Source - December 2014

Source Stoney Creek High School

December 19, 2014

575 East Tienken Road Rochester, MI 48307

Volume 12, Issue 3

BAH! HUMBUG!

RCS plays Scrooge as budget cuts lead to mid-year layoffs pg. 4

Testing Tension

Stress, exams, and technology in the classroom - pg. 6-7

Sweet Scarcity

As the world begins to run out of chocolate, we offer a few alternatives to your favorite treats - pg. 5

A Tale of Two Ski Teams

Stoney skiiers compete with, not against, crosstown rival Adams pg. 9

Staff Editors:

3

Photographers: Jordan Sickon Rachel Elphick Megan Sennett

Web: Simon Sun School: Rachel Tudor Lifestyles: Mila Murray Sports: Matt Schmucker Opinion: Spencer Kopp Social Media: Bailey Compton

The Current:

Editor: Jennifer Pafford Announcer: Rebecca DeBucce Announcer: Alex Hadd Announcements Manager: Giancarlo Canu

Copy Editors: Kathryn Fleming Julia Clay

Columnists:

Business Staff:

Staff Writers:

Advisor:

Maveric Guitar Annie Knoblauch

Claire Mechler Anna Stabnick

Budget Holiday Blues RCS lays off staff mid-year due to a budgt shortfall

Gayle Martin

Stephanie Seneker Emma Persson Kaitlyn Reyff Dan D’Onofrio

Editorial Policy We, the Stoney Creek Source staff, produce this publication to accomplish the following goals: The Source will serve as a means of communication between students, teachers and members of the community. We will respect all opinions and present them in an unbiased manner. The Source will inform and entertain readers and address trends and issues important to its audience. Although we are a student publication, produced by Advanced Multimedia Communications lass, we will strive to make the Source accurate and truthful to adhere to all standards of professional journalism. We recognize and respect the privileges given to us under the First Amendment, including the freedom of speech and of the press. The Source is a forum of student expression and we, the staff have the editorial authority to make our own content decisions.

We will provide a sounding board for the student and the community; therefore the opinions expressed in by-lines opinion articles and letters should not be considered to be the opinion of the entire newspaper staff, the advisor and the school administration, or the student body as a whole.

Find us online at www.scsourceonline.com Follow us on Twitter @scssourceonline Letter Policy: Letters to the editor, guest articles, and art may be submitted to Mrs. Gayle Martin in Room C285. All letters, articles, and art must be signed. Names can be withheld upon request.

Source Stoney Creek High School

Cover by Simon Sun

December 19, 2014

575 East Tienken Road Rochester, MI 48307

RCS plays Scrooge as budget cuts lead to mid-year layoffs pg. 4

Stress, exams, and technology in the classroom - pg. 6-7

They may not be Cougars, but the ski team is still bonding with Adams over their united season.

12

Music in the air

Band and choir unite with Hart musicians for their combined winter concerts.

December Issue At A Glance 2 - Contents 3 - Info-fun 4 - Budget 5 - Exam stress tips 6 - Exam study tips

7 - Technology: Help or hindrance?

8 - Advertisements 9 - Ski Team 10 - Holiday gift guide 11 - Staff Editorial 12 - Band and choir

CHECK THIS OUT

Volume 12, Issue 3

BAH! HUMBUG! Testing Tension

9

Ski team unites

Sweet Scarcity

As the world begins to run out of chocolate, we offer a few alternatives to your favorite treats - pg. 5

2 source

A Tale of Two Ski Teams

Stoney skiiers compete with, not against, crosstown rival Adams pg. 9

DECEMBER 19, 2014

1. Download the Aurasma app on your Apple or Andoid device 2. Open the app 3. Follow SCSourceOnline 4. Wherever you see a photo with the paw overlay (like the one on the left) scan the photo to view a video “aura” Contents

Info-fun TOP TEN

Things to do over break

No event of first semester is more anticipated than Holiday Break. Make sure to make the most of it with these fun acitivities

10.

