B&G Issue 5 2015

Sports

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Issue 5 Hollywood

Black Gold

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2014 MIPA Spartan Award Winner

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Turn to page 5 for game coverage of Central’s victory over West on the ice, a profile of a recent Division I cross country recruit, and a look at girls indoor soccer

February 3, 2015

Volume 94

Traverse City Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive, Traverse City, Michigan 49686

Photo: courtesy of W. Tomazewski

For coverage of recent Hoodie Allen and G-Eazy concerts, a look at The Interview, and movie reviews turn to page 6

State legislature decides to switch state to SAT

After recents bids to the state, the ACT will no longer be administered as the state-wide standardized test

Carly Hernden Staff Reporter

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tarting in 2016, all juniors in Michigan will be taking the SAT in lieu of the ACT. This decision was made by the Michigan Department of Education on January 7th after a review of the state required tests.

“I was a little surprised they went with SAT, but it met the criteria they were looking for,” Testing Coordinator Joe Esper said.

Legislation Legislators decided to analyze the tests juniors took after legislation passed a year ago, requiring the Department of Education to reevaluate state required tests. After discussing the advantages with the tests, SAT won the three-year contract with Michigan high schools.

“The SAT was also about $15 million cheaper than ACT,” Esper said.

“So, I’m sure that had a role in the state’s decision.”

Reviewing the assessments requires

both ACT and SAT to present bids to the Department of Education. SAT presented a bid that was $17.1 million while ACT presented a $32.6 million bid leaving a gap of $15.4 million gap between the two.

“I would like to hope the decision was made in the interest of the students and budgets,” Esper said. “I’m certain that there was a budget aspect to it, again with the cost difference being so big.”

Differences between the tests While the ACT and the SAT have the same purpose, the content does not match up exactly. The Department of Education wanted the assessment to be online as much as possible so it can adapt to modern technologies.

“Next spring is the first time the SAT will be online,” Esper said. “It’s actually going to be a different SAT than what students might have taken before.”

The original SAT was targeted at a higher end of college-bound students. The new test is supposed to be tailored to meeting the needs of all students.

ACT

VS

SAT

(2016 Redesign)

3 hours, 25 min

3 hours, 50 min

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Scale of 400-1600

English (45 min), Reading (35 min), Science (35 min), Math (60 min), Writing (30 min)

Writing and Language (35 min), Reading (65 min), Math (80 min), Essay (50 min)

No penalty for wrong answer

No penalty for wrong answer

“Recently it has been argued that SAT does a better job of measuring students knowledge of the common core curriculum,” Learning specialist Ben Lantz said. “Which is the updated curriculum that states have been moving to in recent years.”

Girls take BNC win

Schools Michigan Department of Education may be saving $15.4 million from the switch, but that doesn’t mean it will be reflected onto local schools.

“In the short term for local schools, I think its actually going to negatively impact our budget,” Esper said. “To

New students sometimes have trouble finding their place in large schools such as Central. A new student-driven club hopes to combat alienation

Staff Reporter

On January 28, Central’s JV and varsity, girls and boys ski teams competed in a Big North Conference at Schuss Mountain. Central’s girls varsity team is currently in the lead of the girls Big North Conference. “The slalom course that day was not very hard,” said Brittney Collins ‘17, pictured above. “Right now I’m working on my positioning going into the turn, and making good exits when coming out of the turn to make it cleaner.”

See Testing, pg. 10

New club helps with assimilation Kristin McLintock

Photo: courtesy of J. Cockfield

get our counselors and teachers ready to get our students ready for the SAT is going to take training, resources, and that is going to cost our district money.”

ACT provides schools with the e-pass package. This includes preliminary tests such as Explore and Plan taken freshman and sophomore year.

“The Explore and the Plan are just shorter versions of the ACT test. If we are moving away from the ACT there is no point in using Explore and Plan,” Lantz said. “We don’t have information from SAT yet regarding if they will provide anything like that.”

In years past Central has offered the PSAT for willing students in the fall.

“The College Board does provide the PSAT to students who want to sign up for it,” Lantz said. “We hope they will provide that to us as a part of the SAT package.”

One significant difference between the ACT and SAT is the lack of a science section in the SAT. Science questions are going to be built into the math, reading and writing sections.

A new program is set to be introduced Central with the start of the new semester. French teacher Jamie Grant, and her advisory students, have created a program intended to aid transfer students with their assimilation into the student body.

“In our first few Olweus meetings we had a few students who were new to Central and the advisory, and the topic came up of how hard it is for them to feel comfortable when they first get here and understand where things are,” Grant said. “So, we wanted to come up with something we could do to assist with that.”

The program is based on ambassadors, the Central students who will be helping transfer students start out at Central. Although they will be selected from the original advisory at the start, the program looks to have other students from any grade join in the future.

“No one has to be an ambassador; it’s not my whole advisory,” Grant said. “We all came up with this together but it will probably just be a portion of those students who actually want to do it. We want people to be excited, to be outgoing and want to help people transition into Central as opposed to just having to do something.”

Being an ambassador has many perks outside of helping new students connect with Central.

“We were also thinking that the students who do this throughout high school,” Grant said, “that it might be a thing they could put on their college application because we think it shows the character of just the type of person who would be in this type of program.”

When a new student moves to Central, the ambassador’s tasks will be to invite them to lunch, give them tours, help with lockers, and give them any other good pointers.

“Depending on what school you’re coming from it could be intimidating coming into a new, very large building,” Savannah Stepke ‘18 said.

“We have a large student population and I could see it being hard trying to find where you fit in if you don’t know anyone.”

The effectiveness of the program relies on communication.

“Starting with when someone registers in the office they need to be matched up with an ambas-

Briefs

sador within 24 hours,” Grant said. “If not, that defeats the purpose because they might have already figured it out those first few days. We need to make sure we have a really clear line of communication so we can get new students matched up right away.”

The students who helped create it know the type of positive effects a program like this could have on the student body.

“I like how it gives a sense of community and a way to make new friends,” Madelyn Brady ‘18 said.

Graphic: H. Lancashire

Originally created for the benefit of transfer students, the program also points out other students who may have a hard time integrating into Central.

“I think that most of our student body doesn’t even know they’re here and in most of our classes,” Spanish teacher Lisa Dohm said, “ the exchange students have a tendency to stick with each other because they know each other through their different exchange programs. They do not assimilate well.”

Similar to the attempt of helping transfer students, programs to aid exchange students are in the works.

“What I would like to see personally is to do an international ambassador program so school body leaders are in place at the beginning of the year when my exchange students show up,” Dohm said, “I would like to have them connected right See Assimilation, pg. 10

Passinault resigns as head coach

Students place in art competition

Varsity football coach Tom Passinault, recently resigned as head coach after eight years.

“I have high hopes for our program in the future because there has always been a tradition and a passion for Central High School football,” Athletic Director Mark Matteson said.

Passinault wishes to spend more time with family after resigning and hopes the upcoming coach will give the job the energy it deserves.

“The job requires somebody that can do it full time and

Recently, two central students entered the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Kat Huff ‘16 was awarded silver for her entry and Spencer Schulte ‘16 won an honorable mention, silver and gold for the three separate works he submitted.

“Kendall College of Art and Design graded everyone from that region and placed them,” Huff said.

After regionals, nationals is a

have the energy to give it the time it needs,” Passinault said.

“I always do things 100% and I could not do that anymore.”

Passinault hopes to leave a good, positive memory in the minds of students.

“When people think of me as a coach I hope that they see me as somebody who treated players as fairly and had the best interest of the players at the heart,” Passinault said. “It’s been a phenomenal eight years at Central.”

Photo: E. Wiitanen

possibility for students with high grades on their work.

“If you win regionals with a gold key, you get to go to nationals,” Schulte said.

This fair acted helped the students to not only recognize their only talent, but also to affirm their life goals.

“I’m going to major in Industrial Design,” Schulte said.

Photo: courtesy of S. Schulte

Photo: courtesy of K. Huff

2 Opinion

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Free speech can’t relent

We look at the good and bad from the venerable and not so venerable public bigwigs

John Minster

Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor

the Black & Gold

News Editor

George Madison

Opinion Editor John Minster

Feature Editor Maddi Miller

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Erin Lipp John Minster

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“It’s very offensive to publish something attacking a certain group. Satire should have limits, I feel like it can lead to violence and always angers people.”

-Teddy McKay ‘18

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Editors-in-Chief

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Dear Michael Moore, American Sniper—according to Gunnery Sgt. Jeff Crenshaw is the “most realistic thing he’s seen since the battlefield.” Crenshaw was a sniper just like Chris Kyle, and knows the burden that comes with it.

Kyle, a US Navy Seal sniper, is portrayed by Bradley Cooper in the new movie American Sniper as a hero, just as he should be. But, for some reason, you responded to the movie on Twitter saying “My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders r worse.”

Excuse me, but anyone who is protecting our country, his brothers and sisters, and your freedom is no coward. If you were not protected by the screen of a computer or smartphone would you have the guts to call Kyle a coward to the public? How about his wife and children?

The enemy did refer to Kyle as “The Devil” and placed a $80,000 bounty on his head, but this is because he could pull the trigger to protect his men when nobody else would. Being a soldier takes a special kind of courage and a stronger mind and body than you have Mr. Moore.

Just because you are a celebrity does not give you the right to make quick judgment calls, let alone make them very publicly when true heros like Crenshaw defend their brothers and their positions. Celebrities have a unique power to influence people’s opinions and how they view things, and making rash comments should not be the sort of tendency somebody of this stature should have, especially against someone who has experienced horrors and situations that you never have and never will.

I have one thing to say to you Mr. Moore—Chris Kyle is more of a hero than you could ever hope to be.

Respectfully, Erin Lipp

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Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor

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Erin Lipp

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The military is a noble service. Those willing to dedicate their lives to defending our country are a special breed. But sadly, it comes with a cost. Often times, military families are in shambles with a parent being away for so long. The toll that can take on children is unparalleled. Or sometimes, those family members are gone forever. Thus is the sacrifice that comes with this duty.

To console and support some of those who have lost parents, Green Bay Packers’ star quarterback Aaron Rodgers surprised four children with a special visit; Dylan, Starr, Alexis and Kylee, who all lost their fathers. This high-class deed is not only something these kids will remember for the rest of their lives, but something very seldom seen in the NFL of late.

Rodgers is setting an incredible example for other players.

