North Pointe Vol. 49 Issue 3 - Oct. 26, 2016

IN-DEPTH PAGE 6 AP Enviromental students tested water at Metro Beach Oct. 7.

NORTH

PHOTOS BY ERINNE LUBIENSKI

GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

POINTE WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26, 2016

SI NC E 1968

2016 GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER TEAM

FACING REPERCUSSIONS MHSAA penalties cast wide net: affect girls soccer, other North sports

By Erin Kaled & Katelynn Mulder EDITORS

When the girls varsity soccer team won districts last spring, they ended an eight-year drought.

But after someone sent an anonymous letter to the Michigan High School Athletic Association claiming the team played more regular season games than allowed, the girls were stripped of their title and trophy.

What really happened is a misunderstanding between schools. When the girls varsity soccer team was playing in what they believed to be scrimmages, the opponents were under the impression that they were playing a full-fledged game.

So after its investigation over the summer, the MHSAA is penalizing the athletic department for the 2016-17 school year.

“We didn’t know we were doing anything wrong, so they said that they were going to take our title away, and that we weren’t going to be allowed to move on to regionals and our next game,” center midfieler Megan Lowers said. “We got the parents together and the teammates, and we decided to take this to court.”

When the case was brought to court, the team got a temporary restraining order, which allowed them to play their regional game against Troy Athens High School.

However, a temporary restraining order wasn’t an “all clear.” It simply meant the team was allowed to play. In the eyes of the MHSAA Executive Committee, the girls soccer team—and the whole athletic department by association—was at fault.

“In order to consider it a scrimmage, both schools need to count it as a scrimmage,” Athletic Director Brian Shelson said. “Even though we did play in the (district) game, they found us to be wrong. For that reason, they put penalties on us for the 20162017 year.”

When North’s administration was called in front of the MHSAA Executive Committee after the investigation, the committee confirmed its initial ruling that the team was in violation of the rules and handed down punishments for the girls soccer team and all MHSAA sports.

This punishments affect all sports teams at North except swimming and field hockey, which don’t compete under MHSAA. “The school is on probation through July 31, 2017,” MHSAA communications director John Johnson said. “During that time, the school cannot host MHSAA tournaments, the school can not receive reimbursements for any MHSAA tournament that theymight otherwise be entitled to due to policy, the varsity girls soccer team is limited to two not four scrimmages, and 16 not 18 games during the 2017 regular seasons, and then the school’s girl(s) soccer program shall not participate in the 2017 soccer tournament.”

RENEE LANDUYT FOR GROSSE POINTE NEWS

TOP HONORS | Principal Kate Murray poses with seniors Annelise Hofmann, Adam Schreck and Lindsey Hoshaw, who were named National Merit Scholars because of their high PSAT scores.

Three seniors named semi-finalists in National Merit Scholarship contest choice. That’s probably the biggest thing in addition to getting money,” Beach said. “On the wider lens, why do we require all our students to do it?

After months of academic testing throughout It’s because it’s a precursor to the SAT. It lets stutheir junior years, seniors Lindsey Hoshaw, An- dents know how they’re doing and it allows them to nelise Hofmann and Adam Schreck were com- get preliminary information on what they need to mended as semifinalists for the National Merit brush up on for when they do take the SAT.” Scholarship Competition (NMSC).

Hoshaw felt that her classes, especially English The National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test classes such as AP Language and Composition suf(NMSQT) is the PSAT test that students take in ficiently prepared her for the SAT. October of their junior year. It serves as a precur“You learn the material that you have to. In Engsor to the SAT, and the qualifier lish classes, you would get packfor the scholarship. Students ets or you would do practice with must score above the designated multiple choice, and math is just score for their state to be eligia matter of learning the skills,” ble as a semifinalist. In order for Hoshaw said. “If you pay attenthese students to qualify as a fition in class, you’ll start to gain nalist, they must be enrolled in the knowledge you need to take the last year of high school and the test.” plan to enroll full time in colHowever some students, such as lege the following fall and have Hofmann, thought classes stuck to had consistently high academic the standard curriculum and had performance in grades 9-12. Out little to do with SAT preparation.

LINDSEY HOSHAW of the 16,000 students chosen to “There wasn’t a lot of inrepresent semifinalists, three of class preparation for the SAT,” SENIOR those representing Michigan atHofmann said. “In AP classtend North. es, we worked on AP quesThe student also must be recommended for the tions, but if you want to practice for the SAT, competition by their principal and complete the you would have to do it on your own time.”

NMSC application online. To confirm their high When approaching these tests, Hofmann practices performance on the PSAT/NMSQT, they must at- for them in advance. She feels that her beforehand tend an authorized administration of the SAT. preparation shows through in her confidence while Assistant principal Tom Beach is supportive of taking the test. this program and is happy to have these three stu“I feel pretty confident because I know I’ve pracdents representing the school and the state of Mich- ticed and I know how it is going to be. I know the igan. He believes that the school’s reputation is format and I just like try to think about it being a represented strongly by this test annually, not only practice test so that I don’t get too nervous about bringing prestige to the school but also themselves. it,” Hofmann said. “If you approach the practice “I think it’s wonderful. There is an incredible test as if it is the real thing, it will be a lot easier to amount of money that comes into the program. It’s take when it is the real thing.” put up by sponsorships and business and everything These students were recognized at the recent else. So if you end up as a National Merit Schol- school board meeting and will be mentioned in arship (receiver), it significantly increases your local newspapers throughout the community. chances towards getting into the college of your

By Bella Lawson STAFF REPORTER

“

If you pay attention in class, you’ll start to gain the knowledge you need to take the test.

“

SPORTS - PAGE 11

NEWS - PAGE 3

Whether it’s halfway

Interact Club donates books to Little Libraries.

across the country or

on our own turf, mistakes happen.

@thenorthpointe www.northpointenow.org

VOLUME 49 | ISSUE 3

MICHAL RUPRECHT

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

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

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

IDEAS - PAGE 9 This is no longer about politics. It’s about the continued abuse of women throughout history.

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

Sports...11-12

NEWS

2 – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – North Pointe

School Board looks for solution to mandatory day increase

By Ritika Sanikommu, Josie Bennett & Lyndsay Kluge

been multiple revisions. To comply with the mandate, a new calendar must be created for the upcoming school year.

Dean said that school districts arrange the calendar in accordance with teachers each year because This past summer, the Michigan Department of Education mandated classroom in- of the collective bargaining agreement.. struction days to increase from 175 to 180. However, the Grosse Pointe Public School dis“We do have several constraints on the calendar,” Dean said. “ For example, we cannot have stutrict is exempt from this decree until the following school year. dents attend school prior to Labor Day.” “Per state law, if a current collective bargaining agreement is in effect when Some other factors that contribute to the amount of days are the scheda law changes, such as the law that mandates the number of student days, the ules that each grade level has. Each grade has their own calendar quirks. law does not impact that district until the collective bargaining agreement exIn December, high school students don’t have school on one day because of pires,” Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Jon Dean said via email. the Holiday Tea, while the middle school and elementary students do have A collective bargaining agreement is a negotiation that takes school. place between a company and its employees. Because of this speThere are many options for how to proceed with the mandate. One opcial circumstance, the directive will not be in effect immediately. tions would be to remove midwinter break in February. While there has been According to www.uppermichiganssource.com, there are 1098 hours in a typical discussion about this possibility, there have not been any official decisions Michigan school year. That’s with the requirement that schools must hold 175 regarding the matter. to 176 days of school. But because of the revision, schools now have to have to “You can decrease vacation days, you can tack days on at the end, but complete 180 school days. there are going to be different arguments for or against all of those,” principal Kate Murray said. “Some people will say they don’t want to go into school all “Our agreement with the teachers expires at the end of this school year,” Dean the way to the middle of June.” said. “The 2017-18 school year will have to provide 180 days of instruction for Although the extended school year was not intended to burden students, all students.”

KATE MURRAY Barstys has questions about the new mandate.

Junior Natalie Barstys does not see the change as having a substantial effect “They would either take out midwinter break or part of on her.

PRINCIPAL a break somewhere because we are already in school real“I feel like probably I won’t notice it, like it’s five days,” she said. “It’s an extra ly late.

We are in school ‘til like the middle of June whereas some schools get out in May,” week. It’s not like they are adding 30 days to the end of the school year, so it’s not that big of a deal.”

Barstys said.

“Adding five days, like why not just take away the whole month of June.”

This is not the first year that the state has made such a change. Over the past 20 years, there have EDITORS & INTERN

“

You can decrease vacation days, you can tack days on at the end, but there are going to be different arguments for or against all of those.

“

RITIKA SANIKOMMU

New technology informs students, honors alumni

By Mora Downs EDITOR

Videos of the football team, homecoming parade and other school events are broadcast on more than just the daily announcements this year. Four shiny, new monitors display footage produced by students around the school.

Junior Mike Mullens takes independent study for TV production. Because of the extra time he has, he selects all the content for the monitors, whether it be his own work or that of other students, and uploads the footage. “(TV Production teacher Brian) Stackpoole brought me up to (athletic director Brian) Shelson and (said) that I was in independent study and that I could do it as a part of my study,” Mullens said.

Videos displayed on the monitors are usually sports-related, but videos from the homecoming festivities have also aired.

