The Pioneer Press October 26, 2023

DEARBORN HIGH SCHOOL dhspioneerpress@gmail.com- October 26, 2023

The Pioneer Press VOL. 107, ISSUE 1

Various fundamental Dearborn High School policies have changed this year, for a look into the thoughts and intentions behind those in charge of those decisions, flip to (PAGE 1)

2

THE PIONEER PRESS

NEWS

October 26, 2023

Redone TABLE OF Rules Major school-wide and district policies implemented this school change fundamental operations around Dearborn Public CONTENTS year Schools.

Husayn Hamoud

1 News 4 Feature 6 Opinion 9 Sports Adviser

Mike Schmitt

Editors-in-chief Alyssa O’sada Husayn Hamoud News Alyssa O’sada Feature Mariam Baiz Sports Marissa Kenrick Opinion Angela Chehade Advertisment Angela Chehade Photo Alaa Zeineddine Mohammed Barakat Social Media Marissa Kenrick Manar Alsarraf Web Mohammed Alali Wilson Inyang

@ThePioneerPress dhspioneerpress.net

Co-Editor-in-Cheif

As the 2023-2024 school year started up and the student body became aware of the many changes made to school policies, they became under the fire of mass criticism. A student handbook including all of the new policies was also created, the handbook along with a presentation regarding the new policies was sent out to all students and parents of DHS via email as the school year went into motion.

A few of the most influential changes being - A shortened passing time (previously being 7, is now 5 minutes) - A new security guard team - All classrooms are now expected to be a no-phone zone (along with hallways once passing time has concluded) A petition to return to a 7-minute passing time was started on Sept. 5, 2023, on Change.org. The petition garnered 1,066 votes, over half of our building’s student population (aproxxamately 1,995). It is unknown who started the petition as it was made under an anonymous name, and it has since been closed. Despite this, these are decisions that were made to improve the quality and functionality of the education here, decisions made by beloved and respected administrators of DHS. Here’s what some of Dearborn High School’s administrators have to say about how these polcies have been and will continue to impact DHS

Zeina Jebril

PRINCIPAL 2021-NOW

“A strong security system is always important. We went with the company that we thought was the best company to meet the needs that we have at each of the buildings.”

Adam Martin

PRINCIPAL 2017-2021

“Not really suprised that it transitioned back to 5 minutes. I think both 5 minutes and 7 minutes have pros and cons, but from my end,the instructional time is super important and adding instructional time back into the teachers hands i think is super important.”

Photo: Husayn Hamoud Christopher Minor

ASSISTAINT PRINCIPAL

“Its really just about protetcing classtime. We feel like its okay for kids to you know have those few minutes to kinda reconnect but when classtime starts, its sensible to me that we say okay thats also a time where its okay to put [phones] away.”

“Not all decisions are everyone going to be happy about, however, it is this administration and the district to enforce rules to help increase the success of every student in and outside of the classroom.”

- Assistaint Principal Angela Altomonte.

3

THE PIONEER PRESS

NEWS

October 26, 2023

Dearborn Public School Teachers Receive A New Five-Year-Contract After Months of Negotiations.

Alyssa O’sada Editor-in-chief

D

earborn Public School teachers recently received a new fiveyear-contract that took effect on August 23, 2023 after the previous contract expired on June 30, 2023.

The first meeting of negotiations for the contract transpired on March 24, 2023 with the Dearborn Federation of Teachers (DFT) and a district representative from the district’s Human Resources department. In preparation for the negotiations, the DFT sent a survey at the end of January 2023, to every teacher in the district asking for what they hope to see in the new contract and narrowed it down to several key topics.

When the DFT was preparing for the negotiations and the new

policies that they wanted to focus on, they mainly took their ‘Let Us TEACH’ slogan into consideration.

In ‘TEACH’ the T stood for time, E for equity, A for accountability, C for compensation, and H for health.

DFT President Kathi Martin said that the DFT especially prioritized time and equity because a majority of responses from the survey revolved around them in various ways.

“Time was a big one

because teachers are staying after school for meetings on a regular basis,” Martin said.