Rodgers’ visit inspired #itsAaron and was coordinated by Camp Hometown Heroes, located in Wisconsin. The camp’s mission is “to offer national free week-long overnight summer camp for children and young siblings of fallen U.S. service members who died in any manner: combat, accident, illness, or suicide.”

Kids from all around the country are able to meet with grief specialists, engage in therapy groups with other children who have experienced similar situations, participate in typical camp activities and, sometimes, meet star quarterbacks.

Growing up without a dad has to be a tremendously difficult experience. I’m extremely close to my father and if I didn’t have him, man, I don’t know what I’d do.

Rodgers used his fame to raise the spirits of children who have gone through something horrible, especially at such a young age. There is not anything much more commendable than that.

tion that doesn’t regularly print more than 60,000 copies a week. That issue’s revenue went to the families of the victims, and the victims’ past work was featured.

Even after the attack, Charlie’s new issue was still met with much condemnation around the world. Muslim government leaders in Turkey banned the issue, as did Egypt. The Iranian government called the issue “an abuse of free speech”, and Nasr al-Ansi, the Chief Leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, released a video warning of more “tragedies and terror” should the supposed defamation continue.

We at the Black & Gold have a deep sorrow for the events that took place. The fact that these sorts of travesties still occur so frequently is a depressing verdict on the world we live in.

We also commend Charlie’s response to this attack, and their commitment to maintaining free speech even in the face of severe terror is nothing short of admirable.

Our world today is one of severe criticism. Everywhere there are columns and opinions, entire broadcasts focusing on defaming one individual. The idea

“I think media should be careful with what it says, just for precaution, but still not to adhere to the wants of groups. The media must be equal.”

-Macy Cook ‘17

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ast month, the world was exposed to a level of brutality we had not witnessed in some time. On the morning of January 7th, Charlie Hebdo, a french satirical newspaper, was viciously attacked by three Islamic extremists acting in the name of jihad. 11 people were killed, 11 others wounded, and those lucky enough to escape were left wounded in a way very few can understand.

This massacre sent shockwaves through the world, sparking three days of terror in Paris, where the attackers and other accomplices roamed the city, taking hostages and killing more innocent people. The murderers claimed to be from Al-Qaeda in Yemen, executing their mission with brutal precision.

The attack comes in response to Charlie’s satirizing of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammed. Muhammed is not to be depicted whatsoever, or one is to be put to death according to the Qu’ran.

Charlie not only drew many cartoons of the Prophet, but it wasn’t exactly in a favorable light for Muslims.

Muhammed was depicted crying, as gay, as a murderer, and as being murdered. Charlie’s repeated attacks were condemned by Muslims around the world, but sadly some of them had to take things to a despicable level.

The cartoons however, were warranted. Generally, they focused on the injustices being dealt to people, especially women, in that culture so often.

It just cannot be acceptable in today’s world, no matter the excuse, to be put to death for things like adultery or not allow women to show their faces in public. It’s the 21st Century.

After the attack, Charlie pushed on. Despite losing so much of their staff, the newspaper released a new issue just a week later, again depicting Muhammed on the cover, this time with a tear down his cheek holding a card saying “Je Suis Charlie” or “I Am Charlie,” essentially the catchphrase of support. The new paper sold out in Paris easily and had over 5 million copies printed, a record for a publica-

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After the Charlie Hebdo massacre, media outlets must unite

that a group of people could do what these Islamic terrorists did, let alone for the reasons they did it, is incomprehensible. Imagine if Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart featured bits poking fun at Islam in a significantly Muslim country? We, a high school newspaper, even have our own satire page. This form of media is imperative, and the idea that satire is what fueled these attacks is even more insane. One of the chief editors of Charlie Gérard Biard said it best, “They killed people who drew cartoon characters. That’s it.”

We understand satire may not always be the most appropriate form of criticism; however, it is supremely effective in its job and is something that should never be limited, especially if it’s because someone gets offended. That is the nature of the beast.

We at the Black & Gold also revere Charlie for taking a uniquely horrible situation and using it to promote some good. By placing Muhammed on the cover once again, they are rendering these terrorists ineffective. The whole point of these attacks was to send a message, to stop these criticisms, but by directly doing the thing they were attacked for in the first place, Charlie is showing these malevolent people their violence will not stop freedom of speech. The media cannot back down and allow its message to be edited by threats. The integrity of the press must be preserved.

Sadly, Charlie’s bravery is not shared by all media outlets.

CNN, ABC Network and the New York Times all refused to publish Charlie’s cartoon.

While we understand not wanting to publish it, in this situation where media outlets should be uniting to support free speech, many dropped the ball. The media has such an important role in society, feeding us information and keeping everyone honest; when they fail to support their cohorts and their cause through their actions, it shames us all.

We at the Black & Gold support Charlie

See Free Speech, pg. 11

“They have every right to publish opinions.

It’s a satirical thing, they weren’t trying to hurt anyone. Satire is just another form of free press.”

-Ethan Schuh ‘16

“Satire is an essential form of media that should be present in every culture. People getting offended over something so silly just need to relax.”

-Anthony Kratovil ‘15

PETA on the attack once again...

The animal rights group is known for ruthlessly accosting celebrities for any possible abuse. Sarah Palin is their newest victim, a family photo being the culprit

Hayley Scollard Staff Reporter

Perched upon a black labrador, Sarah Palin’s six-year-old son Trig attempts to wash the dishes, but the lazy dog, who’s name is Jill Hadassah, is in his way and the kitchen sink is too high. Palin, the former Alaskan governor and 2008 Vice Presidential Ccandidate, posted the picture of her son standing on Jill to Facebook, attempting to turn, “stumbling blocks” into “stepping stones,” she said. Instead of prompting a new year filled with goals to be accomplished, Palin’s stepping stones turned into stumbling blocks after being slammed with animal abuse accusations.

“It’s odd that anyone let alone a mother—would find it appropriate to post such a thing, with no apparent sympathy for the dog in the photo,” the

A&E Editor

Julia Vannatter

Peoples’ Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in a statement responding to Palin’s picture. “Then again, PETA, along with everyone else, is used to the hard-hearted, seeming obliviousness of this bizarrely callous woman, who actually thought it appropriate to be filmed while turkeys were being slaughtered right behind her in full view of the camera.”

Palin wasn’t in the least pleased with PETA’s attack.

“Dear PETA, Chill. At least Trig didn’t eat the dog,” Palin wrote. “Aren’t you the same anti-beef screamers blogging hate from your comfy leather office chairs, wrapped in your fashionable leather belts above your kickin’ new leather pumps you bought because your celebrity idols (who sport fur and crocodile purses) grinned in a tabloid wearing the exact same

Business Managers George Madison Julia Vannatter

Sports Editor Erin Lipp

Focus Page Editors Hunter Kelly Hayley Rozema

Leek Editor

Carl Rasmussen

Photo Editors Emma Simon Margo Hoagg

Illustration Editor Henry Lancashire

Louboutins leaving sleek cowhide covered limo seats on their way to some liberal fundraiser shindig at some sushi bar that features poor dead smelly roe?”

Palin also attached a picture posted by The Ellen DeGeneres Show of a little girl standing on a dog. She recalled that Ellen

Staff Reporters

Noah Aulicino Andrea Bavikatty Kirsten Berkey Chris Brower Maggie Dupuie Abby Harnish Carly Hernden Shaine Kearney Kristin McLintock Mitchell Mosley Bethany Pataky Nicole Rogers Hayley Scollard Alex Stern

DeGeneres was named woman of the year in 2009 by PETA. PETA attacking others for “animal cruelty” is no surprise to most of the public. In February of 2013, they ridiculed Beyonce for wearing leather and snake skin at the Superbowl.

See PETA, pg. 11 Graphic: H. Lancashire

Baille Zipser Send us an email at TCBlackandGold.opinion@gmail.com or drop off a letter to the editors in room F-158 Some Corrections: -On page 2, John Minster’s column did not italicize Son’s of Anarchy.

-On page 11, the date said November 18, 2014 and it was supposed to be December, 16 2014

Opinion

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Graphic Credit: H. Lancashire

3

Keeping the internet a fair market

Net Neutrality has come to the forefront Chris Brower Staff Reporter

Technology is taking over

Devices are everywhere. Phones, tablets, laptops are a dime a dozen and our devices have become a very imperative part of our lives. Perhaps too imperative...

Abby Harnish Staff Reporter

In early January, the Consumers Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas, NV. Many new devices were introduced, among them a prototype robot called Bocco, a messenger robot aimed for kids too young for phones. Bocco sends and receives direct messages to and from smartphones using the Bocco app. The robot can only send audio messages, but it can convert received texts into audio recordings as well. Yukai Engineering Inc. exhibited Bocco as a way to keep working families closer together.

Bocco is only one of the many new technological advances made. With others like 3D printers, drone technology, driverless cars, and the Oculus Rift being introduced, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in the vast world of technology. The average person spends fours years of their life looking down at a cell phone.

Four years of which could be spent going on spur-of-the-moment adventures with friends, laughing with family, or accomplishing what could be the greatest achievement in their life.

Imagine missing a friendship, an amazing career, or maybe even the love of your life all because you were too busy scrolling through your feed or tweeting about the coffee shop you’re eating at. For kids, what used to be a good time was going outside and getting muddy, playing games, and running around. Now it’s doing those same things, except on a video game. The playground has become its own technological

throng. As parents become busier and busier with their jobs, things like Bocco may become a replacement for their presence too. Why leave work early to go to a son’s soccer game when there is Bocco to send good luck messages?

Instead of bringing families together, Bocco will tear families apart.

It’s not just Bocco that’s the issue here. Technology and social media will be the death of our generation when it comes to interpersonal communication. We are the most connected, most social generation ever, yet our actual communication skills will be the worst in the modern era. Being raised in the tech era, it’s almost all we know. We maneuver new gadgets and technology much more efficiently than generations before us. But we let likes and followers determine our self-worth, we consider some of our best friends strangers we met online, some of whom we’ve never even seen a picture of.

What will tear us down is our inability to communicate without a screen, a scathing absence of the most important kind of communication there is.

We all constantly see couples sitting on their phones across each other in restaurants, best friends sitting on the swings with their eyes locked on their phones, and siblings sitting inside all day on tablets instead of running around outside. According to data collected by telegraph.uk.com, only 40 percent of today’s children would swap their TV and computer time for playing outside, and that’s especially worrying given childhood is when communication foundations are built. Starting the day

a child is born, children learn interpersonal communication through experience. When the experiences are replaced with parents and children focused on their texting conversations, it is hard for the them to develop necessary interpersonal skills.

