Issue 3, the Black & Gold, Volume 92

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For coverage of hip new Central bands, Chorale fundraising Candy Grams, the Madrigal dinners, and the hottest Christmas gift ideas, turn to page 3.

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December 18, 2012

Volume 92

Black Gold

Issue 3

2012 MIPA Spartan Award Winner

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

Central’s talent

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Photo: A. Hilden

For magical experiments from Super Science Saturday, the scoop on Elena Morcote’s art mural design, and profile of musically talented foreign exchange student Nikola Zekic, turn to page 5.

Band All-State awards

Photo: K. Raymond

Piccolo player Krista Cole ‘15 and trumpet player Paige Pfannenstiel ‘13 were named to the Michigan High School All-State Band. French-horn player Nick Suminski ‘15 received Honorable Mention and will serve as an alternate. “It’s really amazing,” Cole said. “You get to play with the top musicians and you know you earned it.”

TCAPS receives honors

Photo: K. Raymond

TCAPS was named a 2012-13 Advanced Placement Achievement District, recognizing districts that have made AP classes available to more students while maintaining or improving a high passing rate. “It’s been studied that kids who take the more challenging classes do better post-secondary,” AP Stats teacher Joel Dorgan said.

Language instructor Bryn Lynch is spearheading a 10-day class spring trip to France and Spain. Highlights include the Paris Louvre and an overnight train to Barcelona. “A lot of places we are going to tie into AP World and AP Euro,” Lynch said.

1. Hannah Radosevich ’16 dances to Jason Mraz’s “If it Kills Me” at the Dec. 5 Student Senate talent show auditions. Radosevich has been dancing since the second grade. “I’m not nervous,” she said. “I’m just excited to show everyone how well I can dance.” 2.

Shannon Fiegel ’16 sings “This Girl is on Fire” by Alicia Keys. “It’s fun to see the audience enjoying themselves,” Fiegel said.

The talent show will be Jan. 19 in the auditorium.

3. Esperanza Pulido (left) and Ciera Dean (right), both ‘15, sing RENT’s “Seasons of Love” and Glee’s “Without You.” Dean finds support from her family. “My dad pushes me to be more confident in my performance,” Dean said.

Hunter Kelly Staff Reporter

Photo: Courtesy of TCAPS

Left to right: TCAPS Superintendent Steve Cousins, International School at Bertha Vos Principal Katie Bonne, and the Principal of Wangjing Nanhu Dongyuan Primary School sign an exchange agreement. “The Chinese have a lot of respect towards the United States, our culture, and our educational system,” Cousins said.

the gesture to come to China, we would not have these exchanges happening,” Cousins said. “The Chinese like to meet face-to-face with people before making commitments.”

As part of the new agreements, approximately 25 Chinese students will be attending Central starting the end of Jan. through the end of Feb. In return, roughly 40 students from Central and West combined will have the opportunity to go on a short-term exchange to China starting the end of May through the end of June.

“Going to China is a life changing experience,” Cousins said. “If you go, I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.”

Vandermolen hopes that Central students will host an incoming Chinese student in Jan., and their Chinese host sibling will reciprocate the favor when the Central students travel to China in June.

“The only real charge will be the flight to China and back,” Vandermolen said. “Hosting a family will cut costs down. We won’t need to

Garrett Kosch Staff Reporter

continued, page 11

TCAPS trip to China spurs exchange between TCAPS and their new Chinese sister schools; Chinese students to attend Central Jan. through Feb.

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With grinding and revealing clothing now prohibited, the future of dances remains unclear

continued, page 11

Photo: A. Hilden Photo: A. Hilden

New Chinese partnerships Six TCAPS’ administrators recently traveled to China for the purpose of increasing educational ties between Chinese schools and TCAPS. Superintendent Steve Cousins, Associate Superintendent Jayne Mohr, Central Principal Rick Vandermolen,West Principal Joe Tibaldi, Director of the International School at Bertha Vos Katie Bonne, and former Grants and Communications Director Alison Arnold were part of a 400-person delegation sponsored by Hanban, the colloquial abbreviation for the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. The trip was a step towards TCAPS’ goal of providing a more global education, as laid out in its mission statement.

“One of our main goals is to give our students an education in a 21st century environment that they need to be able to succeed in life,” Cousins said.

TCAPS officials spent the majority of the trip, which lasted from Nov. 8-15, in Dalian, located in Northeastern China roughly 500 miles east of Beijing. They visited Dalian Technological Academy, a boarding school affiliated with Dalian University, and four other schools. At the end of the trip, they attended a Beijing conference where they met with representatives from 24 Chinese schools.

“The schools we saw have the same things as we have in terms of technology, buildings and access to information,” Vandermolen said. “Chinese schools are extremely advanced in their academic standing.”

As a result of the trip, TCAPS began new partnerships with two Chinese schools. Cousins says that the trip was critical for these new ties.

“If we would have never made

New dance policy controversial

try to find a dorm or a hotel to put someone in.”

The total price tag of the administrators’ trip to China, about $12,000, caused much controversy.

Hanban paid about 70% of the bill, and TCAPS picked up the remainder of the cost. The total cost was higher than originally estimated because of the $3,800 paid to substitute principals.

However, TCAPS will financially benefit from from tuition fees that will be paid by the visiting Chinese students.

“From this program, if we got two foreign exchange students from China, we would net $12,000,” Cousins said, “which was the cost that we had to pay to send us to China.”

Cousins did not send out a press release due to confusion surrounding the trip--the Chinese initially cancelled the conference and then rescheduled it. Cousins and his team were not certain if the trip would go on and didn’t want to send out misinformation.

Photo: A. Hilden

feature

Photo: A. Hilden

European trip planned

As student senators posted signs announcing the Fallout dance planned for Dec. 8, discontent spread through the halls. The signs featured pictures of people dancing side by side, modelling the type of dancing now expected at Central dances.

District-wide, administrators are enforcing a new policy at all dances. They have called for an end to revealing clothing and “grinding”-sexual dancing in close physical contact. Additionally, girls will not be permitted to wear cut off shirts or revealing spandex, and boys must keep shirts on at all times.

Bags will be searched to make sure that no illegal substances are being brought into the dance.

“There is a very fine line between what is appropriate and what’s not,” Governor of Student Senate Cooper Macdonell ‘13 said.

“People have definitely crossed that line.”

Although this is viewed as a new policy to most of Central’s staff and students, grinding has never actually been allowed, and school dress code has always applied at all school functions. The only change is that the policy is actually being enforced now.

“There is no new proposed change in the policy,” TCAPS Board of Education President Kelly Hall said. “Over the years, the dances have gotten more and more out of control and we needed to take action.”

Grinding has been a part of high school dances throughout the nation for some time now. But in recent years, the school board has been receiving complaints from parents about their kids being uncomfortable at dances.

“Dances should be comfortable and safe for all students,” Hall said.

The policy was deliberated for months by the board before it was announced. All board officials agreed that grinding is a sexual dance and should be banned at all times on school property. Despite students’ negative reaction towards the change, Vandermolen, as well as the board, feel that it is a safety measure that must be taken.

“Grinding promotes sexual conduct,” Hall said, “but it is also dangerous in the sense that it creates a mosh pit in the middle where chaperones cannot see, and anything can happen in that situation.”

To monitor the new rules at dances, Vandermolen has mandated that thirty chaperones attend to make sure that the policy is properly enforced. The grinding ban made the prospect of chaperoning more appealing to adults, yet Senate was still unable to find thirty eligible chaperones so Fallout was subsequently cancelled.

“Grinding is just normal for high schoolers,” Chloe Ostema ‘14 said. “When Fallout was cancelled, I wasn’t too disappointed because it wouldn’t have been as fun as the previous dances.”

Vandermolen said that the only people that Senate can get to chaperone dances are administrators because they are required to attend. “Senate can’t get adults or teachers to chaperone because they are absolutely embarrassed to watch their teenagers grind on the dance floor.”

Although the new policy was made to seek adults’ approval, it did not get their cooperation, as demonstrated by the lack of will-

Photo: A. Hilden

For highlights of Coach of the Year Tom Passinault, coverage of the girls basketball win against Alpena, a profile on golfer Courtney Dye, and the latest from the wrestling mat, turn to page 4.

Photo: A. Hilden

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What does the rest of Central think about this?

and leaking elementary schools, among other things.

Unfortunately, lackluster public support isn’t a surprise to us. We feel that much of voters’ negativity comes from the Record Eagle. Your coverage was especially limited during the millage. But it’s your recent coverage of the China trip that leaves us even more disappointed.

In recent articles and editorials, you have painted the China trip as luxurious, portraying TCAPS officials as jetting off on some kind of first class junket, sipping champagne and blowing their noses in $100 dollar bills. Your cursory reporting also made it seem as if taxpayers footed the majority of the bill, and didn’t adequately highlight the fact that the College Board and China’s Hanban Institute arranged and paid for 70% of the trip.

As journalists, we understand that following the money is relevant, even crucial, but we also get that there is always another side to the story, what we call a “fair hearing.”

In your narrow reporting on both TCAPS’ trip to China and the millage, we feel that you failed to

“It’s unfortunate that the Record Eagle can’t see that this exchange program is Photo: K. Raymond an investment in the future.”

-Connor Becker ‘13

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announcing their intentions and their anomalous expense of $7,000 for transportation. This escalated to roughly $12,000 and should have been foreseen. While this trip came at a complicated time in the wake of the failed millage, school officials further damaged their fragile relationship with voters by not being more transparent upfront.

But we wonder if you even bothered to sit down with TCAPS officials and say effectively: Make your

“It will be a culture shock, but new culture is good, especially for American Photo: K. Raymond kids who are so single minded.”

-Elena Rothney ‘14

Emma Caldwell Staff Reporter

The height of fashion: cute, comfy . . . and banned? Leggings, yoga pants and other tight forms of pants are the norm for teenage girls. But in some high schools this trend may disappear soon. Many administrators say leggings are inappropriate school attire and have moved to ban them. In Michigan, Frankenmuth High authorities recently announced that leggings would no longer be permitted without tops that cover the butt. Soon after, Traverse City West also mandated similar coverage.

Dress codes that ban provocative trends are valid—some teen apparel is not appropriate in an educational setting. Many students remember the bare Britney midriffs of the early 2000’s. Thankfully, leggings are not this tasteless. However, the belly shirts of the 2000’s actually showed skin; leggings just hug it.

But we need to shed our Puritan values of yesteryear and recognize leggings for what they are: perfectly acceptable in school. When there’s no skin showing

Sports Editor

Miranda Winowiecki

Leek Editors

between the leggings and the shirt, visible underwear line and/or cameltoe, leggings are a stylish—and comfortable—addition to high school fashion.

Admittedly, there is a minority that crosses the line. These are the girls wearing leggings that are obviously several sizes too small, and when combined with exposed skin, adds up to a style disaster.

However, when worn in a classy manner, leggings are still criticized as too suggestive for adhering to the natural shape of the woman wearing them. A woman’s figure shouldn’t be something to hide. The look of leggings varies on different body shapes: they can be sportychic, cute or just plain leggings. It is considered inappropriate for girls with curves to wear leggings because those features have been deemed provocative by our society. However, girls who have straighter figures don’t necessarily embody the “sexiness” that administrators are so afraid of. Girls can’t control the figure they’re born with—why try to hide their natural shapes? Our schools should not be teaching our youth that they need to be ashamed of their bodies. A cold-turkey rule banning leggings isn’t going to help girls later in life.

Some go as far as to say that leggings are a self-esteem issue. If girls aren’t ashamedly hiding their bodies, they must be trashy harlots who are obsessed with flaunting sexuality. As a country, we are so obsessed with sex that we see it everywhere. When it comes down to it, most girls wearing leggings aren’t trying to be sexy. Leggings are comfortable. Leggings are neither corrupting our youth, nor inspiring dirty thoughts.

