March 4th Issue

THE

FOCUS

Midland High School | March 4, 2016 | Volume 38, Issue 6

Poll Problems

9 16 -19

Inside this month:

Zach Federer

The Midland High Twitter polls asked these questions to hundreds of students, offending many and raising the question: What should administration do?

Special Report: Retiring Teachers

21

Flint Water Crisis Will Hackbarth | Illustration

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER: THE POLL PROBLEM

Recently, students created Twitter accounts, in which students voted on questions about their peers. While many students found these polls to be harmless and funny, others were offended by the questions. Administrators took action, working to prohibit the polls (pages 22-23).

OPINION

FEATURES

3: Cyberbullying editorial 16: Jeff Babin The Focus evaluates the Midland

Twitter polls controversy and how the administration handled the issue.

A&E

History teacher Jeff Babin has decided to retire from Midland Public Schools to move to South Carolina with his family.

17: Jon English

English teacher Jon English plans to retire after 25 years, and shares memorable Junior Morgan Letzkus began to write her experiences through a Q&A session. series, The White Rings, three years ago, and is currently writing the second novel.

8: Morgan Letzkus 9: Zach Federer

18: Jeanne Townsend & Kirt Doke

10: Restaurant reviews

19: Bonita Johnston

Senior Zach Federer dual enrolls at Midland High and Meridian High to participate in the MHS drama program.

Art teachers Jeanne Townsend and Kirt Doke recently decided to retire, but plan to continue pursuing their passion for art.

Local hole-in-the wall restaurants provide Science teacher Bonita Johnston will retire from teaching and her position as head good food at an affordable price. of the National Honor Society, but will continue coaching the Equestrian team.

SPORTS

11: Maya Kipfmiller

Junior Maya Kipfmiller plays softball for the varsity team, as well as a travel program, and has verbally committed to playing softball at Boston University.

12-13: Signed athletes

As athletes finish their final high school seasons, they are deciding where they wish to continue their sport.

14-15: Sports zone

The Focus features the best athletes of the month, including top diver Carter Welter, and assorted sports statistics.

10

NEWS

21: Flint water crisis

Eastlawn Elementary school is working with Eagle Ridge Church of God to collect and deliver clean water bottles to Flint.

22-23: Cyberbullying

Students and administration discuss the effects and ramifications of the recent Midland High Twitter poll controversy.

19 EDITORS

Will Hackbarth Editor-in-Chief Megan Nylund Managing Editor Ella Colbert Features Editor Katherine Vernier News Editor Maddy Pasche A&E Editor Kayla Graham Sports Editor Kirstyn Cotton Opinion Editor

21 Zach Noel Website Editor Julia Quinn Photo Editor Hannah McAtamney Design Editor Lexi Costley Ads Coordinator Anna Schultheis Exchange Editor Jim Woehrle Adviser Midland Daily News Printer

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Focus, established in 1977, previously the Vic Tribune, established in 1936, is the official school newspaper for Midland High. Focus is published monthly by the journalism classes at Midland High and is distributed free of charge. It is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA), and Quill With the Michigan primaries approaching, and Scroll. Adviser membership also includes the Journalism Education Association (JEA).

Focus is designed as a forum for student expression and as a realistic lab experience. students give their opinions on the Focus, however, reserves the right to contest the challenge of an administrator who prominent political candidates. attempts to censor and/or remove an article or graphic element.

24: Political debate

The Focus addresses the issue of ...

W

ith 232 followers, 193 tweets, and countless votes, our school recently experienced cyberbullying at an unprecedented level. Several students created Twitter accounts, dedicated to polls of various subjects regarding specific students.

The polls asked followers to vote on variety of questions, such as “Which sophomore girl is prettiest?”, and more specific ones like “Is [MHS student] ugly?”. These tweets created a frenzy throughout the student body, attracting hundreds of votes and followers to the accounts. Although many students felt nothing was wrong with the polls, those students whose names were mentioned in these tweets were being anonymously bullied and hurt.

Cyberbullying issues at Midland High are handled case by case, with no specific policy in place for the punishment of offending students. This specific incident of cyberbullying differed from those in the past, due to the fact that the polls were created anonymously. This provided an issue, in that the administration had no direct source to blame for the cruel things being said on the account. Also many of the Twitter polls also sent to the Twitter account by direct message from multiple sources, rather than just one, which complicated the problem. The school had to decide whether every person involved should be punished, rather than just those who made and ran the account.

Although the tweets and polls were created at home and not during school hours, The Focus still believes the students should have received consequences from administration.

The administration’s job at Midland High is to assure that every student feels welcome and safe in the educational environment. When instances of bullying occur on social media, even when it is off school grounds, it is still said in a public forum for other students to

OPINION

monitoring social media

Julia Quinn | Illustration see, meaning the issue can carry over into the school day. Therefore, the Twitter polls are a problem that should be dealt with at Midland High.

The school administration handled this situation by punishing only the students they could prove were directly guilty for running the Midland Polls account. Only one student was suspended. However, several Twitter accounts and tweets have not been taken offline, and still exist for students to view.

We believe that the administration handled

this particular situation correctly and to the best of their ability. Due to the fact that the Twitter accounts were called MHS polls, and used pictures and logos associated with Midland High, the correct measures in punishing the students were taken. When offensive tweets are associated with our school, it gives the school and the student body an overall negative connotation and image. Since it is in the school’s best interest to maintain a positive public image, it is well within their rights to monitor these accounts.

In similar situations that may arise in the future, The Focus recommends that the administration give a verbal warning to every student involved, regardless if Midland High’s name or logo is directly affiliated with the incident. The school should explain to offenders that if the situation were to continue, they could build a case against them and incur further consequences. Actions on social media can directly affect the school day, and so the administration act within the school’s rights to monitor in instances of bullying.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should the school monitor social media for potential cyberbullying?

Freshman Paige Anderson “Yes, especially if the cyberbullying is coming from students at Midland High.”

Sophomore Caleb Wolfe “Yes, they should because it can happen a lot and it’s talked about a lot in school so if they could monitor, it that would be good.”

Junior Selena McCray ”No, I don’t think so, because what you do on social media is separate from the school and it’s not really their place to do anything.”

Senior Jared Hohman “No. students should be in charge of resolving the problem themselves without the school’s interference.”

3 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

TIDBITS

OPINION

Tweet of the Month

Photo OF THE Month

“Never before have I witnessed a snowday without snow.

But I’ll take it.”

112 likes grxz.e Becoming art #life #abstract #nature #women #figure #acrylic

Follow THIS User

Follow THIS User

@grxz.e

@Grenesko23

3 THINGS

By the numbers

you don’t have to worry about this month

1 Waiting for the first snow day ast-minute scholarship 2 Lapplications to “What does the Fox 3 Listening say” all day long

and one thing you still do...

Getting pinched on St. Patrick’s day.

4 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

There are

51.5

days of school left for seniors

and

60.5 for other students

I

remember the first time I heard of Barack Obama. It was in late 2007, when he had already established himself as a Democratic candidate. My aunt and uncle, who lived in Chicago, were visiting over Thanksgiving. They were huge Obama supporters and encouraged us to watch the news channel that was discussing the election.

They explained to me his political views and what he wanted to do in office.

Almost immediately, I was intrigued. I had never been interested in politics in the past, and didn’t fully understand the difference between Republicans and Democrats; but this man, I thought, seemed quite remarkable.

Still, eight years later, after two terms in office, I believe the same. President Barack Obama has received an unprecedented amount of negative feedback that he does not deserve, given his qualities and accomplishments as president.

For starters, he has been extremely articulate, and is one of the greatest orators in history. Not only is his voice aesthetically pleasing, but the ease with which he is able to give speeches demonstrates his authenticity.

He also does not get angry, and keeps an even temper in the face of criticism.

One of the most important aspects of leading this country is being able to relate to its people, as the president should represent the general population. In a recent public address, Obama wiped away tears while talking about the epidemic of school shootings. In that moment, his raw emotion defined his character more than anything he could ever say.

His general tone and willingness to work with people has brought the U.S. back as a credible leader of nations in the eyes of other countries. For instance, in initiating the Iran Nuclear Deal, Obama gained agreement from Iran that they would not create a secret nuclear program, ensuring that hydrogen materials created in Iran nuclear exploration would be shipped back to the U.S.. Without his ingenious diplomacy, the world might have faced the effects of nuclear destruction.

As the first African-American president in U.S. history, his victory in the 2008 election has been an inspiration for minorities across the country, and broke a great barrier in the fight towards racial equality. Although, one could argue that his race is a factor in part of the unjust criticism from his opponents, he has taken the moral high road and continued to reach out to all people.

For example, he has been a champion for

Ella Colbert Thanks Obama gay rights and has been instrumental in the passage of same-sex marriage, an important step towards creating a more unified nation.

In an economic sense, Obama has lifted the country to a much more stable position than when he entered office. In 2009, when Obama was sworn into office, the unemployment rates were 9.5%. Obama led this country out of the disastrous effects of the recession and the stock market crash of 2008, returning hope to the country. Right now, unemployment rates are at 4.9%; nearly lower than any time in the history of this country.

Although the Affordable Care Act (sometimes referred to as Obamacare) has been highly criticized by almost all Republicans, and despite a shaky start because of a poorly designed website, the program has brought healthcare to more than 12 million people who did not have it before. Despite unprecedented obstruction from conservatives, President Obama has persevered in bringing forward policies that help people in need.

There is nothing wrong with our leader attempting to assist the less fortunate. The countless jokes and criticisms on the matter seem tasteless and inadequate. He created a nationwide healthcare program, for the first time in the history of this country, not a harmful, wasteful, or corrupt program.

Admittedly, he may not rank as our greatest president. But certainly, he has not, in any way, failed his duties. Throughout his presidency, he has been victim to an irrational amount of criticism, nearly all of which has come from either ignorance or prejudice, and nearly all of which is unjustified. Despite this, Obama has remained unfazed to criticism, not becoming frustrated or irritable. No other president in history has received as much obstruction and responded so calmly. Obama served his term, and he did so remarkably well.

As I flip my Obama-themed calendar into the month of March, I am increasingly aware that his time in office is coming to an end. No longer will be the era of President Obama that I have become so used to and fond of over the past eight years.

Although Obama’s successor may not rise to meet my expectation, my hope is he or she will maintain Obama’s level of decency to the voices of dissent. He has left his legacy, a series of accomplishments to mark his time in office. But, more importantly, he has lived up to my previous conviction, and has shown me that he is truly a remarkable man.

OPINION

@HumansofMidlandHigh

Julia Quinn

A brief feature of students who have a story to tell. Follow the Focus on Instagram to see more.

Zion Lange

T

“

The last time I laughed the hardest was when we were at Lake Michigan. I went up and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not going to be cold’, so I went out on the ice. That’s a smart thing to do in the winter because, you know, it’s not like it’s negative degrees or anything. The ice was so fine, so thick, so I did a little dance, a little jig. The next thing I know, I’ve fallen through the ice. Thankfully, my cat-like reflexes shot me out of the water and to the beach. When something is that cold, you find anything warm. So, what I did was jump in the swimming pool; it was so much warmer but still frozen over. I went inside and the family looked at me and said, ‘Two polar bear dives? Why?’ I fell over laughing.

”

A changed perspective

he lights are dim, except for one obnoxious flashing light in the corner of the gym. The mood shifts as the songs turn from ‘Oh My Gosh’ by the Black Eyed Peas, to some attempt at romance, with ‘Big Green Tractor’ by Jason Aldean. The boys awkwardly hover to one side of dance floor with Justin Bieber flows, a mouth full of metal, and scrawny legs that are about the same size as my arm.

