May 29th Issue

HALL OF FAME | PAGES 4-7

COLLEGE PLANS | PAGES 10-11

focus

BEST, WORST, MOST LIKELY TO | PAGES 12-13

the

Midland High School | May 29, 2015| Volume 37. Issue 9

The class of 2015 describes their experience at Midland

Michelle Demo | Illustration

TIDBITS

317

BY THE NUMBERS

students are in the class of 2015

Tweet of the Month

3 THINGS

you don’t have to worry about now that you’re graduating...

1 2 3

SENIOR EDITION

“Sunday morning rain is falling”....wait its 60 and sunny... Oh those are just my tears #AP #IB #Testing #Help

Who Chris Isaak is (the poster in front of Mrs. Sevener’s room) Having a set voice recording sent to your parents every time you’re tardy Getting a Ron ticket

and one thing you still do...

Follow THIS User

being a freshman again

@nic_wigs

Couples that dated in middle school Remember when...

Joey Stevens & Danielle Parsons Jacob Striebel & Dayna Vasilko Ryan Mularz & Jalen Ventrone

2010

Nic Wiggins & Elliott Reid Hayden Clark & Emily Chicosky Nate Houle & Ericka Reder Tommy Leppien & Haylee Diment Matt Sweebe & Caitlynn Hancock

Bryce Kantak & Mercedes Hussein

Dylan Rocha & Jordan Ensz Mitchell Ensz & Ally Jasin Jordan Jachens & Bree Olrich Sam Dietz & Natalie Jamrog Mat Maleport & Katelyn Adams Matt Tascarella & Kate Waskevich

2 | FOCUS | MAY 29, 2014

2015

Michaela Carpenter

Imperfections

I’ve spent much longer than I’d care to admit staring at a blank computer screen and watching the cursor blink, waiting for me to finally decide what to write. After so long it almost feels like it’s mocking me now, laughing at the fact that I can’t come up with words to fill the page. Normally writing is relaxing for me. I start typing and my ideas take shape as I put them on the paper; it’s almost like I can actually see them coming together into something tangible. This time, though, that stupid cursor is just waiting for me, blinking. And blinking. And blinking.

I think now I’ve at least figured out what my problem is, though, and I guess that’s a step in the right direction. This is my last column, and I want it to be perfect. I want to write about something that really matters and put the words together just right so that it’s easy to read and it sounds good and it makes sense. The page has stayed empty for so long because I’ve been afraid to mess it up. I’ll type a few words and quickly delete them because they’re not exactly right, and that hasn’t gotten me very far.

Like usual, when something isn’t going the way I want it to and I’m starting to get frustrated, God shows me just why his plan is always better than mine. Who knew I could learn an important life lesson from staring at a blank computer screen and an annoying cursor that won’t stop blinking? I guess God did. Anyway, this whole struggle to write isn’t just about writing one last column. It’s about the reason I haven’t gotten very many words down for the past several days--I’m afraid to mess it up. Sometimes fear of failure gets in the way of what could be something incredible.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do your best or to make something really

great, but worry about falling short can be paralyzing. It works in reverse too; if we know we’ve already messed something up it can be hard to start again because we’re certain we won’t get it right. Maybe some completely different opportunity will come up and we’ll even turn that down because we’re convinced we’re not good enough or we will fail anyway. That seems pretty discouraging, but as I’ve stared at the screen thinking about it, I’ve been reminded of something that’s actually really encouraging.

God doesn’t look for perfect people. Thank goodness for that, because we’re all far from perfect. The truth is, we all mess up.

Sometimes it doesn’t bother us and we laugh it off, but other times it scares us a little bit and it gets to us more than we’d like to admit.

I think that’s what makes grace so amazing.

Maybe that sounds cliche, but just think about it.

We all have moments we wish we could change, things we’ve said that we want to take back, and decisions we’ve made that we regret. People are unique and beautiful, but let’s be honest, we’ve got scratches and dents and we’re not exactly in pristine condition.

We’re what I like to call “well-loved”. And I think sometimes that holds us back and keeps us from continuing to do something we love or trying something new that we’ve always wanted to do. It keeps us from filling our blank pages with words, flawed but beautiful and unique and meaningful words.

God isn’t fazed by our imperfections, though. He embraces us, all of our little quirks and all of our big regrets. In all of our weaknesses his strength and beauty becomes that much more evident because through us he does things that we could never accomplish on our own.

He doesn’t need us to be perfect because he already is. We don’t have to be good enough for him because he is better than anything and his love is more than we can even comprehend. We don’t have to be afraid to make mistakes because God isn’t fazed by that. He uses us, a little rough around the edges and each with our own imperfections, to do absolutely incredible things. We get to be a part of something beautiful.

So maybe this isn’t written perfectly, but I’ve realized that’s okay. It doesn’t really matter because the page is no longer blank. I don’t have to be perfect--I’ll just keep chasing after the God who is.

Things you didn’t know about the class of 2015...

10 13

people are going into the military people are going out of state for college

A v e r a g e G PA of the 2015 class

3.02

Maddy Wheelock

The big bad future

When I was little, I wanted to be a movie star. I hoarded pretend microphones and practiced my responses to questions Ellen would ask me in interviews. I forced my friends to make movies with me on my Barbie video camera. People would often remind me how unrealistic my dream was, and how it would eventually dissipate after I matured and realized how terrible it is to live in Hollywood in front of paparazzi lenses.

They were right; by the time I was thirteen my goals had developed into something new. I wanted to be a politician, and then a teacher, and then a journalist. The older I’ve gotten, the less sure I have been about what career I want. Now when people ask me, I respond with, “ideally I’ll be teaching kids about gender, race, and marriage equality by day and yelling at politicians about similar topics by night.” It may be just as unrealistic as being a movie star, but I just want to do something important to me.

There isn’t a category on the senior superlative ballot for “most likely to lead an angry feminist rebellion,” but if there was, I’m pretty sure I’d be a strong candidate. I could see myself doing something like that, sure, but I often wonder what that means missing out on. I can’t be a good, professional journalist with the amount of bias I have and

Noah Surbrook

Goodbye

Nothing in high school has shaped me as much as the Focus has. I’m so lucky that I joined the Focus. It would never have even crossed my mind to check the box next to “Journalism” when signing up for classes. Had it not been for my older brother encouraging me to take the class you wouldn’t even be reading this right now.

I went into class that first day with no idea what to expect and no idea why my brother was so adamant about me taking

the desire I have to share my opinions with everyone. I’m not Augustus Waters; I don’t feel a need to be remembered. I just want a career that I can see myself never getting bored with. Right now, that’s working with social justice issues. But it changes often.

In two months, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wanted to be a novelist or a historian. I completely understand why so many college students change their majors; I’m not ready to sign my life away to one profession just yet.

When I wanted to be a movie star, I could see my future so clearly. Starring in my original blockbuster film, marrying Nick Jonas, and starting a family in London while we balanced our successful careers overseas wasn’t probable, but it was definite. Even when I wanted to be a journalist, I could see myself at Woodward or Bernstein’s old desk in DC, tackling tough topics with a critical eye and unwavering support from my editors. As the time comes closer to make my big choices, my future gets blurrier. How can I keep my passions woven with my job, make enough money to live comfortably, and have enough time to spend with my family and friends?

How does feminism fit in with adulthood?

I’ve always been a realistic person, but it’s hard to keep my feet on the ground when I have such big ideas about my future. When I first wanted to be a movie star, all the adults in my life probably assumed it would never happen. But for the most part they played along — I was reminded that I could be anything I wanted to be. Now, when I even begin to discuss a double major and a minor, people shake their heads and laugh. “That will change,” they tell me. “Just wait until you see how difficult college is.”

And maybe they’re right. Maybe I will get to sophomore year and laugh at when I was naive enough to think that I could handle so many requirements. But my future is like a Seurat painting right now. The closer I get, the fuzzier it is, and all I want to do is dream about it so clearly like I used to.

I haven’t lived in Midland my whole life, I’ve moved a couple of times and I even considered myself pretty good at it. It was a very simple process: I would say goodbye to my friends and there would be lots of tears and hugs of course and then I’d get in the car with my family and drive off. I’m guilty of promising to keep in touch and never following through, of taking friends for granted because I knew it wasn’t hard to find new ones in the next place. The most important people, family, I could take with me.

But I can’t do that this time. What I learned from being a Chemic is that I have more than one family. Almost all of my columns have been about family and the experiences I’ve had with them, but I’ve realized that the people that I spend the most time with and make me the happiest, are no longer limited to the people I live with. I regret not joining The Focus earlier and taking way too long to open up to people here. I regret that I thought that after all this time leaving would still be easy.

I’m so excited to go off to a school in a new place and meet new people, but what I want most is to branch out and find more great friends that I may even eventually consider family like the ones I found in Midland.

I consider my family to be the people that

that class. The first thing that I did was give Mr.Woehlre, who I had never spoken to before, a book that my brother wanted me to give to him. I was a little bit tardy and had to sit in the front row.

Every class has a syllabus and a boring first day, but my first day in journalism was a bit different. We got this speech on what our time in journalism would be like. I kept hearing “We’re a family in this class” and “You’re gonna make friends with people you never expected to even speak to.”

I thought it was corny and brushed it off. I was more preoccupied by the pretty redhead a few seats away. As my year went by I did make some friends that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise, and got to know my favorite teacher a little bit. I still had no idea what was in store for me in the next two years.

Before long I saw that everything I heard about the class was true. Every cheesy detail.

