The Occidentalist Vol 5 Issue 2 January
Watching over the West since 1997
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! Thanksgiving Traditions Playstation vs Xbox Super Mario 3D World
Winter Sports Student Voice Bully Prevention
02 The Occidentalist Contents
Table of Contents
Page 3
Page 5
Page 9
Page 15
1 Cover 2 Table of Contents 3 Boys Basketball 4 Student Voice
5 Thanksgiving 6 New Skaters 7 Holiday Files 8 This is Christmas
9 Holiday Media 10 PS3 vs. XBOX 11 Super Mario 12 Pop Punk/Ice
13 Skiing Students 14 Traditions 15 Anti-Bullying 16 Christmas
The Occidentalist Staff Julie Foote ‘15 is a student graphic designer and editor who has been working with the Occidentalist for the last 3 years. She previously worked on the staff of the newspaper at WMS. The first year with the Occi she was a freshmen and a full-time member of the class. The last 2 years she has been an extraordinary help as a volunteer. She is a writer, designer, editor, and all around “go to” person for Mrs. Wosek(adviser) and the other editors. Her incredible patience, creativity, focus, and helpful nature make working with Julie a pleasure for all of the staff. I want to say ‘thank you’ from myself and current/former staffers to her for all of her hardwork. -Mrs. Wosek (Adviser)
Cover Photo Credit: Alan Newton and Corbin Cutter
Skating in TC
Editors: Staff Writers:
Julie Foote NataliyaBakunets Alyssa Ohanesian Autumn Balamucki Tiana Smith Emily Beckwith Alyssa Bunker Business Coordinator: Chris Cortright Taylor Reese Patrick Elmgren Megan Eschelweck Adviser: Emilie Finkelberg Kerri Wosek Aubrey Hubler Delaney Johnson Lisa Lucido Contributors: DJ MacArthur Kaitlyn Jewell Aaron May Alan Newton Aleah Price Odyssey Yearbook Staff Allie Ranstadler Kaitlyn Shepherd Topanga Wagner Tyler Workman
Meaning
A Letter From An Editor Hi! I’m Tiana Smith, a junior here at West. I have been a part of journalism for five years now. I am both the editor in the yearbook and newspaper staff. This year I wanted to explore new ways of journalism by not only being a part of the Oddessy Yearbook staff, but a part of the Occidentalist staff. I thought by bringing my years of experience to both the yearbook and the newspaper, I could find new ways to get involved in each. I hope our readers enjoy the new and improved Occidentalist!
Sports The Occidentalist 03
BOYS BASKETBALL Alyssa Ohanesian Staff Writer Delaney Johnson Staff Writer
Alex Scott ’15 shooting a free throw during the first half of the game.
Kadison Sayer ’16 blocking a Varsity Central player.
Josh Roman ’16 during the JV basketball game, making a basket.
JV team colaborates during a mid-game timeout. All Photo Credit: Delaney Johnson and Alyssa Ohanesian
The boys Titan Basketball team has moved past tryouts and onto practicing for their upcoming games. Samuel Fyfe ’16 a player on the JV team said, “During tryouts we practice shooting drills, defense and we condition, both before and after school.” The tryouts for Varsity and JV teams this year were composed of stretching, conditioning, defense drills, ball handling, offensive drills, shooting and team bonding. Many of the boys have goals already in mind for the season ahead. Nicholas Brzezinski ’16 has been playing basketball for eleven years said, “My goals for this season are to win the BNC and to dunk during a game.” Kadison Sayer ’16, a Varsity power forward agrees with Brzezinski ’16, and also wants to win the Photo Credit: TC Rick State Championship game. Thiyo Lukusa ’16 a Varsity center player Sam Alexander ’16, a center, small said, “I want to win the BNC, win forward, and power forward on the the district championship game and JV team said, “Basketball is just a regional game.” really competitive and strategic. Fyfe ’16, who has played basket- What’s not to like? My goals for ball since kindergarten, plays any this season are to win, win, win.” position his coach puts him at that Roman ’14 and Alexander ’16 is, 2-3-4-5 (shooting guard, small both believe Central will be the forward, power forward, center). most exciting team to play, but the The boys on players are excited to the team all “My personal goals play all of their games, have their ’16, has been are to become a bet- Alexander favorite parts playing basketball since about play- ter basketball player. first grade, he said, ing basket“The energy is crazy at And help my team ball. Lukusa games verus Central. ’16 said, “It’s get better,” said Jacob The challenging part fun all the about playing basketball Cerny ’16 way around, is staying composed. It’s practice easy to become caught and games and everything about up in a mistake but the most imbasketball is fun.” portant play is the next.” Tristen Roman ’14, a Varsity The Freshman, JV, and Varforward and point guard said, “My sity teams played their first game favorite part about basketball is against Central and all three teams my teammates, they’re my best brought home a win. The basfriends.” ketball teams are moving quickly All JV and Varsity players have through their season and working individual goals, as well as goals hard as a team. Jacob Cerny ’16 made as a team. Many agreed who plays the center position on their goal was to be conference the Varsity team said, “Central champions and district champions. is always the biggest game of the
year, competing in the BNC is going to be awesome as well. We have already played some good teams this season like Marquette, and Petoskey and we are looking forward to playing Petoskey at home again.” All of the players have things that challenge them through their basketball season. Roman ’14 has been playing basketball since fourth grade said, “Basketball is a physical challenge and during practice my teammates challenge me.” Lukusa ’16 is challenged as well as many of the other players are while playing basketball, he is challenged by dealing with people on the court that he doesn’t like, he has been playing basketball for twelve years. Brzezinski ’16 a point guard on the JV team is challenged by pain while he playing basketball. Cerny ’16 has been playing basketball for seven years said, “What challenges me is getting low and making good post moves and making the lay up with contact. My favorite thing about basketball is the team comradery. We have a small group of guys and we’ve become a tight knit group of friends.”
