The Voice: March 9, 2018

Voice The

your school. your voice.

Volume 59, Issue 3 March 9, 2018

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NEWS

Navigators help lead students to success The Navigators program is a semester class that teaches empathy and patience.

Through this program, students have the chance to become friends with someone that they might not talk to on their own, and guide them to success in their academics. Andrea Kent is a senior that has been taking this class as an elective for a couple years and she’s grown to love the program, and has learned new skills as well.

“I’ve definitely learned patience more than anything,” said Kent.

She also realized what being a Navigator does, seeing what the peers gain by having someone by their side.

“Peers gain encouragement and friendship,” said Kent.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without the Navigator coordinator who speaks highly of the program.

“It’s a program designed to get students to assist with students with disabilities so that they can be supported in their classrooms, academically and socially,” said Navigator coordinator Judith Kramer. “It allows kids that have trouble with social skills to make friends more easily and become a part of the school.”

The peers enjoy having support in their classes every hour of the day.

“I like it, she helps a lot,” said Yashi Morse whose Navigator is senior Andrea Kent.

RYAN HICKS

Asia Ruiz Business Manager

Sophomore Salomon Torres assists sophomore Ki Lo with learning sign language.

The program changes people’s outlook on people with disabilities and it teaches them to be more comfortable around them.

“I am more calm, I look at things from a different perspective. I look at it in his way, instead of my way,” said Kent.

The teacher also believes that the course

changes people, too.

“I think it stretches students who as teenagers are more focused on themselves, it helps them to be more focused on other people and to grow in maturity,” said Kramer.

One of the teachers in the program agrees that everyone can learn something by

taking this class.

“You learn how everyone can be the same,” said Navigator teacher Kasey Hensley.

Like every program, there are things that people like the most. “[My favorite part of being a navigator is] being able to help someone become better at

something,” said Kent.

And like every program, there’s room for improvement. “[I would change the fact that] there’s not that many learning experiences [outside the classroom], so I would definitely add more of those like more field trips,” said Kent.

College Adviser pushes for students to finish FAFSA Senior year is a big year for students as it is the most exciting and most scary. Most seniors start off the year not knowing what they want to pursue after high school and often change their minds before they can come to a final decision. With the help from graduated students, counselors and the college adviser, students have the possibility of deciding their goals early on. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form that can be filled out every year by college students in the United States to determine how much financial aid they can receive from the government to pay for college expenses. The college adviser stays after school every Wednesday for an hour to aide students and their parents on filling it out.

“I am not obligated to stay after school for FAFSA, but I stay to ensure that students have access to resources during after school hours. FAFSA is very important in the college-going process, and if not done, students walk away from thousands of dollars or free money,” said College Adviser Lillian Holloway.

Although the college adviser doesn’t gain anything by staying after school, she still does to make sure the seniors are in good shape on their road to college.

“I personally do not benefit from students filing their FAFSA, however, making sure student can go to college with a minimum

RYAN HICKS

2 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

Asia Ruiz Business Manager

College Advisor Lillian Holloway checks email from students needing assistance. She has been working her hardest to get students to apply for financial aid and apply for colleges. amount of debt is a career goal for me,” said College Advisor Lillian Holloway.

Some seniors have finished their FAFSA process and thought it was simple.

“It was pretty straight forward. I just thought they asked for a lot of info,” said se-

nior Andrea Thompson.

Some seniors didn’t need much help.

“It wasn’t hard at all as long as you read everything carefully. I got through it alone, only asking my mom her information,” said senior Camryn Ashley.

As the filing deadline approached, some had started but not yet finished.

“I haven’t finished because I’m waiting on my dad’s [tax info]; I’ve finished everything except my dad’s information,” said senior Ilhan Mohamed.

Some haven’t started at all.

“I still have to do my FAFSA,” said senior Alyssa Wagner Sears.

Seniors who need help finishing their FAFSA can find Holloway in her office in the counseling center after school Wednesdays.

OPINION

RETHINKING LUNCH:

Voice The

Two proposals for a better, more enjoyable... and tasty lunches

Allow students to pay for better lunch Charnelle Smith Photo story Editor

Food makes everyone happy, especially if it tastes awesomely good and you get that warm fuzzy feeling while eating it. Sadly, school food doesn’t taste anything like that.

Students are at school about seven hours a day and are served two meals while they’re here.

Others, though, don’t eat any school food, choosing to either bring their own lunch or go a whole day without eating. The school should offer students who don’t want the normal options higher-quality food choices for purchase.

What we have now is not good The school’s lunch is gross. We’re in the middle of the school year and the food still isn’t good. Everyone would like the lunch more if it actually tasted good. Many people don’t eat the school lunch because it doesn’t look appetizing nor does it taste real. If the school had more fresh ingredients and better

healthy choices some people would consider eating more. I would rather buy a five dollar sandwich from Subway because it’s good and healthy, and many others would do the same.