“A lot of people wanted shorter or reduced staff meetings and also wanted more time to plan. People were wanting more equity across the district, because they were feeling like one side of the district was getting less resources than the other side of the district. So, we took all of people’s

want my teachers to feel supported, and “I’mI always happy that they got a lot of what they were ex-

pecting. I was very happy when the contract passed, as they wanted it.”

- Zeina Jebril

input, and we came up with proposals.”

The first negotiation meeting between the DFT and the district representatives happened on March 24, 2023 and continued for a few months. The representatives present for the negotiations between the DFT and the district would vary each meeting. Some of the major changes in the new contract include early release, semester one ending before winter break, an increase in the teachers salary. Instead of 8 sick days per year, members hired on or after July 1, 2013 will have 10 sick days, and the ability to have more clubs at schools.

The district received a

Photo: Alyssa O’sada Side-by-side comparison of the old and new longevity in order to show the drastic differences of both contracts taken on Oct. 23, 2023. Longevity is a stipend bonus for teachers that was created in order to ensure equity between newly hired teachers and teachers who have worked in the district longer.

4

THE PIONEER PRESS

NEWS

October 26, 2023

“

Photo: Alyssa O’sada salary increase this year, based on the increase they received from Lansing. The salary schedule was reduced to 12-steps instead of the original 18-steps in order to make the hiring process simpler and more efficient. The 12-steps represent how long you’ve been working in the district and it determines your salary, meaning the longer you work in the district the more you make.

Martin said that the DFT negotiated a bonus called longevity as well as adding more sick days in order to ensure that there was equity between newly hired teachers and teachers who have worked in the district longer.

“We decided to add the longevity bonus because even if someone comes in with a higher step than you, there’s a longevity amount that you’re going to get that they can’t get until they hit their fifth year. That’s supposed to equal out teachers coming from other schools, and getting paid more,” Martin said. “Originally, under the last two contracts, some teachers would get more sick days every year than others. So, the newer teachers were getting less sick days. So with this contract, over the course of three years, all the teachers are going to get the same amount of sick days, which is equity.

We were also able to shorten the duration of the staff meetings after school.”

DHS language arts teacher and building representative Adam Smith said that he wishes that the

My biggest hope is that this new contract gives teachers enough time, especially during the school day, to get all of the work that we need to get done, completed.”

new contract will provide teachers enough time to complete their work so that they don’t have to work after school hours.

“My biggest hope is that this new contract gives teachers enough time, especially during the school day, to get all of the work that we need to get done, completed,” Smith said. “Also, finishing a lot of the planning work so that we can spend less time outside of the school day doing work, and enjoy our lives and our families.”

Dearborn High School head principal Zeina Jebril said she was delighted when the new contract passed and hopes that it will have a positive effect.

“I support my teachers.

It’s really important for me that my teachers get what they need,” Jebril said. “I always want my teachers to feel supported, and I’m happy that they got a lot of what they were expecting. I was very happy when the contract passed, as they wanted it.”

How this affects DHS and the Dearborn community.

At the start of the school year there have been many noticeable changes in the way the school operates and some of the major changes include the shortened passing time and no phone policy during class. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of these decisions were not a part of the new contract but rather they were building wide decisions. In other words, these decisions were

Let Us

T ime E quity - Adam Smith A ccountability C ompensation H ealth

based on the opinion of the school building’s staff.

Early release is on Tuesdays and it allows students of all grades to be released 90 minutes early, for high schools and middle schools each class is shortened to 40 minutes and the bell rings at 1:15 p.m. instead of 2:45 p.m. Early release started on Oct. 10, 2023 and will continue until May 28, 2023. It was proposed by the district and the DFT agreed to it as long as they had the preparations made and if the community supported it. When early release was announced to the public many Dearborn parents were concerned with how their child would get picked up from school because of job conflicts and lack of childcare options. As a solution, the district is providing a new childcare option called the Early Release Enrichment for students in kindergarten to eighth grade and it will provide registered students with time for a variety of activities like playing outside, doing homework, games and activities until the time they would have normally been released from school.