04 The Occidentalist Student Life
Students Voice Their Opinions Tiana Smith Editor
A group of teachers and “Students who are conadministrators saw the need nected and actively engaged for a group like Student in their own education tend Voice. Stuto realize greater “Students who dent Voice academic success, was a group are more likely to atare connected of students tend school regularly who came graduate.” She and actively en- and together said. to “have a Topics were gaged in their direct say in directed by the the operaSummits, own education students. tion of their which were meetschool.” ings, were about istend to realize said Kristen sues throughout the Stuedemann. greater academic school that tie into Kristen was both their social life in charge of success.” and education. the program -Kristen Stuedemann “This type of who had ownership works to many goals in mind. further strengthen student’s Student Voice was a way connection to their school for students at West to have community.” Stuedemann a directl way to voice their said. opinion about any specific All grades of students were topic. involved. Since they had a
The Summits Left, Taylor Kehoe ‘15 states her opinion on one of the topics during a Summit meeting. Top right, Andrea Wilson ‘16 sits at the white board writing down the ideas. Bottom left, Megan Blanchard ‘16 voices her thoughts. Bottom right, Liam Kaiser ‘16 listens in as one of his fellow members states their opinon on the subject.
direct say, it connected with students to help improve the school’s community. “Student Voice was designed to intentionally create a means of communicating opinions on school issues for those who may not be actively involved in the decision making process.” Stuedemann said. At each meeting, topics changed from subject to subject. Depending on what the students had to say, that’s when they decided how to act and who they needed to pass the information along to. “We are not a projectbased group. We are a group that brings a diverse crosssection of our student body together to talk about issues at West and put forth their recommendations.” Stuedamann said.
The Leaders
Mrs. Stuedemann creates a conversation between her group during one of the Summit meetings in the library.
Joshua Heckroth‘14 listens to his fellow members as they talk about their opinons and ideas to help the school.
Ella Tutlis ‘14 looks over the ideas she has written on the white board to help with the discussions.
Mr. Cormier takes notes on what the students have to say. He was there to supervise the discussions.
Feature The Occidentalist 05
Thanksgiving Traditions Topanga Wagner Staff Writer
Many students and families have different traditions of things they do to celebrate Thanksgiving. It can be from hosting the party, or a get-together, to traveling across the state to visit family that you barely get to see. Jayla Walter ‘16 said, “I like Thanksgiving because I get to spend time with my family, and then my grandma and I normally go Black Friday shopping afterwards.” As everyone knows Black Friday is the day when all the stores have really cheap prices or they have great deals. There are now stores that start the deals Thanksgiving night. Many people camp out in front of the store they want to go to so they can get the best deals. There are times that people get very competitive or frustrated when you take something they want. Katie Crewes ‘17 said, “We watch football, and then take off our shoes, and run to the lake that we live on.” Michaela Ross ‘16 said, “We have a big bunch of people over to eat food and we talk about all of our grades and how we are doing in school.” People have different things that they do for holi-
days. Whether they are unique or just something normal like getting together with your family and eating a meal. Many families watch the football game that is on every year. A unique idea for next year that your family could try is have a blank tablecloth on which you have the whole family sign or write on it. Another idea is to have a bunch of different crafts going on, or have everyone say what they are thankful for, along with saying “why” you are thankful for those things. Michaela Ross ‘16 said, “I like Thanksgiving a lot because I get to spend time with my family that I don’t get to see very often and eat very good food.” There are many different reasons to like Thanksgiving. If it is the food you like or the being able to spend time with your family. Thanksgiving is a great time of year, because you get to think of all the reasons you are thankful for and eat delicious food. Or even getting to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. For many people the reason they like Thanksgiving is the start of Christmas. Thanksgiving is one of the few times
a year that people get to spend time with their family members, they don’t get to see very often. Another great reason to love Thanksgiving is the huge amount of leftovers. Macey Plamondon ‘15 said, “The traditions on my dad side started from my step-mom, so I don’t really know exactly how they started, but on my mom’s side my aunt had the most room so that is where we go.” Traditions start from many different ways. They could be generations upon generations old or they could have started last year. Traditions will be different wherever you go, traditions change depending on where you go. Jayla Walter ‘16 said, “ My favorite thing about Thanksgiving was spending time with my family, eating dessert, and going shopping afterwards.” Thanksgiving has come and gone. Even though it has been over for a few months we still vaguely remember the smell of the turkey cooking, the mashed potatoes and gravy, and everything else. Thanksgiving is a very memorable time.