According to advancedlifeskills.com, communication skills contribute to 85 percent of our success. And besides being more successful, people who spend more time communicating face to face with friends and family are statistically happier. Online, people may have 2000 followers to chat with, but it’s likely they are lacking when it comes to real friends who would drop whatever they’re doing to help.

Communication is the base of the real world.

Almost every single job out there requires good communication skills, and some require an abundance of these skills. Gaining those skills, however, isn’t going to come from a 140 character text box.

Now I’m not saying we should go back to the stone age. Technology and social media do have their advantages, and they’re significant.

It’s just that, with the speed that technology is advancing, and more importantly the presence it’s taking in our lives, a few generations down the line we’re going to depend on robots to take care of our kids, prepare meals and clean the house. We won’t talk to our friends, our family, our children, in person hardly ever. With the way we’re going there is no end in sight.

Wall-E will become a reality. Technology can be an asset to society, but it’s quickly becoming a significant detriment.

Recently, Mark Cuban, notorious tech mogul, came out in support of the concept of net neutrality. Last October, President Obama also took a stance on net neutrality, spelling out his support for Netflix and other big companies that want to keep the internet equal for everyone.

The internet is getting faster but companies are going to need big bucks if they want a website that is fast and responsive to everyone. This is keeping smaller companies at the slow end and propelling fortune 500 companies to the top. This is called net neutrality, and it is becoming a must in America.

Net neutrality is the idea that internet providers, say Charter for example, should treat all internet traffic the same and not give faster speeds to sites that pay a fee for it. In many cases, services like Netflix will pay internet providers to have faster speeds than other websites. This is a slippery slope for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to maneuver; on one side, the internet should be open and as fast as it can be for everyone, but on the other side, if the internet does become a fast lane (fast as possible) for everyone then there is no incentive for internet providers to build better infrastructures for faster speeds. That could hurt consumers in the long run.

Supporters of net neutrality say they want a reclassification of broadband providers as “common carriers.” This is reserved for companies who are commissioned by the government to provide the same service to everyone without discrimination. But as of right now they are classified as “information services” meaning they do not have to provide the same services to everyone equally. This means if they make the change to “common carriers” the government would regulate the internet, making it equal for all without discrimination.

Conversely, there are the providers who stand to lose a lot of money if there is a reclassification. Providers argue that if they lose the ability to collect fees then they lose the incentive to build better infrastructures which means speeds will lag behind and this, they warn, will harm consumers because technology will be faster but the internet speeds will stay the same.

I believe net neutrality is something America needs now. With infrastructure getting better and fiber rolling out, speeds will vastly improve, and holding a company back just because they can’t afford the premium is appalling. Think of My Space, Facebook, Google, Youtube, Vimeo etc…

These are companies that arguably wouldn’t be where they are today if the internet hadn’t been a level playing field when they started. If they would have had to pay a fee for fast connections, they would have been left behind like all the smaller companies will be if we don’t support net neutrality. These cries for neutrality aren’t coming from anti-corporate hippies either; with big names like Google and Microsoft backing this movement, there seems to be support from all over.

Even though I’m for neutrality, I understand why providers will fight against it. They don’t want to throw away profit. AT&T has seen a loss in revenue and have halted further rollout of high speeds all over because they don’t want to put higher speeds somewhere they can’t charge for.

I believe this is a question of morality. Do we want to allow these companies to stomp on the little guys, or do we want the internet to `be an open space, like it was in its conception, and not dominated by just a few websites? The free market answer is simple: keep the internet free.

Government forces a teen to get chemotherapy

A 17 year old from Connecticut gets lymphoma and she tries to refuse treatment, but our all-knowing government says no. Even with her parents’ support, the teen is still having to undergo chemotherapy Graphic Credit: H. Lancashire

John Minster

Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor A 17 year old Connecticut teen is being forced by the government to undergo chemotherapy.

The teen, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in September, received two sessions of chemotherapy in November before running away from the hospital. The teen has now been forced to return and is undergoing treatment.

The hospital, the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, reported the case to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), claiming the parents were neglecting their daughter’s medical needs when they originally refused chemotherapy. The DCF granted temporary custody of Cassandra to the agency, and hospital officials ordered Cassandra, despite her protests, to return to the hospital and receive treatment after a state hearing determined she was being neglected by her parents and was not mature enough to make her own decision.

After returning to the hospital, Cassandra fought the doctors, but she was eventually strapped to a bed while a port to administer the treatment was surgically implanted into her heart. Sounds like something straight out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Since then, the teen has been locked inside a hospital room, with a guard posted outside

the door at all times. Cassandra’s mother, Jackie Fortin, said her daughter was opposed to the idea of chemotherapy even before her diagnosis.

“She has always—even years ago—said that if she was diagnosed with cancer, she would not put poison into her body,” Fortin said.

Doctors at Cassandra’s hospital say the treatment would give her an 85 percent chance of survival. Without treatment, it’s nearly a guarantee she would pass within two years.

The Connecticut Supreme Court heard the case on Jan. 7, and determined neither Cassandra can refuse treatment, nor her parents for her.

The court ruled against Cassandra, who turns 18 in September. She will be forced to undergo

the treatment, against both her and her parents’ wishes.

Obviously, this whole situation is tragic. Anytime someone so young ends up with something like lymphoma, it’s horrible. Nevertheless, I have a problem with the government’s actions.

I understand trying to save Cassandra from herself. Totally get it, it makes a ton of sense. It’s just, any time the government does something like this, I get nervous. There is an issue with deciding for someone or, in this case their parents, how they want to pursue any sort of medical treatment. Heck, how they want to pursue almost anything.

There are numerous situations where the gov-

ernment chooses to consider a 17 year old as an adult. Why here, in such an important situation for the person, do they choose to consider her as a child?

Unequivocally, Cassandra’s decision is the reason for the government’s action. If she had chosen to get chemotherapy, we wouldn’t be here, but she made the life decision not to. While her reasons may not be the best, that is beside the point. It’s her choice, her life. If she wants to look for other means and doesn’t like the idea of putting chemicals in her body, that’s what she wants and that’s what she should have the freedom to do. End of story.

I do understand the shotty parenting here. I know for a fact my parents would not give me a choice to do this sort of thing, even if I was an adult. However, her parents supported her decision and made their own choice. Again, we get back to the same idea, it’s their child. For the government to take custody over her based off a medical decision they don’t agree with, it’s wrong.

There is a fundamental issue here. It is not the government’s place to make decisions for people. It is the government’s place to give people the ability to make these decisions for themselves, whatever the choice is, no matter how unusual. That’s what liberty is about, that’s what this country was founded upon. We should adhere to our values, not ignore them.

4 A&E

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Focus:

AP Studio Art—2D Ben Bradshaw ‘15

Students showcase talents

Music students perform pieces in front of professional judges to receive feedback for improvement

Photo: courtesy of B. Bradshaw

Name of Piece: The Lunch Lady Materials used: Watercolors and Sharpie markers Techniques: “I just started off by setting it up like a comic page, so I used a ruler to draw the lines out nice and straight.”

Inspiration of Piece: “My concentration is a story of a high school janitor who becomes a superhero. The original idea I had was going to be everday heros. I got the lunch lady idea when I was in the cafeteria and saw some gross food and thought, ‘hey I could do something with this.’”

Why did you choose this piece to be published?

“This is my favorite piece of artwork and I enjoyed making this one the most.”

Jackson Conlon ‘16 Photo: courtesy of J. Conlon

Name of Piece: I Am a God Materials used: Photoshop Techniques: “I used lots of gradient layers. I had to practice using all the different tools on Photoshop and I just used my knowledge of the program to make this.”

Inspiration of Piece: “It’s about a man who has the Messiah Complex and thinks he is a God. My inspiration was Kanye West, the greatest rapper of all time. He thinks he is a God, and he’s right.

Long live Kanye.”

Why did you choose this piece to be published?

“This was the first piece I created and it is also my most complete piece thus far.”

Olivia Favour ‘15

Photo: courtesy of O. Favour

Name of Piece: Electrical Stitches Materials used: String, Magazines and cardboard Techniques: “I found magazine excerpts that had technology or a phone on them and glued them to a background, then I chose images that I didn’t like for the background and painted over them.”

Inspiration of Piece: “My concentration is the things people pay attention to, and for this piece I did how people pay attention to technology.”

Why did you choose this piece to be published?

“I chose this piece because it is my most recent artwork, and people said it was my best work as well. It’s just my favorite out of all of the things I’ve created.”

Photo: E. Simon

Photo: E. Simon

1) Miguel Ferraro ‘18 performs his piece at Solo Ensemble, At the Heart, playing the alto saxophone. “It’s fun to play and it’s a way to waste time with learning new things,” Ferraro said. Performers received feedback from the judges on their piece. 2) Dana Plfughoeft ‘17 and Macy Cook ‘17, both playing french horns, play a piece called Fantasia.“I think it’s a great opportunity to practice performing and to get comfortable with being judged,” Plfughoeft said.

“We had put in a lot of practice beforehand and I can definitely tell that helped.” 3) Aili Simpson ‘18 plays the violin with Kaysen Mortenson-Chown ‘18, performing a miniature string quartet piece by David Stone.

Simpson emphasized mastering the rhythm prior to the performance. “We had to practice slowly everyday to get the rhythm correct because rhythm is a really hard thing to get down,” Simpson said. 4) Playing the flute, Betsy D’Aquila ‘15 and her partner, Kristina Curtiss ‘16, present Two Duets. “Before the performance I was a little nervous,” D’Aquila said. “We hadn’t had a lot of time to rehearse our piece together so it was a lot of personal work. I did feel really good about it, I thought that we pulled it off well.”

Photo: E. Simon

Photo: E. Simon

Pottery hobby opens up new opportunities

Joey Schepperly ‘15 uses his pottery-throwing hobby as a time-passer and a way to help raise college funds Andrea Bavikatty Staff Reporter

Leaning over his pottery wheel, Joey Schepperly ‘15 concentrates on creating the perfect shape for his next Chinesestyle teapot. Schepperly begins forming the clay by molding and throwing it, a process he has been executing for years.

“When I was in seventh grade, my advisory teacher was Mrs. Sawyer, the ceramics teacher,” Schepperly said. “I thought she was pretty cool, so I decided to take her class.”