Martin said that early release provides teachers with extra time so that they’re able to discuss key topics during the professional learning communities (PLC) with hopes of creating a better learning environment and how to improve student achievement.

“Teachers have had time to analyze where their students are functioning and what their levels are. So they can tailor make lessons for those students who might be struggling, or the students who are even excelling,” Martin said.

The first semester is going to end before winter break on Dec.22, 2023 while the original contract had it ending after winter break on Jan. 20, 2023. While it may not make a big difference for elementary and middle school students, it has a tremendous effect for high schoolers. For high schoolers this makes finals week, which occurs during the duration of three school days, four weeks earlier.

Martin said that the reason for ending the first semester before winter break was because they wanted students to feel more relaxed during the break and they wanted time to be used more efficiently.

“A lot of people, including students, were frustrated that they would go on winter break, and then come back, and then have to do finals. They felt like they couldn’t relax during winter break and that they needed to be studying during winter break. Even for teachers they felt stuff that they taught leading up to winter break, they had to reteach in January, and that the first couple of weeks weren’t utilized efficiently,” Martin said.

5

THE PIONEER PRESS

FEATURE

A Lil Review

October 26, 2023

A review of 3 staple restaurants in our community and rated on a 5 star scale in the categories taste, price, and customer service.

Mohammed Alali

Mexican Fiesta

Website Editor

Taste: I had 3 chicken and cheese tacos with beans and rice.

The tacos were very flavorful but the beans and rice were average which is why it’s 4 stars instead of 5.

Affordability: The meal cost me a total of 14 dollars which for 3 tacos and beans with rice is a pretty good deal.

Customer Service: The customer service was mediocre and it took a minute to get me seated which knocked it down a star. But overall the customer service was average.

History and Decor

Ford’s Garage has more than 20 active locations all across the United States and was first opened in Florida. I visited the one in Dearborn which opened in 2017. The design was phenomenal, the restaurant had an automobile theme.

There was an old Ford car hanging and the tables had condiments in a bucket. The utensils were wrapped in an oil rag and had a metal bracket holding it together.

Their design was very well done and made me excited to try the food.

Ex-Wives Chicken

History and Decor

Mexican Fiesta has 3 active locations in Michigan. Their first location is the one in Dearborn Heights which it was founded by Sam and Frances Alvarado.

The restaurant serves classical Mexican food and has been thriving since 1962.

When I entered their Dearborn Heights branch I immediately saw the Mexican theme that they had going on which was well executed. Everything looked good and as my first experience in a Mexican style restaurant I was impressed.

Taste: I had the Estate burger with a side of fries. The burger tasted sweet and very delicious. The fries were also very well seasoned and tasted good.

Affordability: The Estate burger with fries cost me 17 dollars. Which is a bit pricey for just a burger and fries.

Ford’s Garage

Customer Service: The customer service was extremely good. I was seated the moment I got to the restaurant and the waiter gave me suggestions on what to get. Overall, the customer service was excellent.

Taste: I had the Basic Chick burger with the Freedom fries. The chicken was tender and tasted good but also greasy. The fries lacked seasoning and tasted average.

Affordability: The total for both the Basic Chick and Freedom fries was 12.5 dollars. This is a fair price while it could have been cheaper.

Customer Service: The customer service was also very normal. The cashier was nice but nothing really stood out in terms of customer service, which is why I gave it 3 stars.

About The Critic

My name is Mohammed Alali aka Lil Moe, senior at DHS and self proclaimed food review connoisseur. I have 16 years of experience with a diverse palate. From Iraq to America, I have tried cuisines from various cultures.

History and Decor

Ex Wife’s chicken has 4 active locations in Michigan. I visited the one in Dearborn Heights which opened recently in May 2, 2022. The name, while it might be controversial to some, gave the place a nice sense of humor. When I entered they had framed wall art that had many chicken and ex wife puns which I found to be humorous. The indoor layout didn’t stand out as anything noteworthy, however, the table I sat in was unstable so I had to switch seats.