I was part of a family that I never would have expected, and I absolutely loved it. I didn’t

even really like journalism. It was stressful and took up lots of time. I spent a lot of time in school, in a hot sweaty room, on computer programs that I still don’t understand. But the Focus family made it all worth it. We laughed and we sang and we bonded and by the end of the year I was close to so many people that I would never have spoken to otherwise.

It’s weird, falling in love with something you kinda thought you would hate, but every day I loved it a little more.

Now I don’t know what I’m going to do without journalism and my Focus family next year. I don’t know what I’m going to do without the closeness. Without having a group chat full of the most supportive, hilarious, wonderful people that I could ever dream of. Without knowing that I have something to look forward to every day.

The class has helped me grow and learn and become a better student and person.

The members of the class have always been supportive and so great to talk to. If ever I am

Aelish Shay

Ohana

reached out to me when I was sick and the ones that put up with all of my terrible (and occasionally not so terrible) jokes and the people that I looked forward to seeing every single day. Family has your back, and you have theirs. My family at Midland High is in the journalism classroom, with the amazing people from all different social circles that I got to work with, and it›s in eyeball alley at lunch time, hanging out with my friends and talking about the day, and it was on the golf course and the lacrosse field and in the staff members that did so much for me. There’s a fantastic essay by Marina Keegan called “The Opposite of Loneliness” that she wrote before graduating Yale University and unfortunately shortly before her untimely death. There’s a book of the same title that contains some of her best work, togetherness is a very common theme. In the essay, Keegan states that although there’s not quite a word to describe the opposite of loneliness, that’s what she wants in life. I think that’s what we all want, and what you gain from friends and family.

Her definition sums it up quite perfectly.

“It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team. When the check is paid and you stay at the table.

When it’s four A.M. and no one goes to bed.

That night with the guitar. That night we can’t remember. That time we did, we went, we saw, we laughed, we felt.”

I just want to thank everyone who has given that to me, and hope that we go on to find it again. That everywhere you go you find someone like the lab partner that became one of your best friends, the team that was there for you on and off the field, the people you know would answer your texts even if it was two in the morning, or would be the reason you’re still up and talking.

I just want to thank the people who will make leaving difficult; the family that for the first time I cant take with me. having a bad day, I know I can always turn to them.

Just like I’m sure everybody else has, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in high school. I would love to go back and redo a few things.

If I could get one magic wish and change something in high school, it would be to go back and listen to my brother and get that extra year of journalism. I can’t think of anything I’d rather have than an extra year on the Focus.

Journalism has been the best part about high school for me. It pains me that I’m not going to be a journalist any more. Just a few more hours. A few hundred more words.

Maybe a couple of pictures. With high school wrapping up, I’m going to have to say goodbye to a lot of great people. A lot of great memories and clubs and teams that I’m going to miss a lot. But there isn’t going to be anything harder to do before I graduate than to say goodbye to the Focus.

mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 3

HALL OF FAME

Sarah Wontorcik | Features Editor & Noah Surbrook | Exchange Editor & Michaela Carpenter | Staff Writer & Dylan Rocha | Op-Ed Editor

ART

BLAKE GROULX

KAJSA RYNE

of Evie”, which won him the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for the district.

She continually expands her art and has worked with a variety of materials, such as bronze, paper mache, ink, acrylic, and graphite.

He also does commissioned work that allows him to make money doing art

Has been greatly inspired by her Swedish heritage.

Favorite type of art: portraiture

One of her favorite pieces is a moose,

His favorite piece is his “Portrait

LEADERSHIP LUKE WHITE

MARY ANDRIDGE

He has spent four years in student

She has spent four years on student

From a young age, Luke’s parents taught him to lead by example and that getting others involved is the key to success.

Her favorite activity to lead was Yell Night, because

council and one on the executive board; he is also an Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader for Boy Scouts.

council, three years in the student leadership class, and two years on the executive board as Secretary her junior year, and President the following year.

it brings all four classes together.

done in ink and based on a Swedish fairy tale from her childhood.

“It’s important to

“I enjoy having

something in my life that I can see improvement in my skills over time, and knowing that it was with little to no help.”

4 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

“I’ve used my

artwork to send a message. This year, my theme is rebellion.”

contribute to the community. You can get everything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.”

“I love doing things

with my creativity and heart to serve and guide others through activities at school or through my leadership in my youth ministry.”

SPIRIT JOEY HOWSE

SPORTS

KATE WASKEVICH

JAKE RAJEWSKI

Favorite student section memory is

Has attended at least one game of every chemic sports team aside from four.

Loves to cheer during the games and

Her chemic pride comes from wanting everyone to have a good and happy time and creating a family

He has played varsity soccer all four years, was a captain his last two years, and was the Saginaw Valley League’s MVP his senior year.

Jake was on the 1st Team All-District and on the Midland Dream Team his junior and senior year, and on and Team All-Region his senior year.

doing to “I Believe” chants at football games. get the crowd involved.

Took first place in the Whopper eating contest sophomore year at Yell Night.

She joined over 6 clubs her junior year

alone just to break her comfort zone and allow her to learn about the clubs and meet the dedicated and friendly people that make her love MHS.

He has also tried many other sports, such as football, baseball, and basketball; his favorite memory is making it to the state tournament in baseball and taking third place.

“I actually took my

“I just love Midland

“What really helps

me is that I don’t care what other people think of me so that doesn’t hold me back from being spontaneous and outgoing.”

High and I’ve found that spreading chemic pride makes everyone happier no matter where we are. ”

first steps chasing a soccer ball in my yard and ever since then I loved soccer and anything that had to do with sports in general.”

MARIAH SHERMAN

Saginaw Valley MVP for volleyball this year, was placed on many regional dream teams, made All Valley and All Region teams her junior and senior year, and earned an All State honorable mention this year.

Broke the previous school record her

junior year with her 4x400 relay, who placed 6th at states

Favorite memory: the end of the State track meet last year, celebrating the hard work and the success of the team.

“I’ve done sports

since I was young. I do sports because I like to win and I like the people that I meet through sports .”

seniors | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 5

VOLUNTEERING SAM BORK He has been a member of the MHS Key Club the past four years.

He has enjoyed ringing bells for

Salvation Army and packing food for Kids Against Hunger.

Sam has been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and plans to continue doing so in college.

MICHAELA CARPENTER

She has volunteered the past three

years at a summer camp for kids involved in the foster care system and looks forward to being a counselor there this summer.

She has gone on two mission trips to

Haiti and recently traveled to Uganda through an organization called World Vision..

Each year she helps pack over 1500

shoeboxes with gifts to send around the world to kids in need.

“I volunteer for the

impact it will have on others more than just for building my resume.”

6 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

ACADEMICS LUKE MILLS He is most proud of his acceptance to Vanderbilt University, which was his goal for several years.

Luke maintained all As during his four years of high school and has been named a Saginaw Valley StudentAthlete the past three years.

He plans to major in Psychology and later go to law school for Corporate Law.

“Being surrounded

“I want my life

to give people a glimpse of the love God has for them, and I think serving them joyfully and humbly helps me to do that.”

by similarly motivated people has helped push me academically as I am very competitive.”

CARA MITRANO Has taken nine science classes in four years Is a Commended Student in the

National Merit 2015 Scholarship program and has been successful in many other academic competitions, such as Science Olympiad, the Michigan Mathematic Prize Competition, and the Mid-Michigan Brain Bee She will be in the MedStart program at Wayne State and plans on becoming a trauma surgeon or M.D. in the Air Force.

“My parents

have instilled in me a great drive to succeed, academically and otherwise. I also enjoy learning new things, particularly in sciences like biology and chemistry.”

DRAMA

MUSIC

SAM NOWAK

SOPHIA BAGNALL

Joined drama club because he was

Introduced to theater by her parents,

good at singing, and the club needed more guys to participate who could sing and act.

Sam was skeptical and very nervous while auditioning, but he did it anyway because he had promised his friends that he would do it.

Shows he has been in: Into the Woods,

The Great Gatsby, and The Phantom of the Opera.

who were both heavily involved in it since before she was born.

Loves public speaking and appearing on stage..

She has been in over 20 plays including: Peter Pan, Anything Goes,

The Great Gatsby, Almost Maine, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Has been involved with music starting with young music programs and eventually beginning piano lessons at age five.

Has arranged two different pieces

for the MHS clarinet choir and directed both of them at Rhapsody Rendezvous.

Favorite memory: playing the clarinet solo in “Rhapsody in Blue” his junior year.

Joined snare drum line freshman year, became snare section leader her junior year, and is drum captain this year.

She was in symphonic band her

sophomore year; she was in a percussion quartet that year which earned the top scores at district and state Solo and Ensemble

Earned a spot at the Coastal Surge, which is a Drum Corps at Myrtle Beach.

“What has kept

“It was one of the

most fun things I have ever been a part of at Midland High.”

KYLE FRANSON

KELLY BONEKAMP

“I like theater

because of the different perspectives I can gain from creating characters.”

me in music to this day, though, is the relief from stress it gives me and the consistent and diverse joy it brings me.”

“After playing

[“Transcendent Journey”] for so long it was just so powerful and emotional that it made me cry while playing it for the last time. To me that’s the best feeling .” seniors | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 7

Music timeline We’re going to throw your number away.

‘12

The soundtrack of the last four years has been composed of these songs, which everyone has heard one too many times. Instead of listening these to reminisce, try another song on the album. Aleisha Jones | Staff Writer If you ever need a b re a k u p b a l l a d, Adele’s got you.

