North Pointe Vol. 49, Issue 7 - Jan. 11, 2017

ON CAMPUS PAGE 4 Students deliver wrapped presents to their Adopt-a-Family on Thursday, Dec. 22.

NORTH

POINTE RACHEL MALINOWSKI

CLOSED

GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11, 2017

SI NC E 1968

Long-running literacy program in Detroit shut down because of need for general education teachers

ALEX HARRING

By Trevor Mieczkowski & Zoe Graves ASSISTANT EDITOR & INTERN

When senior Troi Wallace attended Renaissance High School in Detroit for sophomore and junior year after spending freshman year at North, she enjoyed it socially, but said it became too unorganized academically.

She said a lack of resources made the school disorderly and learning difficult.

“It was a good environment, like a friendly environment, but academically it was really hard. When I was at Renaissance, it was really challenging. It was just really unorganized. They weren’t paying teachers enough and students weren’t getting the proper education, like having the right materials to like learn and stuff, so that’s one of the reasons I came back to North (for senior year),” Wallace said. “It was still challenging (at North), but less challenging for me and less stressful. I still had support and help and stuff. At Renaissance it was really chaotic.”

Because of a shortage of teachers and other resources, like what Wallace saw at Rennaisance, the Detroit Public Schools Community District abruptly cut a literacy program called Reading Recovery at the beginning of December. Reading Recovery helped first graders who needed remedial help with reading and writing by giving them 30-minute, one-on-one lessons with one of

23 reading specialists for a period of 12 to 20 weeks. The 23 reading specialists have been reassigned to teach full classrooms due to the 160 general education vacancies.

“After careful review of situation, it was determined that there was a far greater need for the 23 certified teachers who have been trained in literacy intervention skills to serve a full classroom of students, as opposed to four students at a time. In an effort to prevent our students from falling further behind, students who participated in the reading recovery program will now continue to be supported in their first grade classroom and through small group instruction,” DPS officials said via press release.

Students involved in the program are the lowest-performing first graders in the district, and most of them have been

identified as having a literacy gap, according to the press release. Reading Recovery teachers worked with students to increase their reading level up to the average level of their peers.

Cutting the program has left around 100 first graders in the district without the help they need to improve their literacy skills. An additional 100 first graders were supposed to be joining the program during the second half of the school year, but will participate in small group instruction instead. “(Cutting the program) will affect them immensely. Research shows that those are the most formative years of a person’s life in terms of being able to be literate, and being successful later in life,” English teacher Charles Crimando said. “If their chances to become literate and capable readers are

TREVOR MIECZKOWSKI

cut off when they’re in first grade, that sort of sets the tone for the rest of their life unfortunately.”

Wallace went to North freshmen year, and is now back for her senior year. The biggest problem she noticed at Renaissance was the teaching staff.

“There was either always a lot of subs, teachers would just not show up ... they helped you but not as much as you would like them to help you. I don’t want to say they were lazy, but that’s kind of how it felt. You were just doing everything on your own,” Wallace said. “When I went there, I was always stressed out. We always had a load of homework. I just felt like they didn’t give us enough time. So it was just that whole time management thing, how they would just put all this workload on you, and not give you enough time.”

Despite being cut, Reading Recovery has been a part of DPS for more than 20 years, and is now only available in 11 school districts throughout the state of Michigan.

“I think that that’s truly an unfortunate consequence of the way that schools have to be run sometimes. Literacy is probably the most important tool that you’re going to get from a school, that and the ability to interact in social situations,” Crimando said. “If you miss reading, and you aren’t able to have some remedial help for it, I think it’s tragic. It’s really unfortunate.”

Teachers team up to create two-week workshop for freshmen

By Michal Ruprecht ASSISTANT EDITOR

With strict deadlines, many students are accustomed to using the internet to search, click and copy—leaving the fact-checking behind.

Library media specialist Amanda Pata wanted to change that process, so she teamed up with freshman English teachers to create the Freshman Research and Writing Workshop. Pata said the main goal is to guide students through their English research projects by providing reliable sources and ways to safely use them.

The program was formed last year when the new library media curriculum was adopted. It is comprised of 10 exit skills: collaborative tools, creative tools, literature perspectives, online presence, personal growth, responsible/ethical/ legal use of information, search strategies, source evaluation, source identification and topic development.

“I think English is just sort of a natural fit for this type of learning because it’s what you’re going to do in college. It’s what you’re going to do when you have a career. You’re always going to need to find true, reliable information,” English teacher Alyssa Sandoval said. “I think this is

extremely helpful for these kids because they’re getting exposure right away when they first come into school during their freshman year and ... by that point, it’ll become so second nature to them that it won’t feel as awkward.”

Pata’s two-week program is spread out over the year so that she can better adjust to teachers’ schedules. On each day of the workshop, there are two sets of information skills—choosing and using. To accomplish them, there are three activities for three rotating groups. This rotation lasts for three days.

“I thought about how we could connect my curriculum to students in a more one-on-one or smaller mode,” Pata said. “It’s nice because (the teachers and I) are working with really 10 kids at a time or fewer, so all the questions that you might have in a classroom full of 30 kids that don’t get answered you have time to answer those questions and work one-on-one.”

According to the Washington Post, Google developed an algorithm early last year to tell whether facts on the internet are true.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

RACHEL MALINOWSKI

THE BIG SCREEN | Library media specialist Amanda Pata presents directions to freshmen in the library. She said she created the program to help students with research-based assignments. "I teamed up with the freshmen English teachers to basically provide students a way to connect with my curriculum," Pata said. "I create a collection of materials and try to connect students to the materials we have whether it is print or digital material and we want that to be relevant to what they’re working on."

IDEAS - PAGE 9

NEWS - PAGE 2 SADD creates a "give what you can, take what you need" bullentin board during their random acts of kindness month.

"While climate change is rarely ever talked about, it is one of the most important issues to date."

LIFE - PAGE 4 “In the back of my mind, I was like ‘this is a form of defense,’ but now, to me, it's more of an art I want to use forever.”

ALLISONLACKNER

@thenorthpointe www.northpointenow.org

VOLUME 49 | ISSUE 7

News.......... 2 Calendar... 3

On Campus... 4 Life.................... 5-6

On Pointe... 7 Reviews.... 8

Editorial..... 9 In-Depth.... 10

Sports...11-12

NEWS

2 – Friday, Jan. 11, 2017 – North Pointe

Research workshop

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Nonetheless, Pata still notices the huge number of random search results and said the best way to combat this problem is to use databases. Since students are able to access district library reference sources on their school website, Pata stresses the idea of databases.

Although sophomore Lexi Guarini didn’t find much merit in the program last year because of her previous knowledge of the skills, she said others might benefit from the workshop. Freshman Claire Cameron is one of them. When she was introduced to databases while working on her editorial for Sandoval’s class, she noticed the difference.

“I learned a lot of tricks to use, so now when I’m trying to research stuff, I can get to what I exactly need faster because of all the little tips that we’ve been taught,” Cameron said. “It’ll be easier to find exactly what you need for papers and projects.”

Sandoval said learning about how to find true and reliable sources is very important because of the recent surge in “fake” news. She wants her students to get exposure to research so they don’t get duped by fake sources.

However, because the program began last year, the Classes of 2017 and 2018 weren’t able to participate in the workshop, meaning they didn’t learn the new curriculum exit skills. But, Pata said she tries to expose upperclassmen as well.

Because of the success of the program, Pata said she wants to continue it so students are better prepared for AP classes and college.

“Fortunately, our teachers here are amazing. They’re willing to try new things, they’re willing to revise things, so if something doesn’t work one year or even one day, we can swap it out the next day, so that’s been a really positive part of this,” she said. “I just hope that students are comfortable in doing research and don’t resent it … it could be fun, like finding information. If you got a good topic, and you find something you’re interested in and have a connection to digging into finding that information, it shouldn’t be like a job. You should have fun doing it and maybe learn something new while you’re digging.”

DAJAI CHATMAN

SHOWTIME | English teacher Alyssa Sandoval thinks this sort of assistance would benefit all grades. “I really think it should be involved in every grade level, but at this point it’s only for freshmen because we’re trying to catch them while they’re younger,” Sandoval said. “Hopefully that exposure will happen in other ways, but I do think that some sort of research module like this would be really helpful to underclassmen and upperclassmen.”

S.A.V.E. raises money, symbolically adopts seal

By Bella Lawson STAFF REPORTER GPN S.A.V.E is donating money for seal conservation through Adopt-a-Seal. S.A.V.E. adviser Christopher Skowronski works with students to uphold and maintain the health of the environment.

“S.A.V.E. club stands for students against violations of the environment and we’re working to figure out how we can proactively help different environmental causes,” Skowronski said. “Air pollution, water pollution, endangered species and things like that.”

S.A.V.E. is a club devoting time to working to advocate for the protection of the environment. There are many different ways to give back to the earth in S.A.V.E. because of the numerous groups supporting different measures of environmental safety.

“Generally we split into groups: there’s the art group, recycling, the greenhouse, the rain garden, and you can pick what group you would like to be in,” senior Abigail Carney, president of S.A.V.E., said. “In environmental art we basically make posters to put up around the school, but we haven’t really had much luck with that because we are stuck to the two club boards that we are actually allowed to use and not a lot of people exactly look at those. For recycling we go around and collect all the recycling

in the teachers classrooms. The greenhouse people water all the plants on a regular basis, and the rain garden just basically, if it needs to be weeded or it needs maintenance—they do that.”

“My favorite thing about S.A.V.E. is making Grosse Pointe North a greener school,” junior Maggie Bowers said.

“We’ve installed the water bottle fountains and are looking into a compost system and solar panels.”

