Issue 2, the Black & Gold, Volume 91

Musical

Volume 91

the

Central’s musical production of Grease brings a splash of new tunes, a dusting of new style, and a brighter perspective.

Grease is the word, page 5.

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November 9, 2011

Black Gold

Issue 2

2011 MIPA Spartan Award Winner

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

Newsline

Photo: K. Cullen

State Theatre honored USA Today named the State Theatre one of ‘10 Great Places to See a Movie in Splendor.’ “It’s all about our presentation,” Betsy Ray, volunteer coordinator, said. “It starts on the sidewalk with the marquee, buying your tickets, and smelling the popcorn. Then you step into the marvelous lobby and find your seats.” The State is run by volunteers.

‘Academy Day’ activities

Feature

Photo: E. Beauchamp

A two-week exchange program capped off by sad goodbyes, the start-up of a bottle recycling program and a shoedrive organization pave the way to improvement at Central. Join their efforts on page 3.

Sports

Photo: A. Hilden

Maitland Adams and Hailey Stoops, both ‘15, do the weather with TV 7&4’s anchor Diana Fairbanks at the Grand Traverse Resort. In the station’s booth, students had “the option to take a picture in front of a weather screen,” Adams said. “It was just fun.” The Business Academy went out to the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Expo yesterday. Adams said that colleges were also represented at the expo, so she did some unexpected preliminary investigation. “I would definitely stay with the Business Academy because it gives you the chance to see all types of businesses and how they work,” Adams said.

Extinguishing Central’s drug culture

Concerned about drug’s negative influence on Central, administrators address the issue. Editor’s note: To protect the identity of the student featured in this story, the Black & Gold changed her name Photo: courtesy of Susan Cover

As autumn air gives way to winter winds, Central’s fall athletic season comes to an end. Clutch wins and fantastic strategies help teams finish their seasons strong, and secure BNC Championships and trips to the State finals. Fall Sports Round-Up, pages 8-9.

Z-Club heads south

Photo: courtesy of Pat Rutt

The Z-Club traveled down to Ferris State University on Oct. 19 to attend the “Day of Discovery.” This day gave students an opportunity to look at different careers in marketing.

Pat Rutt, the club’s advisor, enjoyed the trip. “It gave them a small taste of the classes they might take at the college level. This great opportunity brought the club closer together.”

Only two TCAPS nurses

Photo: S. Hutchison

A study from the National Association of School Nurses reported that, on average, Michigan public schools have one nurse per 4,411 students. Tina Soyring is one of two nurses for the entire TCAPS district. In addition to helping sick students, she also counsels them on nutrition and helps them learn how to problemsolve. “A big part of how I function is to teach students how to advocate for themselves, which is important in high school,” Soyring said.

Briefs: K. Cullen

H

Joe Murray & Ivy Baillie

Editor-in-Chief, Staff Reporter

Head Principal Rick Vandermolen isn’t letting his short tenure at Central’s helm stop him from instilling progressive change. He hopes to extinguish the drug influence at Central and is passionate about resolving what he sees as one of the school’s most pressing issues. Although he admits he doesn’t know exactly how widespread student drug use is, he hopes that by candidly confronting the issue, students who abstain will be deterred and students ensnared in drugs will seriously consider the potential consequences and seek help.

“I see students being lured into behaviors that distract them from learning,” Vandermolen said.

“It puts up road blocks for the future.”

Central isn’t the only school combating this issue, and the problem isn’t necessarily worse here than at other schools, but Vandermolen is determined to eliminate the drug culture from Central.

“It’s interesting to see that students don’t think that we know, but we know,” Vandermolen said.

Both Vandermolen and Liaison Officer Matt Verschaeve agree that alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and spice are the most common drugs at Central. Spice, a chemical compound that mimics marijuana, is illegal and just as dangerous as other drugs. “It’s nasty,” Vandermolen said. Both agree there isn’t a pattern to how often administrators have to address drug-related issues, noting that infractions “go in spurts.”

For many young adults, drugs are alluring; as teens make the messy transition to adulthood, it can be tempting to experiment. Student Liz Conrad said that intrigue, as well drugs’ function as social icebreakers, prompted her use. “It was definitely a curiosity thing. I had always wanted to try it.”

With drugs, some students choose short term benefits over long term consequences. The decision to experiment has criminal, physical, social, behavioral, and academic ramifications. “With a student who uses a drug habitually over time, you can see that their behavior changes dramatically and their friends, family, studies, and physical level of taking care of

themselves starts to deteriorate,” Vandermolen said.

Drug Culture:

Beyond their impact on users, drugs seep into Central’s culture, so fully conscious students also feel the consequences. Vandermolen said that students who are deeply integrated into the drug culture aren’t afraid to come to school under the influence or in possession of drugs. Some students have even hidden drugs on campus, like in ceiling tiles. All of this can lead to a school culture that isn’t conducive to progressive education and healthy relationships. Vandermolen believes that students can change the school, both negatively and positively.

“This is your school,” Vandermolen said. “You have a say in how it looks and feels.”

Prosecution:

When administrators notice students slipping, they investigate.

Verschaeve said “discipline will be taken if discipline is necessary.”

Leads about illegal substances on school property, discovered either from administrators’ observations, or from student or parent tips, are pursued and when warranted, students are prosecuted.

While Vandermolen and Verschaeve both have a “burden of proof,” their respective roles as principal and liaison differentiate their domains, and as a result, their jurisdictions. Vandermolen, whose domain is the school, must have “reasonable suspicion” to search a student’s belongings or ask them to turn their pockets inside out, and a tip from a student, parent, or staff member satisfies this. As a police officer, Verschaeve’s domain extends to “society” in general.

He must have “probable cause” to move forward with a claim, which is higher than Vandermolen’s “reasonable suspicion.”

“If Vandermolen were to get something beyond reasonable suspicion, he can’t go any further because he isn’t a sworn officer,” Verschaeve said. “In order for me to search, arrest, or detain someone, I have to have probable cause.

His level of suspicion is less than what I would need, which is why we have to work together.”

Verschaeve stressed that he thoroughly investigates a claim’s valid-

Photo: K. Raymond

ity before confronting a student, because informants’ intentions aren’t always pure. As an officer of the court, Verschaeve has a higher standard to “substantiate somebody’s claim or deny it.”

“If I were to receive information that someone is using, selling or possessing drugs, there are certain steps that I can take preemptively before even talking to that person,” Verschaeve said. “A lot of that does come down to certain background investigations and surveillance techniques.”

While controlling drugs on school property is a challenge, the large crowds and excitement at school-sponsored events, like dances or sports games, add complexity. But Verschaeve said that even if administrators only catch a couple students, this sends the right message.

“You aren’t going to catch everyone,” Verschaeve said. “People are going to get away with it, but the message you hope to send is that you never know who is going to get caught.”

Consequences:

Rather than drug use being

exclusive to a group of ‘stoners’, it transcends grade, clique, and gender, which makes targeting students who abuse drugs difficult.

However, these challenges don’t stop the school from cracking down. The administration currently employs random drug-dog searches, as well as preventative instruction in gym health education and counseling through Third Level Crisis Center.

“I think it is important that everybody has the opportunity to be made aware of the possibilities of what can happen not only physically, psychologically and criminally from drugs,” Verschaeve said. “But by the same token, you can present all of those things to everybody, one-hundred percent of the student body, and ten percent are still going to make the choices despite the things that they know. I think you are always going to have that particular clientele. It doesn’t matter what enforcement or disciplinary actions taken, they are still going to do what they want to do.”

continued, page 11

2 Opinion Graphic: J. Murray

Joe Murray

Editor-in-Chief School -- Trimesters to Semesters: As TCAPS continues to combat economic woes and decreased funding, trimesters appear to be the next causality of the cuts that the district announced last year. The switch to semesters would save about $400,000, but would make it more difficult for students to fit electives into their schedules, while meeting rising state graduation requirements.

The district hasn’t officially announced the change, but the general consensus among students and teachers is that the move is inevitable. While students may enjoy the shorter, fifty minute class periods, they will have to balance six classes, plus Advisory, instead of this year’s five. Furthermore, yearlong classes, such as APs, will continue to run all year but will be subject to the same time reduction, so students will actually have less classroom time to prepare for standardized exams in May, likely meaning more homework to stay on pace.

Administrators hope that, in addition to saving money, semesters will allow more students to remain with the same teacher for the duration of a course. Four hundred thousand dollars isn’t enough to justify less elective freedom, less class time, and an additional class’ workload.

Local -- Murder trial grips Traverse City: Robert Jensen Schwander’s trial for the murder of former Central student Carly Lewis had everyone watching, listening and weighing in. On Oct. 26, he was convicted of Second Degree Murder. Sentencing is schedule for Nov. 18 The charges against Schwander, who formerly attended Central, stem from the discovery of Lewis’ body on June 14 after a nearly two week search, which everyone hoped would end with Lewis safely at home.

The verdict brings closure to a tough summer for Traverse City teens in which we watched the lives of too many friends and peers come to end, or go astray. Beyond Lewis’ tragic death, there were no less than three fatal drownings and two fatal car accidents in the area this summer involving teens. In addition to the numerous untimely deaths, Gwinnon Lord, a 2011 Central graduate, was convicted of breaking into his neighbor’s home and assaulting her, in a drunken fit, landing him 6-20 years in prison. One’s potential can be drastically curbed without loss of a life.

The extent of this summer’s loss is ever-more apparent as shorter, cooler days roll in and the area beings to reflect on these tragedies too fresh to digest a few months ago. The summer of 2011 will forever be defined by hardship, and no event shook the area to its core more than Lewis’ death.

the Black & Gold

National -- Brutality and Censorship at Occupy Wall Street: With the nation’s eyes fixed on the widespread Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, reports of police brutality and efforts to censor media stand out as glaring contrasts to what protests in this country should be. Though there are undoubtedly exaggerated claims from offended ne’er do-wells, there are too many stories and videos echoing these sentiments to dismiss.

A Salon Magazine reporter wrote that while trying to interview an arrested demonstrator during the New York City protests, he and other press members were corralled in plastic nets and arrested. While in the police van, a woman told the reporter that she had been shopping in Barnes & Nobel, and when she stepped out to snap a pictures of the commotion, she was promptly taken into custody.

The Internet is littered with videos of police using mace and batons to subdue protesters, and while it was undoubtedly justifiable in some, if not most, incidences, there are times when it appears that the innocent citizens were simply the unlucky victims of policing.

The irony is too obvious – governmentemployed police officers beating, pepperspraying and arresting citizen journalists while they attempt to document and photograph the protesters’ demands for better treatment from their government. Although in some instances police force needs to be mitigated, protesters also need to know their limits, a reminder the OWS protesters of Oakland, Calif. should heed to keep their movement’s credibility.

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Our View

has been sundered. We are watching the death of the American Dream.

Indeed, a 2006 study by the Brookings Institution found that middle-income kids are only half as likely as kids from the richest quintile to reach the top of the income ladder. Post high school, the road to success Amid unemployment and is rocky. The path to college is chaos, a movement emerges: paved with high costs; a College Board study reports that the Occupy Wall Street average total cost of education for in-state students at four-year age 65 or public universities rose 8.3 percent older. Youth support makes sense, given that from 2010-11. Student loans, the traditionjust 55.3 percent of people ages 16-29 have ally responsible borrowing option, fund most jobs. This dire job market has disillusioned our students’ college. But for the first time in our youth; for the first time in America’s history nation’s history, more people are in debt for our generation won’t have more opportunities college loans than credit cards. It’s no wonder than our parents’. Is it any wonder so many un- teenagers are doubting whether college is even employed, deeply in debt youths are storming worth the cost, especially with severely diminthe public parks across our nation? ished job opportunity on the other side.

We at the Black and Gold believe that in We at the Black and Gold believe it’s unfair America, everyone, not just the top one perthat American youth are left with this global cent, should have the opportunity to succeed economic disaster to clean up, while being debased on our skills and work ethic, just like our nied the opportunity to succeed, the birthright founders’ envisioned. The American Dream is of all Americans since our founding. our DNA. It is our cultural ethos, what binds us.