Photo Editors

Autumn Hilden Katie Raymond

Scott Hardin Jake Myers

Graphics Editor

Opinion Editor

Business Manager

Illustration Editor

Feature Editor

Packaging Editors

Staff Reporters

Lia Williams

A&E Editors David Reinke Bryton Lutes

“Without relationships with other cultures, you live life in a bubble, unable to Photo: K. Raymond connect with others and their ideas.” -Anna Russell ‘15

Schools have unrightly banned the comfortable legging trend. This Puritanical move is an abridgement of personal expression and teaches girls to be ashamed of their body

Katie Stanton Ivy Baillie

case. What are your arguments?

How is this beneficial to students?

Where is the taxpayer value? What is your vision? We would be surprised if you did any of this before you opined on the trip essentially as a conspiracy in your Nov. 25 editorial—as though our administrators were sneaking off, yet again duping the public with some grandiose scheme.

Instead, the people of Traverse learned only your narrow perspective of the cost to hire substitute administrators. As students, we were happy to have seasoned substitute principals here, but wanted to know more about the trip than just their hourly wages.

You print our newspaper and always try to accommodate us, for that we very much respect you. We also respect that you are an awardwinning newspaper in your division for a reason. But for your lazy, even petty reporting of our school district, we respectfully disagree.

We at the Black and Gold call for the Record Eagle to follow fair journalistic practices, a principle that even we, as members of a student publication, try feverishly to obey.

“This use of taxpayers money is beneficial and is going towards educating Photo: K. Raymond and broadening people’s minds.”

-Zack Hayes ‘13

A. Korson

Have a question? A comment? A rant?

Shoot us an email at theblackandgold. opinion@gmail.com or drop of a letter to the editor in room F-158

News Editor

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Graphic:

In his editorial about the Boy Scout ban on leaders or members who are openly homosexual, Mr. Reinke leaves out some critical information used by the Scouts in the making of their decision. In light of this partial information, he argues that the ban was wrong. I would like to provide the rest of their argument in order for you to see which side is being reasonable.

First off on the matter of religion, the Scouts do not have any official religious views as an organization. They do, however, require that all their members hold religious views. For example, one cannot be an atheist or an agnostic and be in Scouts. All Scout Troops are sponsored by an organization in their area and in fact churches sponsor some 60% of all troops. All religions are accepted in the Scouts, so the fact that I am Native American and hold religious views very different from Christians was not a problem during my ten year tenure as a Scout leader. Also, they do not actively seek out the sexual orientation of any of its members. If you don’t bring it up, neither do they.

Left out by Mr. Reinke in his argument was the position Scouting holds that matters of sexual orientation are not appropriate for their organization. Remember, most of the boys in Scouting are under 12 years of age. Pinewood Derbies, camping and swimming are appropriate at this age. Further, Scouting believes that the discussion about sexual orientation should be between a child, their parents and their religious leader, not a volunteer of their organization. So basically they see Scouting as the wrong place and the wrong time to have this discussion.

Finally, remember that the BSA is a private organization and as such they have a right to control their own membership and their right to free speech. The Supreme Court affirmed this position. No one has a right to force their views onto a private organization, and the government has no right to prevent people from meeting or holding private opinions and values. The good news is, if you don’t agree with their views, you don’t have to join their club. But you also have no right to force them to accept your opinion.

-Hal LaLonde

Katie Stanton Miranda Winowiecki

follow a fundamental journalistic tenet: going to the source. During the millage, you neither came to our campus to look at the state of our auditorium, nor interviewed any staff or students. We think it is important to get this crucial perspective, especially because so much of your coverage was focused on the proposed “lavish” accommodations.

As to China, we admit TCAPS should have held a press conference

Long live leggings: lazy day tradition

Letter to the Editor

Editors-in-Chief

China controversy In the aftermath of TCAPS officials’ recent trip and partnership with Chinese schools, the district has faced intense scrutiny from the Record Eagle as they continue their barrage of negative press and narrow reporting

Graphic: A. Korson

This past year has been a rough one for TCAPS: a failed millage, falling property values to fund the school and poor public support.

Despite these hardships, TCAPS has doubled down on the arts and global curriculum, as demonstrated through their commitment to a new auditorium at Central and recent partnership with Chinese schools.

We at the Black and Gold commend TCAPS for their willingness to push our school district forward, despite difficult financial times.

TCAPS’ recent trip to China was funded by the College Board and China’s Hanban Institute, as both educational organizations seek to build bridges among students and administrators. Six TCAPS officials, Principal Vandermolen included, recently took the eight-day trip to Liaoning province to tour schools and meet with Chinese educational leaders, resulting in new student exchange programs in both countries. On our campus, students and teachers are proud of this partnership. Which begs the question: why has the Record Eagle been so negative about the TCAPS? For such a close-knit community, the distrust of our school district seems to be a harsh departure from the cozy bays surrounding Traverse.

Residents seem to be wary, which became evident by the failed bond that proposed to repair crumbling

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

Bryton Lutes

Sophie Hutchison Fiona Muha

Nick Mulvaine Alex Korson

Mady Basch Tyger Bell Emma Caldwell Kory Cole Jeff Comerford

Hunter Kelly Garrett Kosch Erin Lipp Maddi Miller John Minster Alec Reznich Patrizia Rietmann Hayley Rozema Isabel Schuler Allison Taphouse Julian Vandenberg Marc Weber

Graphic: A. Korson

We look up to the brave, intelligent and independent thinkers of the fairer sex. We highlight those special ladies here

Katie Stanton

Editor-in-Chief and News Editor MINDY KALING If you haven’t seen The Mindy Project yet, you’re missing out. It perfectly captures the comical series of mistakes that we all experience when trying to figure life out. And while the show is hilarious, it’s remarkable because the star, writer and producer, Mindy Kaling, is the first Indian American to take the lead in a U.S. television series.

You might remember Kaling from The Office, where she played Kelly Kapoor, a hideously shallow sales-rep obsessed with clothes and husband-chasing. Kaling not only had the pleasure of starring as Kapoor, but was also the sole female writer on an award-winning team of eight. Kaling has chutzpah to hold her own in a maledominated and often misogynistic profession. And her persistence paid off: she was promoted to lead writer and an executive producer of the show, and her success on The Office proved that she was ready for her own program.

With Kaling’s established career and more than 1.8 million Twitter followers, she is very much in the public eye. She has been criticized for publicly exuding too much confidence, and not the self-deprecation and timidness normally expected from successful women. But she knows what she’s doing, and I applaud her for not being ashamed of that fact. Kaling is also unabashed about her love for all things girly, proving that women can be sharp as a whip and still swoon over rom-coms. She is a refreshing departure from the expectation that all girls will fit in one category: either they’re smart or funny or pretty. Kaling is a dynamic character, both in real life and on her show, who embodies both the joys and insecurities in the humourous trial-and-error of life.

For her guts, femininity and great sense of humor, take heed of Mindy Kaling.

Miranda Winowiecki

Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor JACQUELYNN ARBUCKLE The Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Wisconsin-Madison was recently among four others to receive the Universitybased Outstanding Women of Color Award.

Say what? The Associate Professor of Surgery is a woman? And black.

Jacquelynn Arbuckle is a lecturer and surgical instructor active in the Department of Surgery’s Women and Surgery Club. Women like Arbuckle blaze the trail in medicine for other women pursuing their M.D.s. In addition to her required teaching at the University, she mentors young women aspiring to become surgeons.

Arbuckle’s mentorships have paid off; about half of the surgical trainees in the University’s residency program are women and about one third of the faculty members in general surgery are women. This is huge when you consider that 75 years ago women in the medical field were unheard of.

Though “diversity” is a loaded word I prefer to not use, Arbuckle’s involvement in diversifying the Division of General Surgery at Wisconsin-Madison is yet another reason she was given this award. Currently, she is working with pre-college Indian American students to introduce them to the medical field.

As a young woman who in just one short year will pursue a medical degree, Arbuckle truly inspires me. Leading in a profession that is dominated by men, she sets an example to even those young women who are not pursuing medicine--gender is never an excuse.

For her mentorship, minority outreach and intrepidness to pursue a career dominated by men, take heed of Jacquelynn Arbuckle.

Some corrections

-We incorrectly identified student Nathan Olson’s grade, he is graduating in 2016 -We misspelt reporter Mady Basch’s name in her byline -Mitchell Mosley ‘15 has performed before crowds of 3,500 people, not 35,000 -We wrongly identified the political stance of the Super PAC that produced ad ‘Understands’, is pro-Obama, not pro-Romney

A&E

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

3

Blowin’ the roof off

From jazz jams to rock rhythms, the young crowd sure knows how to keep the vibes fresh on the Central scene

Metacognition

Katie Raymond Photo Editor

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

There’s only a week left until kids open their presents. Because we realize how desperate you may be getting, here’s our wish-list

Bryton Lutes

A&E and Business Editor Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars Satisfy yourself in Bruno Mars’ sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, which reflects Mars’ personality, a mix of Pop and R&B sounds with Rock, Soul, and Reggae undertones, a contrast to his freshman album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The song “Locked Out of Heaven” was released as the lead single on the album on Oct. 1 and has since been described as having a strong thrust on influences of New Wave, with similarities to “Message in a Bottle” and “Roxanne” by The Police, and even Michael Jackson’s iconic “Beat it.”

Mars’ unique sound, inspired by the late Amy Winehouse on his second studio album, exudes freedom and his desire to experiment with diverse sounds.

Les Miserables Immerse yourself this Christmas in 19th Century France with Victor Hugo’s greatest story ever told of unrequited love and broken dreams, Les Miserables.

Hugh Jackman stars as exprisoner Jean Valjean, hunted by a policeman Javert (Russell Crowe) for breaking parole. After agreeing to raise Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), their lives remarkably change forever in this classic tale of redemption.

What is described as the “show of shows” is reborn as the cinematic musical experience par excellence.

Fight, dream, hope, and love with the musical phenomenon, Les Miserables, opening Christmas Day. Nike+ Fuel Band The Nike+ Fuel Band is like your own personal trainer living on your wrist - and it even tells time. With the use of a sports-tested accelerometer, Nike has come up with a better way to track your movement - or lack thereof - with a sleek band depicting the amount of calories you’ve burned and the amount of steps you’ve taken. Start by setting a goal for your New Year’s resolution and the band will track your progress with LED lights ranging from red to green, but sit on the couch and the score will remain as idle as your bum.

Photo: K. Raymond

GENRE: Jazz

BAND MEMBERS: Noah Pickett ‘15, Connor Brady, Alec Reznich, both ‘13, Austin Mason, Luke and Aaron Balestrero (not pictured)

Katie Raymond Photo Editor

How did you decide on the Elaborators as a band name?

Klingelsmith: We were all very unsure of a name and we were in a rush to create one because we had a performance the next day. It represents what we do.

Wasserman: It’s a collaborative event between musicians who want to further their experience.

Where do you play? How did you get that space?

Wasserman: We play at the Annex. I’ve been hanging out there after school. I help the owner, Katherine, paint her art. She had a desire to save the Annex so she thought about having live music every Friday and Saturday, so I offered my talents When was your first show?

Wasserman: Our first shows at the An-

nex were on the twenty-third and twentyfourth of November.

Do you plan to pursue music in your future?

Klingelsmith: I would like to continue singing, but just as a hobby. I feel like it’s really hard for musicians to make it and it isn’t a promising career choice.

Wasserman: I will definitely continue to sing in the future. I make films, and all of the music is original music that I record.

I make a lot of my music with local dub artists and I’m currently trying to gather more knowledge about mixing music.

How would you feel about becoming famous?

Wasserman: I don’t want to become famous, I just want to have secret underground shows. I want to be known for my talent, not my name.

What is your favorite song to sing?

Klingelsmith: “Zombie” by the Cranberries is my favorite because I can sing it well and I enjoy the Cranberries’ instrumental talent.

Project

Beats Pill by Dr. Dre Dr. Dre is destined to do for the minispeaker what George Foreman did for the mini grill: make it a household name--commercial contract included.

From the “ra-ras” of Lady Gaga to the “sha-lalas” of Van Morrison, the pill-shaped mini speaker showcases music better than other mini-speakers, as blastified as any live band. Besides its significant sound quality, the Pill’s convenient size and shape adds to its attraction. Lugging around a bulky speaker is nothing short of irksome, but the accessibility of Dr. Dre’s latest creation halted that obstacle. If you need the people to hear what you’ve been digging, then you need to take a pill.