6

THE PIONEER PRESS

FEATURE

October 26, 2023

2023 Homecoming King and Queen

2023 Homecoming Game

Photo: Alyssa O’sada

THE PIONEER PRESS

FEATURE

October 26, 2023

W

2023 Homecoming Dance

S

t i r i p

SSpirit

7

k e e

THE PIONEER PRESS

8 OPINION

October 26, 2023

The Cancer Curse Manar Alsarraf

N

ever in a million years did I ever imagine that I would spend the final moments of my mother's life, in my teenage years, clenching her hands in a hospital. It felt like an endless nightmare. On Wednesday evening, July 19, I was told these were her final hours, but I clung to hope, believing she would find the strength to fight until she took her final breath.

In early 2013, my mother, Ikhlass Alsarraf, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. At the time, I was in second grade and I could barely comprehend the ordeal my family was facing. During this period, she fought a grueling battle against cancer, enduring endless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, resulting in excruciating side effects. Rather than controlling the side effects, the doctors would pump her up with sedatives to sleep them off. I remember on treatment days, my mom would

Social Media Manager sleep in a separate room for days on Upon discovery of a single end. My mother also underwent a large tumor in my mom’s uterus in mastectomy that left her hospitalized July 2021, there were multiple failed for an extended period. All in all, biopsies, which ultimately led to during my elementary years, I don’t delayed diagnosis and treatment. remember my mother being all that After undergoing a full hysterectopresent in my life because of the ago- my (surgical removal of the uterus nizing battle she was facing in order and other reproductive organs) in to live.

October 2021, it By midwas found that 2015, she was the cancer had declared canspread to other cer-free. Despite organs, leading this prognosis, to her terminal she still had to be diagnosis of consistently monstage 4B uterine itored for recurcarcinosarcorence and was put ma. The doctors on oral preventive gave my mom - MANAR ALSARRAF a grim estimate therapy to prevent relapse. Unfortuof 8-12 months nately, the doctors to live. Being on failed to prevent the adverse effects the receiving end of this devastating of the preventive treatment, which diagnosis, my chest felt heavy. My is well-studied in the medical world. worst nightmare came to life. The These adverse effects are ultimately only thing I understood was that what led to her uterine cancer diagstage 4 cancer was equivalent to a nosis in October 2021. death sentence. One of the biggest

“I NEVER EXPECTED TO LOSE HER SO SOON.”

challenges I had to face, at that time, was having to return to school the following day- to pretend that everything was normal, when in reality the future seemed so bleak.

Despite the poor prognosis, my mother was determined to fight for her family's sake. She underwent only 6 cycles of chemotherapy with supportive treatment recommended by my older sister and, miraculously, was declared cancer-free in April 2022. I'll never forget the day I received the call my mom was cancer-free while I was at school- it was during passing time. I remember screaming and crying in the hallways, “My mom is cancer-free!”

Sadly, the cancer didn't let her off that easily, 6 weeks later, my mom was re-diagnosed with uterine cancer for a second time. This meant that the chemotherapy was not able to cover the recurrence of the disease. The doctors told my mom to consider end-of-life care, as other treatments don’t seem promising.

9

THE PIONEER PRESS

OPINION

October 26, 2023

INTRODUCTION: INTRODUCTION

Still, my mom didn't give up.

She underwent countless radiation treatments and a clinical trial, which prolonged her life but did not cure the problem at hand. By May 2023, the cancer had begun to spread, hitting various nerves in the process, which caused excruciating pain to the point she had to get 2 nerve blocks, which were unsuccessful.

Despite the unsuccessful supportive treatments, she clung to hope and continued to ask for more treatment, until tragedy hit.

On June 24, 2023, she was rushed to the emergency room due to life-threatening complications and was transferred to the cancer floor at Henry Ford Hospital where she was closely monitored by cancer providers and my older sister who is a pharmacist. The cancer doctors worked with my sister to provide quality health care and improve health outcomes for my mom. At some point, her condition improved and there was a chance she could be

discharged to go home. However, her condition took a worse turn on the evening of July 4. Before leaving her that night, I remember opening the blinds for my mom so she would be able to see the fireworks from her hospital room, telling her “I better find you walking tomorrow.” She assured me she would be.