Michaela Ross ‘16 enjoys Thanksgiving dinner.
Right - Photo Credits: Malleni Stock on Deviantart Layout: Topanga Wagner and Julie Foote
06 The Occidentalist Sports
New Freshman on the Ice Lisa Lucido Staff Writer
Photo Credit: Alan Newton
There is always a huge stereotype about a freshman being on varsity a sports team here at West Senior High. This season though Gavin Garmhausen ‘17 tried out for the West Senior High Varsity Hockey Team and proved he was good enough to be chosen. He had enough past experience to play with the upperclassmen on the varsity team. Garmhausen ‘17 said, “I started playing hockey at the age of four and my parents are the reason I started playing the sport”. Every year the hockey team has freshman on their team but this season Gavin was the only freshman to make the team. Garmhausen ‘17 said, “When I found out I was the only freshman and now the youngest player to play for West, “I was very
Titan team members block a goal.
excited.” He looks forward to having a good season and playing with all of the guys on the team. Sometimes the older guys or upperclassmen on a team can make fun of or mess around with their youngest player. Garmhausen ‘17 said, “ Yeah they do a lot of the time, but it doesn’t really bother me or affect my playing.” Garmhausen ‘17 grew up playing defense on a lot of travel teams and throughout the different travel leagues. Garmhausen ‘17 said, he was helped by a certain player on the team who has really made him feel comfortable. He has also helped him to fit in with the rest of the players, Jake Saxton ‘15 is that mentor. Saxton ‘15 said, “I like to make new players feel as comfortable as I can and
I also like to take them under my wing and help them out.” Saxton ‘15 said “Hearing Gavin say I was the person on the team who made him feel most comfortable made me feel like I was doing my job as a team Captain”. Garmhausen ‘17 hopes to give the team strength, he said, said “What I will be able to bring to this team is the ability to put up a strong defense against other teams”. After high school Garmhausen ‘17 hopes he will still be playing hockey, but he isn’t quite sure where he will play, or for what team he wants to play for.
Feature The Occidentalist 07
The Holiday Files The Traditions That Keep On Living
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Autumn Balamucki Staff Writer Whether it’s sitting on Santa’s lap or picking out a Christmas tree in freezing cold weather, the holiday traditions from your childhood bring a new light to the season. Traditions around the holidays often vary from family to family. They can involve eating dinner with your family, shopping for a Christmas tree or putting “reindeer food” on the roof. Some of these activities tend to change as time passes, but they always stay in our hearts. I interviewed various people and asked them what their traditions and childhood memories were around this time of the year and what their holiday traditions mean to them. “Ever since I was little I remember putting up Christmas trees,” said Alex Witkop ‘17. “We’d put nine carrots in the yard… so the reindeer would eat them.” Many people tend to stick to similar traditions around the holidays like putting up Christmas trees, baking cookies, eating with their family, Layout: Autumn Balamucki
and waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. For example, many people attend church on Christmas Eve. However, no matter how similar traditions can be, they all have their own touch to them that make them special to each family.
“We’d make reindeer food out of oatmeal and sprinkles and throw it on the roof,” said Tiara Knopek ‘15. Anna Morgan ‘17 said “We always decorate the week of Thanksgiving... and go to my grandma’s house to make cookies.” Santa Clause is a big part of many children’s lives. Memories from their
childhood of sitting on Santa’s lap or finding presents under the tree Christmas morning made Christmas something to look forward to. “I wish that I still believed in Santa Claus,” said Tiffany Cole ‘14. “It was [Christmas] more fun.”