9. Movie marathons

Get ahead on school work

8. Build a snowman 7. Go on a roadtrip

student vs. celebrity

by Don D’Onofrio

Collin Johnson

CATEGORY

None

Job

Former President

Favorite Pop

Mountain Dew Rocheser, Michigan

Stonewall, Texas

Hometown Nickname

LBJ

Suave

Aftershave

Old Spice

Information provided by Collin Johnson and Biography.com

5. Nap excessively

TAKING AIM: Ca You

friends home from 3.Visit college

1. Go sledding

A White Chocolate

i Fru

Q-Tips

B

“My cracked phone screen looks like a snowflake. I feel so festive.”

Worst Christmas Presents Cargo Shorts

nks, Grandma Prunes

A vaccum

e? Reall tcakWrapping y?

Paper

n ur

. It. Now.

Socks

“My beard looks like a waterfall.”

Coal

Grammar Goofs Dog: carnivorous mammal Dawg: informal term for a friend or

Christmas Sweaters

School Supplies

close acquantince; a “homie”

Incorrect use:

I am going to pet my dawg later today.

What you just said:

College Rejection Letters

Crocs Aeropostale Gift Cards

A quilt Pens Snuggies

Anything from Hello Kitty

“My mom’s nicknames are Grinch, fat cow, and Satan.”

Fruitcakes

Homework

Underwear

A signed photo of Mr. Dillon

“Shout out to all my pears.”

“Love is an open door, unless it slams in my face.”

n Return That

Th a Toothepaste

“Eating baby carrots is too risky.”

Fresca

CJ

4. Write a letter to Santa

“My grade has a typo; they spelled “A” with a B.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

6. Dress like an elf

2. Spend time wth family

OVERHEARD IN THE HALLS

The Who’s Who

Onesies Chapstick

Gardening Gloves

“My dog just broke up with me.”

“They’re talking about their weekend like they’ve never had fun before.”

I am going to pet my close friend or “homie” later today.

infofun

DECEMBER 19, 2014

SOURCE 3

Budget humbug

Teachers reassigned, classes impacted due to budget shortfall

by Rachel Tudor and Emma Persson

R

ochester Community Schools is short $1.2 million For the first time in RCS history, the district will begin mid-year layoffs on Dec. 8.

The Board of Education approved department cuts in an attempt to balance the shortfall caused by an incorrect projection of the number of students who would be enrolled in RCS this school year, according to the Oakland Press. Eight and half full-time positions will be eliminated.

This has directly affected math teacher Kelsey Knapp and English/social studies teacher Eric Magiera’s schedules. Traveling during fourth hour, Knapp will spend her last two hours teaching at Adams High School.

Magiera will relocate to Rochester High School for sixth hour only.

“I’m still kind of split on it,” Magiera said. “In one aspect it helps me out because I coach baseball over there. It’s a little bit frustrating because there are a lot of complications as far as scheduling with keeping our classrooms up and making sure everybody is doing the same thing. It just kind of puts a little bit of a wrinkle in my day, but it really isn’t that bad for me.”

According to an email sent out on Dec. 11 by Principal Doctor Cathryn Armstrong, the school will alter courses for second semester to adjust for the dispersion of students. “[No class size] is going above contractual limits,” Assistant Principal John Kelley said. “These adjustments were necessary to bring expenditures in line with revenue to balance everything.”

Classes will not exceed a maximum number of students, even though there will be additional students

Elementary and Secondary about

460 thousand dollars

in certain courses to make up for the reduced number of teachers. According to Kelley, teachers and hours in second semester classes may be modified, but students will still receive the courses they signed up for.

“It’s tough,” Magiera said. “Anytime you have a larger class, even additional four or five kids into your class, it can limit the time you have to work with other students.”

Along with the mid-year adjustments to student and teacher schedules, changes in annual district testing to account for the budget cuts are also required, according to Executive Director of Secondary Education Carrie Lawler.

The Explore and PLAN testing will no longer be administered to freshmen and sophomore classes because the test has been terminated by its developer, which is ACT, according to Lawler. This saves RCS $60,000.

“The district will certainly be missing some valuable information that we have been able to use to check our progress as an institution and to place students in both accelerated courses and support courses,” Lawler said.

The Common Core testing is still scheduled for April 13 to June 1.

“It’s going to affect instruction. Period,” Information Literary Specialist Judy Freels said. “There is a lot of anxiety because of all the pressure. And that affects teachers who want to do end of the year projects who typically do a multimedia presentation project. They are going to have to adjust, scrap, or modify their plans.”