Girls are on the opposite side of the gym, caked with mascara and bronzer they don’t know how to apply. Some hustle out the minute the music starts to slow, while others stay with high hopes of getting that dream slow dance with their crush. The girls are betting on which of the boys will be brave enough to ask a lady to dance, while the guys, I’m sure, are daring each other to ask random girls from across the gym. This event is commonly loved, hated, and known as the middle school dance.

First comes the middle school dance, then comes Homecoming, and then our final hoorah of high school: Prom. Each one seems to prepare us for the next. For girls, we learn what hairstyles fit us and which make our heads look like bowling balls.

As a guy, you might learn to class it up a little more with each dance; or maybe you realize that the most expensive place in town is a little too far out of your price range.

Nearing our first or final prom, we think we know it all. We’ve been planning for this night since we were little girls in the mall, who admired the over sequined, puffy DEB dresses in the store window.

When Prom arrives, it’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. We slip on our dresses that we picked out months ago. Everyone is strutting around like they own the place as the music vibrates the Grand Hall. We go with our best girl friends or have that date that never fails to make us smile. The whole night is full of new feelings, but there is a small vibe that feels strangely familiar, as if we are reliving our middle school years.

There are the same couples that never stop slow dancing, the same Cupid Shuffle and Cha Cha Slide, and the same jumping up and down thing that we like to call dancing. But we are introduced to high heels and elegant gowns, spending wonderful conversation over dinner with friends, rather than the $2

pizza served in the foods room, and being able to drive our very own vehicles to and from the dance.

New and old is mashed into one during the progression of school dances, like so many aspects of our lives as we get older.

As we grow up, everything we do feels strangely new and old at the same time.

It’s weird. We keep moving forward into situations that we believe we’ve never lived through, but in reality, we’ve done it all before. How we live through each new experience seems to be what is really changing.

From day to day, we don’t see ourselves transform. But, looking back at photos from middle school, I definitely don’t wear the same Hollister tee and side clip in my perfectly straightened hair. I now let my curls free with my natural style.

We change our views as we get older, based on previous events or mistakes. That changed perspective is what makes everything feel new, even though we may have already lived through something similar.

That’s why Christmas morning is always filled with the tradition of opening presents and eating mounds of pancakes, but doesn’t have that same little kid feeling anymore.

It’s new in that we no longer feel like our five-year-old selves, thinking that Santa came down the chimney and ate all of the cookies.

The same feeling arises on the first day of school. Every year, we are in our back to school clothes and go through every class learning about various syllabuses. But even though we’ve done it more than 10 times, it never feels old or repetitive.

We also feel this way towards waking up on a snow day. We get that same relieved, surprised feeling when we hear the snow day hotline. We have that same urge to bury ourselves under our blankets and sleep for three more hours.

While elementary school snow days were filled with snowball fights and steamy hot chocolate, high school snow days are a good mental break and gift of time. We finish homework from the night before, catch up on studying, and give ourselves a slight break from our busy lives. Each year, our outlook on snow days change, because as we grow up, our priorities shift, even though it’s still that same, thrilling feeling we used to get when we were in fourth grade.

We change. We mature. We grow up. But no matter how much we age, certain events in life will continue to feel fresh, while at the same time bring that familiar feeling. That awkward, giddy feeling you used to get while dancing in that Northeast Middle School gym, and then again at prom.

The cynic may say that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Although the experiences that we live through are the same, and just altered with a new lens and perspective, they continuously provide us with happiness and joy.

5 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Suzannah Koop

OPINION

Live in the moment

The movies review

N

from the counter that constantly play trailers. ow, don’t be misguided by the title, I They rotate between about 5 movies, and won’t be reviewing movies. Instead, I repeat them over and over and over again. will be reviewing The Movies. I used You learn the words, the tune of the music, to love going to the movie theater. I loved and you find yourself singing along with the atmosphere, the strong scent of popcorn Alvin and the Chipmunks to your coworkers. wafting through the lobby, and anxiously When you work at the movie theater, waiting in line for midnight premiers. The it’s almost guaranteed you’ll see someone movie theater used to be a fun and exciting place, but since I’ve started working there, my you know, every time you work. Teachers, old babysitters, your friend’s parents, etc. perspective has changed immensely.

Midland has about five decent places to Let us begin with what’s essential to most hangout, so after the Tridge and Applebee’s, movie-goers: popcorn. I thought that popcorn the movie theater makes the list. The cool from the movie theater was undeniably the best tasting popcorn in the entire world. Now, thing about this is being able to predict new I could probably go the rest of my life without relationships by seeing kids from school even smelling it, and I wouldn’t feel like I was on a date together. Due to these inevitable encounters, however, I feel like I have to missing anything. After every 7+ hour shift, actually try and not look awful when I have I come home smelling like I bathed in butter a shift. I need for days. My clothes, to wear a clean my hair, everything.

And every time I get “The movie theater used to be a fun uniform (that has been washed at home, the pungent and exciting place, but since least three times scent floats in to get the popcorn around me, which I’ve started working there, my scent out), I have leads to my dad perspective has changed immensely.” to put my hair yelling at me for not

up, and I feel like bringing home a I have to smile bag of free popcorn. all the time. It’s hard when you have to put Yes, the free popcorn is a perk to working at in effort at school for seven hours, and then the movies, but I’d rather keep work separate again at work for the same amount of time. from my home life.

That’s about 14 hours of effort on work days, My perspective about movies being and that’s too much for me. released has also changed significantly. I But, of course, there are positives about used to get so jacked seeing trailers for new, my job. Though I do consider quitting every huge films coming out. Now, all that washes single day of my life, every two weeks, I’ll get over me is dread. I imagine the lines going my paycheck and suddenly be reminded why out the door, having all three poppers open I do what I do. And truthfully, I complain while making sure that none of it burns. a lot about a job that really isn’t bad at all.

I picture the theaters, trash and cups and Along with the free popcorn, I can take spills everywhere. It looks like a war zone. I home free movie posters if they haven’t been envision my manager yelling out “[example claimed yet. Each paycheck comes with two movie title] is now SOLD OUT,” and hearing movie passes that last for three months, so a crowd of angry sighs and upset customers I hardly ever have to pay when I go see a by the time they reach the front of the line. movie. The people I work with are also really Normally, this only lasts a couple weekends, great. When you have to spend up to 9 hours but it was like this for Star Wars for two straight with the same people, you end up whole months. I felt like I was going crazy. learning a lot about one another. No one is Sometimes, trailers are worse than the too mean to each other, except a kid named actual movies. Though the theater does get Ethan, who once changed my last name to occasionally slammed, it’s more common for “poop” on the schedule behind the counter. it to be steady or slow. And in these quiet It was pretty funny, and I wasn’t actually moments, when you can’t distract yourself too angry about it. I’ll probably have a deep with a customer, or with cleaning something, hatred of popcorn for the rest of my life, but you watch movie advertisements. There are I’d like to hope that it was all worth it. two TV screens on the wall directly across

6 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Maddy O’Callaghan

W

ith the current reign of social media by Daniele da Volterra and reached for my and technology, I’m constantly camera, I became aware of the absurdity hearing how vital it is to ‘be in the of the situation. Here I was, in front of the now’. There are hundreds of idioms like ‘stop painting I had been waiting for years to see, and smell the roses’, practically millions of inside the museum I had been wanting to Pinterest mom quotes, and even a WikiHow see it in, and I was planning on just taking page with step-by-step instructions on how a quick picture of it. I, and the many people get off your phone and live in the moment. surrounding me, were so wrapped up in Honestly, I blew the whole idea off as pictures and rushing that we completely whiny baby boomers who are inherently forgot to appreciate the moment we were in. bitter towards our generation. Living in the I was going to look at all the snapshots in nomoment is something that’s difficult to do, where-ville on my tiny camera screen, rather social media or not, because humans have than take in the moment and the real life a natural tendency to worry about the next painting for what it was. thing, rather than focus on the present.

Once I realized this, everything suddenly Moments where you only care about the hit me. It was like a lightbulb came on, and current situation you are in are extremely rare, I understood what I was doing and where I and only experienced a miniscule amount of was. times in your life.

I had a new But once you do, lens as I stood in you realize the amazement, staring “I felt like I couldn’t move, or breathe, at the paintings that importance of it.

I finally had my had only seen in because any sudden change in motion Ismall own moment last pictures in summer when I textbooks or on my would be disrespectful to the moment.” went to Europe. computer screen at The Louvre home. There and was on my list then, I was in the of things I was most excited for during my actual presence of the original paintings, EF tour. I’m a huge fan of Dan Brown and worked on by legends like Botticelli and the Robert Langdon books, so in all honesty, Leonardo. I could see each brush stroke I was just excited to pretend to be a Harvard that the artist had put on the canvas, the Symbology Professor on the hunt for the blending of colors, and the emotion put into Holy Grail. Secondly, I was excited for the the masterpieces. I felt like I couldn’t move, artwork. I’ve never been an art aficionado, but or breathe, because any sudden change in I’ve always held a huge appreciation for the motion would be disrespectful to the moment, history behind it. and would take me out of my complete When I entered the museum, we went into surrealism. I realized how visiting the Louvre a large hallway to wait in line, where small was a one in a lifetime chance, and for the first shops lined the walls and people crowded time in a long time, I was completely in the in groups, complaining about how long they moment. had been waiting. The line seemed to stretch I lived by that standard for the rest of my through the entirety of Paris, and I began to trip. When walking around Paris, my friends wonder if the Louvre was worth losing feeling and I stopped into every little chocolate shop, in my feet. tried as much of the local food as we could, When we finally got to the lobby, all my and talked with artists about the pieces negative emotions disappeared. I gave the we bought from them in the artist square. security guard my ticket, stepped through the In Florence, I danced with Hare Krishnas, scanner, and ran to the Grand Hall. climbed the Duomo, and ate more gelato than I felt incredibly overwhelmed, seeing my stomach could handle. In the countryside thousands of famous paintings lining the of Italy, I made pasta with a woman in the walls in seemingly hundreds of rooms. With bistro in Sorrento she had owned for decades. so much art and so little time, I did what It wasn’t like a super cliche Eat Pray Love everyone else was doing. I looked at a painting travel-self-realization-moment, but I felt for a second, took a picture of it on my camera, like something clicked. In one of the most and moved on to the next one. crowded places on earth, I was able to focus Once I got to the David and Goliath painting on the amazing collection of art.

Sonja Anderson Don’t be ugly

I

wish I was Angelina Jolie. She’s a humanitarian, a pilot, a mom, and an Oscar-winning actress. But I wonder, would I feel the exact same way if she looked like Steve Buscemi?

When I think of my favorite actors and actresses, I think of pretty people. Emma Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp. Reasonable, because about 90 percent of the entertainment business is attractive.

But the film business isn’t the only career path in which that attractiveness is involved. It’s involved in virtually everything.

A landmark study from Cornell University found that when a white female puts on an additional 64 pounds, her wages drop 9 percent.

Good-looking professional football quarterbacks earn 12 percent more than their average looking compatriots.

Ratemyprofessors.com shows that “hot” economics professors earn 6 perfects more than those in their department with less fortunate looks.

Is the fact that the professors are goodlooking the only thing that impacts how good of an economics teacher they are? Do the quarterbacks throw with more accuracy only because they’re hot? Do heavier women make less money only because of that weight?

Yes and no.

Basically, being pretty has a certain effect on someone’s personality.