A little after midnight my family received a call from the hospital. My mom was transferred to the ICU because of new complications that included aspiration pneumonia.

My mom was put on a ventilator for almost a week. I thought I wouldn't be able to hear her voice ever again until they extubated her off the ventilator on July 10 post successfully treating the pneumonia and other infections.

Despite this news, the other complications were worsening. I anticipated her return home, as it had been the norm for her to be in and out of the hospital until my dad broke the news that this would be

her final trip to the hospital. It was hard to believe because I had seen my mother persevere through the most painful situations words can’t describe. On July 19, 2023 my dad called every one of my immediate family members to my mother’s room to say the final goodbye.

As difficult the final moments were, my sister ensured that my mom was most comfortable, from pain medications to oxygen needs. In comparison, I noticed loved ones of neighboring patients struggling with the medical teams to reach a common ground. To have a health professional advocate my family’s wishes to the medical teams was truly a blessing I never understood until those final moments. I aspire to be that kind of healthcare provider to deliver the patients and family’s wishes during the most vulnerable moments they may ever go through.

Cancer can have a big impact on people’s lives and families. It can be tough physically and emotionally, and it can change daily routines and plans. Families often rally together to provide support and care for their loved ones. It’s important to stay positive, lean on each other, and seek help from doctors and support groups. Below are websites to learn more about cancer as well as places to donate to.

INFORMATION:

1. American Cancer Society (cancer. org): They provide comprehensive information on different types of cancer, treatment options, support services, and research advancements.

2. National Cancer Institute (cancer. gov): They offer in-depth resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical trials.

3. Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org): Their website covers various aspects of cancer, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment, with easy-to-understand articles.

Remember to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice.

DONATE:

1. American Cancer Society (cancer.org/donate): They fund research, provide support services, and promote cancer prevention and early detection.

2. Stand Up To Cancer (standuptocancer.org/donate): They collaborate with researchers and institutions to accelerate cancer research and improve patient outcomes.

3. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org/donate): They focus on pediatric cancer research and provide free treatment to children battling cancer.

10

THE PIONEER PRESS

SPORTS

October 26, 2023

Y T I S R A V O T N I N THROW DHS football team consists the largest population of underclassmen during 2023 season compared years prior Husayn Hamoud

Co-Editor-in-Cheif

Julia Chehade

Staff Editor

nderclassmen who are appointed to varsity football are given a huge opportunity but, at the same time, are put up to face the challenge of having to prove that they are where they’re supposed to be.

U

Perry, Mohammed Salha, Karl Wolski, Adam Hossein, and Nayef Awada. A large majority of the work being put into the team is done by these students who are still learning the ropes of varsity football.

Dearborn High School’s varsity football team currently consists of 11 seniors, 29 juniors and 11 sophomores: Adam Hazime, Christopher Hammock, Ahmad Sayed, Scott Szalkowski, Ali Badaoui, Lucas Salyers, DaQuan

Sophomore and quarterback for the team Scott Szalkowski said being placed into varsity was intimidating -Chris Hammock (10)

especially since he became the Photo of the student section on Sept. 8, 2023 at the DHS vs Livonia Franklin. lightest player on the team weighing 140 lbs compared to the DHS Varsity Football Season average weight of a player on the team being 197. He is also one of Overall In The Past 10 Years the shortest players at 5 ‘9.

“It hits a lot harder and the guys are a lot bigger,” Szalkowski said. “It’s harder because I can’t see over everyone, It’s why I run around a lot, it’s so I can see.”

“We call ourselves a family, we’re always working hard together”

Sophomore Quarterback Scott Szalkowski preparing ready to throw the ball while playing at the DHS vs Fordson game on Sept. 22, 2023

Sophomore and Defensive End on DHS varsity football Chris Hammock said that getting close with his teammates and growing together assists him in assimilating to the new frontier.