The strain on technology caused by the Common Core testing will also be worsened by the mid-year cuts

since the cost adjustment of $100,000 in the technology department caused the reassignment of the Technology Consultant in the media center.

“When you lose that much money it’s obvious it has to come from somewhere,” Freels said. “I have been in this district since 1988 and we have never ever had to lay off people in the middle of the school year, so that’s scary.”

According to Lawler, the efforts to compensate for the significant budget shortage were strategically planned to minimize impact on a single area of academia.

“The district did weigh many options when considering where we could adjust the budget in the middle of the year,” Lawler said. We worked hard to keep the cuts from impacting students in the classrooms. Hopefully, the state will be coming up with a whole new system of assessment by next year.”

“

I have been in this district since 1988 and we have never ever had to lay off people in the middle of the school year so that’s Information Literary Specialist Judy Freels

”

Cost Adjustments Special Education and Human Resources about

391 thousand dollars

Elementary and Secondary about

361

Photo by Matt Schmucker

thousand dollars

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DECEMBER 19, 2014

school

Students’ favorite stress reliever is in short supply--oh my!

DON’T PANIC!

by Katie Fleming The world is running out of chocolate.

As exams approach students will begin to reach for their favorite stress-relieving snack: chocolate. But while we eat away our stress with the help of our friends Hershey, Ben and Jerry, the world is eating away all the chocolate.

According to the Bloomberg report, chocolate manufacturers are struggling to produce as much chocolate as is demanded by the population. So what’s causing it? Disease wipes out more and more cacao harvests every year, resulting in farmers who will not replant cacao. Instead, they opt for ‘safer’ crops such as corn. Environmental factors such as climate change and drought are also major killers of cacao plants. Have no fear, chocoholics, according to the Bloomberg report, scientists are on the hunt to find ways to improve the growth and development of the cacao trees. Until then, we’d better prepare for the worst: no more chocolate.

Instead of...

Hot Chocolate: Cold days playing outside won’t end on a sweet note without cozy classic, hot chocolate.

Try...

Hot Milk: It’s not just for old ladies and infants!

Levels of exam anxiety rise Exams are approaching and students are on edge as they try to map out their plan for success.

by Annie Knoblauch

Instead of...

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Grandma’s classic recipe had too much butter anyway-we could all use a healthier option.

Try...

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies: Ignore the fact that it’s like eating a glorified hockey puck. They’re like little brooms for your bowels.

Instead of...

Chocolate Ice Cream: It’s rich, cold, creamy and an endangered species in the freezer aisle.

Try...

Rice cream-This frozen treat is a perfect alternative for the lactose-intolerant and those who like the taste of pureed soggy cardboard.

Instead of...

Cocoa-Puffs: Crunchy and chocola—wait… is the chocolate supposed to wash off the cereal into the milk.

Try...

Cheese Puffs- They’re round, puffy and I’m sure taste great in milk as part of a complete Instead of...

Chocolate-covered pretzels: Like Mac and cheese, PB and J, chocolate and pretzels are almost too good to keep apart.

Try...

Plain pretzels: Just stop covering everything with chocolate!

SCHOOL

(photo by Katie Fleming)

A

LERT: Exams are coming in less than a month. Don’t panic.

Junior Sara Viar’s schedule for this semester is as follows: AP Economy, AP Language Arts, AP Government, Pre-calculus, Physics, and Spanish 3. That means 3 AP exams, plus the 3 other subject exams, and any mid-year AP tests.

It’s easy for Viar to get frustrated while studying for all this stuff.

“I am not mentally or physically prepared for exams,” Viar said “I don’t understand what I don’t understand.”

Reaching such a high level of stress this season can cause a downward spiral into anxiety. That means more headaches, more visits to counselors, and more coffee for the all-nighters.

Counselor Jennifer Wilson has seen time and time again the negative affects that stress has on students. Now that exams are closer, the compaints are returning to her office.

“I’ve had student’s complain of their stomach

hurting, maybe not being able to sleep great because they’re tossing and turning at night,” Wilson said. “They might have concentration issues and they can’t focus because they’re so anxious and worried about the test or exam.”