Knopek ‘15 said, “Definitely the fake Santa bootprints.” was what she missed from her “Santa Days.” Santa was also the influence for many children to wake up early to see what he brought. Alyssa Harty ‘17 remembers waking up at 3:00 in the morning to open presents. Traditions have a different importance to different people,
especially when they are young. An annual tradition to a child is something to look forward to during the holiday season. Tiffany Cole ‘14 said that her family has an “elf” that puts a Santa hat on and passed out the gifts to people. Alyssa Harty said that she misses, “Having french toast in the morning.” and waking up her parents early in the morning so that she could open up presents from Santa. Many of the memories we have from our childhood, especially around the holidays, stick with us throughout the rest of our lives. Wesley Siderman ‘14 said, “I can remember the first board game I got.” Family traditions often begin generations before you were born, which can make it impossible to trace them back to an actual beginning, they were just always there. “My parents always had a tradition going already with their parents,” said Cole ‘14. Traditions are a big part of our society, and mean a
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Photos 1 and 2: Allie Ranstadler Photos 3, 4, and 5: Autumn Balamucki lot to the people that follow them. “They [traditions] are how we keep ourselves grounded,” said Harty ‘17, “It takes you back to childhood.” Siderman ‘14 said, “It helps me understand what Christmas is all about.” As a child, or even a teenager, it is harder to pinpoint those clearly defined moments from your childhood that really stand out. Ms. Brian, WSH math educator, remembers many of her holiday memories from when she was a kid. “My mom would make us all matching pajamas
to wear,” said Brian. She said another tradition that stood out was: “I had fourteen cousins on my dads’ side and we would draw names and do a ‘grab-thing.’” Brian also remembers her mom’s coffee cake that she still makes every Christmas and making spritz cookies and peanut butter balls. To this day, Brian still makes those same cookies with her children, which just goes to prove that some traditions can follow you and your family through generations.
“They are how we keep ourselves grounded,” said Harty ‘17
08 The Occidentalist Feature
This Is Christmas
Christmas is approaching quickly and it is time to figure out who is doing what. Maybe your family is taking a vacation to Florida, or you open your presents at a certain time on Christmas day. Many different families have different ways they celebrate Christmas. Traditions can be passed down for generations. Families can connect by celebrating Christmas in their own special way. For example Mr. Zenner spices up his Christmas by putting riddles around the house, to help his family find their presents. Common Christmas traditions include: having a Christmas feast with friends and family. Or maybe, you send Christmas cards every year to show your Christmas spirit. However, most traditions do include spending time with family. Family is undoubtedly the center of Christmas time. When we were younger, we all believed in the jolly old man named Santa. Santa was first introduced to America in 1773. Ever since it has been an American tradition to believe in Santa as a kid. Some countries believe in something similar, but not quite the same. “In Spain we don’t really have much Santa, we believe more in magic wizards.” said Carmen Toyas Sanchez ‘14 exchange student from Logroño, Spain. Christmas media is very popular around the holidays. The most popular Christmas movies include Love Actually, Elf, and Home Alone. “I love Christmas movies such as the movie Home alone.”
said Mrs. Studdeman (Biology Teacher.) Christmas songs are also very popular during Christmas season,“I like the song “All I want for Christmas is you” Opinions differ when it comes to “Traditional American” Christmas characteristics. We conducted a pole on what people love, verses what people hate during Christmas time. 88% of people interviewed said they loved Christmas time, while the other 13% percent do not. Some students are more into “Being happy” for the holidays and enjoying the time to celebrate with family. While others are not so ecstatic. There are a lot of people who really get into Christmas. Whether it is just decorating the inside of the house or blowing out the neighborhood with lights and decorations. “I love Christmas time because the lights are always pretty, and I’ve always liked snow. Christmas is just cheery and happy” said Elana Hastie ‘17. Then there are the people who just don’t
Pictured from left to right, Dru Hammer, Skyler Gunderson, Dominick Kennedy, Travis Keyes, Helen Sullivan, Kelsey Flaherty, and Brian Seward. Photo: Allie Ranstadler.
Allie Ranstadler Staff Writer Kelsey Flaherty Staff Writer
fit into Christmas, like Molly Bugai ‘17 “I don’t like Christmas because Santa is just really scary and I never spend Christmas with my family, plus the joy of Christmas is just unrealistic” But isn’t that a part of Christmas? Believing in things that are unrealistic? Things like Santa flying all around the world in one night. Sure it’s unrealistic, but that’s one tradition that will never go away. Some students had to think hard about what they want and some knew exactly what they want. While many want some sort of electronic device, people also want gifts that have a little more meaning, or something that would make them responsible. Elana Hastie ‘17 said “I want a cat for Christmas, although it’s probably not going to happen.” Christmas has a lot of unique and special characteristics. For example, what other time of the year do we put a tree in our house and expect presents? Or a time of the year when reindeer pull a large man around in a sleigh? Did you know in Germany Dec. 6th is Saint Nicolas Day? Or that they celebrate Christmas on our Christmas Eve? Well these things make up a holiday more spirited than the others. This is Christmas.
Photo: Allie Ranstadler Layout: Allie Ranstadler
Feature The Occidentalist 09
Favorite Holiday Media After surveying 20 students at West Senior High school,on their holiday movie and song the most popular of each was collected, Elf for the movie counting for half of the votes, and Jingle Bells for the song making up for a little less than half of the student vote. This year Mary J. Blige, Pentatonix, Leona Lewis, Jack Johnson, and ever growing popular Ariana Grande released Holiday albums or EPs. As Holiday movies go, classics generally are played endlessly during the winter season, seldom new seasonal movies are made, including this year, but the most recent holiday movie created was indeed the winner of our generation’s survey, Elf released in 2003.