And some-Americans now owe more than thing $904 billion on student loans, a about that new record high.

In memory of the American Dream

T Illustration: A. Korson

The American Dream. The ideal that if you work hard enough, you can attain anything you want–the car, the house, the stuff of “happiness” we proclaimed at our republic’s founding.

After all, America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, regardless of race, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status. But are the white picket fences and nine-to-five jobs of our grandparents’ age gone?

Maybe the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) youths are onto something. We at the Black and Gold believe that the recklessness of our predecessors has resulted in this monumental mess known as our economy that has the American Dream on life support. And that has profound implications for teens’ future.

Fourteen million Americans are officially unemployed, and experts say that even after the economy starts to grow again, employment will remain sluggish well into the time when we are trying to enter the job market, post college. This lingering despair for the future has translated into the OWS movement, where protesters are calling for more financial equity and job opportunities, less corporate corruption, and less crony politics between corporations and government.

One of the largest driving forces behind OWS is the youth. According to a CBS News/ New York Times poll, half of Americans ages 18-29 say they agree with the views of OWS, compared with just one in three Americans

Death By the Numbers

Illustration

: A. Korso

Hunter Kelly Staff Reporter

Students at New Trier High School in Chicago, Illinois, no longer have to worry about their favorite kitten video on YouTube being blocked at school. New Trier loosened their filters on social networking because teachers complained that the blocks interfered with research, so much so that no one could even research the topic of social networking.

New Trier is not the only school experimenting with lifting filters.

Middle School 127 in Bronx, New York, sent over 60 e-mails to the Department of Education to protest a ban on personal blogs and social media. Also, 2 years

ago Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colorado lifted their Internet filters on social networking. The Los Angeles United School District is also considering loosening their filters soon.

Good luck with all that. Filters on social media websites shouldn’t be lifted because they are a distraction; too much freedom on the Internet gives students a window, no, a whole door, to many amusing websites that have nothing whatsoever to do

Allison Taphouse Staff Reporter

A sharp ting of bells ring as Courtney Stodden walks down the aisle adorned in a bridal lace veil and holding a bouquet of flowers. She is about to exchange vows with her soon-tobe-husband, fifty-one year old actor Doug Hutchison. The couple sparked the latest celebrity scandal after Hutchison, who is 35 years Stodden’s senior, proposed to the skankified sixteen year old serial tweeter, just one day after they met.

But are these “girls” who think they are in “love” prepared at the mature age of 16 to bind themselves to the contract marriage is, and to make promises that are supposed to last a lifetime? Stodden was so young the union required parental permission. When you need daddy’s signature to tie the knot, you might

Arts & Entertainment Editors

Business Manager

Opinion Editor

Katie Stanton

continued, page 11

need to rethink your decision.

But that’s just the problem with people like Stodden and Hutchison: thought has nothing to do with it. Hmm, what might motivate a minor-aged gold digger like Stodden to hitch herself to a fossilized pedophile like Hutchison? Could it be the usual suspects, money and sex, disguised as love?

Many marriages in the media depict young women marrying men who are as old or older than their fathers: think Hugh Hefner, who’s not dad, he’s great grandpa. I get why the man is tempted in these marriages--that is selfevident, but I don’t get a sixteen year old like Stodden selling her soul, er, body, for a life of gold digging. The only thing that’s fun about it is awaiting her Tweet: “Gettin’ a divorce #LOL,” and finding out how much she nets from her contractual prostitution.

Managing Editor

Joe Murray

When students are distracted, grades suffer, and classroom time is squandered.

“If we allowed unlimited YouTube viewing during the day, we probably wouldn’t get much of anything done,” TCAPS Administrative & Educational Technology Director Todd Neibauer said.

Locally, TCAPS has removed blocks on websites with health and drug content. Administrators decided the educational value merited the move. However, in addition to pedagogical concerns, TCAPS has another reason to maintain social media and gaming websites’ filters: low bandwidth.

Students gaming and watching videos consumes bandwidth, which slows down the speed of our Internet access.

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Courtney Stodden has taken the insanity of underage marriage to a new extreme. Teens are like her are getting married, which is an adult act. What is wrong with this? Everything.

Leek Editor

News Editor

with education, such as games and chat rooms. In schools with loose Internet filters, it’s hard for hormonal teens to keep their Internet viewing on the right track.

#UnderageMarriage legal?: Courtney Stodden’s marriage raises questions

Feature Editor

Emma Beauchamp

n

Consider consequences before lifting Internet filters

Editor-in-Chief Joe Murray

-In the United States, ¼ of all income is brought in by one percent of the people.

-More than sixteen million children live in poverty in America.

-There were 4.1 million unemployed youths in the July of 2011, the lowest July employment rate since 1948 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Emma Beauchamp

Jeannie Longton Kaitlyn McLintock

Sports Editor

Rico Bastian

Bryton Lutes

Photo Editors

Autumn Hilden Katie Raymond

Miranda Winowiecki

Associate Sports Editor Shannon Weaver

Graphics Editor

Maddy Kachadurian

continued, page 11

Staff

Ivy Baillie Kaytie Boomer Jeff Comerford Kennedy Cullen Patrick Goodney Sophie Hutchison Hunter Kelly Alex Korson Erin Lipp Austin Maison Rachel Moore Fiona Muha Nick Mulvaine

Illustration: A. Korson

Ashley Reed David Reinke Elena Rothney Hayley Rozema Sydney Smuck Allison Taphouse Gretchen Twietmeyer Lia Williams

Feature

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

3

Welcome to America, Luxembourgers!

Practicing English, making friends, and experiencing American high schools, these two week exchange students bring some culture to Traverse City

G Emma Beauchamp Managing Editor

Maddy Kachadurian Graphics Editor

With the Internet changing exponentially, and becoming an omnipresent part of our lives, we are tempted by its tools and toys, so much as to make us web sick.

Graphic: E. Beauchamp

It’s three in the morning. You still haven’t finished that paper which is due tomorrow. In fact, you haven’t even started it, unless you count typing your and the teacher’s names. How did it get so late?

Facebook--a plague on high school students nation-wide.

Straight A students transform into zombies the moment they log in; unfortunate souls carrying C’s can count on flunking soon.

It’s pretty bad when schoolwork is subsumed by Facebook ‘stalking.’ Teens need to ditch the Book for more important things, like hanging out with friends, petting a gerbil, bungee jumping, or getting a life.

Instead, we spend Book time convincing ourselves that we actually, virtually speaking, do have a life.

We spend hours and hours andhoursandhoursandhours checking friends’ scores on FarmVille and phishing photos of “friends,” say from Azerbaijan. Instead of winking at that hot guy next to us in math class, we creep and occasionally “poke.”

Instead of calling auntie to compliment her on her ambrosia salad, it’s so much easier to lie over the Book. When wanting to find out about our friend’s date to Fallout, we check the Book and view their “friendship.”

Who needs conversation when we have a keyboard?

Our generation has become socially inept.

Face it, we are a Facebook dependent culture.

Human contact diminishes with each page of the Book. The irony of Facebook is it cuts off the face-to-face. Who needs conversation when we have a keyboard?

Our generation has become socially inept.

To make matters worse, Facebook has been invaded by our grandparents. Unfortunately, the 55-64 age demographic is almost as large as ours.

Not cool. Gram should send me a nice little pink card via post, addressed in perfect cursive, hand written, and perfumed. Not posting on my wall.

And then there’s the tweens, tenyear-olds pretending to be 13 and legal, just to get in on the time wasting fun.

An additional time-sucking vortex is all the time spent navigating the Book’s incessant changes, and even more time we spend complaining about the changes “OMG IDK HOW 2 USE DA NEW FB THIS SUXXSSSSSSSS” That’s what makes me Web Sick. Maybe it’s time to leave my virtual life for a real one. One second, I just have to check something on my computer first.

Getting off their plane in Cherry Capital Airport, students from Luxembourg take their first steps in Traverse City. They are quickly swarmed by their friends who voyaged overseas to the Lycée de Garçons Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg last May. “When we saw the big cars, we knew we were in America,” Ben Wandinivit, a native Luxembourger, said.

The Luxembourgers had many preconceived notions of the United States: unhealthy food, bad coffee, and the stereotypical American high school. Fortunately, most of these turned out to be untrue. The food and coffee turned out better than expected, and the high school experience was a surprise.

“The teachers here are much closer to students, more of a best friend type,” Wandinivit said.

In addition to a different relationship between faculty and pupils, the sprawling nature of Central’s campus differed from the condensed scale of Luxembourg.

“Your school is just like what you see in the movies!” Lisa Ducoli said.

Most Central students had some stereotypical idea about these exchange students.

“When I tell people I am from Luxembourg, they ask me if I have a lot of money,” Ducoli said. “It’s annoying. It seems to be the only image Americans have of Luxembourg.”

In general, American students were interested in their culture and even “impressed,” by their English skills. Perhaps this interest stemmed from Americans’ ignorance of Luxembourg. Ducoli said some students have asked her if Luxembourg is in London. For the record, it is located between Belgium, France and Germany and has the native language of Luxembourgish. In school, students are required to take English, French and German.

“Their language classes have more direct instruction in the language,” Bryn Lynch, French and Spanish teacher, said. “Kids have more exposure to other languages so their brains are more used to it.”

This exchange program is designed to aid in the Luxembourger’s English and Central’s students’

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

Year long exchange students share their thoughts

Photo: E. Beauchamp

Gathered with friends at the farewell dinner, Mich Wagner (third from left) is sad to leave after such as short stay here. “It’s the whole thing,” Wagner said. “It’s such a unique experience. I don’t know when I will come back and I know I won’t be able to experience classes like this again.”

French.

“I can talk more comfortably without using a philosophical word about the weather,” Luxembourger Mich Wagner said. Most of the exchange students felt their conversational English improved as they used it in more informal situations.

Last May, when Traverse City students, Katherine Lyon, Samantha Kaufman, Max Lundmark, Laura Jessmore and Jack Siderman, all ‘12, visited Europe, they got just as much through their trip.

“Luxembourg was really different from here,” Lyon said. “There were smaller cars, roundabouts, and the signs were in four different languages. At restaurants, I had to order in French, so, I learned more through experience.”

Along with improving language fluency, this exchange program has also produced global consciousness and lifelong friendships.

“The trip was eye opening,” Lundmark said about visiting Luxembourg. “It makes you think about your culture.”

“When you walk into stores people ask “Hey, how are you?” In Germany, no one says that to someone they don’t know.”- Rebekka Rein ‘12

Creating a greener school environment Paper or plastic isn’t a question for Max Copeland ‘14. He does it all to save the world

Sophie Hutchison Staff Reporter

With disgust, Max Copeland ‘14, peers into a cafeteria trash can, not because of the repulsive leftovers within, but because of the potential recyclable materials being thrown away.

“Something must be done,” Copeland said. “Our school is so big, I know if we all work together, we can make a difference.”

Copeland and his father have been recycling and composting ever since he can remember, so he decided it was time to bring recycling to Central.

Copeland aspires to implement plastic and metal recycling soon, along with the more long term goal of composting.

“Right now, our school only recycles paper,” Copeland said.

“This is not enough.”

To make these changes, Copeland has been planning with Principal Rick Vandermolen.

“We do throw away a lot that could be recycled,” Vandermolen said. “Max’s recycling project is a wonderful idea.”

Presently, Central recycles paper and cardboard. In the past, bottle and plastic recycling has been tried and failed due to weak logistical planning.

“I feel better about this particular project. We will be organized and students will be informed,” Vandermolen said. “We are doing a learning campaign to teach the students to do this properly.”

Advisory will be used to educate students about what to put in each bin and where the new recycling receptacles for plastic and metal will be placed.

Photo: S. Hutchison

Graphic: M. Kachudurian

American Waste is donating the bins.

“Max and Senate will talk with students to let them know what to do, and what the different color bins are for,” Vandermolen said.