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 by Various Artists This compilation album of late 60’s Progressive Acid Pop certainly deserves its new re-release on digital, CD and vinyl formats. Each psychedelic trip of a song deserves a deep listen, especially for, but not limited to, those with musical appreciation.

The record, albeit groundbreaking, has never seen as much recognition from a wide spread audience as it should have in the years since its original 1972 release.

The various tracks of unknown artists can make your White Christmas a trippy weird experience that the hip young crowd craves these days.

Graphics: N. Mulvaine

Photo: Courtesy of A. Wasserman

GENRE: Folk

A&E Editor

A&E Editor

Photo: T. Bell

GENRE: Rock

The Elaborators

David Reinke

David Reinke Beasts of the Southern Wild This holiday season brings tidings of cheer, joy and cloying Christmas movies. To alleviate the pains caused by Christmas tales, you’ll want to check out the brooding interpretation of a young girl and her messed up homelife. Hushpuppy, portrayed by burgeoning star Quvenzhané Wallis, is the perfect example of a child star out-acting her adult co-stars. The precocious little girl puts the “don’t work with children in the film industry” cliché to rest. Her inspiring performance is perfect for staving off the “too-muchcheer” aches, and bringing a tear to your cheek.

Why did you name the band Metacognition?

Brady: There is no word to describe, nor a sentence I could tell you, in which you would understand. Because we don’t understand.

Pickett: It refers to expressing yourself and trying to learn about things.

What is your favorite song to play?

Pickett: My favorite song to play is called “Seven Minute Mind” by the Bad Plus.

I like it because it’s very minimalist, very unique and creative.

What genre of music do you play?

Brady: I call it improvised conversational communication music. In trying to think of what to call our band, we only find ourselves still contemplating just what type of sound we are making, but we fail.

Pickett: It would be considered a Jazz combination. We play a lot of the early

BAND MEMBERS: Maverick Cook (not pictured), Bauer Jones, Derek Schrank, all ‘14

Funk that derived from late Jazz music and contemporary, creative free-form Jazz.

Unique qualities about your band?

Pickett: We have a vibraphonist. You don’t usually see a band with a vibraphonist, especially not in Traverse City.

Also, our band is a collective, meaning that everyone has equal importance.

What’s one word to describe your sound?

Brady: Sin(X). Sin is a waveform that touches on the highest highs and the lowest lows, capturing the full circle of sound emitting from the band. Simply the result of spontaneous vibration being projected at the speed of sound from our amplifiers to your eardrums.

Would you describe your sound as commercial or unique?

Brady: Our sound is unique because each time we gather we are at a completely different time under completely different circumstances, utilizing one another’s energy to create something that has never been heard before.

Are you playing in the talent show?

Schrank: We don’t know yet. This talent show could be the calling card for our project of becoming a band. It could motivate us to want to practice more and get out there, show people what we can do.

Individually, describe your sound in one word.

Cook: Non-existent.

Jones: Heavy.

Cook: Weighty.

Jones: We haven’t played any happy-golucky music.

Cook: No, not really. We’re all very tortured souls. So whatever we write is pretty much depressing.

Jones: It’s some sad stuff.

Do you guys think that you are a better band than others at Central?

BAND MEMBERS: Arianna Wasserman, Abigail Klingelsmith, both ‘13

Schrank: I don’t know that we’re better, because we’ve never really played outside of the little jam sessions that we have together. But the stuff we do is really good.

The first time we practiced, we just threw stuff out there, and five minutes in, we were all on the same page jamming. The chemistry we have is really good.

Jones: Oh Jesus.

Schrank: Maverick, he’s a good guitar player. He goofs around a lot, but by the time we’re in a jam, he’s performing. Being a musician is not easy work. You’ve got to know what it takes and we know what it takes. This project, we have the potential to go big time. We are bringing the 70’s back.

Why do you guys love being in a band?

Jones: I wouldn’t say we love it quite yet because we’re not in that stage.

Cook: I like playing rhythm with Bauer’s soloing and I like playing rhythm with Derek doing the drums and all that put together, but we’re kind of all in different places when we’re together.

It’s madrigal dinner time Choral-Aires perform to benefit the Presbyterian Church with its annual medieval musical throwback

Jeff Comerford Staff Reporter

Once every year, lords and ladies gather for an evening of merriment and festivity at Traverse City’s Presbyterian Church. The Madrigal Dinners consist of a meal, a play and musical entertainment provided courtesy of Central’s Choral-Aires. The group had to memorize their music pieces as well as a script.

“We sang songs we had learned so far this year,” Nicholas Tarsa ‘13 said. “It was hard learning the music, especially for the nubes, because the music got thrown at us. We were given seven or eight pieces in about a week and we had to memorize them.”

A tradition since 1970, this most recent Madrigal Dinner has helped raise money for planned choir trips.

“We’ve always done this with the church,” Choir teacher Tamara Grove said. “They pay us, so it helps raise money for trips to Estonia and Latvia in the spring.”

Grove spoke on the musical history that exists there. The two countries gained independence from Russia in part through what was called the Singing Revolution.

2.

1.

Photo: K. Raymond

Photo: K. Raymond

1. Myia Hall ‘14 (left) and Lisa Brown ‘16 (right) sing with Vocal Majority. Brown appreciated the Madrigal organizers. “They were really accommodating and supportive,” Brown said. 2. Left to right: Michael Kellett ‘14, Abbey Kaufman ‘13, and Fisher Diede ‘14 sing the “Wassail Song” at the Madrigal dinners. Kellett found the costumes disconcerting. “It was a little weird singing in front of strangers while in tights.”

“Chorale music is a way of life there,” Grove said. “They have this big ampi-theatre that we can record in.”

The medieval play is performed throughout the night, with music interspersed throughout the play’s individual acts, performing 15 pieces during the course of the event. Lords, ladies, plus a king and queen preside over the meal at raised tables in the front of the hall. When each meal is introduced, the “royals” cue the songs, like “The Boar’s Head” and “The Wassail Song.” They are the MC’s.

Caleb Heimburger ‘14 liked what came at the end of the din-

ner.

“My favorite moment was the dessert because me and a couple of other guys tried to see if we could eat it in one bite,” Heimburger said. “It got a laugh out of everyone.”

Peter Jacobson ‘14 enjoyed having the chance to give back to the church community that he is a part of, as well as the concert portion of the dinner.

“It felt good to give back to my church because they’ve done so much for me,” Jacobson said.

“And we got to sing all the songs we’d been practicing.”

Candy Grams

Tyger Bell

Staff Reporter Continuing the Christmas tradition, choir students are offering caroling services to the community this holiday season. Student quartets will be available upon request for a small fee.

“Anyone who wants to support our cause can request specific quartets and songs,” Andrew Walsh ‘14 said. “We are fundraising to go to Estonia and Latvia because they are so musically inclined.”

For $50, those interested may request two songs to be performed at a scheduled time and location. Caroling services are available within a 15 mile radius of downtown Traverse City throughout the 2012 Christmas season.

“We have a book of well known Christmas songs to choose from,” Veronica Faller ‘13 said. Each Co-Ed Quartet features a venue of six songs. “Some students have taken it upon themselves to incorporate some of their own songs like ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside.’”

The fundraiser ends in late December and the students’ trip will take place over the 2013 spring vacation.

4 Sports

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

TCC Basketball takes Alpena

L

After a strong battle, the Lady Trojans reign supreme over the Aplena Wildcats in a 62-45 victory

Future greats walk the halls of Central every day, from future politicians to young chemists. Here, the future greats of the sports world are decorated a few years early because of the dedication, persistence and outstanding athletic ability they show

Erin Lipp

Staff Reporter

Miranda Winowiecki

Pho

aym

to:

K. R

The green quiets. Courtney Dye ‘13 concentrates on the small, diveted ball...and sinks it. Dye’s performance this fall on the golf course secured her as captain of not only the Big North Conference (BNC) All Conference Team, but the All-Region Dream Team as well. The hard work and mental toughness she exudes on the green will one day make her the winner of the PGA Championship; the Wanamaker Trophy will grace her mantle.

The Wanamaker stands 28’’ high, 27’’ wide, and weighs a hefty 27 pounds. It ranks among the most prestigious golf trophies.

Previous winners have included Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Rory McIlroy. All men, you notice. Women’s golf is not as publicized as men’s, but one day, Dye will take care of that.

Now, she walks the halls of Central carrying her violin and MTA books -- not the typical “jock” one envisions. With Dye, there is no it’s-all-about-meswagger. Who else on campus has been named captain of both the BNC and All-Region teams? Dye is one of the best student-athletes our Athletic Director Cody Inglis has in his quiver. In Dye, Inglis has bragging rights with other local AD’s. The beauty of Dye is she kills it on the golf course, yet stays humble.

In ten years, she will walk the halls of the most prestigious country clubs in the world, carrying herself in the same dignified manner we see today. The only difference? She

ond

Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor

“With Dye, there is no it’sall-about-meswagger.” won’t lug around her high school stuff; instead, she will have a caddy to haul her state-of-the-art golf clubs.

I bestow upon golf master Ms. Courtney Dye the PGA Wanamaker Trophy. Dye, a once and future great.

Last Friday, TC Central toppled the Alpena Wildcats in a 62-45 victory, clinching their first win of the season. The night started when Lauren Lozowski ‘13 won the tipoff for the Trojans, jump starting the game and gaining the momentum that carried them through the rest of the game.

“The lead from the start gave us a confidence boost,” Madi Bankey ‘13 said, “whereas in other games we were down at the beginning.”

Bankey began the Trojan’s lead with their first basket off of a rebound. Their lead held for the rest of the game.

“Madi did a great job controlling the game and breaking the press,” Head Coach Ryan Knudsen said.

Along with the nine points that the Trojans scored in the first quarter, the defense kept the Wildcats score down.

“We only gave up one point in the first quarter,” Coach Knudsen said, “which set the tone for the game that we would have great team defense.”

Contributing to this strong start is the improvement of the players connection on the court.

“You could really see the teamwork on the court,” Coach Knudsen said.

“They were very supportive of each other and were communicating well out there. This is a very fun group.”

The second quarter had the same intensity as the first.

The Trojans kept the tempo and made the Wildcats play their game. Bankey sunk a three-pointer in the second quarter to extend the Trojan lead. “I’m happy about how I played point and kept the game moving fast,” Bankey said.

Ending the second quarter with a score of 27-18, the team’s improvements showed.

“We shot at a higher percentage, attacked the basket more, and pretty much everything was better,”Claire Young ‘13 said.

Coach Knudsen made a change in the defense and it worked well.

“We made a defensive adjustment at the half and the girls executed it perfectly,” Coach Knudsen said.

“We got hurt on a cross cut, but I’m proud of how well the girls listened and made the adjustment in the second half, it made all the difference in the world.”

With the help of the improved defense situation, Bankey was able

Photo: T. Bell

In the Traverse City Central v. Alpena girls basketball game, Tyler Rawlings ‘13 is pressured by the Wildcat defense. The Trojans pulled through in a 62-45 victory. Fellow teammate Claire Young ‘13 looks on, open for a pass. “I think this will help us gain our confidence back,” Rawlings said. “We’re definitely meshing more as a team and have a lot more chemistry on the court.”

to repeat her three-pointer success in the second quarter, sinking another in the third. Just after, Alpena came back with a three-pointer of their own, but this push did not impact the Trojans intensity. Bankey, the second scorer for Central with 13 points, followed Central’s Tyler Rawlings who had 20.

“We’re setting better screens to get open and make more shots,” Rawlings said.

Rawlings contributes much of their success to their play, secondary to quick hitters.

“It speeds up our tempo and opens up lanes,” Rawlings said. Extending their lead from 9 to 11 points, Trojan girls ended the third quarter with a 45-34 lead.

The team continued their momentum into the fourth quarter. “We played all four quarters, not two or three like previous games,” Young said.

“We got hurt on a cross cut, but I’m proud of how well the girls listened and made the adjustment in the second half. It made all the difference in the world.”