Aleah Price Staff Writer
Leah Drake ‘16
Favorite Movie: Santa Claus Favorite Song: Jingle Bell Rock
Olivia Chappell ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Andrea Green ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Marie Savoie ‘16
Favorite Movie: The Polar Express Favorite Song: Silent Night
Calvin Walter ‘16
Favorite Movie: Die Hard Favorite Song: Silver Bells
Claire Bladek ‘16
Kadison Sayer ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Emily Bostwick ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Mistletoe
Maddy Zenner ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Rachel Meyer ‘14
Favorite Movie: A Christmas Story Favorite Song: Baby It’s Cold Outside
Brook Bostwick ‘16 Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Mistletoe
Holly Hinsenkamp ‘16 Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Rachel Ovalle ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Delaney Brandt ‘16
Favorite Movie: A Christmas Story Favorite Song: Winter Wonderland
Elise Goodell ‘14
Favorite Movie: 8 Crazy Nights Favorite Song: Death Metal Mix
Gwen Kuca ‘16
Favorite Movie: The Polar Express Favorite Song: Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Briana Annis ‘16
Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Cameron Bazner ‘16
Favorite Movie: Santa Claus Favorite Song: Winter Wonderland
Kaylee Camp ‘16 Jackie Kartsimas ‘16 Favorite Movie: Elf Favorite Song: Jingle Bells
Favorite Movie: A Christmas Story Favorite Song: Last Christmas Layout: Julie Foote
10 The Occidentalist Entertainment
Console Wars:The After Math
Taylor Reese Staff Writer D.J. MacArthur Staff Writer
The beginning of the new gaming generation has arrived. Console gaming has stepped up to the next level with both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 (PS4) but which will be better in the long run?. On the entertainment standpoint, the Xbox One has the PS4 beat, but gaming wise, it’s up for grabs. With the new consoles, came new controllers. While the consoles changed, the controller layout stayed the same, but some things were tweaked. The PS4 controlThe PS4 launched November 15th in the US, Playstation network (PSN) has changed with the new console. Before now gamers could play with others for free, but to play with others now gamers need playstation plus. “I really don’t care because I pay for the Playstation Plus anyways and I’m used to paying $60 a year for Xbox Gold.” said Aaron Wiley ‘15. “Also Playstation Plus has better deals.” During the Playstation 3’s (PS3) life playstation plus was something that could be bought as a membership, it gave out free games to members. The games it gave could be sixty dollar games or it could be games that you have never heard of. It also gave early access to some of the games. While the PS4 is required to play online, it also still has all the features that the playstation plus had on
Layout: D.J. MacArthur
ler now has concave joysticks instead of rounded ones, along with a microphone, a touchscreen, a LED bar, the standard 3.5mm headset jack, and a share button. The headset jack on the PS4 controllers let gamers plug in almost any type of headphones into the controller. The LED bar on the controller can change to show what player you are. For example, if the controller is player one then it has a blue bar, player two has a red one. The LED bar also changes patterns during gameplay
the PS3. On launch, the console has a code that gives people thirty days free, and two free games were given to players. The games were Contrast, a game dealing with manipulating shadows, and Resogun, a game where you fly a ship and try to save people while fighting off waves of enemies. The share button is something new to the PS4. It allows players to record parts of what they are playing, before giving the player the option to post the video
on multiple sites or keep it in the players library. “I am personally a Playstation fan, so I like the PS4 more, the Xbox One was terrible at first, but I will admit that they fixed some of their problems,” said Chelsey Rogers ‘15. It is up to gamers to decide which one of the new consoles will be better for gaming in the long run but for now, if you want to get one, it is all personal preference.
to provide useful information to gamers, such as when a character is critically low on health or has taken massive damage. The PS4 controllers give rechargeable batteries. While there are Xbox One rechargeable batteries out there, the Xbox One Play & Charge Kit is the one that is recommended by the Xbox support website and it is sold separately from the machine. The Xbox one has dual shock triggers.
“The graphics are good, they always had good graphics on playstation,” said Ryan Patterson ‘15. “But, Xbox normally has better online gameplay.” The Xbox One launched worldwide November 22nd, The new system has allows a feature in which you can share gameplay footage with friends called Upload, it always you to record the past 5 minutes of gameplay. The Xbox one also brings the TV to your voice control.
the Xbox One brings an input and output for those who have an HDMI cable hookup. The Xbox One has a few major games released when it was launched including Zoo Tycoon, Deadrising 3, and Forza Sports but a game that releases just before christmas day is Halo: Spartan Assault. if you love sci fi games you’ll love this or just enjoyed the halo series it makes for a good side story from Master Chief.