Better options would be healthier Some people who don’t eat the food go to the concession stand in the lunchroom.

This is not a healthy way to eat. They could offer food that is both healthy and tastes fresh and good. A Subway in Alaska decided to partner with a school. According to juneauempire. com, when the food service manager heard that students wanted healthy options, the food service company “came to an agreement with Subway, adding [that] the franchise met the federal mandates and nutritional requirements for the schools’ healthy and fresh food demands.” And it doesn’t have to be Subway… just anything that doesn’t taste overcooked, or like it’s been sitting out for too long.

Better options would make us happier School feels like a prison, mainly because

of the food: it’s cold, it’s hard, and it’s old. If the food was more like homemade food, people might think better things about it. If they had less processed food or no preservatives in their food then it probably would taste ten times better. Students who have a nice lunch instead of nothing, or just snacks, will be able to focus in class and will be happier all around.

If the school had more food choices every day, I would be more likely to eat one of their choices for that day.

Ways to be heard Students should have the right to vote or choose what types of food they serve to us. Some things that we could do to be heard from higher authorities are going to PTSA meetings and work with them on fixing this problem. If you feel strongly, you could email the Lansing School District, or have students sign a petition and give it to the school. Good food makes everyone happy, and we deserve to be happy.

average payment plan it takes college students at least 21 years to pay off their debt. No one wants to spend their whole life paying off an education they needed to get to survive in the economy we have.

When the politician Bernie Sanders ran for President for the recent election, one of his main objectives was to make tuition free for low income children, covering their room and board, books and other living expenses. He basically wants the poor/lower class to go to school for free, while school for higher income students would be cheaper, but they would still pay something. His idea to raise the $75 billion necessary is a small tax on Wall Street, which

some may not see as fair. To Sanders, the tax would be Wall Street paying back the bailout that businesses were given during the neareconomic collapse a few years ago. The tax would be an investment in American.

If lower income students go for free, those who have to pay might say it’s unfair. But if you look at it, they’re living better and would have afforded college anyhow.

If college were free, high school graduates would be more educated. Studies show that two factors leading to youth crime are education and peer pressure. If these students were in school, these crimes would not happen or at least be slowed down.

Free college would have them looking forward to the path ahead of them. Some of these students probably look at the price of college, give up, and just turn to the streets for help.

College should be less expensive because debt is something no one should have to be in; Bernie Sanders understood it, so why let the crime rate of young adults go up when all the United States has to do is lower the cost of college. It could all be so simple for the life of the young people if college were less expensive.

Free College would make America a better, smarter place Delecia Lilliard Reporter Most students really don’t look forward to college, or push the idea off to the side because of the expense. If college were less expensive, more students wouldn’t have to worry about attending, and we would have a better educated country.

Everyone would love college if it wasn’t so expensive or even free. We are already giving 12 years of our lives to school so why pay to further our education?

Debt is one reason why college should be less expensive. According to US News, on the

EDITORS Briana Orta Vazquez (Editor-in-Chief) Ryan Hicks (News) Katrina Schacht (Opinion) Emylie Gillette (Features) Itzel Lopez (Entertainment) Madyson Gillette (Sports) Charnelle Smith (Photo Story) Robert Miller (Online) Asia Ruiz (Business Manager) Katelyn Bailey (Social Media Editor) Josiah Thao (Photo Editor) REPORTER Manar Almaliky Maryam Al-Shankool Jennifer Bangura Bella Irving Delecia Lilliard Enrique Limon John Miller Ahmednur Mohamed Joella Ochaba Arianna Orta Kaleb Was ADVISOR Chad Sanders Mission Statement The Voice is a monthly publication of Everett High School. It is published the second Wednesday of each month by the sixth hour Newspaper class. The Voice is distributed free of charge to every student and staff member at Everett. The current issue is always available on the counter of the main office. Subscriptions are also available for $15/year.

The Voice is an award-winning member of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.

Letters to the editor are accepted at the discretion of the editorial board.

Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be published.

Letters must be signed by the author, and will be edited for quality. Direct all questions to room 313. We can be contacted via e-mail at myvikingvoice@gmail.com The Lansing School District is committed to a policy of providing equal opportunities to all qualified people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or physical or mental ability.

3 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

Delecia Lilliard Reporter

Most teens don’t like the food given to them when eating at school, so why not have an open campus to satisfy the students who only wish to eat a good meal?

Some students may leave just to get away from their lunch hour.

“Having open campus would prevent rebellious activities like leaving to go get food, because the food is nasty or not enough to fill them up,” said senior Darrell Allen.