Many foundations ET T B ENN J OSIE such as the Marine Mammal Center and National Wildlife Federation provide opportunities to donate and support wildlife

and marine animals in need and at risk of extinction.

S.A.V.E. had a bake sale on Dec. 16 raising money in order to symbolically adopt a Harp seal.

“You donate the money and then there’s like a certain amount you need to donate to symbolically adopt a seal,” Carney said. “On most sites it’s around $50. We raised $281.”

Symbolically adopting an animal helps supports the National Wildlife Federation’s efforts to protect wildlife and connect people to the world around them. There are many species that one may donate to specifically ranging from birds to marine life.

The Harp Seal mainly inhabits arctic waters searching for fish and other crustaceans to feed off of. Unfortunately due to global warming, the ice caps the seals reside on have shrunk majorly and this has negatively impacted the life of marine life and crustaceans that keep the seals alive and healthy.

“So basically what we did at S.A.V.E. club was tried to decide what kind of animal we should try to adopt because there are numerous sites where you can symbolically adopt an animal and donate the money to conservation,” Carney said. “We were talking about either going local or going big picture where like we decided the Harp Seal who is native to Canada. We thought it would be a good idea because it’s like local enough, but also really cute so people will actually care about it.”

Remodeling process of cafeteria begins

By Katelynn Mulder ASSISTANT EDITOR

and what would be functional in the lunchroom to get more people to use it,” Castronero said. “A lot of things we suggested were lighting. I don’t Over winter break, the cafeteria underwent know if you have ever been in there but it’s pretty the first steps of a remodeling process that aims dim. We suggested a different layout.” to draw more students in to eat from the new food Another new addition to the cafeteria is a service company, Chartwells. mobile app called Nutrislice. This free app However, the changes went beyond allows students to search the nutritional value of receiving a fresh vinyl and a paint job, each item on the menu being sold in the cafeteria. there is also a new and improved menu.

The remodel was started over break, but is Matt Severson, director of dining services, expected to be finished throughout this year. came to North for several days in December Severson said that these changes will encourage to gather feedback from students on what they students who don’t normally eat in the cafeteria would like to change to try it out. in the cafeteria and on “It is our hope to what students liked or refresh the look of would like added to the serving area and the menu. He spent give it a facelift. The time meeting with the serving area is dated Student Association and we believe it needs and each class council to be redone. We are “During the month looking at starting the of December, I spent refresh over break but several days gathering Matt Severson it will not be finished feedback from students DIRECTOR OF DINING SERVICES until later on this year,” all over the district to Severson said. “The see how we can give students what they want,” new vinyl surfaces will take time to develop but Severson said via email. “During these meetings, is in the process of being produced. It is our hope I gained feedback on good and bad menu items that this refresh will draw students in to check and what students would like to see. By using this out what’s new and what new menu items we are feedback, I was able to change our menus to reflect going to be trying.” these requests.”

Student Association adviser Jonathan Byrne One of the students interviewed by Severson said that Severson seemed receptive to the was senior Carmen Castronero. She said her students’ suggestions on what changes should fellow Student Association members suggested be made. changes such as fresh fruits and vegetables to be “I think that because it’s their first year they added to the menu along with changes in lighting are still feeling their way through and seeing and design of the cafeteria. what works and what doesn’t,” Byrne said. “I “He basically told us that he really just wanted like the idea that he is so receptive for student our feedback on what we thought about the menu feedback and wants to make it as good as he can and what changes we would like to have made, for the students.”

“

I gained feedback on good menu items and what students would like to see.

ALYSSA MCLARTY

PAINTED | One of the remodeling steps was to paint the door boarders. Matt Severson, director of dining servives made sure the changes would appeal to the students. “During the month of December, I spent several days gathering feedback from students all over the district to see how we can give students what they want,” Severson said via email.

Follow @theNorthPointe on Twitter for updates on everything North

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NEWS

North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – 3

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club claims third best yacht club in the United States

PICTURE PERFECT | Freshman Charlie Ramsdell is a GPYC member and has been going to the Yacht club since he was little. “I mainly go during the summer. There’s not much I can do during the winter, but during the summer I’m there everyday sailing,” Ramsdell said.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY ELLIE FRAME

After 102 years, the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club has recently achieved perhaps its most significant milestone. GPYC, founded in 1914, has been declared the third-best yacht club in all of the United States. It ranks just behind San Diego Yacht Club in San Diego and the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.

Platinum Clubs of America awarded GPYC with the third-place ranking based on seven factors: “universal recognition, excellence in amenities and facilities, caliber of staff and professional service levels, quality of membership, governance and prudent fiscal management, adapting to changing times (and) overall experience.”

Junior Ellie Frame has belonged to GPYC for seven years. In the summer, she sails from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., which may seem like a long day to others, but to Frame, it seems to pass by too fast. “(The Yacht Club) is like a second home. It’s really comfortable,” Frame said . “And I’ve gone there for so long I’ve gotten to know all the employees, and my whole family goes there.”

Freshman Charlie Ramsdell is another GPYC member who has been going to the Yacht Club for almost his entire life. As for the success of the Yacht Club, Ramsdell says that it is known to be an excellent club, but ranking in third place in America was a surprise.

Both Frame and Ramsdell agree on one main factor that contributes to the success of the club: the mentors.

“Last year, my coach came from California, and his sister was in the Olympics this year for sailing,” Frame said. “He sailed at (University of California-Santa Barbara), so he’s really good.”

Aside from experience, Ramsdell said the sports staff is excellent in helping members to find their skills and bring them to a more competitive level.

The rise in ranking of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club is a result of longterm dedication, but nonetheless, it’s a place where members say they enjoy themselves immensely.

“It’s just a place where I made a lot of good memories with my friends and family,” Ramsdell said. “It means a lot to me, I like it a lot.”

By Syeda Rizvi & Tarun Sanikommu

Community theater to open later this year After years of long drives out to MJR and AMC, Grosse Pointers will soon have a movie theater in their own backyard.

Emagine Entertainment and The War Memorial are partnering together to create The Patriot Cinema, coming later this year.

According to the War Memorial press release, the movie theater will have a patriotic theme and be located in the area that is currently the theater and stage.

“It would be fun to go with friends,” sophomore Sophie Leszczynski said. “There won’t be as much traffic, or any traffic at all, actually.”

The new movie theater will have a place for children to play, box seating and about 250 recliners. In addition, it will be fitted with brand new bathrooms, a lobby and a concession stand that will serve food and beverages.

The theater will feature movies ranging from new blockbusters to live sports broadcasts.

“The War Memorial is committed to curating an environment where people, arts, entertainment, patriotism and culture come together at their best,” Charles Burke, President and CEO of The War Memorial, said in the release. “We are responding to and growing with the needs of our community, honoring our past and building upon the integrity of a wonderful campus for Southeastern Michigan. Through growth such as The Patriot Cinema, and our partnership with Emagine Entertainment, The War Memorial is enabled to fulfill its mission as a patriotic, cultural and community leader.

By Jacqueline Squillace

PHOTO BRIEF: SADD creates ‘take what you need bulletin board

CALENDAR NO SCHOOL

Monday, Jan. 16

PARENT CLUB MEETING Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 7-8 p.m. in the Union

SAT TESTING

Saturday, Jan. 21 at 8 a.m at North

BUFFALO WILD WINGS PARENT CLUB FUNDRAISER

Monday, Jan. 23 at 11:30 a.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings on Harper Ave.

MID-TERM EXAMS

Tuesday, Jan. 24 from 8-11:15 a.m. for hours 1 & 2 Wednesday Jan. 25 from 8-11:15 a.m. for hours 4 & 5 Thursday, Jan. 26 from 8-11:15 a.m. for hours 6 & 7 Friday, Jan. 2 from 8-9:30 a.m. for hour 3

END OF SEMESTER Friday, Jan. 27

SPORTS BOYS BASKETBALL

Friday, Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m. against Roseville High School

GYMNASTICS

Friday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. against Troy High School at GTC Gymnastics & Activity Center

FIGURE SKATING

Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. at Dearborn Ice Skating Rink

BOYS SWIM MEET

SPREADING KINDESS | SADD put up a bulletin board in front of the Union covered in colorful sticky notes to accompany the Random Acts of Kindness theme for the month of December. SADD adviser Lisa Steiner said she hopes the board will spread kindess thoughout the hoildays. “I hope that the board would aciheve the idea of giving back and being kind and always listening,” Steiner said. “ Kind of like Challenge Day where we make sure you’re open minded and always being aware of other people‘s needs and loving them.”

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. against Livonia Franklin at Franklin High School

GIRLS HOCKEY

Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. against PlaymouthCanton-Salem Unified High School at Grosse Pointe Community Ice Rinks

WRESTLING

Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. at Cousino High School ALLISON LACKNER

TAKE ONE LEAVE ONE | The board offers pens and sticky notes for students to write inspiring messages for other students to take. “We think this is a random act of kindness (for) kindness month and we thought of giving back and so we came up with the idea of all the things we could give that wouldn’t cost any money, just of ourselves,” Steiner said. “One side was take what you need and the other was give what you can, so anybody could write whatever they wanted and they could put in on the board so you could take those.”

DANCE

Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at North

ON CAMPUS

4 – North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017

By Gowri Yerramalli BUSINESS MANAGER

Season of giving

FACES IN THE CROWD

Students wrap, deliver presents for Adopt-a-Family

Eleanor Martinez

JOSH COLVIN

Two years ago, freshman Eleanor Martinez was introduced by a family friend to Ski High, a program at the War Memorial that takes teenagers skiing every Friday during the winter season. She got on a bus and drove an hour to a Pine Knob Ski Resort. It was here that she hit the slopes in a pair of skis for the first time.