- Coach Ryan Knudsen

Coach wins state-wide honor Head football Coach Tom Passinault receives MHSAA Division 2 AP Coach of the Year title

Miranda Winowiecki, Erin Lipp, John Minster

As their season kicks off, Central wrestlers share their favorite pins

John Minster “I like the half nelson. It’s easy to do and it’s a versatile move.” - Justice Korson ‘15

Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor, Staff Reporters “No matter what profession you’re in, it’s nice to get recognized. With football, it’s so much more than one player and it certainly could not have happened without the support of my assistant coaches.”

Photo: M. Yeomans

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

“It’s a program with not a lot of continued success, and he was a huge part to get us to level we hadn’t seen in a while.”

- Mike Gle

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

“For him to have this season is a huge accomplishment after the 0-9 season that he started coaching after.”

- Eric Schugars

Head football coach Tom Passinault congratulates Billy Vermetten ‘13 after a win over West. “Coach Passinault did a great job at keeping his team together after the Titans scored at the begining of the game,” Vermetten said.

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

“It was well-deserved. He oversees the program, takes responsibility for the program, and he has worked to make it successful.” - Konrad Visser “The success of the program this season was tremendous, as well as the job he did with these kids.”

- Doug Gle

Central players highlight coach’s best moment “At the Central West game, Coach Passinault ran a play that we never practiced before and we ended up scoring a touchPhoto: courtesy of down.”

Timeless Image Seth Tice ‘15

“During the Bay City Western game, he made a really good halftime speech in the lockerroom.

He talked us up and spoke with the seniors about how it could be their last Photo: courtesy of game.”

Timeless Image Josiah Lopez-Wild ‘14

“At our against Grand Haven, towards the end of the game, it was really close and we had a chance to comeback. He talked to our offense and said it was the final drive and we had to go out and give it everything and pull Photo: courtesy of through.”

Timeless Image Drew Reamer ‘13

Courtney Dye ‘13 inspects her golf ball on the green as she prepares to putt. Dye was named Big North Conference and All-Region dream teams captian. “It’s not that big of a deal for me because we all work just as hard during the season in order for use to play our best,” Dye said. “But I still appreciate the honor.”

Trojan wrestlers hit the mat

Staff Reporter

-Head Coach Tom Passinault

Photo: P. Rietmann

Continuing their improvements in the fourth quarter, the team increased their lead more.

“I feel I made smarter passes, which helped us keep the ball,” Bankey said, as well as Lozowski’s decrease in fouls.

Along with the individual success, the team as a whole worked together well.

“As a team we kept our turnovers low,” Lozowski said.

The Trojan girls topped Alpena by 17 points, and need to carry their success into future games.

“We’ve had four games now and every game we’ve improved in our team defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball, and shooting,” Coach Knudsen said. “I’m proud of the girls and happy that it payed off in a win.”

Photo: A. Hilden

“The head and arm throw is one of the first moves I learned and I’m really good at it.”

- Austin Weir ‘15

Photo: A. Hilden

”I like doing the granby because it puts you in a strong position.” Alan LaFave ‘13 Photo: A. Hilden

In a male dominated sport, Jennifer Long ‘13 has been a staple in Trojan wrestling since freshman year Torn between two of her favorite sports--wrestling and basketball--Jennifer Long ‘13 had to choose which to pursue during the winter season. Over the last five years, Long has been enamored with wrestling and its rewards.

“It’s something different and I love when I win,” Long said. “It makes me feel strong.”

Being a girl in a predominantly-male sport doesn’t discourage Long.

“People were uncomfortable about wrestling me in middle school,” Long said, “but a lot more girls have joined the sport in the last few years.”

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, almost 3,000 girls have joined wrestling since 2006. While Long’s situation is still uncommon, it is no longer rare.

“It’s definitely more equal these days,” Long said. “It evens everything out.”

Feature

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

5

Super Science Saturday students striv- Wonderfully whacky The event’s most intriguing experiments ing for more from the students who ran them Lia Williams Feature Editor

“We helped kids make their own kind of slime that they could take home and play with. It was made of water, regular glue and borax. A couple of kids freaked out when they touched it, but it was fun to get them out of their comfort zone and get your hands dirty.”

-Lauren Marchany ‘13

Photo: L. Williams

Photo: L. Williams

Bain Donegan ‘16 and George Townsend ‘13 worked the “Space Junk Bridge” at the event. Children constructed cardboard bridges, and Donegan recorded the number of water bottles they supported before collapsing-the record being 26. “They liked seeing their name up on the scoreboard,” Donegan said. “It gave them a sense of accomplishment.”

Lia Williams

O Feature Editor

Optical illusions, bags of slime and obstacle-course robots circulated the cafeteria Dec. 8 at the FIRST Raptors Robotics team third-annual “Super Science Saturday” event.

“It’s a big production. We spent months trying to make it better than last year,” CEO of the Robotics team Ian Cummings ‘13 said. “This year we focused on space-related activities, which allowed us to create a more engaging environment for the kids.”

Decorations were hung, experiments were planned, and press releases dispatched to spread the word.

“Yes, it’s a fundraiser, but the big part of why we do it is just for community outreach to get kids excited about science,” Robotics team mentor John Failor said.

Robotics member Alycia Gerber ‘15 enjoyed teaching children about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) topics outside of the classroom. “Kids will learn about science with diagrams,

but this gives kids a real-world application,” Gerber said.

The day gave Raptors the chance to share their passion with younger kids.

“We want to do outreach events like this because it’s one of our goals to change the mindset that to be cool, you have to play a sport or an instrument,” Chief Communications Officer and coordinator of the experiments Angleo Bozza ‘15 said. “We’re trying to show kids that science, technology and math are cool.”

Cummings, however, didn’t need to be convinced when he was young. From playing with Erector Sets and Bionicles, to taking apart a robot, Cummings always tinkered.

“Engineering forces you to understand how something works, and then to manipulate that to your advantage,” Cummings said. “It’s a problemsolving challenge.”

Gerber also was intrigued by technology at a young age.

“In seventh grade, women from MIT came to talk to the girls about engineering and science,” Gerber said. “ What they were doing was so different from anything lvaine u

Central’s artistic talent hits the walls

.M c: N phi

Gra

Hanna Simmons ‘15 helped kids dissect donated electronic devices, such radios, DVD players and phones at the “Electronic Take Apart” station. “The older kids liked all the technical parts of it, and the younger ones just thought it was fun to take apart stuff,” Simmons said. other than showing the kids different components of the device and which were dangerous, Simmons let them explore. “I just gave them some screwdrivers and pliers, and they pretty much figured it out,” Simmons said. “It was fun because some kids knew more than I did.”

I’d experienced. That really got me hooked.” Since joining the team a year ago, Gerber’s engineering experience has left her enthusiastic to learn more.

“One of my jobs on the Robotics team is to program the mill that we use to make some of our parts, and that’s a whole new world to me,” Gerber said.

“We use technology so much in our lives and it’s cool to be able to understand at least a bit of it.”

Failor says that the students’ knowledge of this technology makes them role models--similar to those in more glamorous careers.

“When students do something like this, kids want to be like them, just like they want to be athletes or stars,” Failor said.

“It’s cool that students are in a position where they can share, and the younger kids look up to them.” Super Science Saturday is just one of the events in which the team teaches science to the community.

“FIRST emphasizes that teams work together. They call it “coopertition,” the combination of cooperation and competition,” Cummings said.

“We pride ourselves in getting

LED for F.R.T.

The FIRST Robotics Team is selling LED energyefficient lightbulbs. A 60W lightbulb is $25, and profits benefit FIRST Robotics Team 1711, the Raptors. For more information stop by room C-182 or contact John Failor at 231-9335738 or failorjo@tcaps. net

Photo: L. Williams

“Kids flung marshmallows. Their faces lit up when it flew through the air. It was about trajectory.

If you pulled back too far, the marshmallow hit the ceiling, but if you didn’t pull back enough, it wouldn’t get to plate on the floor which was the target. There were a few kids who came back wanting to do it over and over again.”

-Stephen Perrin ‘14

Graphic: A. Korson

into the community and doing that kind of outreach.”

To widen their community outreach, the Robotics team will send their Science Saturday “How-To” pamphlets to other teams, in hope that others will implement the event.

“Part of our Robotics competition is the awards you get for having the best robot and the best team design, but it’s also for reaching out to the community,” Gerber said.

“That’s what I love about FIRST, it’s not just about the competition or winning, it’s about teaching people, too.”

Photo: L. Williams

Photo: L. Williams

“The mission was to design a parachute that had the slowest drop time, so they built them with plastic and paper bags, string and paper cups. We dropped it from a ladder and recorded the time.

It involved a lot of physics. The kids were competitive. They liked to see who had the best time and how they could beat that time.”

-Alycia Gerber ‘15

“You can estimate the speed of light using just a microwave and a piece of chocolate. The microwave heats part of the chocolate more than others. The distance between those two parts is half the wavelength, and if you know the frequency, you can multiply those two numbers together and get the speed of light.”

-Jack Smith ‘15

Photo: L. Williams

Finding his way

Nikola Zekic ‘13 experiences life in America as a blind foreign exchange student

Kory Cole

Maddi Miller

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

Photo: S. Hutchison

Above is Elena Morcote’s ‘14 lettering she submitted for the Senate mural contest. As of last week, Morcote was unsure of the mural’s background. “I had to do it quickly so I didn’t have time for a background,” she said, “I just wrote in parentheses, ‘Cool design for a background’ and I guess people trusted it.”

Senate recently held a schoolwide contest for student artists to craft a design for the mural outside of the big gym. Students submitted their sketches to Senate, in hopes of seeing their drawing become life-size on a school wall.

“When we found out about the competition, I thought, ‘I really want something to change,’” Elena Morcote ‘14 said. “I’m going to graduate soon, so I wanted to have my artwork around the school somewhere.”

Morcote’s sketch includes the mural’s “TROJAN” lettering in an old English style. Out of many entries, Senate almost unanimously favored Elena’s submission.

“We looked at if they were taking an art class or had any prior experience,” Student Senator, and one coordinator of the mural contest Allie Wuerfel ‘15 said. “Elena’s design fits the gym’s traditional sense perfectly.”

As of last week, the background was undetermined.

“We’re thinking something like warriors,” Morcote said.

“If it’s outside of the big gym, you don’t want something like a flower. You want something

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

Fundraising and an entertaining afternoon are only part of what Robotics members achieve in this family-fun event

serious and fierce.”

Motivated by student paintings lining walls and hanging in the library, Morcote entered the contest as soon as she found out about it.

“At first I wasn’t too confident about my work,” Morcote said. “I was surprised when I found out it won because I had never really tried entering my work in anything before.”

Elena’s passion for art grew at a young age. She has been making art all her life, whether it was miscellaneous creations she’d put together in middle school or her very own childhood paintings strung up in the public library. Now Morcote usually draws “deep” and “surreal” pieces, but is excited by the opportunity of finally having her art displayed.

So far Morcote has recruited fellow Art Club members Abigail Stanton ‘15 and Connor Hansen ‘14 to help with the actual painting. Mural painting is scheduled to begin after Christmas break.

“I’m definitely looking forward to this,” Morcote said.

“I’ve always wanted my work permanently in the school, especially in a mural.”

Nikola Zekic ‘13, a foreign exchange student navigates through Central, attempting to find his way through the mass of students, winding hallways, and cluster of classrooms. Unlike other new students though, Zekic finds his way with his white cane.

“Coming to America is a good experience for me because experiencing differences in culture helps you understand the world,” Zekic said. “Something different is always good.”

Zekic will stay in America for 10 months with his host family.

In Montenegro, he is an only child, so having two host siblings is a welcoming change.

“It’s better I think,” Zekic said. “I have always wanted a brother or sister so I’d have someone to talk to.”

Zekic’s cousin came to America last year, motivating him to make the journey.

Pre-American preparation included several exams that tested Zekic’s English, independence, and personality.

“I really didn’t think I was going to pass the exams,” Zekic said. “When I found out that I did, I was very happy and excited to come to America.”