These negative effects of stress, however, can be greatly minimized by good preparation and study tactics for each type of exam. Since there is so much information and so many concepts that exams cover, finding time to study, preparing to study, and knowing what exactly to study can be frustrating.

Many students, like Viar, go to the library for a quiet place to create their plan for studying.

“I try to take the information in increments, start out with the oldest material and move on to the next,” Viar said. “I’ll typically go to the library after school for around four hours then on the weekend for about six hours.”

Luckily teachers are here to help students while they study for exams.

In the science department, Elizabeth Tigue aims to help students get more organized for their AP Biology exam.

“For biology, my favorite thing is to divide a notebook paper in half and write all the terms on one side and the definitions on the other and then cover up the answers,” Tigue said. “I think the actual process of writing slows you down enough that it gets in your brain.”

In the social studies department, Channon Washington discusses her ways of helping students study.

“I recommend that they

make a super flashcard with not just a term and a definition but a term and an explanation of where else it can be found and a connection to one other term,” Washington said.

In the math department, Dave Thomson says the best way to study is finding a commonality between questions.

“I think in mathematics and the mathematics department we tend to give them a lot of exam review,” Thomson said. “It’s a lot of practice but specifically looking at things that were previously learned.”

In the English department, Heather Thomas thinks the best thing to do is to utilize what you’re given at exam time to reinforce what you have already done.

“I do believe that if students give their best effort and all of their individual time that they should’ve spent then they just have to look over reviews and maybe make some further application,” Thomas said.

Studying for the exam and taking the exam is just as important as recharging after exams.

“Do something to take care of yourself,” Wilson said.

“Do something that will fill those buckets back up, those positive buckets, something that would be healthy for you.”

There are endless ways to recover after exams, sleeping being one of the more popular options. When Viar comes home from her last exam the first place she goes is her bed.

“I throw my backpack down and go straight to my room to watch Netflix and fall asleep,” Viar said.

DECEMBER 19, 2014

source 5

The brain game Use these tips from students and experts to streamline your exam study session

Give me a break! Budget time for breaks in your studying. This is proven to help retention, and it will also help you refocus on the material when you come back to it. (Source: greatist.com) On the clock: be careful not to procrastinate on studying! Cramming the night before the exam is not bencial.

(Source: cod.edu)

Spell it out: Songs and acronyms can be a great way to remember acts and lists! They stick in your head, like the ‘Conjunction Junction’ song or the ‘Fleas on Rats’ song.

(Source: greatist.com)

ABC

Make studying social: Friends can help you understand and practice test material in ways you could not manage on your own.

Senior Janani Chinnam said that one of her keys to success was studying with friends at the library. (Source: greatist.com)

Notes vs notes: There is much debate over whether listening to music helps or hurts studying ability. Some students can listen to any music while studying, but others can’t listen to any music without getting distracted! However, if you don’t want it to be silent when you study, there are many Spotify and Pandora radio stations that play songs without lyrics to help you focus like ‘Classical for Studying’ or ‘Vitamin String Quartet’.

(Source: greatist.com) The color code: Colors help your mind make connections when you are studying and help spice up your note taking! Junior Julia Philp uses this technique. “It’s really helpful, I highlight everything!” said Philp.

(Source: cod.edu)

Tips from the trenches:

“ “

Make notecards. I like being able to see the information.”

Sophomore Luke Lowery

Look at previous tests and quizzes.”

Junior Julia Philp

“

Make a study guide or quizlet of all the most important notes.”

Senior Brandon Staarmann

“

Don’t let yourself get distracted.”

(Photos by Rachel Elphick and Jordan Sickon) (compiled by Julia Clay)

6 source

December 19, 2014

Senior Janani Chinnam

SCHOOL

Virtual study guide This year, teachers and students have been rapidly experimenting with technology, but is it going to be efficient for exam season?

Tech tactics: Students utilize technology in the media center during class. During exam time media center traffic is at its peak. (photo by Rachel Elphick)

by Mila Murray

D

ark, painful, imminent death—also known as exam season—is getting a shiny new makeover, thanks to technology. Traditional methods of preparing for exams are slowly fading like the sanity of the student body during this trying time.

Junior Paula Prost notices the implementation of technology in study methods to be higher this year.

