ROBERT SWETLIC
VOGUE
OSCAR WORTHY
DE LA RENTA’S BRILLIANT NEW DESIGNER
MY ISIS SEDUCER
THE REAL MARBLE
DARING, DARLING & UNSCRIPTED
THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHAD
SUN SAVVY HOW TO CUT YOUR CANCER RISK
MEOW WHY CATS ARE CUTE ARE CATS SMARTER THAN DOGS? plus HOW TO GROOM YOUR CAT
Note: VOGUE uses a modified version of the font “Didot” for their masthead. The font is not available commercially however with subtle manipulation, Didot can be modified to look like the VOGUE font.
Current
Current
#BlackLivesMatter This hashtag went viral on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after the officer accused of murdering Michael Brown was acquitted. The hashtag continued to gain steam as two more died at the hands of police in early 2015 Gillian Skiba ‘18 Staff Writer
Many incidents of alleged police brutality have recently occurred around the country that have stirred up a lot of controversy. People everywhere are quickly forming strong, emotional opinions regarding these events. The actual circumstances aren’t the only things that are leading people to their conclusions. Many people have also formed their opinions based on the fact that in these cases, all of the young men killed were black, while most of the officers were white. “A lot of opinions are biased because a lot of people don’t know the facts,” explains sophomore, Symone McNair, “None of us were there so we can’t really say what fueled what.” For instance, something many people are not aware of is that three of the six officers involved in the Freddie Gray case were black as well. While the details of the incidents
are blurry, it is obvious to some students that these young men did not have to die. Some students even suggested alternative methods for apprehending them. Many people have misconception about the justification of deadly force. “Some [police officers] have tasers, which is a lot better than shooting somebody,” explains sophomore Ryan Shafer. McNair mentioned the use of tasers as well. In addition, both students said that they felt that shooting them in an arm or a leg would have been a better option if the officer found it absolutely necessary to fire a bullet. “I feel like in all the cases it was just police officers doing their jobs the wrong way and they need more training,” says McNair. However, the logic of shooting to injure has been proven untrue. “In any concealed pistol class, you learn that you never pull a gun to injure someone, such as shoot them
Trayvon Martin shot by neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida. February 26th, 2012.
in the arm or leg,” says Street Law Teacher Todd Myers. “You only ever pull out your pistol unless you feel that your life is in danger.” The students understand that these men were being confronted by authorities for a reason and that they were not completely innocent, but they see this as no excuse for their deaths and would like to see the officers involved being punished. “I just feel really bad for the families and I hope they get justice,” says sophomore Steven Gladney. Myers agrees that some of the situation have been unfortunate. “In the case of Walter Scott in South Carolina, that was an unjustified killing,” says Myers. “However in the case of Michael Brown, evidence proved that the cop was being assaulted and he felt as though his life was in jeopardy. Therefor using force was justified in that situation.” There are some students that simply find the life of every human to be valuable, so the criminal history of
Michael Brown is fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. August 9th, 2014.
Eric Garner is killed by a police officer in New York. July 17th, 2014.
Freddie Gray is killed while in police custody in Baltimore, Maryland. April 12th, 2015.
Walter Scott is shot by a police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina. April 4th, 2015.
+ Protesters often held signs saying “black live matter” while protesting police brutality. Illustration by Emily Athey.
the victims is not important to them. “I feel like it’s never right to kill anybody, even if they’re a criminal, because then if they did do something wrong, they’re not going to be able to serve their sentence when they are tried and found guilty,” says McNair Many of the students believe that protesting is the right thing to do in this situation in order to get justice for the murders, but acknowledge that there are protesters going about things in the wrong way. “The violent riots should not have happened, but the peaceful protests are what need to be done,” says Shafer. “I feel like if we want something to be done we need to peacefully protest, because that’s how things changed back in the sixties and that’s how they can be changed now.” This is not to say that all of the
protester are going about things in the wrong way, and that only riots are occurring; the riots are simply what have been the main focus of the media. “The news doesn’t always represent cases as accurately as they should,” says McNair, “I feel like we only see certain parts of the news that they want to show us. We are not getting a clear scope of everything that is going on and we are missing the purpose of the protests.” Many of the students agree that the general public wouldn’t care as much or pay as much attention to these events if the race roles had been reversed. A lot of the emotion is based on past racial tensions between black and white. Shafer disagrees. He says that theres more to it that just race.
“We can’t accuse all cops of being racist, because you’re going to have bad [and good] cops and you’re going to have bad [and good] people and I think that’s why the people ended up getting killed, because of the bad cops, and that’s why the riots happened, because of the bad people,” Shafer. These same students say, though, that they personally wouldn’t look at the situations any differently had it not been a white cop and a black man. They agree that the aggressive measures taken against these young men are not acceptable to use against a person of any race. “Let’s not look at this about race,” says Shafer. “Let’s just look at it as an American being killed by an American, and we need to change that.”
“Let’s not look at this about race. Let’s just look at it as an American being killed by an American, and we need to change that.”