A beautiful person has a higher selfesteem. Obvious. This is one of the things that help them make more money. In the workplace, people with higher self-esteem are more productive. Studies show that attractive people can speak more fluently than unattractive people. In turn, they’re more comfortable approaching customers, conducting presentations, etcetera, etcetera.

They’re also more persuasive. Clients

The top one-third attractive females make about

12%

more money annually than those in the bottom sixth of the genetic pool

73%

OPINION

respond better to and are more trusting of pretty people. I mean, Don Draper didn’t get where he is while looking like John C. Reilly.

There is no direct correlation between physical traits and competence, yet women who are 5 feet 7 inches tall will make $5,250 more over the course of a year than a female co-worker standing 5 feet 2 inches. Turns out, psychologically, we like to literally look up to our leaders.

They also find partners easier. This is wired in our brains. Early homo sapiens valued prettiness because it suggested youthfulness and health, which is prime for reproducing (they were kind of sex-crazed).

This is why women’s makeup is the way it is: rouged cheeks to look healthier, pink lips to look younger, smooth skin to erase age.

There are a lot of reasons, as stated, that explain why pretty people are often more successful, in both work and romance. That’s the psychological side of it. But behind those statistics is just the fact that we, as a modern species, are shallow.

Would pretty people have a higher selfconfidence if we weren’t always telling them that they’re so pretty? If beautiful people weren’t constantly assured that they possess the height of the things we value, they wouldn’t be any more confident than a regular person. Would taller women get paid more if we didn’t think height was sexy, to the point of urging women to attach three inches of rubber to their heels? Would a woman who gains weight get paid less if she didn’t start to lose self-confidence because she doesn’t look like the Covergirls we love?

Because that’s what it comes down to. Yes, pretty people are successful because they have high self-esteem and they’re persuasive and they speak well and they’re confident.

But our culture gives them that. They have all of that because we value them. We love them and idolize them and want to look identical to them. They are our golden muses.

So, like, we kind of suck as people for valuing physical appearance so much.

But when I say “we,” I also mean “me.”

Because even if Brad Pitt had zero acting talent and was a Nickleback fan and went to prison for drug dealing and then broke into my house and stole all my things without so much as an apology, I would still marry him.

Sonja’s choice celebrity crushes

Brad Pitt

Eddie Redmayne

of women felt a youthful appearance played a role in getting a job

Source: Forbes.com

Gwynne Özkan Paradox

I

am indebted sixteen years of life on this earth, and with each waking day I find myself amazed at the infinite things I learn. “Learn something new every day,” has become my second nature, courtesy of my mom’s nagging persona and my dad’s undying effort to spoon-feed me random factoids. Somewhere between the time I stopped calling play dates ‘play dates’ and white laces replaced the black Velcro on my shoes, this mantra was no longer followed by an eye roll. Instead, it was branded in my mind, I was reminded to expand my horizons and exercise my brain.

I had the itch to leaf through books with no pictures. I tangled with words having more than 3 syllables and furrowed my brow at adjectives like ‘tedious’. My arm grew tired throughout school as my were teachers tired of answering my questions As my classes separated into point levels and I began my teenage years, I matured. I understood that, with a dictionary, I could find out that tedious means too long, slow, and tiresome. Lessons of trigonometry have granted me the power to solve the cosine of theta. YouTube videos allowed me to dabble on the piano and, courtesy of chemistry class, I can effectively balance redox reactions. However, it took until my mom stopped packing my lunch to understand that there are things I won’t understand. There are ideas that no book or peer or Egyptian hieroglyphics engraved on the pyramid walls can make me comprehend.

This epiphany came from my failed attempts of claiming the title, ‘know-it-all.’ The inspiration? Paradoxes.

Scrounge up a snippet of your imagination and bear with me in this hypothetical: A stranger approaches and says, “Trust me.”

You follow as you’re led into a car. Looking at the gage, you see you’re traveling at the speed of light in pitch blackness. You go to turn on the headlights, and your brain goes

Paradox:

a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.

Source: Oxford Dictionary

funny, and questions what would happen if you were to do so while moving at the rate you were.

You reach your destination: the fountain of eternal life. The stranger grabs you by the collar and plunges your head underwater.

You can’t breathe and you find yourself accepting your fate of drowning, only to ask yourself, “Can I drown in the fountain of eternal life?”

Before you can wrap your head around this question, you’re lifted from the water.

Without time to retaliate, the stranger pulls you into a time machine and forces you to kill your grandma. After doing so, you connect loose ends and realize this means you never would have been born, meaning you never could have killed your grandma.

While pondering you and your grandma’s existence, the stranger leads you into a barbershop. The sign on the door reads, “I shave everyone who does not shave himself/ herself, but no one else.” The stranger turns to you and asks, “Who shaves the barber?” You cock an eyebrow, determined to give a worthy answer, but to no avail.

A bark belonging to a beagle sounds and you feel the worn leather of a leash in your hand. The bite size puppy, tongue and tail flailing, makes you grin; until you look up and see a crocodile. The talking crocodile steals the puppy, but promises its safe return if you can predict whether or not the crocodile will return the puppy. “What if you guess that he won’t return the puppy?” inquires the stranger.

You’re utterly confused with a pounding headache and question whether or not you possess common sense. You look to the stranger and ask, “Can we just go home?” To which he replies, “Impossible. Distance is a fictitious concept. You will never reach point B (home) from point A (here), as you must always get half-way there, and half of the half, and half of that half, and so on infinitely.”

Each question posed adds to your state of dubiety. The stranger sees this and says, “Do not fear, as this is all a simulation, with the intention to further your understanding of paradoxes and strain your brain. Listen carefully when I say none of this is real.” The stranger turns to leave, hesitates, pulls a card out of his pocket and drops it. He continues walking. You pick up the card and read: “Never trust strangers, because they are all liars.”

Your everyday paradoxes: -What came first: the chicken or the egg?

-How can light be both a particle and a wave?

-What if Pinocchio were to say, “My nose will grow longer.”?

-The following sentence is true.

The previous sentence is false.

7 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Turning the page

A&E

In the last thre years, junior Morgan Letzkus has completed one 400-page novel and is currently working on a second. The two books are part of a six book series called the White Rings Saga.

Zach Noel | Web Editor & Cara Spencer | Staff Writer & Kirsten Warner | Staff Writer

T

hree years ago, Morgan Letzkus unwrapped a present on Christmas morning to reveal a new laptop. Filled with ideas and inspiration, Letzkus spent the remainder of Christmas break writing. Now a junior, she’s written the first novel of her series, and is working on the second.

“I finished the first book in a year, and I’ve been working on [the second one] for a year and a half,” Letzkus said. “My plan is to have six [novels]. I have the third book roughly outlined, and I have a general plan for the very end of the series.”

Entitled the White Rings Saga, Letzkus’s first Junior Morgan Letzkus edits the first book in her projected 6-book series, titled the White Rings two books are called Burning Blood and Shattered Saga. Letzkus spent the majority of her freshman year writing the first book, and has been Hope, with the first book being around four- working on her second novel, Shattered Hope, for a year and a half. Maddy O’Callaghan | Photo hundred pages. The books follow three main characters: Sasha, Zane, and Shay, living in torn or at a crossroads on which way to go with With the loyalty theme, she combines it with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Told from Sasha’s the book; I think I am more of an idea bouncer,” teenagers becoming loyal to people other than point of view, the novels focus on their struggles Stephanie said. “She will come to me and ask my their blood relations, which is what usually with betrayal and finding their role in life. The opinion or ideas on certain things. Sometimes happens. I thinks that’s part of what makes her so talented.” addition of supernatural elements, such as she likes them, and others not so much.”

Given the encouragement of her friends, While Letzkus enjoys writing, she would werewolves and vampires, help make Letzkus’s Letzkus is still considering attempting to publish rather pursue a career in biology and continue books unique. after she finishes the series in college.

“I don’t want to make it a cliché ‘you’re “I might publish after I finish the series, a werewolf, I’m in love with you type of a lot of my friends think I should,” Letzkus thing,’” Letzkus said. said. “They really liked it and they think Inspiration for Letzkus’s series came “Morgan takes this idea that’s been around it would do well. I have not reached out to her one night while she was sleeping. to a publisher yet, I would have to find an forever and puts a very relative “I had a dream one night revolving editor first. There are a bunch of steps and around the three main characters,” spin on it to make it unique.” it’s really complicated; I’ve been looking Letzkus said. “I thought it was an it. Most publishers don’t even look at interesting concept, so I decided to further Junior Brittney Duford into a book if you don’t have an editor. ” the idea along with their relationships. I Whether she publishes her books or not, pulled small ideas from TV shows and Letzkus would like to continue writing as book series I’ve read in the past to help a form of stress relief. Her mom agrees me.

In hopes of reaching her goal of finishing to write recreationally. However, friends of that she should continue because of the passion the second book by the end of the school year, Letzkus who have asked to read her book, such she has.

“I think it’s good for her, she always seems to and the rest of the series while in college, as junior Brittney Duford, have encouraged her enjoy herself when she is writing,” Stephanie Letzkus takes time to write at least once a week, to consider publishing the completed series.

“I think she should [publish], just to see said. “She has a passion and loves to write. She depending on her school schedule. When how far it could go,” Duford said. “I think is incredibly creative and driven. I would like lacking the inspiration needed to continue, she turns to her mother, Stephanie Letzkus, for an other people would like them. There are some to see her continue in some form. Whether common archetypes, like loyalty, but Morgan she continues to write anything from poems to outside opinion.

“The only help I really give Morgan is if she is takes this idea that’s been around forever and novels, I feel that a lot of people would and do puts a very relative spin on it to make it unique. enjoy her work.”

8 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Faces to the names

Meet the three main characters of the White Rings Saga

Name: Sasha Falconsight Status: Human Appearance: Blue eyes and blonde hair Personality: Optimistic and always tries to see the best in people, but can keep a secret when she needs to Role in Series: Acts as an anchor for Zane and Shay

Name: Zane Sevar Status: Werewolf Appearance: Blue eyes and dark hair Personality: Often acts on his emotions and can be irritable at times Role in Series: Finding his father to see if he’s alive

Name: Shay Seba Status: Werewolf Appearance: Green eyes and very light, almost white, colored hair Personality: A quirky, dorky helpless romantic Role in Series: To help Zane and Sasha discover more about themselves

Out of the spotlight

A&E

Senior Zach Federer is dual enrolled at both Midland High and Meridian in order to be to able participate in the Drama program, bringing with him experience from directing and acting at the MCFTA. Maddy O’Callaghan | Staff Writer & Spencer Patrell | Staff Writer

Most memorable Favorite plays Zach has acted in: - Brundibar - In the Fields Where They Lay Favorite plays Zach has directed: - The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Much Ado About Nothing

Federer acted in this year’s drama competition show, Next to Normal. Federer played Dr. Madden in the one-act musical and received the best actor award at the Mid-Michigan Theatre Festival on Feb. 6. This was the first time Federer was involved in an MHS drama club production. MHS Drama | Photo Courtesy he theater was packed with people player, Federer discovered his love for drama. so you get what you want.” wearing odd costumes- fishnet tights, “After that experience, I decided that there This year, Federer chose to dual enroll at MHS high heels and bright lipstick. The were other shows I wanted to do, so I decided and Meridian to further his drama experience. majority of the crowd wielded bags of props. to choose drama over hockey,” Federer said.