Martinez has since become a big fan of the sport, especially at Pine Knob.

“I’m not that talented at skiing, but I guess I (can) do some tricks,” she said.

Some of her “tricks” on her skis include JOSH COLVIN jumping over little hills in the snow, but showing off her skills isn’t what she enjoys JOSHCOLVIN COLVIN JOSH SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER | Junior Nicole McCormick packages and secures the gifts. most about skiing.

“I felt honored to be given such a different experience and happy to have a chance to Martinez has made a winter tradition out of help out a family in need,” McCormick said. taking a day trip with her friends to the slopes when they have the time. Martinez enjoys a certain Ski High trip at the beginning of the PACKING AND LABELING | Junior Eva Ciaramitaro labels presents for her family. “It is always a really cool experience and gives the best feeling—knowing you’ve helped year, where everyone can bring a friend. To someone else,” Ciaramitaro said. her, Pine Knob is the perfect place for students to mingle and ski, even for beginners.

Sam Salisbury

For sophomore Sam Salisbury, few things are superior to spreading the gospel. One of those things is the Big Chill, a religious retreat. For one weekend in the dead of winter, Salisbury spends his days in Holland, Michigan forming close bonds with peers who share his faith and devoting himself to worship.

While at home, Salisbury dedicates himself to church involvement. On both Sundays and Wednesdays, he leads a youth group at Grace Community Church, which he regularly attends.

For Salisbury, Sundays bring an opportunity to do what he loves: spending time with those in his church community. One of the ways Salisbury does this is through charity.

Grace Community Church partners with several local charities, and Salisbury participates in many of their joint events.

“We have partners that help feed people who don’t have the food and tutor kids who are learning to read,” he said. “I really love it.”

RACHEL MALINOWSKI

DELIVERING GIFTS | Junior Nora Smith loads the car with presents to be delivered. “The experience meant a lot to me. I’m someone who likes to use my advantages in life to help people who don’t have them,” Smith said. “It’s nice to know that I can give Christmas to a family in need of it because Christmas is such a special time and everybody deserves to celebrate.”

JOSH COLVIN

”WRAPPING” UP LOOSE ENDS | Juniors Autumn Sear and Josie Ciaravino wrap presents for their class’s family. “I loved it because it felt nice to be able to provide for families that are less fortunate,” Sear said.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT | Junior Abby Kanakry tapes some wrapping paper together to cover her presents. “It was a lot of fun,” Kanakry said. “You never really realize how much you have that (could) help another person and I’m really happy our class decided to do it.”

JOSH COLVIN

FIVE MINUTES WITH

Special education teacher Sakina Hill

By Rory Angott INTERN

SAKINA HILL

READY TO FIGHT | Special education teacher Sakina Hill performs a front-snap kick in the martial arts form Tae Kwon Do. “I was a huge Bruce Lee fan. I had an older brother, and we used to watch his show that would come on regular television on certain nights,” she said. “After that, I wanted to learn how to do it. I didn’t like just any martial arts films, I would only really cling to the Bruce Lee movies.”

Because of a childhood full of late nights watching Bruce Lee movies, special education teacher Sakina Hill has dedicated herself to training in martial arts throughout her life.

“I was a huge Bruce Lee fan. I had an older brother, and we used to watch his show,” she said. “After that, I wanted to learn how to do it.”

Hill started her martial arts endeavours with Kung fu, which she saw as a “just-incase” way to defend herself. But while living in Detroit, she had to use it.

“I used it not so much as a sport, but as a way of saying ‘I have this just in case I need it,’” Hill said. “I grew up in Detroit during the time it was very dangerous, so I actually had to use it once on a person who was stalking me.”

Hill now has branched beyond Kung fu to explores different styles of martial arts.

Lately, she hasn’t been able to train, but she plans to resume after she’s had her baby. When

she does, she will train in a different form.

“I’m concentrating on Aikido, which is a form of martial arts you can use even when you’re getting older, and your joints are getting stiff,” she said.

Because Hill has trained for most of her life, she sees it as less of a hobby and more of a form of art.

“In the back of my mind, I was like ‘this is a form of defence,’ but now, to me, it’s more of an art I want to use forever,” she said. “I started taking classes, and it just stuck with me, and I started exploring a whole bunch of different styles.”

Even as a mother of four with one on the way, Hill finds time for training. She plans on continuing martial arts for as long as she can.

“I will never leave martial arts,” she said. “It’s a hobby that I’ll keep until I’m old and grey.”

Molly Bunker

After witnessing this year’s election and the challenges it brought, Senior Molly Bunker decided that she would one day make her mark in the world of politics.

“I want to fix some of the things I’ve seen and set them right,” she said. “I want to bring politics back to the people” To Bunker, elections should be focused on the best interests of the people, not the special interests of the rich who make up one percent of the United States population. One of her main goals for the future is bringing the election back into the hands of the American public, and out of the hands of big businesses.

After meeting with congressmen and representatives from Michigan on the Close Up trip to Washington, D.C., Bunker realized that this goal was well within her grasp. She recently got accepted to the University of Michigan, where she hopes to study government and political science.

By Sofia Ketels

IF I COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE I think it would be ... Mecca for Hajj during the Hajj pilgrimage because first, it’s an obligation for me as a Muslim and second, because I wanna do it before I die because it’s also the place where the first house was built or rebuilt by Abraham. It’s got religious significance where the Ka’aba is in Mecca. So, I would like to visit it but during the ceremonial time, which is Hajj.

PETS Yes, I have a lot of pets. My favorite one is our hamster, Charlotte. She’s adorable, and we have a cat named Lucy. She is a character, she’s all black, she’s about fourteen years old, she’s like obese and she has a disorder but that’s okay. And then I have a turtle, and I’ve had that turtle for about ten years, and she’s like huge. She was a little tiny thing, now she’s bigger than my face, and that’s it for now.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY I like rollerskating. I do more rollerskating during the break than I do during the regular school year because I like to go on the weekends.

LIFE

North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11 2017 – 5

The reason behind the five Grosse Pointes

It wasn’t disputes over alcohol distribution that divided the Grosse Pointes. Here’s a brief backgroud to how the five Pointes really came to be.

By Josie Bennett & Asia Simmons EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER

GOOGLE MAPS

Around the 1750s, Grosse Pointe was founded as a farming and hunting community by French settlers. It was a very wooded area and they named it “Grosse Pointe” meaning “big point.”

Before there were five cities, there was just one: Grosse Pointe Township. Grosse Pointe Township was established in 1848, and was a rural area. Everything was water efficient, meaning all farms and homes were lined up on the shoreline and built on water making transportation and daily needs easier. The population continued to grow, however, and just one township wasn’t enough to accommodate everyone.

One of the first official Pointes to be established was Grosse Pointe Village, or simply Grosse Pointe. Today it is also known as Grosse Pointe City. The lumber industry started here and grew because of the abundance of workers.

Much of the coast was composed of narrow strips known as ribbon farms, which led to the establishment of Grosse Pointe Farms. Coastal land was in high demand, so to secure it, people began to buy big estates and build cottages and mansions. This district of estates lead to the creation of the smallest pointe, a combination of Grosse Pointe Township and Lake Township, Grosse Pointe Shores. Grosse Pointe Shores was established in the year 1911 and grew with the installation of more mansions.

Upperclassmen dedicate time to others as volunteers

By Caitlin Bush EDITOR

Junior Sydney Semack Summer in the City

Junior Stephanie Korte St. Paul Lutheran Church

Senior Luke Muschong Kids On The Go

Paint, plant and play. Summer in the City is a non profit organization that aims to better Detroit.

Junior Sydney Semack has been volunteering with this program since last summer and enjoys the flexibility of the schedule.

“Summer in the City is a really good program,” Semack said.

“If someone is looking for volunteer hours, it is a really good way because it works around your schedule.”

The program offers different volunteer options like painting buildings and murals and planting flowers and trees around Detroit. They also offer an option to play with kids at a day camp in Detroit.

Different stations allow for the volunteers and camp goes to participate in a range of activities like acting or reading. Or they can play outside on the playscape or play field games.

“Everyone should try (volunteering),” Semack said. “It is really eye-opening, fun and not a lot of hard work. It is worth it.”

Semack said she learned valuable life skills like patience and selflessness through her volunteer experiences. Most importantly, it has showed her that not all children come from the same background, especially the kids she works with who live in Detroit.

It has made her learn how to become a better person.

“It has opened my eyes to how much is going on just 10 miles away from us,” Semack said. “It made me a lot more thankful for what I have and made me more appreciative.”

Being a leader for children that need one is important to Semack and enjoys that volunteering through this program offers her that opportunity.

“I always love helping out kids and volunteering,” Semack said.

“When I get the opportunity to help out, just make a kid smile everyday, it makes me feel good.”

Semack feels everyone should volunteer for the community that does so much for them even though they may not realise it.

“People in Grosse Pointe are always there for you and it is always good to be there for someone else,” Semack said.

Junior Stephanie Korte has been participating in volunteer programs through St. Paul Lutheran Church since her freshman year. Each month, the church does do a different service project, and Korte enjoys contributing to each one.

“I love doing them,” Korte said. “I like getting out in the community and seeing and doing different things. It makes me feel good that I’m helping people, so I love it.”

The church’s most recent project was a dinner called Transition into Independence, which takes place at Wayne State University.

St. Paul also provides food for foster home kids who are now in college, Korte said.

“It is a dinner for them, and they celebrate their success through college because being a foster kid can be really hard sometimes,” Korte said. “So our church provides the food, and we serve it to them.”

Throughout Korte’s three years of volunteer work, she has learned to be more open-minded and understanding towards people and that if someone has the option to help out, they should.