In four years the taste of the food hasn’t changed. When lunch changed my sophomore year to be “healthier,” all they do in reality is just make you take a fruit with your meal.

Open campus necessarily wouldn’t help healthy eating habits, but it would let the students be happy eating stuff they like.

Students say better food makes them happy. Food makes everyone happy. Most students look forward to having lunch, but some of us hate the food.

When they made an announcement about taking food and throwing it away, students started hiding their lunches. Students would hide it by putting it in their backpacks, and rushing to class to eat it.

All of this could go away if they would just have open campus for students. If not all students, let it be the upperclassmen who are going off to college soon.

Open campus would be a great opportunity for students to at least enjoy a small part of their school day.

THE STAFF

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: KATRINA SCHACHT

Open campus, happier students

3900 Stabler Road Lansing, MI 48910 (517)755-4472 myvikingvoice.com myvikingvoice@gmail.com

OPINION

Our Voice

High school start times too early

Sam’s Club closure hurts the community

Most middle schools and high schools start at around eight in the morning, and sometimes even earlier.

For many students, the early start times cause constant lack of sleep, which can lead to mental health problems, poor performance in their classes, and sleep deprivation. Schools should start later in the morning.

Mental health issues, such as symptoms of depression, can be developed from not getting enough sleep.

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, insufficient sleep can lead to people feeling sad and hopeless, and possibly even suicidal thoughts.

These symptoms are extremely serious and can lead to more long-term problems in the future.

Students’ educations are greatly affected by not getting enough sleep because they’re not as focused as they should be and aren’t as able to retain information compared to if they got enough sleep.

There’s a number of students that can agree that they’re not putting their best effort into their classes and schoolwork when they’re sleep deprived, especially those taking honors and advanced placement classes who end up having more, or more difficult, work.

Sleep deprivation is an issue faced by most students because of school starting so early. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that most teenagers tend to not be able to fall asleep until later at night, and then need to sleep in later.

Also, it’s recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that teenage students get 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep, but that isn’t possible when comparing the time teenage students start to feel tired (10-11 p.m.) to the current start times of high schools.

Secondary schools start earlier because of extracurricular events such as sports and clubs, but that shouldn’t be more important than the students’ education and health. It’s just not

JOSIAH THAO

Ryan Hicks News Editor

For the students who are bussed to school, the door opens at around 6:50 a.m., and the cafeteria opens for breakfast at around 7 a.m.. The first bell of the day rings at 7:16 a.m., and then the final bell when all students should be in their class rings at 7:25 a.m.. worth it.

Start times for middle schools and high schools should be moved to later in the morning so students don’t have their health dam-

aged, perform poorly in their classes, or suffer from sleep deprivation.

It’s been obvious for a while that these early start times are harming the students’

education and health, meaning the start times needs to be adjusted. It’s up to the school district to make these changes.

4 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

Students should voice their opinions about Everett John Miller Reporter

Lets face it: Everett has gone downhill in the last couple of years and it’s for multiple reasons of varying degrees. It doesn’t have to stay this way, though. Here are some ways we can fix this school.

Simple Repairs One thing we can fix about the school is the condition of the school itself. Because some things aren’t really that good, like the ceiling in some of the rooms look like they are going to fall off. I don’t want ceiling tile falling on my head. Another thing to fix about this school is the vents because some of the heating and cooling units don’t blow that much air out of them, maybe because

they are full of dust and paper and lost items. The technology in this school is kinda old too but that’s the least important thing.

Qualified Subs Aside from fixes to the building, there are changes that need to be made with the people that reside in the building. More specifically, subs. Please get subs that know what they are doing and don’t bumble around and let kids do what they want. Some of the kids in this school can lie their way out of the school, saying that their head hurts or just simply walking out without anyone noticing.

Also, can some of the staff here not have the mentality that if one kid does something stupid the rest are to blame? Well, I do not condone the actions of that student and I certainly am not the result of that action.

And one more thing is please don’t yell at the ones who actually know what they are doing. The ones that act stupid on purpose you can yell at, but the ones who did it by accident please just talk to them like a normal adult.

Give Teachers Raises After dealing with how the school looks and the staff in the school, let’s talk about the district itself. The district is in charge of Everett and the other high schools and if we are going to fix Everett, we half to get to the root of Everett. One thing is to give the teachers out of the pay freeze that they are in because no one likes to work with a tiny paycheck for years.

Change Snow Day Rules Another thing is when there are super

slick roads that haven’t been salted, please don’t let there be school because people will slip and slide and hurt themselves. The -20 wind chill needed to call school should be lowered to like -10; if it’s -18 outside people are going to freeze their butts off.