4 The Lancer; May/june
The Lancer; May/june
Play
Sports Feature
LIFELONG
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Play
In this issue; How Cassie Kury went from a Lifelong gymnast, to a record breaking diver
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Christina Daguanno ‘17 Staff Writer
other sports. “I was not enjoying gymnastics as much and I was not improving my skills or progressing at the pace I needed and wanted to be,” says Kury. “It was a very hard decision to make, but I think it was the right one.” “When she quit gymnastics, it was a shock, but I know she is not the type of person to make these decisions too quickly and I know her decision was well thought out and it was what was right to do at the time,” says her mother. Kury is also involved in diving and track, so she had other things she felt were more pertinent to benefiting her future. Since Kury does extremely well in both diving and track, she could be eligible for scholarships. Kury has been involved in track since 7th grade. She did very well in her freshmen year, the year that she was part of a relay that broke the school record. Along with relays, (4x400 and 4x800), Kury runs the open 400 and does the long jump. “Most people don’t really enjoy running, but I find it relaxing and also very fun when I have tough competition that pushes me to perform my best.” She has also been involved in diving since freshman year. “With my background in gymnas-
+A young Kury smiles wide during her performance while a photographer attempts to capture the moment.
10 The Lancer; February
tics, it was very easy to catch on to diving. There are many aspects that are similar, so it was almost natural to me,” says Kury. Due to the lack of a diving board at the pool and the absence of a diving coach, Kury has to go to Cousino High School to practice. Regardless of these minor obstructions, she has managed to do exceptionally well as a diver for the high school. “Cassie is very dedicated to the sports she’s doing and it shows in her diving scores. She has excelled this year by breaking personal records, school records, and a city meet diving record,” says Kury’s mother. “She has improved eight places and 100 points at the Macomb county diving meet. She hopes to improve even more at regionals and states this season.” While she did love gymnastics in the past, Kury said that she would most likely not go back to it. She would be too behind in her skills and it’d be too hard to catch up. “Sports are a big part of my life, but school and my grades are most important to me, so sometimes things have to change for the better. I’m happy with my decision and I’m content being in the sports that I’m in now,” says Kury.
+Kury leaps up and performs a switch kick in midair before landing on the balance beam.
Design for print is the aspect of graphic design that I want to study most. I love the feeling of seeing my designs on something other than a computer screen. Left: A mock-up cover of VOGUE with the cat as the cover subject. Note that use of Adobe Photoshop to superimpose the ears over the masthead to give it an authentic feel. Top right: This spread utilizing packaging and incorporates headlines, copy, pull quotes, illustrations and a time-line. It flows easily and utilizes whitespace nicely. Bottom right: This spread is very visual with one dominant photo and four smaller photos. This spread won 1st place at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s 2015 spring awards.
Stories of athletes who have trained and played sports since their early years
really enjoy playing sports. The competition and excitement is what motivates me to participate,” says Sophomore Cassandra Kury. Her sports career started at the age of two and a half, when her mother, Shelly Kury, decided that her daughter had too much unused energy. Even as a baby, Kury was bouncing and climbing on everything in the house. Her mother felt that the best solution for her daughter’s boundless energy was to enroll them both in a “Mommy-and-Me” gymnastics class. “Gymnastics has taught me many things, from discipline to determination, to the importance of supporting your teammates and so on,” said Kury. Kury explains that the benefits of being a part of this sport are seemingly endless. “Along with being a lot of fun, it’s great exercise as well.” Kury says. Kury has said that she has made many lifelong friends that would stick with her through anything. She felt that she’d be doing gymnastics for a very long time; after all, it had been her main priority for most of her life. However, in the fall of 2014, she had to give up the sport she loved most dearly to focus on school and
Print Design
+ Kury practices for her balance beam routine one last time before she performs for the judges. Precision is key even at practice to ensure that she can replicate the moves perfectly during competition. All photos provided by the Kury family. + Freshmen Kury runs the last leg of the 400 meter relay with baton in hand. Kury has ran track since 7th grade.
+ Sophomore Kury curls up in preparation to fall into the water after perfectly executing a dive called an “inward one and half somersault.”
The Lancer; February
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Online Design This is a screenshot of The Lancer’s website on the last day of the 20142015 school year. I was the person responsible for managing the website, it’s content and graphics. I also was responsible for it’s design and layout. With websites, you have to try very hard to incorporate imagery. One of the ways I did this was by optimizing designs that were meant for print, and putting them on the website. By doing this, I created a clear link between print and online. It also made the website feel less plain. Under my leadership this website won a Spartan Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.
APPS
Detail
Detail
THAT WILL HELP MAKE STUDYING A LITTLE LESS BORING
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By Brianna Walker ‘15 and Christina Daguanno ‘17 | Staff Writers
n today’s generation, all information is at our fingertips. Curriculums have become more rigorous than ever, which means that students have to think of different ways to increase their productivity and motivation. Fortunately, there are hundreds of apps students can use to improve their skills such as planning, time management, brainstorming, note taking, and studying. Here is a list of apps that might help you in your daily academic life.