He takes drama class and Meistersingers at The night marked the midnight showing of Since 2010, Federer has been involved in over Midland High as his second and third hours, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, put on by the 25 different productions, as both a director and and takes the rest of his classes at Meridian, Midland Center for the Arts. It was one of the an actor. His first directing experience was the in order to be able to attend Delta College for few performances where audience members Jungle Book which he co-directed with some free his first year. He attended Delta last year were actually encouraged to throw items onto of his theater friends. Federer enjoyed the as well for his prerequisites in political science the stage. Having had only a month to prepare experience and chose to further pursue directing and English. the entire performance, senior Zach Federer at the Center The drama club nervously hoped his hard work in co-directing for the Arts. at Meridian did not the play would all pay off.

His first big r u n t h i s ye a r , a n d “When people asked me questions, I was after joining Meisters, “It’s hard to describe just how crazy it was e x p e r i e n c e to put everything we did together and the risks was Much Ado Federer decided the able to say, ‘I’m the director,’ and that we took with, ‘I hope this jokes get across to the About Nothing, Midland High drama was a really great thing to say.” audience,’ and ‘I hope they don’t think this is w h e r e h e program was right for too inappropriate’,” Federer said. “The audience w o r k e d him. ate up all of it and wanted more. Everyone was a l o n g s i d e Senior Zach Federer “I had a lot of cheering and throwing stuff. It was amazing” t h e a t e r friends who went here, Federer got the opportunity to help co-direct d i r e c t o r and I thought acting the production in October, after directing and Dexter Brigham and two other directors to alongside them would be a lot of fun,” Federer acting in several other plays at the Center for the create a show with an interesting twist on the said. “I knew I wanted the experience of being Arts. As a high school student directing mostly classic Shakespeare play. in a high school drama club, instead of going adults, Federer found the experience to be both “We kept the script very classic to the show, and doing it in the community theater where challenging and exciting but we added a very deep sense of our vision I have a higher reputation to hold. I thought it “It’s a very different theatre experience,” and our passion to it,” Federer said. would be interesting to come in fresh to a place.”

Federer said. “When people asked me questions, In addition to this creative liberty that comes Federer played the role of Dr. Madden in this I was able to say, ‘I’m the director,’ and that was with directing, Federer found that it challenged year’s competition show, Next to Normal. He a really great thing to say, because I’m a high the way he thought about theater. won Best Actor Award at the Mid-Michigan school student and I was able to do this.”

“Theater is hard. It’s not easy,” Federer said. theatre festival on Feb. 6, with the play being Before Federer became a student director at “When I started directing, I thought that I knew just his first at the school. Drama director of the Center for the Arts, he was a hockey player enough about acting that I could just translate three years, Megan Applegate, is proud of the who enjoyed singing. In 2010, he auditioned that and tell it to other people, but every actor is way Federer portrayed his role. for the Peanut Gallery’s There’s a Monster in My so different. You have to be able to communicate “He played a stoic role of a doctor, which Closet. After receiving the role of a basketball to all of them in a way they can understand and was more clinical for him to play, but he found

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moments to make the character very personable and real too,” Applegate said.

Applegate is happy to have an actor with such experience join their club.

“He brings background from the Center [for the Arts] and it is nice to have someone come in and bring more to the program,” Applegate said. “You get a fresh perspective, and a chance to broaden your horizons a little bit.”

Applegate said that Federer’s greatest strengths are his ability to stage himself, along with being able to see the bigger picture in a production. From his co-directing work, Federer has learned a lot in terms of having a vision for a show and being able to carry it out.

Federer also found the experience of the competition show to be beneficial.

“The role that I did and what Applegate taught me gave me a lot of challenges and things that I can take into later roles,” Federer said.

Federer also worked alongside Senior Josiah Greiner in Next to Normal. Greiner played the role of Gabriel and has participated in two other MHS drama competition shows. Greiner finds that Federer’s experience with acting and directing has given him a different perspective when he is given a new challenge.

“His best quality is his ability to sacrifice his own comfort to help another person,” Greiner said.

Federer hopes to pursue the career of youth ministries as an adult. He said it is and has been his idea for how he wants to spend his future.

However, with the effect theater has had on him, he knows he will continue to direct and act in the future.

9 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Midland eats A&E

The Focus reviews local hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Sonja Anderson | Staff Writer & Suzannah Koop | Staff Writer

Bamboo Garden

721 S Saginaw Rd, Midland

amboo Garden is a tiny building on Saginaw road, tucked in between Goodyear tires and a flower shop, externally decorated with thin green stripes and a light-up sign reading “Chinese Food.” Inside, relaxing piano music plays to complement shadowy lighting, and on a typical weeknight, five occupied tables is considered busy.

The menu is four pages long, offering everything from egg drop soup to pig’s blood curd with pickled red pepper sauce. Unlike Pi’s or Asian Express, the food seems less produced and generic. Instead, dumplings taste fresh and crabmeat cheese seems more like crab. As for size, the sesame chicken,

priced at $10.99, serves enough to feed three people. It’s sauce is savory and the chicken is well cooked and tender. It comes with a bowl of rice and egg drop soup is also available as a side. Regular soft drinks are offered, along with water and hot tea, and the green tea is recommended.

The polite and attentive staff check up on guests often. Bamboo Garden is the most authentic Chinese food in Midland. Though the red and green exterior and the glowing “Open” sign seem a little tacky, the decoration makes the place seem more genuine. Like some place you’d run into to escape the rain and find to be your new favorite Chinese restaurant.

B

Pork Dumplings

Elvira’s

829 E Saginaw Rd, Sanford

pon entering Elvira’s Mexican Restaurant, customers are welcomed by streamers hanging from the ceiling, and a festive array of decorative ethnic art covering the vibrant yellow walls. Located in Sanford, Elvira’s is a small, quaint, and comfortable authentic Mexican restaurant that welcomes to anyone who is lucky enough to know of its presence. Patrons are allowed to seat themselves at one of the nine tables and listen to the quiet Spanish music humming through the room, while waiting to order.

The food is prepared quickly, and to nearperfection. A tri-fold menu provides many

different appetizers and meals, so it is almost guaranteed you will find something that you like. Before your food arrives, you can enjoy a basket of freshly made tortilla chips with a bowl of salsa.

Every dish is Mexican based, ranging from drinks like Juaritos to desserts, like a Mexican cookie made with ice cream, fried dough with cinnamon, and your choice of sauce. Their chicken burrito is mildly spiced, and includes meat, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese, with red sauce drizzled on top.

Elvira’s food, swift service, and warm, authentic vibe will make you eager to return.

U

New Orleans Hot Sandwich

Tortilla Chips

(989) 687-6680

Mexican cookie

Annabelle’s Own

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his restaurant is the small, home cooked eatery that your archetypal, plump American grandmother has always wanted to own.

The waitress’s name is Honey, and she’s polite, caring, and calls you sweetheart when asking for your order. The restaurant smaller than an average classroom, and comically gigantic silverware decorations hang above the left side tables. The walls are red and covered in corny inspirational quotes like, “cherish yesterday, dream tomorrow, live today.” Behind the register counter, letters of various fonts and sizes spell out Annabelle’s Own, and on the counter sit three glass cases

10 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

(989) 832-7967

579 Isabella Rd, Midland

(989) 835-5344

all filled with either cakes or muffins, along with an array of candy and other products.

The macaroni and cheese features a parsley speckled baked crust that covers a melty under-layer of pasta. The New Orleans hot sandwich is also a favorite: a crispy, melty panini-like entrée featuring salami, ham, Swiss cheese, and a homemade olive tapenade.

Prices are very reasonable. An average meal costs only about $8.

Annabelle’s Own is located on M-20, about 15 minutes away from Midland High. It’s a quiet, cozy restaurant that is well worth the drive.

Bound for Boston

SPORTS

Maya’s achievements Single Game

3 doubles

Season Record

17 doubles

Overall Career Pitching Record Junior Maya Kipfmiller starts the game off by pitching for her team, hoping to strike the batter out to improve her record. Kelly Kipfmiller | Photo Courtesy

Junior Maya Kipfmiller still has two more seasons left of high school softball, but she has already made plans for college. The reigning Saginaw Valley League MVP has verbally committed to playing at Boston University. Kayla Graham | Sports Editor & Chloe Gall | Staff Writer

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hen junior Maya Kipfmiller steps up to bat, she visualizes herself hitting line drives to each gap in the field. She studies the pitcher’s style and considers what pitches she is likely to get.

Kipfmiller has been playing softball since she was five years old, following in the footsteps of her father, who played baseball. When she was younger, she tried other sports, but none interested her as much.

“As Maya came home from basketball practice, she said that she really wasn’t into the sport, and all she could think about was the hitting that she could be doing,” Maya’s mother, Kelly Kipfmiller, said. “As soon as she started playing Southtown Little League, she really enjoyed it because she was able to pitch.

She chose to focus on softball in eighth grade.”

Maya enjoys the aspect of improving her personal record as well as pitching and helping her team succeed.

“I like how softball is an individual sport, but at the same time you come together and work as a team,” Maya said. “When I’m up to bat, I feel that I’m contributing to the team, but also good that I’m doing something for myself.”

Even though Maya enjoys the sport, there are difficulties that she has to face while playing.

“The hardest part for me is the mental side

of the game, especially pitching and thinking As a sophomore, Maya was named Most about what the batters are looking for and being Valuable Player of the Saginaw Valley League, able to throw the right pitches, and being able helping the Chemics to win the league, district to get the batters out,” Maya said. and regional championships. Although Maya Maya has played on the varsity softball team enjoys being able to play with her friends on since she was a freshman, and plays on her the high school team, she also likes traveling travel team, Turnin2, during the off-season. and meeting other people. Her travel team Her travel coach, Ron Pezzoni, has helped competes around the United States in various her improve. He says that Maya’s hard work tournaments. and dedication to “My travel team the sport allows went to Colorado her to be an “I like how softball is an individual sport, for a tournament, overall strong and I was able to but at the same time you come and competitive see some of the together and work as a team” player. best talent from “Although this around the area,” i s M a ya ’ s f i r s t Maya said. “I Junior Maya Kipfmiller played in the allyear playing for the travel team, I academic game expect big things and was able to to come for her as a player,” Pezzoni said. “Maya meet other athletes from all over the place.” is a strong batter, as well as a great pitcher, and I Last year, as a sophomore, Maya committed to expect her to contribute to the team a lot.” play at Boston University following her senior While in the off-season, Maya plays and trains year. She will be able to follow her dream of for her travel team. She takes time to pitch three playing collegiate softball while pursuing her times a week and attends hitting practice twice academic career. a week, with the help of her pitching coach “I really like the program and the coaches, Krista Shepard and hitting coach Pat Bocjun. while also [being able to] meet people from all All of her coaches have made an impact on her over the place,” Maya said. “Besides softball, softball career.

Boston University provides an excellent

311 strike outs

school program for molecular biology and biochemistry.”

Playing softball at Boston will present some challenges for Maya and her family members.

For Kelly, distance will be the hardest part, but she is also very excited about the academic opportunity Maya will be given at Boston.

“We were extremely excited when Maya received the offer,” Kelly said. “Boston provides great academic opportunities for Maya. She will have the opportunity to impact BU with both pitching and hitting right away. As parents, we are also very excited for what difference this opportunity will make on her future.”

When Maya moves to college to further her softball career, her skills will be missed both on her travel and high school team.

“Maya is an outstanding left-handed power hitter, and she is a amazing pitcher also,” Pezzoni said.

Maya now has the opportunity to bring the skills she has developed and apply them to playing at Boston. Before leaving for Boston, Maya hopes to break personal records, as well as make new friendships within her teams.

“Before I leave I want to be able to get closer to her teammates,” Maya said. “But I am also looking forward to being able to represent my school again because that is a big part about what I like about playing.”