Call Me Maybe

Carly Rae Jepsen Instead, try Tonight I’m Getting Over You

‘11

2011

Adele

Instead, try

Another Focus favorite:

This was a rough year for all of us, tbh. No one wants to remember freshman year.

Turning Tables

If this wasn’t your freshman jam you’re lying. If you don’t know the whole rap you’re lying also.

Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Another Focus favorite:

Rolling in the Deep

2012

Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

‘14

Happy Pharrell Williams

Instead, try

Lost Queen

2013

The last thing this song did was bring us happiness.

‘13

Thrift Shop

Macklemore ft. Ryan Lewis

Instead, try

White Walls

Another Focus favorite: After listening to this 1000 times we didn’t want to go back to Salvo. Ever.

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

2014

8 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

Fa

e l b

a r o

em

M

unique

y l i m

Midland High Timeless according Pride to us

Surveys were given to the class of 2015. Here are the results. Natalie Schwartz | Design Editor & Sam Robinson | Staff Writer & Ericka Reder | Staff Writer

Events attended:

We asked the seniors how many events they attended at MHS throughout their high school career. Here are the results.

Five- 14% Three- 16%

76%

Ten plus- 5% Seven- 5%

of MHS seniors have chosen

Drama

Netflix

over homework One- 4%

Three- 5%

teacher?

Five- 6%

Seven- 6%

Sports Ten plus- 79%

1st: Mr. Demko 3rd: Mr. Fox

2nd: Mr. Mikusko

9 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

of seniors

enjoyed their time at

MHS

One- 29%

None- 31%

Who’s your favorite

94%

68% 5-8 of MHS students get

hours of sleep a night

Rate our Chemic

Pride!

We asked the seniors how much chemic pride they thought their class ahd. On a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest, here are the results.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8 voters 3 voters 17

voters

11 voters 16 voters 23

voters

26 voters 13 voters

9 3 voters 10 4 voters

42

5

30 11 26

19

41

36 7

38

32

37

22 43

4

40

Next year, the class of 2015 will be studying in 48 different locations across the US. Maddy Wheelock | Editor in Chief & Emily Fisher | Sports and Photo Editor & Evie Wagner | Staff Writer & Lydia Dornbos | Staff Writer 1

Alma College

Emma Herron Justin Johnson 2

Aquinas College

Jaymie Dawson 3

Art Institute of Novi

Jade DuFort 4

Atlanta School of Ministry

Lija Wendt 5

Berklee College of Music

Justin Solano 6

Calvin College

Luke White Natalie Knapp 7

Cedarville University

Emily Entner Michaela Carpenter 8

Central Michigan University

Alyssa Kaminski Andrew Schmidt Bryce Kantak Cameron Ouderkirk Christian Loosemore Derek Groulx Elliott Reid

10| FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

16

Jacob Sian Josh Kohler Katherine Vieau Kayla Lobodzinski Kayla Taylor MacKenzie McPhillips Mercedes Hussein Mike Conarty Myles Comiskey Nate Houle Nick Finch Samuel Bork Sara Ferreira 9

Cornerstone University

Zach Streitmatter 10 2

Delta College

Aaliyah Koning Abbie Finch Alecia Traver Aleisha Jones Alex Reinke Alexis Gross Alexis Traver Alissa Butler Ally Jasin Amanda Carlton Ashle Echer Blake Groulx

Bre Bowen Brendan McDonald Brendan Price Breonna St. John Caitlynn Hancock Cameron Cassaday Carly Barber Cat Milard Chinara Haynes Christiana Haight Claire Crook Colton Dexter Courtney Duford Dakoda Manning Dean Miller Devon Looker Elena Nartker Elizabeth Ursuy Emily Winquest Ericka Reder Fiona Gisch Gage Hench Hunter Kuchek Izac Mersman Jacob Strait Jacob Pacholke Janae Forgie Jared McCreery Jimmy McGee

15

Jordan Dekker Josh Baker Justin Dorion Kailey Warner Kambrie Rhead Katelyn Reid Kelsey Cook Kevin Sharpe Kostandi Stephenson Kyle Evans Lauren Maschino Lexi Traver Logan Stevens Luke Zimmerman Maddie McClendon Maggi Dahl MaryAnne Stevens Matt Sweebe Michelle Demo Morgan Kuhn Morgan Wetters Naomi Stothard Nate Collins Noah Surbook Robert Monica Ryan Lynch Sam Dietz Sam Guthrie Sam Nowak Savanna Mack Sean Fick Seth Kiser Shane Dunsmore Shelby Russell Taylor Foor

Sky Wise 24

Merrill Fabricators

Jordan Kaczmarek

25

25 29

Michigan Tech

Aelish Shay Hayden Clark Haylee Diment Jacob Striebel Mariah Sherman Miles LeFever Matthew Blanke Matthew Tascarella 26

14

28

8

10

1 17 9 6

11

DePaul University

Brandon Dull 12

Douglas J Aveda Institute

Rachel Looper 13

Eastern Michigan University

Alicia Parsons Mackenzie Etienne 14

Ferris State University

Casey LaValley Jacob Trethaway Jesse Pagtalunan Katelyn Woods Logan Faught Reilly Spencer Scott Keel 15

Florida Institute of Technology

16

Full Sail University

Elizabeth Parsons

Charlie Raniszowski John Noack 17

Grand Valley State University

Amanda Ingersoll Amelia Gullo Brittany Bauer

21 12 27

23 33 45 20

18

Tearis Cooper Jr. Tyler Dittenbir Tyler Lesperance Tyler Pacholke Tyler Plarske Victor Anderson Zach Ellis Zach Schneider

2

35 24 31 4434 39

3 13

Hannah Daniel Jordan Jachens Kyle Henegar Mason Money Matthew Curtis Sophia Bagnall 18

Hope College

Michelle Plaver Natalie Jamrog Rebecca Johnson Sydney Gross 19

Indiana Tech

RayeAnne Herzberg 20

Kalamazoo College

Audrey Thomas Evie Wagner 21

Lansing Community College

Dylan Rocha Joey Stevens Jon Becker 22

Lipscomb University

Shelby France 23

Michigan Career and Technical Institute

Jon Lampley Kevin Khron

Murphy’s Beauty School Northern Michigan University

Northwestern University

Andrew Kim 31

Oakland University

Calvin Sigelko Jake Greer Jared Lane Rachel Levy Shantel Glover Shelby Burhans 32

Ohio State University

Danielle Parsons 33

Portage Cosmetology

Jalen Ventrone 34

Rochester College

Hannah Terril 35

United States Naval Academy

Kylie Workentine

Bree Ohlrich Emily Long Megan O’Connor Peyton McGregor 30

37

Michigan State University

Codi Pound Hayley Allen 29

Taylor University

Hobie Fisher

Ravdeep Dhingra

Adam Talbott Alex Peake Brandon Dulaney Catherine Bacon Cayla Harrison Dayna Vasilko Ethan Wolf Ian Murray Katie Knapp Kelly Bonekamp Lauren Stiffler Maddy Wheelock Megan Arlt Mitchell Ensz Natalie Landis Nic Wiggins Philip Wandor Rachel Graczyk Rachel Grunder Taylor Jensen Taylor Lynch Yoodong Hwang Zachary Purtill 28

36

Moody Bible Institute

Mary Andridge 27

Harleigh Pellegrino Jacob Defrancesco Joseph Howse Kajsa Ryne Kate Waskevich Kaytlyn Chartier Lauren Peregord Richelle Arguello Taylor Keit Taylor Seipke

Saginaw Valley State University

Gabrielle Meylan Grace Lewis

38 39

University of Cincinnati University of Michigan

Abishek Kumar Callie Meath Ethan Brown Joh Reeves Jordan Ensz Keegan McGuire Kyle Franson Matt Bott 40

University of California, San Diego

Andrew Johnson 41

University of Nebraska Lincoln

42

University of Wisconsin

Sarah Wontorcik Anna Suave 43

Vanderbilt University

Luke Mills 44

Wayne State University

Cara Mitrano Jasmine Novak 45

Western Michigan University

Brenden Bartos Delia Bucci Emily Chicosky Emily Fisher John Torry Juli LaRose Kassi Bartz Matt Pajk Meredith Schultz Sam Robinson Sydnie Meath 46

Army

Caleb Dockum Connor Meylan Evan Rivet Gabe Smith Sage Floyd 47

Army National Guard

Nolan Nowak 48

Marines

Jake Welch Joseph Guettler Tyler Morris F

seniors | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 11

As voted on by the senior’ s graduating class this year, this is the official best, worst, and most likely to for this year’s senior edition of the Focus.