Although Zekic’s family and friends were generally supportive of his choice, his parents worried about him traveling to another country because... ← elaborate. Zekic, however, worried most about acceptance by American peers.

“The nights before I came I was very nervous, so I just de-

“The best part of being a foreign exchange student is that you get to check yourself and see if you can do without your family, friends or school. You get to see if you are ready for your adult life.”

-Nikola Zekic ‘13 cided not to think,” Zekic said. “I was worried about finding my way, and that people would treat me differently.”

Since coming to America, Zekic has found that the people are not judgmental, and treat him as an equal.

“There are some places in Montenegro with big stereotypes about blind people,” Zekic said. “I was worried that people in America might have stereotypes too, but since I got here I haven’t felt anything like that. I have been treated like, well, a human.”

Zekic had little prior knowledge about America, but tried to enter with an open mind.

“I have a friend who lived in New York for five years before

Photo: K. Raymond

Nikola Zekic ‘13 compares Central to the underground complex of “Moria” from Lord of the Rings for its enormous size and absurd number of hallways. These are just some of the things Zekic had to adapt to from the school he attends in Montenegro.

“Our school days are from about eight to one or two o’clock,” Zekic said. “We also change our schedule daily because we have thirteen or fourteen subjects per year.”

coming to Montenegro, and he told me a little about America, so I knew that it wouldn’t be like the Hollywood version in movies,” Zekic said. “In the end, I just didn’t expect anything because I wanted to have an experience without great expectations.”

Public school life at Central also differs from the smaller, specialized school Zekic attends back home. There, he alternates between 13-14 subjects and has shorter school days.

“All the schools back home in Montenegro are small,” Zekic said. “Even the bigger schools, which have about fifty or sixty classrooms, don’t begin to compare to Central’s size.”

Zekic attends a specialized music school to study classical music in Montenegro. There, he continues his nine years of piano playing.

“Since I couldn’t see the keys as a beginner, I memorized the position of the C key, and used that as my starting place,” Zekic said.

Zekic has been adapting well to American culture, but with the holidays just around the corner, he feels the absence of his family, friends, and traditions.

“The hardest part of being an exchange student is leaving your family behind,” Zekic said. “In Montenegro, our Christmas is January seventh, and I think I might get a little homesick when that comes.”

While Zekic misses his family, he is learning more about himself through the exchange-student experience.

“The best part of being a foreign exchange student is that you get to check yourself and see if you can do without your family, friends or school,” Zekic said. “You get to see if you are ready for your adult life.”

For five months, Zekic prepared and wondered about his American adventure, but since coming, he has no regrets.

“Being blind brings many difficulties to traveling to another country as a foreign exchange student,” Zekic said. “But in the end, it only makes the experience deeper because you aren’t just seeing, you are really listening.”

6 Holiday

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

Central students pay it forward Student Senate, Key Club and National Honors Society deliver Christmas cheer to Central and our community

The best gifts ever given Students speak to their most generous Christmases Isabel Schuler & Mady Basch Staff Reporters

Lars Hornburg ‘16

Photo: K. Raymond

“I made my friend a bag using a canvas tote. It was stunningly beautiful and had an abstract mess on it. She was happy to have a token of my friendship.”

Aubrey Krueger ‘15

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

David Reinke & Fiona Muha

A

A&E Editor, Packaging Editor

A boy doesn’t want to have to borrow gym shorts for gym class. A girl doesn’t want her friends to notice she can’t afford lunch. Teachers don’t want their students to be disadvantaged at school because of poverty they face at home.

Central students and teachers are working to ease hardships again this holiday season.

“The staff is incredible,” Diane Burden, TCAPS Social Worker said. “Teachers call me almost everyday. They’re genuinely concerned about our students.”

It’s not only Central students who are in need, but also the Traverse City community. To assuage the daily hardships of homeless and poverty-stricken families, NHS, Senate and Key Club are brightening the dim lights of area families’ Christmases.

“I think it’s really rewarding,” Lauren Murray ‘13 Key Club President said. “They’re getting the normal Christmas experience because of us.

We’re making it possible for them to enjoy the aspect of the holiday season that many of us take for granted.”

Central has an often unrecognized population of students who need basic necessities. And the goal is to prevent kids from falling

through the cracks.

“The STEP Program is students in transition,” Pam Forton NHS advisor and Math teacher said. “Students who are either living with family members, or in some cases, living with friends, or ‘couch-surfing.’ Or spending time in their cars. Literally.”

Central’s NHS is collaborating with the STEP program.

In the past, members adopted a family, but after a brainstorming session this year, they came up with an activity that will benefit members of NHS and families who participate, not only STEP students.

“You want this time of year to be joyous,” Forton said, “even if it’s only for a few minutes. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

When it came to charitable work, Forton felt there was a better way for NHS members to lend a hand than simply buying presents. Last Friday, NHS held a Parents Night Out in Central’s Cafeteria. Babysitting was offered with a donation of 10 dollars per child for school aged children in the T.C. Community.

The money raised went to the STEP program.

“There were a lot of people who couldn’t afford to buy

things for other people,” Forton said. “We thought this was a way that they could actually give some time, which everybody can do. I always have a hard time with students buying service hours.”

Student Senate is also participating in an Adopt-a-Family program, this one through the Salvation Army. As is the norm with an Adopt-aFamily program, they received a wishlist from the STEP kids, and Senate realized how to put a Trojan Pride spirit theme into it by giving extra Trojan gear.

“I think it’s rewarding for all

We’re making it possible for them to enjoy the aspect of the holiday season that many of us take for granted.

-Lauren Murray ‘13 of us who participate,” Nonie Tompkins ‘13 said. “For me personally, it’s to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Although I don’t get to see the family, just to know that we helped a family in need, especially around Christmas time, is great.”

Caught up in Christmas revelry, students in Key Club are participating in the Women’s Resource Center Adopt-aFamily program. They are purchasing the gifts for three single mothers and their children with funds from their affiliate, Kiwanis Club, and money raised over the summer. Key Club does not receive outside contributions.

“The Women’s Resource Center sent us a list of the things the families need for the winter and want for Christmas,” Murray said.

The generosity of the Christmas spirit seems to be rubbing off on Key Club members.

“The whole process from start to finish is a club effort because so many of the members contribute so many hours,” Murray said. “That’s what makes it possible.”

With 1,300 students, we have more families in need than we can count. And there are some days when it seems like an impossible task, especially during Christmas when everyone could use a little joy.

“We are just a school, so we have our limitations of what we’re able to feasibly do,” Burden said. “But helping our students feel connected to these buildings is something that we continue to strive for.”

“For my sister’s eighteenth birthday, I made her a mail box. Inside it there were eighteen of our memories and inside jokes. She got really emotional.”

Photo: K. Raymond

Jack Conlon ‘16 “I knit a little blue ski cap for my sister Kelly. I’m not much of a knitter, but it was pretty good. She was thrilled and thankful, to say the least.”

Photo: T. Bell

McKenzie Miller ‘14 “The best gift I’ve ever given is a hand-painted lamp shade to my sister.

It’s blue, yellow and had pink pom-poms on it. I’m a horrible artist, so it’s really funny.”

Photo: K. Raymond

Josh Rose ‘13 “In fifth grade, I made a sculpture for my grandma.

It was an orange paper maché llama. I think she liked it, but it wasn’t very good.”

Photo: T. Bell

Hurray for holiday celebrations at school

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Frohe Weihnachten! Whether you take French, Spanish or German, holiday parties are a tradition Gra

Mady Basch, Hayley Rozema French with Grant

There are Spanish speaking nations all over the globe: Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, and of course, Spain. To explore these different countries while celebrating the holidays, Spanish teacher Lisa Dohm adds an educational, yet fun twist to her classes’ festivities: students present a five slide presentation on their country’s Christmas traditions during the party. For extra credit, students can bring in dishes and the recipe from their chosen country.

“It’s a way for the kids to see what things are the same and what are different,” Dohm said. “In Mexico, they celebrate Las Boda Sebas, which is the nine days leading up to Christmas, and they reenact how Mary and Joseph found Bethlehem.”

Katie Olshansky ‘15 likes learning about Spanish traditions and how they differ from ours.

“It’s a good way to start out the Christmas season,” Olshansky said. “They have fireworks, and in America, we don’t have fireworks on Christmas, so it’s different and fun to learn new things.”

Besides the ethnic food and slideshows, Dohm’s parties consist of watching movies and socializing.

“More people are in the Christmas spirit and have a cheery mood and are joyful,” Olshansky said. “It’s fun and you can talk to people that Photo: K. Raymond you haven’t gotten the chance to talk to the whole year because we’ve been learning.”

Santa Claus, Christmas trees--many of the most beloved American traditions have come from Germany.

“You wouldn’t really expect it because our English language comes from Latin primarily,” Josh Belcher ‘14 said. “So that all of this comes from Germany is really shocking.”

Although German teacher Konrad Visser does not host bashes as big as the Spanish and French classes, he does take time to teach about the spirit of German Christmas.

“We talk about Saint Nicholas,” Belcher said. “Santa Claus came from Saint Nicholas, which originated from Germany.”

Visser’s classes have participated in Christmas traditions and other holiday customs native to Germany.

“We used to make gingerbread houses in the past, but we just don’t have enough time for a party because of the trimesters,” Visser said.

“When we start talking about Oktoberfest, then we might have a party.”

The season of joy and glad tidings deserves a celebration. French teacher Jami Grant is a big proponent of the traditional school holiday party.

“It’s an opportunity to experience a French tradition,” Grant said.

“We make buche de noel, which is the major dessert at French Christmas parties. It’s a cake that is rolled up with frosting in the middle and it basically looks like a log.”

Hayley Padden ‘14 likes the chance to experience quirky French customs.

“In France they put a mini airplane in these buche de noel, but we don’t in class because it’s a choking hazard,” Padden said.

“Whoever gets the plane wins and is the king or queen, but since we don’t put the plane in the cake, we put it on the bottom of the plate.”

Learning other foreign practices is always entertaining.

“It’s cool because it’s a different culture,” Padden said. “You’re doing different things than a traditional American Christmas.”

Photo: T. Bell

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German with Visser

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Spanish with Dohm

: A.

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Staff Reporters

Photo: K. Raymond

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

Literature

7

All Lit insert graphics: A. Korson

8 Literature

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

“The students’ letters are a brainstorming assignment designed with three other teachers in the Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Academy to address the skill of synthesis and relevancy, as well as to apply a business letter format. The assignment tied Hamlet and Cole’s article by addressing the theme of familial trust, particularly between parents and children. Eavesdropping or spying happens frequently in Hamlet. While the devices used may be quite different between the 17th and 21st centuries--the issues are similar.” -English teacher Kathryn Shelley-Barnes “Because Kory’s opinion was about parent and child trust, we wanted to tie Hamlet to the theme of parental trust. This theme is universal and relevant to today’s culture.” -English teacher Sarah McNamara

“I’m like Hamlet because we both have a strong sense of right and wrong. When we know something is unjust, we feel the need to make it right.”

Kelly Forrester Guest writer

October 26, 2012 Dear Black and Gold:

Parents have been getting more and more overprotective of their kids, and it makes us feel untrustworthy. Today, in our culture, parents have better technology to track their kids without them even knowing. However, a few hundred years ago parents didn’t trust their children either. It has been a controversy for many years, and with time, it’s getting more efficient.

In the play Hamlet, which we are currently reading in English, parents back in the 17th century were always sending spies out to watch their children simply because they had no trust for them. “And sith neighbored to his youth and havior,/ That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court” (Hamlet).

This was said by the king in the play Hamlet, and what it means is that the king is sending two of his servants to watch after Hamlet because he is acting very odd, and the king and queen feel like this is the only way they can get to the bottom of his behavior. So, by sending these two men to spy, they will be close by Hamlet to observe his every move.

Even without the technology we have today, parents already did not have faith in their children, and they still managed to watch their kids’ moves like hawks. Today, parents have all sorts of technology.