11 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Chemics to college SPORTS

Senior athletes Rebekah Walter, Luke DeLong, Marle Bringard, and Erin Murphy all plan to pursue their sports at the collegiate level and have recently signed national letters of intent. Megan Nylund | Managing Editor & Lexi Costley | Ads Editor

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s senior Rebekah Walter drove through the outskirts of Minneapolis, she became entranced with her surroundings. From the lakes surrounding the town to the variety of restaurants, she felt at home as she drove to the University of Minnesota.

“When we went there, before we even had driven to the college, when we were in the city, I just knew I wanted to go there,” Walter said.

“It just felt right to me. And the more I saw it, the more I loved it. Before I left, it hadn’t even been 24 hours, and I just knew that I was going to go there.”

In sixth grade, before Walter could join her middle school track team, the track coach saw her run around the track during her lunches.

The coach then asked her to be the manager of the track team. This led to her career of hurdling, which she plans to continue at Minnesota as a recruited walk on.

“In middle school, at Northeast, we had the Common Ground ships,” Walter said.

“We had this event where if you walked laps around the track, you get popsicle sticks. The girls track coach, Mr. Hoffman, was out there.

We couldn’t do track and he kept saying ‘walk those laps.’ There was also this one kid who was out running and he was on a different ship, so I wanted to beat him, so I would go out everyday at lunch. So I was the track manager in sixth grade, and then I just loved it.”

In high school, she runs the 300-meter hurdles event, but at the college level, they add two additional hurdles and an extra 100 meters. As a result, Walter will run the 400 hurdles and possibly the pentathlon.

Girls’ track coach Diane Sugnet said Walter will run the pentathlon due to less students competing in that event, but Walter wants to stick with hurdles. Sugnet thinks that the 400 meter hurdle event is a completely different

event, but Walter has prepared for it enough.

In contrast, senior Erin Murphy believes that “She’s ran the 400 meter hurdles twice in she won’t struggle in the transition between her life, maybe three times,” Sugnet said. “She high school and college. She will play soccer at actually has had a little bit of a taste of it, but Michigan Technological University, where she it’s a really different event. People die running already knows some of the players. the 400, let alone having hurdles in the way.

“For freshmen, everyone is coming in at That’s tough, but she is willing to do the extra ground zero and building up from there,” work to be good. And she likes them. If you Murphy said. “I think [it] will be a big help don’t like it and aren’t willing to put that much that one girl from Dow, Alexie Flaminio, from effort into it, it’s not fun.” my travel team will be playing for Michigan Although the transition into college is Tech, and there’s another girl who plays for difficult for all students, Sugnet said Walter is John Glenn that’s going there too. It will be well-balanced between athletics and academics nice having two people from my team there and will not struggle in the transition. because I know how they play. I’ve played “There’s that with them since I adjustment when was six or seven you go to that “When you say ‘Those are my brothers years old.” level, division For Murphy, out there,’ it’s not exaggerated. You one, everyone is college soccer sweat and throw up during good,” Sugnet wasn’t in her said. “No one bad workouts together, so you become original plans. is on the teams.

She initially pretty close.’’

Also, there’s planned to focus different coaches.

Senior Luke DeLong solely on her She’s had me academics, but for a coach for after she decided four years and it’s another step up. Even just on her college, she looked into the soccer college life, away from your parents. It’s not program. There, she found that she enjoyed good, it’s not bad, but there’s no one checking the opportunities that soccer offered. over your shoulder.”

“I was on the fence if I wanted to play soccer Senior Luke DeLong is another senior in college, so we went up there and looked planning to transition to college sports. at the engineering school and we toured the DeLong will have to learn to support the soccer program too, and the coach was just football team at Grand Valley State University super nice and the team was super nice,” from the sidelines in his first year of college, as Murphy said. “It reminded me why I wanted he will be redshirted his freshman year. to play soccer, so I decided to play.”

“It will definitely be something I’m not used Senior Marle Bringard was also reminded to since I’ve started playing, so it will take of why she wanted to pursue soccer at Central some getting used to,” DeLong said. “I won’t Michigan University. She looks forward to her even see the field next year at all, so it will be new teammates and future coaches, whom pretty challenging probably, just because I’m she has been in contact with since she verbally not used to it.” committed last year.

Other athletes playing at the collegiate level

“I called them on the phone before to tell them where I was playing, and then they were super nice,” Bringard said. “Then, when they actually had me come there, I went to camp and they talked to me after camp and they were super inviting and just really positive about everything” As the athletes look forward to their college careers, they will miss the athletes they have played side-by-side with for the majority of their high school careers.

“My favorite thing about football is probably the bonds that you make with your teammates, just because you create really close friendships,” DeLong said. “When you say, ‘Those are my brothers out there,’ it’s not exaggerated. You sweat and throw up during workouts together, so you become pretty close.”

Not only will the students miss their coaches and fellow athletes, but the coaches will miss the seniors that have grown to lead their teams as well. After working tirelessly during the season with the athletes, coaches must send them off to the next level. “[I will miss Walter’s] bubbly personality and her hard work ethic,” Sugnet said. “When she works hard, she gets everyone around her to work hard. When she is enthusiastic, you can’t help but be enthusiastic next to her. And it’s real.”

As Walter will be attending a division one college next year and doesn’t know when she will be competing, she plans to keep up her athletic training to prepare for her competitions in the collegiate meets.

“I don’t mind being the worst person on the team, as long as I’m always pushing myself and having fun and getting better,” Walter said. “If I went somewhere and I was one of the best people, I don’t think I would enjoy that as much.”

Virgil Walker Maddi Davis Sarah Meath Delta Community College Aquinas College Purdue University Calumet Basketball Soccer Golf Grant Grenesko Madelyn Groulx Max Pasche Lansing Community College Michigan Technological University Ferris State University Football Tennis Cross Country

12 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

SPORTS

Luke DeLong 3-year varsity football player Senior Slot Receiver

12 Touchdowns First Team All-Valley WR 4 Touchdowns against Bay City Central

4-year varsity soccer player Senior varsity captain

SVL All Academic SVL Honorable Mention District Honorable Mention MHS Varsity 110% Award SVL & District Champions Regional Finalist Erin Murphy | Photo Courtesy

The

athletic

dream

As athletes of Midland High prepare to leave and move onto the collegiate level, they look back at their past seasons.

Julia Quinn | Photo

Rebekah

Walter

4-year varsity soccer player Senior varsity captain

12 goals 7 assists 2nd Team MiHSSCA Div 1 1st team District 4 Div 1 1st team SVL All Academic SVL SVL & District Champions Regional Finalist Marle Bringard | Photo Courtesy

Erin Murphy 4-year varsity track runner Senior varsity captain

100 meter hurdles: 16.14 seconds 300 meter hurdles: 44.37 seconds, 3rd in the state 4x400 relay: 59 second split, regional champions 4x200 relay: 25.1 second split, 2nd in the region Julia Quinn | Photo

Marle Bringard

13 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

SPORTS

THE SPORTS ZONE

Statistics and player profiles of the season’s prominent athletes, along with future sporting events, a sports column, and a sports poll. Paige Murphy | Staff Writer & Jacob Presson | Staff Writer

Anna Schultheis

When I grow up...

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hen I was little, recess and gym were my favorite subjects. My hair grew down to my butt and I would wear it in a snarly ponytail every day.

I wore holey tennis shoes and race the boys on the playground to try to beat them. I was a tomboy, who used to take dance lessons in hopes of becoming a ballerina. Who played soccer because I fell in love with it, and never had any fears about the future because she thought that she was going to be a professional soccer player by day, and sell out theatres as a professional dancer by night.

As my senior year winds down, every day I become more and more sentimental, thinking about my younger self. How I have changed and grown. How I have developed new interests and skills. How my dreams and aspirations have changed with age.

How, when people ask me about my future plans, they have suddenly turned from professional dancer/soccer player to, “Well, I am deciding between two colleges and there I will be pursuing a degree in something, and hopefully I’ll get a job from there…”

I think back to when my life was so much simpler. When my dreams felt as if they were within reach, and the reality of FAFSA forms, scholarship essays, and transcripts were words I couldn’t even pronounce.

When I was in kindergarten, my first dream began. I wanted nothing more than to be a ballerina. I desired a stage with a

single spotlight, elegant music playing in the background as I danced my heart out.

When my mom finally signed me up, I was immersed in a world full of plies and pirouettes. I loved the tutus and recitals, so much that they had to pull me off the stage because I kept dancing after the music stopped. But as time went on, the classical music and precise, graceful movements became too slow for my energetic, five-yearold self. A couple years later, I picked up dance again, this time trying some more upbeat dance classes, such as lyrical, jazz, hip-hop, and tap. That same passion for performing came back to me, but soon that too was overshadowed by another dream.

And once again, the one thing I wanted the most became unimportant.

When someone introduced me to a soccer ball and cleats, I was sold instantly. In soccer, I was free to run around for as long I wanted and as far as I wanted, within the designated box. I could be as clumsy and aggressive as my heart desired. The only thing I couldn’t do was pick the ball up with my hands. I thought that if I stuck with this new passion, I could be the next Mia Hamm, playing in huge stadiums. I watched the World Cup matches in hopes of being in them one day. But as I grew up, I began to realize that the only stadium I’ll be in is the one in which I cheer for my college football team.

Now, with the completion of my most recent endeavor, high school swimming, I reflect on all these past sports dreams and realize my fate of joining the working class. I think of what could have been if I had become all the things I hoped to be. Seventeen years later, I have learned I will never be the next Mia Hamm, or even a halfway-competent ballerina. In fact, all I know about my life is that whatever I do with it, I hope to continue to strive towards my unbroken dreams.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Athletes of the Month Cam Wing

Sport: Varsity basketball Statistics: Wing scored 7 points vs. Mount Pleasant, as the Chemics won, 58-43, on Feb. 11 Proudest Moment: “Taking down Saginaw High on our own court.”

Key to Success: “Do what you’re supposed to but also give a little extra.”

Coach’s Take: “Due to his hard work for two years, he scored double figures in his first two games.”

Eric Krause Dehlia Whitley| Staff Writer

Grade: Freshman

Cecilia Mosqueda

Sport: Varsity bowling Statistics: Best game-235 Proudest Moment: “When we are all together, laughing and doing our best as a team. Also, when we cheer each other on.

Die in outer space Be Carrie Bradshaw Live through Zombie Apocalypse

Key to Success: “Going to practice every day, and working on the little things that can make you better, and always have a positive mental attitude.”

Perform Mamma Mia on Broadway Marry Big Sean Become an alligator wrestler

Coach’s Take: “She has a winning attitude when on the lanes. She practices hard on the things that challenge her and always wants to get better.”

Trevor Terrill

14 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Grade: Senior

Hannah Lough | Staff Writer

SPORTS

Diving Deeper

Upcoming Events All spring tryouts: Week of March 14

Volleyball 4v4 tournament: Thursday, March 10

SPORTS

“Most hype I’ve been in a while, big win over sag high for the boys” @GavinBurrell7

Tweet of the

Senior Carter Welter prepares himself for his next dive into the Dow High pool. Ian Andridge | Photo

Senior Carter Welter has devoted himself to the dive team for the last four years. He has greatly improved due to a high work ethic and a diligent mindset. Paige Murphy | Staff Writer & Jacob Presson | Staff Writer

W

ith a hardworking attitude and dedication, Senior Carter Welter travels to Michigan State University, where he spends a week improving his all around diving capabilities. Aside from these camps, Welter also regularly works with coaches outside of school. He believes the different perspectives and insights can be used to better his technique and, ultimately, his performance.