“It all really depends on the quality and how it was filmed,” Mullens said. “If it’s a sport and it’s filmed really good, I’ll put it up there.”

Their tendency sports-oriented content is no coincidence. Shelson uses these monitors to make students more aware of athletics and to relay information to student athletes. Mullens and Shelson have teamed up to keep the content current.

“Ultimately I have the final say, but me and Michael kind of share ideas, and even (Mr.) Stackpoole gets involved because a lot of the TV production revolves around sports and the parade and homecoming activities and stuff going on in the school,” Shelson said. “Together we’ll talk and Michael will ask me what I want and I’ll ask him what he wants.”

Stackpoole sees the TVs as an opportunity to showcase more of his students’ work.

“What’s nice about the video boards is that we can play a lot of the work from things that we can’t play on the announcements because the time has passed and things like that,” Stackpoole said.

There is a monitor outside of the counseling center, next to the main office and in the A-Building near the vending machines. The fourth TV is next to the gym entrance, but is slightly different from the others.

This TV is touch screen and has an entirely different purpose.

IMPORTANT DATES for SENIORS

“The main purpose is to honor the all state athletes that have been here from the beginning of Grosse Pointe North athletics to current day and to have those records and everything in there,” Shelson said. “The other three monitors are there to make awareness of what’s going on daily, weekly. You can see that the other three only scroll (through events of) that day, but the touch screen you can actually go a week or so out and see what’s going on, who we’re playing in basketball in a couple weeks, you can click that.”

The four TVs cost around $9,000 total, and the touch screen monitor accounts for most of it.

In order to pay for this, Shelson asked to use funds from the Athletic Booster Club. Shelson and athletic booster president, Luke Ciaramitaro, met with the company that installs the monitors and the club voted in favor of purchasing the monitors.

Shelson first considered the idea two years ago when he noticed that the wall of all-state athlete photos didn’t have much room left.

“The company we went with, I saw them at an athletic directors conference and they told me the story of other schools had the same issues as we did,” Shelson said. “They were too many (allstate athletes) and (the monitors are) one of the ideas they came up with and they’re great. They’re all over the country. I think we’re the second or third school in the state of Michigan that has one now.”

Not all of the athletes have been loaded into the system yet. Currently, a few trial athletes and records have been uploaded. It will take a majority of the year to have all of the athletes in the database.

However, the system will be fairly simple to use once all the information is uploaded.

“You click on all-state athletes and you can search by name or by sport and then it will give a bio of that person and then it’s there forever,” Shelson said. “The plan is to go back and find from when the school first started and the first all-state athlete was given the honor, to find that person, to get a photo from their family and get it on that board.”

Shelson thinks the monitors will increase school morale.

“If someone comes for homecoming or a basketball game or something in the spring-time, they can go and search and see their family’s name or bring their grandkids someday to see it,” Shelson said. “That’s what (the TVs are) there for, to build community spirit.”

Mullens also sees the monitors as an opportunity for students in the TV production program.

Although he is the only student involved now, he would like to see more of his peers work on controlling the monitors in the future.

“This definitely gives a hands-on experience in what it’s like to be behind the scenes, behind the camera, working magic, basically making what everyone sees.”

Contributing: Jacqueline Squillace & Katie Thomas

November 2

Senior portrait due to Mrs. Adwers for yearbook and Class of 2017 composite

Need advice or studio information?

See Mrs. Adwers in B-302 or email gpnyearbook@gmail.com

November 21

Regular deadline for Diapers to Diplomas senior ads

RACHEL MALINOWSKI

THE BIG SCREEN | Junior Nya Tatum views the varsity volleyball schedule. The touch-screen TVs were added around the school over the summer.

November 30

Last day to order a book before prices go up Extended payment and deposit option available ALL INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE: goo.gl/4mGv9e ALYSSA MCLARTY

NEWS

North Pointe – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – 3

Interact Club donates books to start Little Free Libraries Last February, Interact Club donated over 1,000 books to start a Little Free Library at Ghesquiere Park. Now, their work is paying off.

According to a study by the National Institute of Literacy, about 47 percent of adults in Detroit are functionally illiterate, meaning they have a hard time with reading, writing, speaking and computer skills. Interact Club wanted to change that.

Little Free Libraries are book exchanges that give residents access to literature. They work on a “take a book, leave a book” honor system.

“The library is at Ghesquiere Park to give Woods residents a chance to check out books while visiting the park,” Interact Club adviser Barbara Skelly said via email. “We think the libraries will give people of all ages the opportunity to read books.”

After Detroit became the Little Free Library Capital with more than any other city, residents decided to create their own little libraries. Suzy Berschback, Grosse Pointe Farms resident, is one of them. She built her own little library in front of her house so passers-by can take and leave books.

In doing this, Berschback said she wants to help foster both community and neighborhood and to share the joy of learning and connect her neighbors.

“I hope they bring people together who are curious and also like to share books,” Berschback said via email. “I am constantly looking to give my books away.”

Junior Sydney Murray is a member of Interact Club and helped with the book drive. She believes this program has many advantages for Grosse Pointe residents.

Murray wishes more people donate books to the library and also wants to see more Little Free Libraries in Detroit.

“It’s a good way to read other books, and if they’re in your house, then other people could read them. It’s a good way to just get them out there so they’re not going to waste,” Murray said.

She also thinks it could address the problem of illiteracy. “It could really help (Detroiters) to become more literate so that the community can grow to be smarter,” she said.

According to the Little Free Library Organization, there are nearly 40,000 Little Free Library book exchanges worldwide. The group’s goal is to increase the number so more people have access to literature.

Interact Club started the Little Free Library at Ghesquiere, but there are more around the community that were created by other groups. Other Little Free Libraries can be found at the Grosse Pointe Shores Park, Rotary Tot Lot in Grosse Pointe City and Belle Isle Nature Zoo in Detroit.

Skelly aims to add more Little Free Library book exchanges in the future.

She thinks the organization is a great way to get people reading more.

“It is the hope that the libraries will continue to spread,” she said. “(We want to) give more people the opportunity to experience the joy of reading.”

CALENDAR FALL CLEAN-UP DAY Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m12 p.m.

BAND & ORCHESTRA BOOSTER CLUB MEETING

Tuedsay, Nov. 1 from 7-8 p.m. in room C-101

FALL PLAY

Wednesday, Nov. 2 in the PAC at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 3; Friday, Nov. 4; Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.

MICHAL RUPRECHT

END OF QUARTER

Friday, Nov. 4

SAT TESTING

MICHAL RUPRECHT

TAKE ONE, LEAVE ONE| The Free Little Library at Grosse Pointe Shores Park is open for anyone to borrow or donate a book.

By Michal Ruprecht

Zumba fundrasier profits go toward Camp Fowler Students jumped and jived the afternoon away in a Zumba class hosted by the Kids Need Opportunities To Socialize program on Saturday, Oct. 22. All money raised from the event went towards funding a trip to Camp Fowler, a summer camp for special needs children.

KNOTS is a peer-to-peer program where general education students spend lunch with special needs kids. As a member of KNOTS, senior Claire Dalian has made many friends and hopes that this event will help them fund their camp.

“I made so many KNOTS friends. They are adorable,” Dalian said. “They look forward to eating lunch with me so much, and they feel really cared about and I care about them too. I feel like everyone in the school should know about it because it’s really important to the KNOTS kids to see that their peers are there.”

Camp Fowler is a three day summer camp for KNOTS students. At the camp, students have the chance to participate in activities that are normally out of reach for them. The camp obtains most of its funding from fundraisers held throughout the year.

“Camp Fowler is really important for the special needs kids. It’s important because, being special needs, they sometimes don’t get that normal camp experience,” Dalian said. “They can be with their friends, do fun stuff that they normally wouldn’t get to do like campfires and ziplining and horseback riding.”

Special needs teacher Tina Nichols thinks that the fundraiser went well, and hopes that future fundraisers for the camp will be even more successful.

“I find that October is a slower time so November is a better time, but I think that it still went well,” Nichols said. “It’s important so we can send our kids to camp for three days and they have a blast. So it means very much to me that they find happiness and that they are able to go and do something outside their homes and go somewhere out of town.”

By Gowri Yerramalli

Challenge Day returns after one-year absence After a year-long absence, Challenge Day is back.

Challenge Day is a school leadership program that deals with issues high schoolers face such as rumors, bullying, racism and homophobia. The company also encourages students to celebrate diversity, become more aware of the world around them and speak up when they notice problems in the hallways.

Special education teacher Lisa Steiner helps run Challenge Day. “Mrs. (Kate) Murray made a decision to not have Challenge Day last year,” Steiner said. “I’m very excited it’s being brought back because it’s such a wonderful program, and it helps students increase personal power and self esteem.”

Steiner is not the only person who is excited about the program’s return.

“I did Challenge Day my freshman and sophomore year,” senior Chloe Walters said. “I’m glad it’s being brought back because it’s fun to talk about. People still talk about it, and it would be cool to talk about it with other people.”

Challenge Day has proven to have a big impact on students’ views of their peers.

“It made me realize what people deal with outside of school. I would’ve never thought that some people go through the things they do,” junior Rachel Hilu said. “I strongly recommend doing it because it changes your

perspective on your classmates and the stuff they go through.”