They have the ability to install tracking devices on phones, and they can even have a tracking chip implanted on their child. “The apocalypse of extreme electronic parenting...” (Black and Gold). In the article, “Trust disappears in the expanding world of technology” by Kory Cole, he talks about how parents have the latest and greatest in tracking devices.

This means, that asking their kids where they will be is no longer necessary. Parents are getting more and more paranoid, and if a parent has to install a tracking device on the phone of their child or even worse, the child itself, something must not be working with the way that parent disciplines.

can’t trust their kids, something has to be wrong with their parenting. I know that a lot of parents only allow one fault in their trust and once it’s broken, it’s gone for good. So, when kids break their parents trust not only do the parents need to be hard on their child by punishing them, but also they should be hard on themselves because they might have sent a message saying certain things are allowed, when they’re really not. Kids are the most impressionable people ever, and we need a parents’ guidance during these confusing and frustrating years of high school.

Sincerely, Kelly Forrester Central High Junior

Some remedies for this distrust towards children would be for the parents to be more confident in their parenting. Obviously, if they believe they

Guest writer

Grahm Bevier

Guest writer

November 6, 2012 Dear Black & Gold: In your article regarding mistrust growing among parents with the coming of advancing technology, you brought up several different points. The topic of trust and mistrust, the basis of your article, has been relevant for a very long time, and remains relevant today.

In our immediate culture, parents have a trust relationship with their kids, whether it be strong or weak. This advancing technology has made it easier for parents to keep track of their kids, whether it be due to mistrust or just a simple check-in. However, trust issues have been occurring for a very long time. During the Shakespearean era, around the 17th century, when he wrote the play Hamlet, Shakespeare mentioned parents not trusting their children several times throughout the play, which proves it was important back in that time period as well.

Trust between parents and their children is something many kids complain about today.

The variety of apps you brought up are some of their main sources of concern. As you mentioned in your article, “a void of untrustworthiness” is created when a parent installs a tracker app onto the phone of their child.

Graphic: A. Korson

In today’s times, parents can install apps on their kids’ phones and use them as stalking devices. Teenagers can be irresponsible and make rash decisions, so it’s acceptable to want to keep an eye on them. Virtual stalking is taking it too far though. As said in the Black & Gold, in the article, “Trust... technology,” Cole says, “Tracking applications are just a dramatic step in parenting, far beyond asking your child where they’ll be.” This is true.

What does it says about the parents if they can’t trust their kids? What does that say about their parenting and ability to raise an upstanding citizen. This is not only an issue of today, but even in the 1600’s parents had trust issues. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, when Polonius tells his servant, Reynaldo, to spy on his son, Laertes. Polonius says “You shall do marvelous wisely, good Reynaldo,/ Before you visit him, make inquire/ of his behavior” (73). He isn’t even spying on his child himself. He is sending someone else to do it for him. He doesn’t trust his son to make good choices. The only difference is that in this time, the spy actually had to go and follow the kid physically. It was more of a challenge to keep the kid in their sight without technology available at the push of a button.

“Hamlet’s temper and the way he expresses his anger are similar to how I am, but I wouldn’t kill anybody obviously and our family situations aren’t anywhere near the same.”

Ryan Schiller

“Laertes stood out to me because he had a lot of things going against him throughout the whole play, some of them he didn’t even know about. He tried to make the best out of it but in the end, everyone just died.”

October 26, 2012 Dear Black & Gold:

Parents have been spying on their kids for hundreds of years. The methods of doing so have just changed. Parents can’t resist the urge to know where their children are at all times and interfere into their lives. Even in the 17th century, where the technology was scarce, parents still found ways to watch their children’s every breath and move.

Parents in today’s world actually have it easier because they don’t even have to leave the house to spy. All they have to do is pick up their phone, and they have all the information they could need.

Some remedies to correct the trust situation would be for parents to sit down and talk with their children about the rules of their household and what their expectations are for them. Tell them that they expect to know where they are going, who they’re with, and when they’ll be home.

While they are out, if they change where they are or when they’ll be home, then they’d need to call. These are all very reasonable expectations from both sides of the situation.

The teenager still has their freedom, and the parents can have the peace of mind of knowing where the kids are. If the parents still do not trust their kids to give them honest answers about what they are doing, then maybe they should parent differently. If the parents believe they raised their kids right, then the kids will be honest with them.

Sincerely, Ryan Schiller Central High Junior

Photos: Courtesy of Timeless Image Layout: S. Hutchison & A. Hilden

I personally disagree with this statement, because no parent, no matter how suspicious of their child, will sit staring at their phone to keep constant tabs on their kid. I think adults install these apps because it is easier and more straightforward than constantly asking their kids “Where are you?” In the play Hamlet, a character by the name of Polonius tries to find out what his son, Laertes, is up to while staying in Paris. He resorts to having a servant spread rumors about Laertes’ unorthodox behavior to see if anything was true. Not only did this tactic smear Laertes’ reputation in France, but it showed how Polonius wasn’t a good father. If Polonius had any of the tracker apps mentioned in your article, he could have just checked with a touch of the finger if Laertes was visiting any place of concern, such as a strip club or casino. As you can see, GPS tracking apps have more practical uses than most kids are willing to believe.

I think that the problem of parent-child mistrust could be remedied if both parties were willing to make a compromise. First, kids with tracker apps on their phones would have to accept the fact that their parents are not trying to stalk them using these apps, but instead as a safety measure. For example, if a kid didn’t come home and was reported missing, the tracker app could show the police where the phone was and hopefully, the kid. Also, parents could build up a foundation of trust with their child if he/she consistently appeared on the tracker app where he/she said they would be for the night. This trust could lead up to the eventual removal of the app, if the kid so wished. As you can see, there is more than one side to this issue, and keeping an open mind about it can help you realize that your parents are ultimately trying to keep you safe with these applications.

Sincerely, Graham BeVier Central High Junior

“I’m like Hamlet in the way that were both meticulous and over think things. It can be both a good thing and a bad thing. In Hamlet’s case, it wasn’t such a good thing.”

Anthony Miller Guest writer

November 6, 2012 Dear Black & Gold: The relationship between parents and their teens comes with many complications. One of those complications is the general trust between them. In the eyes of most parents trust is supposed to be earned. Though sometimes this trust is very difficult to earn resulting in conflict and argument. On the other hand, most teenagers would disagree and say that trust should be given without question. This problem is one that exists throughout everyday life and also throughout Hamlet as well.

In the play Hamlet, his parents do not trust him because of his (fake) psychological issues. For that reason they send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on him. Though this sounds rather crazy, it is not too far off from the spying that goes on today. The school newspaper states that there are apps that allow parents to know exactly where their teen is, who they are texting, what they are texting and now, all aspects of life that were private, are now not. I personally have Life360 on my phone, and I must say it is severely annoying. This is an app where my parents can track my direct location

at any given time in the day. To them, it seems okay do to the fact that “the only reason (I) have a phone is because (they) need to be able to know where I am at, at all times”. I obviously don’t agree with this. I think that my parents don’t need to know where I am at every waking moment of the day seeing as I am usually in the same place for most of the day anyways making the tool irrelevant.

I don’t think that these technological advances even need to be brought upon teenagers at all! My solution is that the bond between parents and their teens needs to grow stronger.

In a general sense, I think that the relationship between a parent and their child is at it’s lowest when the child becomes a teen. I don’t think it should be this way. I see it this way: parent’s are busy at work for the majority of night, and teens are busy for the majority of the day at school. Not a lot of time is dedicated to the relationship between a parent and their child. So my question is, how can you fully trust someone who you don’t even ‘know’ completely? (for lack of better terms) With this loving relationship, trust will come and I feel this could be the solution to the trust/mistrust complication between teens and their parents.

Sincerely, Anthony Miller Central High Junior

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

Literature

9

“To me, poetry is the pinnacle of writing. I love reading it. But in the only two times I’ve tried writing it, I’ve felt claustrophobic. So I was delighted that the students were willing to play with poetry. They took some risks. A few went pretty deep. It was sweet to watch them obsess over just one word—how it sounded, what it meant. I was also pretty blown away by the beauty of their imagery. Even if they didn’t like poetry, most came to appreciate it technically.” -Creative writing teacher Missi Yeomans Day-by-day “What surprised me the most was the emotions that I brought into the poem and how I took my own problems and put them into writing. I like it because it’s something that is true and something that I’m serious about.”

Brianna Lucus Guest writer

day-by-day...dayindayout Show me the warmth from that enormous sun As all these biter daysdaysdaysdaysdaysdaysdays The sunset beyond these trees but none like you Some say as if might I be ludicrous But as a bard I just gaze behind these ‘windows closed down so close’ I want it all back with thy For all shall get what thy deserves Let’s just create a toast; Maybe someday we’ll all have our pretty little hearts preserved with a pretty little jar closed down so tight with nothing to lose but our minds.

I May Not Be Well

Carl Rasmussen

Guest writer

I May Not Be Well Touch me.

For tomorrow I may not be well I may limp along so feeble, but shed no tear of sorrow, for tomorrow I may not be well Love me.

For tomorrow I may walk His mighty halls I may think of you my sweet, but help me not to borrow, for tomorrow I may not be well Tell me.

For tomorrow I may forget your tender voice I may indulge myself with lust, but think know me not as hollow, for tomorrow I may not be well Remember me.

For tomorrow, I may not be well.

“I was surprised that I could capture this sense of abandonment when I haven’t experienced it myself. I love the impact of the sadness of the character who leaves home and how I connected the story to the reader.”

Frank Leahy Guest writer

Scapegoat - Atmosphere

“I learned that I actually like writing poetry and I didn’t think I did. This poem is just a song I changed the words to. It’s the same format just different words.”

It’s the caffeine, the creatine, the milligrams of tar It’s my environment, it seems to never change, it’s what’s perceived.

It’s the false information they use to abuse and feed you brain.

It’s the garbage, its needs to be slain, it’s no change It’s desire, it’s the craving for control It’s politics It’s the way you’re force-fed knowledge slow with perception strings and subtle hints.

It’s ignoring it, dragging it, it’s supplying green It’s those with ambition and the intuition, it’s in my dreams.

It’s the snakes that I create, it’s the marijuana It’s the speed traps, stereotypes, It’s where I drift It’s my image, it’s dark rooms It’s gatherings, it’s cheap liquor, lines, It’s protesters with no money It’s horns, halos, government, it’s the unseen eye...

Carly McKenzie

Guest writer Summer Days

Wild flowers- busy bees rambunctious winds whistle on bye.

Slight pause.... to let out a sigh the leap through the trees.

blazing red, whats left of the sun, heats my soul.

These summer days are near an end, it’s time my love, my one true friend.

Now here lies the scars left from the coal Your soft sweet voice rings in my ears the bell has rung, like when children gather.

I loved you once, no would I rather.

My heart it tried but now it’s buried by our fears and tears.

Morning

Maverick Cook Guest writer Mellowing Muse If I’d leave it all behind I’d leave it all for you nothing left to me but lyres stringing through, though that might not get me very far I’m always adjacent to you, because you're my mellow, Mellowing Muse Heartplugs fill these walls there’s no getting through.

Silence has yet to capture me, sound will start to construe though there’s no meaning to it all it means something to you, because you’re my mellow, Mellowing Muse Troubles just disperse away erode into gentle hue, I let them escape me with waves bringing me to this state is consoling it’s not much without you, because you’re my mellow, Mellowing Muse

Emily Ross Guest writer Morning

“I think it’s hard to surprise yourself if you are writing it. If there are any surprises, it’s for the reader not the writer. I try not to have favorite parts because then I’m categorizing things that don’t need to be—the ideals of a pretentious writer, indeed.”

Let the Resonance ride out through the days, Let the stirrups lead the way hammering air on the anvil’s shattered glaze Sound navigates the mind’s maze.

not one more time will I stand in line and wait in front of the door I don’t understand they think it’s Disneyland and they all want more to me it’s hell until the ring of the bell then I run oh so free I just don’t see it I might as well be it but I can’t cuz that’s not me they all jump with love I don’t like what it’s made of and I want to go home out the window I gaze it’s all just a craze why can’t I just go to Rome and all of us we sit robust waiting patiently

“I was surprised that I was able to write a poem as fast as I did, but I like that I was able to write about whatever I wanted. It relates to a lot of people because it was about the morning so everybody has experienced it.”