“I am very excited about our plastic and metal recycling,” Copeland said, “because most of the things we use are made of metal and plastic, and plastic, made from oil, is a quickly diminishing resource so we need to take advantage of maximizing the potential lifespan of metals and plastics already in use. I think that throwing away things is lazy.”

The recycle bins will be in the cafeteria sometime this winter.

However for this project to work, the lunch ladies must be on board. “If the lunch staff is responsible for everything, then the project might not happen,” Kitchen Leader Cathy Schaub said. “But if the students take control and are organized, I think it is an excellent idea.” Schaub noted that the recyclables must be put in the correct bin because “organizing the correct recyclables from the incorrect bins is the most difficult part.”

Copeland wants additional recycle areas throughout campus as soon as possible.

Composting remains a long-term goal. But, in the short term, students will have to walk to the cafeteria to recycle. “I think the students can handle it,” Copeland said.

Luxembourg

Graphic: M. Kachudurian

“There people are so nice here. And the school spirit is awesome.”

-Valentin Kluesener ‘12

Government: Grand Duchy Official Languages: Luxembourgish, French, and German Area: 999mi2, roughly the size of Rhode Island Population: 497,854 Distance from TC: 4,046 mi

“When we were going over the lake, I thought it was the ocean. It was so big.”

-Adele Duby ‘12

A perfectly ‘Noble’ cause Collecting shoes with her youth group, Charlotte Noble ‘14 is excited about helping the less fortunate in Jamaica

Gretchen Twietmeyer Staff Reporter

Take a moment to think about your shoes. You walk miles upon miles every day. You walk through snow, puddles, and dirty floors. Your feet are exposed to scorching pavement in the summer, and freezing snow in the winter, but your shoes are there to protect your feet every step of the way.

However some Jamaican children don’t have shoes. This is where Charlotte Noble ‘14, along with her youth group at First Congregational Church, come in. Noble and her youth group aim to collect 2000 pairs of shoes to donate to orphans in Jamaica.

“Imagine walking around without shoes all day,” Noble said, “It gets pretty hard, especially in Jamaica, because you can get ringworm or other diseases.”

This project, called “2000 Shoes, 1000+ Lives,” involves a lot of preparation and organization, along with lots of fundraising.

“We’ll probably be fundraising till we leave,” Noble said. “We’ve been contacting different shoe companies, and they might be giving us a discount, but we’ll be buying the shoes from there and then taking them down to Jamaica.”

Nikki Schweitzer ‘12, another student from Central who is planning on attending the trip, said the group hasn’t yet finalized their fundraising, “but our church is really supportive of missions. We’re just really trying to reach out.”

The youth group plans to distribute the shoes in June. Though their overall goal is to have 2000 pairs of shoes by the time they go down in 2012, if their goal is not met, they plan to gather as many pairs as possible, and they will return until 2000 pairs have been donated.

“I’m really excited to go down there, especially taking other people from my church,” Noble said.

Both Noble and Schweitzer are looking forward to going to the orphanage and sharing the trip with

Photo: A. Hilden

Looking forward to the “2000 Shoes, 1000+ Lives” project, Charlotte Noble ‘14 displays the Jamaican coffee beans that the youth group is selling in order to fundraise for the trip. “We’ve been doing a lot of fundraising so far,” Noble said. “We just want to give them a feeling of being loved from far away.”

their youth group, both also anticipate a transformative experience.

“I’d like to experience a world unlike my own, and touch people’s lives,” Schweitzer said, “and also have a pretty good test of faith.”

Noble also believes that this trip will be a life-changing experience, and has high hopes for the project.

“The reason this project is called ‘1000+ Lives’ is that we hope to be changing lives,” Noble said. “Not just the orphans we give the shoes to, but also showing other people what it’s like.”

Noble often thinks about what it’s going to feel like to deliver the shoes to all of the orphans.

“I have no idea, actually, what it’ll be like,” Noble said. “I’ll probably cry. I’m really excited to see the kids’ faces. We’ll also be washing kids’ feet while we’re down there. The moment I do that, it’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be so awesome though.”

If you would like to find out more about 2000 Shoes, 1000+ Lives, go to the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/2000shoes.

4 A&E

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Inspiring artists worldwide

To widen their artistic horizons, several of Central’s classes traveled to ArtPrize, a competition where artists from all over the world submitted their work to gain recognition and have a shot at the top prize, $250,000

A Lia Williams Staff Reporter

As a multitude of colors, shapes, and sizes are displayed before their eyes, Central artists savor every sweet moment at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, like kids in a candy shop.

“I think it’s important for kids to see art installations,” Art teacher Jamie Sandy said, “to see art work in real settings as opposed to on the computer.”

In addition, Art teacher Laura Rummel said although there is interesting art in Traverse City, it’s “really great exposure for our students” to travel to ArtPrize because they can see “amazing art” up close.

An open competition for artists worldwide, ArtPrize, which was held from Sep. 21-Oct. 9, allowed students to tour 164 venues all over Grand Rapids to observe the works of 1,582 artists, competing for the “prize,” $250,000.

Rummel said that in Traverse City, we oftentimes see repetition of art, “a lot of beaches, a lot of Petoskey stone jewelry. It’s just cool to see what other people are doing around the world.”

Patrolled by “gallery guards,” students traveled to a strict “museumlike” environment at the Frederik Meijer Gardens, and to the downtown area, a more open and free atmosphere. Regardless, both areas were jam packed with visitors elbow-to-elbow, and Max Golden, ‘12 said, teeming with excitement.

“It was an all around good feeling,” Golden said. “It seemed like the people were all energetic, happy to be there, and loving all the artwork.”

The classes left at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, and arrived back at school around 7:00 p.m. As much as the fifty students explored the gardens and downtown, they only caught a glimpse of the many works displayed. But that was all they needed to spark their interest.

“The kids were really into it,” Sandy said. “They had different likes, so they had different points of views on sculptures and displays. Their perspective on the art was interesting to hear.”

A popular light sculpture and third-world country photography display certainly won the overall fan favorite. Austin Kellogg ‘13, was intrigued by just about every piece, but said the ones that stuck out to him were the most unique pieces.

“Ones that were just... mind expanding. Like crazy looking, you don’t see everyday,” Kellogg said.

From a giant metal dog, Mona Lisa mosaic, large sequined face, and huge monkeys hanging off a bridge, the pieces were made from every medium imaginable, including recycled and everyday objects. Some were even ‘’Found Object” sculptures,’’ in which the artist, whether intentionally or not, found materials to create a sculpture from.

Not only did the trip let students see different works of art, it also gave them ideas for materials they could use and inspiration for pieces.

“You can create anything really,” Golden said. “It showed me what kind of cool things you can actually do with art, and how many people are into it.”

However, the historic first visit that both Sandy and Rummel hope repeat in years to come, fueled more than just ideas for students’ next projects. Golden recalled “just experiencing all of it in person,” was his most impactful memory. Even Taylor Favour, ‘13, who has attended ArtPrize before, said this year’s contest still brought new colors into the picture.

“It makes you think of about all the different types of art, not just like photography or painting,” Favour said. “It made me appreciate it a lot more. It was really inspiring.”

Kellogg can even thank his ArtPrize experience for encouraging him

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Whether it’s a book made into a movie, or a classic film remake, find out whether or not we think the newest film to hit the big screen is a future blockbuster, or should have been left alone.

This issue, we will compare the newly remade Footloose to the 80s classic

Kaitlyn McLintock & Jeannie Longton

Arts & Entertainment Editors

Photo: courtesy of Jamie Sandy

Zachary Surprenant ‘14 enjoys his first ArtPrize experience in Grand Rapids, which he attended as a part of Jamie Sandy’s Photography class. Other than being able to miss school for the day, Surprenant said the best part was “seeing all the different materials that the art was made out of.” His favorite piece was a large spiral made out of blown glass that hung down from the ceiling.

to consider pursuing a career in art. Sandy said whatever kind of artist students are, they all are able to design masterpieces.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a great artist or a poor artist,” Sandy said. “Everybody has the ability to create art and be able to have it displayed.”

Future artist or not, Sandy and Rummel hope every student took something away from the experience. Mostly that students shouldn’t fear moving their brushes a different way.

“We saw such a variety of things and everything was amusing,” Rummel said. “I think students learned ‘I can do this stuff,’ ‘I can be as creative as this.’ That they shouldn’t be afraid to try things, take their ideas and run with them.”

A new tempo for T.C. Central Austin Maison Staff Reporter

Suddenly finding themselves without a band director with only a couple weeks until band camp started, TCAPS hurriedly scrambled to find a replacement.

More than one-hundred possible candidates had applied for the position, and among the elite few who were selected to audition with an “interview band” made up of some willing band students at Central, David Hester stood towering above the rest.

“The wow factor with Dave was the clear expectations he set immediately with students,” Principal Rick Vandermolen said. “He treated them with dignity and respect. He has the relational value with students while also being a superior musician and a teacher who can teach the music to all students of varying abilities. We had not seen that in a complete package until Dave interviewed.

As a bonus, the students liked him as their top pick.”

Moving from Oklahoma so late in the season is no easy task, but Hester was more than ready to make the change.

“It’s gorgeous up here,” Hester said. “I couldn’t resist such a great opportunity. The quality of the students we have makes it easy.”

Band camp began with the generous help of Peter Deneen, East Middle School’s band director, while Hester was relocating from the Sooner State. Hester was cautious not to make any major changes to the band’s technique because of all the hard work that had already been done before he was hired. After hearing the band’s playing ability on the field, Hester knew he wasn’t in Okla-

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Explosive dancing, eighties dialogue and intense drama, all are elements of the original Footloose that remain in year’s remake of the 80s original.

While the he new film was a success, it was virtually a carbon-copy of the original. It needed a little face-lift.

The plot stays the same; big-city Ren meets small-town Ariel in the even smaller town of Bomont, but not without experiencing a few tragedies.

Ariel’s family is pushed over the edge when her brother dies in a devastating car accident on the infamous Crosby Bridge, which prompts officials to outlaw public dancing and other “obscenities.”

All the while, Ren has to deal with losing a member of his own family. When the two meet, the dancing scenes heat up and never stop. Beginning with Ren’s solo, his way of venting pent-up anger directed at all of the narrow-minded people inhabiting Bomont, and finishing with an upbeat dance number at prom. The plot, dialogue, character’s personalities and even some of the wardrobing are almost identical to the original. The resemblance is most striking when Ren and Ariel happen to have the exact same prom outfits as the original.

Despite the apparent lack of uniqueness, the remake wasn’t a disaster. The dancing scenes were much better than in the first, as was the acting. Our apologies to all those loyal Kevin Bacon fans. Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald were well-cast and played true to their characters.

The aspects that differentiated the two films were what made the remake better. The dance moves and music were fittingly more modern, but still kept the eighties air that made the original version so popular. For example, Ren rolls up to his first day at Bomont High School in his vintage VW bug blasting “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa. Ren’s hair, a perfect eighties coif that could still be pulled off today, also gets an update but remains classic.

Overall, the remake will keep you on the edge of your seat with your foot tapping, which is a big compliment considering the high standard the movie had to live up too. Footloose was one of the most popular dance movies that spiced up the eighties. Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald definitely deserve a bravo for their interpretation of such a classic.

Canvas, composition and color For a long six years, Central has been without A.P. Studio Art, now that it’s back many students aren’t waiting for the opportunity to knock twice

Rachel Moore Staff Reporter

Photo: A. Hilden

Performing the song “Smooth” from Santana’s hit album Supernatural, Band Director David Hester leads Central’s Jazz Band at the Academic Awards Ceremony, as students and parents file into the auditorium. Hester has raised the bar for the Jazz Band by having them learn many more songs than they have in the past, practice separate ensemble pieces, and perform them right away.

“I wanted to instill a sense of pride and comradely in the group that may or may not have been lost in past years,” Hester said, “as well as a higher level of expectation.”

homa anymore.

“I was really impressed with the quality of the musicianship,” Hester said. “There’s so much appreciation for the fine arts, more so than a lot of other communities.”