Schepperly’s decision paid off when he discovered the hobby that would occupy much of his time for years to come.

“I like doing art, and I was never that good at drawing—my brother went to art school for drawing and that was never really my niche,” Schepperly said. “When I started doing pottery, I ended up being really good at it. Eventually, I ended up being so good that it became fun to pass time with it.”

When Schepperly realized how much he really enjoyed pottery, he wanted to be able to do it outside of school on his own time rather than in the classroom.

“When I was in eighth grade, I got a pottery wheel for Christmas and pottery became something I could do outside of school,” Schepperly said. “Now, I have two pottery wheels, two kilns, and a couple of slip molding casts.”

Schepperly creates countless pieces outside of class. He sells pieces or keeps them for his collection.

“I do sell some of the pieces,” Schepperly said. “I also really like giving them away to friends or family because then I know it gets used instead of just sitting in my house.”

Some of Schepperly’s pieces are tied with a deeper, sentimental meaning.

“I made a teapot for my grandma,” Schepperly said. “It was a memorial for my grandpa who had passed away. It had

Buck, which was his nickname, and when he was born and died written on it.”

Teapots are one of Schepperly’s favorite things to make, and he draws much of his inspiration from Chinese-style porcelain pieces.

“The Chinese make really thin and intricate designed pieces,” he said. “They make a lot more modern looking pieces,

Photo: courtesy of J. Schepperly Photo: M. Hoagg

Top: Three of Joey Schepperly’s ‘15 completed pieces. “A lot of my inspiration comes from Chinese-style porcelain making,” Schepperly said. Bottom: Schepperly works on throwing the clay to form the structure of his newest piece.

“I started doing pottery in seventh grade,” Schepperly said. “I’ve taken at least half a year’s worth of classes every year for the last five years since then.”

and I like that style more.”

Although the designs of Schepperly’s pieces are inspired by an existing style, the shape of each piece is more of a spur-ofthe-moment decision.

“When you’re talking about inspiring wheel drawing, it’s different because there’s no real inspiration to it,” Schepperly said. “If the clay is harder, you’re going to be able to throw it more so it can be a tall, upright piece. If the clay is softer, than you have to throw a bowl or something that is not as tall.”

Even though Schepperly spends a lot of time with pottery, he is not planning on making it a career.

“Pottery will be more of a hobby,” Schepperly said. “I probably would enter it in or sell it in Art Prizes. What I’m planning on doing after high school is a double-major, or taking a minor in ceramics when I get into college. I’m hoping that it helps to pay for my college and pre-med.”

Despite the fact that Schepperly won’t be doing pottery professionally, he still thinks his interest in ceramics has given him unique opportunities.

“Pottery has opened a lot more doors for me,” Schepperly said. “Especially right now, I’m looking at colleges and colleges with art schools that have good ceramics programs are willing to offer me scholarships. If I can submit a portfolio that is good enough for them, then I can help pay for the first half of college going into my career as a physician’s assistant.”

Although Schepperly can use his pottery skills for getting into colleges or earning money, his favorite part is still the working process.

“It’s pretty cool to finish the pieces, but I would say that my favorite part is just doing the wheel throwing and working on the piece,” Schepperly said. “It’s turned into something that I do instead of watching TV. A finished work is cool because I have something left over in the end of the working process.”

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Titan takedown in overtime

Trojan Hockey prevails for the fifth year in a row to keep the McCullough Cup at Central

Sports

5

Graphic: C. Hansen

Aside from Central’s tradition of being successful, each team has their own traditions that continue off the competitive field. Here coaches and players discuss their traditions

Erin Lipp

Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor

Photo: C. Brower

Skating down the rink during the McCulough Cup game is Rhys Adle ‘15. “Being my last year playing in that game, it changes your mindset,” Adle said. “Every year previous, no matter how hard you try not to think it, something in the back of your mind says, ‘oh there’s always next year,’ but this time it’s like okay this is it, no more second chances, last one. Also it felt especially good to know that I’ve never lost the Cup.” Adle and his teammates played in memory of Jeff McCullough and his legacy in the Trojan hockey program. “His death was so incredibly tragic and I think playing a game in his honor and working our butts off is the best way to honor his memory,” Adle said. “We were told that his mom wasn’t going to be there, when I saw her I was really happy. It makes it that much more special for her to be there, and it must take incredible strength for her to come and do that, so I have a ton of respect for her. I couldn’t help but give her a big hug.”

Alex Stern

Staff Reporter The final minutes of the game ticked away in overtime; fans silent and ice shredded. The next goal decides which team takes home the McCullough Cup title, and it’s Central’s Jordan Mitchell ‘15 with the game-winning score.

“The feeling of getting the goal was ecstatic; words can’t describe it,” he said.

The rivalry between Central and West only goes as far as the fans, not just the teams.

“It’s a very healthy rivalry between us and West,” Head Coach Chris Givens said. “A lot of the kids on both teams are together on travel hockey teams, there’s a lot of friends there, and my coaching staff is very good friends with West’s coaching staff. There are two times a year where we want to pound on each other, but other

than that it’s very healthy. We do a lot with those guys and now that we’re done with them for this year, I want them to be successful.”

The rivalry may be healthy, but that didn’t stop Central from

though.

“Our team did very well,” Mitchell said. “We came out a little slow at first, I came out a little slow too, but then we picked it up, especially when we scored the first

following West’s first goal with another, bringing the score to 1-1 in the middle of the second quarter.

“The feeling of scoring the first goal was great,” Mitchell said.

“The whole team got our momentum back and they weren’t going to beat us this time.”

The end of the second period was chaotic. West had countless shots on goal, none successful

goal. We picked it up and shifted the momentum toward the end.”

Central’s energy stayed consistent through the entire game, especially after West’s first goal.

“I just looked at today being just another game and trying not to look at it too big even though it was a Central West game and the McCullough Cup; I thought we handled it really well,” Andrew

“

The whole team was playing for Jeff. Coach said Jeff McCullough was there with us and he definitely was.

-Jordan Mitchell ‘15

”

Central standout moves on to race at D1 level Ashley Ko ‘15 has verbally committed to run for Northwestern

imagine not doing it now.”

The experience of being a Trojan runEditor-in-Chief and Sports Editor ner on such a close team with a dedicated coach encouraged Ko to look for a similar Ashley Ko ‘15 sprints down the final environment in a college team. stretch of her senior year State meet, run“Coach April reminded me of Coach ning the last 100 meters of her high school Lisa,” she said. “She’s small and really hycross country career, she crosses the finish per and really cares about the team and the line in 17:58.5. girls on her team and thinks of them as her “My goal since Freshmen or Sophomore family. I think she emphasizes the slowest year was to break 18,” Ko said. “It was runner as much as she does the fastest, amazing to accomplish it in my last high which is what Coach Lisa does, so I wanted school cross country race. I felt like all the that aspect in college. The team was really hours of training finally paid off and I close and ate meals together at each other’s knew I couldn’t have done it without such dorms and apartments and all got along an amazing coach and team there to push really well.” me to do my best.”

While Ko has enjoyed her high school After a successful four year varsity career running career, she’s thrilled and proud in high school, Ko is now moving on to committing to run in college. become a Big Ten Division 1 athlete at “I’m excited to be a Division 1 runner,” Northwestern University.

Ko said, “and even though they’re not Na“Going into the official visit, I wasn’t tional Champions, we’re still going to travel really super excited about it,” she said. “But around the country for meets and race as soon as I met the team, saw the campus against the best people in the nation, which and met the coaches, they seemed like a will be such an amazing experience.” family and it reflected our team here right now.”

Ko made her college decision not only on athletics, but also her interest in premed.

“I want to run in college, but I don’t want it to be my life.” Ko said. “I know at MSU or UofM I would just be running first and then academics second. At Northwestern, they still want you to be a good runner and they work with you and improve you as a runner, but they still care about your academics and emphasize that.”

Running in college wasn’t originally Ko’s plan when she started high school; not until Sophomore or Junior year.

“When I broke 19 minutes, I thought Photo: E. Simon ‘hey I can do this,’” Ko said. “I decided I Ashley Ko ‘15 leads teammate Sielle Kearney really wanted to run in college and I can’t ‘18, in the first meet of her senior season.

Erin Lipp

Froese ‘16 said.

Winning the game not only required skill but also full focus.

“I thought we played really well.

West had momentum sometimes but we controlled the game,” Froese said. “Just being ready for the game and giving 100 percent won us the game” The McCullough Cup was made in honor of Jeff McCullough.

“He had cancer when he was seven, and he beat it. And then it was 11 years almost to the day that it came back,” Givens said. “He started to notice some problems in June of ‘96, and it came back with a vengeance. I just wanted them to play with a certain level of respect.”

At the end of the season, the team sticks to three goals that drive and motivate them the whole year.

“We’ve got three that we have hung on the wall in the locker See Hockey, pg. 11

Indoor season prepares team Girls soccer uses the winter to improve skills

Hayley Scollard Staff Reporter

Central girls soccer players are determined to make the upcoming season their best one yet and are using the winter off-season to train together. Their indoor season consists of only games and scrimmages so the players work on their own skills.

“It channels into a new level of coordination with your feet,” Julia Bodnar ‘18 said. “There’s no padding and girls soccer has a lot more push and shove to it than people think, and I like that.”

The teams of about five are all made up of girls on the Central team.

Creating closer relationships with teammates is essential for a strong chemistry on the field. Experience is good to have a foundation to build off of, but drive and stamina are the most important.

“It’s like a physical test every time you take the field,” Bodnar said. “Even when you win you want to keep going because of that one play you screwed up, it’s a never ending game of improvement.“ Indoor soccer lets players have more power behind the ball because of the confined space and lack of other players, while outdoor soccer is more demanding out of their bodies, having more ground to cover.

“An indoor game feels like night and day with outdoor. Indoor everything is close, small touches, small passes,” Bodnar said. “It’s five vs. five instead of 11 vs. 11. so every player has more than usual to do. The scores are much higher. It’s really fun and subbing is on the fly.”

The indoor soccer team helps players better their foot skills and communication.

“I like the competition and the team aspect, the skills. You’re learning lots of different things about how to work with others and how to accomplish something,” Megan Puckett ’16 said.

Upperclassmen, such as Ally Wuerfel ‘15, act as leaders for the team.

“Our coach doesn’t come to all the games, so it’s up to the upperclassmen to tell people what positions to sub in or when, and who’s starting,” Wuerfel said.