The morning dew sprinkled across the grass, the sky like melting pastels, lilac and periwinkle.

The chirp of the morning dove, echoing through the placid and silent neighborhood.

The day emerging brightfiestyandfast The pine air fills the lungs, deep and slow.

The hissing exhale resulted in a rolling cloud.

Then remembering the fog, that was creeping over the frigid ground.

The clock’s hands reach out for me, and pull me back.

Stealing Time away.

Morning was a moment in passing, already growing into day.

Untitled

Derek Schrank

Guest writer in this bottomless pit going all crazy

“I didn’t really have to think about my poem, it just came out, but I stayed on topic well.

I used to think that poems had to rhyme but, I went outside of that and thought more into it.

That’s what I like most about it.”

Together like we are, sweet summer days.

And here lies Hope for more to come.

Like a prick of a thorn, shoved up my thumb.

When here is where the does’ shall play.

Mellowing Muse

Another night I ponder and wonder what I’m doing here the games I play I sit all day. aren’t I such a queer? inside these walls. go down the halls they ramble on and on I can’t think they shout I sink and now my mind is gone this last night I sit in fright working like a dog but in the morn I’m not forewarned feeling like a log and all of us we sit robust waiting patiently and here we sit in a bottomless pit going all crazy

while we sit

Summer Days

Scapegoat - Atmosphere

Photos: Courtesy of Timeless Image Layout: B. Lutes & S. Hutchison Graphic: A. Korson

“I started writing after I watched a really depressing movie and I figured I’d just write something related to the movie.

When I was finished writing it there was a line I wrote twice ‘Here I sit in a bottomless pit going crazy’ and the way I structured my poem I split it into two sides and the middle was supposed to be a bottomless pit. And I thought that was pretty cool.”

10 Literature

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

“The assignment was anything from a short story to a craft lesson prompt. Each story was workshopped--this means that a group of peers read the story and gave a critique. The author took the feedback, considered it all and then rewrote in whatever way they thought most appropriate. The final products were typically pretty amazing!” -Mrs. Woughter, Writers on Front Advisor “The Creative Writing students practiced in four different short fiction genres: drama, science fiction, fantasy and horror. The most fun part for me was seeing the kids surprise themselves—some kids who started out disliking, say, science fiction, ended up really liking it. I was delighted in how well the students rolled with me and how strong their writing was.” -Mrs. Yeomans, Creative Writing Teacher

Beneath the Sea

Macchinia “I had a friend that had an eating disorder so this was kind of my way of figuring out her psyche. Also, insecurities and perfection are concepts that are overused in society, because the level of perfection has been raised, so people are sacrificing humanity.”

“My inspiration was the beginning of an epic story when a character is rising up to be something they’ve never been. I really like the idea of the future, it’s something we can envision that is new.”

Lucas Nielsen Guest writer

Jami Chung Guest writer

Splash! Another bot shell, spoiled and empty, is dumped into the water. The disgusting thing is so organic, it actually floats. A thin stream of perfect biometal shines through the delicate skin of the newborn, a broken promise of beauty. What a waste. The chirurgo sighs, disappointed with his failure.

Ah well. Perfection is not without its challenges, as President Riruom once said.

The chirurgo wipes his perfect, silver hands clean of all organic residue before exiting the construction room. Though he has worked for seventy-two hours straight, he feels no fatigue. The strength of the biometal infused in his very blood makes him unstoppable, an inexhaustible force of technology. As he walks, his biolensed eyes analyze every minute detail of his surroundings. Organic particles left in the air by the failure float in the air. He holds his breath, repulsed by the idea of breathing in the particles of imperfection.

He makes his way through the shining metal halls of La Prima Fabbrica, the very first transfusion site. Designed by Giuseppe Riroum himself, La Fabbrica is considered one of the seven wonders of the New World. The building is a perfect replica of the ancient Greek parthenon, a confection of ninety-degree angles and straight lines.

Instead of earthly stone, however, La Fabbrica is made completely of stainless steel.

A stunning garden surrounds the massive exterior, the razor sharp flowers as beautiful as they are deadly. The chirurgo pauses at the entrance of La Fabbrica, his calculating mind

thoroughly appreciating the shining order of the garden. Row upon row of identical metal roses lie in the shade of dozens of trees.

Silver leaves glisten in the sunlight, absorbing the energy and sending it down into the heart of the mighty fortress that they guard so diligently. Though emotion is imperfection, the flawless garden almost takes his breath away.

You have wasted yet another shell. That is the fifth one this month. The smooth, emotionless voice of Elettra Riroum, granddaughter of Giuseppe and current leader of Macchinia, echoes in the chirurgo’s mind.

“The incoming shells are considerably weaker than they once were,” the chirurgo replies.

Though he cannot see her, he is certain that Elettra is watching him. He focuses on keeping his breathing even and his features devoid of all emotion. If there was ever a time to prove his inhumanity, it was now.

Failure is not tolerated in Macchinia. Surely, as head chirurgo, you know this. Now the chirurgo is worried. If he was still completely human, he is certain that cold sweat would be condensing on his forehead and on the small of his back. “‘Perfection is not without its challenges,’” he quotes weakly, sure of his imminent death.

You have just proved yourself a challenge.

There is no time to think, no time to beg forgiveness. A blinding flash of electricity pierces his metallic mind, and then everything goes dark.

Untitled “My inspiration was to write something short and simple that wasn’t overloaded with detail but also easy to understand. Usually I like to write continuous stories so the short stories in Yeomans’ class were a challenge for me.”

Joshua Stocking Guest writer

The cloaked figure held the smoldering hot iron within inches of the man pinned beneath; forcefully he applied more pressure to his knee upon the other man’s navel as he leaned in and snarled.

His voice a hiss, he flashed the iron before the eyes of the man beneath him. “Reveal to me where it isss,” he demanded.

Fear commingled with determination as the pinned man grunted in response to the knee pressed into his stomach. He eyed the smoldering iron warily.

“No,” the pinned man denied of his captor, his voice a mere dry croak. Then he spat defiantly, falling short of his mark and instead hitting the concrete floor beside them.

With a quick shake of his head the hooded figure replied to the stubbornness not with words, but instead with the press of his hot iron upon the flesh of the pinned man’s bare, unprotected belly. The burning of flesh could be smelt prominently by both men as it arose, its odor thick and foul.

“Yesss,” the cloak insisted; he dug the iron even deeper.

“Never!” was the victim’s cry of agony.

Tears welled freely and flowed unencumbered as he stared icily at the man above him. The captive said nothing further as he grimaced in pain.

Seeing that further effort would be fruitless, the captor stood from his kneeling position and glared down from above at the other man, who sighed ever so slightly as he was relieved of the pressure upon his navel.

“Then you shall be punished for your disobedience,” the captor reprimanded. “Fully.”

Without further ado, he reached within the refines of his cloak and withdrew a thin blade an arm’s length long. Clutching it firmly, he then held the blade high, suspended directly over the man beneath him.

Then, a pause. Tense silence.

The arm withholding the blade dropped so swiftly the final stroke was merely a flash of refracted light lazered across the small room.

The captive was never given the opportunity to even scream.

“This is USS Abraham, do you read us Howl commander? Sub USS Abraham to US military cruiser Howl, do you read?” There was no response, only the same persistent static on all their instruments. Captain Sonders lowered the radio in his hand. What is going on?, he thought.

“Lower the periscope! I need eyes on the surface,” Sonders commanded. The scope dropped and he took the viewfinder to his eyes. He looked through, turning the scope 360 degrees. What he saw was open seas, open water.

No sign of the ship.

The rest of the day passed without sight of friendly ships, though luckily they hadn’t encountered any enemy ships either. But strangest of all was they hadn’t reached land either, and they had been only miles from the nearest port when the sensors all went haywire. As it turned to night, Captain Sonders was through with the uneasy silence that had swept the crew.

“I need an officer outside straight away!

We need to find out where we are.”

Officer Charlie Atwell held the antique navigation equipment in hand as he climbed the ladder to the entrance hatch. Following in his father’s footsteps, he had become a naval scientist. He had acquired the trinket, which could navigate effortlessly by using the stars, from his mother after his father disappeared on one of his

explorations. It had been one his father used for years. His father had been a whimsical scientist with fantastic ideas for other dimensions and teleportation, but he also had a sane side to him.

He would be gone for weeks on end, experimenting in far-off lands on top-secret government missions. He was only five at the time but he remembered the last time he saw his father very clearly.

He had kissed Charlie’s mother goodbye and turned to walk out the door, when he stopped and crouched down to speak to Charlie.

It seemed like what he said was important, but it was very peculiar. He had said, “You won’t understand now Charlie, but one day, we will meet again. Somewhere far from here. In a dream.”

Opening the hatch, Charlie gazed outside, taking in the sight of a shimmering blue sea.

He looked into the night sky, seeing unfamiliar constellations and thinking about the strange statement from his father, which was beginning to make sense in his mind.

It seemed as bright as day, and so he looked to the moon. Just then he understood what his father had meant, as the light from the two moons shone down in the alien sky.

I’ll see you soon dad, he thought.

Dead Ends and Daring Dreams “My inspiration started out as a workshop idea. We had to create a setting in a way that enhances the character. I used a character that I used before. I wanted to explore her more and get to know who she is.”

Helen Groothuis Guest writer

The sunlight poured into Alex’s room, bathing it in the soft glow that tended to make her very sleepy after a long day at school. It had been a relatively uneventful day, save for the surprisingly tasty sweet potato fries that were served at lunch.

Other than that, she was left to lie on her bed, staring at her bedroom door, deep in thought. To the untrained eye, the empty white space might have evoked a sense of blandness. But to her, it meant something very different. It was a blank canvas, ready, like her video camera, to be filled with all sorts of shapes, colors, and patterns.

The camcorder currently sat upon her wooden desk, which was nestled in the corner of her small room. The memory card inside it was blank at the moment, untouched by the hands of creativity. It would soon be filled with footage of teenage girls sprinting about Alex’s back-yard, wielding cheaply-made swords, or an endless amount of students lip-synching along to the latest Aiden Masterson song. Even a few clips of her beautiful golden retriever may end up on it.

Alex had to admit to herself that none of these ideas were exactly brilliant. It was a start, though.

She hadn’t completed a project in ages. If there was a possibility for writer’s block in the realm of film-making, she was sure she had discovered it.

For now, she was left to ponder what she could do today while lying face-up on her queen-size bed. She seemed to sink deeper and deeper into its folds every night, so much that she sometimes felt as if it would swallow her whole. That would be an interesting movie, she thought to herself, The Girl Who was Swallowed by Her Own Bed.

As she brushed off the absurd notion, she glanced to her left and noticed the smiling face of Aiden Masterson staring back at her from a poster plastered on her wall. How rude of Morgan, she thought. Although Alex was more than aware of Aiden’s presense in the music industry, (and, to be fair, he did have

a great deal of talent) she much preferred the freeing sounds of Taylor Swift and the soulful chords of OneRepublic, to his teen-pop tunes.

Morgan, however, had taken it upon herself to convert her sister to Aiden’s style, and had begun placing not-so-subtle hints of him into Alex’s world. Last week a magazine clipping had made its way into Alex’s Trigonometry binder, leaving her with the intriguing knowledge that Aiden’s favorite food was tacos and that his top quality in a girl was nice eyes. Now that her own room had been invaded, Alex began to think that her sister was insane (though she wondered why she hadn’t thought of it sooner).

She sat up startled at the sound of a loud banging against her door before reluctantly answering it. After a short conversation with her mother concerning what would be served at dinner (Alex suggested spaghetti and meatballs), she shut the door as quickly as would be polite, anxious to regain her privacy. Interruptions like this were among the reasons that she wished that her door had a lock. Didn’t anyone understand that this was her solace? Her oasis? Her one chance to be truly alone? In here, she could be anyone she wanted to be. She could be a dutiful student, typing away at her AP essays (which were almost never completed until the night before they were due), or she could be an orphan on the hunt for revenge while rehearsing her new film ideas.