If you agree with me that this school needs fixing then please, don’t riot out in the school yard. Let’s talk this out like adults. If only one person writes a letter or signs a petition, no one pays much attention. But if everyone who thinks we can do better takes a moment to mention it to an administrator, or send an email to a board member, our voice will be heard. Multiple voices speak much louder than one.

At the beginning of this year, Walmart announced it would be closing 63 Sam’s Club stores nationwide. And as for Lansing, the Edgewood Blvd. Sam’s Club is closing.

In many small towns and communities the closures of stores can end up leading to devastation for the workers, and the people in the community.

The loss of Sam’s on the south side is a big deal for many people. For the people who walk to get groceries at Sam’s, the closing means they have to travel further and buy more expensive groceries. Or, they will have to find transportation to take the bus to Eastwood if they want to continue shopping at Sam’s Club. Many Everett families live in the apartment complexes near Sam’s, and this closing will hurt their budgets.

They should have closed the Sam’s Club in Eastwood, because it is already next to a Wal Mart. Also, the Eastwood location doesn’t have a gas station, and Edgewood does.

Sam’s offered a variety of things unavailable in regular stores, like bulk, their own cafe, and even tire service while you’re shopping.

The rotisserie chicken was at a good price and quality for $4.98, compared to a $7 medium chicken at Meijer. You could get a sundae for under $2, that in other places would cost $4 or more. Sam’s also provided samples every day.

The closing of Sam’s affects the south side in another way, as well. Many people in the Everett community lost their jobs.

Those people were given no warning, and now have to find new jobs.

For ‘16 grad Isaiah Garrett this is a hard time for him and his teammates.

“We have been offered the option to transfer to other stores in the Walmart family but I am not guaranteed a position,” said Garrett.

This also affects the small businesses who are surrounded by the closing store.

Once Sam’s is gone, the businesses left in that area will lose business from the people who used to come to south Lansing just for Sam’s. And then they will be the ones who will end up closing for lack of customers. It’s like building blocks, if one falls they all do.

A good example would be Culver’s on Pennsylvania Avenue next to Meijer’s.

By itself, it may not have been a success.

But its location next to Meijer means that many people who are out shopping will pull in for lunch because it’s right there. They are not going to drive down Edgewood to find something.

The closing of Sam’s Club is affecting many people in the south side of Lansing, Wal-Mart made a mistake.

FEATURES

R H N M IL LE

Many factors go into predicting snow days

make up days if more than six,” said Director of Operations Teresa Szymanski.

The superintendents in Ingham County usually start discussing at around 4:30 in the morning if there is a weather system that might force them to close school. Sometimes they discuss the night before if they think conditions will be too harsh in the morning.

“We all discuss the conditions on city streets, country roads, secondary roads, and sidewalks. We monitor the timing of the snowfall and how much we have or might have by the end of the school day,” said Canul.

“It’s a very difficult call to make because there are a hundred considerations and no matter what call we make, someone’s not gonna be happy.”

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Strategies can help improve grades Katrina Schacht Opinion Editor The end of the semester means final exams and semester grades. For some, grades may not be what them want them to be. But there are ways to ways to improve your grades in the future. Here are some strategies students had for making next semester a great one.

Beat Procrastination One thing you can do is instead of telling yourself you are going to do your homework: actually do it.

“I could study better for tests to make my grades better, and work on trying to stop procrastinating everything,” said Junior Aisya Dinki.

Too many people end up procrastinating.

They don’t do their work, or they wait until the very last minute and don’t end up doing their best on it.

Procrastination is a real problem for students, they get distracted easily by other things, or they always say they will do it later and either rush to get it done or doesn’t do it at all.

One thing that can help with this problem is to spread out your work, at a certain time spend 20 minutes, than the next day spend 30 minutes doing homework.

You can also change the environment you work in, and find one that is quieter and less distracting.

Studying is key Another big reason why students do so bad in their classes is because they don’t study.

“To better my grades, I will spend more time on my homework and study in classes I struggle so much [like] history and English,” said Junior Nicollette Ly. Studying is a huge reason why people don’t do great in their core classes like math and English. Even when students start to

study they get bored or distracted.

For better ways to study, students should isolate themselves from people or any distractions, put some calm classical music on and just focus on studying.

For most students, math is a big struggle, and is most likely their most difficult class.

“I should work on developing a good work ethic for math class,” said Junior Jason Cifran.

If students really want to better their grades, they have to want it or they will have no motivation.

Come to class on time and participate Many students don’t realize, but a big part of people’s grades are participation points, and showing up on time for class.

Some teachers actually take points away from students if they are late to class, and if you are late to class every day those points add up.

Also, if students don’t participate like speaking in front of class, or doing their work, or participating in classroom activities their grade will drop dramatically.