Senior Noah Schieber has been a teammate of Welter’s for three years and admires his commitment to success.

“Carter leads the pack in his scores, his focus, and how he helps the guys out when they need it,” Schieber said. “He has put hard work and dedication into his sport and you can tell.”

Welter’s dedication to the details led him to place second in the valley last year, with a high score of 244.95. This qualified him for a spot in the finals. Aiming to build off of last season, Welter often shows up early to practice to get warmed up. He feels that every detail in his form is important, and never takes an easy shortcut. “[To become a better diver] you have to put a lot of hours into it, just like any other sport,” Welter said. “That is what it comes down to, just grinding it out day after day. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.”

Welter’s initial encounter with diving occurred his freshman year at the first dive practice.

“I have always liked flipping into pools and

doing stunts off of the diving boards, so I just decided to give it a shot and it grew on me,” Welter said. “I loved the adrenaline rush of it all.”

Welter has found that timing is key to the success of a diver, and if a mistake is made, it often ends with much discomfort, resulting from a painful collision with the surface of the water.

“The reverse one-and-a-half is just one of those dives that has never clicked with me,” Welter said. “You have to spin backwards while moving forwards, and if you get the timing messed up you open up blind and flop straight on your back. It is not fun.”

The challenge of taking on new dives is enjoyable to Welter; however, looking back, he finds that the people involved with diving are the ones who made it so enjoyable. The divers are responsible for keeping it interesting.

“It is just a really crazy time,” Welter said.

“From the moment I show up until the time I leave, it is a blast. We make it fun and laugh at each other when we flop, and scare ourselves to death when trying something new. Even in a dull moment, we find something to laugh about.”

Coach Patrick Welter praises Carter’s intensity and how he always finds a way to get into the weight room.

“I admire his self motivation and ability to analyze and set goals,” Patrick said. “He continually challenges himself with more difficult dives.”

Month Odds of filling out a perfect March Madness bracket:

1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 Source: Business Insider

Teams with the most March Madness championships:

11

UCLA

8

Kentucky Indiana

5

North Carolina

5

Duke

5 Source: NCAA

15 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

The final bell

Legacy travels on

FEATURES

Jeff Babin stands in front of a dusty bulletin board, once covered with memorabilia from his travels throughout his life. Now, the board is left bare as he prepares for his move to South Carolina. Julia Quinn | Photo

History teacher Jeff Babin is finishing his last year at Midland High after twenty years of teaching. Colleagues, friends, and golfers share memories and wish Babin the best in South Carolina. Kirstyn Cotton | Opinion Editor & Madelyn Groulx | Staff Writer

F

or history teacher Jeff Babin, retiring and moving to South Carolina has been something that he has always wanted to do. With his older son Chaz, being a sophomore at Coastal Carolina University, and his younger son, Conor, attending the University of South Carolina in the fall, it only makes sense for him and his family to make his dream a reality this summer.

“We’re moving down [to South Carolina] because our two sons will go to college there, my parents live down there, we have friends in the area, and we’re getting tired of the winters,” Babin said. “Our daughters are changing schools anyways, because they’re going into middle school, so there are a lot of things pointing us to South Carolina at this moment.”

Babin has taught at Midland High since 1996. Throughout his time teaching, he has formed close bonds with many of his colleagues, including teachers Katy Stearns and Casey Clark, along with the Albright family. Clark student taught under Babin, and he is the godfather of the Albrights’ son, Carter.

Stearns says she’s still in denial about Babin moving. After teaching together for almost 20 years, the transition will be difficult for both of them.

“I am lucky enough to work with a lot of

Saying bye to

Babin

Athletes, who will spend their senior golf season without Mr. Babin, share what they will miss about their coach of three years.

16 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

really good friends,” Stearns said. “But I would experience new cultures and places. He travels say Mr. Babin is one of my people. I don’t know to countries where major events in history took Midland High without him, so it’s going to be place, such as Italy, China, Greece, and many weird.” more. On top of international trips, Babin takes However, Stearns is very excited for the new his students to Chicago every year to visit opportunities that the family will experience in Millennium Park, the Art Institute, and the Field South Carolina. She looks forward to hearing Museum. about the school systems in South Carolina, and “I love doing the Chicago trip with students, for Babin’s 11-year-old twin daughters, Alisha because I have kids every year who have never and Alyssa, to spread their wings in a new been to a big city before,” Babin said. “It helps place. Stearns wishes Babin the best of luck as he them to experience it for the first time.” embarks on this In addition to new adventure, teaching, Babin is and knows that active at Midland he will be greatly “I would say Mr. Babin is one of my people. High through the missed. golf program. He I don’t know Midland High without him, “I really think has been the boys so it’s going to be weird.” that we are losing varsity coach for a scholar,” Stearns 18 years, and the said. “I’ve never Teacher Katy Stearns girls varsity golf met someone like coach for 14. He him. He’s not only loves to witness passionate about studying world history, but the transformation of his players. he’s been there and has all of those experiences.

Some of Babin’s favorite memories are from He really brings that to this building, and coaching the junior varsity girls team, because inspires kids. His shoes will be hard to fill.” of the improvement they make in such a short One of the many things that Babin brings period of time. to the school are the trips he plans with “I love watching golf, especially tournament his students. The trips help the students to golf where it means something,” Babin said. “It’s

“I don’t know what I won’t miss about Coach. He’s a great coach and I have no doubts that he will prevail again for his last season.”

Junior Nevada Walters

“The hardest thing about having a new coach for my senior year is that Mr. Babin won’t be there to see all of the hard work pay off.”

Junior Erika Gaffke

fun to see someone hit a golf ball the way they are supposed to, because you get to see a kid go, ‘Holy smokes, I just hit a golf ball like that’.”

Babin says that he will miss coaching because it is not only a major part of his professional life, but also his personal life. He has formed special bonds with his players, and knows that they will continue to do great things, even after he is gone.

Many people see the close relationships that he has with his golfers, including Conor, a senior.

“At home, even when he’s not with the players, he’ll bring one of them up and have a conversation about something they did that day,” Conor said. “I can just tell how emotionally invested he is with all of his players.”

Leaving Midland will not be easy for Jeff, but he is excited for what South Carolina has to offer. He plans to teach there, and although he is qualified to teach all social studies classes, he hopes to be able to teach his favorite: world history. He also wishes to continue coaching golf, because of his passion for the sport.

“I am going to miss a lot of things, because this place has been home for [my family] for 20 years,” Babin said. “I am going to miss how comfortable it is here, how safe it is, [and] the school itself. I’ve been to a lot of places, and can honestly say that these are the best kids in the world.”

“ I w i l l m i s s M r . B a b i n ’s positive attitude and the encouragement he brings to meetings, practices, and matches.”

Junior Jacob Chapman

A pirate sails away The final bell

FEATURES

Retiring teacher Jon English is well known for his eclectic musical taste, his love of disc golf and Magic: The Gathering, and his celebration of all things Pirate-related. Through different classes like film study and writing workshop, he has encouraged creativity in the classroom. Gabriel Severson | Staff Writer & Ian Andridge | Staff Writer & Lillian Mohr | Staff Writer

Why did you decide to retire?

“

How would you describe your teaching experience?

“

Mainly because I want to move on to something else. That something else would be traveling and writing. I got an English degree because I always wanted to write, but when I looked at my skill set, I knew I could teach.

But now I would like to get back to writing. I am not concerned if I would get published or anything, I just want to write.

It has been a fantastic experience for me. The beauty of teaching is that it really brought together my whole skill set in many ways. I’ve been really good at communicating, expressing my ideas, and interpreting literature, and I’ve had a passion for reading and writing. And teaching has allowed me to do all of that. I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else.

Are you planning to move away from Midland?

What has been your favorite thing about teaching?

“

“For sure, I’ll miss Chemic Pride.

“Connecting with the students. That’s When I first started 25 years ago, it was

”

You know, this is a wonderful, safe community, and a beautiful community to grow old in. So, no, I plan on being here. My house is around the corner and I don’t foresee me ever selling my house. You gotta keep your stuff somewhere, might as well be here in Midland. And I love this community anyway, always have.

”

”

what I love more than anything else.

Right up there as well is seeing the connections that they make to the core material, be it a great film, a great piece of literature, or a great piece of writing that they are doing. That’s a close second. I really enjoy getting to know my students and seeing them every day, and enjoy them in a positive educational environment.

”

With the perfect name for an English teacher, Jon English is shown when he started teaching 25 years ago, and in his last semester, this week. Jon English | Photo Courtesy (left) & Ian Andridge | Photo (right).

What are your favorite memories of Mr. English?

What is something you will miss about Midland High?

“My favorite thing about Mr. English

something I didn’t understand. After teaching for twenty-five years here, I really get it. Chemic Pride is something most other schools, including the high school I went to, didn’t have. There is something special about Chemic Pride.

Once you’re a Chemic, you’re always a Chemic, and having taught here 25 years, I couldn’t be more proud to be a Chemic.

”

is that he has a goofy personality all the time, and he is very passionate about what he teaches. Even when he is teaching a subject, he will relate everything personally to him and will give us advice for more than just school.”

Senior Abby Frasher “Just having him as a teacher makes my day so much better. I look forward to going to his class everyday. I can not wait to get out of my class and go see him because he is awesome. I was genuinely and absolutely wrecked thinking about him leaving in the spring.”

Senior Masha Garl

17 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

The final bell

1.

FEATURES

A palette of the past

After 28 years of teaching, art teachers Kirt Doke and Jeanne Townsend, who entered the MPS system the same year, are now retiring. Julia Quinn | Photo Editor & Hayley Russell | Staff Writer

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hen Blake Groulx took beginning art as a freshman, he planned on only taking art one year, getting his needed credit and moving on. Three years later, he was at the Midland Center for the Arts, accepting the Congressional Art Award and receiving heartfelt hugs from his two art teachers, Jeanne Townsend and Kirt Doke.

“They have stood as pillars of the art department for years,” Groulx said. “They taught me about discipline and expressing myself through art. They found a talent in me that I did not know I had, and their continued support through my four years [of high school] is something I greatly appreciate.”

Doke and Townsend were hired into Midland Public Schools together, and continuously left a positive impact on their students as they taught with a fine arts focus for 28 years. Now, they are retiring.

“Part of it has to do with [Doke] retiring. We got hired in the same year,” Townsend said. “We said a long time ago that we would probably go out at the same time.”

Doke ran the 3D program for ten years, before Townsend moved up from Northeast Middle School. After a few years of getting to know one another, Doke and Townsend have become close coworkers.

“She is a true professional and she cares deeply about the success of her students and MHS,” Doke said. “I consider her to be the very best art teacher to have taught in the MPS system. It is very appropriate that we were hired at the same time and we are also leaving at the same time. We think alike on most, if not all, things related to art and education. There is hardly any difference of opinion because we are aligned in our teaching methodology. “ Doke has been teaching an average of three art classes at the college level since 2000, and plans to continue teaching into his retirement at various colleges in the MidMichigan area, such as Saginaw Valley State University, Central Michigan University, Delta College, and Chippewa Tribal College.

Townsend plans to pursue various areas of interest in her retirement. She recently opened up her home to her 3D and IB art students to try on many of her costumes, and has plans to inventory them. She would like to spend time doing portrait commissions, and plans on looking into teaching positions at the Center for the Arts.

“There are lots of adults who would love to learn art skills who didn’t have the time when they were in school, or the motivation, or the courage,” Townsend said.

Over the years, Townsend and Doke have valued their students and enjoyed seeing their

18 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

growth as artists. They agree that teaching the students is by far the best part about being an art teacher.