Best hair Natalie Landis & Nic Wiggins Best eyes Emily Fisher & Jimmy McGee Best looks Evie Wagner & Justin Johnson Best dressed Elliott Reid & Justin Johnson Best smile Danielle Parsons & Blake Groulx Best legs Rachel Levy & Jon Becker Best facial hair Izac Mersmann Best laugh Mary Andridge & Dylan Rocha Best liar Danielle Parsons Worst liar Kate Waskevich Best singer Megan O’Connor & Sam Nowak Worst singer Mason Money & Adam Talbott Best car Rebecca Johnson & Nic Wiggins Worst car Kailey Warner & Zach Purtill Best driver Jaymie Dawson & Matt Tascarella Worst driver Mercedes Hussein & Joey Howse Best couple Kate Waskevich with Joh Reeves Best couple that never dated Ericka Reder with Joey Howse Best bromance Dylan Rocha with Jon Becker Best story tellers Lydia Dornbos & Keegan McGuire Worst story tellers Sydney Gross & Yoodong Hwang Best person to bring home to your parents Natalie Landis & Joh Reeves

12 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | seniors

Biggest flirt Sara Ferreira & Noah Surbrook Biggest klutz Catherine Bacon & Ethan Brown Biggest ego Jordan Ensz & Hayden Clark Best teacher impressions Audrey Thomas & Sam Bork Best person to be stranded on an island with Megan Arlt Worst person to be stranded on an island with Callie Meath & Tommy Leppien Best dancer Natalie Schwartz & Joh Reeves Worst dancer Rachel Graczyk & Mitchell Ensz Most likely to be a Disney Princess Sarah Wontorcik & Phillip Wandor Most likely to trip while getting their diploma Catherine Bacon & Josh Baker Most likely to disappear after graduation Ana Zambonetti & Jacob Streibel Most likely to join a fraternity/sorority Dayna Vasilko & John Torry Most likely to attend high school parties in college Jalen Ventrone & Alex Reinke Most likely to be seen on Cops Katelyn Adams & Mat Maleport Most likely to become a millionaire Callie Meath & Keegan McGuire Most likely to wander in the woods and never come back Megan O’Connor & Jacob Streibel Most likely to change drastically after graduation Lauren Maschino Most likely to become an MHS teacher Amelia Gullo & Kyle Henegar Most likely to have a sweatpants wedding Aleisha Jones & Matt Pajk Most likely to marry for money Ericka Reder & Matt Bott Most likely to get married right after high school Lauren Maschino & Zach Streitmatter

[Top left] Senior Justin Johnson: best looks and best dressed. Michelle Demo | Photo [Top right] Seniors Natalie Schwartz and Joh Reeves: best dancers Michelle Demo | Photo [Bottom left]Seniors Dayna Vasilko and John Torry:most likely to join a sorority/fraternity.. Julia Quinn | Photo [Bottom right]Seniors Megan OÇonnor and Mason Money: best and worst singers (respectively). Michelle Demo | Photo

Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Mercedes Hussein | Ads Editor & Zach Streitmatter | Staff Writer & Kevin Sharpe | Staff

Seniors Sarah Wontorcik and Phillip Wandor make dreams come true re-creating a Cinderella scene.

Wontrocik won Most Likely to be a Disiney Princess while Wandor won Most Likely to be a Disiney Prince and Princess. Wontorcik has wanted to be Cinderella since she was young, and made the Cinderella costume with the help of her grandma for the NHS princess party on April 10, 2015. Julia Quinn | Photo

Most likely to become a stand-up comedian Lauren Stiffler & Andrew Johnson Most likely to volunteer as tribute Emily Fisher Most likely to start a war with North Korea Emily Entner & Ravdeep Dhingra Most likely to find a cure for cancer Cara Mitrano & Kyle Franson Most likely to have their own talk show Maddy Wheelock & Andrew Johnson Most likely to have a novel published Maddy Wheelock & Kevin Sharpe Most likely to win the Nobel Peace Prize Michaela Carpenter Most likely to become president Sophia Bagnall & Hobie Fisher The worst dancer Rachel Graczyk & Mitchell Ensz Most likely to become a professional athlete Mariah Sherman & Jake Greer Most likely to become a movie star Jared Lane Most likely to become Vine famous Emma Herron Most likely to live a short & scandalous life Jalen Ventrone & Mat Maleport Most likely to appear naked in public Sara Ferreira Most likely to accidentally blow up Dow chemical Kylie Workentine & Kyle Franson Most likely to blow up Dow chemical on purpose Michelle Demo & Zach Purtill Most likely to die first in a zombie apocalypse Kylie Workentine & Ethan Wolfe Most likely to overdose on Starbucks Mercedes Hussein & Blake Groulx Most likely to work at McDonalds their entire life Katelyn Adams & Jacob Strait Most likely to leave their own One Direction Justin Solano Most likely to get ID’d at 30 Codi Pound & Hobie Fisher

Most likely to shock everyone at reunion RayeAnne Herzberg & Alex Jewell Most likely to be a Slytherin Sophia Bagnall & Luke Mills Most dramatic Michelle Demo & Jared Lane Most responsible Michaela Carpenter & Andrew Kim Most laid back Bree Ohlrich & Adam Talbott Most likely to use #YOLO at age 30 Emma Herron & Seth Kiser Most absent minded Jimmy McGee Nicest person Harleigh Pellegrino & Nic Wiggins Most competitive Kailey Warner & Derek Groulx Most Chemic pride Mason Money & Luke White Most likely to solve world hunger Mary Andridge & Andrew Kim Most absent minded Jimmy McGee Most annoying but loved Aleisha Jones & Joey Howse Most addicted to social media Sydnie Meath & Sam Robinson Most changed since freshman year Evie Wagner & Brandon Dull Most memorable Rachel Looper & Alex Jewell Most unlikely couple Sydnie Gross with Yoodong Hwang Most photogenic Sydnie Meath Most outgoing Tommy Leppien Most likely to climb Mt. Everest Ravdeep Dhingra

seniors | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 13

Summer camps are influential in many teenagers lives. A few students share their summer camp experiences. H a n n a h McAtamney | Staff Writer & Katherine Vernier | Staff Writer

N

o phones. No Wi-Fi. No modern day comforts. No sleeping past 6 a.m.

Although some teenagers would dread giving up their phone and getting up early, the week of volunteering at Springhill camp is one of junior Sammi Rice’s favorite parts of the entire summer.

Aside from volunteering, Teen Service Team (TST) members are also given the opportunity to participate in regular camp activities such as: going swimming, zip lining, or playing paint ball. Students then have time to participate in small group activities with other TST members.

Campers take this time to talk with each other about God and open up to each other, which helps form relationships.

“My favorite memories all have to do with the heart-to-heart conversations with my counselors and other campers from all around Michigan,” Rice said.

Rice has been attending the camp with her friend, junior Ally Kiekhaefer, for three years.

“I think going has helped us become closer as friends,” Kiekhaefer said. “I’m still pretty good friends with some people from past years. My old counselor calls me her little sister she never had. She’s one of my role models and I can talk to her about anything at any time.”

Junior Amy Smith – who has been going to Camp Neyati for ten years – agrees with Rice on the impact summer camp makes on teenager’s lives.

“A big reason I go is because of the people that go, a lot of them I only see during camp,” Smith said. “All the traditions we have make it special.”

Smith enjoys traditions like the counselor hunt, where the junior and counselors hide in the woods and the campers have to go look for them.

Smith also looks forward to the annual water game competition against the different cabins at the lake. On the last night, there is a campfire where they tell the story of Camp Neyati and watch a slide show of the memories made throughout the week.

Junior Grace Pruett can attest to the impact that summer camps have within her own life.

Pruett attends Blue Lake Fine Arts summer camp

Common Summer Camps

Ca m pRocks

3.

Juniors Hannah White and Sammi Rice ride on the giant swing during their summer camp experience at Springhill Ally Kiekhaefer. | Photo Courtesy to improve her skills as a violinist. Relationships teachers and directors who instructed her. made at this camp are among one of the biggest The relationships that she made impact her to impacts on her life. this day.

“A great memory was when I was returning Springhill counselor Sam Pinchoff thinks to camp for my third year,” the effect that summer Pruett said. “I was reunited camps have on the My favorite memories all with some friends from the camper’s lives is very have to do with the heartprevious year that I hadn’t meaningful. Pinchoff to-heart conversations with seen since we left camp last says that camps can my counselors and other year.” teach a lot of valuable campers from all around Pruett says that she has lessons. For herself, Michigan. made some lifelong friends she has learned how Junior Sammi Rice because of going to Blue to say no to people Lake. The friends she met and stop being a there have been very influential for her. people pleaser, the importance of silence at “Camp also provided me with a positive times, to take time to stop and listen to God, experience of staying an extended time period and to grow and create better relationships. away from home,” Pruett said.

“This generation is being attacked on who Pruett was also strongly influenced by the they are and their identity,” Pinchoff said. “I

‘‘{

Springhill: Evart, MI

A faith-based overnight camp with many recreational outdoor activities such as zip lining and swimming

}

Blue Lake:

Twin Lake, MI

A fine arts camp dedicated to helping students improve on their musical, theatrical, a n d a r t i s t i c a b i l i t y.

think camp takes them out of their element.

When you strip someone of what they are used to, it draws them to unique experiences. You get to learn about yourself in a safe environment.”

Kiekhaefer is also thankful for the lessons that Springhill has taught her and the new things she has been able to try.

“Camp has given me a second home,” Kiekhaefer said. “Camp also gives me a chance to experience new things that I would not normally get to do and get close to so many amazing people in just a short amount of time.”

Both Rice and Kiekhaefer relish their time at camp. They both see the importance of the time they spend there and how beneficial it has been for their lives. Soon, they will be too old to attend camp, but for now they will enjoy their final moments there, while making memories that will last them a lifetime. F

Camp Neyati : Lake, MI

A week long camp on the shore of Crooked Lake with acres for the rustic summer camp experience. features | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 11

Succeeding in

business

Sophomore Hope Kessler created her business, Quickly Covered, after her brother struggled to find covers for his textbooks. Now Kessler’s business, through the Youth Entrepreneurs Academy, has taken her all the way to a regional competition in Washington D.C. Kirstyn Cotton | Staff Writer

W

hen sophomore Hope Kessler’s little brother, Henry, was given the assignment to cover all of his textbooks with book covers, he thought it would be an easy task. However, when he went to the store to buy the covers, he discovered that they only had flower and Hello Kitty ones left. Trying to be creative, Henry covered all of his books with paper bags, but the paper ripped after only a few weeks. Wanting to solve her brother’s problem, Kessler created Quickly Covered, a business that designs and produces customized textbook covers to sell to organizations within schools.