But even so, because Hester was not able to work with the band the first precious week of camp due to the untimely resignation of Central’s previous director, he was forced to be extra flexible with how the Marching Band was already operating and was respectful about not implementing too much of his teaching philosophy all at once.

“I wanted to rewrite the drill,” Hester said. “I’d like to readdress our posture and parade rest as well.”

Nevertheless, anyone who has seen this year’s half time show would agree that the end result

was a huge success. Many band students are already impressed with all that Hester has accomplished this year.

Geoff Rizor ‘12, one of the three drum majors of the band, said, “He earned the respect of students without having to be overly strict. In general, he’s just gotten people to take responsibility for their actions and do what they need to do. It made us kick it up a notch . . . or seven.”

Now that marching season has wrapped up and it is time for a more formal style of playing, Hester can now begin to polish and work with the band with a much more detailed opportunity for learning and development.

“It’s almost like we’re starting over,” Hester said. “Marching season goes at a much faster pace.

Now we have to back up and address individual technique.”

Every morning, Ceramics and Drawing teacher Amy Harper surveys her brand new AP Studio Art class with a watchful eye.

The advanced students are focused, driven and the critiques they offer each other are candid. The business of compiling a portfolio, a collection of their art, is fun and challenging but also serious.

“I have all these wonderful advanced art students and I thought they would like the opportunity to create really strong portfolios for their college applications, also with the added bonus of college credit,” Harper said.

For the last six years, art-oriented students haven’t had the chance to take a college-level art course at Central, so when Principal Rick Vandermolen suggested she offer it, Harper jumped at the opportunity for her students. The class gives art students a chance to experience an environment where everybody is invested in art and desires to hone their craft. The extra time that the AP course requires and the freedom of choice offered in the class allow students to grow as artists, and further explore their own talents.

With the two additional trimesters, AP Studio Art students get to dive deeper into the artistic process than they would in traditional art classes. They have time to let their ideas marinate and develop. The students experience setbacks and then overcome them without constant grading deadlines rushing their work.

In the class, students work with a broad range of media. They’ve already bound a book, and will get to use image transfer, Photoshop, maybe even pour plastic.

The class has a very different environment than traditional art classes. The studentdriven class has an accelerated and more demanding curriculum.

“We operate at a much faster pace and a higher level of thinking,” Harper said. “We have a lot more time so we can explore a lot more materials and methods than in a regular twelve week course.”

But what the students really enjoy about the class is the freedom it provides.

“The material we make is less of what they tell us and more of what we want to create,” Maxine Burrows ‘12 said. “It’s geared towards what interests me rather than an assignment I have to fulfill.”

Burrows loves that she can infuse her own personal style in any piece because of the broad scope of the assignments, and the strong sense of community in the class.

“If I wasn’t doing AP art, I don’t know what I would be doing,” Burrows said.

Photo: K. Raymond

Maxine Burrows ’12 works on her AP Studio Art piece titled “Investigation into the extreme of the human body.” Burrows enjoys the class for multiple reasons, including a sense of increased freedom to make decisions about her own art, compared to other more traditional classes. “I use a lot of media, mixed stuff,” Burrows said, “a lot to do with the human body and the extremes of it, a lot of small intricate designs.”

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Musical

Musical is back with new style It’s that time of year again! Musical is back and better than ever. Audience members with already high expectations of the musical will be pleasantly surprised to find that this year’s production of Grease has a whole new flavor. From the musical numbers, to the wardrobe, this year’s musical has taken a dramatic turn from its usual classical style

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New musical, new wardrobe From hip new music, to a modern set. Grease is taking this year’s musical to a new level and bringing a breath of fresh air. Cast members discuss their new wardrobe

David Reinke Staff Reporter

Marleigh Bristol ‘14

Photo: A. Hilden

Alex O’Brien ’13, Michael Kellet ‘14 and Mark Jordan ’12 get down to “Greased Lightning” during a Grease rehearsal. “The dances are more energetic,” Kellet said. “They’re gonna be blown away.”

Photo: A. Hilden

Photo: S. Hutchison

Perfecting the hit number, “Greased Lightning”, are Alec Reznich ’13, Max Copeland ’14, Mark Jordan ’12, and Alex O’Brien ’13. “There’s a lot more group songs in Grease and less speaking parts,” O’Brien said. “It’s like the original High School Musical and is good for this setting.”

F Elena Rothney Staff Reporter

For the past several years, Central has produced musicals such as Oklahoma and Pirates of Penzance, consisting of a full orchestra and classical style music. This year, a more contemporary spin has been thrown in with the selection of 1970s classic, Grease. Like other musicals in Central’s recent past, Grease is a love story. But this year’s show offers a different twist, tone and tempo.

“It’s just a different time period and we play characters our own age,” Michael Kellett ‘14 who plays T-Bird, Sonny, said.

Everyone knows the familiar tunes from this year’s musical like “Summer Loving,” “Beauty School Drop-out,” “Greased Lightning,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”

“Grease is more upbeat and unique,” Helen Cullen ‘14, chorus member, said, “the songs are more get-up-and-dance.”

The choreography in Grease reflects its animated songs by incorporating high-energy moves. With over fifteen musical numbers, the dances range from the hand jive to ballroom, to show-tunelike numbers. Even though rehearsals are “long and tiring” for Marcus Hoffman ‘13, who plays T-Bird, Roger, he says nothing beats “the feeling I get when I get a new dance learned.”

The band accompaniment is one of the biggest differences: instead of a full orchestra with strings, this year’s instrumentation features a combo band, including saxophone, drums, electric guitar and piano. While she regrets the smaller amount of students in the band, Music Director and conductor Tamara Grove says there is an upside to the limited number of students in the pit.

“They’re more flexible about keys and can change to match the singer’s ability,” Grove said.

Even with hours of practice everyday after school, the Grease cast has little time to perfect their songs, dances, and stage movements.

“Some days you run through music, some days a whole act or a dance,” Cullen said.

At each rehearsal, the cast works on all aspects of musical with different directors everyday.

“Rehearsing with the cast involves a group warmup,” Grove said. “Then there’s 15-30 minute segments and Mrs.Tilley works blocking, while I work music in the choir room.”

Despite the long hours and hard work, students find time to goof around.

“We all have a blast working on it,” Kellett said, “Max Copeland didn’t complete his back flip twice. He laughed both times.”

The cast and crew of this year’s musical anticipate rave reviews and there is already a lot of buzz from their elementary school tour and performances at the Hagerty Center and First

Photo: K. Raymond

Doing the Hand Jive are Jessica Dancer ‘12, Hellen Cullen ‘14, Cady Lewis ‘12, and Sophie Kelly ‘12. Cullen prepares for what she believes will be a hit with the crowd. “I think the audience will have fun with Grease because it is more upbeat,” Cullen said.

Congregational Church. According to Grove, the musical box office is nearly sold-out.

Grove knows the public expects an up-beat, catchy show but geared to a high school production.

“The movie’s a little more provocative. But I think we’ve cleaned it up nicely and still kept all the good, high-energy tunes,” Grove said.

The cast agrees, “It’s a lot more energetic,” Hoffman said. “I think they’re going to love it.”

Grease will run in the Central High Auditorium, Nov. 10-13 and 17-20, Thurs.-Sat. at 7:00 p.m., and two Sun. matinees: Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, both at 3:00 p.m.

A word from the stars of this year’s show

Danny Zuko and Sandra Dee Olsen, two of the most exciting roles in the production, take the musical’s new style to the maximum. From their Farrah Fawcett hair at the end of the production, to skin tight pants, the musical’s leads express their favorite parts of getting to play these fun and theatrical characters

Hannah Rider

Photo: S. Hutchison

Chelsea Brown

Photo: S. Hutchison

“I like how Sandy transforms in the end into someone Business Manager totally different and the confidence she has. She gains this confidence by trying to get Danny to fall in love with her.”

- Hannah Rider ‘12

Bryton Lutes

“The thing that I like the most about playing Sandy is how her character matches my personality. We’re both never mean to anyone.”

- Chelsea Brown ‘12 Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Alec Reznich

Photo: S. Hutchison

Logan Dell’Acqua

Photo: S. Hutchison

“Danny’s kind of the ring leader, the hat man of the Thunderbirds and he’s also really cocky. I like taking on the challenge of being a character I’m really different from in real life.”

- Alec Reznich ‘13 “Danny’s the cool guy in the school but he has a soft side and that’s how he gets involved with Sandy. But he does have a little problem with his priorities. I like his swag, the hair, the acting, everything.”

- Logan Dell’Acqua ’14 Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Abbey Kaufman ‘13, playing the character Frenchie, will abandon her hair straightener in favor of a shimmery red wig. Preston Zoellner ‘13, playing Doody, will desert his everyday hairstyle for the slick look of a greased “duck tail.” Dresses will grow longer and jeans shrink a few sizes. Whether it be the frolicsome fashion of the girls or the hunky-dory duds of the guys, the style of the 50s will be captured in Central’s production of the musical Grease.

“It’s not like now where everyone wears different things,” Zoellner said. “The teen style was very different from now. It seems like everyone was wearing the same clothes.”

The generic boys style of the 50s consisted of two different versions of clothing: preppy and greaser. For the most part, Grease’s male cast will be dressed in the latter style.

“For boys, it’s not very colorful,” Zoellner said. “It’s just black jackets with the jeans. I feel like it’s kind of bland. The girls are really colorful but the guys aren’t.”

Lady’s Grease fashion consists of a wide array of colors that in the 50s was considered innovative and daring. Makeup for 50s female youth consisted of strong red lipstick, painted eyebrows and pastel shades of eyeliner.

“There were a lot of baby blues, pinks and yellows,” Kaufman said. “That was a big part of getting your costume together. We really had to pay attention to those so we weren't wearing any neon colors.”

Having seen the movie and musical of the 70s, many audience members will be familiar with the period fashion of Grease. Zoellner thinks this connection will help capture the audience’s interest.

“They all know Grease really well,” Zoellner said. “So they’re going to be like, ‘oh yeah! I remember when that was cool in school.’”

Compared to the outfits of last year’s Oklahoma, Kaufman thinks the inconvenience of the Grease outfits takes away from the fun.

Zoellner disagrees, reasoning that though last year’s cowboy outfits of Oklahoma were fun, for guys, the leather jackets and jeans of Grease are superior.

“Obviously it’s more modernized,” Zoellner said. “But I feel like it’s just more comfortable. It’s all, ‘I’m a greaser. I’m a T-Bird. I’m cool.’”

There’s more to costume than clothes and makeup, however. Hairstyles were two extremes: short “pin-up” styles, and towers of teased hair, as seen in Kaufman’s costume.

“There's one part where I go from being a red head to having blond hair,” Kaufman said. “It's like this crazy beehive hairdo that's literally a foot high off from my head. That's something I'd never wear, but it's fun just to see it on me every now and then.”

The boys of Grease go through an arduous task of dressing their hair. Application of cooking ingredients are a requirement for the “greased up” look of the Burger Palace Boys/T-Birds.

“It’s kind of weird, we don’t use hair gel,” Zoellner said. “We have to get a little dab of water and egg whites. The egg whites solidify your hair in that way and it gives you that greasy look.”

Though cast members spent a lot of time perfecting their styles, Zoellner wouldn’t have had egg on his head, and Kaufman wouldn’t have been able to wear a bee’s nest, if it weren’t for the volunteers.

“We had a lot of help,” Kaufman said.

“There's always a lot of help from the different moms and friends that are helping with costumes and everything.”

6 Ads

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Watch your back: Nerf Battlefield Staking out in the bushes, Assassins are waiting Fiona Muha

A Staff Reporter

Sweat trickles down Matt Jordan ‘12’s cheek, melding into the layers of face paint and make-up. The wig tickles his ear. Jordan carefully arranges the water balloons balancing precariously in the front of his dress. Nothing too suspicious. Except for the Nerf gun behind his back. When the dart makes contact, his job is complete. Jordan is an assassin.