“I will miss them the most. They are polite, for the most part, very well mannered,” Doke said. “They have quite a bit of talent. The junior highs do a good job of preparing them and we put the finishing touches on them.”

Groulx was strongly influenced by both teachers. Last year, his portrait was selected to be displayed at the U.S. Capitol, a success he accredited to Doke and Townsend.

“My favorite thing about Mrs. Townsend was her skills of realism, especially when it came to graphite and ebony portraiture. I was naturally drawn to how easy it was for her to sketch a famous actor, and I aspired for these portrait skills,”Groulx said, who graduated in 2015 as the top art student in the school. “Mr. Doke has the ability to sculpt an independent artist out of his students. He was always there for advice or constructive criticism about my pieces; there was never a black and white answer as to what method would be the ‘right’ way. He would ask me what I thought looked better, and more often than not, I ended up answering my own question.”

Just as Doke and Townsend will miss the students whom they have positively impacted, their students will miss them next year. Senior Caitlin Wejrowski has taken a total of nine art classes with Doke and Townsend.

“Mr. Doke has a really great sense of humor, he’s amazing and really great with 2D art,” Wejrowski said. “They taught me how to tune in on different aspects of art [and] the different principles and different techniques to improve my art. I think it will definitely be tough [to live up to Doke and Townsend] because they’re great teachers.”

Townsend said that the new teachers will have to learn how to budget and start fresh.

“What’s going to be nice about the department is that it’s a clean break,” Townsend said. “Somebody won’t come in, and I won’t still be here, and they won’t pick everything up that I used to do. They will be able to implement their program, set their standards, and run their curriculum; they won’t have to inherit everything that we did. We thought that would be good for the program. Can we give them advice? Gladly. But run it? No.” Though Doke and Townsend are looking forward to retirement, they will miss their daily interactions with students greatly.

“That has been the best thing with my students, to watch them succeed and to grow and to know they will have this life skill,” Townsend said. “It’s a way of being remembered.”

2.

Mr. Doke has attended more than 170 rock and jazz concerts in his life Mr. Doke has visited more than 125 art museums in the past 6 years Mrs. Townsend has thousands of costumes and props in her basement

Photo 1: Teachers Jeanne Townsend assists her students with their art projects. They are currently working on the Draw an Ad contest for Midland’s local businesses.

Photo 2: Teacher Kirt Doke spends his class periods teaching about different art techniques and history, along with helping students with their individual art projects.

Photo 3: Townsend and Doke have been friends for almost 28 years.

Julia Quinn | Photos

3.

Riding into the sunset The final bell

FEATURES

From teaching science to advising NHS and coaching the Equestrian team, Johnston has given her all to students and teachers in her 31 years of teaching. Anna Schultheis | Exchange Editor & Claire Booth | Staff Writer & Kalie Dornbos | Staff Writer

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onita Johnston never planned on becoming a high school teacher. In college, she had plans to pursue a career in athletic training, and decided she would fall back on teaching if her initial goal didn’t work out.

However, after completing her student teaching, Johnston fell in love the idea of educating. Now ,31 years later, Johnston finds herself just as in love at the end of her career as she was at start of her journey.

Johnston first began teaching at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central High School and continued to teach there for four years. After teaching a few years of adult education, Johnston moved to Midland High and has been here ever since. Johnston teaches freshman biology and geoscience. She has only ever wanted to teach high school, and prefers the older kids compared to the younger ones.

“I like teaching content and ideas,” Johnston said. “It’s not that easy with the little ones; not my cup of tea. I like teaching upperclassmen because they like to have a little bit more fun.

They aren’t so afraid.”

Many students said they were inspired and motivated by Johnston’s positive energy and enthusiasm, including junior Courtney Keyser, who praised Johnson for being someone she could trust to talk about anything with.

“She is always so excited to see me and was always supportive of not only me, but my sister as well,” Keyser said. “She was more than just a teacher; someone I could talk to about anything and she’d be there to listen.”

One of Johnston’s favorite parts of teaching is hearing feedback from her past students, telling her what a difference she has made in their lives.

“I always enjoy when kids write me letters, and tell me how much they liked me and how much they have learned from me,” Johnston said. “I’ve had a few of those and they mean everything.”

Throughout her years of teaching, Johnston has touched the lives of both her students and colleagues. Chemistry teacher and longtime friend of Johnston, Jeff Yoder, speaks highly of his coworker, and claims he would not be teaching without her support and kind words.

“When you are a teacher, your first year of teaching is always rough,” Yoder said. “It is the first time you’ve ever done this, and it’s long and wearing. By the end of my first year teaching,

I had said, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’ At that time, she was teaching right across the hallway

from me. She was the one to say, ‘No, you have got to do this. Give it at least one more year and then you can decide if you really don’t want to do this.’ She was the one who encouraged me to keep teaching and not just give up after one year. So, if it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t still be here.”

Along with teaching, Johnston has coached the Equestrian Team for the past four years.

Johnston began coaching after some of her students who were involved in the program begged her to take the position. One of her favorite memories from coaching was winning regionals this past year. The team went to the state competition and placed fifth, missing fourth by only one point. Johnston plans to continue coaching for at least a few more years, even though she will be retired.

Johnston has also been an adviser for National Honor Society for seven years, and helps members by notifying them of different service projects and opportunities. Some of Johnston’s favorite memories from National Honor Society include watching the students read to kindergartners through Lunchbox Learners. In the spring, she also enjoys when the National Honor Society hosts a party for elementary-aged children, called Princess Party.

“Last year, we had about one hundred little girls,” Johnston said. “Seeing members of NHS putting on the party and seeing the little girls just running around and having so much fun was so awesome. I just really love seeing the good things the kids do.”

With Johnston’s teaching career coming to an end, she is excited to spend more time on other things she loves. She looks forward to riding her horses, volunteering frequently, and visiting her kids who live out of state more often.

Although Johnston is excited to pursue more of what life has to offer, she is going to be missed by the people of Midland High.

“She causes the rest of us to be better about working with each other,” Yoder said. “She encourages us to always work as a team and is such a team player. I’m really going to miss having someone who is that encouraging and willing to work with other people. She’s such a warm and caring person. I’m truly going to miss her.”

Julia Quinn | photo

19 | FOCUS | MAR 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

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WHERE’S VIC? Somewhere inside this issue of the Focus, Vic is hiding. If you find him, tweet the Focus with a photo of him and the name of your fifth hour teacher, for a chance to win a free slurpee.

20 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Spencer Patrell Snow fortress

ack in days of elementary school, the FIENDS best part about winter was the large Brainwashed by its power, my friends hill of snow, created by the plows, off formed massive digging projects, the likes of to the side of the playground. The mountain which the world had never seen. The band was more or less under the strict rule of the of fiends went about digging a network of higher ranking members of elementary school interconnected tunnels, forming a labyrinth society, the fifth and sixth graders. of ice. I thought all would be well when I My years prior to being a proud sixth asked if I could join the club and help with the grader were filled with me watching from tunnels, but they refused. They simply told afar with friends at the glorious Mt. Snow. I me the tunnel structure could not maintain tried to distract myself by throwing snowballs another miner on the team. I watched as they at the bricks of the building, playing tag on dug, as they laughed, and as they slid down the frozen playset, and even creating the a slide of ice branching from a tunnel (even in “Spencer’s Artificial Ice Co.” -- a service in my anger I couldn’t refute how cool that was). which I managed the creation of man-made I stood alone, betrayed. Surrounded by ice statues formed from beach toys. those who were supposed to be my closest Alas, none of these pursuits ever truly friends, their minds altered by the mound. rid my mind from thinking about the day I felt like the hill that I had long dreamed I’d climb to of was slipping through the summit my fingers. But then, an of the snowy idea occurred, an idea that incarnation of would revolutionize the “The day after the betrayal heaven on earth. entire social structure of my would be the peak of playground life and put to test my core Although I had the respect and values. chaos.” social position WAR: KNEE OF JUSTICE to claim a stake The day was cold. on the mound in Though the sun shone in fifth grade, there was never enough snow to the sky and all was calm, the day after the make it matter. The winter of 2009 would be betrayal would be the peak of playground perfect; it was predicted to bring a substantial chaos. As soon as I went outside, I ran to the amount of snow. The winter would fulfill all hill and began digging in a very strategic spot. the wishes I had made in the years before.

I made a tunnel right next to the main tunnel, Herein lies my tale of the most epic snow creating a very steep slope, and weakening battle of all time. the overall support of the snow. My friend, PRELUDE TO WAR: HILL OF THE GODS Kyle, was in charge of the sector I was digging I came to school after the town was hit with into, and as he realized my plan, he offered a storm big enough to get the kids excited but me a position with the crew. I told him, “I not bad enough for adults to cancel school. don’t want to be a part of your crew!”

I glanced out the window and saw a beast.

I dug and dug and dug and finally broke I had seen many a snow mountain, but this through. Simply collapsing the tunnel I year’s ice mountain was Giga-Ice-Mountain. It had created would cause a domino effect, was larger than three times my own height, as destroying the all the tunnels on the mount wide as a school hallway, and had the length of snow. With one jump, time froze. My knee of a semi truck. was stretched before me, falling slowly to the After eating our lunches as fast we could, arch. Blurred voices yelled but I took no effort my friends and I sprinted through fresh snow to listen. The cave was destroyed. towards the answer to our prayers. The hill POST KNEE RECESS was nirvana, a peaceful realm where man As the snow began to melt and leave our could reach to the skies and be one with school, so did the severe hatred of me that nature. began after I destroyed the alpha tunnel. I In terms of what we did with the heap now know the twisted power that beauty of beauty, it was what any group of sixth can have on the human soul. Though the hill graders would do when given the amount of was gorgeous, it turned what was happy and snow we had at our disposal. innocent into something evil. All I have to say We made tunnels. is: watch out for your own snow forts, they RISING TENSIONS: THE BAND OF are a doozy.

Troubled waters NEWS

Filling up on the facts:

Information about Flint’s lead-filled water

Flint’s water source was switched to the Flint River in April 2015. The river water led to lead corrosion in the water pipes.

Lead levels in the children’s blood had risen from 2.1% to 4.0% The average lead reading was 11 ppb (parts per billion) – over two times higher than the EPA guidelines

Long-term exposure for infants and children can lead to “delays in physical or mental development.

Source: The Guardian Online

Three of Mrs. Henegar’s Eastlawn fifth grade students carry a case of water as they attempt to load the bus preparing which will deliver the water to the children’s home in Flint. They collected close to 300 cases of water bottles to provide safe water for the occupants of the home. Hannah McAtamney | Photo

With the recent issue of lead-contaminated water in Flint, Eastlawn’s fifth graders and members of a local church decided to get involved by collecting water bottles.

Hannah McAtamney | Design Editor & Kady Volmering | Staff Writer & Gypsy Worrall | Staff Writer

T

he words of his teacher resonated in fifth grader Lane Kloha’s mind as he heard the story of what was occurring in Flint. Kloha couldn’t believe that people were waking up without safe water with which to cook, drink or bathe in. Kloha felt a responsibility to help and began researching what he could do.

“Our teacher was talking about it in a meeting, and we wanted to do something, and we came up with the idea of a water bottle drive,” Kloha said. “I went to Ms. Henegar with the idea to involve the [Eagle Ridge] church, so that we could get even more donations.”

Christy Henegar, who teaches fifth grade at Eastlawn Elementary, brought the idea of assisting those suffering in Flint to her students three weeks ago. She said that, if the kids wanted to take action, she would support them fully, but the project had to consist solely of their ideas.