While everyone may not participate in Challenge Day, students definitely hear the buzz about it in the hallways.

“I signed up for it because I heard a lot about it from my sister and her friends back when they were in high school when I was in fourth grade,” Hilu said. “I did it freshman year, and I’m planning on doing it again this year.”

Challenge Day has a variety of activities to help students express things they would normally have trouble saying.

“I’m looking forward to it being brought back because the students come back to North empowered,” Steiner said. “It helps them understand that everyone has difficulties and that they’re not alone.”

Challenge Day will be held across the street at the First English Lutheran Church on Dec. 14 and 15 from 8 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. Up to 100 students can participate. Sign up online at Lisa Steiner’s staff website or see her in B-131.

Students can also sign up with psychology teacher Jennifer Weisbrodt in B-201.

Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 a.m.

POPS & PASTRIES

Pointe Chorale will be singing with South’s choir on Saturday, Nov. 5, at South’s gym ELECTION DAY Tuesday, Nov. 8, no school for students FALL SPORTS AWARDS Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the PAC PARENT CLUB MEETING Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7-8 p.m. in the PAC COLLEGE SELECTION Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7-8 p.m. in the Family Center

SPORTS BOYS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

By Jacqueline Squillace

Friday, Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m. for a regional meet

GIRLS SWIMMING

MAC meet, Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

District game on Wednesday, Nov. 2 and finals on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.

VAHALLA STAFF

BE THE CHANGE| Students participate in past Challenge Day activities.

VAHALLA STAFF

ON CAMPUS

4 – North Pointe – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016

Interact club makes lunches for homeless veterans

By Josie Bennett & Dajai Chatman EDITOR & STAFF REPORTER

FACES IN THE CROWD Liam Giraud

Sophomore Liam Giraud once used video games to bond with his brother, but that is only one of the many reasons he still loves them today.

Giraud said that his brother is eight years older than he is and that playing video games was a good way for them to bond and to keep calm when they were together.

Giraud also said that video games help him with problem solving in school.

“You have to use your mind, and the more you exercise your mind, the better you are at solving puzzles and problems in general,” he said.

Video games do a lot for Giraud, and because he is so passionate about them, he tunnels that passion into his school work, as well.

“I know that I have to work hard in school, and I like to work hard when I play games, too,” he said. “I always like to try to get to the next level in the game, and that’s kind of how I treat my life.”

ALL PHOTOS BY DAJAI CHATMAN

MANY HANDS | Sophomore Joey Haney works with the Interact Club and other students making sandwiches for the community lunches. “I’m an Interact officer so I come to all the meetings, and kind of help coordinate them,” Haney said. “So it’s great to do and help with the community.”

TEAMING UP | Juniors Cooper Ickes and Ellie Frame help out with the packing of lunches with the Interact Club. “I did it my freshman year, and it made me feel really good about myself,” Ickes said.

PACKING KINDNESS| Senior Daniel Leone fills the bagged lunches with snacks. “I wanted to join (Interact) because I want to help other people who are less fortunate than us,” Leone said.

REACHING OUT | Senior Olivia Randazzo packs away lunches. “I actually came for Student Association. We decided that we wanted send some people from SA to come and help out with Interact Club,” Randazzo said. “Because what we wanted to do was start working with different clubs throughout the year.”

SPREADING GENEROSITY | Freshman Mackencie Stockwell makes sandwiches.

“There’s people less fortunate than us because we are all very fortunate in the life we were given, so I thought to come help out for the people who are less fortunate,” Stockwell said. “It makes me feel grateful for what I have and it makes me feel good that I’m doing this for others.”

FIVE MINUTES WITH

Art teacher Lisa Warren

By Sofia Ketels & Zoe Graves INTERNS

COURTESY OF LISA WARREN

REFLECTING ON ART |Art teacher Lisa Warren kayaks down a river. “I’ve been doing some form of art for probably as long as I can remember,” Warren said. “Not as much now, being that teaching takes up a lot of time, but I’ve been doing some form of art, and you could consider teaching art, as sort of an art form design.”

Creativity has never been something that art teacher Lisa Warren has shied away from.

Warren has always had a love for color and has been passionate about art from a young age. She enjoys all forms of art, but it wasn’t until she entered high school that she discovered a new passion: set design.

Warren joined tech crew for the plays at her high school, and helped to run the shows, design and paint the sets. She hopes to one day share her love for set design with the students at North.

“I’m actually looking to develop some kind of a class here, but we’ll see what happens,” Warren said. “I’d like to eventually, figure out a program, or maybe it’s an after school thing, something where we get the students more involved in building the sets because I know there’s a really great theater program here.”

Warren does not define art by it’s traditional

standards. Since she became an educator, she has been exposed to a more unique form of art.

“You could consider teaching art, as sort of an art form design, designing these lessons and making prototypes, and making the power points, and so that sort of becomes an art practice,” Warren said. “Now, that is my main focus.”

While Warren is a very talented artist, she admits that not every piece of art she creates is perfect.

She strives to show her students that taking risks and making mistakes is not something they should be ashamed of.

“I would say (my motto is), embrace the gifted mistake,” she said. “Something that I try to encourage in my classroom too, is for students to take those risks, and a classroom is a very safe space to take risks, especially in an art classroom. Try something new, just see how that works, experiment, and then you learn from your results, and it takes a lot of tries to get that outcome that you’re looking for.”

Emme Mattes

Out of all the genres of books out there, sophomore Emme Mattes loves to read horror.

Her interest in the genre began when she read the Nancy Drew books as a kid, but her love of reading started in the third grade, when she was introduced to unsolved mysteries.

“I picked up this book. It was like unsolved mysteries, and I was really fascinated by weird, creepy things,” Mattes said, “like Bigfoot.”

Although Mattes likes to read about things like legends and folklore, she doesn’t think they’re true and believes there is a logical explanation behind them all. She also doesn’t get scared by horror books, but rather by movies.

“Horror movies scare me more, but it’s more the fact that I get startled by jump scares or something like that,” Mattes said. “(With reading), I know it’s just a book.”

Kelsey Hamilton

When school is overwhelming and jampacked, senior Kelsey Hamilton knows how to relax on the weekends.

Hamilton says she likes to watch Netflix, listen to music and hang out with friends.

“During the week, I am packed with chores, homework and school,” she said. “So the weekend is my de-stresser to just chill.”

Hamilton is under particular pressure because she plans to graduate at the end of this semester.

“I wanted a jump start in my life,” she said. “So I will have all my credits fulfilled by the end of this semester.”

Hamilton said applying for college can be hard to deal with graduating early.

“The application process is harder than you think because you have to have a good plan for what you want to do,” she said.

Hamilton is not sure what she wants to major in yet, but she has a lot of ideas including journalism, pre-law and computer science. She will attend Wayne State at the start of the next semester.

By Rory Angott, Elizabeth Ballinger & Mariah Loper

Are there any artists who really inspire you?

A lot are inspirational. Some of my favorites are John Singer Sargent. I’ve always really admired Frida Khalo, and I could think of a bunch of classmates of mine from art school that are really great, too. So, a wide spectrum. I’m really inspired by a lot.

Where did you live before you came to Michigan?

I grew up in New Jersey, and then I went to Baltimore. I went to the Maryland Institute College of Art. Then I was teaching there at a high school for two years, and then I moved here, and I currently live in Troy.

If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be and why?

Organized because I love to organize and clean to an annoying point. Creative. I guess in finding creative solutions to interesting problems, coming up with creative lessons or maybe a lesson isn’t going as planned, so how can we change it up?

Probably a little bit of a perfectionist. It goes with organized, wanting to do my best and have the best lessons and doing things top-notch the best I can.

LIFE

T he

Clown

North Pointe – Wednesday, Oct. 26 – 5

Now being referred to as the “Great Clown Scare of 2016” by the New York Times, we take you under the big top for a look at the epidemic the media created OCT. 5: A Sterling Heights 9-year-old is allegedly cut by a clown, WLIX reports.

OCT. 26: Clown sightings continue to be reported around the U.S.

CRAZE

TODAY WLIX.COM

By Lindsey Ramsdell & Alex Harring

OCT. 14: The creator of the Clown Lives Matter Facebook page cancels march in Tuscon, Arizona after recieving anonomous death threats via social media, ABC writes.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & EDITOR

OCT. 1: Professional clown Jordan Jones (“Snuggles”) creates the hashtag #ClownLivesMatter on his Facebook page.

FACEBOOK.COM

1,000 SHARES ABCNEWS.COM

AUG. 29: First “creepy” clown is reported in the Carolinas. It is featured on Twitter Moments and reported about in Buzzfeed, New York Times and CNN.

USNEWS.COM

OCT. 2: A Twitter account dedicated to posting videos of clown sightings is created. Authenticity of videos not confirmed.

TWITTER.COM

OCT. 17: USA Today reports that Target will stop selling clown masks. The Facebook post recieves 4,500 reactions.

USATODAY.COM

Upcoming Florida Keys trip: Q & A with senior Christian Flannery North Pointe: What are you most looking forward to on the trip?

Chris Flannery: What I’m most looking forward to is probably the classes ... where we go on these big like kind of pontoon boat looking things where we go out to like reefs and we go scuba diving and snorkeling and we collect samples as well as carefully collecting any live specimens like lobsters or crabs starfish. It’s supposed to be really fun and I’m really looking forward to that the most because I really like animals.