“I get a better opinion of the world and view of other people, and I feel like I learn more,” Korte said. “With me, I have a middleclass family, and I am ok in the world, but some people aren’t, and it is nice to be able to help them.”

The church’s projects range from serving dinners to making packages for groups who need it. Korte’s favorite is a dinner they put on for the homeless and families who currently live at Wayne County Center.

“We cook all of the food and feed all of these families, and we have a bingo game,” Korte said. “It is just fun being able to sit with the kids and play bingo and eat with them.”

They have also mades hygiene kits with shampoo, soaps and washcloths for women trapped in prostitution.

Korte has become more aware of current world issues because of volunteering, and she thinks that everyone should help.

“I recommend it for everybody because it is just good to help people, and when we have lives and the money like this, we don’t need that, and some people do,” Korte said.

Senior Luke Muschong has volunteered since his sophomore year at Kids On The Go, where he helps out with the summer basketball and baseball classes. During the classes, they focus on learning the basic skills, like dribbling and throwing.

“They have a lot of fun,” Muschong said. “We play mini games, and it is really fun.”

Kids On The Go is a pediatric non profit that provides special needs children ages 3-14 with therapy over the summer during their camp experience. It runs every Wednesday from June 6 through August 16. The camp offers classes that focus on art, music, biking, storytelling and other sports classes.

Muschong enjoys helping the kids learn the skills. He also appreciates the chance to work with Anthony Ianni, the instructor of the basketball class.

“He was the first special needs person to be a college basketball player. He played for Michigan State,” Muschong said. “It is awesome.”

Working with special needs children is a different yet gratifying experience according to Muschong.

“It is different, definitely,” he said. “These kids are really young. They aren’t experienced with playing sports, and every kid is different, but they are all just happy to be there.”

Muschong said everyone should participate in some sort of community service because it is important to give back. He recommends trying Kids On The Go. “I think it is important to just give back to your community because it is a good gesture and makes you feel good,” Muschong said. “Kids On The Go, for example, is a fun thing. You are just helping these kids play basketball. It is basically like basketball camp for these kids.”

Muschong’s favorite part about volunteering is seeing how happy it makes the children feel and knowing that he did something good for somebody else.

“They love coming and playing. It is just good. I think everyone should do it.” Muschong said. “I think (my favorite part is) just giving back to the community and feeling good about helping people out that need it.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SYDNEY SEMACK

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE KORTE

WWW.KIDSONTHEGOCAMP.COM

6 – Wedneday, Jan. 11, 2017 – North Pointe

FEATURE

POP CULTURE

By Lyndsay Kluge STAFF REPORTER

Beyoncé Super Bowl performance

RECAP OF THE YEAR

Beyoncé performed during the Super Bowl half time with a burst of color on Sunday, Feb. 7 accompanied by Coldplay and Bruno Mars. Though this was her second halftime show performance, this appearance was unique because of her message that addressed racism.

WWW/COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG WWW.COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Leonardo winning an Oscar After six nominations, Leonardo Dicaprio finally won his first Oscar for “The Revenant” in which he played a pioneer man who comes back from the brink of death to avenge his son’s murder. He won the award for Best Actor, and addressed the audience about the reality of global warming in his acceptance speech.

WWW.FLICKR.COM

SOCIAL MEDIA

By Mora Downs EDITOR

Kermit memes

The bright green Muppet that stole our hearts as children ruled the internet this year. Kermit’s tea sipping meme appeared excessively throughout social media. The use of the frog emoji paired with the mug emoji has become commonplace when referring to minding one’s business.

Recently, Kermit has been the star of a new meme. The image depicts Kermit with a hoodie on and is used when describing one’s dark inner thoughts.

WWW.KISSWTLZ.COM

Mannequin Challenge This challenge is simple. People pause in whatever position they were in and someone films it while music is playing in the background, typically “Black Beetles” by Rae Sremmurd. The videos gained more popularity as they filmed people posing in unique and challenging ways, such as cheerleaders being lifted in the air. Many celebrities also created their own versions of the challenge.

The song “Black Beetles” has also gained immense fame due to the mannequin challenge. While the song was released on Rae Sremmurd’s album “SremmLife 2” in August, the song skyrocketed to the top of the charts as the challenge became popular.

WWW.VULTURE.COM

Top album releases

Shocking many of her fans after a fouryear absence, Adele returned to the stage and released her album “25” in late 2015 which became a hit in 2016, topping the best selling albums list. With her song “Hello” being one of the most popular tracks from the album.

Justin Bieber also came out with a new album in late 2015, “Purpose,” which has topped the charts for the most streamed album. Popular songs “Love Yourself” and “What Do You Mean” soon became fan favorites after the album’s release.

WWW.FLICKR.COM

WWW.COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

WAC.450F.EDGECASTCDN.NET

Public fights over social media

WWW.STATIC2.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

Cubs

U.S. relations with Cuba have been discordant since Fidel Castro led a communist revolt in 1959. However, since 2014, President Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro have taken steps to improve the relationship between the two countries. Obama visited Cuba this year on Monday, March 21 to negotiate changes in trade restrictions against Cuba set by a trade embargo.

This was the first visit to Cuba by a sitting U.S. president in 88 years.

WWW.COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Flint Water Crisis Flint, Michigan gained national attention this year after Governor Snyder declared a state of emergency due to unsafe lead levels in the city’s water supply. Many government officials knew about the contaminated drinking water prior to Snyder’s declaration and did nothing to remedy the situation. The crisis brought about many humanitarian efforts to ensure that the people of Flint temporarily had clean water to drink, but the problem is yet to be completely solved as many residents still only drink bottled water.

SPORTS

By Billy Moin

EDITOR

Olympics

This year marked the first time a South American city hosted the summer Olympics, but that was not the only first of the Rio games. Swimmer Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to ever win gold in an individual swimming event, and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad competed in a hijab, becoming the first on Team USA to do so. The games also featured a refugee team, comprised of 10 athletes who fled from crises in their homelands.

Rio’s games also served as a transition point from one generation of Olympic all-stars to another.

Swimmer Michael Phelps and sprinter Usain Bolt demonstrated one last time that they are the kings of their respective events. Meanwhile, gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky had breakout performances, each taking home five medals, four of which were gold.

On Wednesday, November 2, the Chicago Cubs became world champions for the first time in 108 years. Led by Major League Baseball’s National League MVP Kris Bryant and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, the Cubs came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in game seven.

WWW.COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

James Corden, host of “The Late Late Show” popularized carpool karaoke in 2015 and has continued and expanded the trend this year. He drove around legends such as Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Elton John, along with more current celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lady Gaga and Adele.

Each carpool karaoke segment consists of Corden and a celebrity singing along to that star’s hits while Corden drives. In between songs Corden interviews his guest.Tube channel, and can often be found on Twitter with thousands of retweets.

WWW.FREESTOCKPHOTOS.BIZ

Opening of Cuba

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dominated both national and international news. They were already well-known figures and their recognition increased throughout the aggressive campaign season. In an unpredicted turn of events, Trump was voted the next president of the U.S. and will be sworn in on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

WRAP UP

Carpool Karaoke WWW.BILLBOARD.COM

WWW.EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

2016

The Kardashian clan dominated social media spats in 2016. One of the largest feuds involved popstar Taylor Swift when she said she was offended by Kanye’s line about her in his song “Famous.” Kim Kardashian then leaked a video of Swift approving the lyric on her Snapchat and “broke the internet.”

Their other controversey of the year involved the women of the family against Blac Chyna, the mother of Rob Kardashian’s daughter. With Kylie Jenner dating Chyna’s ex , the whole situation caused confusion among fans. Recently, Chyna and Rob have been fighting very publicly over Instagram.

STAFF REPORTER

Zika is the name given to a virus spread mostly by infected mosquitos and for which there is currently no vaccine. A worldwide outbreak of Zika was cause for concern this year. Major cases occurred mostly in South America and the Caribbean, but there have also been reported infections in the continental U.S. Symptoms include fever, rash and joint pain, however, in many instances there have been no reported signs of illness until tested. The virus’ most serious threat comes from its causation of birth defects in babies whose mothers passed the virus onto them.

U.S. presidential election

Pokemon Go In early July, a new Pokémon app was released and instantly hit the top of the charts for most downloads. Pokémon Go leads its players on adventures all over town to search for new Pokémon to capture and use to battle other players.

NEWS

By Amber Braker

WWW.COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Cleveland (Cavs, Browns, Indians)

Lebron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise’s first championship, breaking the city’s old championship drought. Four months later to the day, the Cleveland Indians won the American League pennant race and headed to the World Series for the first time since 1997. The city still has some work to do, however, as the Browns just finished up the second ever 0-16 season in the National Football League.

Notable Retirements 2021’s National Football League Hall of Fame class will be loaded after several all-stars retired at the end of the 2016 season. Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning both finished 18-year careers.

Manning finished his career with a 24-10 Super Bowl win for his sec ond

FLICKR.COM

championship. Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson retired after 18 seasons in the NFL, while Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch each called it quits after nine. Manning and Woodson are near locks for the Hall of Fame, but Johnson and Lynch also have strong cases to take the spot in Canton.

North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – 7

IDEAS

ON POINTE Top 10 things we're talking about this week

By Caitlin Bush Editor

1

Lukas Graham will perform at The Fillmore on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

The pop artist is best known for his hit “7 Years,” but will also sing songs from his new album, “The Self Titled Album.” Tickets range from $30-160 depending on the seat.