Entertainment The Occidentalist 11
Tyler Workman Staff Writer
Super Mario 3D world is a action platformer masterpiece. The game does so many things right for the franchise while eliminating problems from New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D land. The Mario Bros new masterpiece is a great experience for gamers to enjoy. Super Mario 3D world actually does something different: princess peach isn’t kidnapped! The story starts off with Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach are walking in the fields outside her castle when they come across a strange, seethrough warp pipe. The mario bros proceed to fix the pipe, and when finished, a strange creature called a sprixie pops out and greets it’s saviors. Out of nowhere, Bowser appears and kidnaps the sprixie and goes into the pipe. Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach jump into the warp pipe and enter the sprixie kingdom. Compared to New Super Mario Bros U, Super Mario 3D world
Why are they wearing cat suits? looks incredible. The game has a shiny polish that makes it look like a brand new car. This shine also helps to add more atmosphere to environments, adding better lighting and clarity. The game also has weather affects to help with the mood of each level. The gameplay mirrors that of the 3DS launch title “Super Mario 3D land”. While not much has changed from the 3D land formula (Besides 4 player multiplayer in a 3D mario game. About time), the game introduces to us two new power ups: The bell and cherries. The bell powerup turns Mario and friends into cats, allowing them to run faster, arm themselves with a claw swipe maneuver, and gives them the ability to do parkour similar to that of another Wii U title that isn’t doing so well (*Cough* Sonic Lost World *Cough*). The cherries allow Mario and friends to make duplicates of themselves, allowing them to deal with more enemies at a faster rate and solve certain
puzzles that could contain lives, coins, or stickers. Other power ups from previous games return as well, such as the fire flower, star, boomerang flower, and of course, the mushroom. If you’re wondering about the stickers I mentioned earlier… They’re only used as stickers you can put on notes in Miiverse. Whoo. Super Mario 3D world is a well crafted game that shows more of the Wii U’s potential as an 8th generation console. The new power ups are fun to use, the environments are breathtaking, the music is outstanding, and the gameplay improves upon what was already established in 3D land. With the game being near flawless, it’s definitely not a game to be missed.
Layout: Julie Foote
12 The Occidentalist Student Life
Ice Skating in Northern Michigan Aubrey Hubler Staff Writer Emilie Finkelberg Staff Writer Ice Skating has become popular winter activity among teens at West Senior High in the past few years. Many kids around the school shared their experiences going ice skating with the Occidentalist. Kelsey Williams ‘14 said, “I have gone before, it’s ok but I’ve only gone a couple of times with my sister.” Ice skating isn’t just for girls though, Chad Kendziorski ‘14 said, “I have also have gone before and I thinks it’s pretty cool.” He’s only gone twice by himself. Even Big ol’ Steve Robideau ‘14 ice skates. He said it’s fun and good practice for hockey, even though he doesn’t play hockey for West. There are a few places to go around Traverse City. Howe Arena at the Civic Center have open skate every weekend, along with Centre Ice, F&M Park, and there is a small outdoor rink by Thirlby Field on 14th Street. Most of those arenas have a booth where you can rent skates, but if you don’t want to rent, or plan on going a lot where do you go? There are quite a few stores in Traverse City that you can go to buy skates. The first place to go if you want good quality, used ice skates, (at cheaper prices) would be Play it Again Sports. If you are just looking for something to buy that is about the same cost as renting them at a rink, you can always try the Goodwill or even Salvation Army. MC Sports or Dunhams are a good place to get brand new ones at a reasonable price. Figure skates and hockey skates are very different. According to my online source (www.figureskating.about.com) “A figure skating blade has toe picks at the top and is usually longer and heavier than a hockey blade. Also, figure skate boots are usually made out of leather and are much more expensive than hockey skate boots. Most of the time, a figure skate blade is separately mounted onto a figure skate boot, but hockey skate blades are generally riveted directly onto the hockey boot’s base. Hockey skate boots are usually much more comfortable than figure skate boots. The toe picks on figure skate boots make it possible to jump and spin. The short light blade on hockey skates help players with speed and quick stops.”