NP: Is there anything else that you would like to do while you’re there? Like anything else that you’re doing that you’re excited for or that you can do in your free time?

CF: If I have free time I’d like to maybe ... just like go out into the Mangrove area, which we’re supposed to do that. Mangrove swamps (are) trees that grow in the salt water.The water recedes during the day and then comes up during the night and it’s really cool as well.

NP: So, why did you choose to go on this trip?

CF: It’s something I find very interesting as well as a passion that I have to learn about species in the ocean and what we can do to protect them and what we can do to learn more about them as well as, I’d like to go somewhere warm for winter break.

NP: What do you hope to learn on this trip?

CF: How to do my part in helping our oceans as well as conservation of other species as well as learning what to do and what not to do if you see a creature that seems out of place or in distress or ... when it is safe to go in the water and when it isn’t; what you should do in certain situations as well as just all the good memories I’d like to bring back as well.

NP: Are you considering a career in environmental science?

CF: Yes I’d actually like to major in it in college. I don’t know which college I’d like to go to yet. I’m starting out at Macomb. But I’d like to major in environmental science. Mr. Skowronski impacted me in that his class is like right up my alley. He really gets me involved in the class and as well as is an inspiration to me of what I can become.

NP: What kind of path would you want to take for a career in environmental science.

CF: I’d like to do conservation work. Maybe ... take numbers of how many animals are there. An example would be like up in Alaska, some people I know, they go up there every year to go count the salmon that spawn there as well as they take count how many bears are in the area and things like that.

NP: So how do you think the trip is going to prepare you for the career that you want to have?

CF: I feel like it’s gonna prepare me by giving me hands-on experience which will allow me to like learn from better than reading from a textbook saying: ‘if a lobster has gripped onto your thumb with its big claw, what should you do? And what should you not do?’ I feel like experiencing that would be better than reading a book about it, because when you experience something you learn a lot better than reading.

6 – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – North Pointe

IN-DEPTH

Testing the waters AP Environmental students hit Metro Beach to assess water quality, observe ecology KEEPING RECORD | Senior Adam Schade writes the test results on his paper. Students compared this year’s data to past years’ after the trip.

A CLOSER LOOK | Senior Molly Bunker examines a water sample. AP Environmental students traveled to Metro Beach to complete their annual testing there.

CLASS OUTSIDE | Senior Elisabeth Kassab records test results while other students perform experiments. Participants measured pH, turbidity, fecal coliform colonies, phosphates, nitrates and dissolved oxygen levels.

IN THE LIGHT OF DAY | Senior Lauren Miller holds a beaker up to the light.

The most noticeable change in data from past years was in turbidity.

IT TAKES TWO | Senior Lauren Archambeau hands off a bucket of water to senior Meghan Bessert. AP Environmental students did their tests on Friday, Oct. 7.

ERINNE LUBIENSKI

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

Living in such close contact with a large water body like Lake St. Clair, water quality is always a concern for community members. But for senior Shannon Gabriel, it wasn’t until after taking a trip down to Metro Beach with the AP Environmental class that she saw the extent to which poor water quality affects the ecosystem.

“We saw a bunch of frogs and birds and turtles and the data means more when you know what it’s affecting,” Gabriel said. “To be able to see the turtles and be like, ‘oh, look how cute they are,’ and then see the water quality, you can see that if the water is low you are going to be more apt to want to do something about it if you know that it’s affecting those cute turtles.”

For the past few years, the AP Environmental Science classes, led by science teacher Chris Skowronski, have been venturing to Metro Beach to test the water.

They spend time observing the surrounding ecosystem and also measuring factors such as pH, turbidity, fecal coliform colonies, phosphates, nitrates and dissolved oxygen.

“It’s like sports. One-hundred points in basketball is really, really good. Golf, not so good,” Skowronski said. “That’s how these tests are.

So, you have to look at each test individually and look at the trend, and see what’s good and what’s bad.”

Over the years, the data has shown a gently increasing trend in- nitrates and turbidity levels, which have negative impacts on the ecosystem. However, an increase in dissolved oxygen and a decrease in phosphates are positive improvements.

Dissolved oxygen refers to the level of unbonded oxygen suspended in water. All forms of aquatic life use it during respiration. Although the levels vary seasonally during temperature changes, generally higher levels are better because it supports more diverse aquatic life.

Depending on their size, fish and otherforms of aquatic life need different minimum levels of dissolved oxygen to survive.This year, the

AP Environmental classes measured a dissolved oxygen content of 5.6 parts per million, which is within the range that supports most fish and the ecosystem.

The decrease in phosphates was another positive change in the data.

Phosphates is a nutrient that is found in fertilizer runoff and human and animal waste. Plants and aquatic animals use it for growth, but high levels can lead to overgrowth of plants and bacteria and decreased oxygen availability. So, the decrease in phosphates could be connected to the increase in dissolved oxygen content.

The increase in turbidity was the most drastic change the students measured. It jumped from 1.25 Jackson Turbidity Units (JTU) in 2014, to 33 JTU in 2016. Turbidity measures the concentration of sediment and particles in water that cause it to appear hazy. This means that the water is much cloudier than it was in 2014.

“A day like today where it’s windy and cloudy outside, the water is just going to look different than if it was a calm day,” Skowronski said. “So, the turbidity numbers were higher than I expected and that particular day this year it was just a choppy day. So if it’s really choppy there’s going to be a lot of sediment and things stirred up. It doesn’t necessarily mean the lake is sick. It just means that it just needs some time to calm.”

In developing the research trip, Skowronski collaborated with David Szlag, an Environmental Science professor at Oakland University.

Szlag has been working with his students to develop and test a prototype for a system that provides results for E. coli content much quicker than the traditional testing method. The students are using the older method of testing to measure E.coli, but Szlag has still been assisting Skowronski for four years.

Szlag focuses on E. coli because it is a critical factor in water safety.

E. coli is a bacteria found in the human digestive tract and waste, but rare or absent in unpolluted water. E. coli poisoning can cause vomit-

ing, diarrhea, infections and other illnesses.

According to Szlag, the state sets a parameter for E. coli at 300 colonies per 100 mL, if the water exceeds this, then beaches will be closed. In Szlag’s experience, most beaches always meet this requirement, except after a heavy rainfall.

“When it rains, many beaches, and I would say almost most beaches might exceed that level,” Szlag said. “Even beaches in the Upper Peninsula that have no development, after it rains, what happens is the Canada geese, the gulls, the rain washes those feces into the water, and the old test—or our test—picks that up, and that can cause the E.coli levels to rise above that threshold of 3oo. So, in general, during dry weather, most of the beaches are safe.”

Skowronski’s students measured E. coli from a less complex standpoint. In samples of 100 milliliters of water, if there were at least 20 colonies of bacteria present, they recorded it as positive for E. coli.

Grosse Pointe also relies on a sewage system called Combined Sewage Overflow which contributes to high E. coli levels. This system merges the sewage wastewater from homes with stormwater drains.

Usually this runs right to a water plant to be treated before draining into the lake. However, after heavy rainfalls, it sometimes bypasses treatment plants and flows straight into the lake, causing spikes in bacteria levels in the lake.

Szlag, along with Gabriel, sees a visual connection between the data and environment. Poor water conditions, like algae overgrowth from high nitrates levels, creates an unappealing aesthetic. He says this can deter visitors from places like Metro Beach and Belle Isle that he says are often safe.

“Right up on the shore you have to walk through this en, decomposing muck. It’s a big turn off to people,” he said. “Metro Park is working on grooming the beach and maybe change the way of the flow to keep that lingea from washing up on the beach.”

AVERAGE CONTENT OF CONTAMINANTS AT METRO BEACH PER YEAR The AP Environmental students measured the same contaminants over the course of three years to maximize accuracy: nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform and pH. The water was positive for fecal coliform all three years and pH level only increased by 0.5.

LINDSEY RAMSDELL

IDEAS

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North Pointe – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – 7

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

By Lauren Sexton

TV Event

PHOTOGRAPHER

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

2 Event

ZOMBIE PAINTBALL HAYRIDE

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The two-hour special of the cult classic aired on Oct. 20 on FOX. The remake stars Laverne Cox ("Orange is the New Black") as iconic Dr. FrankN-Furter and Adam Lambert as Eddie. Directed by Kenny Ortega, the TV movie is rated TV-14.

Blake’s latest addition to their Halloween line up is a Zombie Paintball Safari.

Tickets start at $19.95, for more information check app.hauntpay.com/events/ zombie-paintball-hayride.

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Events

WESTVIEW ORCHARDS

WESTVIEWORCHARDS FACEBOOK

Before October fades into November, travel to Westview Orchards.

Get homemade apple cider with cinnamon donuts and pick up some apples and pumpkins, too. For times and activities, check www. westvieworchards.com/.

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Event

WWW.CEDARPOINT.COM

HALLOWEEKENDS

Celebrating 20 years of Halloweekends, this Cedar Point tradition has something for every age — from scary houses to fun rides.

For tickets, go to www.cedarpoint.com.