“Lane came to me about three days after I mentioned it with the idea of combining it with Eagle Ridge to make the project more successful,” Henegar said.

The kids then contacted Eagle Ridge Church of God about the plan. Sandy Singler, head of

the project at Eagle Ridge, came to talk to the class about what they could do for Flint.

“Our pastor, Bill Greiner, had a vision that he wanted our congregation to be involved with a neighborhood school—staff, kids, and parents,” Singler said.

The students and church started spreading the word about the drive throughout the community with flyers and website postings, and asked businesses for donations.

The students also kept charts to keep track of how much water they collected, presented the project to the rest of the school, and made daily announcements to spread the word.

“These kids give so much energy,” Singler said. “It was such a joy to see their excitement as it spread.”

The next step of the project was finding a place to donate the water. The students reached out to agencies in Flint that were accepting water, and found a children’s home that was asking for the donation. The home is currently fostering 24 kids, ranging from ages five to 17. The class was able to make a trip to Flint to deliver the water to the home on March 3.

“They’re doing it all,” Henegar said.

“They’ve made posters, gone to businesses

and gotten donations, and went to the PTO meeting and asked for a bus to Flint.”

Henegar is impressed by how motivated and driven her students were in pursuing this project. The whole class participated in some way, taking on different roles and jobs throughout the drive. She noticed that even the quieter students in the class contributed ideas.

Henegar said that the students have also learned much about coming together to achieve a meaningful accomplishment.

“They’re just a really good group of kids,” Henegar said. “They’re very excited about this project.”

Overall, the students raised around 300 water bottle cases for the children’s home.

Henegar hopes that once the students see whom the water is going to, the drive will leave a big impact on them. She wants them to learn that there will always be a situation where they can help, whether it’s something small or monumental.

“A lot of these kids come from situations where they are always on the receiving end,” Henegar said. “I want them to realize that there’s always something they can give back.

There’s always someone who has less than they do.”

21 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Behind the screen NEWS

Students were asked these questions about the recent Midland High Twitter polls issue. Some students found these polls to be funny, while others were offended by them. Will Hackbarth | Photo Illustration

Many students recently participated in a series of Twitter polls, voting on various questions about the students of Midland High. While many students found the accounts to be funny, some were offended by their content. Concerned about cyberbullying, administration stepped in to stop these polls. Will Hackbarth | Editor-in-Chief & Katherine Vernier | News Editor

A

s freshman Genna Bovill-Mayne was scrolling through Twitter, she received a notification that many of her friends had liked a tweet. To her surprise, it mentioned her. It was a poll, comparing her to fellow students asking the question: “Who’s hotter?”.

The account was called @polls_midland, and consisted of many similar surveys that compared students at Midland High. A day later, she was featured in another tweet. This time, people were voting on the question: “Is Genna a rat-faced albino?”

“That was rude,” Bovill-Mayne said. “I was actually curious who sent that one in, and wanted to know who thought that. Also, I wanted to know who would say yes or no.”

While Bovill-Mayne thought the tweet was mean-spirited, she also thought it was particularly harmful. Many of her peers found the tweets to be an innocent source of humor, and didn’t think anyone would be offended by them.

Senior Pierson Joseph, who follows the accounts, thought they were, initially, funny and not intended to be harmful to anyone.

“People know what and what to not to say,” Joseph said. “Yes, a couple of them went too far, but it wasn’t to an extreme.”

22 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

The polls continued to rise in popularity and issues, and many reports to the administration quantity, with the existence of several copycat were made. accounts. As a result, more and more students School resource officer Jeremy Davis, who were implicated in the tweets. typically receives complaints of cyberbullying English teacher Kelly Murphy first heard of on a weekly basis, heard many grievances this account through two students in her class, about these polls. Davis, working through the who showed her one of the polls.

Midland Police Department, is rarely able to “They thought exercise police it was funny, authority over what they were these cases, as showing me.,” they must fall “There’s a difference between ‘I got my Murphy said. under specific feelings hurt’ and crossing the line of “And I just said, laws for him doing other things that fall under the ‘Well that seems to take action. like a pretty big “There’s category of being illegal” waste of time.’ a difference

Officer Jeremy Davis Then, at lunch, between ‘I got some teachers my feelings were talking about it, and I saw more of them. hurt’ and crossing the line of doing other I immediately became very disturbed, because things that fall under the category of being two really good kids thought it was funny; illegal,” Davis said. “With cyberbullying, if they didn’t think there was anything wrong it doesn’t cross the line to become a criminal with it.” manner, I’ll [use] some of the information I While many students thought the accounts have access to and the abilities that I have to to be harmless, a few took the polls personally, try and help them out; try to figure out who or and objected to being voted on without what is involved.” consent. As the tweets continued, they became Since there are many specific requirements increasingly offensive, touching on racial in order for bullying to be against the law, the

power to solve the problem falls directly on the administration. Situations regarding social media often occur outside of school, so it is sometimes difficult for them to justify taking action.

“Everybody says, ‘Well I didn’t do it at school, I did it in my free time,’” Davis said.

“You’re right, but what’s being said is about others at school and now it’s being carried over into the school, so where do we draw the line? When these twitter polls are using the pictures of Midland High’s emblem, now you’re representing the school and making it a Midland High issue.”

Joseph recognizes that the tweets became more offensive as time went on, and agrees that if the accounts are representing Midland High, the school has a right to influence what is posted. However, she does not believe that students should be punished for what they post on social media outside of school.

“If students are offended by anything that’s on it, then don’t follow the accounts,” Joseph said. “If an individual goes to [the administration], then they could take control of that to make the person feel better and stop it, but I also think that the person shouldn’t follow those accounts.”

NEWS

CYBER 66% controversy With the rise of social media,

cyberbullying has become easier than ever. We asked 177 students if the trend has been within their realm of experience.

For the school to take action against posts on social media, they have to prove that the purported instance of cyberbullying is affecting the student during the school day.

“Because it’s off-site or not necessarily at a school function, it’s a little more difficult for us to initiate consequences right away,” Principal Jeffrey Jaster said. “What we have to do is make a case for how this incident or this series of incidents has impacted the school day. For example, if there is an incident that happened on social media and then the next day there was a fight, it is easy to make a case that the school day was impacted by that. We can clearly say that was a bullying incident, and we could have more severe consequences.”

Because there are not often physical confrontations over social media issues, the school must spend time proving those actions, like that of the Midland polls, have had a negative effect on the school day.

“In most cases, you have to try to really document and establish everything that has occurred overtime, and you have to show how that person, either how they stopped attending school because they don’t want to be seen, or some other way you make a connection for how it impacts the school day for that person,” Jaster said. “If we mark it as bullying, we are required to contact the parents of both the accusing and the accused, so everyone is informed. We document it as an incident of bullying and there’s usually some kind of an immediate consequence right away. It can go up to an expulsion if the behavior doesn’t change right away.”

Jaster said that in his six years of being a principal, he has only dealt with two cases of expulsion due to bullying. In most instances,

10%

The

26%

say they have

say they experienced

say the have

witnessed

cyberbullying

participated in

cyberbulllying

personally

cyberbullying

in the Twitter polls and encouraging any students who knew of the perpetrators to come forward and share their information.

After this statement, many students visited Jaster with information regarding the students involved. In two of the occasions, the reports proved to be accurate. He followed up with the kids and asked them to take down the tweets immediately. The involvement of

teaching.”

Both Murphy and Jaster agree that the advent of social media has increased opportunities for cyberbullying. The frequent invention of new platforms makes it hard for parents and teachers to keep up with their students. Murphy attributes students’ propensity to hurt others over social media to the lack of face to face confrontation.

“The anonymity behind it is a huge factor,” Murphy said. “I think that [students don’t] think about implications. Even if it’s an innocent poll, like, ‘Who’s the prettiest freshman?’ Those people see it and then they get 15 percent of the votes, how would that person feel? They don’t think outside the immediate moment. I think, for whoever the people were, or are, behind [the polls], think they’re untouchable.”

Despite the increase of cyberbullying due to social media over the last decade, Jaster remains optimistic. He believes that the administration is capable of solving these issues, and has seen students reconcile often in the past. He says that the most important thing for students to do, when they notice bullying or experience it themselves, is to report the problem to administration. Murphy also encourages students to be careful when posting things to social media, and to think about the possible effects each post could have on the people involved.

“Unfortunately, in society, it’s really easy to sit behind a computer and throw all kinds of jabs at people,” Jaster said. “It emboldens people. It makes them feel brave. The sad part is I think you can use social media for so much more good, it just, usually, doesn’t happen.”

if he can catch the problem early, he can deter the problem from happening again. In the case of the Midland High Twitter polls, Murphy and other teachers first sent out mass emails to the parents of their students, warning them of the potential effects of these polls.

“That was not to get the kids in trouble at all,” Murphy said. “That was just to let them know, ‘Hey, this is out there’, and if students

Michigan Penal Code

Laws against behaviors that can be considered bullying

1) 750.411h: Outlaws actions that lead to“unconsented contact” by two or more individuals 2) 750.540e: Prohibits the use of technology to harm or terrorize others 3) 750.411s: Bans conduct causing emotional distress and at least two unwanted contacts are participating in that, as innocent as they think they are, I think that follows them. That can implicate them, and I just wanted them to be aware because I think people just thought it was funny.”

Jaster proceeded to speak on the announcements, denouncing the participation

administration has decreased the number of offending tweets, but some accounts still remain.

“Things are changing so quickly, and it’s all new territory, in a way, to have these problems,” Murphy said. “This was not an issue twelve years ago, when I started

23 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

NEWS

And the winner is. . .

Donald Trump (R) Businessman

Marco Rubio (R) U.S. Senator

Bernie Sanders (D) U.S. Senator

“I think Hillary should be our next president because we need a strong leader who is willing to compromise, and Hillary has a strong record of reaching across the aisle to get things done in Washington. I really like her views on civil rights and criminal justice reform. She is willing to stand up for everyone.”

“He is a young, inspiring leader that puts faith as his number one. His parents are immigrants to this country and he has experienced the struggles that I have had immigrating here myself. He is the candidate with the most experience in foreign affairs and I believe he is best suited to be the commander-in-chief.”

“I want Bernie Sanders to be president because he has always stayed true to his morals. His policy on taxation is a very positive thing and will help millions of people. Also, his stance on racial matters is very reminiscent of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. He reflects what the people want.”

Sophomore Ethan Tuck

Senior Weondong Hwang

Hillary Clinton (D) Former Secretary of State

America stands at the crossroads of human history. With this current disease of ‘Political Correctness’, we are teetering on the brink of disaster. Donald Trump recognizes this and is not afraid to speak up to tell the truth . . .

He doesn’t rely on ‘special interest groups’ for donations . . . He has solid well formed policy on all political affairs. Trump truly has all social classes’ best interest in mind.

With the Michigan primaries approaching on March 8, students have voiced their opinions on the candidates whose ideas they most identify with. Maddy Pasche | A&E Editor & Ella Colbert | Features Editor

Senior Luke Malace

Seniors registered to vote

Who is MHS voting for?

Not Registered

74% Registered

Political party affiliation Republican Other

2012 Election

Michigan’s 16 electoral votes went to Obama. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown of this important swing state.

Bernie Sanders Marco Rubio

26% Democrat

Junior Emily Kreusch

Donald Trump

45%

Ted Cruz

45%

Ben Carson

10%

out of 100 seniors 24 | FOCUS | MARCH 4, 2016 | mhsfocus.com

Hillary Clinton Voted for Barack Obama out of seniors registered to vote

Voted for Mitt Romney