“Its not as intense as our season games obviously, so its just kind of whatever our team thinks is best.”

Duffel bags and ski bags are shoved into cars, skiers pile in, and the boys and girls Trojan Nordic Ski team is off to Christmas camp. While location varies from year-to-year, the premise remains the same: bond with teammates and community skiers while training technique with some of the best coaches in the region.

“We get to work with a lot of different coaches on our technique and they have different ways of explaining things,” Melissa Lance ‘16 said. “The way one coach is explaining something might not make sense so if you have a different coach explain it to you then it might just click for you. We get a lot of personal coaching and focus on what we’re doing wrong and how to work on it so that we can really fix our technique.”

Skiing is a very community oriented sport and competitors become good friends quickly. The Christmas camp, run by the regional coach, allows the team to train with some of their friendly competitors for a few days.

“More often than not everyone has a unique skill or attribute they bring to the table,” Head Coach John Kostrzewa said. “Some athletes bring enthusiasm and good nature, as well as athletic talent and a passion for the sport. When other athletes experience this positive energy and athletic talent, it motivates them to do their best and strive for

Photo: courtesy N. Keyser

Sprinting to the finish at the Junior Noquemanon in Marquette is Keefer Edwards ‘15. “I’m really loving this season,” Edwards said. “At camp I got to focus on technique a lot. My skiing went from extremely sloppy to just sloppy in two days. The coaches did a really good job pointing out what I could do better.”

lofty goals.”

Nordic skiing is both a mentally and physically demanding sport. A key part of becoming a fast racer is to slow down and learn the proper technique. A local World Masters skier, Milan Baic, likes to say, “If you can’t ski slow, then you’ll never be able to ski fast.” Camp is used to work on these basics so the team can progress into skiing faster throughout the season.

“Working on ski basics is important not only for novices but also advanced skiers,” Kostrzewa said.

“It is more important that you get into the habit as soon as you start skiing because you are more apt to have drifted away from proper technique because of the time away from the activity. Starting with something as basic as proper body position makes the technique much easier to perform and eliminates unnecessary waste of energy. New skiers need the basics so they learn correctly, advanced skiers need the basics so they can retain what they already know and start improving or perfecting that technique and efficiency even more.”

Between skiing multiple times a day, skiers spend time together each other during meals and free time.

“Camp helps us get to know each other and helps the freshmen become comfortable with the team,” Lance said. “Since we are doing long weekends together it helps make it so it’s not awkward and we’re all friends and can do more activities together.”

Graphic: C. Hansen

1. State Performance D1 2014 Girls State Champions; 2011 Boys State Champions; top 3 yearly

2. Number of Players

14 girls; 14 boys; train combined with 2 TC West girls and 3 TC West boys

3. Average Training Time 1.5-3.5 hours, 6-7 days a week; races every weekend

6 Hollywood

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb 3, 2015

Taking over Michigan stages

Hoodie Allen and G-Eazy put on concerts that left fans and critics alike in awe

Is this movie worth watching?

Students wrote into the Black & Gold to review their favorite new movies

Imitation Game

Bethany Pataky Staff Reporter

Jolie Roth

G-EAZY

Guest Reviewer

Photo: courtesy of N. Barger

Photo: courtesy of N. Barger

The lights go dim and as the beat drops, Nick Barger ‘15 and friends get into a crazy spirit as one of their favorite performers, G-Eazy, takes over a concert stage in Royal Oak, Michigan. “That was my third time seeing G-Eazy,” Barger said. “This last time I saw him was definitely his best performance yet.” Barger enjoys not only the music side of going to concerts, but the visual side as well. “He is a great performer,” Barger said. “He gets into his music, everyone is dancing, all of his fans know every single word to the songs.” Barger exhibits many emotions when he attends concerts. These feelings really make going to concerts, especially this one, so invigorating.“I feel euphoria when I see him, it’s so exciting,” Barger said. “It’s amazing to see him perform the music I listen to all the time.” Going to concerts really shows Barger how connected he can be with complete strangers, through similar interests. “I really like the music, of course,” Barger said. “But at concerts with only one performer, it’s really cool to meet new people, and have something in common with them.” Barger enjoys this very much about going to concerts, as the instant relation with other fans is thrilling. This is not Barger’s first concert, nor will it be his last. “I enjoy the music, I enjoy the songs,” Barger said. “I am definitely going to another.”

HOODIE ALLEN

Photo: courtesy of N. Barger

Photo: courtesy of W. Tomaszewski

Most people get thrilled simply by listening to their favorite artist through headphones but when that simply isn’t good enough, die hard fans will make a special trip, far from home, to watch their favorite singer take center stage. For Will Tomaszewski ‘15, that artist was Hoodie Allen. “I saw the first concert in his new Hanging With Hoodie Tour,” Tomaszewski said. “He did such an awesome job. There were a lot of people packed in the venue.” Tomaszewski experienced a lot of upbeat emotions and good vibes when crowded in the concert area. “You’re definitely excited the whole time,” Tomaszewski said. “It might be a little overwhelming, but it’s still really fun.” The energy that Hoodie Allen brings with him to concerts is something Tomaszewski really enjoyed and that really reflects in the crowd and how the crowd full of strangers responds to the artist. But, it wasn’t just strangers to Tomaszewski who went to the concert. “Eight of my friends and I piled in an SUV and drove down there and back,” he said.

“We had a ton of fun going there. The trip was so totally worth it.” Overall, Tomaszewski really enjoyed the show put on by Hoodie Allen and can’t wait for the next opportunity he gets to attend one. “There is so much energy there, everyone was so happy,” Tomaszewski said. “It definitely makes me want to go to another concert of his.”

Reactions from the movie The Interview After threats from North Korea and anonmyous groups, Sony Pictures decided to still release the controversial movie, The Interview. We asked students and staff for their reaction of the film

Baille Zipser Staff Reporter

Standing outside the movie theater Christmas morning, Social Worker, Diane Burden couldn’t think of anything she’d rather be doing. The controversial movie The Interview premiered at Bijou by the Bay, and the theater was packed with people awaiting the notorious film.

“My family and I celebrated Christmas early this year, so we had the day free,” Burden said. “My husband and I saw in the paper The Interview was premiering here in town so we decided to go watch it.”

The film follows the story of David Skylark, played by James Franco, and his producer Aaron, played by Seth Rogen.

Skylark runs a nighttime talk show, Skylark Tonight, that airs worldwide. When they find out North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, is a big fan of the show, Skylark wants to meet in person and do an interview. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gets wind of this and recruits the two to assassinate the supreme leader.

“I’m normally not really into the violent plotting and planning that was in this movie,” Burden said. “I actually enjoyed this movie though.”

The movie became controversial when Sony Productions received threats of chemical warfare and threats to bomb any theaters that would play the film if the movie were to be released. The threats supposedly came from North Korea themselves, but turned out to be the hacker group Guardians of Peace.

“It was not that big of a deal,” Burden

said. “I didn’t think the US was making a whole lot of fun about Kim Jong Un, I felt like there were aspects of the movie that were more distasteful than the portrayal of the leader.”

Multiple people did not like the topic and thought it was a bad idea because of how unpredictable North Korea is but the movie drew a large audience because of the controversy that surrounded it.

Photo: courtesy of film-book.com

“I would recommend The Interview. There were parts of the movie that I thought were pretty good,” Burden said. “It was fun because they portray Kim Jong Un as a kind, caring, and misunderstood person.

It was really interesting to watch.”

Even though the US was not attacked, many people’s initial reaction to the movie was not expected by movie producers.

The Imitation Game is a World War II film following Benedict Cumberbatch as the genius Alan Turing. Cumberbatch wowed me with his performance, from tear jerking scenes to aweinspiring moments of scientific genius. The movie starts off as Turing is hired to work for a secret section of the British Army.

His job is to solve the German Enigma Code. Turing then goes above his supervisor in order to take control of his team and do the work his way on the project that will win the war for the British.

He begins a search for more team members and finds Joan Clarke, portrayed by Kiera Knightly, through an ad in the newspaper. Together, they create a functional team and begin to tackle the Enigma Code. Clarke and Turing form a bond and quickly become engaged. It is soon revealed that Turing is actually a homosexual, but Clarke is very understanding and they continue their work. After several dead ends and let downs, Turing and his team finally crack the code.

All is well until the government discovers that Turing is gay and sentence him to drug therapy.

The movie ends as a tribute to him. This movie was an amazing cinematic experience, not only the acting, but the soundtrack and the cinematography. Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance was simply amazing. He perfectly captured the pain and genius of Alan Turing and the work he did.

“Pulling the movie because of threats from North Korea, I can understand,” Burden said. “On the other hand, we can’t have corporations being attacked by regimes, determining what we will and will not hear or see in the United States.”

When Sony received the threats, a significant amount of people were concerned that by not releasing the movie, the Sony would not uphold free speech.

“Sony took a risk by releasing the movie here and some people didn’t like that, but I am glad that they released it,” Emily Round ‘18 said. “We needed to release the movie to show we are a strong society.”

Many others thought it was a bad idea to have a movie with a person portrayed who was so threatening, but many still thought it would be very funny.

“I was so shocked to find out that someone was making a movie about killing Kim Jong Un,” Round said. “He is known as such an evil man, I don’t think it was the smartest idea. Once I watched the movie I saw that the producers made it funny and I thought that was better than if it was a serious movie.”

Not everyone was concerned about the movie creating a bigger feud between America and North Korea.

“It’s a comedy, not a serious movie,” Spencer Kroupa ‘15 said. “I didn’t think it was a big deal that we made a movie about killing North Korea’s dictator. It ended up being a popular movie and will always be remembered for the controversy it caused.”

Hunger Games Mocking-Jay Part 1

Kurstin Frank Guest Reviewer

Jennifer Lawrence brings yet another exciting, drama-filled, dystopian society to our eyes through her character Katniss Everdeen. We see all sorts of familiar faces this time around but also a few new characters.

When Everdeen wakes up in the underground community under the mysterious and supposedly nonexistent District 13, she finds out her life has been turned upside down. Her old home, District 12, had exploded to pieces from an attack from the capitol of Panem. Her star-crossed lover Peeta, has been brainwashed and held captive in President Snow’s evil grasp.

Not to mention she now has the responsibility of being the leader of the rebellion against the capitol.

This film served as great entertainment keeping movie watchers on their toes the entire time, rooting for the undeniable triangle of love between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. Choose a side, and watch as the movie unravels further into the secrets of Panem and the rebellion brewing inside of it against the horrible President Snow. Despite the films minor shortcomings, Mockingjay Part 1 is exciting, creative, drama-filled and well worth a couple hours of your time.