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Radio

SIRIUSXM SCREAM

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WWW.SIMPSONSWORLD.COM

To celebrate 600 episodes of the Fox series The Simpsons, FXX will show every Treehouse of Horror episode ever made — from Matt Groening’s version of “The TV Show Raven” to “The Hunger Games.” Homer, THE SIMPSONS: Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will air TREEHOUSE OF Oct. 26 through the 27, just in time for HORROR MARATHON Halloween. Check local listings for times.

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Event

TERROR ON TILLSON STREET

Trying to find the perfect Halloween music station? Check out SiriusXM. Its annual Halloween SCREAM is a great place to stream Halloween classics. Streaming starts Oct. 28. Go to www.siriusxm.com for more info.

WWW.TERRORONTILLSON.COM

Located in the heart of Romeo, each home on Tillson Street is turned into its own personal haunted house.

From clown horror houses to insane asylums, this neighborhood pulls all the stops. Check out www.terrorontillson.com/ for more information.

SIRIUSXM YOUTUBE

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Event

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13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN FACEBOOK

Newly rebranded ABC Family may be called Freeform, but at least it has kept its beloved 13 Nights of Halloween Specials. The station TV Station shows a variety of movies from 13 NIGHTS OF “Hocus Pocus” to “Casper.” Check HALLOWEEN: local listings for movies and times.

FREEFORM

EDITOR'S DESK MORA DOWNS

HALLOWEEN IN GREENFIELD VILLAGE WW W.T HEH ENR YFO

See over a thousand carved pumpkins and people decked out in creative costumes at Greenfield Village.

This event is fun for all ages. Check out www.thehenryford.org for more information about tickets, days and times.

Concerning comments create commotion

Dear Mr. Trump, You can run for president. You can spout incorrect facts on a constant basis and pretend you’re telling the truth. But you can’t do the “anything” you mentioned in the recordings leaked from 2005.

Your vulgar comments about women have caused quite an uproar.

Many Republicans have withdrawn their support, and countless women are accusing you of sexual assault. Let’s just say October hasn’t been your month.

However, you don’t seem to realize the implication of your actions. The drama unfolding in the news is doing more than just tarnishing your reputation. It shows others that they, too, can get away with sexual harassment if they have money and power.

We live in a world where victims are too afraid to accuse their attackers for fear of being judged or ignored. Every two minutes, an American

RD.ORG

is sexually assaulted according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. During the span of just one debate, that’s 45 people. This isn’t just “locker room talk.”

Bragging about sexual assault is inexcusable. By thinking you can do whatever you want because you are a star, you have added to the staggering number of sexual assault victims in the United States.

This is no longer about politics. It’s about the continued abuse of women throughout history.

As evolved as we like to believe we are, prejudice and discrimination are still rampant in our society. Although you may not experience it, Mr. Trump, it’s still there.

By making disparaging comments about the appearances of women that you don’t like and boasting about harassing women, you not only admit that you contribute to the problem, you set a poor example for young men.

Boys look up to men that are powerful and influential. You are both.

The malleable minds of my generation are shaped by what we are told.

When the Republican nominee dismisses derogatory comments he once made, people begin to think that the comments are acceptable.

Sexual harassment should not be commonplace at work, as your son suggests. It is not a social norm. It is not just something people should just learn to live with. Its effects span further than just the attacker’s damaged reputation.

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WWW.DISNEY.COM

A classic favorite for anyone, this event shows classic TV Halloween specials like "Kim Possible" and "Suite Life TV Station of Zack and Cody" and MONSTOBER: DIS- Disney Channel movies NEY CHANNEL like "Halloweentown."

Check your local listings for times and shows.

Approximately 94 percent of women experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder within two weeks of being raped, and 30 percent of women still experience these symptoms nine months later (www.rainn. org). Women who have been raped are more likely to contemplate and attempt suicide or turn to drugs.

You can’t do anything you want with women because you’re famous, Mr. Trump. These are real people who experience the aftermath of the assault while you brag about it.

Whether every accuser is honest or not, your recorded words are available for anyone to listen. You can’t backtrack. You can’t deny it. As someone who claims to have the upmost respect for women, you have insulted your wife, ex-wives, daughters, granddaughters, voters, colleagues and every other woman. Your words mean nothing if your actions contradict it.

I think you can use this time to better yourself, Mr. Trump. Remember how you claimed your stardom allowed you to do whatever you want to women? Well it’s this same stardom which makes everything you say relevant to the public. If you truly want to be president, you cannot continue to make offensive remarks. You could use your public platform to craft a meaningful apology for the mistakes you have made and work to rectify them.

You cannot change the person you were in the past. However, you can strive to become a better man now. Then maybe you can be deserving of the respect of the American people.

REVIEWS

8 - Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – North Pointe

with the intense subjects that she sings about.

But, somehow, it just works.

Along with Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” and Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book,” Knowles helps to contribute to the growing soundtrack of the Black Lives Matter movement. Soulful anthem “For Us By Us” boasts a refreshing sense of belonging and acceptance within the AfricanAmerican community.

The work is filled with self-empowerment and healing, as with the track “Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)” where Solange displays an internal battle as she tries to balance involving herself in world affairs while taking care of her personal well being. The upbeat, funk filled “Junie” collaborates with hip-hop legend Andre 3000 and reminds listeners, “Don’t let them steal your magic.”

In the unapologetically confident and smooth tracks “Don’t Touch My Hair,” “Cranes in the Sky” and “Mad,” Solange tackles the views of African-Americans in society, addressing how to get past labels and stereotypes.

Solange’s experiences aren’t the only ones heard in the album. Listeners are taken through her fluid vocals accompanied by nine insightful interludes, seven of which are narrated by rapper and Solange’s close friend Master P. Two. Other narrative tracks feature her parents, Tina and Matthew Knowles, who gift the album with wise anecdotes.

In “Interlude: Dad Was Mad,” Matthew Knowles recounts his harsh experienc-

By Katie Thomas INTERN

In her third album, “A Seat at the Table,” Solange Knowles offers an insight into the experience of being black in America.

The 21-track R&B album documents the hardships, healing and empowerment of both Solange personally and African-Americans throughout history. Her previous albums “Solo Star,” “Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams” and EP “True” garnered recognition, but this socially awakening work has given Solange a number one spot on the charts.

Solange may be sister of musical royalty, Beyoncé, but from the first track of the album, the singer makes it clear that comparisons to her sister are invalid. The only similarities between the siblings latest works are their general messages of self-love, female and African-American empowerment.

Fortunately, there are two separate seats at this table for the Knowles sisters in the music industry.

“A Seat at the Table” has a complex versatility—a work that can be blasted at midnight, with songs such as “Mad” or “F.U.B.U,” or as background music on a Sunday morning cruise down Lakeshore Road, with songs such as “Scales” or “Don’t Wish Me Well.”

Anyone wanting to listen to more thought-provoking music is also granted just that. The singer excels lyrically and never fails to express her personal experiences in the most effective ways. Vocally, Solange’s serene and gentle voice contrasts

es such as being one of the first black children integrated into an all-white school in the 60s. Tina Knowles reminds listeners of the beauty in being black and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement in the “Interlude: Tina Taught Me.” In the Master P interludes, beginning with “Interlude: The Glory is In You, ending the album with “Closing: The Chosen Ones,” the rapper retells his most significant life lessons. Master P touches on the importance of seeing the beauty of a culture and praises the strength kept through hardships endured by African-Americans, ending with the powerful “We came here as slaves, but we goin’ out as royalty.”

Solange isn’t vocally breathtaking. But her audibly raw passion, truthful lyrics and overall soulful composition make up for any areas where she lacks. “A Seat at the Table” is a work that goes beyond music—an album that should be engraved into society for long after release.

Everyone should take a seat at Solange’s table

“A Seat at the Table” Solange Knowles, 2016 Available for $10.99

WWW.SOLANGEMUSIC.COM

TV SHOW

APP

TV SHOW

ALBUM

GOLD RUSH

MAXIMUM CAR

PITCH

OH MY MY

From the channel that made “Mythbusters” popular, Discovery has had yet another hit in “Gold Rush.” This show has aired on Fridays at nine for seven seaWWW.TVGUIDE.COM sons now, and as each miner’s goals grow, so does the viewership.

This reality show focuses on the mining careers of Parker Schnabel, Todd Hoffman, and Tony Beets. Their hard work and tough working conditions are captured by the film crew and their actions are told by the narrator, Paul Christie. Rock trucks, heavy machinery and mishaps mixed with luck and their passion to strike it rich is what makes this entertaining to young and middle-aged adults.

With each episode having its own problem for each miner whether it’s Beets’ dredge not functioning, the Hoffmans’ wash plant breaking down or Parker not treating his crew properly, the drama paired with the workers’ grit to get the job done is what makes the audience feel like they’re mining alongside the cast.

Season seven starts out with Beets adding another dredge to his arsenal, with the bigger goal of wanting to bring the dead art of dredging back to life. Schnabel finds himself without his grandfather for the first time in mining career, but with a new wash plant. The Hoffman crew took a gamble and moved their operation from the Klondike to Oregon, in the hope of finding massive gold nuggets.

The show always touches on that part of their careers and in episodes like that it undermines the importance of focusing on the plan for that season and executing it.

For anyone that likes to see sweat and metal working together in rough areas, “Gold Rush” is the show to watch.