Kessler had always thought that she wanted to go into business as a career but there aren’t a lot of programs that offer students the knowledge about starting a business. When she learned about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), she was quick to join. After graduating from the program, Kessler realized that YEA! had confirmed her interest in the field.

“YEA! is the perfect way for students to not only learn about business, but also start their own, real business,” Kessler said.

YEA! is a 7-month after school program that teaches students how to start and run their own company. The program is open to sixth through twelfth graders interested in learning all the steps to launching their own business. The program has been around nationally since 2004, but has been offered to Midland area students for only the past two school years.

“We take students through the entire process, from brainstorming a business idea to writing a business plan,” YEA! program manager Tina Lynch said. “From pitching to Investors for real money all the way through launching the business.”

Kessler says that her biggest challenge in starting Quickly Covered was balancing her business with schoolwork and other extra curricular activities. Luckily, she had the help of Kendra Christensen, her mentor from the business community. Christensen was there

to help Kessler make sure she was on the right track and provided her with suggestions.

“During the working sessions I reviewed and made suggestions to her business plan, marketing plan, financial plan, executive summary, and her investor presentation including her powerpoint and speech cards,” Christensen said.

Recently, Kessler was chosen by the panel of investors to represent the Midland chapter of YEA! in the regional competition in Rochester, New York. While she was there, Kessler competed against 28 other businesses from all over the country. Out of the 28 businesses, Quickly Covered was chosen as one of two businesses to continue on to the YEA! National Competition in Washington D.C. this June for a chance to win scholarship money.

“In the competition in D.C. I will compete against the top 6 YEA! students in the country for the chance to win a $50,000 scholarship, $25,000 scholarship, and other business startup prizes,” Kessler said.

Kessler may also get the opportunity to audition for the show Shark Tank and tour the headquarters of Sam’s Club in Arkansas, to pitch her idea to their executive board.

Because YEA! teaches students skills that will help them in the workforce, Lynch thinks it is a great opportunity for those who have ever thought about starting their own business or have a hobby or interest that they are very passionate about.

“Through YEA!, [students] learn how to take their ideas and turn them into something tangible that will ultimately be profitable for them,” Lynch said. “They learn about managing finances, public speaking, networking skills, business planning, marketing, collaboration, and build confidence along the way.”

According to Christensen, Kessler’s key to success is her self-motivation and the time and effort that she has put into perfecting her business. Kessler has a lot of people around her supporting her, and Christensen thinks her

QuicklyCovered

24 Advertisement

Kessler’s business has many options for customization.

10 | FOCUS | 05/29/2015 | features

Spaces

Sophomore Hope Kessler is the CEO of a business she calls Quickly Covered. The business was created through the Midland chapter of the Youth Entrepreneurs Acadamy (YEA!) program. With the help of her mentor, Kendra Christensen, Kessler’s company has become very successful. Megan Nylund | Photo business will go far. as an adult,” Kessler said. “I was continuously “In my time with Hope, I learned so much inspired by the work and dedication each [adult about her as a person. She works hard and puts entrepreneur] put into making their business a her whole heart and mind into this project,” success.”

Christensen said. “She spent a lot of time, Kessler has discovered that the YEA! program not only during the Academy and our work is a big commitment, but after going through it, sessions, but outside of class as well. She was she says it’s a unique experience that anyone committed to being successful and I’m positive with an interest in business should try. her business will be around for many years to “YEA! provides students with an opportunity come.” to not only learn about starting a business, but Through the entire process, Kessler has been also to go through the steps and start a real most inspired by the adult entrepreneurs she business,” Kessler said. “Although it’s a decent has met along the way. She realizes that it isn’t time commitment and the student has to put in easy to be an entrepreneur and that it takes a a lot of work to be successful, it’s well worth it lot of hard work and dedication, but in the end in the long run for those who are interested in it’s all worth it. business.” F “Entrepreneurship is a very risky field to enter Additional Reporting: Hayley Russell

Customized

Made To

Fit

School Different Logo Sizes

The first rule is. . . t h e r e a r e

Midland High boys have recently created a recreational summer soccer league known as the No Rules Premier League. The league was developed to represent novice soccer players and those who can’t play soccer for Midland High. The league consists of 8 teams and 160 players of all grades.

Maddy Pasche | Staff Writer & Anna Schultheis | Staff Writer

T

he whistle blows and the first official No Rules Premier League game has begun.

Arms are being pulled and jerseys tugged as yells and laughs erupt across the field. Senior Yoodong Hwang observes from in goal as his league immerses themselves in a full out soccer game with no rules.

The No Rules Premier League is a recreational soccer league started by Hwang. He started the league with his friends after binge watching the FIFA World Cup as a way to get outside and be active during the summer. A friendly soccer game amongst friends eventually turned into a full-fledged competition between four teams. Hwang created the teams after he sent out a tweet challenging anyone to play against them. The league has now grown, consisting of 8 teams and 160 players with boys from all grades .

“This league is there to represent people who can’t play soccer at Midland High because they’re playing other sports,” Hwang said.

“This gives them the opportunity to play in the summer and show people something they have.”

The No Rules Premier league differs from other recreational soccer leagues in that it is more laid back and allows players to be more aggressive on the field. Hwang’s job as commissioner of the league assures that there is structure, while still allowing the “no rules” aspect to be in play.

“We like to have fun, and it is always more fun when there aren’t very many regulations in games,” Hwang said. “But if we didn’t have rules, we wouldn’t have a league.”

Hwang is constantly under pressure as he works to maintain organization in the league by scheduling games and trading players.

“Being the commissioner comes with a lot of responsibilities,” Hwang said. “I know I can’t make everyone happy, but the league is definitely what I have imagined to be.”

Each team consists of an owner and a coach.

The owner’s job is to ensure the franchise functions properly. He is allowed to play as a member of the team as long as he is not a varsity soccer player for Midland High. The coach is in charge of training the teams for the regular season, in hopes of winning the championship.

The regular season lasts from June to August, with playoffs and a championship game at the end. Each team will play the other teams twice before advancing into World Cup-style brackets, where they will be separated into groups based on overall record. The top two teams from each group will advance into the playoffs and

compete for the championship trophy.

“It’s a pride thing and I know that most people like to have that in their system, to be prideful of something they’ve achieved,” Hwang said. “A lot of teams do want to win the championship, and that’s good to hear.”

The original teams were set to have a total of 13 players on the roster. Anyone who was interested in participating in the league attended the combine, where the player prospects flaunted their talents on and off the field.

From there, coaches and owners attended a scrimmage, where they narrowed down who would make the cut. If players didn’t make the first round of tryouts, coaches could handpick them in a draft. Junior Kyle Taylor found out first-hand what it was like to not make a team in the first round and be sent to the draft.

“I was a little upset at first when I got cut,” Taylor said. “But then I was excited for the opportunities that the draft would hold.”

Taylor was eventually picked up by another team in the league. The league includes teams such as the Tridge Legends, Hitman’s Legacy, PPT, Bad Boys, NWA, Midland’s Finest, and Super Smash Bros. Taylor’s team is determined to improve on their team chemistry get the championship trophy, as they are tough competition for the other seven teams.

“I think we’re still just trying to get that chemistry that every team needs,” Taylor said.

“We haven’t played together yet so that’s the main thing but also, of course, it’s every person’s dream to win the No Rules Premier League.”

For Midland High Graduate Matt Schnurr, head of player personnel, the league has provided a fun way to spend quality time with friends.

“It lets us have fun off of the field in competing for the upper hand with players. The field competition is just as fierce,” Schnurr said. “Not to mention playing soccer with your friends and sometimes looking like an idiot in front of them and making mistakes on the field is fun too.”

Being in its second season, the league is still in the works. With only one year under his belt, Hwang is still a novice. Yet with the high demand for players, and the championship trophy as an incentive, the No Rules Premier League has attracted many participants. The league has caused many unlikely soccer players to come together in the summer, in hopes of striving toward one goal: The Championship Title.

“It is almost free to play, some minor costs,” said Hwang. “But it is worth it for an entire summer of fun.” F

NO RULES

Junior Buck O’Connor kicks the soccer ball in a recent pre-season No Rules Premier League game, while fighting off opponents from the opposing team . O’Connor is on the original team, The Tridge Legends, and in his second year playing for the No Rules Premier league. He has been playing soccer since he was five years old and hopes to continue with the league as long as he is able to. Julia Quinn | Photo

Meet the players

Alex Englund Team: Tridge Legends Position: Defender Player ’s Take: “I t is a fun way to build relationships with people I don’t usually hangout with.”

Kyler Hanson Team: Super Smash Bros Po s i t i o n : Fo r w a r d / Striker Player’s Take: “My goal is to get to know my team and make history.”

Cam Wing Team: Midland’s Finest Position: Midfielder Player’s Take: “The big focus for our team this year is team chemistry and the championship.”

Luke Mills Team: PPT Position: Midfielder Player ’s Take: “O u r toughest competition is Hitsman Legacy because of their physicality.”

sports| mhsfocus.com| FOCUS| 9

Running st��

Sophomore Annaliese Hohner makes a change from being on Varsity tennis to switching to participate on the Midland High track team running 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, and 4x800 relays. Kayla Graham | Staff Writer

S

ophomore Annaliese Hohner was beyond track as well. Even though track and tennis scared as soon as she heard the gun shot. are two totally different sports, there are some Then she didn’t hear anyone and all she similarities that have helped Hohner along thought about was trying to move her the way. Tennis pushed Hohner to become the legs faster and even out her breathing. Hohner athlete she is today.