Try to come to class on time by using the bathroom and visiting lockers right after the bell rings; don’t spend to long with friends and get to class as quickly as possible with the time you have.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic spell that will create higher grades without any effort.

The real way to better your grade for next semester is to just stay on task, pay attention in class, and put in the work you need to make sure your grades are where you want them to be. It may take a little more work, but you may be surprised at how simple it is to get back on track.

“Whatever class you are in and you are struggling you should tell your teacher to see if we can come after school and talk about their grade and see what they can do,” sophomore teacher Sheila Orr.

5 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

a snow day. Unlike the snow day calculator, there is no evidence that these actions make a difference in the chances of a snow day.

Another way of predicting the probability of a snow day is knowing your school’s requirements.

According to Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul, a snow day for Lansing usually comes when there is “at least 6 inches of snow, an ice storm making roads and sidewalks dangerous, [or] wind chills at -20 degrees Fahrenheit.”

The LSD is allowed six snow days a school year, so if you’ve already had six then hoping for more just means going to school longer into June.

“We are allowed six snow days, we must

LU ST R PH O TO IL

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JOHN MILLER

It’s happened to everyone: you get up early in the morning and get ready for school, just to find out school was canceled. There’s no sure-fire way to predict a day off, but there are some things you can do to give you a better idea if the magic words “snow day” are in your future.

Just because it’s snowing doesn’t guarantee your chances of a snow day. Instead, check the hourly forecast. If it says it’s going to stop snowing around 2 or 3 a.m., then it is not very likely that you will have a snow day because the snow plows may be able to clean up the snow in time for school and buses to be up and running. If you are going to have the heaviest snowfall between 5 to 7 a.m., then the chances of a snow day are more likely.

You could also use a snow day calculator.

There are many snow day calculators online that can predict whether or not you will have a snow day. All that is needed is your zip-code and they’ll calculate how much snow is expected, as well as the likelihood of having a snow day. The percentage chance can change if the weather changes, though, so you want to keep checking it as the storm is happening.

If you are superstitious, there are many ideas people have about wishing a snow day into existence. You can put a penny under your pillow, throw ice cubes out your window, wear your pajamas inside out and backward, yell snow day into the freezer, do a snow dance, or put a spoon under your bed. All of these things are believed to increase the chances of

AT IO N: JO

Jennifer Bangura Copy Editor

FEATURES

Everett Dance Company performs with LCC Happendance Impulse company

UPCOMING

EVENTS MARCH 9 WINTER BAND CONCERT

Ryan Hicks News Editor

MARCH 29 END OF MARKING PERIOD

MARCH 30

SPRING BREAK BEGINS

APRIL 9 BACK TO SCHOOL APRIL 10-11 SAT TESTING

RYAN HICKS

On Friday, January 19, Everett Dance Director Clara Martinez and the Everett Dance Company joined Happendance Impulse Student Dance Company for a performance at LCC’s Dart Auditorium.

Everett Dance Director Clara Martinez spoke about how it’s great that Lansing’s dance companies work together as a community.

“This partnership is called DANCE Lansing, and it is comprised of multiple groups including: Happendance Impulse, Everett Dance Company, Greater Lansing Academy of Dance, LCC Dance, and even more organizations that collaborate and partner with each group each season,” said Martinez. “I really appreciate the fact that we have such a diverse dance network and community here in Lansing.”

It’s a possibility that there will be more performances between the two dance companies in the future.

“As a matter in fact, we would like to hold a number of projects with Everett in the future. It gives all of our students an opportunity to work with different kinds of people,” said Happendance Impulse Artistic Director Lisa Whiting Dobson. “We have extended our invitation to our March show.”

Some dancers who performed that night were members of both dance companies.

“It was great to see two communities merge to one to express our love and passion for dance,” said senior Kiara Williams, Viking Dancer of the Year.

Parents of the dancers said they liked the performance a lot.

“I thought it was great bringing Everett to join them, bringing the two communities

Dancers Brittney Pratt, Dayton Buchanan, Kaitlin Jones, and Shelby Miller take the stage at LCC. Both of the dances companies loved having the opportunity to work together. together,” Summer Lettau, mother of Sydney Lettau.

There were students from other Lansing School District schools in Happendance Impulse who performed that night.

“I think it was pretty cool because I got to

meet some new people and [Everett’s] a school I always wanted to go to so it’s good to see different kinds of styles from people,” Tara Flanagan, senior at Sexton who’s in Happendance Impulse.

Everett has had its dance program for

over 30 years.

“I think it’s wonderful that Everett has a premiere dance program and it’s great that Lansing Schools is continuing that program,” said Dobson.

6 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

The beauty behind President Trump’s “s***hole” countries Jennifer Bangura Copy Editor

Recently, President Trump referred to El Salvador, Haiti, and African nations as “S***hole countries.” His comments deeply hurt not only people from these countries but Americans too.