“I would not normally dress up as a girl,” Jordan said. “You have to be creative, and sometimes being creative means being immature.”

Assassins is a competition where students form teams of five and pay $5 each to participate. Every week, teams are paired up and have until the Sunday of that week to kill as many of the other team’s members as they can by shooting them with Nerf darts. Alex Hushak and Nina Radakovich, both ‘12, are the organizers for Assassins. The number of teams in Assassins diminishes each week, and there are two teams left standing: Shadow’s Wrath and East Bay Throwdown. Jordan, his twin brother Mark Jordan, James Newland, Brandon Busuttil, and Dylan Kelly, all ‘12, comprise East Bay Throw-down. Their opponent, Shadow’s Wrath, includes Connor Gartland, Tyler Dohm, Tom Lynch, Lucas Little and Jon Culp, all ‘12.

There’s just something about the rush of Assassins that allures and addicts.

“It gives you an excuse to stalk people,” Hushak said. “And the winning team gets over a thousand dollars, so that convinces a lot of people.”

As a result of the game’s high stakes, fast pace, and weekly elimination, participants often go to extremes.

“I shot somebody on their birthday when they were out to dinner,” Hushak said. He thought it was a perfect opportunity, even though some students felt it was going too far.

Connor Gartland ‘12 is up to the challenges Assassins offers, but he has boundaries.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to shoot someone in the hospital,” Gartland said. “Of course, I wouldn’t break into their house to get a kill, either. I would be willing to sit outside their house for two hours, but it’s more time, not damaging.”

While extremes are understandable, Assassins does have rules: no shooting on school properties or at school sponsored events, no shooting at work, no opening of doors, although open garages are fair game, and no, absolutely no threatening to call the cops. More experienced assassins have adapted effective rules of engagement for clean “kills.”

“It’s all about team communication and parking in the garage,” Gartland said. “If

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Assassins

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

“Those dirty cheaters”

Rushing adrenaline leads to drastic measures in the high stakes game of Assassins.

Emma Beauchamp Managing Editor

Photo: K. Raymond

Matt Jordan, Mark Jordan, James Newland, Brandon Busuttil, and Dylan Kelly, all ‘12, make up the Assassins team East Bay Throw-down. They face off against Connor Gartland, Tyler Dohm, Tom Lynch, Lucas Little and Jon Culp, all ‘12 who are on the team Shadow’s Wrath. Participating in Assassins gives them a definite rush. “It’s a change-up,” Jordan said. “Not the same boring old thing, you have to wake up early to go kill somebody.”

you park in the garage, you’re safe, and your team should be pretty good.”

Matt Jordan has adapted ‘outside the box’ approaches to Assassins that will help him in the real world. It’s about avoiding catastrophe, gathering enemy intelligence and problem-solving.

“Don’t get shot and get as much information about other teams as possible,” Jordan said. “It helps with teamwork and learning how to settle differences with other teams, because if you disagree there’s no one who’s going to decide.”

Skill development takes time and and Assassins has consequences. “I think I’ve spent thirty hours of after school activity, it takes up homework time,” Gartland said. Fortunately, Assassins has not yet created a hurdle for Gartland’s family, since they think it’s a fun idea and they’re just as into the game as he is.

Both teams are far from waving the white flag. Both are rethinking their battle strategies, polishing their Nerf guns, and sharpening their bullets. With just two teams remaining, the battle is joined.

“People have been going crazy,” Radakovich said. “I think that since the money is in their sight, it’s putting them into overdrive.”

Nick Mulvaine Staff Reporter

Feeling out of the loop? Learn the vernacular of Assassins.

Stake-out [steyk-out] verb: to wait, hide, or stalk the opposing team before a kill.

Sucks a Lot +2

“It gives you an excuse to stalk people.”

-Alex Hushak ‘12

Photo: K. Raymond

Making calls and coordinating shootouts, Alex Hushak and Nina Radakovich, both ‘12, are the facilitators of Assassins. They have participated in and observed the game from the beginning, watching strategies and coming up with a few of their own.

“People started getting into people’s trunks, using their little brothers and sisters as decoys,” Radakovich said.

All is fair in love and Assassins.

While panting and purposely disheveled, smooth-talking Jon Culp ‘12 bamboozled his way into the home of his opponent Garrett Frain ‘12.

In order to make the kill, Culp claimed to be running away from his “abusive family.”

“Lying to his parents was the hardest thing,” Culp said. “Going that low sucks, but it was still the highlight of the year.”

Climbing on rooftops, breaking into garages and guiltless lying are all tactics employed to “kill” the other team with fluorescent orange darts. Some teams decide to just wait the other teams out, while others are more aggressive.

“They were just playing it safe,” Culp said. “So I brought the game to them.”

During this three month battle, people have shown their true natures in their unorthodox strategies.

“People try to win through disqualifying, not staking out, the other team,” Alex Hushak ‘12, cocoordinator of Assassins said. “They try to win on a technicality.”

One of the biggest scandals of the whole “war” is undoubtedly the tiff between Coon and Friends (Kenneth Merica, Joey Corcoran, Garrett Kosch, Johnny Ackley, and Drew Reamer, all ‘13) and Hakuna Matata Mothertruckers (Clark Belanger, Joe Friedli, Geoff Rizor, Connor Kerndt, and Peter Jurica, all ‘12). These teams had prior ties through football, so a friendly rivalry turned into a Facebook faceoff.

“Clark knocked on my door and asked for a drink,” Merica said. “I let him in since I knew he was already dead. But I saw through his plan.”

Merica grabbed his Nerf gun and then returned with a glass for Belanger on the porch. Out of nowhere, Rizor of Hakuna Matata Mothertruckers appeared.

This is where things get sticky.

Merica and Rizor shot each other, but they both thought they hit the other first.

“Geoff had a kill on Kenny,” Belanger said. “But then Kenny lied on Facebook, so we made up a lie of our own.”

To keep track of the multiple teams, Assassins is governed over Facebook. Each group posts kills and team standings on the page to keep the coordinators up to date. Unfortunately, the posts are not always honest.

“Our lie was so elaborate that Geoff and I talked for a half hour over what they were wearing and what order they were killed,” Belanger said.

This definitely unleashed a cat among the pigeons. Belanger’s retaliation may have been overkill, at least in the eyes of the organizers.

“It was obnoxious,” Nina Radakovich ‘12, cocoordinator of Assassins, said. “People need to remember this is just a game for fun. After Clark made up that whole story, I realized that I never wanted him to be on Assassins ever again.”

Although Belanger was banned from the game, he expected it, but holds true to his creed: “Nerf or nothin’.”

With the militaristic atmosphere and pressure to win, Assassins is half a physical game and half mental struggle.

“It’s all based on the honor code,” Merica said.

“It’s your choice on whether you tell the truth or not.”

“My sister [Katie Kushner ‘12] was at work and she was clocked in, so they couldn’t shoot her.

They were waiting outside her work, so, my sister called Brie [Goodno ‘14] and did a drive-by and shot JR [Hess ‘12] and then she switched cars, did a drive-bye again, and shot Ben [Stinson ’13]. It was pretty cool.”-Jessie Kushner ‘14

Shadow’s Wrath Photo: K. Raymond

East Bay Beatdown (EBB)

Modify [mod-uh-fahy] verb: To make changes to your Nerf gun.

Killshot [kil-shot] noun: Hitting the opponent with a Nerf bullet within bounds.

Intel [in-tel] noun: Source of information, such as address, license plate number or work schedule.

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

Photo: K. Raymond

Photo: K. Raymond

“Two nights ago with Tommy [Barber ‘12], I laid on the roof of La Senorita for about an hour and JR [Hess ‘12] pulled up to pick up Tommy through the back door. There was about a three foot gap that Tommy had to step into the car and I heard him come out and I stood up and unloaded a full autogun on him. I made sure that I shot him fifteen to twenty times at eight-thirty that night.”-Dylan Kelly ‘12

“The other team’s car came and blocked the car in the driveway. Tanner [Stewart ‘12] called me and said, ‘Dude, we got a problem.’ So, I came in my car and turned all my lights off and blocked the other team in. They were surrounding the car so, Lucas [Little ‘12] and Tanner followed me on foot, in ghost mode. Then, I turned my stereo full blast, all the lights and laid on the horn. The other team just ran. We killed two of them.”-Tyler Dohm ‘12

8 Fall Sports

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Notice: The Black & Gold extends our congratulations to our football team and their accomplishments this fall season. The team was covered in our previous issue. As well, both the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams have been covered on page 10 of this issue. The Black & Gold celebrates all our athletes

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niors are going to have to step up next year and take a bigger leadership role.”

Miranda Winowiecki Sports Editor

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Photo: A. Hilden

Matt Westerman ‘12 guards the ball from an opponent at the team’s away match against West. The first two tied matches built the tension for the District meet against the crosstown rivals. “We were all preparing for a close game,” Westerman said. “It kind of sucked, but we all played really well.”

Peter Pappas ‘13 reaches for the ball to hit the winning shot that will advance him to semifinals. In addition to Pappas’ individual success, the boys tennis team finished a phenomenal season by placing ninth at States and winning the Big North Conference (BNC).

“Our goals were to make it to the second day of States and win the BNC,” Pappas said. “We accomplished both of these goals through hard work and determination.”

Going into the season, the team faced hardship with not a single returning doubles team.

The seven new Varsity players were ready to face a challenge.

“It was a much younger team,” Captain Max Lundmark ‘12 said. “We lost around eight seniors, so it was just different dynamics because it seemed like everyone was a senior last year.”

A highlight of the season was the BNC. Having won it six years in a row, the pressure was on but the team pulled it off at the very end.

The third and fourth doubles needed to win, for their team to win the conference, and that is exactly what they did, securing first place in the conference after a dramatic finish over Petoskey.

“We ended up winning by one point,” Lundmark said. “It all came down to just winning the final matches against Petoskey and to a couple of turn-around matches, where we had lost before to West but we ended up beating them.”

The team had the ultimate test of their skills when they traveled down to States in Kalamazoo.

“Singles had a really good showing at States and doubles had some bad draws and we

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ennis couldn’t play our fourth seed,” Head Coach Larry Nykerk said.

The team ended the season well, being undefeated in dual meets and winning nine tournaments.

“We had a great season this year,” Garrett Kosch ‘13 said, “but we’re hoping to improve even more next year because we will have a lot of returning players that are dedicated and motivated to win.”

Photo: S. Hutchison

Sean Soupiset ‘13 sends the ball sailing across the court. Playing fourth seed at State Championships, Soupiset helped earn his team a ninth place finish. “The highlight of the season was probably States because it was an amazing atmosphere to be in,” Soupiset said.

olf Staff Reporter

Courtney Dye ‘13 prepares to drive the ball while playing a round at the Grand Traverse Resort. “There is this feeling that you get after you accomplish something great,” Dye said. “It makes all of my hard work and long practices worth it.”

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Shannon Weaver

Ashley Reed

Photo: courtesy of Cathy Dye

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Associate Sports Editor

“I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!” roars through the Superfans as they support the boys soccer team in their first match regular season match against cross-town rival, West. The Trojans ended up tying, 1-1, even with the adversity of a 10 man to 11 man ratio, due to a red card, for 60 minutes of the 80 minute game. Down in the first half, the Trojans did work in the second.

“We ended up coming back and dominating the second half,” Colin Lesoski ‘13 said.

The Trojans ended up ranking second in the Big North Conference (BNC) with a 9-1-3 conference record and a 10-6-4 record on the season, fighting back from an eight game losing streak at the beginning of the season.

“We had a rough start,” head coach Rob Boynton said. “They worked hard everyday, though.

In practices, in games, every day.”

An ever-present trend through the season was the anticipation of matches against West.

Tensions rose as the first two matches resulted in ties, and West was the only team standing between Central and a district championship going into their final match.

“This time, it would decide who would come out on top,” Lesoski said. “The whole season came down to that one game and we played with a lot of heart.”

Unfortunately, the Trojans lost to West, 2-0, in their District game, ending their post-season.