“I remember one coach would always push picked a spot on the track and told herself to get me super hard, and always give me more reps to that one spot as fast as she could.

“The best memory would be my first meet of our workout than some of the other kids,” and the way it felt to compete on the track for Hohner said. “He told me he did this because he thought I could be a good athlete if I focused the first time this year,” Hohner said.

As soon as Hohner accomplished her first on it, and since then I’ve been trying to achieve track meet, this was the day that she found different goals to make me the best athlete I can herself glad that she joined the track team. She become.”

Although Hohner is busy with track meets had always liked running and she figured that she would join the team looking to improve and practice, she has no intentions of dropping tennis. She participates in tennis as much as she her skills.

Hohner has been able to contribute to the team can when she does not have track. Even though by running all of the relays: 4x800, 4x400, 4x200, she is busy with track each week she is still able and 4x100. She has been able to consistently to get some play time with tennis at the Tennis improve her times throughout the season and Center. Having two sports in her schedule, looks forward to making new records in the Hohner finds that she is very busy and has little future. Hohner has set goals for herself and to no free time. Even though Hohner is very she would like to meet them before the season busy, she is glad that she can be apart of both a tennis team and now also the track team. comes to an end.

“Tennis is “I want to go to states this individual so I just season, and if I don’t, I just Annaliese has a great work play and practice want to be able to at least ethic and has been improving on my own with a PR [personal record] during at every meet. She has fit right coach, and normally regionals,” Hohner said.

I participate in Although Hohner was a in with the team with her work tournaments by prominent member of the ethic and her fun personality. myself, but it’s tennis team, she felt that there Coach Diane Sugnet been hard to do could be another way around tournaments during doing both tennis and track.

She was not able to just pick one sport because track season,” Hohner said.

Hohner said that tennis will always be a huge she felt that they were both a big part of her life.

“I officially decided to switch because I can do part of her life, but she has also gained a love track in school and tennis out of school, but not for track.

Coach Diane Sugnet has been able to watch the other way around,” Hohner said.

This decision to quit tennis and switch to Hohner grow throughout her time on the track track may have been a surprise to students, but team. Sugnet seen Hohner beat personal records Hohner’s mother, Linda Hohner-Foster, knew as well as become a part of the track family.

“Annaliese has been a great addition to the that this day was coming. She knew that Hohner had taken an interest in track and has talked girls track team this year,” Sugnet said. “She has a great work ethic and has been improving about it each spring since seventh grade.

“I had a hunch she would ask because she every meet as she is learning how to run the had been training at Athletic Republic and they events. She has fit right in with the team with were really encouraging her to try it,” Hohner- her work ethic and fun personality.”

Hohner has already been a valued part of Foster said.

Hohner participates in tennis outside of a supportive team and she has gained wins school, and this has allowed her to achieve in for the them, which Sugnet sees as quite an

‘‘{

8 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | sports

}

Sophomore Annaliese Hohner continues practicing while she gets ready to go to the state finals. Hohner will be participating in the 4x200 and 4x400 at states with her other teammates. Chloe Gall | Photo accomplishment.

“Annaliese’s strongest attribute is that she is a very hard worker and is easy and fun to coach,” Sugnet said. “She is willing to learn and listen to the coaches and then use this information to become a better athlete. She also has such determination to run fast and to not let her teammates down. She is such a great person.”

Hohner being a part of the track team during the 2014-2015 school year, many new goals and accomplishments are wanting to be reached, with not only personal goals, but also goals as a team.

“Two of our team goals are to win the SVL championship and to send as many athletes to states as we can,” Sugnet said. “Annaliese is a big part of both of these being in all four relays. Three of the four relays have a great chance to go to the state finals. That is a great accomplishment for a girl who has never ran track before.”

Hohner intends to finish the season out strong and help her team reach their goals. Hohner has helped the team accomplish different meets and she would like to keep the winning streak going.

Hohner has currently been given the opportunity to participate at states in Rockford, Michigan on May 30, 2015. Hohner will be running the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

“The best thing is the people on the team and the connections that are being made,” Hohner said. “The adrenaline you get while running and knowing that there’s someone behind or in front of you while running and you not wanting to lose your spot or the excitement of a chase is what keeps me running all the way to the finish line.” F Additional Reporting: Chloe Gall

Facts

about

Hohner

Annaliese Hohner played tennis her whole life, but she made a decision to join track and not play school tennis her sophomore year.

Tennis

Age she started playing tennis:

Eight-years-old Position:

One Singles

Track Events: 4x100 4x200 4x400 4x800

Time for events:

51.24 1:46.1 4:02.34 9:59.17

Hohner has qualified for states doing 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

Excellence in teaching

Several teachers that have recently been recognized for their efforts in teaching speak on their experiences. Will Hackbarth | A&E Editor

S

cience teacher Mark Camilleri’s dream was never to win the lottery. As he always said, if he could ever win one thing, it would be the Saginaw Valley Teacher of the Year Award.

Only one year away from his retirement, he didn’t think his dream would ever be realized.

So, when he received the award that he views as the highest honor, he was both shocked and euphoric.

“This award means more to me than anything that’s ever happened to me in my career,” Camilleri said. “There’s only two other times I’ve ever felt this way. When my children were born [and when] I shot a really nice ten point buck with my bow and arrow. It took me a long time to come off that cloud. This is one of those things, I’ve known about this now for over two weeks and I’m still floating.”

Camilleri believes he has won this award for his excellent rapport with his students, his hard work towards developing curriculum, and his unique way of presenting information to students. He says he is methodical and meticulous, frequently remaining at school until five or six o’clock to create his lessons and find creative ways to teach concepts.

These methods include project-based learning, Socratic circles, debates, and any other resources he can employ to make his curriculum as interesting as possible.

“If you ask any of my colleagues about my teaching style, they’d say, ‘He’s crazy,”’ Camilleri said. “‘But somehow or another in all that madness he gets to those kids and he actually makes a good lesson out of things.’”

Junior Mikaela Gisch has been particularly affected by Camilleri’s teaching style. When she began high school, she was apprehensive about science, but after having Camilleri for biology she realized it was something she could do. She liked his teaching style so much that she specially requested him for anatomy two years later.

“I came in freshman year and was very

Legacy of the Gerstacker The Carl and Esther Gerstacker Donor-Advised Fund has presented awards for excellent teaching since 1956. Typically, two elementary and two secondary teachers win the award each year.

discouraged,” Gisch said. “I didn’t have a good time in science in middle school. So I didn’t come in with an open mind, but he opened me up and I was like, ‘Wow this does make sense.

I’m not dumb and I really like [science], it’s very interesting.’”

Because of Camilleri’s influence, Gisch has come to enjoy science so much that she plans on going into the medical field. She agrees that Camilleri’s unique teaching tactics and his hard work are what make him such an effective teacher.

“He’s an amazing teacher,” Gisch said. “He can teach anyone. If we learn in a certain way, he’ll try to adapt to that. He’s very creative; he uses a lot of awesome analogies that make it stick. He’s probably the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

Making this difference in student’s lives and having such a positive rapport with them is central to Camilleri’s style of teaching. Being recognized for this connection to his students is one of the reasons he appreciates the award so much. He also views this award as such a high honor because it puts him in a category with many other teachers he looks up to.

“This award puts you in a category with some extremely brilliant educators, that all have a unique way to teach,” Camilleri said.

Chemistry teacher Jeff Yoder, who recently won the Outstanding Achievement in High School Chemistry Teaching Award, agrees with this statement. He says that having colleagues who have won or deserve to win similar awards makes being recognized worth even more.

“It’s awesome to win awards like this, it’s great to be recognized,” Yoder said. “What makes it cooler is that when I look around at the other staff in our building and how hard they work and how much effort everybody puts in.

It is really humbling to work with an awesome bunch of people.”

Another reason that Yoder appreciates his award is the fact that it was mainly students who

10

Midland High teachers have won the Gerstacker in the last 20 years.

Teacher Bob Fox reacts to winning a Gerstacker award for excellence in teaching. Will Hackbarth | Photo nominated him. While he greatly appreciates his colleagues’ recognition, knowing that he has inspired his students means even more to him.

“It’s nice when other adults nominate you for stuff, but when it’s the students that nominate you, and they nominate you because they feel they’ve learned a lot from you, then that really means a lot,” Yoder said. “To have people validate that what you’re doing matters, that it makes a difference, and that the reason you get awards like this isn’t necessarily because you have high test scores, but because you’ve inspired the kids that you’ve taught to think that what you teach is interesting and its cool and it’s something they think they can do.”

Programming teacher Bob Fox, who recently won the Gerstacker Award for excellence in teaching, appreciates his award for similar reasons. While he feels greatly honored, the best part of winning the Gerstacker, for him, was simply the memories it revived.

“Mrs. Greif was talking about some of the things that I’ve accomplished and each and every one of them brought back a specific memory of students,” Fox said. “That made me happy, more than winning. Just sort of reminiscing about some of the things that have happened over the last eleven years was pretty neat. The experiences I get to have, that’s the reward for the job, and the award is a nice icing on the cake, for sure.”

Fox’s interactions with his students and the effect he has on them are his favorite parts of teaching. However, he recognizes that there are many other teachers and influences that contribute to his students’ success. He is also

grateful to the similar influences in his own life that have led him to winning this award.

“I think it takes a village,” Fox said.