“It makes me feel ashamed that the majority of voting Americans are so bamboozled and uninformed that they would vote him into office,” said drama teacher Cathleen Weaver. Each one of these places surely has its bad parts, but there are things far more beautiful hidden within them.

Haitian-American Stherlyne Osterne felt highly disrespected by his words.

“No one would like for someone to call their country a s***hole country; I felt highly disrespected. Yes, my country has many problems but it’s never been and will never be a s***hole country,” said Osterne, an Everett alum.

Trump is the leader of America, but many Americans feel that comments like these are not contributing to a better future for America, only setting us back.

“I think his words don’t just affect the people of “s***hole” countries, they affect everyone in the world. It sets a precedent for

other leaders, governments, and individuals,” said Weaver. If he goes unchecked then others will see that they too can publicly and privately have these ideas and policies. This hurts everyone. It hurts any attempt to hope for and work towards peace.”

Haiti is a country full to the brim with culture, great food, and a rich history.

“My country, just like the US, is a melting pot. There are Asians, Americans, Spaniards, and Middle Easterners influencing and living in Haiti,” said Osterne. “The best part of my country is our culture. Being from the Caribbean, I and many others enjoy the food, history and most of all Carnival/

Caribana.”

Although often unrecognized, these countries hold beautiful people and culture.

Despite Trump’s comments, Haitians are proud their little paradise.

“I am extremely proud of my country.

My country was the first free black republic. My people are strong, they showed how strong they were after the 2010 earthquake.

My country, who always have had civil wars, have blossomed into a beautiful red hibiscus flower. No one can take the pride I feel when I talk about my country, my people, and my culture,” said Osterne.

APRIL 25 GRADUATION SUPPLIES DELIVERED MAY 2 EVERETT/ NEW TECH SPRING SHOWCASE MAY 4 PROM !

MAY 9 LSD HONOR AWARDS MAY 14

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM MEETING DANCE PROGRAM

MAY 16 SPRING BAND MAY 24-25

LAST DAYS FOR SENIORS

ENTERTAINMENT

Video games out on store shelves IT IS TIME! Time for some good games.

New games are being released all of this year, and we have a look at four big ones that might pique your interest! While there may not be that many on this list that you know of, they are still games that you can buy or are coming out. Respected game magazines and websites are rating them highly, and you may want to plan some time to check them out (spring break project?).

FARCRY 5-OUT NOW! This newest installment in the Far Cry franchise will take place not in a fictional faraway country or in the stone age, instead it is taking place in the fictional Hope County, Montana. Expect the same trilling gameplay from this newest installment “Far Cry 5 is a uniquely American installment of the franchise and is set up to be the biggest, most action-packed game of the series.” says Gamestop.

Street fighter V: Arcade EditionOUT NOW! Street Fighter is back! (for the countless times in a row) but now it has arcade mode,

all the original content from Street Fighter V plus all Season 1 and 2 Character Passes, which includes 12 playable characters, New V-trigger moves and new visuals.

Student Oliver Rey already had a chance to play this version, and said you can save your money.

“It’s not my cup of tea. I don’t think (it was good),” said Rey. Kirby: Battle Royale-OUT NOW! Kirby has a new side game to add to the collection with Kirby: Battle Royale. Dedede has a nefarious plot that Kirby has to stop. In this game you choose what power up you want then battle other Kirby’s to get the gold, it has 4-player co-op and a bunch or abilities.

“May the last Kirby standing win!” says nintendo.com.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION : ITZEL MENDOZA LOPEZ

John Miller Graphic Designer

Super Mario Odyssey-OUT NOW! Mario’s back, and with a 3D open world game akin to super Mario 64! There are a lot of “moons” to collect in this game and some worlds to explore, Mario now has a companion in the form of Cappy, a “ghost hat” which can grant Mario the power to possess enemies, from a tiny cheap cheap to A GIANT T-REX! “I will get it once I get a [Nintendo] Switch,” says Senior Michael Hill.

Creamy, dreamy, delicious: The top places for ice cream in the wintertime in Lansing Are you craving ice cream but don’t know where to get it in the winter? Tired of not finding an ice cream place open in the freezing cold? These five students shared their favorite destinations for ice cream in the winter.

Here are top favorite ice cream and yogurt places teens go to.

Wendy’s When you think of Wendy’s you don’t think of it being a place to get ice cream, but for sophomore Miriam Rodriguez, it’s her goto spot for ice cream. “[My favorite place to get my ice cream at] is at Wendy’s,” said sophomore Miriam Rodriguez. “ My favorite flavor is the twist flavor, which is chocolate and vanilla mix.

Wendy’s offers a small variety of ice cream such as the classic chocolate and vanilla or a mix of both.