Event

LUKAS GRAHAM

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/LUKASGRAHAM

2

3

Movie

Opera

PASSENGERS

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

“Passengers,” a science-fiction movie, was released Dec. 21. The movie features Jennifer Lawrence (Aurora) and Chris Pratt (Jim Preston). The strangers are traveling to a new colony when they wake up 90 years too early because of a ship malfunction. They soon realize everyone on the ship is in danger, and they are the only ones that can save the other 5,000 sleeping passengers. PG-13.

“The Phantom Of The Opera” is coming to the Detroit Opera House Saturday, Jan. 11 through Jan. 22. Based on the French novel “Le Fantôme de l'Opéra,”

by Gaston Leroux, the musical is about a soprano who becomes the obsession of musical genius. It features music

by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Showtimes range on the dates, visit http://www. broadwayindetroit.com for more information. Tickets are $120-400.

TWITTER @PHANTOM OPERA

6

TWITTER @PASSENGERSMOVIE

5

Game

Album

4

Movie SING

MUSIC IS THE WEAPON

TWITTER @SINGMOV IE

The animated movie “Sing” features a koala who tries to save his community theater by creating a town-wide singing competition. Popular actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey as well as famous artists, like Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder and Tori Kellylend thier voices to this movie. Currently in theaters. It is rated PG.

Streaming

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

WWW.DETROIT.TIGERS.MLB.COM WWW.MAJORLAZOR.COM

Major Lazer is dropping “Music Is The Weapon,” the band’s fourth album, sometime in January. The album features popular artists like Justin Bieber, MØ, Nicki Minaj, Tove Love, Usher and more. It follows their release of “Cold Water,” a single featuring Justin Bieber.

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket is coming to Netflix as a drama series. Starring Neil Patrick Harris (Count Olaf), Malina Weissman (Violet) and Louis Hynes (Klaus), the eight-episode series will arrive Jan. 13.

WWW.LEMONYSNICKET.COM

7

TIGER FEST

8

Game

BOYS BASKETBALL

TigerFest is being held Jan. 21 at 11 a.m at Comerica Park. The day will consist of tours of the Tigers Clubhouse, dugouts and more. Over 30 Tigers players, managers, coaches and alumni are scheduled to attend. Tickets begin at $35, and all fans will receive a TigerFest knit hat.

Boys basketball will compete against Warren Mott High School Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The game begins at 7 p.m. in North's gym. Tickets are $5 or free with a Coach's Club card.

PHOTO BY KENNEDY WILLIAMS

9

Streaming

NEW ADDITIONS

Netflix is starting the New Year off right with many new additions. Hundreds of new movies, including “The Parent Trap” and “E.T.” will be available to stream, as well as new original series like “Tarzan and Jane” and “Frontier.”

WWW.NHL.COM

On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Detroit Red Wings will play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Joe Louis Arena at 7 p.m.

The Red Wings are sixth in the Atlantic Division, while the Penguins are first in the Metropolitan Division.

Tickets range from $115-780.

10 Game

RED WINGS

WWW.NETFLIX.COM

Easing into the New Year MY TURN SARAH WIETECHA With the new year upon us, it’s time to pack away our Christmas decorations, throw away the leftovers and get started on those New Year’s resolutions. Most people choose to go on diets, exercise and make lifestyle changes, but these resolutions often cause strife and end up hurting more than helping. However, there are better ways to make a resolution without causing grief.

One thing wrong with New Year’s resolutions is that they never last. According to Forbes, only 8 percent of the population complete their resolutions. This shockingly

low number is due in part to unattainable goals. Instead of quitting on an unachievable resolution, set one that focuses on selfimprovement and is fairly easy to achieve.

For example, eating healthy may seem viable, but fresh produce and organic foods are expensive and seasonal. It’s also hard to stick to a diet as a student. School work comes first, and that may mean sacrificing the time it would take to make a healthy meal in order to study for a math final.

Setting a more obtainable goal, like eating at least three healthy meals a week, will set you up for actual success. In the end, you’ll be less stressed and see real results.

In the past, resolutions have not worked out in my favor. I’ve tried year after year to break bad habits, like biting my nails and picking at split ends in my hair. I’ve attempted to eat only salad and chicken to cut down on fats and be as healthy as possible.

Needless to say, none of these things worked. I play with my hair when I’m

anxious, and I really like pizza. That’s all there is to it. Instead of setting goals that I knew would be hard for me to accomplish, I should have set smaller ones that I could easily achieve. I could have decided to eat healthy the week of a soccer game or cross country meet. I could have tried to channel my pre-test anxiety into something like drawing. It’s the little things that can make a big difference in a year.

Another problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they’re a commitment.

Lifestyle changes are hard to stick with, especially for creatures of habit like us.

In theory, lifestyle changes are a positive thing. They help people become the best versions of themselves. However, forcing them to work with schedules just because it’s a new year will ultimately do more harm than good.

Instead of upheaving a whole lifestyle, dedicate time to changing little things in your daily routine every now and then. Consciously make an effort to get better every day, and stick with a resolution

that comes without the hassle of complete change.

Happiness is of foremost importance in our lives, and New Year’s resolutions can strip people of that. Choosing to pursue one that will cause grief is not the end goal.

The idea of resolutions is to improve as a person, which will, in turn, better the year.

New Year’s resolutions are ultimately about changing something in everyday life or making something positive in the new year. People believe that a resolution has to be something big, but in reality,if many small goals are set throughout the year, better results will follow.

Welcoming in the new year shouldn’t be about stressful goals. It’s about being with friends and family and making memories.

Think twice before making any New Year’s resolutions this January. Think about the implications it will have on life and family, whether they’re positive or negative. Do something that will be beneficial in the end.

REVIEWS

8 – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – North Pointe

'Rogue One' dulls 'Star Wars' legacy

By Montana Paton ASSISTANT EDITOR “Rogue One” will leave dedicated “Star Wars” fans with unmet expectations when compared to other movies in the franchise.

New characters and dazzling graphics will leave any fan hooked, but one can tell that George Lucas’s hands never touched this film.

The film takes place directly between movies “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope.” Main character Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is recruited by the Rebellion because her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) designed the Death Star’s weapons system.

Jyn and Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) are tasked to find Galen so they can destroy the Death Star. She soon finds herself in the middle of a battle between the Rebellion and the Empire.

The relationship between Jyn and her father seems completely cliche. She starts off as a child whose parents are taken from her, then throughout the movie, she tries to make her way back to Galen with the support of others. The conclusion of this subplot meets a commonplace ending.

Throughout the beginning of the film, the conversation between characters feels forced, as important background information is

inserted into the dialogue, and the idea of the force is only lightly touched on. For a series so heavily focused on the idea of a greater cosmic essence, fans will be disappointed that it plays almost no role in the movie. It’s mentioned multiple times but never explained.

Though the idea was left out, the movie was successful in many ways other than this, particularly with its graphics. The ships used by the Rebellion and the Empire looked realistic in their amount of detail, quickly surpassing the graphics of any of the previous movies. Even some of the characters who were digitally created looked real, such as Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin, who looked as they did when movies three and four came out in 1977 and 1981 respectively.

Some of the character’s roles feel forced into the movie, and viewers may question their significance and why the film strays from its storyline. This includes Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) who at first seems to be portraying a hero figure, but quickly loses significance. He simply wasn’t needed and didn’t add much to the story other than filler.

As in the other movies, an android is one of the main sources of comedy in “Rogue One.” K-2SO, the Empire’s version of C-3PO,

delivers one-liners and recites the chances of survival when situations turn dire.

Unlike the other “Star Wars” movies, “Rogue One” is dark.

Throughout the film, there is a lack of hope, and when Erso goes to make an inspirational speech, she is met with a chorus of no’s. Of course, this is perfect set-up for the next chapter, aptly titled “A New Hope” (the first “Star Wars” film, released in 1976).

Despite being entertaining, “Rogue One” felt unnecessary. A small story about getting design plans spun into a two-and-a-half hour long testosterone-fest. The movie seemed more concerned with blowing ships up than an actual story.

“Rogue One” felt like a pretty average movie. It doesn’t live up to its “Star Wars” namesake. It is enjoyable from the action perspective, but questionable when it comes to the story it is trying to tell. With a bit of change to the plot, it could be better, but for now it will do.

“Rogue One” Gareth Edwards, 2016 PG-13 133 minutes

WWW.STARWARS.COM

ALBUM

APP

ALBUM

BOOK

4 YOUR EYEZ ONLY

SMART NUMBERS

THE ORCHESTRA OF SYRIAN MUSICIANS AND GUESTS

FORWARD

Exactly two years after his doubleplatinum, no-feature produced, masterpiece of an album “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” rapper J. Cole returned to music Dec. 9 with EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG his highly anticipated album “4 Your Eyez Only.”

The album steps away from “2014 Forest Hills Drive.” It has smooth, jazzy tones and pleasant, mellow beats. In tracks like “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “She’s Mine,” the sound is different to Cole’s original music because of the elegant orchestra instrumentals and the variety of sounds that are easy to pick out. But Cole still tends to have his laid-back, moody rapping.

Aside from the allure of the music or the catchy rhythms, “4 Your Eyez Only” is more powerful than his past work because it entails a deep narrative about Cole’s vivid memories.

The album clearly ponders darker events in Cole’s life. He raps about his friend, James McMillan, Jr., who was murdered at 22, and speaks about his life choices in “Immortals.”

Cole alludes to McMillan’s daughter’s “eyez only,” in both the album title and the track “Ville Mentality.”

“Neighbors” refers to another seemingly troubling event in Cole’s life.

In March 2016, a neighbor tipped the police of a drug-manufacturing enterprise that was going on next door to Cole’s suburban, North Carolina house. The SWAT team flew ahead with helicopters, broke down his front door and invaded his house when nobody was home. All they found was recording equipment scattered all over his basement floor.