“I have so many classroom apps on my phone, like Schoology,” Prost said. “I will be surprised if I don’t have to take a ton of practice quizzes on it for exam prep this year.”

According to Usatoday.com, students from the ages 8 to 18 spend more than twice as much time with high-tech screens in front of their eyes than they spend in school.

And according to Media Specialist Judy Freels, the oldest computers in the building have just been replaced this year. With the number of students with their own portable computers, smartphones, and other personal technology, teachers have begun to take advantage of the educational apps and online studying techniques to enhance lessons and help with exams.

Apps like Schoology, Google Classroom, and Moodle allow for more time after class between the teacher and student. Students have the ability to take practice quizzes, participate in class discussions, and take online notes on these apps.

“Using web based practice quizzes are great because they provide accurate exam simulation with instant feedback for the student,” math teacher Ryan Slomka said.

“This will help them better understand what they have mastered and what they still need to work on.”

Although technology is sometimes used as a helpful studying shortcut by students—like copy and pasting notecards from Quizlet to cram right before a test—there are

School

some students who prefer some of the old fashion methods for studying.

“Technology has always helped me when studying for exams, but I need those handwritten study guides and in-class notes sometimes,” Prost said. “I’m kind of worried about technology completely taking over this time between now and exams.”

And not every teacher wants technological methods of studying to rise above traditional methods as well.

Technology will not be playing a huge role in Slomka’s exam prep.

“If technology is not going to actually enhance a review session then it should not be used,” Slomka said. “Don’t simply use technology because its ‘bright’ and ‘shiny.’ Use technology because you can look at a topic in a different way that may help students understand more clearly.”

According to a study led by UCLA researchers, typing out notes and studying from that will hurt your exam scores whereas writing down notes by hand allows more concentration and produces higher exam scores. In this case, technology isn’t the best option. But that’s not the only problem.

“Availability, availability, availability,” Freels said. “We just have limited resources. The plus side is that most of this can be done outside of school, too, so you aren’t just limited to reviewing during the regular school day.”

Some teachers see the new innovative technology that’s supposed to be more efficient and revolutionizing as sometimes unnecessary for exam prep.

“It takes a lot of time to prepare technology review games and the equipment is not always available,” science teacher Elizabeth Tigue said. “And it is one more thing to find and bring to class. I don’t use anything but Power Point and Word and the school web page for exam prep.”

So then what about the whole “technology revolution”?

Social studies teacher Mary Hickey sees benefits in using technology to prep students for the exam.

“I like the way you can generate as many quizzes as necessary using quizlet,” Hickey says. “I am also interested in trying out some new resources. I just heard about Kahoot and want to look into that. If it’s something [students] can do with their phones, it’s also readily available.”

With teacher’s opinions on utilizing technology for exam prep varying from class to class, participating in the virtual revolution is a personal choice.

“It’s definitely a teacher’s choice. Since this year is the first year my classes are so focused on technology, I’m just going to see how it goes,” Prost said. “This is new for me and I’m sure it’s new for everyone else as well.”

No phones in class: This rule is now outdated in many classrooms.

With helpful educational apps, teachers are taking advantage of the smartphone. (photo by Rachel Elphick)

December 19, 2014

source 7

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If you believe that everything is possible, and that possible is everything, we want you at LTU. Check out our Students’ View of LTU video at www.ltu.edu/svv.

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POSSIBLE IS EVERYTHING.

Architecture and Design | Arts and Sciences | Engineering | Management

Lawrence Technological University | Office of Admissions 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075-1058 | 800.225.5588 | admissions@ltu.edu | www.ltu.edu

8 source

DECEMBER 19, 2014

ADVERTISEMENT

THE SKIING SCOOP FIVE NEED-TO-KNOW FACTS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL SKIING

In the World Cup, alpine (downhill) skiers race five different types of races: alpine super combined, downhill, super giant slalom, giant slalom (GS), and slalom. In high school racers only compete in GS and slalom.

The difference between the two races is the distance between gates. Gates are plastic poles in the ground that racers ski around.

This ultimately affects the size of a skier’s turn. Compared to slalom, giant slalom has wider turns and is slightly less technically demanding than slalom.