They are open until midnight MondaySunday.

Wendy’s prices are: Small size $0.99 Medium size $1.99 Large size $2.29

MSU Dairy Store

Wendy’s is not the only good place to buy your ice cream. Everyone loves the MSU Dairy Store. Not only do they sell ice cream but also ice cream shakes. They have up to 32 different flavors. “My favorite ice cream place is the MSU Dairy Store because their ice cream is just amazing and there’s so many different flavors to pick from,” said junior Kenidee Trafford.

Not only do they sell ice cream, but it’s made at the store in their own dairy plant, which helps MSU Food Science and Human Nutrition students learn the process.

MSU ice cream prices are: Single Scoop (one flavor): $3.00 Double Scoop (up to 2 flavors): $3.75 Triple Scoop (up to 3 flavors): $4.75

Quality Dairy There are over 30 quality dairy stores in the mid-Michigan area, one of them being only a mile away from our school. Quality Dairy even has its own dairy plant, which not only produces their milk but also their very own ice cream. For freshman Luis Dominguez, that’s his place to go.

“My favorite flavor is Island Fudge; it’s the best,” said Dominguez.

They have from the classic vanilla flavor to a range of chocolate for chocolate lovers, a total of 16 different flavors. They don’t just

sell in a cup or cone (Big waffle cone is .59 cents extra and a regular cup and cone are free), but also by pints and half gallons in many more flavors.

Junior : $1.69 Big dip: $2.19 Super big dip: $3.09

Culver’s Sophomore Daniel Spencer turns to Culver’s for ice cream in the winter.

“I like chocolate when it’s not frozen but when it’s frozen, it’s magical and for sure the thing of dreams,” Spencer said. Culver’s also offers a flavor of the day, so you can try something new everyday. There are 68 rotating ice cream flavors to pick from, the most often being Salted Caramel, Cookie Dough and Mint.

They also offer the concrete mixer, sundaes, shakes, malts and floats and custard to go.

Culver’s ice cream prices are: 1 Scoop $2.64 Double Scoop $3.38 Triple Scoop $4.02 Extra Toppings .25 cents

Sugar Berry Sugar Berry is a self serve frozen yogurt parlor. They offer 12 yogurt flavors, which you can taste test before buying. Unlike ice cream places, they sell their yogurt by the ounce. They have different cup sizes; small (16 ounce), Me-

dium (28 ounce) and large (32 ounce). Your final creation costs 49 cents per ounce.

To top it off, they have 40 toppings, including M&Ms, cookie dough, cinnamon toast crunch, crushed Oreos, and gummy worms/bears.

“I like that you can put on all sorts of toppings, my favorite being the crushed Oreos with the plain vanilla yogurt,” said junior Ricardo Juarez.

America’s Favorite ice cream flavors

Unicha Unicha is the first hand rolled ice cream place in the East Lansing, which opened in September. Not only do they offer rolled ice cream, but also infusion bubble tea. First you have to choose one of twelve different flavors.

“I like taro, but the first time I got it, it tasted kinda weird; The second time was good. I also like Oreo and strawberry,” said junior Kaylin Nguyen.

The ice cream flavor consultant will pour it onto a frozen metal table and begin to create the ice cream that will be rolled. Step two: you have the option to pick up to three toppings from 27 different ones. To finish it off, you can have one of five different syrups.

It’s all offered in one size for $6.45, so next time you’re in the East Lansing area why not give Unicha a try! They are open from noon to 10 p.m. everyday.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION : JOSIAH THAO

7 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

Arianna Orta Briana Orta Vazquez reporter Editor-in-Chief

SPORTS

Famous Everett athletes not named ‘Magic’

Goran Suton is a Croatian professional basketball player for Movistar Estudiantes of the Liga ACB. As a senior, he led the Everett Vikings to a Class A boys basketball title in 2004. He completed his college career with the Michigan State Spartans in 2009.

2004 grad Nicole Rogers earned two letters in basketball, and was team captain as a senior.

“Nicole Rogers went to Wayne State University,” said former assistant athletic

director Sheila Orr. A little more local, English teacher Jackie Surdenik and her husband Tom Surdenik both were athletes for Everett.

Jackie Surdenik played basketball at Everett until she graduated. Now she is an 8th grade New Tech teacher.

Tom Surdenik played baseball at Everett. He can be seen helping Everett with merchandise.

MADYSON GILLETTE

Only a week after Everett announced the Mike Smith would be taking over as the Athletic Director, Smith was also named the new head varsity football coach.

Coaching is nothing new to Smith. He coached Holt to the state championship game in 1995, where they were state runners-up.