December 6th, 2013 Studio Anatomy Show Patrick Elmgren Staff Writer
The warming hut at the Ice Rink
Designs Band Members
The Ice Rink
Lots of students at TC west are totally oblivious to the growing music scene in Traverse City and Kalkaska. Maybe once every one or two months, 3 or 4 local pop punk bands play a show for around 30 or so teenage kids in local venues. The last smaller show was on Friday, December 6th at Studio Anatomy. The bands that played were Arbiter, Designs, Midwest Skies, Woodbridge, and Costellar. The first band that played was Arbiter, a djent (a progressive metal-type genre) band from Saginaw. They had loads of energy, and it was a great way to start off the night. There was a mosh pit with 6 or 7 kids throughout the entire set that started almost right away. This was the set with the most movement from the crowd and it was a great set. The other heavy band that played was Designs, a post-hardcore band from Grand Rapids. They have elements of dubstep in their music too, which made it a very fun set. There were three pop punk bands who also played. The first one was Midwest Skies!, a three-member band from Grand Rapids. “Midwest Skies! was my favorite band that played the show. I love their energy and resemblance to Blink 182” said Zach Witkop ‘15 here at West. The second band who played was Woodbridge from Saginaw. They played an extremely energetic and upbeat set. The last band of the night that played was Costellar a local pop punk band, and it was their last show together as a band. They will continue playing shows however, under the name Friday Night Hero. If you would like to start attending shows, the next local show will be in Kalkaska at The Kaliseum on Friday, February 7th. Doors are at 5:30 P.M. and the show starts at 6:30. The bands that are playing are Ghost Key, Conquerors, Tall Tales, Amoura, Memories of a Murder, and Designs. It is an all ages show and tickets are $10.
Midwest Skies Band Members
Sports The Occidentalist 13
Winter Activities keep West Students Moving Kaitlyn Shepherd Staff Writer This winter you will find many West Senior High School students hitting the slopes all over Traverse City. Skiing and snowboarding are hugely popular activities during the winter season. Some students do it for competition, some do it for the thrill of it, and some do it just to have fun. The different types of tricks and maneuvers that these students can do are not only entertaining, but often quite amazing. Competitions, as well as activities involving skiing and snowboarding take place at different resorts and lodges throughout the winter season. Some of the more popular places to hit the slopes are Crystal Mountain, Hickory Hills, Mount Holiday, as well as Boyne Mountain or Boyne Highlands. Jackie Kartsimas ‘16 said, “Hickory is my favorite place to snowboard, although Crystal is a pretty sweet place to snowboard as well.” Nicole Cheever ‘16 said, “Crystal is by far my favorite place to ski.” Many West students are part of the ski team, but more than a few also enjoy doing these activities outside of school. Abigail Lafferty ‘14 said, “I ski just for fun and my favorite place to ski would be Boyne.”
Snowboarding and skiing are a lifestyle to many students at West, a lot of them hope to make a career of it one day. Videos, clips, and pictures are taken daily of the students snowboarding and skiing by eachother, then they are edited. and often followed by posting the best on the internet. Paige Elzinga ‘14 said, “I ski, but I can’t do many tricks, but I can go over some jumps that are made at Hickory.” Taylor Guy ‘14 said, “I ski and I can do a few tricks, I can do rails and backflip off of the jumps. I do it for fun, I go a few times a week at Crystal.” Matt Orwig ‘15 said, “I snowboard at Crystal and Holiday. I snowboard for fun and can do a few tricks.” A lot of students choose to take part in winter sports due to lack of other opportunities and activities during the winter. Students use this as a way to exercise, most said they like to be able to get out of the house while doing something that they enjoy. We all have certain things that we love to do during the winter time, it just depends on the person. Snowboarding and skiing just so happen to be the most popular things to do during winter. Many people would be surprised as to how amazing some of the student are at these winter “activities.”
Corbin Cutter, Branson Sowers, and friends out on the slopes
Photo Credit: Corbin Cutter, Branson Sowers, Scotty Wethy
14 The Occidentalist Feature
Christmas Around the World Nataliya Bakunets Staff Writer
“Christmas is a time when you get homesick even when you’re home,” said Carol Nelson a well known Colora artist. It’s a time of the year when we get to simply enjoy ourselves. We receive presents, candy, and cookies. We decorate the house and buy a tree. For Christmas we all try to make it special. This year we have lots of exchange students attending West Senior High School. It’s a cool experience because we get to learn a lot from people who have a different lifestyle than we have. Yousun Ock ‘14 is from from South Korea. “During Christmas I get together with my parents and family and celebrate Christmas,” said Yousun. “We also open presents just like you do here. Two days before Christmas the teachers have an event where they dress up like Santa Claus and give presents to the little kids.” Yousun said, “ Thanksgiving for us is a three day holiday. The first day we cook all the food. For Thanksgiving me and my family get together with our relatives and we sit outside and eat. The Thanksgiving I spent in America didn’t even feel like Thanksgiving to me because of the differences we have.” Their food for Thanksgiving is different than our food. They have rice, soup, bread, and sweet potatoes. “My favorite food for Thanksgiving here was the turkey. I also liked that there was a lot of food to eat,” she said. Have you ever been to Thailand? Variya Manachindanont is from Thailand. “I celebrate Christmas the same as you guys celebrate Christmas, but there is not as much snow there,” said Variya. Other countries don’t have Thanksgiving like America does. “Having lots of food during
Thanksgiving was my favorite,” said Variya. Who doesn’t like that part? Delia Lin is from China. China also has different traditions from American celebration traditions. They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. “My favorite part was the food and the cherry pie from Thanksgiving,” said Delia. One of their big traditions is New Year’s Day. “We have to stay up until 12 o’clock on that day,” said Delia. They get two months off of school. Parents receive one month off from work, but if a parent works in a store they get half month off work. “At 12 o’clock we launch fireworks,” she said. Their educational system is very interesting. They have 60 hours of school in one week, and sometimes they go on Sunday afternoon. They also have 16 subjects to study-that’s intense! Germany is an interesting Country, don’t you think? Elena Bardjesteh is a senior. “We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving,” said Elena. “When I spent it here I enjoyed how the whole family came together and I liked the food,” said Elena. They celebrate Christmas in the evening of December 24th. They open presents and celebrate the same as we do in America. They usually have less snow in Germany, than we have in Traverse City. In America we celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving. Clearly not everyone celebrates the same as us. We can see the differences and the similarities between them. Christmas is coming and there is one question everyone must consider. What do you want for Christmas?