They are looking to next year to rebuild and take not only Districts, but the BNC as well.

“We had ten seniors,” Boynton said. “That’s going to be a huge change to re-load. The se-

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Driver in hand, Courtney Dye ‘13 approaches the tee. With a focused mindset and her practice swings in, she sends the ball flying with a power drive, beginning her first round of State Finals.

At States, Dye shot an eighty-two on the first day and an eighty-three on the second day, giving her a combined score of 165, which put her in seventh place overall.

“I wanted to shoot lower than I did,” Dye said, “but I’m okay with the way that I played.”

Big North Conference (BNC) champions for three years running, and one of the top ten teams in the state, the girls golf team has ended the season sweeping all four BNC tournaments. This team of nine packs a powerful punch, winning each match by at least ten strokes in the BNC. “We did really good this season,” Dye said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it to States, but we really improved.”

After their fourteenth consecutive showing at States, the team was proud to have finished tenth after being twelfth on the first day.

“That’s huge to be able to move up two spots on the second day of States,” Lois McManus, head coach for fifteen years, said.

Of the nine players, Allyson Schultz, and Courtney Dye, both `12, along with Abigail Palisin `14, Zoe Sobeck `14, and Amelia Pezzetti `15, were All-Conference players.

Taking first place in the BNC, Dye is the captain of the All-Conference team in a very challenging sport.

“Golf is a very difficult sport because there are so many choices,” McManus said. “It is a different game every day depending on the weather, the course, and how the golfer plays.”

McManus thinks that the amount of practice the girls put in helped them get so far.

“Every day that we don’t have a tournament or that we aren’t traveling, we’re practicing,” McManus said. “They are a pretty close-knit group of girls. They keep each other up beat and they support each other very well.”

After a successful season, the girls golf team is ready to grow together and prepare themselves for what is to come ahead.

“I was pretty proud of what we accomplished this year,” Dye said. “But I’m anxious to see the challenges that next year will bring.”

olleyball

Sydney Smuck Staff Reporter

The Trojan volleyball team placed fourth in the Big North Conference, with a 24-17-2 record this season. Last year the team was comprised of lots of underclassmen, most of whom are back. “The skill level got higher since last year,” Head Coach Katherine Brege said.

The team has worked hard on their strategic play and it paid off, especially against Cadillac, their best match this year. “We lost the first two games, then came back and played as a team and everyone was working together and won the next two,” Brianna Podsaid ‘12 said.

“Even though we ended up losing the third, we still played the best we could.”

This year the team felt more confident in their skills, and had a more aggressive defense.

“We wanted to get a hand on every ball, and our defense is scrappy,” Brege said.

Lady Trojans had many highlights during the season, from beating top-notch teams such as Walled Lake, Alma and Pellston, to winning the TC Central Invite.

“It is the most amazing feeling, like nothing can stop you,” Katie Kushner ‘12 said. “We get so pumped up and nothing else matters.”

The team as a whole worked well together, which reflected in their play. In addition to defense, during practice the team also worked on their serving and hitting.

“Sometimes we did competitions for drills like short court or butterfly,” Podsaid said. “Other times we did drills as a team like hitting lines or serve receive.”

Brege said that they were able to develop a different attack system, but there weren’t any exercises or drills that particularly strengthened the group. She believes the improvement came from a strong “belief system.”

“We emphasized helping each other out by believing in each other,” Brege said. “Volleyball’s such a game of emotion.”

Even though they had a tough loss to West earlier in the season, the team worked hard to defeat their biggest opponent by focusing on fundamentals and going back to basics.

“It was devastating losing to West, but I think overall, we have more talent as a team rather than just one or two players,” Captain Brittany Bell ‘12 said. Losing to West the first two times during regular season put even more emphasis on beating them at Districts last Tuesday.

Even though Districts didn’t go as well as the girls had hoped, the third match against West was the hardest game they played.

“I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss it until it was over,” Bell said.

But the tough loss didn’t stop the girls from enjoying their season.

“The season has flown by,” Brege said. “It has been a great group of kids, lots of positive energy, and they laugh all the time.”

Photo: courtesy of J. Meijers

Dominating against Ogemaw Heights, Brittney Bell sets up the ball for Brianna Podsaid, both ‘12, to smash in the opponent’s court. “My career as a setter has been better than I could have asked for,” Bell said. “I would not trade a second of it.”

Fall Sports

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

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ive Erin Lipp

Staff Reporter

Photo: courtesy of Susan Cover

Erin Cover ‘13 swims the 100 Butterfly and takes third place at the swim team’s meet against Manistee. Cover likes swimming because it never gets old. “Even though I have been swimming for ten years now, I still enjoy it because every race is different,” she said. “You experience new things and sensations every time you finish an event.”

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Adrenaline rushing, heart pounding, her sight focused on the long, narrow lane in the pool in front of her, Alaina Chela ‘14 steps up to the block, preparing to attack the water and knock out all competitors. Swimming and diving is an intense, demanding sport that requires practice at the Civic Center five days a week and out of town travel almost every weekend with their cross-town teammates from West. This hard work has earned the Tritons (Trojans and Titans) a 4-3 dual meet record.

“Great attitudes and a can-do mentality are needed in a swimmer,” Head Coach Kevin Ott said.

“Swimming is a highly individualized sport, so a person that likes to challenge themselves daily will tend to have a great success in this sport.”

This success translated into Chela’s qualifcation for Regionals in addition to her teammate from West, Ellyson Maleski.

“When I see swimmers take the opportunities, training, and advice I provide for them to succeed, there is a sense of pride, especially when their personal bests qualify them for States,” Ott said, “but I am just as proud of the swimmers that don’t make States if they

diver on the team as a freshman.

“The technique is very important when trying to improve a dive, including being stretched, tight, having pointed toes, a tight pike, and powering off the diving board,” Augenstein says, “This year I improved.”

Augenstein had hoped to make it Regionals, but was two wins away. With three more years left to perfect her dives and increase her scores, Augenstein is determined to make it.

“To prepare for next year I am going to go downstate multiple times for private lessons,” Augenstein said. “I am also going to try to start a Traverse City diving club throughout the year.”

“It is always an accomplishment to get PRs. I started off a lot slower and dropped a lot of time so I feel really good about that.”

- McKenzie Brady ‘12

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Shannon Weaver

Associate Sports Editor Their fingers numb and scarves tied tight, the cheer team weathers the bitter cold and fierce wind as they fire up the crowd with their chants. Nerves race as they remember everything they have been working diligently on for weeks.

“Usually, it’s muscle memory,” Dorothy Switzer‘12 said. “We go through the routines so many times, so it’s embedded in our muscles and we don’t have to think about it when we get out there.”

The cheer team has noticeably improved this year, having gone to camp this summer at the Great Wolf Lodge. The three day long training camp helped the team start their season off right, and they learned different techniques to make the routines more versatile and safe.

“At camp we had a chance to work with All-American Cheerleaders,” Samantha Rowan ‘12 said. “They helped us do transition stunts, build pyramids, learn how to connect them right and learn how to load and set properly.”

All their new moves require physical and mental strength, as well as trust.

“Physically, you have to be in shape, be able to hit all your moves on time and be sharp,” Switzer said. “Mentally, it’s just knowing what you’re doing, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you just have to smile.”

Staying mentally focused is key to balancing cheer and school.

Several girls on the team have band, musical, other sports, and a heavy course load, so finding time to practice and master every routine can be difficult.

“We are the longest standing sport in a school season,” Rowan

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achieve their personal bests.”

McKenzie Brady ‘12, a fourth year sprinter, participated in the fifty and one-hundred yard freestyle and received her fastest times in both of her events.

“It is always an accomplishment to get PR’s,” Brady said.

“I started off a lot slower and dropped a lot of time so I feel really good about that.”

Suha Augenstein ‘15 has had a good first season with three wins, a personal best score of 166.5, and clinching the spot as the top

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said. “We go all nine moths and practice during the summer, so we pretty much never stop.”

The cheer team stays motivated throughout the year, focusing on the Birch Run Spirit Shine Competition, a state-wide event where teams compete to determine their state ranking. “The girls placed third at competition last year,” Head Coach Alisha Baker said. “So, they are excited to go back to Birch Run to see if they can do even better this year at competition.”

Another new aspect is male member Aaron Michalski ‘11, who made the junior varsity.

“Two gentlemen made the team and only one stuck it out,” Baker said. “The body makeup of boys is naturally stronger, so it gives us the extra edge to keep building stunts up and making them bigger and more impressive. We can also enter co-ed varsity divisions of competition cheer, which is one more notch up the chain of difficulty and prestige.”

With a three trimester sport, the first two are for football and basketball, and the third is mostly for tryouts and preparing for the next season.

“Having cheer all three tris isn’t too hard,” Switzer said. “It keeps you alert so you have to keep doing good in school to stay on track to play the sport.”

With better stunts, teamwork, and communication skills, the cheer team is growing rapidly. Increasing from eight to twentytwo cheerleaders from 2010 to 2011, the team is earning more respect from the student body.

“I look forward to our competition season and basketball to at least make a bigger impact on the school and bring home more trophies,” Switzer said.

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Kaytie Boomer Staff Reporter

As Paige Harrigan ‘13 walks in front of a silent audience, the music begins and the counts go off in her head: “5, 6, 7, 8.” Her feet start performing the routine she has practiced a thousands of times. The Trojan Dance Team celebrates as they nail their routine in front of a

Photo: S. Hutchison

At the Homecoming football game, dance team members Shelby Harris ‘12, Lauren Ward ‘13, and Madison Loveland ‘15 pump up the crowd at halftime. “At first it was such a terrifying feeling. Now it’s more of an exciting feeling,” Harris said. “I’ve learned to calm myself before we perform.”

roaring crowd.

“Waiting to walk out on the field is the scariest part,” Harrigan said. “I go through the dance in my head and the time usually flies by. Before I know it, we’re announced to come out on the field.”

While Shelby Harris ‘12 endures the scary feeling of performing before a large audience, her thoughts are dominated by the music, the moves and making sure she is doing her best. “I don’t really think much,” Harris said, “I get lost in the music.”

Even though Harris has participated on the dance team for four years, there are still those tricky routines and moves that are hard to choreograph.

“The hardest routines for me are the ones with the fastest tempo because it requires more thinking,” Harris said. “The most challenging move for me is tumbling because it involves strength and more energy.”

Juggling an all-year sports commitment and school work, the dance team has to find a happy medium. Some even have to throw in a job or extra curricular activities as well. Harrigan dances at the Dance Center on top of the dance team, but has been able to tackle everything for two years.

“During season I’m always busy, which is sometimes good but it also gets stressful,” Harrigan said. “It’s like having two sports going on even though they’re both dance.”

Starting the new year, the team not only welcomed many new teammates but a new coach as well. Head coach Sara Kane loves coaching and is excited to see how the team improves over the year.

“We have a great bond this year,” Kane said.

“We have a great group of girls and we have a lot of fun at practice and during performances.”

The dance team pumps out many different routines during the year, and has a great time performing them. Although there is the time crunch, the team still can’t wait to show off their work.

“I’m excited for basketball season because we get to show off our longer routines,” Harrigan said. “We get more recognized.”

Photo: A. Hilden

Michaela Echols ‘14 stands atop the pyramid, preparing to begin another cheer. “It’s really fun standing in front of the student section because when they yell back to a cheer, it gets you all excited for the players and the game,” Echols said.

questrain

Hayley Rozema Staff Reporter

Her team rallied in support from behind the fence, dust fills the ring as Ali Walker ‘12 canters on her horse, Vinnie, hoping to earn first place points for her team in the Hunt Seat class.

“When I’m doing my event the only thing going through my mind is just to be confident,” Ali said. “I get nervous at the beginning, but once I get into it, I’m usually fine.”

After competing in three district meets against Elk Rapids, West, and Kingsley, the team placed second overall in the district. Since first place is needed to make Regionals, the team ended their season disappointed but proud of what they had accomplished.