Although in the course of the show, the seasons don’t change much, the way the miners’ actions are captured during each season and the miners’ future prospects makes the show appealing to a mature audience. The viewers end up holding their excitement each week as they prepare themselves for the suspense in each new episode.

“Maximum Car” is a street-racing game out of its time.

Dominated by blocky graphic design and headbanger background music, the game feels like it ITUNES.APPLE.COM should be on an arcade machine, not smartphones and tablets. It even features a funny commentator that sounds like he came straight out of an arcade.

In the game, the player races computer opponents through 100 levels spread over five worlds.

As in every racing game, the goal is to win.

In addition to this, each world also assigns a second objective to complete within its levels.

These challenges can range from having so many near misses with other cars to travelling distances in oncoming traffic. As players progress through the world’s 20 levels, the challenges’ magnitudes increase.

In terms of control, the player can turn the car left and right, speed it up (with a boost that can be used several times a race) and shoot missiles at opponents.

While these features make the gameplay fun, they also make the racing aspect of the game far too easy. Without the challenge of the secondary objective, the game would soon become boring.

One problem the creators did not address is that the game is too complicated. After just a few races, the device running the game starts to heat up.

Perhaps this is why players are limited in the number of races in which they can compete.

To take part in each race, the player must pay one race gem. After the initial supply of gems runs out, the player can either wait four hours or watch an ad for three more. It’s also possible to pay for more gems or simply play the game’s endless mode, wherein the goal is to pass as many opponents as possible.

Another drawback to the game is that the level design is poor. Every level is flat, so the only difference between any two is where the turns are. And while the five different worlds help to break from the monotony, it isn’t enough to individualize each level.

However, in the end, these are only minor issues, and “Maximum Car” remains an entertaining and captivating game.

Females in the major leagues? Possible, yet not highly conventional.

From movies like “Field of Dreams” and “The Sandlot,” men in baseball have been WWW.FOX.COM praised for so many years. There has yet to be a show that focuses on women in sports, let alone a female flourishing as a professional baseball player.

With a plot like this one, the show could be a swing or miss. However, a strong cast consisting of real athletes balanced with a compelling plot, Fox’s new show often brings a new outlook on women in sports along with a captivating aspect that television seems to be lacking.

The show is centered around Ginny Baker, a young female pitcher snagged from the minors and brought onto the San Diego Padres.

Her presence is one that inspires young female athletes and makes her the talk of the nation.

From interviews with Jimmy Fallon to appearances on the “Bleacher Report,” Baker grabs the attention of Hollywood stars as she embarks on her journey to success.

She also encounters many obstacles as a young woman playing in a league of audacious seed-spitting studs. From struggling at the mound when making her major league debut to trying to earn respect from her teammates— these are anticipated hardships the viewer can see coming. As great as the story line is, it’s almost too good.

There’s catcher Mike Lawson with the Duck Dynasty-esque beard and poor knees and high-strung agent Ameilia Slater who hinders Baker’s actions for the matter of keeping her high profile. These types of characters appear throughout television all the time.

One would think that with a game-changing plot like this, producer Dan Fogelman would stay away from typical baseball player cliches.

Despite the upsetting banality of most of the characters, “Pitch” is a home run. Baker overcomes the oppression of her teammates and evolves into a strong pitcher for the Padres.

It is in plots like these where a change-up in TV is necessary. Even in “Ballers” and “Friday Night Lights,” nobody has yet to see a show where a woman takes on a different role in professional sports.

“Pitch” brings that intensity, and in the process, creates a new outlook on America’s favorite pastime.

Gold Rush; 2016, DISCOVERY; TV-PG

Maximum Car; 2016; ANCIENT GAMES D.S.; Available for Apple and Android

“Pitch”; FOX; 2016; TV-14

“Oh My My”; One Republic; 2016; 60 minutes Available on iTunes

By Sonny Mulpuri

By Billy Moin

By Anna Post

By Syeda Rizvi

ITUNES.APPLE.COM

Fans of OneRepublic have been anxiously waiting for the band’s new album to be released. “Oh My My,” OneRepublic’s fourth studio album, was officially

released Oct. 7.

So far, the album has been a success.

It’s first official single “Wherever I Go” successfully reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July.

Currently, the band consists of five members: Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Eddie Fisher and Brent Kutzle. They have been working together to produce an album that goes in a different direction from their normal style.

“Oh My My” features 16 songs. OneRepublic has been working hard to produce an extensive list of songs in such a short time.

Their album includes a wide variety of instruments such as guitars, piano and drums.

It also includes electronic music, which the band is not normally associated with, but now it has become a frequent sound.

“Let’s Hurt Tonight,” the first song in their album, is a great introduction to the latter tracks. It starts off slow, with the singers accompanied by only an acoustic guitar. Two of their songs from the middle of the album, “Wherever I Go” and “All These Things” are similar to other songs the band has produced, like “Love Runs Out” and “Preacher.”

But the last song in their album, titled “Heaven,” ends the album with a different pace than it started with. “Heaven” is a generally bouncy song, which brings the entire album together.

The band plans to go on a tour for “Oh My My” in 2017, but it is not yet released to the media how long they will be going on tour for.

“Oh My My” is a positive change from OneRepublic’s previous albums, but is still as exuberant as the rest. The album includes a variety of different genres which can be suitable for almost any type of music junkie.

EDITORIAL

“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.”

North Pointe - Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 - 9

Caught between a vacation and a hard place

Talking heads, silent keyboards

BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY Lindsey Ramsdell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mora Downs MANAGING EDITOR

Billy Moin MANAGING EDITOR

Ritika Sannikommu EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Alex Harring ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

Gowri Yerramalli BUSINESS MANGER

Caitlin Bush NEWS EDITOR

Abbey Cadieux IDEAS EDITOR

Anna Post SPORTS EDITOR

Katelynn Mulder ASSISTANT EDITOR

Sonny Mulpuri DIGITAL 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.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Lindsey Ramsdell

LINDSEY RAMSDELL

MANAGING EDITORS: Mora Downs, Billy Moin

OUR EDITORIAL

EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Ritika Sanikommu ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Alex Harring DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Brock BUSINESS MANAGER: Gowri Yerramalli SECTION EDITORS: Josie Bennett, Caitlin Bush, Abbey Cadieux, Anna Post DIGITAL EDITORS: Erin Kaled, Sonny Mulpuri, Sarah Wietecha ASSISTANT EDITORS: Allison Lackner, Trevor Mieczkowski, Katelynn Mulder, Montana Paton, Michal Ruprecht, Billy Steigelman, Tommy Teftsis PHOTOGRAPHERS: Veronica Albo, Bella DeSandy, Nicole Fazekas, Marina Gabriel, Katie Link, Erinne Lubienski, Rachel Malinowski, Alyssa McLarty, Lauren Sexton, Nya Tatum, Kennedy Williams STAFF REPORTERS: Dajai Chatman, Darcy Graham, Bella Lawson, Nathan Lonczynski, Giuseppe Parison, Asia Simmons, Addison Toutant INTERNS: Rory Angott, Amber Braker, Sofia Ketels, Lyndsay Kluge, Syeda Rizvi, Tarun Sanikommu, Jacqueline Squillace, Katie Thomas 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.

Comments should be directed to the student editors, who make all final content decisions. The views expressed are solely those of the authors or the student editorial board and do not reflect the opinions of the Grosse Pointe Public School System.

We are a member of the Michigan Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Student Press Law Center.

We subscribe to McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and iStockphoto.com.

One copy is available free to all community members. Additional copies may be purchased. Our editorial policy and advertising rates are available online at northpointenow.org.

The North Pointe is printed on 100% recycled paper.

As high school students, we already have to deal with the pressure of homework, rigorous classes, hours of standardized testing and completing college applications. The only thing that keeps us trekking through month after month of the same schedule and heavy workloads is the promise of an approaching break.

Breaks give students much needed rest and relaxation and endurance to continue through the year. Without them, the days seem to merge into one long, indecipherable stretch of school, homework and sleep.

This is why it is crucial to keep the current breaks intact.

As the number of state-mandated school days is increased by five, the possibility of losing midwinter break is looking more like a reality.

This five-day respite comes at an important time of the year. Students need the time to unwind after stressful midterm testing and the end of the third quarter. It provides students the chance to catch up on sleep and maybe even get away from the bleak Michigan winter weather.

We feel we speak for the student body when we say it’s not only something we don’t want, but it’s something that could be detrimental to our mental state as well. The Michigan Department of Education is adding time to the school year, and we’re left wondering why.

Do these extra five days really make a difference? We question if that extra week is really enough time to make a noticeable difference in our academic achievement.

Five days isn’t long enough to teach another unit. It gives students a few more hours in each class to review material, but not enough to outweigh time we already have to do that at home.

By forcing the extra five days in place of

a midwinter break, the Grosse Pointe Board of Education is disappointing the students who have come to expect a vacation in February and creating a divide between them. These days have to be added somewhere, and whatever route the School Board chooses to take will be met with opposition from unamused students, putting the Board between a rock and a hard place.

Especially with School Board elections next month, the new members on the Board will start off their terms on a negative note.

It is unfair to students to suddenly take away a break, and it is also unfair to ask a newly instated Board to force this upon them.