“During Christmas day I have dinner in my Grandmas house.We do some Christmas games and we dance. Christmas is a two day holiday for me its the 24th and the 25th. - Santiago Alvarez-Cordove, from Equador
Photo Credit: Chris Cortright
“We don’t have Sanata Claus. We have three wizards that come on the 6th of January and give us presents. I meet with my family and have dinner with them. - Carmen Toyas, From Spain
“It’s pretty much the same way you guys celebrate Christmas. We don’t have Thanksgiving. During Christmas we go hang out, watch Christmas movies. Mostly its about reading stories, drinking milk, and eating cookies. I go to church for about one hour on Christmas day. We also have Santa Claus. We don’t have a white Christmas; meaning we don’t have snow on Christmas.” - Nathalia Montenegro, From Brazil
Layout: Julie Foote
Photo Credit: Allie Ranstadler
Education The Occidentalist 15
Anti-Bullying Emily Beckwith Staff Writer Anti-bullying has become a big issue in high school this year. Our school is required to take bullying courses during advisory. People have different opinions on whether or not the bullying course is necessary for our school. Preventing bullying has become a big issue in many schools across the country. West and TCAPS has taken notice and is acting on it right away. In advisory we discuss how bullying can affect a person’s life dramatically. Bullying can cause a person to melt down and feel alone. West High School wants to put a stop to it and by doing so we have to talk about bullying every other day in advisory. Lauren Kloosterman 15’ thinks the bullying courses are helpful, but that the school is blowing bullying out of proportion. “I think that it will make an impact, but it will never stop bullying completely” said Lauren. Lauren has never been
bullied before and has never witnessed someone being bullied “I never see it happen”. Lauren said that she doesn't think that bullying at West is a huge problem and that we shouldn't have to learn about bullying every week. “We should only have to do it at the end of advisory, like the last 15 minutes instead of the whole class period”. Alayna Anderson 15’ thinks that taking the bullying course is pointless. “It will never stop, bullying will always happen”, said Alayna. Alayna said she had been bullied all through elementary school. “I don't think bullying is bad at West, I never really see it happen”, said Alayna. “I dont think its necessary to take away our advisory time, No one really cares”. Tim Brownell 14’ doesn't mind having bullying incor-
porated in school. “I think it will help out”, said Tim. He has never been bullied at West and doesn't believe that it is a big problem. “I have never seen anyone being bullied at school”, said Tim. When asked if he thought it was necessary to take away our advisory time and use it for anti-bullying he said “No because, there isn't really much bullying that takes place at West”. Bullying has had a big effect on a lot of people. It seems to affect some more than others. Most people at West aren't fond of the way these courses are being pushed on us, but feel that it will help in the long run. People think that the course will make an impact but, most agree that there is no way to stop a bully completely.
Bullying
16 The Occidentalist Feature
What Christmas Means to Me...
“Hope,” Brandon Clayton “Baking cookies at my Grandma’s house.” -Rachel Nickerson
“Being a mom during Christmas makes it a lot more fun. I love to see how happy my children get.” -Mrs. Sheeran
Megan Eschelweck Staff Writer
“Spreading cheer.” -Mr. Brazaski “Coming together with my family. We always have a big brunch on Christmas day.” -Leah Drake
“Having a break from reality.” -Thiyo Lukusa
“Jesus’s birthday and celebrating our Savior.” -Officer McKinley “Spending time with people you haven’t seen in a while.” -Austin Cochrane
“Laughter, family, adoring memories, and traditions. For my family and I Christmas is the joy and happiness of being together.” -Taylor Pauli
“Special movies, baking Christmas cookies, and caroling. My children also buy toys for the needy.” -Mrs. Brunan
“Celebrating my faith with my family and my friends.” -Mrs. Dakoske
“Jesus, snow, and the heart of the holiday.” -Jack Stebener “The happiest time of the year, going to church with my family, and spending wonderful days together.” -Mr. Kolbusz
“The birth of Christ and celebrating the traditional ways.” -Mr. Esper