Feature

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Same world, new perspective Jake Lesoski ‘15 created the business Mesophere Photography to take aerial view pictures of landscapes through his Quadcopter Drone

Maddi Miller

7

Cracking down on trivia

Central students took a poll to see which category of Trivia Crack they answered most correctly. They were asked to answer questions from all six categories - their results are displayed in the pie chart below. Students were then asked some of the most random trivia from the game in order to test their skills at cracking trivia, their guesses are featured below the success poll

Shaine Kearney Staff Reporter

Feature Editor

The blue of the sky could be seen between the clouds, getting lighter as it reached toward the horizons. The sun beamed down on acre upon acre of Cottonwoods and Paper Birch Trees showing off their golden-yellow leaves in late fall. The elderly couple turns the page of their real estate brochure to see a stunning birds-eye view of their future home. These, along with many other aerial shots, are captured by Jake Lesoski ‘15 through his entrepreneurial endeavor, Mesophere Photography.

“I capture these aerial shots through my Quadcopter Drone,” Lesoski said. “Drones are my new obsession because I’m hooked on the technological aspect.”

Lesoski became interested in drones after meeting the director of the UAV department at NMC. From there, he bought his first drone, a 15 inch Quadcopter, from a dealer in Texas.

“Most of my shots are taken from heights of 400 plus feet,” Lesoski said. “I take mostly landscape photos for real estate companies or for mapping plots of land that are to be used for local enterprises such as farming or hunting.”

The remote used to control the drone is relatively simple, consisting of directional controls as well as a single button to take the photos. Lesoski had never flown a drone before buying his own, so he spent some time practicing on simulators, watching videos and hoping not to crash it.

“The remote used to fly the drone is very similar to an Xbox remote,” Lesoski said. “The hardest part is not crashing the drone or losing connection with it. It can be very frustrating, because if it gets too far away it’s hard to know which direction to fly in to avoid obstacles or just to get a good position for a shot.”

Right: Pictured is Jake Lesoski’s ‘15 Quadcopter Drone, which he purchased just before Christmas. He has since started his own small business, Mesophere Photography. “I like learning about everything,” Lesoski said. “It is an ever changing field so I like learning about all the parts and ideas and technology that comes along with it.”

Photo: courtesy of J. Lesoski

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Lars Hornburg‘16

Brayden Gates‘16

Q. How many min-

Q. How many teeth

Response: 3000 Answer: 10400

Response: 35 Answer: 2

Q. How much does

Q. What key do

Response: 50 LBS Anwer: 2000 LBS

Response: C Sharp Answer: F sharp

do narwahls have?

ions does Gru command?

house flies hum in?

a blue whale’s tongue weigh?

Ashley Hulet ‘15

Yana Beeker‘17

Q.What color skin do

Q.How fast can Griz-

Response: Grey Answer: Black

Response: 15 MPH Answer: 30 MPH

Q. How many min-

Q. How many teeth

Response: 3000 Answer: 10400

Response: 44 Answer: 2

zly Bears run?

Polar Bears have?

Photo: E. Simon

Photo: courtesy of J. Lesoski

ions does Gru command?

Photo: courtesy of J. Lesoski

do narwahls have?

Central’s Quiz Bowl takes the win Battling time and opponents, Central’s first year Quiz Bowl team tests their trivia skills and overall knowledge to advance on in their tournament

Kirsten Berkey Staff Reporter Above are photographs taken by Jake Lesoski ‘15 through his quadcopter. He takes aerial view pictures from 400 plus feet, for purposes such as real estate inspection and land mapping. “Where I go to take my photos really depends on how many trees are in that area,” Lesoski said. “I just try to go to semi-open areas, because the hardest part is trying not to crash.”

The original intent of buying the Quadcopter was not for photography, but to further Lesoski’s ultimate goal of earning an Associate’s Degree in applied engineering and UAS technology, and then moving on to fly or engineer much larger drones for the Army.

“Mesophere Photography is simply a side job to make some money, have some fun and get to understand drones better,” Lesoski said. “My ultimate goal for this new company of mine is to provide other businesses with aerial view photographs to showcase their land and properties.”

Working towards his Associate’s Degree, Lesoski is taking three classes over at NMC. These include Electronics 1, Intro to engineering and technology, and programing logic and design.

“All of these classes are going towards my applied engineering and UAS technology degree,” Lesoski said. “They are just classes I need to take in order to receive that degree, they are setting me up for the career I want.”

Looking to the future, Lesoski is very excited about the field of UAS as it is changing everyday and evolving with the new advances in technology.

“I think this is a field that is about to explode,” Lesoski said.

“And the ways it will be able to help advance so many other fields are endless.”

Cameras flashing, William Chown ‘16 stands confidentially behind the podium with his hand hovering over the buzzer. The announcer reads a trivia question and Chown recalls the fact with tremendous speed, slamming his hand on the buzzer. He quickly recites the correct answer, helping his quiz team move on to the

“

I feel shocked and happy when I get a question right.

-Riley Dorgan ‘18

”

next level in competition.

“I really enjoy the questions I get at competitions,” Chown said.

“I like how you can’t just read a possible list of answers and use process of elimination.”

For the first time this year, Central has a Quiz Bowl club that is featured on live TV. They compete against other schools to answer trivia questions as quickly and accurately as possible.

“To prepare for a competition we generally cram information,” Chown said. “I study on a weekly basis for a couple hours outside of school.”

At the competitions, types of questions include math, poetry, art, science, and literature.

“It’s embarrassing to get questions wrong,” Chown said. “For example, if you answer the author of a book instead of the book title.”

The Quiz Bowl, advised by John Failor, has had a promising first year with several wins under their belt.

“We have had two competitions and we won both quite easily,” Failor said. “It’s a great experience with these kids.”

The Quiz Bowl plans to travel again for more competitions and they have high hopes for their future win against their biggest competitor; Midland.

“It is going to be interesting to see how that match turns out when we go down in February,” Riley Dorgan ‘18 said. “We have a team specialty and if we get the right questions we are rather great.”

The team’s specialties are history and science. In preparation for competitions, there are weekly meetings on Mondays where they review previous questions. They hope that this extra practice outside of school can be used to their advantage at competitions.

“I feel surprised, shocked and happy when I get a question right,” Dorgan said. “It is like an adrenaline rush. I feel like I really helped out my team.”

Photo: courtesy of J. Failor

Peter Andreasson and Alex Endresen both ‘15 and Riley Dorgan ‘18 sit at the podium at their latest competition, ready to begin, and are anxious to see if they will be able to come out on top.

“I wish that I could rewind time so that the other members on our team were Juniors,” Dorgan said.

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Page Credit: H. Kelly, H. Rozema, N. Rogers, and N. Aulicino

All Graphics: H. Lancashire

Pop Culture

Tragedies

Fall 2014

August 9th

Ferguson, MO

Emma Watson Emma Watson took the stage at a conference to talk about a new campaign which was started by United Nations women.

The campaign, known as HeForShe, was started to support gender equality. The main focus, for men and boys alike to come together and make changes for gender equality and the rights of women.

The campaign, which recieved worldwide attention through social media and other resources, is the first of its kind and will continue to grow as awareness is spread.

hic: E

. Sim

on

“I think tensions between races are heating up again. Then the whole Ferguson shooting happened and everyone exploded. The protesters overreacted with violence and destroying Photo: courtesy of mid-day.com property, but the ones who stayed peaceful, are well respected. I didn’t see the whole video, but with what I saw, the shooting didn’t seem fair.” -Jordan Vincent ‘18

Grap

“I think HeForShe is definitely a good idea, because if you have somebody in the public eye taking a stance it has a much larger influence than just an everyday person like you or me. I think it helps that she is somebody guys pay attention to. Emma Watson won an award for her feminism.

But the main reason she got the award was because of how well known she is, and because of white privilege too. There were a lot of other feminists who did a lot more work than her, and more influential work, but none of them really get that recognition. I think it’s really important that celebrities stand up for gender-equality.

But, it’s important that they stand up because it’s what they really believe in. They also need to make sure they do something about it and don’t just publically announce that it’s what they support.”

-Rachel Moore ‘15

Michael Brown, an eighteen year old from Ferguson, Missouri, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a twenty-eight year old police officer.

Wilson was not indicted after the shooting took place. It took the twelve-person jury three months of deliberation before they made their final decision.

Justin Bieber January 23rd

Photo: courtesy of starmagazine.com

International pop-star Justin Bieber, 19 at the time, was arrested and charged in Miami, FL, with dangerous driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and resisting arrest.

Bieber was apprehended after reportedly street racing at speeds upward of 55 mph in a residential zone. He was taken to a Miami jail, which he was soon released on the standard $2,500 bond. Charges were eventually dropped when Bieber accepted a plea bargain after weeks of debate. The deal suggested he donate $50,000 to charity and required 12 hours of anger management.

“I was sad when I found out. He talks about how he’s a good Christian guy, and I felt like he really wasn’t portraying that very well. I was really disappointed. I feel like he’s been an inspiration to so many people by getting famous off his Youtube videos and producing his own music.

Recently, there have been things he’s done that aren’t a good influence; things like driving while intoxicated and spitting on his fans. I feel like he’s a good influence, but at the same time he’s not. The girls that like him are growing up too and he’s been off the radar for awhile and now he’s just trying to get attention. I still really like him, even after he got arrested. I am not agreeing with his decisions, but he’s human and we all make mistakes.” -Karlee Corwin ‘16

Musical Comebacks

Malaysia Flights March 8th/July 17th

Two Malaysian aircrafts were lost from air-traffic controllers. Both planes were scheduled to land in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Malaysian Airline flight MH370 took off and about an hour into the flight, lost control and crashed into the Indian Ocean. Flight MH17 was shot down on Jul. 17 and all 283 passengers lost their lives.

“I was very surprised, whenever you have a catastrophe like that, it does surprise you. It drummed up a couple questions about why and how these two airlines crashed in a similar fashion.

I think the first one possibly was someone tampering with the planes, but the second one I believe something hap-

Photo: courtesy of phonewallpaperz.com

pened. It was a freak of nature.” -Ben Ludka US History Teacher

Local

Food Court Wars March 9th

The Food Network hit show ‘Food Court Wars’ aired an episode featuring the local diner House of Doggs against Matts’ Beignets. The show consists of multiple challenges pinning the two businesses together to decide who deserves a one year lease at the Grand Traverse Mall food court. The House of Doggs won the competition and left their downtown location for their well earned food court spot.