With that being said, the Editorial Board would like to propose alternative plans to removing midwinter break for the Grosse Pointe School Board to consider. Although removing midwinter break is an easy fix, it isn’t the best option for the school system.

We should be looking at filling the days in other ways throughout the year. A couple of days could be tacked on to the end of the year or a couple of minutes could be added to each class. Even shortening late start Mondays, or ditching them altogether would be less noticeable than taking away an entire break and less likely to cause distress among students.

The extra five days is an unnecessary decree, and for more reasons than one.

We aren’t just looking at it from a student perspective. Teachers use that time to grade. Parents plan vacations while college students are still in school. The Board of Education has a hard enough time making the current calendar work. The community expects a break. However unnecessary these days are, they are required, and the option that causes the least disruption would not be to take away midwinter break.

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

MY TURN GUISEPPE PARISON

“Carving pumpkins with our family and helping my mom make our costumes.”

“Going with my family to my granddad’s and talking about memories and geting candy.”

“Heating up the frozen sugar cookies from Kroger and decorating them for the holiday.”

Samantha Bastien

Kristion Martin-Turner

Nora Smith

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

YOUR TURN: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

By Katie Link PHOTOGRAPHER

“Since before I was born, my parents have been going to a cider mill out by Belleville.

We’ve been going almost every year since I was a baby.”

Joey Cobau SENIOR

“When my neice and nephew dress up, and I get to see how much they enjoy it and go out and collect candy.”

“Requesting all unwanted candy to be dropped off in room B-307 starting Nov. 1.”

Andrew Pola

Allison Dunn

SCIENCE TEACHER

ENGLISH TEACHER

Amidst a searing political climate of perpetual scandals and never-ending accusations, amidst the reams of media fluff pieces and defamatory exposé specials that would no doubt deforest half the American Northwest if printed rather than spoken, amidst talking heads with impeccable, plastic smiles and lines of partially relating text drifting from right to left below them, one begins to lose oneself in the muck of the media’s coverage of the 2016 election.

This is the difficulty with mainstream media, a well-established and heavily aged facet of Americana. Weather it is listening to Cronkite recite the evening news half a century ago or any one of the multiple news anchors-turnedcelebrities today, the main source of news consumption since the invention of the radio and television has been a talking head or disembodied voice relaying information.

This was fine in the natal stages of this industry. Stations were sparse and media personalities sparser.

The problem arose when technology advanced and more stations became available. This meant stations had to compete. The objective news had to become subjectively entertaining. Newscasters started having their own specials and voiced their opinions. Ideals drifted, and so did people.

Now the majority of mainstream news media, our main source for honest and respectable journalism, is biased. The conservative-leaning FOX news channel or the liberal-leaning Cable News Network, otherwise known as CNN, are two of the most watched news channels in the country, and both skew their content to favor a certain political agenda.

This is extremely evident when looking at simple logistics: CNN shows more defaming content of Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton, and Fox shows more defaming content of Clinton than Trump.

Both stations even attempt to do damage control when their candidate does something unsightly.

This is a dangerous precedent. It means the public has the ability to perpetuate their confirmation bias by having the easy ability to watch a station that aligns with their presumptions. These echo chambers create delusions and ultimately creates a grossly misinformed public.

However, all of us have the ability to choose. Choose not to fall victim to what we find comfortable and support our own ideals with swayed information while ignoring others. Choose to be as informed as we possibly can be. Choose to truly exercise our right to the freedom of information. This applies to our generation in particular.

For the majority of the era of electronic-based news media, we were limited to a talking head relaying information—a static entity that could not be influenced. Now, things have changed.

We reside in the information age, the age of the internet. An age where libraries of knowledge rest at our fingertips, with millions of websites to traverse, and a large portion of these sites specialize in journalism.

This is a revolution in thought.

Never before have we had information so readily available. And our generation, the most well equipped for this new era, is at the forefront of this age. We have the power to be as informed and unbiased as we choose to be. It is just a matter of choosing: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

With this immense gift given, do you choose to go forth and use it to form your own opinions from the billions of others? Or do you simply reserve yourself to be the extended soapbox of your parents’ opinions and whatever talking heads could very well reside with them?

The wonderful thing about being able to forge your own path is the ability to choose. So don’t choose a path that restricts that choice for the sake of convenience.

10 – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – North Pointe

FEATURE

Election 101 Everything you need to know about the candidates for Nov. 8

By Abbey Cadieux, Trevor Mieczkowski & Katelynn Mulder EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITORS

HILLARY CLINTON

DONALD TRUMP

BORN: Oct. 26, 1947 (69 years old) PARTY: Democrat OCCUPATION(S): Politician, diplomat, lawyer, author, spokesperson RUNNING MATE: Tim Kaine

BORN: June 14, 1946 (70 years old) PARTY: Republican OCCUPATION(S): Businessperson, entrepreneur, TV personality, television producer, investor RUNNING MATE: Mike Pence

ON THE ISSUES:

ON THE ISSUES:

Immigration: “We need comprehensive immigration reform with a path to full and equal citizenship.”

Immigration: “I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me — and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

Gun control: “33,000 Americans a year die [from guns].

It is time for us to say we are going to have comprehensive background checks, we are going to close the gun-show loopholes.”

Gun control: Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried.”

Abortion: “You go back to a position like they had where they would perhaps go to illegal places ... But you have to ban it.”

Abortion: “I believe we need to protect access to safe and legal abortion, not just in principle but in practice.”

PHOTOS FROM CANDIDATES’ OFFICIAL FLICKR.COM ACCOUNTS

CLINTON TIMELINE March 2, 2015

April 12, 2015

July 24, 2015

The New York Emails are invesTimes reports that Clinton announces tigated by the State Clinton used a her campaign Department to see private email server whether classified during her time as information was comSecretary of State. promised in Clinton’s private email

March 16, 2016

September 26, 2016

October 4, 2016

WikiLeaks make an archive of over 30,000 Clinton emails

First presidential debate

Vice presidential debate

October 19, 2016

October 9, 2016

Second presidential debate

Third presidential debate

TRUMP TIMELINE June 16, 2015

December 7, 2015

Donald Trump Trump wants announces that he to ban all Muslim will run for president. travel to the U.S.

May 20, 2016 Trump earns the endorsement of the NRA.

July 21, 2016 Trump accepts the Republican nomination.

September 26, 2016 First presidential debate

With the ads, parodies and debates, first-time voters have many opportunities to learn about the candidates. But what they may not realize is that this election is different than any other.

Before, the debates had much more policy talk and less tactical insults with the candidates acting a little more civil than Trump and Clinton. But most importantly, a candidate has never before hinted at the possibility of them rejecting the results and thus the system of democracy that created them, social studies teacher Barry Mulso said.

Mulso sees a presidential power change as a peaceful matter. If Trump were to contest in court, which Mulso thinks is a civil way of protesting the election results, people would still think he is taking it too far. He compares Trump taking the matter to court to when George Washington refused to run for reelection for a third term.

“If he decides to contest it in the courts which would be one way he could certainly do it ... (people would say that) he’s blown a dog whistle that only certain people are going to hear,” Mulso said. “Ever since Washington said eight years is enough for man and he steps aside and John Adams assumes the presidency ... you know that’s what you’re supposed to do. At the time, it was unprecedented. There was no civil war afterwards, no riots in the streets. Business went on. That tradition of American presidency, passing on the power, passing on to the next administration, brings leadership in the country, and we haven’t seen anybody really threaten that till 240 years. It’s a big deal.”

Hostility among parties is nothing new, but divisions within parties haven’t been seen since Sen. Barry Goldwater won the Republican nomination in 1964, according to Pew Research Center. Some Republicans aren’t hopping aboard the “Trump Train,” and some Democrats and avid Bernie Sand-

October 4, 2016 Vice presidential debate

October 8, 2016

October 9, 2016 October 19, 2016

Tapes revealed Trump vulgarly speaking about women and touching them.

Second presidential debate

Third presidential debate

ers supporters won’t be “with her” on election day either, Eastside Republican Club chairman Ken Chadwell says.

Chadwell also sees the candidates as exact opposites. He says that Clinton wants to continue what the Obama Administration began while Trump hopes to mix things up.

“I think this election actually has shown more contention within the parties rather than between the parties,” he said via email. “The Bernie supporters have no love for Hillary especially after it became known the primary was rigged by the party elites to help her win. On the other hand, Trump belittled and ridiculed his competition through name-calling to win. The end result was the Democrats ended up with the ultimate ‘establishment’ candidate and the Republicans got the ultimate ‘anti-establishment’ candidate. Hillary promises to stay the course of the Obama administration and Trump promises to shake up Washington, D.C.” Trump’s strategy is not something that is entirely new, however. Mulso notes that similar candidates from the past utilized the same kind of tactics to grow their fanbase. The supporters are influenced by strong emotional and ethical appeals—often playing on feelings of dissatisfaction.

“The way you dislodge those Washington insiders is to make them look bad. You rile up the base that’s dissatisfied with the way things are. You just keep reminding them on how dissatisfied they are, and then you blame it on the Washington insiders,” Mulso said. “The system really kind of reasserts itself because it’s set up that way. It’s set up for slow change. You know, radical change just doesn’t happen that readily, and it’s supposed to be that way.”