“It’s sometimes difficult proving myself to the upperclassmen though, being respected by them,” Hammock said. “It’s a lot more complicated playing on varsity than it was on freshman,”

2023-2024 2-7 2022-2023 7-3 2021-2022 6-4 2020-2021 4-3 2019-2020 4-5 2018-2019 5-5 2017-2018 2-7-1 2016-2017 9-2 2015-2016 5-4 2014-2015 6-5 2013-2014 4-5

11

THE PIONEER PRESS

SPORTS

October 26, 2023

11 SENIORS 29 JUNIORS 11 SOPHOMORES makes me feel like I have to prove myself and it pushes me to do better,” Badaoui said. “We have to be perfect to stay on varsity because if we mess up they’re going to move us down. I feel like if I

“We call ourselves a family, we’re always working hard together.”

mess up, everyone’s going to be disappointed.”

Sophomore and receiver and Safety on the team Ahmad Sayed said that you have to constantly be pushing yourself and exceeding your limits being on the team and all the underclassmen are in it together.

“There’s a lot of stress, there’s a lot of people older than you playing your position so you kind of have to work harder than everyone else. Varsity is a lot faster, you gotta know more things and know more plays,” Sayed said. “Most of us played at Bryant in 8th grade, there’s only a few people that went to different schools. We’re all really close, every single one of us. We’re always hanging out and doing a lot of things together.”

Sophomore linebacker Lucas Salyers added that the upperclassmen shape younger players through tough love and setting high standards.

“With the older players, it almost feels as if it’s a brotherly relationship,” Slayers said. “We gotta compete a lot in order to stay where we are. You have the thought that when you mess up that you’re not as good as you made yourself out to be but you can’t overthink, you just gotta keep working at it.”

Sophomore and starting cornerback Ali Badaoui said that the people he gets to surround himself with while being -Lucas SLayers on the field help push him to grow as a player.

“Especially with the sophomores, we’re all just close with each other.

I feel like we’re only gonna get closer as we grow older. The older guys are a little harsh on us, but it

Most decisions made on the team such as who gets to play on the field are done with the final say of the team’s captains.

Varsity Football Captain and DHS senior Hassan Sareini said that he’s noticed that the sophomores drive and inspire one another to improve through the tight-knit relationship shared between them.

“There are connections with guys that have played together before and also guys that just because they are sophomores, connect with each other too, even if

they haven’t played in the past together,” Sareini said. “I think it has something to do with the fact that they’re both in the same position: we’re both under this microscope and challenged a lot more. There’s comradery between these guys, they know they have each other’s backs.”

Head coach of the team Alex Grignon said it’s important to put players where they can gain the most experience. Whether it’s appointing underclassmen to varsity or downplaying Juniors to JV, he makes sure each player has the best opportunity they can get; his main goal is to nurture stronger and more capable players in the long run.

“Especially at the lower levels, reps and development are a lot more important than wins and losses. There are no JV playoffs.

There are no freshman playoffs,”

Grignon said. “Do I want our kids to be successful? Of course, but I’m not going to sacrifice their development for trying to be successful. At the end of the day, varsity is all that matters, and in the grand scheme of things, the quicker we can get them ready for varsity, the better.”

Grignon mentioned that the greatest challenge he’s noticed that the underclassmen tend to struggle with is the shift to a fasterpaced environment.

“I’d say the mental aspect of it would be the biggest thing to adjust to and they’ve all done a pretty good job. They play with great effort and energy,” Grignon said. “And you have to play with passion in football. It’s not a game you can kind of just go do halfway.

Those guys wouldn’t be up with us on varsity if they lacked in any of those areas.”

“With the older players, it almost feels as if it’s a brotherly relationship,”

Sophomore Defensive End Chris Hammock walking on the football field during the DHS vs Fordson game on Sept. 22, 2023.

THE PIONEER PRESS

12 ADS

October 26, 2023

ADVERTISE WITH US !

Do you have a business you would like to advertise? Contact us through any of our emails or social media and we will gladly do so!

thepioneerdhs@gmail.com dhspioneerpress

thepioneerpress