The album in its entirety is not all stuck with somber happenings. In “She’s Mine,” Cole tells the story of how he meets a girl and their relationship grows, and his eternal connection to their newborn child and the euphoria that being a father brings him. In “Folding Clothes,” Cole explains that being a family man and settling down is his number one priority.

Both rappers tend to have the same powerful rapping style with deep morals behind the lyrics, alongside swift and soft beats.

"Smart Numbers" is a math-based puzzle game in which the player uses addition and subtraction to win.

Gameplay is set on a grid of numbered tiles. The goal is to ITUNES.APPLE.COM add or subtract the numbers together to achieve a certain amount of specific numbers. Score multipliers are awarded if the necessary numbers are attained in a row. Swaps can also be used which allow for the switching of two adjacent tiles to fit the user’s needs. These swaps are finite and are to be used only in circumstances where no other option can be seen.

The whole process requires a surprisingly large amount of strategy, requiring players to think multiple turns ahead in order to get the correct amount of numbers needed to win that session. It's an engaging process that is reminiscent of classic board games likes chess.

The visual side of the game won't win any awards, but it fulfills its purpose.

Being solely utilitarian, the aesthetic serves only to convey numbers on cards in a grid-pattern. This is the best course as too much clutter on the screen could hinder the player’s thought process.

The sound design, on the other hand, is brilliantly motivating. A lulling tune plays in the background to relax the player into a sense of focus almost like study music.

Satisfying swishes exude every time a card is moved and a elegant harp strums when the correct number is created.

The business model for this free game is very generous. Nearly 150 levels are offered for free with the only stipulation being that they need to be unlocked with a certain score on previous levels. The only things that one may want to buy are more swaps—as they are not readily given out, however even this is generally not needed.

"Smart Numbers" is a “smart” puzzle game that tests a user’s intelligence unlike many other apps. It is also not often that a game based on math can have such a large amount of enjoyability.

Syria’s civil war has raged on for the past six years, casting the country in a critical light, with reports focused solely on the tragedy and chaos. One thing the world is CDN.PITCHFORK.COM that often blind to is the nation’s cultural aspects that are ravaged during these times. Syrian artists, as well as others, gathered together to create a special concert album that portrays the beauty and passion of their homeland through music.

The recent concert album, which features a core Syrian orchestra, is from Africa Express, a collective of African and other western artists.

This diverse group of artists blends sounds from across all borders in the album. However, the emphasis on Syrian culture keeps the album genuine and grounded.

Key aspects of the collection include a standing choir and an orchestra consisting of instruments from different countries and cultures. The combination of sounds fills out the album, highlighting the sounds of Syrian culture among others.

While the language barrier may discourage some English-speaking listeners, the album offers pieces of music for all ears. Fans may recognize singer Damon Albarn from alternative bands Gorrilaz and Blur as one of the many guests.

Albarn sings and plays guitar on the track “Out of Time.” He brings his buzzing voice into the orchestra and excels in a genre that is foreign compared to his noteworthy work.

While Albarn is a famous figure, he is merely a humble guest in the presence of the immense talent offered by the Syrian musicians.

Famous Syrian artist Faia Younan offers a speech in addition to the song she performs, “Zayeno El Marie.” Through music, Younan hopes that the world will be “a step closer to knowing the real face of Syria.”

The showcase of talent in “Africa Express Presents... The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and Guests” ought to entice all listeners regardless of their ear for music. With its arrangement of music from people of all cultures, creeds and ethnicities, who come together to create an overwhelmingly human experience, the album is a glimpse into the astounding and valiant, true heart of a struggling nation.

One thing readers expect when reading a book written by an athlete is that it will solely be about their experiences in a their sport. Many in thinking WWW.GOODREADS.COM go it will not veer far from that topic. In “Forward,” written by Abby Wambach, that misconception is shattered, and readers are given a first-hand account of the inner struggles of the U.S. soccer star.

It’s a surprising read, to say the least. Not only does the content of the book drastically differ from readers’ expectations, but it does so in the best way. The writing style is captivating, and readers can gravitate to the emotions that Wambach communicates.

“Forward” is written like a first-person narrative, starting from Wambach’s early days as a child and gradually grows from there. It ends with her as she is today, ref lecting on how far she has come in life.

What's also unique about the book is that each chapter tackles a different label that she was given throughout her life and is titled as such—rebel, tomboy, failure, lesbian—just to name a few. It’s an interesting touch that adds to the overall power of the memoir.

Another one of its draws is its length.

At 240 pages, it’s short—shorter than most autobiographies—but that's what makes it a more compelling read. It’s not dragged out with long exposition. It's quick and to the point. It gives readers trying to dip their toes in different genres a smooth and easy transition to the autobiography realm—a genre that isn’t popular for teenagers.

The only drawback is that the chapters seem to almost mesh together. They talk about different experiences but are rooted with the same problems. The repetitive struggle is ultimately the point of book, but some readers might not enjoy the style.

Wambach’s story is moving and shows the darker face of an athlete’s world that is seldom talked about. Readers can glean a new perspective and possibly learn from Wambach’s experiences beyond the field.

"4 Your Eyez Only"; 2016: J Cole; 44 minutes; Available for $11.99

“Smart Numbers”; 2016; Christopher Gibbs; Available for Apple and Android

“The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and Guests”; Transgressive Records; 2016; 81 Minutes; Available for $9.49 at Google Play

“Forward”; Abby Wambach; 240 pages, 2016; Available for $10.99 on Google Play

By Tommy Teftsis

By Guiseppe Parrison

By Abbey Cadieux

By Josie Bennett

EDITORIAL

North Pointe - Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 - 9

EDITOR’S DESK ERIN KALED

“Grosse Pointe Public School administrators and teachers are responsible for encouraging and ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of the press for all students, regardless of whether the ideas expressed may be considered unpopular, critical, controversial, tasteless or offensive.”

Time to face facts

BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY Lindsey Ramsdell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mora Downs MANAGING EDITOR

Billy Moin MANAGING EDITOR

Ritika Sannikommu EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alex Harring WEB MANAGING EDITOR

Gowri Yerramalli BUSINESS MANGER

Caitlin Bush NEWS EDITOR

Abbey Cadieux IDEAS EDITOR

Anna Post SPORTS EDITOR

Katelynn Mulder ASSISTANT EDITOR

Our editorial represents the opinion of the North Pointe Editorial Board consisting of the editors above. Members who have a conflict of interest with an editorial topic do not partake in that meeting or vote.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Lindsey Ramsdell, Ritika Sanikommu MANAGING EDITORS: Mora Downs, Billy Moin WEBSITE MANAGING EDITOR: Alex Harring SECTION EDITORS: Josie Bennett, Caitlin Bush, Abbey Cadieux, Anna Post DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Brock BUSINESS MANAGER: Gowri Yerramalli DIGITAL EDITORS: Erin Kaled, Sonny Mulpuri, Sarah Wietecha ASSISTANT EDITORS: Allison Lackner, Trevor Mieczkowski, Katelynn Mulder, Montana Paton, Michal Ruprecht, Billy Steigelman, Tommy Teftsis STAFF REPORTERS: Amber Braker, Dajai Chatman, Sofia Ketels, Lindsey Kluge, Bella Lawson, Nathan Lonczynski, Giuseppe Parison, Syeda Rizvi, Asia Simmons, Jacqueline Squillace, Katie Thomas, Addison Toutant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Veronica Albo, Bella DeSandy, Nicole Fazekas, Marina Gabriel, Katie Link, Erinne Lubienski, Rachel Malinowski, Alyssa McLarty, Lauren Sexton, Nya Tatum, Kennedy Williams INTERNS: Rory Angott, Elizabeth Ballinger, Zoe Graves, Mariah Loper, Tarun Sanikommu The North Pointe is edited and produced by Advanced Journalism students at Grosse Pointe North High School and is published every two weeks. It is in practice a designated public forum without prior review.

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LINDSEY RAMSDELL

OUR EDITORIAL

Sonny Mulpuri DIGITAL EDITOR

DeVos’ plans for vouchers, school of choice don’t make the grade In 1974, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act ended segregation in schools at the federal level, even though educational operations were long seen within the jurisdiction of cities and states. Now, in 2017, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education has stirred the conversation about the use of school vouchers and privatization of K-12 schools.

DeVos, a Michigan native, has a history of advocating for the expansion of voucher programs and charter schools of choice.

Education vouchers enable families to receive their taxpayer dollars and use them towards sending their children to any private or charter school that they want.

The closest example of this struggle between private and public schools lies just miles away.

Detroit is renowned for its low-performing public schools, so much so, that many kids in Detroit Public Schools instead attend charter schools.

Moving students from an unsatisfactory public school into charter schools did not catalyze any educational shift. Charter schools in Detroit have been found to perform just the same as the traditional schools. With this being said, there is a place for charter schools. However, incentivizing them through vouchers is not the direction that needs to be taken throughout the entire country.

Advocates for vouchers hail them because they offer a more financially attainable option to get students out of being bound to whatever public school is in their district. Others argue that they zap money from public schools, the lifeblood of education in America.

Because of the ineffective switch to charter schools in impoverished communities in Michigan, the Editorial Board does not advocate for the use of educational voucher programs.

While the freedom of school choice is desirable to some, the practice ultimately takes away from public schools. When public schools are defunded, jobs are lost, institutions and communities are weakened and students pay the ultimate price. Redesignating money and resources away from public schools that

are already struggling is counterintuitive and essentially drives them further into a ditch.

The utilization of school vouchers is an optimal exception when desired, but they should not be the general standard. Setting vouchers as the norm forecasts an unsettling future for public education in America. The answer is not to shake up the whole system. By radically altering the standing structure, the high functioning and successful public schools across America will suffer.