“Part of me was sad because I wanted to get them to Regionals,” Head Coach Polly Walker said, “and the other part of me was happy be-

all my hard work paid off in the end.”

Some of the dangers of being on the equestrian team are the speed events, because of the pace and uncertainty of the horses.

“I’m nervous riding in the speed event because it’s something I have never done before, and it’s more pressure,” MacKenzie Monroe ‘14.

Even with the pressure of having new riders and different events, the team is already preparing for next year’s competition.

“Next season I’m looking forward to trying out new events and riding a new horse,” Brooke Wessell ‘13 said.

“One of the hardest things about being in equestrian is having to put all your time into riding in order to do well in shows. I feel accomplished having made top ten because all my hard work paid off in the end.” - Ali Walker ‘12 cause we were in a very tough place with many young and new riders.”

The young team worked hard, finishing the season with riders Madeline Aulicino ‘14 and Ali placing top ten in the district for their combined events.

“One of the hardest things about being in Equestrian is having to put all your time into riding in order to do well in shows,” Ali said. “I feel accomplished having made top ten because

Photo: courtesy of M. Aulicino

Brooke Wessell ‘13 pole bends at District finals.

Despite riding an unfamiliar horse, she still placed first. “It was pretty hard this year,” Wessell said, “because none of the other teams had new barrel horses and it was my first year with my new horse and she had never ran barrels.”

10 Sports

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

Powderpuff prevails at TCC Walking onto the field, the Trojan girls were ready to fight for victory. Decked out in neon yellow, purple, blue, and pink camouflage, each team was ready to rep’ its grade on Thirlby Field. The four teams were competing against each other in a powderpuff football game as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project

Shannon Weaver

Associate Sports Editor

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Ever since Title IX, the debated question of “who’s better?” men or women, has dominated competitive sports. “Battle of the Sexes” celebrates the innate differences between male and female athletes.

Miranda Winowiecki Sports Editor

Heart racing, legs seething with latic acid, and sweat beading up on her forehead, Kailey Mattarella ‘13 bounds across the “CPL,” finishing her cross country practice at the omnipresent courtyard flag pole. To bystanders, Mattarella’s running gear gives the impression that she ran through a costume store, closed her eyes, and put on anything she could grab. But to the girls cross country team, she’s simply joining in the camaraderie of “Theme Thursday,” the day of the week where the team dresses up in crazy outfits for practice.

“It makes it not just focused on the running,” Mattarella said. “We still run every day, but every time, it’s different and fun. The boys always make fun of us. They don’t understand how we can do so well and have so much fun at the same time.”

The girls team and its testosteronelaced counterpart are as different as night and day.

“The girls team definitely has more pizazz than we do,” Adam Waggoner ‘12 said. “A lot of times we’ll be out there getting ready for a ten mile run, and the girls are playing duck, duck, goose. We are amazed at how the girls qualify for States and do amazingly well, year after year.”

Though the girls take first in the costume contest, the boys still find ways to make a statement in their running gear. The bright, neon orange practice shirts they’re sporting this year aren’t just a safety precaution; rather, they are a fashion statement.

“It’s hilarious,” Matterella said.

“Whenever any of us see the boys run by in their orange shirts, it’s like ‘Oh! There goes the boys!’”

Despite the rivalry, the girls weren’t above looking to the boys for inspiration to add to their own “pizazz.”

“We totally copied the flag idea from them,” Matterella said. “Ours is so cool. One time, we even stole their flag and took it to our Manistee meet. I don’t think we ever told them about it, either.”

Though the two teams differ in their culture, both teams train similarly to prepare their bodies for competition.

One way is called a Kenyan Run, and yes, it’s just as intense as it sounds.

“It’s pretty much running as fast as you can for a set amount of time,” Waggoner said. “We do it in teams of five, where each runner goes for one minute and then we slow down for a four or five minute recovery and start over again.”

The girls team does Kenyan Runs as well but they’re slightly modified for their training purposes.

“Ours tend to be thirty to thirty-five minutes and each person in the training group does one or two fifteen second surges,” Matterella said. “It depends on each particular workout.”

The two teams have their unique rituals that mystify any outsiders. From crazy outfits to training methods, the boys and girls cross country teams share their differences, but at the same time, “we’re still one team in a way,” Waggoner said. “We really support each other and just because they’re the girls team, they’re still Trojan cross country runners. I mean, when a lot of cute girls are cheering you on in a race, you’re going to run faster.”

Photo: A. Hilden

After stealing the flag from a freshman, McKenzie Brady and Taylor Olson, both ‘12, yell to the girl who continued running. “We had all these ‘celes,’ or victory dances, planned out for every touchdown,” Olson said. “The first one was to circle around everyone with our hands up and the second was to shoot everyone down, but we had to change that one because it was too violent.”

Photo: A. Hilden

Chandler Cobb ‘12 darts past her opponent, sprinting to the end zone. Playing running back for her team, Cobb scored two touchdowns. “When I had the ball I would just tell myself to keep running because I knew my opponents weren’t going to stop me,” Cobb said.

Photo: K. Raymond

Photo: A. Hilden

Photo: A. Hilden

Photo: A. Hilden

Photo: A. Hilden

Photo: A. Hilden

(Left): Cassidy Klein, Sophie Lutz, and Lauren Losowski, all ‘13 celebrate victory after scoring a touchdown. The juniors dominated with two wins over the freshmen and seniors in a surprise victory. “The first touchdown my team scored got my blood pumping,” Klein said. “I just wanted to go out there and score more points.”

(Right): Lining up for defense, awaiting to hike the ball is Devon Dotterrer and Helen Cullen, both ‘14. After a team huddle, the sophomores were pumped up and ready to go score a touchdown against the seniors, but their strategy was not executed as planned. “The farthest we got the whole game was when the seniors got penalized for unnecessary roughness, so we got fifteen yards,” Dotterrer said.

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

“It was a really competitive atmosphere. Knowing it was for charity though, made me fight that much harder to win.”

-Katie Wheeler ‘13

Playbooks in hand, seniors and freshman went out on the field ready to trick their opponents and score touchdowns. Sophomores and juniors took a more laid back approach, hardly knowing the rules of football. “Going into the game Friday, some of us were nervous and some of us were excited,” Grace Stanton ‘15 said. “We didn’t have that much practice though, so we weren’t very good.” All four teams were led by their quarterbacks Stanton, Carley McKenzie ‘14, Kelly Milliken ‘13 and Devin Blue ‘12. Being the quarterback meant extra pressure to have a superb throwing arm as well as deal with the responsibility of handling the ball.

Zeroed in: hitting the target with archery Striving to reach gold level status, Sophie Kelly ‘12 turns to a lesser-known sport in her spare time Kelly will begin practicing early in the winter, and will continue into the spring. She is anxious to smash her current record score of 270/300.

Staff Reporter “It was a one-time kind of a thing,” she said. “I was really proud of myself.”

With great focus, Sophie Kelly ‘12 draws back her Kelly is also anticipating the constant peaceful, bow and arrow. Carefully, she lets go, sending the yet fierce vibe that lingers throughout the 4-H arrow slicing through the air, racing towards the building near Buckley where she practices one to target.

“In itself, archery is kind of this meditative thing two times a week in season. Kelly is ranked a silver level archer and is eager to reach the gold because you have to let the world get really quiet level status. and you have to be focused,” Kelly said. “It’s not “There’s a lot of goals that you can hit on the about getting hyped up before, it’s while you’re doway up,” Kelly said. “It’s those little steps that ing it and being in the right mindset.” make it so satisfying.”

Tall, small, athletic or not, archery is an option Kelly has been an archer since her for anybody according to Kelly. father taught her how to shoot her bow “You don’t have to be fast and you don’t when she was eight. Since then, have to be super athletic,” she said. “You Kelly has practiced tirelessly at just have to have strong arms and the 4-H club. good aim.”

“My dad is basically my coach,” Kelly said.

“But there’s people who are leaders at the 4-H building where I practice. I don’t really work closely with them, but they give me tips sometimes. It’s more of a family environment rather than an actual coaching environment.”

When she was younger, Kelly used to compete; currently, she looks to archery for entertainment and a fun time with her family.

“I do archery as more of a hobby now,” Kelly said. “I comPhoto: courtesy of Julie Kelly pete against myself, so, I go and I try

Ashley Reed

to beat my score rather than beating other people.”

Kelly will continue to stay involved in archery as she transitions into college.

“When I get into college next year, I really hope to get into intramural archery. It’s something that I just love,” she said.

After over ten years of practice, Kelly has dedicated her time to archery and wishes to share her interest with others.

“You don’t have to be fast and you don’t have to be super athletic. You just have to have strong arms and good aim.”

-Sophie Kelly ‘12

“I think that it’s really underrated,” Kelly said.

“People don’t realize that it is an organized sport.

There’s just not a lot of clubs out there, and I’d really like more people to do it.”

Aware of it’s uniqueness, Kelly is proud to be an archer.

“I think that it is really cool that I am a part of something that isn’t so popular like soccer or football,” Kelly said. “It’s something that is really special to me.”

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Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

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Graphic: M. Kachadurian

the Black & Gold thanks our sponsors for their support!

Drug Culture continued from front page

Students also agree that education works, to a degree. “You have to treat the reason for doing it, and not make the risks evident,” Conrad said. “If people already had a good reason to do it, then they will still do it at least once, no matter what statistics say. I know so much about what drug use does to your body, but I feel like even though there are statistics, you find your way out. I think ‘that isn’t going to happen to me.’ You let your mind get around it.”

Finite manpower and monetary resources limit the school’s preventative capability, and Vandermolen wishes he could do more. He feels that more opportunities for students to talk to counselors, and additional education, would help snuff out more of Central’s drug culture.

“Often times, students get involved in alcohol and drugs because they are under so much pressure in life that they need to find coping mechanisms for the pressures that they are feeling,” Vandermolen said. “I would develop a program to support students who are dealing with life circumstances where they need to cope with it in a better way than turning to alcohol or drugs.”

Reputation & Moving Forward:

Though perspectives vary, some students feel that Central has a more prevalent drug culture than other area schools. Conrad believes that “Central is more marijuana based than other schools” and thinks that “more people at Central use drugs than the administration knows about. I think the ad-

ministration is so naive about it because not many people bring drugs onto campus,” Conrad said.

Vandermolen said he’s neither afraid of offending a few people to clean up Central, nor concerned about its reputation by bringing attention to the provocative topic of student drug usage.

“When I come to work everyday, I want to make this the best place it can be for kids in terms of learning,” Vandermolen said. “I am an action person.”

He added that students deserve better, so he’s willing to do whatever it takes to change the perception of Central’s drug culture. “I may need to take a harder line on this than I thought, and do more.

That’s probably going to offend more people, but at the same time, clean the place up. If you are going to use marijuana and if you are going to drink alcohol, then that is your decision, but then we are going to take a hard line stance on that.”

For preventative purposes, the administrative team has discussed mandating that students entering dances take a breath test to deter students from showing up under the influence. Although Vandermolen concedes this may upset some parents and students, he said that unlike classes, dances are a privilege and therefore an option, so he has a duty to provide a safe environment.

Security comes at a price. Vandermolen and Verschaeve are always concerned about subjecting students to searches.

“If you bring more police and drug dogs in here, what it is going to create is a culture of resentment, and the truth is, most students shouldn’t be treated that way,” Vandermolen said.

Internet filters continued from page 2 Don’t we all know about that one? But due to the district’s relatively small budget, TCAPS can’t afford more bandwidth.

Some proponents of decreasing web filters claim they affect students’ research. However, schools usually don’t have useful websites blocked; in the instance when sites have educational value, they can be unblocked.

“Sometimes things are over-filtered,” Neibauer conceded. “Staff members have the ability to request that a filter be lifted. If a student has a site in particular that they think they need, a student can ask the teacher to make a judgement on the site’s educational value and then pass it on.”

If we were to remove social networking filters, cyberbullying would likely increase.