He also coached at Olivet and, most recently, Eaton Rapids Greyhounds. He won district championships his first two seasons, delivering the Greyhounds their first ever playoff win. He finished 25-26 in five seasons. Smith’s goal at Everett is overall improvement. “[My goal is to] make us better in every way and at every sport, and have every sport [in the] top half of the division,” said Smith.

One reason the decision to come to Lansing was easy was because he knew so many people.

Sophomore basketball player Shamar Howard talks with athletic director Mike Smith in his office after school. “[I left Eaton Rapids because] all the people I know work in the Lansing School District and they’re all really good people; I like working around people like that,” Smith said.

Smith has been coaching for over 40 years. He said that everyone at the school has made him feel at home.

“Everybody at Everett has treated me very good, everyone has been very friendly and very welcoming towards me,” he said.

Smith said he sees Everett’s potential. “[I took the job because of] the people at Everett. And I always thought Everett was a hidden treasure,” Smith said.

Economics teacher Nate Schwarzbeck brings experience to Everett’s tennis team.

Schwarzbeck brings teaching, coaching talent to EV tennis Briana Orta Vazquez Editor-in-chief

AD Mike Smith brings wealth of experience Josiah Thao Photo Editor

MADYSON GILLETTE

Clockwise from top left: Earvin “Magic” Johnson (‘77), Goran Suton (‘04), Carl Thomas (‘87), Charles Thomas (‘87) are all famous athletes who went to Everett.

Since Smith has been named the new varsity head coach, he plans to win every day.

That means doing well in class every day, eating breakfast, and getting to class on time so when it’s game night the team will be successful.

Smith says that everyone at Everett has been very welcoming and he has enjoyed his time here so far.

“I want to thank all the students who introduced themselves to me. I have been very happy to meet all the students, and all the teachers who stopped by to say hi, and I’m looking forward to a very long and successful time here,” Smith said.

The girls’ tennis team has a new coach this year, government teacher Nate Schwarzbeck.

Formerly a teacher for Williamston high school, Schwarzbeck coached their boys’ and girls’ tennis team for two years. The boys tennis team ranked 11th in the state and almost made it to finals. He’s also the former coach of Oliver Weaver, who in 2015 was a Division 4 all-state, all-conference, and state quarter finalist.

Schwarzbeck has been playing tennis since he was four years old.

“I have played tennis for 26 years, my grandfather and dad played so [I did as well],” said Schwarzbeck. “I play tennis because I’m good at it and still fun to me.”

Navigator Coordinator Judith Kramer has coached the girls’ tennis team for five years.

“I had always wanted to coach tennis, I played a lot myself in high school and on a travel team, based on those experiences I felt like I had something to offer,” said Kramer.

But because of increased demands on her time, she felt like she couldn’t provide as much energy as years before.

“I feel very proud of the program we have built over the years and the strong group of girls which will thrive,” said Kramer. “I’m upset that I will not be a part of the team but

I’m still very interested on how the girls do.”

Last year, the girls made it to the league playoffs.

The tennis team usually practices on Eastern’s tennis courts, since Everett does not have courts of its own. Both coaches agree that having a court here would be more convenient and there would be less problems with transportation.

“It just makes it more difficult to get athletes to play,” said Schwarzbeck. “It shows good effort [on the part of the players, but I do] wish there were courts.”

For the girls, conditioning has started and Kramer is working with Schwarzbeck for a smooth transition. They’re working on cardio, speed, conditioning and more to prepare for the season.

Schwarzbeck wants to build a culture that fits more his coaching style and has high standards.

“My rule is if you’re five minute early, you’re on time. If you’re not, then you’re late and will be doing a lot of running. No misbehavior on the courts and an athlete will not play if they are [at a] C-,” said Schwarzbeck.

“But I just want us to learn the game and have fun doing it while developing good character and understand how to lose and to win.”

Schwarzbeck said he hopes to see a middle school program down the road. In the meantime, he and his team are focusing on the season ahead.

8 • The Voice • March 9, 2018 • myvikingvoice.com

We all know Earvin “Magic” Johnson went to Everett, but do you know of any other athletes who went to Everett and made it big? Magic isn’t the only one to play a sport after high school.

Twin brothers Carl and Charles Thomas played basketball for Everett in the ‘80s.

Carl Thomas played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors and last played professionally with an Italian team. He worked as an assistant basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University after the NBA. Charles Thomas also played in the NBA, for Detroit Pistons. He is currently an assistant coach for Duquesne.

“Those athletes make Everett an icon to people who want to become athlete,” said 8th grader Mya Clark.

Some students think that the athletes make the school more popular.

“They make Everett more popular and make the students who wants to athlete excited to see some of the coaches who coach that one person that make it big to coach them,” said 8th grader Shaniah Covington.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JOSIAH THAO

Emylie Gillette Features Editor