According to the MHSAA guidelines, the fastest time receives one point, the second fastest two points, third fastest three points and so forth. The team with the fewest points wins. In Olympic alpine skiing, however, times of skiers on the same team are added up and the fastest overall time wins.

Rigorous racing: Senior Shelby Rosalik races through a GS course during regionals on Feb. 12, 2014. Rosalik placed 30 of 74 girls. (Photo used by permission of Mary Rosalik)

FRENEMIES

Cougars spend winters racing for Adams

by Katie Fleming

S

enior Shelby Rosalik zips up her black race suit, shoves her hair into her lime green helmet, straps her black shin guards into place, and pulls her yellow jacket over her shoulders. The brown embroidery on the back reads ‘Adams Ski Team’.

Yes, that Adams.

Rosalik is one of eleven cougar skiers who spend the winter skiing for the Highlanders. But according to Rosalik, it’s better this way.

“It’s good that we have more people,” Rosalik said. “If we only had our school it wouldn’t be enough people to make a team.”

Sophomore Madison Murphy agrees.

“It’s really nice because we get to meet other kids from the other school and develop friendships outside the Stoney Creek Community,” Murphy said.

Senior Spencer Shaheen agrees—kind of.

“I like that it’s combined,” Shaheen said, “but I’d rather it be called Rochester United.”

SpORTs

It may get old, putting on a jacket with the colors and name of a cross-town rival, but this isn’t a new routine for Stoney Creek skiers.

According to Rosalik, since our founding in 2002, Stoney Creek skiers were split between the Rochester and Adams ski team, depending on where they lived. With cougar skiers on both teams, neither team could be dubbed “Rochester United”. At the beginning of the 2012 winter season, all Stoney skiers were sent to the Adams team. Since then, nobody has bothered to rename the team. And so the team remains the Adams Ski Team.

Though the schools are fierce rivals in other sports, skiing is completely different. The Adams skiers agree that having a combined team is better than two separate teams.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Adams junior Charles Jenkins “I love Stoney Creek. I’ve met some good people and made some great friends.”

The team dynamic, however,

is deeper than great friends. According to Shaheen, it’s “abnormally close.”

According to Adams skiers, the feeling is mutual.

“I think we’re one big family, and I love being together with everyone,” Adams senior Brittany Land said.

Head coach Pete Driscoll is happy to see his skiers getting along.

“They’re finally a team. A real team,” Driscoll said. “That’s the most important thing to me as a coach is to see the kids working together and having fun.”

For most of the team, favorite ski team memories aren’t things that happened on the hill.

Rosalik remembers the snow day triple threat from last year.

“We had girls team bonding days.” Rosalik said, “we were barely apart for more than an hour at a time.”

According to Rosalik “you only have ski friends during ski season.”

Last year during regionals, the varsity girls’ team ranked eighth in GS and seventh in slalom, earning eighth overall out of 13 At regionals, the varsity boys earned sixth in slalom and seventh in GS earning them a final ranking of sixth of 14 teams.

Pre-race ritual: The combined boys varsity team fires up before regionals on Feb. 12, 2014. This is a tradition before and after every race. (Photo used by permission of Marty Rosalik)

DECEMBER 19, 2014

source 9

Top 5 holiday gifts

Put these presents under your tree and hope the Grinch doesn’t steal them

By Maveric Guitar and Annie Knoblauch

T

he holidays are a special time of the year. Whether it is visiting with the family, playing in the snow, or drinking hot chocolate by the fire, many memories will be

made. But, there’s always that one part that most people look forward to; opening gifts. Although this phenomenon is filled with joy, picking out that present is sometimes not a pleasur-

able part of Christmas. We’ve generated a list of the top 5 gifts teenagers might want for Christmas to eliminate some of the stress involved in Christmas shopping.

1. Money Topping the chart as the most wanted Christmas present is of course, money. It’s quite a broad gift, but it is none the less something everyone hopes to receive on Christmas morning.

Money is great for any parent out there just looking for something to add as a stocking stuffer or give to a son or daughter as a last resort because they didn’t get any other present ideas from their kids. Money is also gender neutral and perfect for any age.

There are some downsides of giving money as a gift,

it is not a very personal gift and you don’t know what the person is spending it on.

Money is a good gift idea for people you’re not very close with because you may not know what exactly they want.