Don’t we already have enough drama over this? Imagine how much fun we could have if we could tweet a dis to the person across the class. Let’s stick to the business at hand and keep the relevant filters, but we sure could use some more bandwidth.

Underage marriage continued from page 2 Most states allow marriage at 18, but some allow it at 16 with parental consent. The latter is the part that needs to change; marriage, being an “adult” activity, should be exclusive to adults. Notwithstanding the gross marriage of Stodden and Hutchison, minors under the age of 18 should not be allowed to marry, even with parental consent. Now, in most states, even at the age of 18 you can’t drink champagne at your own wedding without getting arrested.

But at least if you are old enough to go off to war, you are old enough to understand the depth of “I do.”

While throwing away your life by giving your hand in marriage to a man whose wrinkles are more prolific than your self respect may be an ingenious tactic to loft oneself into a cushy lifestyle filled with Benjamins, who wants to spend their honeymoon changing his diaper? “Girls” like Stodden are entertaining, but they are disgusting. @CourtneyStodden #LOL.

12 The Leek

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Nov. 9, 2011

The Leek occupies Wall Street Following the surge of support for the Occupy Wall Stree movement, the writing staff of The Leek takes to the streets to report

Patrick Goodney

W Staff Reporter

When Mayor Mike Bloomberg sounded the clarion call that “kids have come from all over the country for a big party in our park,” and then sweetened the pot by adding diplomatic immunity—an invitation for debauchery, sans consequence—we, the adept scriveners at The Leek, grabbed our bongos, stuffed our satchels and headed off to New York City. The allure of hippies, socialists, communists, angry unemployed people, some covert union workers, and even the appearance of celebrity rap mogul Russell Simmons, filmmaker Michael Moore, and politician Jimmy McMillan, all of whom were taking down millionaires, uppity hedge fund managers, gasoholics, miscreants and other opportunists, made for a compelling happening we couldn’t miss.

The purpose of our pilgrimage was to join our righteous bros because quite frankly, aside from not wanting to miss a really good show, we were also mystified as to the general purpose of the protest.

We at The Leek seek the truth, even if you can’t handle it.

In order to live the ultimate Occupy Wall Street (OWS) experience, we decided to practice for a few days before we left. We “occupied” the alley behind Simply Cupcakes for two nights, scrounging for scraps, not bathing and practicing our bongos.

We took the red eye to New York and then hailed a cab to Zuccotti Park, OWS Mecca.

The scene hearkened to a familiar setting for which we were deployed to in our freshman year on The Leek; chiefly, our report on the unemployment crisis in Detroit (see The Leek, vol. XIX, no. III). With Zuccotti’s public areas crammed with camped-out, homeless unemployeds, it felt like we were still in the Motor City.

We were welcomed by the deafening drone of a thousand unskilled drummers mindlessly pounding away on bongos, which largely symbolized the movement as a whole—a veritable mosh pit of unorganized, pot-smoking, deadbeat youths, all united for the grand cause—a circus of idiots thinking that they are actually making a diff. Hey look, some chicks!

Photo: P. Goodney

The staff of The Leek are caught up in the moment, holding signs of protest and dropping phat beats. It’s not so much that we believe in the cause, but who could pass up a chance to show off their sweet abs and sign-making skills?

After getting sore wrists from writing down so many numbers, we returned to the business at hand. We thought we’d see what the crazies are on about.

“We’re here because we don’t have jobs and we’re sick of it!” twenty-five-year-old women’s studies major Darla Danes whined.

“It’s all the men’s fault that I still can’t find a job that pays more than twenty dollars an hour, even with my prestigious degree. Name me one female corporate CEO. Can’t, can you?”

Environmental activist Barry Mabodie claimed OWSers were protesting nuclear waste in Nevada. “We don’t need nukes!”

With this he started pumping is placard emblazoned with “Save the Oceans” and shouting, “Down with nukes! Down with nukes!” to which a few others joined in for all of ten chants.

“We’re here because the rich keep getting richer and us poor are getting poorer!” Jay Edward Wynthrop III said. “We can’t buy stuff anymore because of Wall Street greed.”

We wanted to get more out of him, but he

was preoccupied, playing Angry Birds on his iPad. In one particularly perplexing pack of people, an addled man tried to sell us a joint.

But duty called. We Just Say No to drugs.

Besides, the smoke hole has better prices.

We noted a few costumes in the sea of tiedye, among them V for Vendetta masks. We figure they were still trick-or-treating. . . for justice. We were amazed at one guy’s voice projection from behind his plastic mask.

“Wall Street is our street,” he bellowed.

Back on our street, we felt a little brainwashed—our version of post traumatic Wall Street Disorder. While cavorting around Central’s cafeteria one of our own suddenly spat out his milk and yelled, “Down with the 1%!” Thankfully, a nice cafeteria lady offered him a carton of whole milk.

All in all, the weekend was enlightening. We learned about the joys of expense accounts, free love, sticking it to the man, the evils of big business and, most significantly, the cost of replacing leased bongos that some hairy naked man ran off with.

Graphic: P. Goodney

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

issue: The Noteworthy Netbook Neccessities Rico Bastian This netbooks is thicker--real clunkers. “It’s still in painting graffiti on the outside wall of FWhile we were Leek Editor

diligently slaving away on our Calculus, our glorious netbooks in hand, we went off on a tangent and began calculating alternative uses for our new, school-issued technological wonders. Striking poses akin to Rhodin’s Thinker, we pondered some alternative netbook uses, as we’d heard some scintillating rumors that inspired. Who cares about things practical like English, Biology and Internet access? Ah, but further investigation required sustenance, so we quickly grabbed a pizza and a few Red Bulls and hit the halls.

Gym, offering weight training 101 via keyboard, seemed like an obvious place to start. One’s fingers certainly get a good ol’ workout with netbooks. There, we also saw students utilizing netbooks as frisbees. “We can generate great loft and acceleration due to netbooks’ rectangular shape, and they also do cool things at impact,” Grady Birard ‘13 said, practicing his toss.

Thanks to netbooks’ slim, sleek design, they are also useful for competitive frolf.

Freshman weren’t so sure about netbook frolf usage, however, as the profile of their

Disclaimer: The stories on this page are not intended to be factual.

real stories, real people

pretty unfair, but I’m just glad to have a netbook for sports and recreation,” Bucas Lattle ‘15 said. “Our netbooks have less air resistance.” Despite this controversy, all enrolled in P.E. classes still praise ‘One2World.’

“We hold hands and sing We Are the World,” Golivia Rielic ‘14 said.

After our physical education and some exercise to work off our pizza, we were hungry again so we thought we’d hit a “creative” cooking class to see how they were making the most of their netbooks. There, we hit the mother-load. We witnessed a great variety of netbook usage in the kitchen, from researching recipes, to spatulas, to cutting boards.

We were impressed by the ingenuity of our chefs-to-be.

“We really like how much the netbooks help with all our classes,” Onny Jasava ‘12 said as he placed a netbook of cookies in the oven. “I’m starting to wonder how we ever got along without them. Look how well they work as cookie sheets.”

Since we were close by, we checked in on fine arts to see how they are employing our multipurpose tools. We observed several AP art students practicing their “inner ghetto”

Global Perspectives

building, facing the woods. Our artists were using the netbooks as pallets. “The black of the netbook’s case really shows the contrast,” Bane Sheard ‘12 said, “Did you know with netbooks as a pallet, when I mix red and blue, I get purple?”

The AP students are making an “Urban Mural” on the outside of F-building. “We want our students in the Enchanted Forest to have a nice view while they. . . uh, study or something,” Catiana Trespo ‘12 said.

Grease is the word over in the choir room where we observed the cast using netbooks for rehearsal as stadium seats. While perched atop their netbooks, cast members’ posture was improving by the second.

“I find that sitting on the netbooks really helps with my breath support,” Dogan Lell’acqua’14 said, “Now I can sustain my higher B-sharp for about ten measures while I practice my choreography from my chair.”

Our investigation then came to a close.

Our bellies were full, our knowledge expanded and our calc homework awaited. We salute the school’s ‘One2World’ initiative--a great little tool to help us research our next breaking story.

News in Brief Premium ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s is facing intense controversy after their limited edition flavor “Schweddy Balls” hit supermarket shelves last September. The ice cream, inspired by a popular Saturday Night Live skit of the same name, immediately garnered unfavorable attention from family groups such as One Million Graphic: P. Goodney Moms. The bitter conservative activist group immediately called for a boycott of the suggestively-named ice cream variety, and has caused quite a big stink regarding the frozen treat.

“It sounds like there’s one million people who need to get back into one million kitchens,” fun-loving liberal opponent and One Million Dads CFO Darren Pinedo argued. “Moms ruin everything!”

In response to the incendiary bickering, Ben & Jerry’s is readying an additional new flavor titled “Well Ventilated Boxers” to offset the heat surrounding their “Schweddy Balls.”

A 20-year-old California woman has filed a paternity lawsuit against teen idol Justin Bieber, claiming he fathered her 3-monthold child. Bieber initially denied the claims, but later released a statement affirming that he was just ensuring that there would be one less lonely girl.

Bieber claimed he just Graphic: P. Goodney wanted it to be a one time thing, because he had just wanted somebody to love.

Bieber wants her to “runaway, love” but now she’s stuck in the moment. The accuser, Mariah Yeater, allegedly told Bieber “I’ll never let you go, I want to be your favorite girl. I’m the mother of your baby for goodness sake. You could never hate me.” Bieber replied: “Never say never.”

In an effort to further his standing in the polls, GOP nominee Herman Cain has added free breadsticks to his 9-9-9 tax plan. “Now that’s just a deal you can’t refuse,” Cain stated at a press conference, “so come on down and vote Herman Cain as your GOP nominee.”

However, other candidates are calling Cain out on his Graphic: P. Goodney new offer.

“When we look at the math, we see it is impossible to offer breadsticks for everyone at no cost to the taxpayers,” GOP candidate Mitt Romney said. “However, I can guarantee free soft drinks for the wealthy--I mean job creators of our country.”

In an unrelated story, Godfather’s Pizza has announced its new pizza cuts for the wealthy, claiming that they will stimulate the economy.

Texas A&M University holds an annual contest calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year’s term was “Political Correctness.” The winner wrote: “Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which Graphic: P. Goodney holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of [excrement] by the clean end.”

Upon hearing of this, the Plumber’s Union of America (PUA) took much offense and released a statement condemning the university.

“We have guys picking up [poop] every day, and we are offended that they would pick a winner who compares our guys to the news media,” PUA spokesman Thomas Daniels said. “That’s some real [doody].”

An elementary school in Florida recently recalled 100 slap bracelets from students after discovering pornographic images on them. What do you think?

“We definitely were ‘frustrated’ when we saw those bracelets.

Who knew porn was so easy to hide?”

Rich Morrison Construction worker

“I really never got one. I was in the bathroom when my teacher handed them out. I was skipping class!

REALLY!” Graphic: P. Goodney

Jameson Ingles 3rd grader “My conscience is clean. I knew I looked hella good on those bracelets.”

Midnight Starr Administrative assistant

“Those bracelets are the greatest thing I’ve seen in my nine years of living. It was like Christmas morning all over again, but I’ve never unwrapped a present like this!”

Billy Smith Detention frequent

Graphic: M. Kachadurian

After a dismal run of only 72 days, E! News is reporting that the E! network has canceled the marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.

“It had a very strong premiere, but unfortunately, it just couldn’t hold audiences after that,” E! spokesman Ted Ewans told reporters.

“The initial hype just wasn’t enough to sustain the whole

thing.”

Despite the apparent lack of interest in the KardashianHumphries union after its debut, Ewans stated E! may revive the concept with a different actor as the husband to revitalize the whole franchise. In the meantime, Kardashian released a statement showing disappointment in the project’s lack of success.

“First and foremost, I married for cash,” Kardashian posted on her website. “Unfortunately, the combination of a poor time slot, a fluctuating demographic and unrelatable characters strained the success of our marriage, and our financial backing. We just had no on-camera chemistry. It is our hope that future marriages prove more lucrative.”