4 The Lancer; April
Google Drive Price: Free Google Drive is an app that allows you to create, view, share, organize, upload, print, scan and access files or important documents from your mobile device, tablet or laptop. Drive is becoming a suitable replacement for Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. The thing that makes Drive a formidable program is the ability to access all of your files from wherever you are. Plus, Drive allows you to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Also, you never have to worry about saving your work because everything saves automatically. Another great Drive feature is the ability to collaborate with multiple partners on one document at the same time. This is a major feature for people who may be working on group projects because everyone has a chance to contribute to the project. Edmodo Price: Free Edmodo is an app where your teachers can run an online classroom for students. The downside to this is that a teacher must create the classroom in order for students to use it. However, some teachers such as history teacher Todd Myers, do use Edmodo for multiple classes. For Myers, this includes all of his AP U.S. History classes. This app allows stu-
dents to view class curriculum right on their smart-devices. From PowerPoint presentations to Word documents, Edmodo provides a way for students to stay on top of their coursework and meet due dates for assignments. Notes Price: Free Notes is an app that comes built into every Apple device. If you have an Android, the equivalent is called Notepad. While these apps are very basic, they can be very useful when taking notes in class when the teacher gives permission to use electronic devices. Taking notes on your phone or tablet means you can carry them with you wherever you go and eliminates the need for a notebook. Notes and Notepad are also very good for memos and keeping track of tasks you must complete. Quiz Up Price: Free QuizUp is a mobile trivia game that, along with being a lot of fun, helps students study for various subjects. The app allows you to select your subject, for instance history, anatomy, biology, etc, then provides you with various questions to test
your knowledge of the that specific topic. If you get a question wrong, the app will give you the right answer so that you can learn from your mistakes. Audible Price: Free Audible is an app that allows you to download any textbook and listen to it on the go. If you forgot your textbook in your locker or left it at a friend’s house, you can open Audible and either read or listen to whatever section or chapter you need. The downside to this app is that you have to pay for each textbook you buy. Because of this, Audible is an app more popular with college students. However there are many useful textbooks that can be downloaded for relatively low costs. Quizlet Price: Free Quizlet is an app that allows you to create your own flashcards and fill them with useful information in the subject area that you want to study for. You can also use pre-made flashcards from other students from all over the world. There are also games on the app that can make studying more enjoyable and that will keep students motivated and engaged in learning. This app is great to study in an engaging way. Reminders Price: Free The Reminders app is very helpful if you find yourself easily forgetting things. The app allows you to add reminders for events and tasks that you need to attend or complete. It can help you remember half days, days off, testing days and more. Something else Reminders can do is give you location-based alerts. This means that you will get a certain reminder when you go to a certain place. So if you’re worried about forgetting to do your homework, you can set a reminder to alert you to do your homework as soon as you get home.
iBooks Price: Free iBooks lets you download any book you need or want, which could include textbooks or novels that you may need in your English class. This app is very similar to Audible, but offers some additional features. For instance, in the app you can use tools such as “define,” which allows you to select a word and instantly get the definition. You can also use tools like highlight, note taking, and bookmarking. iBooks makes it simple to read on the go with ease.
How do YOU use apps to help you study and stay on task? Tweet us at @LancerShield and we’ll feature your response on our website!
How do apps help you stay on top of your assignments?
“I use my Reminders app to keep myself on track with due dates. I also have the PowerSchool app so I can check my grades on my phone. I don’t know what I’d do without my phone and my apps!” -Autumn Wieske ‘15
The Lancer; April
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Print + Online
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The Lancer Volume 58 Number 1
In an effort to link print and online design, I began to take designs that were meant for print only and convert them to web animations.
Concussions Despite decreasing concussion rates at South Lake, the danger still exists Page 6
lancer.solake.org - South Lake High School - 21900 E. Nine Mile Road - St. Clair Shores - MI 48080
Left: This spread’s main dominant is the cluster of apps in the top right corner. After the spread went to print, I converted the app cluster to a web graphic in Adobe Photoshop and uploaded it to The Lancer’s website. Then I used a textwrap effect to make the webpage feel even more like it’s print counterpart. Right: This cover was created in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and won 3rd place at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s 2015 spring awards. In an effort to give the website version of the story the same visual effect, I converted the cover into a thumbnail that prominently displayed itself at the top of the website.
Photo
This photo complies with the rule of thirds, with the subjects being on the left side of the image. In addition, both subjects are conveying emotion however their faces are partially obscured. This creates an interesting effect for the viewer because of the subject’s obvious emotion paired with anonymity. The photo also takes advantage of a slow shutter speed which caused the lights in the background to blur. Lastly the image uses depth of field to blur the background and draw the eye in to the foreground where the subjects are standing.
Graphic Design For a story about apps, we needed a strong dominant image to give life to something that exists only on a screen. So in this photo I brought the apps to life. I staged a model with an iPad and her finger pointing outward as if she were touching something. Then in Adobe Photoshop I created the rays of light coming off the screen and dimmed the background. Lastly I added in the floating apps and carefully positioned one on the end of the model’s outstretched finger.
THANK YOU