The taxpaying citizens of America send their children to public schools on the American Dream-esque idea that hard work and dedication will break down every obstacle on the path to success. But with vouchers, the opportunities in the public school systems will be sucked out, and the middle-class and inner-city children could potentially be disadvantaged.

School of choice and re-prioritization of funds is inherently unrealistic for students in areas where the economy is poor. In many cases, like Detroit, the best private and charter schools are struggling regardless of how they are funded.

Changing the flow of money does not do much when an entire area has fallen on hard times.

Students in a world with vouchers may have increased difficulties regarding busing, school environment and resources and it will ultimately affect their academic performance and future.

The proof of the inadequacy of charter schools is blaringly evident. The cold switch to the voucher system is purely ideological.

Pinpointing where the problem areas are and seeing which type of educational system would be effective takes time and careful study.

There is no blanket solution for inequality in American education.

By encouraging vouchers, entire school systems in America would essentially be defunded. Enacting this drastic switch would change the daily lives of the tens of millions of public school students in America. Education is the backbone of America. Redesigning the system on a notion that has proved itself to be weak is not the change America needs.

CONTACT US 707 Vernier Road Grosse Pointe Woods MI, 48236 Phone: 313.432.3248 Email: northpointe@gpschools.org Twitter: @thenorthpointe Website: NorthPointeNow.org FACULTY ADVISER: Shari Adwers, MJE “I did a thing at church and passed out food to old people and the homeless.”

“I haven’t done any community service.”

“I worked at the parade company, for the Thanksgiving parade, and I helped with the costumes.”

Kristen Smith

Raymond Hamilton

Chynna Brown

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

YOUR TURN: Do you have a job or have you done any community service?

By Dajai Chatman STAFF REPORTER

“I have a job over the summer, the concession stand at the (Woods) park.

And I play cello for whoever offers me a gig.”

“I did Amnesty International at one of the schools I taught, I used to take kids to Pontiac to do bedside visits at Golden Oaks medical facility.”

“I’ve done all kinds of community service, from volunteering at soup kitchens, feeding the homeless.”

William Fishwick

Pamela Foster

Geoffery Young

SENIOR

FRENCH TEACHER

ENGLISH TEACHER

Icebergs sinking, animals losing their homes, air pollution in every major city. All are a result of climate change.

With the chaos of the world around us, it’s easy to get caught up in the news and current events.

But make no mistake: while climate change is rarely ever talked about, it is one of the most important issues to date.

It’s not like people are always consciously choosing to ignore something as big as the environment. It’s just with the political season and struggles overseas, it’s not at the top of their mental lists—where it really should be. Climate change has already started affecting Alaska, Africa and the poles.

Thankfully, the general public is becoming more aware of the situation at hand. However, there are some uncompromising individuals who choose to look past the scientific facts and studies and believe that the only problem is the people who seemingly want to give money to a made-up cause.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency is an attorney general who’s a close ally of the fossil fuel industry, Scott Pruitt. Trump also chose Rick Perry, the former republican Governor of Texas, as Secretary of Energy.

When Perry previously ran for president in 2012 and 2016, he listed the Department of Energy as one of the cabinets he hoped to eliminate. Now he’s going to run it.

In a critical time for climate change, nations all over the world are making the environment one of their top priorities. Pew Research Center said that Africa is currently the number-one country concerned about climate change.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, a global median of 51 percent say that they’re being affected by climate change including droughts, earthquakes and pollution.

No matter the party, scientific discoveries have all pointed to climate change. Today, the carbon dioxide released in the air is higher than any time in the last 650,000 years, causing the Earth’s temperature to increase faster than before.

Skeptics can assume and challenge their beliefs. Some of the more popular arguments include “climate has changed before,” and “there is no real consensus.” Although they are strong arguments, scientists have already debunked a majority of them.

Climate is changed by whatever the highest threat sis at the time, and right now, humans are the driving source.

For the argument that there is no relationship between humans and the environment, NASA claims that 97 percent of climate change experts agree that mankind has altered the environment, and it is our fault. Every climate system has warmed since 1998.

The time to act is now. Every nation needs to be aware of the dangers and possibilities of climate change. Mankind is destroying the only home they have. “Greenhouse effect” needs to be a more commonly known phrase.

Skeptics, including the new cabinet members, need to look at the facts, and nations around the world need to come together and try to undo the damage that’s already been caused.

The world could learn something from referencing the prophecy from the Cree Indians, “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.”

If mankind could focus more on the planet and less on the things that will be rendered useless later on, the world will be in better shape than it ever was before.

IN-DEPTH

10 – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – North Pointe

Calling it off

A look at the different conditions that factor into determining a snow day

By Lindsey Ramsdell & Alex Harring EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & EDITOR

Every school day, freshman Jonathon Hartley wakes up, does his morning routine, then heads out the door. Because he lives close to school, he walks.

Monday, Dec. 12, the first snow day in two years, left students joyous, especially those who walk to school. But for Hartley, this was not the case.

“I walk to school every day,” Hartley said. “I actually like the snow so it’s not a challenge.”

Hartley doesn’t mind the cold and snow that come with a Michigan winter, and feels that the School Board calls an accurate number of snow days.

But in the past, other students have been upset by the Grosse Pointe Public School System’s infamous reputation for not calling snow days when nearby districts have them.

This makes students question the parameters for a snow or cold day.

Ultimately, it is up to superintendent Gary Niehaus to determine if it is “safe” for students to go to school. However, the terms of a snow day are flexible, and there is no specific amount of snow that forces his hand. It is dependent on the condition of the roads, parking lots and sidewalks and the timing of the snowfall, he said.

“Our GPPSS Grounds Crew can handle up to eight inches of snow if the snow stops in the early evening,” Niehaus said via email. “When snow lingers after midnight and into the early morning hours then it becomes more difficult to get the snow removed.”

The state allows for up to six snow/cold days throughout the school year. After that, days have to be added on at the end of the school year.

In Grosse Pointe, the six days are rarely used.

But contrary to popular belief, this is not because of the school board’s reluctance to grant students free days.

Grosse Pointe doesn’t have a bus system for general education students. And because GPPSS is a walking district, how roads are affected is less of a priority compared to districts that use buses, Niehaus said.

“We tend to have less snow than Oakland and Macomb Counties,” he said. “Lake St. Clair tends Anne Muto to have an impact on the snowfall as well. We SCIENCE TEACHER make our decision on our weather conditions. We do have communications with other school districts in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties

when we have inclement weather.”

The staff’s ability to arrive at school on time also factors into Niehaus’ decision. Some faculty, like science teacher Anne Muto, live far away, making it difficult to drive to school in the event of a snow storm.

Muto lives with her daughter on a “natural beauty” road in Rochester, which is essentially a dirt road. Muto said it has taken her over two hours to get to school in the past because of the weather and its effect on her road.

“A lot of days, my road doesn’t get plowed ... and they won’t plow for a day, sometimes two days, so I get stuck. I get stuck in the driveway, I get stuck on the road, and we only live three houses in, but it’s a challenge,” she said. “All the schools where I live will all be closed but Grosse Pointe will be open.”

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A lot of days, my road doesn’t get plowed... for a day, sometimes for two days, so I get stuck. It’s a challenge.

RITIKA SANIKOMMU

SPORTS

North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – 11

No boys allowed ANNA POST EDITOR

Norsemen give back LIA DECOSTE

Varsity girls hockey, boys basketball team volunteer in Metro Detroit

By Anna Post

around him and also bond with his team outside of the gym. “(We’re) just making an impact for that day and the days to follow because it only takes a little bit to contribute,” Hill said.

Student athletes are held to a high standard on and off the court or In past seasons the team has volunteered at Gleaners Food Bank rink. In order to give back and spend time with each other, the boys and played against the Red Wing Alumni Team to raise money for basketball teams and girls varsity hockey team participate in charitable Salvation Army Bed & Breakfast Program. Last year the team also events during the holiday season.. played the boys team to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

In the past, head coach Ron Kochan and his team have volunteered This year, the players will be packaging food and canned goods for at Gleaners food bank. This year, Kochan and the players participated Forgotten Harvest. in a clothing drive for Capuchins soup Varsity girls hockey head coach Joe Lucchese kitchen. The team has collected 10 bags believes in giving back to the community. of clothing that will be donated to help One of our daily goals “I'm huge believer in giving back to the less people in need. fortunate,” Lucchese said. “It is a privilege to play Both the varsity and JV teams we have in our program high school sports and our school system does a great job of supporting our athletes, so we need to participate in such charity work. pay it forward.”

The varsity team volunteered at is to have a positive T h is is s en ior L ia D e Cost e’s f i r st Capuchins Warehouse on Jan. 3, and ye a r pa r t ic ipat i ng. the JV group participated on Jan. 4, impact on someone else “I'm really excited to do it,” DeCoste said. “It's a where the teams helped put together great team bonding experience and we can also help donation packages that contain Ron Kochan people who need it.” everyday items for families in need.

Varsity Basketball Coach Kochan values charity work and hopes that Kochan sees the benefit fundraising and his players will gain more insight and be more strives to enforce the importance of good thankful for what they are given. character that will translate on and off Through volunteering, Kochan wants his team to develop into the court.

“We volunteer our time each year for a few reasons, giving back better athletes and individuals.

“There is a high expectation for all of our student athletes at North provides people with everyday necessities that we take for granted,” Kochan said. “No person should live without food or go through a and in our basketball program,” Kochan said.“Weexpectourstudent Michigan winter without warm clothing. One of our daily goals we athletes to represent our school in the classroom, on the court and in the community in a manner that would make our school proud.” have in our program is to have a positive impact on someone else.”