“Everything that I’ve accomplished in my life has been a result of other people, starting with my parents who spoke wisdom and encouragement into my life, [and] having great teachers at MPS, each of whom added a piece to the puzzle. Likewise, when my students are successful, I get that I’m a small part of that but I also understand that a lot of that success has to do with their other teachers and their parents and the other important people in their life.”

While all of these teachers appreciate their awards, and value them as recognition for their passion and hard work, it is not the reason why they teach. Effectively educating and inspiring their students to the best of their ability is their number one priority.

“At the end of the day I just care about kids,” Fox said. “I care about them and if that brings awards, great. If it doesn’t, great. I just do the best job I can with students and do what I think is the right thing.”

For Fox, the opportunities he is able to provide to his students, through programming club and various competitions, have provided the most enjoyable moments of his career.

The fun these teachers have while positively influencing their student’s lives are why they find their job so rewarding.

“If you can’t have fun in this career, you shouldn’t be in it,” Camilleri said. “You have to come here every day passionate about enjoying your time with your students and your colleagues and your lessons.” F

3.

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The Gerstacker Fund has given out Gerstacker awards for

years

teachers and administrators have received Gerstackers awards.

7 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | news

A new beginning

Northeast principal Jeffrey Jaster recently received the position of MHS principal. He begins next year.

Megan Nylund | News Editor & Claire Booth | Staff Writer

Qualities that make Jaster a good fit for MHS

not afraid to tackle the problem.

“ He’s

He always tries to make sure the most important thing gets taken care of.”

-NE teacher Jayme Swanson

“He doesn’t get discouraged by change and in education

there’s lots of changes that occur and he genuinely likes people.”

Current Northeast principal Jeffrey Jaster catches up with a former Northeast student, who currently attends Midland High. He was recently appointed the next Midland High principal due to the current principal, Janet Greif, receiving the job of the Bay City Public Schools superintendent. Megan Nylund | Photo

A

s an array of questions were fired at principal Jeffrey Jaster, his hands became sweaty and many possible answers swirled around in his mind as he searched for the right thing to say, a committee of selected teachers and administration observed from all ends of the table. However, the questions were never able to throw him off guard. Jaster’s years of experience at Midland High, Northeast, and Bullock Creek brought him to the moment this interview was leading up to: being the next principal of Midland High.

“Even though you’re hopeful that you’re going to get a position you interview for, you never [know] for sure,” Jaster said. “There’s always a bit of self-doubt. Because of that, [I’m] a little bit relieved [and I’m] excited. Frankly, at first, I was a bit speechless. The assistant superintendent, Gary Verlinde, asked me what I thought about being the next Midland High principal, and I was all of those feelings into one.”

His preparedness and calmness in the interviews were a result of being an assistant principal at Midland High as well as a principal at Northeast. Consequently, he knew the majority of the staff on the interview committee, and was able to communicate with ease.

MHS science teacher Angie Kerr finds it helpful that Jaster knows the ways of the school and views it as a significant accomplishment for him to be the principal of both the middle school and high school he attended.

6 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | news

“I think being a principal, for Mr. Jaster, at Midland High is a personal positive,” Kerr said.

“He was a Chemic and to come back and guide your alma mater, that’s a neat accomplishment and I think it’s very personal for him.”

Jaster credits his desire to influence young adults through his position as principal to his prior work experience. He previously worked with geriatric patients who had cardiac issues, but decided that pursuing a career with students would be a better fit.

“What made me change direction and change my mind was I was twenty-two years old, just out of college, and I was working with elderly patients,” Jaster said. “The reality of it was, a lot of times people that are seventy or eighty years old aren’t going to listen to somebody who’s twenty-two when they tell them that they need to exercise more or eat healthier. So that part of it was frustrating for me, and when I came back and started to volunteer and coach for the schools, I loved it. I decided that it was the right career move for me to go back to school, complete my teacher’s certification and get into education.”

From working with a variety of people of different ages, he’s picked up a few skills to guide him along in his experiences at Midland High and Northeast. Northeast’s assistant principal Lori Pritchard said Jaster accommodated the building nicely with his presence.

“He makes a great first face for a building,”

Pritchard said. “A lot of parents come in and the first person they see or hear of is the principal.

He’s seen as very friendly, relatively outgoing, knowledgeable, and laid-back.”

Northeast English teacher Kelly Brewer notes that having Jaster as a principal gave the school a positive appeal and he was always considerate and caring towards others, but she is supportive of his decision to move to the high school.

“It’s a really great opportunity for him, especially since he’ll be able to continue on with some of the kids from Northeast,” Brewer said.

“When he’s the principal at Midland High, he’ll know a lot of the kids and that will be really great for the kids also.”

Another Northeast teacher, Jayme Swanson, adds that the character traits of Jaster include a good listener and being supportive. He said that Jaster was always there for both students and staff members.

“He never made you feel like you were wasting his time,” Swanson said. “He would always take his time and would never keep typing on his computer if you were talking to him. If the phone rang, he would ignore it; he always gave you the attention. That’s nice because in today’s busy world, people want to know they are being heard.”

Many students thought highly of Jaster as well. Eighth grader Hannah Pasche saw him as a friendly face around the building and is thankful he will be moving to high school with her class.

“I think he was a very good principal,”

-MHS teacher Angie Kerr

Pasche said. “On the first day of sixth grade, my schedule was very messed up. Mr. Jaster made sure I was comfortable and knew where to go and made me feel welcomed.”

While entering new grounds, Jaster doesn’t want to change any school policies. He wishes to continue the policies enforced by current principal Janet Greif, who is leaving to become superintendent of Bay City Public schools. He first wants to become familiar with the school and its employees and then keep the school moving in a positive direction.

“There are some initiatives that are going to be started through the school improvement process that are going to keep making Midland High the best school that it can be, but a lot of that groundwork is already in place,” Jaster said. “Initially I just want to become familiar with all of the different programs again and the initiatives that are taking place at the high school.”

As the new tasks start in the fall, Jaster will miss the Northeast staff due to their hard work and the great influences they have had on the students. Meanwhile, Pritchard will miss seeing Jaster every day.

“We spend so much time together every day and we have to get along well in order to serve the needs of the building, so we jokingly refer to each other as our daytime spouses,” Pritchard said. “So naturally it’s sad when I don’t get to work with him anymore, but I’ll find another suitable partner.” F Additional reporting: Zach Noel

2-D to D.C.

Senior Blake Groulx submitted a hand-drawn piece of artwork in the Congressional Competition at the Midland Center for the Arts, where he received first place for his piece. His portrait was then selected to be showcased in Washington, D.C. Ella Colbert | Web Editor In Chief & Sonja Anderson | Staff Writer & Maddy O’Callaghan | Staff Writer

W

hen senior Blake Groulx was a child, his mother used to supply him with coloring tools at restaurants to keep him entertained. Eventually, the pastime grew into a passion, and crayons turned into charcoal and pencils.

Now, Groulx’s art has advanced to prizewinning quality. Most recently, he took first place at the Congressional Competition at The Midland Center for the Arts on May 4. Groulx stood in shock after hearing that his painting would be displayed in Washington, D.C. “They called third and second place, and then began saying the name of the first place painting and they mispronounced it, so I corrected them,” Groulx said. “When they told me I got first, I didn’t know what to say.”

The prize for winning this competition was two classes at the Midland Center for the Arts and a trip to Washington, D.C. At the capital, they are holding a ceremony for national winners, as well as showcasing the paintings in the White House. Groulx plans on taking his entire family with him for support.

His mother, Sandra Lichon, supported Groulx and his sister, Madelyn, in their passion for art since they were young. She used to bring crayons and paper to outings to keep them occupied.

“My last question to them, before leaving our house, would be, ‘Do you have your tablets, crayons, [and] word search?’” Lichon said.

Lichon took her children to restaurants, tennis tournaments, and plays. As these are not typically activities meant for young children, they learned to entertain themselves by coloring or drawing on the backs of place mats.

Prior to freshman year, this was the only experience Groulx had with art. His first year of high school, Groulx took beginning art class,

Blake’s Masterpieces

where teacher Jeanne Townsend quickly saw his natural abilities and potential, and began to push him outside of his comfort zone.

“At first I just took it as an elective, but then halfway through the year, I realized it was something that I liked and was good at,” Groulx said.

When Groulx entered junior year, art teacher Kirt Doke became his instructor. Doke began guiding him in 2-D art, which eventually turned into Groulx’s favorite medium.

“His strength is in the area of perception,” Doke said. “He can look at a 3-dimensional subject and translate it into a 2-dimensional plane with great ease.”

Groulx is an inquisitive student in art class, always asking questions and maintaining an open-mind towards criticism. He combines advice from instructors with his artistic instinct to create pieces that demonstrate his advanced abilities.

The piece that Groulx won the event with was a portrait of his friend, senior Evie Wagner.

Groulx spent a month in class perfecting the image. It was complete with a charcoal background and a pencil drawn figure. Even though he usually enjoys drawing celebrities, the competition required a subject that was not drawn from a published reference. Doke encourages his class to draw like this often.

“In my 2-D class I try to have the students draw people that they know so it becomes a more personal expression for them,” Doke said.

Groulx specializes in realism, which is when a piece of art is created with as much regard to the actual subject as possible. He enjoys using this method in portraits of various figures in pop-culture. Pieces he’s done this year include Natalie Portman, as the Black Swan, and Rosemund Pike from the film Gone Girl. Lichon

A pencil drawing of Blake’s favorite artist, Lana Del Rey. He has completed several portraits of Del Rey.