Contributing: Syeda Rizvi

SPORTS

North Pointe – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 - 11

SPORTS COLUMN ANNA POST

Rules are rules

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JARED JORDAN

TAKING NAMES | Senior Jared Jordan rushes towards the end zone against Sterling Heights on Oct. 7. Jordan expressed how beating the school record will benefit him during the recruitment process. “It has already helped with recruiting I’ve had a couple schools call my parents or me and coach about it so it’s really helped me,” Jordan said.

A GROUP EFFORT | Jared Jordan runs down the field with his teammates. He believed that the offensive line deserved just as much credit as him.

Breaking new ground Senior running back Jared Jordan surpasses old school record by 21 yards

By Caitlin Bush & Allison Lackner EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITOR

Records aren’t broken at North very often. Most of though he is super good.” those posted in the gym are quite old. Running back Jordan never expected to break a record during his Jared Jordan broke the record for rushing yards in a time at North. When he began football, the most imsingle game. portant thing to him was winning, especially winAnd he didn’t just break it. ning the state championship. Breaking this record He smashed it—by 21 yards. opened doors for his future.

The standing record, set in 2009 by Tommy Wat“My dream has always been to play in the NFL, kins was 320 yards. During the game against Sterling but I know how hard it is,” Jordan said. “I know I’m Heights High School on Oct. 7, Jordan, rushed 341. going to play in college. I’ll play for four years, and He relied on his team to get the ball to him and whatever happens after college happens.” said he could have never done it without the help of Coach Frank Sumbera sees the leadership, skill the offensive line. and dedication Jordan has for football and knows it “With my position, you get yards every time you makes a good impression on other team members, as get the ball, and at the end of the game, they totalled well. No matter who is on the team, Sumbera expects all the yards up you get in one game,” Jordan said. high standards from everyone.

“At the end of the game, I ended up getting 341, so “He does a great job with leadership, and he shows that was just the total from that game.” by example because he blocks and definitely runs the Jordan appreciates his teamball hard,” Sumbera said. “He has mates and describes them as supa lot of skill, and he listens and portive and encouraging. They all the offense totally.

I wish that instead of understands celebrated with him after he broke He is just a very good high school the record. player.” it just saying my name, football His name will be displayed on Jordan has participated in tackle the football record board. And it would say something football since he was five, so it has while he is excited to be recogbeen a huge part of his life. nized, Jordan wishes he could give like ‘Jared Jordan and the “If I had to pick one word (to dehis teammates the same acknowlscribe my experience), it would be offensive line’. I could unbelievable, because all of the stuff edgment, too.

“I actually wish that instead of I have been through,” Jordan said. it just saying my name, it would not have accomplished Jordan has had a lot of individusay something like ‘Jared Jordan al success as a running back for that without them. and the offensive line,’” he said. “I North, but the greatest moment in Jared Jordan could not have accomplished that his career was beating South High SENIOR without them, so they deserve as School his senior year. much credit as I am getting.”

“It was probably the best moOffensive lineman Ryan Doss ment of my life,” Jordan said. was impressed when Jordan broke the record and Sumbera said that Jordan will be missed when he thinks Jordan is a great leader on the team who is off at college. Jordan will take the hard-working brings his hard-working attitude to the field. attitude wherever he goes next on the field.

“It’s rare for a running back to give credit to their “I feel like my freshman year just started, offensive line because we never really get credit. and now that I am a senior, and I just played my We are just extra,” Doss said. “Me and my offensive last home game,” Jordan said. “It’s pretty emoline block him every play, which is a big help, even tional, but it’s exciting to start a new chapter.”

“

“

UNSTOPPABLE | Sterling Heights’ linebacker Joseph Davis fails to stop senior Jared Jordan sprinting down the field. Breaking the rushing record has been a goal of Jordan’s.

Nothing is better than winning an important match. Everyone is working together, and there’s a positive energy that flows through the whole team during that game.

Achieving success brings indescribable feeling. After putting in work at practice and in the regular season, these successes embody what drives an athlete.

After all of the dedication and hard work throughout the season, imagine getting everything your team worked for stripped away all because a rule was violated.

We see problems like this occur ring throughout sports regularly. Whether it’s halfway across the country or on our own turf, mistakes happen.

Look at the multiple punishments Arizona State University’s (ASU) baseball program faced in 2010. It was brought to the program’s attention that they had seven major violations and two secondary violations from 200409. Although ASU had violated NCAA rules in previous years, the new violations weren’t brought to their attention until years after the initial misbehaviors.

But hey, rules are rules. Right? The penalties the program faced are endless, including a reduction in baseball grants for one year and putting the team on three years of probation (2010-13). ASU said it was unaware it had violated any rules. But ignorance is no excuse.

Every athlete must abide by specific rules, whether they like it or not. It doesn’t matter if you are an Olympic icon or a high school athlete.

All rules—no matter how big or small—matter.

This includes what happened with the girls soccer team last spring. Because they played one more game than regulations allow, they found themselves stripped of their district title and are bar red from districts this year. Rules are rules.

But it’s not fair that all North teams are taking the penalty. As an athlete myself, this issue not only affects the girls soccer team. It affects me, too. Not only is the girls soccer team prohibited from competing in districts this year, but all North teams playing under the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) are prohibited from hosting a district match for own year.

I remember the feeling of winning a regional title for the first time in seven years with the volleyball team last season. To be in the spotlight and represent our school is something I will cherish forever. I could never imagine the feeling of an accolade like that being taken away because of one violation in the rule book.

Now don’t think I’m pointing a finger at anyone because no singular person is at fault.

Nobody purposely decided to surpass the maximum number of games played in the regular season. No one in the soccer program knew that they were violating the rule beforehand, and it’s not a blame game now.

The take-away is that MHSAA’s decision trumps all, so we might as well familiarize ourselves with the rules so there aren’t any more situations like the one our athletic department is cur rently in.

Just like you wouldn’t drive a car if you didn’t know the speed limit, you shouldn’t play the game if you don’t know the rules.

RUNNING IT BACK | Jared Jordan rushing past Davis. Jordan credits his coaches who have helped him throughout the years. “My coaches always push me to be the best that I can because they see the potential I have and they know I am a hard worker so they reward me with giving me the ball,” Jordan said.

12 – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016 – North Pointe

SPORTS

Rally to the end Boys tennis team advances to 20th straight state tournament

SONNY MULPURI

By Tommy Teftsis ASSISTANT EDITOR

Twenty years ago was the first time the tennis team has not made it to state.

The boys tennis team has emerged victorious from regionals, placing eighth out of 20 teams at states.

Every team in the region qualifies for regionals, and after the points are counted, the two teams with the highest points advance to states. At the tournaments, points are counted by the number of rounds that each flight wins.

There’s first round, second round, quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals, and a point is awarded for every round won. About 50 percent of the team won their flights in the regional tournament, and then North came out on top along with U of D to advance to the states tournament.

In the singles lineup at states, senior Max Stallings surpassed his expectations and went further in the tournament than he ever had. Stallings had a bye his first round, won his second and lost to the number one seed, Varun Shanker from Midland Dow, in the quarterfinals and ended up winning his flight.

Since Stallings aspires to play tennis in college, he was not intimidated by playing the one seed.

“I figured it would probably be my last match, so I said screw it, and I went for it,” Stallings said of the match against Shanker. “I almost beat him in the first set, so he was

thrown off and shaking. The first set was 7-6.”

Aside from team members improving in the tournament, the two seed doubles partners, Ben Zacharias and Jack Williams ended their 27-3 record with doing something that no Norsemen has ever done in tennis.

The seniors reached the state finals versus H.H. Midland Dow. The first round they had a bye, then in the second round they beat Birmingham Groves in two sets with a score of 6-3, 6-1. Then, they played Forest Hills Central in the semi-finals and won in three sets with a last set score of 7-5.

“It was at Hope College, so there were a lot of people in the stands behind us, it was crazy,” Zacharias said. “It was extremely close and then we were really pumped to make it to the finals.”

In the finals, Zacharias and Williams faced Midland Dow’s for an intense matchup. In the first set, Dow came out and won 5-7. In the second set, the duo held on and beat Dow to split the first two sets.

“We saved five missed points,” Zacharias said. “Every time they had a match point, we would get the point, and it was win-by-two, so it was five times that we saved it.”

In the tie breaking match, the boys were unable to finish their rivals with a loss of 6-4.

MAX STALLINGS “It was extremely close, but they just edged us out,” Zacharias said. “I DETERMINED | Senior Max Stallings strikes the ball during a match in the Division II State Tournament at Hope Colthink this was probably the best we lege. “I did better this year. I had a bye my first round,” Stallings said. “I won my second round and I played the guy I lost to in quarter finals.” placed in the last five years.”

EMILGY BROUWER

AIM HIGH | Senior Jack Williams hits a serve during the semi-finals that the duo won in three sets. Zacharias and Williams were the second seed and played Forest Hills Central, the third seed, in the semi-finals.

EMILGY BROUWER

DOUBLE TROUBLE| Senior Ben Zacharias serves the ball during the number one doubles semi-finals against Forest Hills Central. “It was at Hope College so there was a lot of people watching behind you,” Zacharias said. “It was pretty hype so that was crazy.”