“I was excited that there was an episode in Traverse City. It was really cool to see a restaurant I already knew like House of Doggs. It made it fun Photo: courtesy of reallifewithjane.com to root for them. When House of Doggs won, at first I was really excited they won, because I have always loved them, then I was kind of disappointed too because I realized it meant they would close down their convenient downtown location to get this spot at the mall. I feel this episode and event should have gotten more publicity in the community. If I would have know this was going on I would have loved to go taste test their food. I only found out because I happened to be switching through channels that one day it was on.” -Joe Bourdages ‘16

Chart toppers of 2014 “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX was Bill

board Magazine’s song of the summer.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” was the top grossing movie of 2014 with $332,862,030. **Songs peak on US Billboard Hot 100 as of Jan. 30

Taylor Swifts “1989” was the best selling album of 2014. The album sold 3.7 copies worldwide.

Best of 2014: Wikipedia

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Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

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Page Credit: H. Kelly, H. Rozema, N. Rogers, and N. Aulicino

Awareness

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Cold Water Challenge Summer 2014

Spring 2014

The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket Challenge went viral over social media this summer. Dumping an ice filled bucket over your head to raise awareness for the cause sure did help. Over 150,000 donated, and 100 million dollars was raised in August.

“I did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge because I was nominated by one of my friends. I was never really aware about ALS or the challenge until I saw a lot of people doing it on Instagram and it started blowing up my feed. The ice water made me super cold.” -Maitland Adams ‘15 Photo: courtesy of upnorthlive.com

The Cold Water Challenge was a dare that set off a social media frenzy, where an individual jumped into a cold body of water. The original fundraising campaign was to raise awareness for a child suffering from diabetes. Many injuries came from this challenge, and even a death.

Photo: courtesy of aol.com

“One of my friends nominated me for the Cold Water Challenge last March so I decided to do it. The first time I heard about it was on the a news and they were making fun of it. I didn’t agree with the cause either so I just jumped in the cold water.” - Jackson Schrameyer ‘16

Sports World Cup

Olympics

Jun. 12th

Photo: courtesy of alldesign24.blogspot.com

Winter 2014 The World Cup took place in several venues across Brazil. This event is a multiple stage tournament consisting of 32 teams who qualify out of six regional confederation tournaments. The cup captivates the entire world, making playing in it the pinnacle of many athletes’ careers.

Germany narrowly defeated Argentina in the final, 1-0, becoming champions.

Countries from around the world gathered to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.

Athletes aimed to win medals to contribute to their countries national medal count. In Sochi, Norway accumulated 26, putting them in third. The United States came in second, winning 28, falling short of host Russia who topped the charts with 33 medals.

“The atmosphere at the World Cup was crazy; everyone had a passion for their country. We went to the biggest venue and saw France play Ecuador and Ivory Coast pay Colombia.

My favorite moment was when Gervinho did scissors past these two guys and put it in near post of the goalie, it was so sweet. I think it was actually one of the top ten goals of the World Cup. When he scored, the Ivory Coast fans were cheering really loud, but the stadium actually got really quiet because it was almost all Colombia fans. Overall, going to the World Cup was definitely an experience I’ll remember, and if I get a chance, it’s something I would love to do again.” -Elliott Stratton ‘16

“I liked the Olympic hockey because I’m a hockey fan. I play hockey myself, but because it’s one of the only Olympic sports where the athletes go head to head against each other. Most of the events are competing against the clock or have judges assign the scores. It’s just cool to see countries compete in that way. It was a bit difficult to keep up with the games because Russia is eight hours ahead. I think the political tension definitely made it more exciting to watch, everyone really wants to win gold.” Jake Bonifacio ‘15 Photo: courtesy of hdfons.com

Deaths Joan Rivers

Robin Williams

Joan Rivers started having complications while undergoing a procedure on her throat at a clinic last August, but she was transferred to a hospital a hour later and put on life support. After awakening from a coma, she died of a lack of oxygen, causing brain damage.

Robin Williams ended his life after 63 years of bringing people joy.

Williams’ death was ruled suicide in Nov., but speculations of suicide came about when his death was announced. It is said that he was suffering from severe depression. Williams’ greatest works include Mrs. Doubtfire and Dead Poets Society.

Gra

phic

: S.

Kea rn

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Jun. 3rd 1933 - Sep. 4th 2014

Jul. 21st 1951 - Aug. 11th 2014

“I wasn’t the biggest fan of Joan Rivers, but I did like her. I had kind of suspected her death because I knew that she had been very sick and hospitalized, but it was still sad and disappointing. My mom actually got to interview her on a radio show a couple of years ago, that, and getting to watch her on the Fashion Police, were probably my favorite memory of her.” -Lucy Rogers ‘18 Photo: courtesy of famous-actors-images.blogspot.com

“The cause of Robin Williams’ death, struck me hard. When I first looked up his death, I was a little horrified. A mental illness is a very awful way to die and without it being treated, can lead to a horrible state of mind. Especially him wanting to commit suicide, when he made so many people smile.

For him to die because he hated where he was, that was the hardest part. Even though I wasn’t really familiar with him, I still loved him in Jumanji and Mrs. Doubtfire.

He was such a talented man and it was really just a shame for him to go.” -Sarah Strohm ‘18

Top ten hashtags of 2014: #alllivesmatter, #iammikebrown, #icebucketchallenge, #bringbackourgirls, #worldcup, #whyistayed, #umbrellarevolution, #yesallwomen, #tansuit, #alexfromtarget

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Put your ad here (231) 933-3671 mcdonaldti@ tcaps.net

Testing Continued from pg. 1 “Science has never really been incorporated in English or math or anything else before,” Science and former ACT prep teacher Pam Tejkl said. “As a science teacher, I’m a little nervous about that because what I teach might not be reflected in these other courses.”

ACT prep teachers have to reevaluate their curriculum to fit the SAT arrangement.

“To prepare for the test we will look at how they have structured the test, and we’ll try to do it so it won’t be an awakening to the students that this is their first time seeing it,” Tejkl said.

SAT and ACT are both nationally recognized tests, but there is significant regional dominance that comes along with it. The ACT is recognized prominently in the Midwest while the SAT is recognized on the east and west coasts.

“Colleges and universities in the state of Michigan have been looking for ACT score results from our Michigan public and private school students as part of the admissions process,” Lantz said. “With this move to the SAT I would expect that our colleges and universities are going to have to make that transition as well.”

Student’s Lives With schools and colleges transitioning into an SAT based system, it is questioned how it will affect students who have already taken the ACT. “No one is going to turn away a student who took an ACT test this year just because they’re moving to the SAT test next year,” Lantz said.

“It’s going to be a different type of test but I don’t see there being any significant negative impact towards students as a result of it.”

Because the test change is quite new, the state is releasing information gradually to the public.

Assimilation Continued from pg. 1 right away with the leaders of the school and have them extend that relationship through the whole year.”

Mrs. Dohm is looking to create similar club setup for

“The biggest challenge is going to be communicating to our students, parents and community regarding the transition and making sure that they are kept up to date regarding the transition,” Lantz said. “It may be difficult to do an effective job of getting that information out to our students and parents as it comes in and keeping that out there so that it doesn’t become lost in the rest of things that we have to do, or our students have to do, every day.”

With the emphasis many colleges and universities place on standardized tests knowing what schools accept what tests can be an vital step in the application process.

“There definitely seem to be areas in the country where certain tests are accepted more than others,” Ben Kunz ‘15 said. “But, those differences are in the more specific subject tests. It’s really important to know what tests you need to have taken to be eligible for admission.”

Although the ACT currently holds a dominance in the Midwest, the SAT is often also accepted as a required standardized test.

“When it comes down to it, most schools will accept either the ACT or SAT. I never heard of a school that takes only one or the other,” Kunz said. “It doesn’t affect your application.

You can always look at percentiles and compare between the two tests.”

Some underclassmen have even already been preparing for the SAT. “I took the SAT in 7th grade at a school in Lansing, but I didn’t really study so I think to be a Junior I kind of know what the test is like,” Meredith Allen ‘17 said. “I was planning on taking the SAT outside of school if we took the ACT, but I will just do the same thing now that we are taking the SAT.” Even if students do decide to take the ACT many see it as worth the extra money.

“Paying $50 for a test and getting into a good college with a scholarship is a good investment for your future,” Allen said.

her program.

“We are working on putting together an international club for this year,” Dohm said. “My hope is that we can draw American students into the club and be able to start developing those globalization opportunities.”

Through aiding new

students with their transition into a different school, Mrs. Grant’s student ambassador program is in turn benefiting Central’s community.

“I think its kids reaching out to kids,” Brady said. “It’s important to have that so we represent the school as a warm and welcoming place.”

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015

Hockey

Free speech

Continued from pg. 5 goal is to win the Big North Championship, the second is trying to make the final four when playoffs start and we would really like to win the state championships.”

These goals are the same every year, and there is past team proof that it is achievable.

“In 2006 we were Big North Conference champions, we made it to the final four and we won the state championship. The 2006 team proved to everybody that you can do it,” Givens said.

Because of their win, Central has a shot at achieving these goals.

“It’s a pivotal game for us, especially in the conference league. If we would have lost that game, it would have been tough for us,” Givens said. “I don’t think the conference champion has had two losses in five or six years for sure.

We all want a chance to win the conference, but we have work to do and we still have two more games, both against Gaylord.”

As they get ready to prepare for the rest of the season, the team remembers how it felt to play in memorial for someone with his mom there to watch.

“The whole team was playing for Jeff,” Mitchell said. “Coach said Jeff McCullough was there with us and he definitely was.”

Continued from pg. 2

Ads

11

through everything that’s happened, and like them, we believe freedom of speech is freedom of speech. At the end of the day, one has to be willing to make people mad in order to achieve meaningful reform. If people can’t deal with valid critiques, it’s their problem.

To those affected, we express great remorse and are in a great debt to them for continuing to uphold one of the values we hold most dear. Je Suis Charlie.

PETA Continued from pg. 2 “We would take a bet that if Beyoncé watched our video exposés … she’d probably not want to be seen again in anything made of snakes, lizards, rabbits, or other animals who died painfully….Today’s fashions are trending toward humane vegan options, and Beyoncé’s Super Bowl outfit missed the mark on that score,” PETA said to E News.