The amount to give might be confusing so here are some general examples: for a grandchild a reasonable amount would be anywhere from $50 to $150. For other people in the family it can be a little lower, for friends, stay under $50.

2. iPhone

3. Video Games Video games, such as Call of Duty and Super Mario Bros, are a great product and requested by a lot of youngens and teenagers on their Christmas lists.

Video games may not be number one on a girl’s Christmas list, but there are a lot of games that both genders can enjoy, like Wii Sports and Mario Kart. However, video games can be a bad choice for someone that will just sit around all day and play them for hours.

Video Games are also a great product for families to get involved with. There a ton of new games that incorporate family board games into video games.

Some games are also great for younger kids, like Disney Infinity. For older kids, you may want to get games like Just Dance 2015 or Fifa 15.

All in all this product is sure to please anyone that loves a good adventure, likes sports, and those that like playing in their own virtual Camren Puertas: “I like Fifa 14, but I want fifa 15 for christmas, I love videogames and I like to play soccer; Fifa is a combination of both.”

10 source

DECEMBER 19, 2014

With the release of the iPhone 6 many people have already upgraded their phones. For the ones who haven’t, some are already asking for the iPhone 6 for Christmas.

The iPhone 6 comes in two different sizes: the normal and the plus. Both of these phones are wider, taller, and thinner than the previous iPhone 5 and 5s. The edges are rounded, giving it a new, ergonomic feel.

The new iPhone 6 is very similar to its rival, the Samsung Galaxy S5, but some people just stick with the

iPhone for its easy to use hands on features and don’t worry about the new size.

One unique feature of the iPhone 6 is the new iOS8 operating system which improves upon iOS7. This new iPhone 6 is one product that a lot of people will want for Christmas this year.

4. Clothes

5. Starbucks

Clothes are almost always part of everyone’s Christmas list. Getting new clothes for Christmas is a great feeling and there are specific brands many people like.

Many high school students enjoy shopping at stores like Pacsun, Urban Outfitters, Macy’s, and various online stores. For boys, a good brand is Polo Ralph Lauren. Polo t-shirts start out around $30 but can reach up to over $300 for more expensive items like blazers and jackets. On the other hand, many girls seem to like the brand Lululemon. A pair of Lululemon leggings range from $80 to $100 and Lululemon jackets can cost up to $300. Although these clothes are a little more on the expensive side, they are very desirable for their comfort and style.

There are also many gender neutral brands, such as Vineyard Vines and Nike that provide a lot of different clothes and accessories for the girl or boy in your life. Vineyard Vines clothing starts anywhere from $40 shirts to $750 sport coats. Nike has a very wide range of athletic clothing for all sports in general. Nike dri fit shirts are about $30 and shoes range from

Starbucks drinks are all over the place, inside and outside of school, so it’s no surprise that Starbucks gift cards are a desired gift.

This is a universal gift that is gender neutral and not only works as a Christmas present but for birthdays, anniversaries or any special occasions.

Gift cards come in many different colors and sizes and a variety of different values. You can get a gift card worth $1 all the way to $100.

Even though this is a great present for anyone that loves coffee, even those who don’t like coffee have choices like fresh food, passion tea, lemonade, and hot chocolate.

This product is also a great gift to get if you’re not looking to make an elaborate present or spend a lot of money, since there is a variety of different foods and drinks that Starbucks provides.

(All photos by Anne Knoblauch and Maveric Guitar)

opinion

STAFF EDITORIAL

Grades drop with temperature A mere 10 F may be the barrier between students and their perfect 4.0. Chilling building temperatures force students to bundle up.

During the school year, 1,600 students filter in and out of our school hallways each and every day. Their time spent in the building includes the havoc of tests, quizzes, and more. So why should students be further stressed by freezing school thermostats? Because freezing school temperatures make students uncomfortable and affect their learning ability in the classroom, the district needs a balanced approach to energy conservation.

The reason why students, teachers, and faculty have been shivering through the first few hours lies in the school’s desire for energy conservation. In the “Energy Conservation and Building Management” document the school lays out specifications for how the school energy must be regulated. The document reveals that while the school is unoccupied, the heat must be set down to a bone-chilling 55 F in the dead of winter.