In her imagination, she could be a floundering failure or surprising success. Accepting an Oscar or a Razzie. Good or evil.

Yes, she could be anyone and anything she wanted in this room, so long as she had her imagination to guide her. Beneath all the pretending however, was the hope that she would someday leave the confines of this small space behind, pursuing the film industry fantasies that she dreamed about in her solitude.

Photos: Courtesy of Timeless Image Layout: A. Taphouse & Graphic: A. Korson

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012

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Dance policy continued from front page

China trip

continued from front page “I didn’t want to have to put out a press release, then pull it out, then put out another one,” Cousins said. “At the time I was overthinking the whole issue. It seemed easier at the time to do what I did.”

The International School at Bertha Vos is another result of TCAPS’ mission to globalize their educational offerings. The students at Bertha Vos range from preschool to fifth grade, and the classes are focused on Chinese language and culture. Currently, Bertha Vos has candidate status and is not yet an official IB school.

“So far our school has been extremely successful and very well received,” Bonne said. On Nov. 13, while on the trip, Bertha Vos became sister schools with Nanhu Dongyuan Primary School in Wangjing, Beijing, China. The partnership had been in the works for about two years,

before the International School at Bertha Vos even opened its doors. The two schools will communicate with technology, handwritten Chinese letters, and hopefully exchanges.

“The new partnership is going to be very positive,” Bonne said. “This is going to help our students better their learning experience about the Chinese language and culture.”

Bonne is positive that China will be an enriching and safe experience for exchange students.

“We never had a concern about sending the students to China,” Bonne said. “I lived in China for four years and it’s the safest place I’ve been.”

Vandermolen believes the China exchange will be a success for all. “Parents and students are glad that we are organizing more exchanges,” Vandermolen said, “so students can have more experiences to draw from by the time they leave school.”

ing chaperones. This presented a new dilemma: what will the future of dances be? In the wake of a failed Fallout, there have been talks about a “Throwback Dance,” with classical 80’s and 90’s pop jams, like Destiny’s Child and ‘N-Sync, and typical instructional dance songs, like Teach Me How to Dougie and Gangnam Style. However, as of press time, nothing has been scheduled.

“Dances are a huge part of Senate’s income,” Macdonell said. “We are sitting on a lot of money now, but more cancellations of dances will cut into that money. Starting a Throwback Dance with old-school music is a goal, and we are also trying to come up with other ways where kids will still have fun but follow administration’s rules. Dances will be as fun as students make them.”

West Senior High School Principal Joe Tibaldi adopted the same dance policy at West and he believes that it was a relatively smooth change.

“I talked to the students ahead of time so they knew what the expectations were,” Tibaldi said. “Grinding is just inappropriate. If it’s not acceptable on campus during school hours, then it shouldn’t be acceptable after school hours. My

11

students acknowledged that and the policy went over pretty well at Homecoming.”

At Central, many students disapprove of the new change. Most students believe that grinding is the only form of dancing and think that, without it, “dances” aren’t even worthy of the name. Some have even planned an alternative, off-campus dance, called “Stay Gold,” slated to be held Feb. 22 at the Park Place Hotel.

“I wanted to start the new dance because TCAPS is limiting us as students enjoying ourselves at school functions,” Brady Girard ‘13, Stay Gold dance organizer, said. “Dances are a key component in high school, and they should be held by the students, for the students.”

Stay Gold will be held beyond the jurisdiction of the school’s policy, so rules would not apply.

The dance would still require a Central ID, and all profits would be donated to a charity.

Vandermolen acknowledged that the new change is not popular with students.

“I absolutely get that,” Vandermolen said.

“No students are going to be supportive of this decision except those who were victims of the behavior, but I have been negligent as a principal for allowing this to go on for this long.”

12The Leek

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Dec. 18, 2012 real stories, real people

Cousins to rebuild TCAPS manually

Disclaimer: Nothing is true

News in brief Scott Hardin Leek Editor

Central gets fruity

A shirtless Steve Cousins seeks to repair schools and build auditorium with single mallet, driftwood, and student labor Scott Hardin & Forest Walters

Leek Editor & Editor in Residence

After Traverse City voters denied TCAPS a $100 million millage request, Superintendent Steve Cousins has adapted to realities on the ground. He’s moving forward in a different direction entirely. The denied millage request would have funded upgrades to several Traverse City elementary school buildings, as well as overhauled the decrepit Central High School auditorium. TCAPS senior administration has been forced to find a way to resolve the issues regarding necessary building maintenance.

After an in depth analysis of TCAPS building code policy, school board officials discovered a way around the lack of funding.

The yet to be uncovered policy outlines that “in times of emergency, the Superintendent may exercise executive power and employ independent parties to perform immediate repairs to academic infrastructure.” Shortly after the policy was discovered, Cousins stated that one said independent party would be none other than himself.

“Voting? Public opinion? Oh, no. We don’t have the time for that,” Cousins stated at a press conference with The Leek last Friday.

“Our students are all running in this global education race, so if the people of Traverse City won’t buy them the metaphorical running shoes they need, I’ll just have to make it so.”

Cousins intends to upgrade all TCAPS facilities that are in ramshackle state. During an emergency school board meeting Cousins set forth a motion to immediately alter K-12 curriculum. The new “real world curriculum” would enlist all TCAPS students to assist him in district-wide construction projects. Cousins said his recent trip to China inspired his newly formed plan.

“I did a lot of soul searching over there in the Orient, and I’ve realized this millage thing could be a teaching moment for our students,” Cousins said. “The way those Chinese manage their labor force is awe-inspiring.

There, millions move mountains. Here, we just need to remodel a few schools. Who better to do that than the students themselves?”

When further inquired by Leek reporters as to where Cousins would ascertain the financing and materials for his lofty project, he said hard labor hours will now be a graduation requirement.

Graphic: N. Mulvaine

Graphic: S. Hardin

Employing ancient eagle charming techniques learned during his recent China vacation, Cousins develops a new lumber delivery system. “I’ve learned to harness the powers of nature and Earth,” Cousins said. “I now have the tools to forge a new, glorious TCAPS in blood and iron, in spite of gods and men.”

“After witnessing the spectacular results of student led conferences last year, adding a little elbow grease will build character,” Cousins said. “For high school students, it sure takes care of their service projects. Everyone wins.”

The Leek pressed Cousins on specifics.

When asked about, say, lumber, he said that was no problem; elementary students could collect it.

“Elementary students will comb the beaches and scavenge for driftwood, lots and lots driftwood. Maybe work that east Peninsula shore. I see high schoolers going out there in car loads.”

Cousins has been sighted multiple times on top the leaking roof of Eastern Elementary, wearing his utility belt and hard hat.

“Preliminary construction is underway and we’re learning fractions too! There’s plenty of wood to be measured. How’s that for ‘realworld’ experience?”

Since lead pipes are a slight concern at Central Grade, Cousins took a field test along with Christy Vadeboncoueur’s chemistry class. There, the students conducted lead feasibility studies, while Cousins spent his time sealing asbestos in the band room’s ceiling.

“The PH of the water at Central Grade is off the charts. The kids in the Talented and Gifted program might be sterile, or something,” Onders Alsen said.

CHS’s auditorium is Cousins most ambitious project yet; details are pending. “We will be keeping most of our plans under wraps until the grand reveal,” Cousins said.

“We thought the use of theatrics would be appropriate.”

We at The Leek were dissatisfied with the lack of available information from Cousins, so we collected some architectural details from the loose lips of a certain chocolateloving secretary employed at Boardman. Apparently, the new hall is so big that in lieu of regular floor tiles, John Failor’s BC Calc class has designed a complex geometric pattern to be painted on the acoustically pleasing cork floors.

“With what we know about the Lebesgue integral for nonnegative simple functions and indefinite integrals, we think we can create a complex family of curves to perfectly sculpt a portrait of Mr. Tisdale’s face,” BC Calc student Haleb Ceimburger said.

The Leek will continue to follow this developing story.

Headlines from around the city Fallout reaches record attendance of forty chaperones, three students Area newspaper uncovers Chinese TCAPS conspiracy, hailed as national heroes

Global Perspectives The Leek’s sister publication The Onion recently named Kim Jung Un the “sexiest man alive” in a satirical article, but the Chinese media took this as a serious award and praised the supreme leader of North Korea. What do you think?

“Mhmm girl, you best believe I’m gonna get some of his Korean BBQ all up in my DMZ.”

Tina Larone Chiropractor

“Um excuse me? I think that award was supposed to go to. . . oh, I don’t know, me?!”

Louis Francis Glass blower “Ohhh, his face is square like rice patty and cheeks as prump as braby’s bottom! I wrould give all of my food rations to kriss his feet!! HUOOOOOOWWW!!!”

Tokyo Mitsubishi Formula one driver

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey sexy lady.”

PSY Horse jockey

Photos: Courtesy of Reuters

In keeping with Central’s move towards a more healthful lunch menu, the cafeteria will be serving only fruit cakes for the remainder of the holiday season. The move will cost the school no money, due to the recently acquired surplus of Hostess Fruit Cakes held by cafeteria manager Sally McMannus.

“I saw Hostess’ stock prices dropping. I was worried about supply, so I bought in bulk lots,” McMannus said.

“Best decision ever. The kids really love them.”

Some parents have raised concerns about the cakes, which have allegedly been filled with embalming fluid by disgruntled Hostess Baker’s Union members. However, former Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn insists that the seven recent student deaths attributed to fruit cake consumption are “negligible.”

Officials say that the fruit content of the holiday cakes is not what provides health benefits, but rather, their digestive properties. “Once kids get the cakes in their digestive tracts, they’ll never eat anything again,” McMannus said. “Freaking brilliant.”

New CHS charity

Graphic: S. Hardin

Working with Central’s National Honor Society chapter, Principal Dr. Rick Vandermolen and school secretaries have started a “Toys for Vandermolen” charity.

“I’ve always been really moved by the Toys for Tots drive around Christmas time,” Vandermolen said. “I decided I could really help the community by emulating that, but, you know, for me.”

To encourage participation, the school has made toy donations mandatory for all NHS members and increased the passing requirements of Civics to include a donation of at least $30 in value. Key Club is also collecting donations. To stem criticism, Vandermolen has claimed in an interview with Leek Editor, Ann Curry, that his charity will be goal-oriented.

“It’s tied to our advisory curriculum. I don’t want just any toy or people donating willy-nilly,” Vandermolen said. “If we want to get this done right, I need Megatron and the newest Easy Bake Oven. But if anyone gets me a red Power Ranger, oh, I swear to God, Ann, I swear to God.”

Rudolph under fire

Ask

The Leek Dear The Leek, I’m really worried about this Christmas.

I don’t have enough money to buy all of my friends presents, and everything my extended family ever gets me is really awful. I heard that some people regift but I don’t know how to do it without being obvious. Help!

From needsantashelper Sent via AIM Dear needsantashelper, Fret not. This holiday season millions of Americans will also be regifting all of the meaningful presents sent from loving grandparents, and you can join the fun! The most important thing is to get rid of the stale perfume associated with gifts that have been handled by some elderly relatives. Shower with your regift items to give them a more personal aroma. The next step is to use a wrapping paper more suited to your personal socioeconomic status. Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a present in a greasy Arby’s bag.

The Leek has spoken XOXO S&J

Graphic: S. Hardin

In an effort to increase revenues due to Michigan’s sluggish economy, the Department of Natural Resources has extended the hunting season to Dec. 31. Local hunters are competing for the most coveted buck of all, Rudolph.

“Who wants antlers when you can have a nose like that mounted above your fireplace?” guidance counselor Landee Budka said.

Hunters also seek Rudolph for his rarity.

“You only get one chance a year and when that bugger lands on your roof it’s time to play some reindeer games,” Budka said.

Animal’s rights activists have attacked Budka, claiming that her goals are immoral.

“She wants to kill Rudolph?” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said. “What?”

Budka, however, ardently defends the sport, citing it’s exhilarating risk factor.

“Christmas,” Budka said, “is the most dangerous game.”