In 2007, Gordon Ramsey cooked horse meat on his show “The F-Word,” and PETA representatives responded by pouring manure outside his London restaurant, at Claridge’s Hotel. What respected, reasonable organization has ever poured manure on a person’s driveway because they didn’t agree with them? That’s the type of thing a child would do to his neighbor.

These comical attacks are some of the most asinine, ridiculous criticisms out there. PETA has become an organization that spends more time slamming celebrities for apparently violating “animal rights”, whatever those are, than actually pushing for meaningful reform for a cause that has worth. Their actions do not back up what they supposedly stand for.

PETA even has the audacity to claim humans should be tested in laboratories over animals. According to Listverse.com, PETA encouraged Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company to switch cow milk to human milk in their recipes, saying it was a “racist drink.” Yes, I’m serious.

According to the American Humane Society, there were 1,880 animal cruelty cases reported in 2007. Instead of ranting about how Palin is a “bizarrely callous woman” or running smear campaigns on various other celebrities, PETA should be focusing more to protect animals.

12 The Leek News in Brief

Carl Rasmussen & Kanthony

Leek Editor & Guest Writer

An American man

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Feb. 3, 2015 Real stories, real people

Disclaimer: Satire is advised to be read with both parental supervision and an absence of a stick in your butt

Addicted to the “fade” Will this fury of lame haircuts ever end? The Leek delves into the depths of the new sweeping fad, and comes out on top.

Graphic: H. Lancashire

Graphic: H. Lancashire

With the presidential election season coming closer and closer, candidates have begun to announce their intentions to run for presidential office. One of the most recent announcements was that of Jeb Bush. Bush announced his candidacy Friday via a Facebook status update stating that he was, “So excited to lead such a glorious country into yet another oil war.”

Bush comes from a long line of Bushes; Bushes that (similar to real bushes) seem to constantly come back every season despite the wishes of minority workers. Bush is the brother to George W. Bush, former president, and the son of George H. W. Bush, also a former president. We caught up with Bush to ask him some questions about his misplaced hopes for the presidency.

Why do you wish to run for president?

“I think that God is trying to tell me somthin’, ya know? I mean, like all my family has been a president and they did mighty fine jobs. I mean 9/11 didn’t just happen on anyone’s watch, #scoreboard. What I’m tryin’ to say here is that God has obviously chosen my family to lead this Nation. I’m pretty much a modern day Jesus.”

Are you aware that your brother and father have some of the lowest approval ratings of any president ever?

“Well, you see, its not really about “approval,” I mean who are these people to judge you? Probably Commies, or worse…

Cubans. The point is, the only real people out there are purebred “normal” Americans. In fact, I have my own little humanity scale, at the top it’s white people, then below them… well, it’s blank, cause ain’t nobody else really a person. Am I right?”

If you are elected president, will you continue to fight for oil?

“Of course I will. Everybody knows that the only way to create energy is through the death and decay of lesser species, the dinosaurs did it for us and now we are doing it for the rest of the world. I mean, why you think we killin’ all them A-rabs anyways?

Are you familiar with the term Global Warming?

“No.” Are you aware that it is causing millions of…

“No.” Many citizens are calling Bush’s campaign for presidency “America’s New Monarchy,” simply because the thought of three terrible leaders running an entire country hasn’t been heard of since before the Revolution.

The tool shed Graphic: H. Lancashire

With the advent of increased fraternal infractions with the legal system, the recurring question in America is: What went wrong with the toolbags of our generation? What prompts young men to ditch sneakers for boat shoes, t-shirts for polos, and moptops for clean cuts? To some, this is a mere phase of the college experience, but to the local ski resorts who feel $100,000 lighter in their pockets and the wave of Freshmen girls who have come forth feeling far from consensual, America may be in the midst of a tool pandemic.

Let’s take a look at the qualities that define the contemporary frat boy: 1.) Insecurity- The frat boy is unsure of his new collegiate surroundings. He takes quick refuge with the fastest, baddest, most in-your-face crowd he can find. A prison-like situation, but with polarized Ray Bans instead of shanks.

2.) The “could-have” Athlete- The frat boy played varsity sports in high school, he could have carried on to play in college, but he didn’t. He definitely had the ability, and perhaps was going to play for a “smaller school,” but he didn’t. He now gets his fair share of competitiveness through keg stands and beer pong.

3.) Party like Leo- The frat boy strives to be like Leonardo DiCaprio. The whole frat experience is a journey to reach tool nirvana, which is a hybrid characterization of Gatsby Leo with Wolf of Wall Street Leo. However, frat boys struggle to express the romantic characteristics of Titanic Leo due to deformities in the emotional centers of the brain incited by the overuse of the phrase, “who do you know here?”

Between high school graduation and that first collegiate tailgate, where does it all go wrong? What incites toolery to such a high degree? In layman’s terms, it all comes down to poor woman skills. The young men who leave high school with their only sexual experience occurring with a hernia examination find compensation through joining the ranks of America’s most prestigious violators of the term “consensual.”

As he goes to college, the frat boy is bound to be even more hopeless with women, he is slowly gaining weight, his facial hair is still patchy, and he still drives that ‘98 Ford Escort handed down from his Grandmother. He resorts to a fraternity, he and his brothers hunt for women in packs, like a cackle of hyenas. Alone they stand helpless, but together (and with sedative-spiked cocktails) they can ravage swarms of innocent Freshman girls.

Carl Rasmussen Leek Editor

In this day and age, it seems that trends and fads can come and go faster than the speed of sound, but it seems that one may have just stuck. Beginning with the rapper, Macklemore, a new hairstyle that some kids are calling a “fade,” to others, the “fade” is an atrocity; the work of a legally blind barber. The “fade” looks almost exactly how it sounds, short, buzzed sides that eventually “fade” into a slightly longer, much greasier upper portion.

We caught up with John Failor to learn how one comes upon such a disgraceful look. “Well it’s the derivative of a buzz cut, divided by the square root of a mullet, multiplied by a confidence level of one entire can of hair gel; cubed. It’s really quite simple,” Failor said.

The proliferation of the “fade” is so rampant, it has even infiltrated the ranks of The Leek. Our own Mitchell Mosley, a once renowned “cool guy,” has fallen victim to the sea of poorly cut, plateau-like heads at Central. Mosley not only reflects the terrible hairstyle, but also the extreme arrogance instilled among the people who don the look. Mosley, once an advocate of the “average dude” look, commented on his new style. “There’s not that much of a difference, you can see my scalp on the sides, but whatever man, it’s all good baby baby.”

Some attribute the “fade” to the strongest political figureheads in history.

Adolf Hitler arguably commenced the fad, which has continued among totalitarian leaders like Kim Jong-Un. Central’s administrators have been caught at local salons, requesting the exuberant hairstyle. Dr. Rick Vandermolen said, “The

hairstyle embodies power and ensures the undevoted subordinance of the students.”

Not only are reasonably minded kids fearful of the dreadful look, but so are those who are forced to cut it. “I honestly have no clue what’s wrong with these kids.” said local hair stylist Kate Michels.“I feel ashamed to have gone to beauty school for 3 plus years in order to produce such a shameful result. I feel like I’m having to play devils advocate here.”

Plenty of women have also been know

Some students are even surpassing the standard “fade,” and cashing in their surplus hair shavings for a so called “mega fade.”

“I figured that since I am so damn unique, I might as well take a totally unique haircut and make it even more… unique!” Said revolutionary mega-fader Pack Zeterson. “Yeah, I almost had them shave the entire URL to my soundcloud on the side of my head but I figured, hell, its already on every social media site

Graphic: H. Lancashire

to succumb to to the falsely alluring characteristics of the new fad. “Well... it’s all about the feminist movment you see. If you’re not with us, you’re against us, and honestly, being male really just makes you aginst us. No matter what. I got the ‘fade’ first, before it was cool. You’re all a bunch of hipsters following me,” said strong minded student Macy Dieker. “I mean, if you’re going to get a fade, sorry, I mean when you get a fade, because it will happen. All will submit to my unyielding will.

Ahhhh ha ha ha ha!”

ever.”

Looking to make an obstruct fashion statement? A new way to meet new 12 year old scooter kids at the skate park? Or perhaps just wanting to show off your ultimate toolery? The new “fade” haircut is for you! This package is a one way ticket to no friends. It’ll fill all the voids inside you, or well, on top of you. Chances are if you get this haircut, you might as well go the extra 10 yards and just shave off the rest of the pitiful collection of follicles you call hair.

Headlines from around the world Iraqi beheads himself due to gas prices Student “hella buzzed” off vape pen Man found “raedling” in nearby woods

The six stages of the friend-zone 1. Denial

4. Depression

“It’s no big deal. She likes me. When she said he was just a friend I believed her. She’s totally still into me. What I said last night definitely wasn’t a deal breaker. She still wants it. We’ll laugh about it tomorrow. Everyone makes mistakes. She’ll come back to me. I know it.”

“AHHHHHHHHHH WAHHHHHH OHHHH GODDD WHYYYYY!!!! *quietly sobbs/whipmers. MOMMY WHYY. WHY ME. I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING BAD. WAHHHHHHHH WHHYHYYYYYYYY EH EH WHY WHAHHHHHHHHH BABE. COME BACK!”

2. Anger

5. Acceptance

“Well this is just GREAT! Stupid girl. Stupid school. I wanna punch something. OF COURSE it was “no big deal” when she was with a boy all day every day. I should have known. STUPID ME. HOW COULD SHE JUST NOT CARE. I CARE...

KINDA! GOD WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!?!

3. Bargaining

“Maybe we can work this out. I mean like come on we’re good people. I’m a good person. She’s...decent. Please date me. Please, please. If she would just give me a moment again on this whole relationship thing, I promise, no more flirting with your mom.

It’s a done deal. Please. Please.”

“You know, I’m cool with this. I bet the friend zone has its perks. I mean, who else is going to rub her ranky feet after a long workout? I guess we could still be close. It really isn’t too bad, we still get to be friends. Maybe she’ll let me zip her dress up from time to time. I hope she doesn’t think I’m gay.”

6. A bitter cycle

“Things with her have definitely been bad, but hey, it could be worse. But anyway, I’m totally wheeling this new girl. Trust me, she totally wants it. I mean, the question is, who wouldn’t? I really think this new one is gonna work out. I think I’m in love and ain’t nothin gonna stop me!” (See stage 1).