers are revoked

close to being a racial slur, it definitely isn’t one.

Rules for the word nigga are lenient and depending on who you ask, the range of who can say it can go from everyone to basically everyone. The real N-word has harsher “rules.”

If you’ve never been called the N-word, then you are not allowed to say the N-word, and when I say this, a white boy whose friends call him their nigga should not be allowed to say the actual N-word. I mean someone who has been called a nigger by someone who intended to cause hurt when they said it.

Many people find referring to their friends as their nigga makes them feel closer in a way.

Often times, the word nigger is only used in the context of talking about the word, it’s uses, and origins as it is a derogatory word.

Though some white people reading this will say that they can say nigga or nigger because, “I have black friends who said I can say it, I have a free pass” or “I’m from the

at higher ra studies. Du data, it was for 31 perc even thoug the U.S. po The statis tween polic not just. Th twisted and appeal to p And acco associate p ing Green S 2005 and A arrested on for on-duty span, 35 pe were pendi Modern d per about t ing. The fac cry out for a as a whole change.

hood, so I pass.” Ho just is not “Why do over; we’r Today in more likel person.

If you a person in the system today, you A lot of question i For cen nigger ha manize bl the rest o still call ot skin.

It can st own scho tion is still

ates than white probationers in all uring an analysis of available FBI s found that black people accounted cent of police killing victims in 2012 gh they made up just 13 percent of opulation. stics show that the interactions bece and blacks are twisted and clearly he victims’ stories show the same d unjust interactions but in more of an pathos light. ording to work by Philip Stinson, an professor of criminal justice at BowlState University in Ohio, between April 2017, 80 officers had been n murder or manslaughter charges y shootings, and during that 12-year ercent were convicted while the rest ing or not convicted. day America continues to only whisthis topic while it should be screamcts and the personal stories both a need for change, so the country e must hear the cries and strive for

he N-word?

I’m basically black, and I have a free opefully, they’ll be able to realize that t true. oes it make you mad? Slavery is re all equal now, right?” Wrong. n 2019, a black person is three times ly to be killed by police than a white

are black and get treated like a black America where you get affected by mic issues that face black people u can say it. people don’t understand why this is even still around. nturies before and still today, the word as been used in an attempt to dehulack people and discern them from of the population as lesser. People thers nigger just to get under their

till be heard everyday, even at our ool, and that is exactly why the quesl around.

Black hair and cultural appropriation Here’s a question of the year: Should I go and touch that black person’s hair?

Are you friends with them? If not, it’ll have to be a definite no.

Why are you touching it?

Just because you feel like it? It’s going to be a no.

In the media, one of the biggest topics for no good reason is hair.

Celebrity hair, how you should do your hair, whose hair is ugly, it’s all over the board.

One topic in the hair conversation that has been brushed under the rug, though, is black hair and cultural appropriation.

The definition of cultural appropriation from the Cambridge Dictionary is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not

your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.

Is white people wearing hairstyles such as box braids, cornrows, and dreadlocks cultural appropriation? Maybe.

Is it trashy the way that they wear traditionally black hairstyles like it’s cool while they hate on black people for wearing their hair in those ways? Yes. Though opinions on cultural appropriation differ from person to person, item to item, and culture to culture, most would say that when it comes to black hair, as long as whoever is wearing it respects where it came from and the black people that originated it, all will be well.

New ‘Blackfishing’ epidemic hits social media sites Scrolling through Instagram and Snapchat, there’s one large and unfortunate new scandal to be found: Blackfishing.

“Blackfishing” is the term used to describe someone who pretends to be black. This is a growing problem that has recently gone viral. White women are painting their faces with black makeup, getting braids, lip injections, and posting these pictures on the Internet.

When I first saw this start to blow up, I thought to myself, “This isn’t that bad; I only keep seeing the same two girls in the media.”

But when I went to Instagram to see for myself, I found more than eight white girls blackfishing within two minutes.

Being a black person in America comes with many cultural, social, and political struggles that a white person will never experience in the same way. That said, it is offensive to see a white woman, who has had the advantage of living without that struggle, post on social media and live their daily lives appearing black intentionally because they think it’s cute or

will rack up more likes.

These women walk around making their skin tones darker to look black, and they think it makes them actually black, but it doesn’t.