Blake Groulx works on a piece in his 2-D art class, taught by Kirt Doke. Groulx takes two hours of art class per day in order to perfect his skills and strengthen his artistic prowess. Maddy O’Callaghan | Photo said that her personal favorite is a portrait of Rachel McAdams.

“I have had numerous pieces of Blake’s matted and framed, but this one I like the best,” Lichon said. “I think because it looks like so much work. It’s the one from the Sherlock Holmes movie with one of [McAdams’] very fancy hats and beautiful dresses. It is very detailed.”

This year, Groulx has been experimenting with more creative decisions in his art. He drew a portrait of singer Lana Del Rey, in which only her lips are colored red while the rest of the piece remains black and white.

“I draw what I see. I’m not as creative as the other artists [in class]. So seeing other peoples’

A pencil and charcoal masquerade drawing of a woman wearing a golden painted mask.

creativity is what inspires me,” Groulx said.

On May 12, Groulx won the Senior Award for Artistic Talent, along with fellow senior artist Kajsa Ryne. His pieces have been displayed at Dow Diamond, and Groulx has also had artwork shown at the Center for the Arts for four consecutive years. Accomplishments like this encourage Groulx to pursue art even after high school.

Doke said Groulx has the capacity to succeed in the future with his artistic abilities.

“The first thing that makes him stand out is his talent level,” Doke said. “He has a natural ability that places him on the level of collegeaged students. He is very driven and motivated to succeed in art.” F

An abstract surrealism drawing incorporating natural landscapes in the form of the subject’s face.

a&e | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 5

Michigan memories

Horse drawn carriage tours

Tours are offered throughout downtown as well as Mackinac State Park

3. Petoskey

3.

A weekend filled with teen events, great music, an art show, and a petting zoo

2. Boyne Falls

2.

10. Empire

Boyne Mountain Resort

1. Traverse City

1.

10.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Writer & Lexi Costley | Staff Writer

6. Mackinac Island

6.

Festival on the Bay

Visit these vacation spots in Michigan, while using the bucket list below to make this summer the best one yet. Allie Smith | Staff

Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre

7. Frankenmuth

12. Muskegon

Splash Village

Indoor aquatic activities including a body slide, a lazy river, and much more

Michigan Adventure

Michigan’s largest amusement park and water park

12.

4. Grand Rapids

7.

4.

Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

8. East Lansing

Summer Concert Series

8.

A park featuring a butterfly segment, multiple sculptures, and various plants

5.

11.

9.

11. Holland

This series contains six weekends of concerts in downtown East Lansing

5. Troy

Airtime Trampoline Center A large recreation center with multiple trampolines

9. Detroit

Lighthouses and windmills

Comerica Park

Bucket List

1. Go stargazing

4. Pull an all nighter with friends

7. Have a bonfire with 10. Visit the butterfly house s’mores

2. Go to all 5 Great Lakes

5. Play paint Twister

8. Go camping in your backyard

11. Go to Tunes by the Tridge

3. Go hammocking

6. Binge watch Netflix

9. Have a water or paint balloon fight

12. Play nukem or volleyball at Stratford Park

4 | FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | a&e

Bryan Rombalski Guitar instruction/ theory Beginner to advanced Performs for concerts, clinics & parties

Call Bryan for bookings and lessons!

989-430-9742 Need for Birth Control or Emergency Contraception Services?

Call Midland County Health Dept.

832-6661 Absolute Confidentiality Midland Coalition for Choice Box 2386 Midland, MI 48641

Bizarre and disturbing As I walked through the gates of the MOPOP music festival one morning, I hadn’t had the slightest idea of what that hot, sticky day held for me.

The day started out as I had expected: strutting-hipsters, music-junkies, and weedsmoking hippies. My friends and I fell under a category I like to call This is our first time without our parents supervision and we don’t know how to act. Deep down, I think we were trying to pull off the We are hardcore Coachella goers.

For the first band, we started off with a small sway and grew into an all-out, clapping, arm-waving, fist-pumping extravaganza. You could say we loosened up a bit. The musicians played their hearts out, and we screamed and sang, even though we hardly knew the lyrics.

It was like a mini-Coachella was being held in the southern part of Michigan for the day; and it is probably the only time I will ever come close to being at the real thing.

Our day continued with lots of hydration

and a brick oven pizza from one of the multiple food trucks that lined the fence of the festival.

Of course the lineup for performance would save the best for last. So throughout most of the day, the two stages were pretty even in terms of crowd population; but as the sun began to set, the bands at the large stage were drawing in more and more people.

So, for the next hour, it was us vs. the crowd. We were determined to be front row for The Neighborhood and that meant pushing, elbowing, and squeezing our way through the pit.

Now if you can’t imagine what walking through the pit is like… well it’s like falling down the rabbit hole: bizarre and disturbing things around every corner. When we reached a point where we couldn’t move an inch farther, I considered myself the lucky one compared to my friend Anna.

Bizarre/disturbing experience #1: Anna, on my left, was being continuously rubbed against

by the three obese, middle-aged, dancing women. These ladies were Trampled by Turtles die-hards, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen so much sweat on a single person in my life. They continued to sing, dance, and sweat as Anna tried to her keep balance despite all of their pushing.

Bizarre/disturbing experience #2: The majority of the front row was standing and watching the bands, like normal fans, but not the two 13-year-old girls sitting with their backs against the fence staring up at the crowd.

When I was a 13 years old, I was in sitting on my kitchen floor with my friends seeing how many grapes we could fit in our mouths.

These girls laughed hysterically when they pulled out a plastic tube filled with a strong smelling alcohol and threw it back into their mouths.

Bizarre/disturbing experience #3: Being in the second row for the second to last performance meant that I was about to do anything to get to the fence by the time City and Colour came on stage. Even if that meant I was going to have to wedge my body between the teenage girl in the front and the obese middle aged woman who was standing behind, smoking a joint while her scrawny boyfriend awkwardly showed her affection.

Well it was worth the mental pain because I finally was touching the fence, I was front row

for City and Colour. I may have witnessed some things I wish I hadn’t, but in that moment it was all worth it. Or so I thought.

Before they started to play their second song, I could hear people starting to say “Anna, Anna, you need to drink this.” I glanced back to find Anna white faced, sweating, and non-responsive. Less than five seconds later and she was slowly dropping to the ground.

Her eyes rolled back as her body became limp; the screams of the fans blended with the screams of everyone surrounding Anna. All of sudden, all I could see from my spot was two men lifting, somewhat throwing, her up and over the front row to the paramedic team.

As she was carried away, we stood there in a panic. Mom-mode kicked into my other friends and they disappeared out of the crowd to find her. From what I could see, Anna’s hair was a mess. Her outfit was in dismay. And the band she was looking forward to most continued to play.

Anna woke up and ate her granola bar with a confused stare. As we walked out of the gates of MOPOP, I recalled the disturbing and bizarre experiences that my day held. I thought to myself about how I didn’t expect all of that craziness to happen, and how it had actually turned out to be a pretty memorable night that I would do it all over again.

3| FOCUS | 5/29/2015 | ads

Go online to MHSFocus.com or to issuu.com/mhsfocus to read every issue since May 2012!

Volume 37, Issue 9

Re-read Past Issues

Contents S E N I O R

E D I T I O N

2-3

SENIOR COLUMNS & TIDBITS

9

SENIOR SURVEY

4 -7

HALL OF FAME

10 -11

COLLEGES

8

TIMELINE

12 -13

BEST, WORST, & MOST LIKELY TO

NON-SENIOR EDITION

SWITCHING SPORTS

Sophomore Annaliese Hohner began tennis as an eight-year-old, but recently decided to quit playing at Midland High and run track instead. She has been deciding whether she wanted to switch sports since track season in seventh grade. For the past few months, she has been training at the Athletic Republic and they encouraged her to run for the Midland High track team.

E

D

I

Maddy Wheelock Editor in Chief Michelle Demo Managing Editor Megan Nylund News Editor Sarah Wontorcik Features Editor Will Hackbarth A&E Editor Emily Fisher Sports & Photo Editor Dylan Rocha Opinion Editor

T

O

R

S

Natalie Schwartz Design Editor Mercedes Hussein Ad Coordinator Noah Surbrook Exchange Editor Ella Colbert Web Editor in Chief Jim Woehrle Adviser Midland Daily News Printer

4

MICHIGAN SUMMER HOT SPOTS

8

ANNALIESE HOHNER

5

BLAKE GROULX

9

NO RULES SOCCER

6

JASTER: NEW MHS PRINCIPAL

10

HOPE KESSLER

7

TEACHING AWARDS

11

SUMMER CAMPS

O U R M I Sto SIO N away S T A Twith E M Estuff NT Disclaimer get Focus, established in 1977, previously the Vic Tribune established in 1936, is the official school sponsored 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 Inter scholastic Press Association(MIPA),andQuillandScroll.AdvisermembershipalsoincludestheJournalism Education Association (JEA). Focus is designed as a forum for student expression and as a realistic lab experience. Focus, however, reserves the right to contest the challenge of an administrator who attempts to censor and/or remove an article or graphic element.

TEACHING AWARDS | PAGE 7

HOPE KESSLER | PAGE 10

focus

BLAKE GROULX | PAGE 5

PLACES TO GO| PAGE 4

the

Midland High School | May, 29, 2015| Volume 37. Issue 9

No Rules

What started as a casual soccer game between friends has grown into its own league with eight teams and 160 competitors.

Page 6

SPECIAL REPORT: Principal Jeffrey Jaster discusses goals for when he takes over for Janet Greif next year.

Julia Quinn | Photo