They define “unoccupied” as any time students leave the building. This means

Source Staff Vote:

The school should regulate the temperature of the school better.

that from about 3 p.m. until 7 a.m., a time expanse of 16 hours, the school gradually turns back to ice-cold temperatures.

However, while the school is occupied it only has 8 hours to raise the temperature 17 F to a balmy 72 F. According to the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, a study conducted by students from Westview High-School in Oregon shows that students perform better in environments at the temperature of 72 F. This temperature correlates directly to the temperature the school should be while students are learning. However, because heating the school only occurs during occupied hours, it is impossible for the school to toast up to the appropriate temperature before textbooks are cracked open.

So what does this mean for students? The study also shows that at a lower temperature of 61 F students performed up to 14 percent worse on tests and quizzes. This 14 percent makes up an entire letter grade. If the school raised the

“unoccupied” temperature by a simple 10 F, it is possible that student grades will rise.

All of this data raises the mystery of why students are being educationally crippled by the cold air. The school’s desire to be a green school impacts students in extreme ways. In the “Energy Conservation and Building Management” document, a responsibility listed reads, “Every person is expected to become an ‘energy saver’ as well as an ‘energy consumer.’” Where did students sign on to join this agenda?

Should a waiver be handed out at the beginning of the year to inform students that frigid winter temperatures may cost them 14 percent of their grade?

While being an energy conserving school is a fantastic idea, there must be a balance in the execution. A school’s primary goal should be the success of its students.

Energy can be saved more than one way and turning students into human popsicles is not a good one. Some advice for individuals in search of that 4.0 GPA is to wear a sweater and hope for warm winters.

Agree: 100%

&PRRR

GRRR GRRR

Bad traffic during the lightshow: Traffic during the lightshow causes even the most relaxed drivers to turn into real-life grinches.

Teachers give homework over break: Are they trying to ruin the holidays? W hat’s the point of a break if you spend it on homework?

PRRR ABC Christmas special: ABC’s 25 days of Christmas will be showing again with everyone’s favorite family flicks.

Ski slopes are open: Students can look forward to hitting the slopes over break at Pine Knob and Boyne Mountain.

BY THE NUMB3RS

2

Different kinds of races for Ski Team: Slalom and GS

Number of Cougars on Adams Ski Team

Car vs Crater

30

11 The average number of hours per week kids spend on phones

The optimal number of hours of sleep each student should get to learn best

70

Percent of students with smart phone

M&M’s are the number one candy in America

by Emma Persson

Opinion

10 1

(Sources: Katie Fleming, nielson.com, educause.com)

DECEMBER 19, 2014

source 11

Music through the Seasons The music department winter concerts require much preparation but hit a high note ‘Tis The Seasons: (Right) Senior Carly Steen plays along with the band during their run-through of “The Seasons.”

Steen thinks it’s a difficult song. “It features a lot of different instruments that don’t normally get featured, and it has a lot of solo parts,” said Steen. Steen and all other musical students practice for their upcoming winter concert Dec 16.

Do You Hear That? (Below) Band director Lauren Staniszewski conducts the symphony band in their song “Different Voices.” Staniszewski chose this song for many reasons. “It emphasizes all of the different colors in the band in many ways. We have so many different kinds of instruments to play with, and group together. Different voices help accentuate that, and you have the chance to hear many of those different colors and different sounds in their own unique ways,” said Staniszewski.

Take A Look: Sophomores Ashlyn Moran and Courtney Kwasek follow along as they sing through “The Christmas Journey,” which they will be performing Dec. 17. The song is Dr. Brandon Ulrich own composition. “It’s a poem that’s composed by Dr. Brandon Ulrich. He took it and turned it into a song. It’s a very beautiful song. He did a really good job with composing it. It’s probably one of my favorite songs I’ve sang in choir,” said Kwasek.

Time to Dance: (Right) The chamber singers practice on stage for their performance of “Bile Them Cabbage Down,” which is a square dance. Some students get to take part in dancing to this song.

So Cute: Dr. Ulrich explains part of the chamber singers song “Exulate Justi In Domino,” to seventh and eighth graders from Hart.

(All photos and captions by Kaitlyn Reyff )

12 source

december 19, 2014

School