Actual black women cannot wipe their black off before they have work in the morning.

Actual black women don’t get to wake up in the morning and decide whether or not they want to be dark skin, light skin, or white skin before they start their day.

Actual black women have dealt with disrespect, dis-empowerment, and harmful stereotypes every single day of their lives.

This is a harmful new trend that needs to stop. Every time someone new decides to blackfish, we move farther from our societal goal of eventual equality.

Every time a white or non-black woman logs into social media with the intent of posing to appear black and get attention, fame, and appreciation for it with none of the actual repercussions that come with being a real black woman, they perpetuate the day to day racism that is faced.

Race Relations

Q: Do you feel like you have privilege because of your race?

A: “I feel like I have privilege in sports. It seems like coaches always want the black kids. There is that stereotype that people of color are more athletic. So when it comes to sports as a black man, I feel like I had an advantage to white athletes because people are going to assume I’m better because of my skin.” – Hatcher A: “In some instances like getting jobs and such, I feel like I have privilege because I’m white. Even though I do have some sort of privilege, one thing I have noticed in college applications is affirmative action, and if someone of color and a white person apply for the same college even though the white person has better grades and does more, the person of color would get accepted over the white person. I understand that I do have some sort of privilege in other instances because I’m white, but these laws are still dividing people, and it’s going against the purpose of trying to make everyone equal.” – Savacool

Q: How comfortable do you feel at Shores?

A: “I’ve never had a problem with Shores.

When I first came here though, I came from a predominantly black school, and it was strange to see white people everyday. Before I came here

While Shores does not have the most diverse student body, the topic of racial issues can still be controversial. Keeping that in mind, The Sailors’ Log gathered a group of students of different races and asked them to participate in a round-table discussion. This discussion took place after school in the newspaper office with (top row) junior Tre’ Hatcher, junior Gavin Chuley, junior Sarah Anton, (bottom row) senior Shelby Savacool, senior Tiana Pittman, senior Jay’lin Smith, and senior Niral Patel.

I hadn’t experienced seeing white people on a day-to-day experience. It was strange at first, but through the years, Shores has become as comfortable as a home to me. Coming to Shores has made me more comfortable around white people; it caused me to be more cultured. Before Shores when I was in the Heights when a white person came around, I would think that they were someone that would get me in trouble.” – Smith A: “I’ve always felt fine, but that’s because I don’t think about my race that much since I’m mixed. In my mind, I’m just human.” – Chuley

Q: What is a racial stereotype that has been pushed onto you, and how do you think the media has influenced that?

A: “As a black person, I feel like we push the stereotype on ourselves and accept it. I have a friend who tells me that I must be secretly white because I don’t fight or sound a certain way or act a certain way. We push that, and it’s all around; we get pushed to be that certain stereotype of loud, hoochie mama, ‘I wanna fight her.” – Pittman A: “I can’t think of a stereotype that has been pushed on me, but I’ve obviously experienced being stereotyped. Something that I feel like has been more common in Muskegon, or maybe in just my own interactions, but I’m from West

Michigan, and I know a bunch of kids from Eastern Michigan, where it’s a lot more diverse in terms of the Asian, black, and Muslim community.

Something I’ve experienced is the joke regarding Muslims and being a terrorist. At this point, I don’t get offended by it, but clearly, from an educational standpoint, I’m Hindi and a Patel (not a Muslim terrorist). I don’t know I’m not actually in any way near being a Muslim.” – Patel

Q: Do you say the N-word?

A: “I don’t say the N-word because I’ve heard white people in the past saying that it’s fine to say it because they got a pass from their black friend, but I refuse to say it because I feel like it’s racist for white people or people that aren’t black to say the N-word, but I don’t care if black people say the N-word, but anyone else, it’s a no.” – Anton A: “I say the N-word, but I grew up hearing the word. My friends called me it, I called my friends it, and it’s in my favorite songs. I don’t call anyone (the N-word with the hard ‘R’) unless they have the characteristics of one, like loud, annoying and really fitting the stereotype. My white friends say the N-word, but I don’t care. If some random white guy came up to me and said it, I would do something about it and get offended, but as long as I’m chill with the person, it’s cool. I won’t get offended, but not with the hard ‘R’.” – Smith