Junior Tyler Hill is a member of the boys varsity basketball team and enjoys participating in charity work because he is able to help those EDITOR

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Look up “gender discrimination” on any search engine, and the results shouldn’t surprise you. Story links like “Title IX” and “Pay inequity for female athletes” fill the computer screen.

Women are always viewed as a minority in the sports world, while males tend to have the upper hand.

Now look up “gender discrimination for male athletes” and search through the 176,000,000 results. Keep clicking, keep searching …

After looking through all of the results pages, you’ll find there’s really not much there.

For centuries, the fight to end gender inequality on and off the field has been an ongoing battle. However, just because females are underrepresented in the sports they play doesn’t mean males don't deserve to have the same advantages women do.

In 2011, the Lakeview High School cheerleading team was fighting for a spot in a statewide competition when it was disqualified. They received no final score—only a "DQ" on their scoresheets. The team broke no rules, except for the fact that they allowed a 14-year-old boy to dress for the competition.

Lakeview decided to resolve the issue with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, but faced immediate rejection. The association released a statement regarding this issue: “Boys may not participate on a girls team in MHSAAsponsored postseason meets and tournaments. Schools have adopted this position to preserve participation opportunities for the historically underrepresented gender.”

The MHSAA allows a female athlete to play on any team she wants, while male athletes are the exception to such regulations. It's a double standard.

The “underrepresented gender” receives more opportunities just because we females are victims of inequality in the past.

I get it. But what doesn’t seem fair is that the boys are limited by some high school sports associations simply because they haven’t faced similar inequity in their everyday lives.

Is the idea of having a boy on a girls team such an unprecedented thought?

We hear the stories of decorated female athletes dominating in predominately male sports but never hear vise versa. The needs of male athletes goes unheard as people continue to dedicate all of their time to making sure girls are given opportunities they need to improve their game. But it really isn’t fair. Nothing about this rule is fair. Limiting male’s rights and adding more to the list of perks for female athletes doesn’t stack up equally.

Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments states that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in … any educational program or activity,” yet boys are barred because someone thinks playing with a bunch of girls doesn’t seem right.

Once again—double standard.

We always fight for equality when we believe that we are being deprived of our basic rights as individuals.

However, when someone acts upon those freedoms, they are ridiculed or disqualified because they don’t meet the criteria.

What's it going to take? Will a male athlete have to identify as a female just so they can participate in a specific sport?

That doesn’t seem fair.

As a female athlete, I’ve had my fair share of sexual discrimination in the game I play. But just because females continue to receive backlash doesn’t mean males need to feel the wrath, too.

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TEAMWORK OFF THE COURT | Junior Philip Ross helps bag food alongside his teammates.

HELPING HANDS | The varsity boys basketball team creates care packages for Capuchins soup kitchen. "There is a high expectation for all of our student athletes at North and in our basketball program we expect our student athletes to represent our school in the classroom, on the court, and in the community in a manner that would make our school proud," varsity basketball coach Ron Kochan said.

Boys team returns to local hockey arena Location change renews camaraderie on, off the ice

By Mora Downs & Sonny Mulpuri EDITORS

Home-field advantage is a crucial element to a game and season overall. It was also a factor that the boys hockey team took into consideration when the coach and this year’s team decided to relocate their home games from Fraser Hockeyland to East Side Hockey Ice Arena, formerly known as Grosse Pointe Community Rink.

Junior Thomas Supal has played at both rinks and said ESH has become a more comfortable location to play at over the course of the season.

“This year GPCR is better because a lot more people come to the games,” Supal said. “At first they didn't like (playing at ESH/GPCR) but now they’re kind of feeling it because more people come out.”

The team still practices at Fraser, but hopes to begin practicing at ESH in the near future. For freshman Evan Berger, The drive to Fraser is time-consuming and more stressful for the players, and the move to ESH makes the drive less demanding because it is closer.

Berger also thinks ESH is a better rink because it has nicer boards and ice.

Unlike Supal, Berger didn’t experience what it was like to play games at Fraser. However, he has already seen the type of impact it has had on his team.

“It gets us more excited and makes us want to do more and work harder,” Berger said. “It’s closer for the students to come support.”= Even though this is the first full season at ESH for the team, they have played games there in the past. The rink was host to the team’s senior night last season, which garnered a lot of attention.

Head coach Mike Maltese saw that more fans were at the senior night game than at Fraser games, so he took it upon himself to find a way where the team could consistently play at ESH. After discovering they could play their home games there, Maltese talked with the team about it, and they agreed.

“We wanted to have a good senior night for (last year’s seniors) and we got a lot of people out to the games and it was good for the community,” Maltese said. “(This year,) it basically worked out so that we could work our contract out with Fraser and ESH (so) that we could play all of our home games there and it would benefit the community and benefit the younger players especially. They play eight to nine home games close to home, close to family and friends. ... It’s definitely good for the high school and the community as well.”

Due to the recent low number of kids trying out for the team, Maltese expects that moving rinks will give some of the elementary and middle school kids the opportunity to watch what high school hockey is like. He hopes this will encourage them to try out rather than playing travel hockey.

“We need more kids to help for the program, even for a few years, moving them up to a higher level of hockey,” he said. “(I’m) looking forward to them having more wins in the win column, for sure, (and) just trying to get more kids to play hockey at the high school and come out to play for the high school team.”

This is not the first time the team has moved rinks. In the years before Maltese began, the team practiced and played at Mount Clemens Ice Arena and Downtown Detroit City Arena, which is now closed.

Nonetheless, he hopes the season will be as memorable as any one in the past, but with the move to ESH, every home game should be more special for the players.

The team has already seen a more positive atmosphere at the rink as many fans, whether it’s family or friends, encourage them to play harder. For Supal, it's a chance to represent his community and feed off of the vibe that the fans bring.

“There’s been more people coming to the games, it’s more hype,” Supal said. “It gets us going on the bench obviously, and it makes the team want to win even more.”

ICE ICE BABY | The avrsity boys hockey team playing against University of Detroit Jesuit on Dec. 2 on EHS.

PHOYOS COURTESY OF EVAN BERGER

FOCUSED | Freshman Evan Berger skates towards the goal with an opponent trailing behind. Berger said he likes EHS better than Frasier"They have a lot better ice and better boards and it’s closer for the students to come support."

SPORTS

North Pointe – Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 – 12

A night to remember

Girls and boys basketball and boys hockey teams compete in their annual cross-town rivalry matches on Dec.16.

TEAMWORK | Junior Evan Kolinski skates alongside his teammates during the North vs. South match on Dec.16. The team lost 4-0.

KATIE LINK

KATIE LINK

KATIE LINK

HEAD IN THE GAME | Senior Katie Snow focuses as she prepares to shoot her free throws. The girls basketball team won 56-43. Snow enjoyed playing against South and will miss the intense matches and rivalry. “ It was a good feeling coming into that game,” Snow said. “We were confident. We knew we were the better team but when its a rivalry you never know what’s going to happen.”

DEFENSE | Junior Tyler Hill defends the ball as he attempts to shoot. The boys basketball team lost 48-54 on Dec. 16. Despite the team’s loss, Hill saw a lot of effort from his teammates. “We played great besides the letdown in the third quarter. Otherwise we could win that game.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE LINK

MAKING A SPLASH | Head swim coach Dan Hafner poses with his team. He said he enjoys the Grosse Pointe community.

Above the water: Meet new swim coach Dan Hafner

By Tarun Sanikommu & Nathan Lonczynski STAFF REPORTERS

New head swim coach Dan Hafner has been coaching for nearly 20 years, and he has no plans to stop now.

He began swimming when he was 9 years old after his mother enrolled him in a swimming class along with his older brother. From that early experience, Hafner discovered his love for swimming.

Although he is originally from Birmingham, Hafner began his coaching career in 1999 through Pointe Aquatics. Hafner’s love for working with kids is what lured him to being a high school coach.

“It’s something I’m very passionate about and I thought that I could give back to generations of athletes my knowledge,” Hafner said.

In 2008, he moved to Dallas, Texas. While there he was the head coach at J.J. Pearce High School, becoming regional coach of the year twice and district coach of the year a couple times as well.

His team at J.J. Pearce f lourished, winning the district title a few times, getting fifth in the state meet and sending a couple members to the State Championships. One student broke a state record.

Although he loved Dallas, he returned to Michigan and became head coach for both Pointe Aquatics and the Boys and Girls swim teams this year. Now, he plans to stay in Grosse Pointe for the rest of his life.

“This place is special to me, you know, a homecoming,” Hafner said. “It’s somewhere I

grew up coaching so it’s great to be back. That’s why I’d like to stay.”

Hafner doesn’t plan to be idle though, wanting to coach until he isn’t able to anymore.

He aims to improve his coaching as well as the team by getting to know them better and inspiring them to want to improve themselves. “(My goal is to) just get the kids to buy into the process, the process of getting better, the process of being on time and technique and really getting them to be disciplined and work hard,” Hafner said.

He’s already seeing some improvement when it comes to hard work and discipline. Hafner says that some of the boys have already been earning personal best times early in the season.

He doesn’t have any secret techniques when it comes to coaching, though.

“I just coach how I am. The technique is pretty much all the same, it’s just how you communicate it to the kids,” Hafner said. “But I’m just trying to be myself, and I feel that that’s good enough and that works. I’m not going to try to be someone else, somebody I’m not.”

Although Hafner’s only been back for less than a year, he’s already acclimated well. He loves everything about the community, from the atmosphere to the importance of athletics in it.

“It’s a great community. Swimming’s a big part of the community, with all the parks and the country clubs and there’s lots of swimming here. I just like the community atmosphere, that smaller city type and it’s just a great place.”