The Communicator: Volume 26, Volume 3 by The Communicator

Community High december 20, 2011 Volume 28 â&#x20AC;˘ Edition 3

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tis the season 16 susette retires 5 chs health class 6 tattoos 12

letter from the editors Dear Community,

Wishing you a happy holiday,

Jordan Siden, Kerry Fingerle, Julia Kortberg, Mari Cohen

the communicator staff Mari Cohen Kerry Fingerle Julia Kortberg Jordan Siden

Art Director Colleen O’Brien

Photo Director Cooper DePriest

Constants Editor Eli Sugerman

A&E Editor Erez Levin

Sports Editor Zach Shaw

Production Coordinator Julia DeVarti

Staff Stephen Chang Ruthie Graff Hannah King Abby Kleinheksel Clare Lauer Casey MacDonald James Mackin Adam Mannheim Nick Margolis Sacha MoravyPenchansky Brienne O’Donnell Leon Pescador Nate Porter Gabriela Rosales Ryan Shea

Jeremy Simon Charlotte Steele Eliza Stein Katie Taub Gabby Thompson Lukas Trierweiler Margaret WhittierFerguson

Adviser Tracy Rosewarne

jordan siden photo

Earlier this fall, the Michigan Senate passed a law to work against bullying in schools across the state. However, the bill contained language that completely inhibited and contradicted its purpose: it stated that bullying for a “religious or moral” purpose would not be punishable. This bill directly relates to us as high school students. Therefore, we want to remind the student body that the Senators’ view on this matter is wrong. There is never, ever an excuse for bullying. There is never an excuse for making someone feel alone and unwanted. There is never an excuse for making someone feel like life is not worth living. The fact that “moral conviction” could even be considered as an excuse for bullying is a contradiction in itself. Being moral means doing the right thing, but bullying is never the right thing. No matter how bad of a day you are having, choosing to bully someone else is never the right decision. Luckily, the House edited the bill, and it was passed without the “religious and moral” exception. And luckily, our school keeps the values of tolerance and respect close to its heart. But it is still beneficial to take a moment and remember the damage that bullying can cause, and the fact that there is never a justification for bullying.

Editors-In-Chief

TOC

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER: HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 300 words: jess maronen 3 The world through the eyes of Community High School senior Jess Maronen.

welcome back 10 Community High School alumni return to CHS to share their experiences with life beyond high school.

best of both worlds 4 Community High School students enhance their high school education by taking college classes at U of M.

inked 12 Community High School students, staff and parents talk about tattoos.

Susette JAcquette retires 5 Long time Community High School teacher and CR coordinator Susette Jaquette retires, leaving behind a legacy.

is that you, santa? 14 An examination of mall Santas and how America has commercialized the holidays.

the wheel of fortune 6 An in-depth look at Community High School’s health program through the eyes of Robbie Stapleton.

a gift for the community 15 One hundred Community students and faculty members answer the question, “What do you want for the holidays?”.

take notice 8 Local homeless citizens have found a unique community at Camp Take Notice.

ann arbor coffee 18 Communicator staff reviews six of Ann Arbor’s coffee shops.

detour 9 Construction on the East Stadium Bridge affects many students’ commutes.

passing on the midnight sun 19 Over the past four years, the Community High School yearbook has seen four different advisers.

A&E 20

sports 24

Cover Art Colleen O’Brien

Back Cover Illustration James Mackin

Opinion 26 02

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columns 28

shorts 29

how we get it done 128 CHS Students weigh in on when they complete an essay nick margolis illustration james mackin

essay assigned MONDAY

first weekend

2 TUESDAY

3 WEDNESDAY

thinking you work best under pressure is the first sign of a procrastinator procrastination is a coping mechanism for anxiety

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

11.7%

15 22

weekend before

19 26

due date

twelve hours before due

30.4%

42.4%

16 17

SUNDAY

midway

procrastats 20% of the world’s population admits to procrastinating

9.3%

late...

6.2%

300 words: profile of jess maronen

C julia kortberg photo cooper depriest

One day, ten years ago, she fumbled with the eye patch she had used to play pirates with her brothers. When she had both eyes open, the world looked the same. But when she covered one of them, she realized it was different. Now at age 17, CHS senior Jess Maronen still sees this way. Her right eye sees details. The lines are sharp and clear. Drawing architecture is a simple task. But the colors are muted. Not black and white, but pastel

shades. Lines are blurry in her left eye. She can’t see the outline of buildings, windows or walls. Words on pages are unclear. But her left eye adjusts quickly to light and sees colors very vividly. So vividly, that in the pitch dark she sees the green sofa and brown table in the room. “I feel like a superhero saying night vision,” she laughs. Since kindergarten, she’s known that

she wanted to become an artist and a writer. Her passion is Japanese manga comic books. Hundreds of them cover the walls of her room. “Everybody has a certain place they want to go and it’s almost rooted inside you,” she says. She dreams of visiting Japan. She wants to draw from experience. Her future plans include attending art school, learning the ropes as a comic book designer and ultimately, publish-

ing her own manga novel. She doesn’t care if it doesn’t sell and if it’s not popular. She just wants one to call her own. She is thankful for her perspectiveespecially on sunny days. Because while everyone else squints their eyes as the sun glares at them, Jess Maronen closes only her right, because the sun’s glare doesn’t bother her left. C

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best of both worlds chs students enhance their education by taking classes at the university of michigan charlotte steele illustration & photo charlotte steele

the university of michigan is ranked as one of the top five public universities in the nation.

ommunity High School immediately distinguishes itself from other high schools by granting its students freedom to take responsibility for themselves and learn independently. These standards are characterized by CHS’s emphasis on using our Community Resource (CR) department, which allows students to use the local community as a classroom, fortifying their education with a broad range of guidance experience. John Boshoven, CHS counselor, shared the counseling office’s advice to students searching for an alternative class adventure. “We encourage using CRs for all the obvious reasons,” Boshoven said. “We recommend [that] students take classes at a variety of places — U of M, EMU, WCC, PHS, HHS, Notre Dame, Oxford, wherever!” When CHS doesn’t offer a class, the counselors often recommend that the student consider U of M to fulfill their needs. Every semester, about 15 CHS students, mainly seniors and second

semester juniors, take advantage of the university’s close proximity and academic reputation. CHS sophomore Graham Gerdes began taking classes at the University of Michigan during his freshman year for exposure to new classes unavailable at CHS, including musicology and philosophy. He is currently in an advanced Latin translation class. “Students that [take U of M classes] have a real interest in a subject and are often beyond our level here. They might take an introductory CR here and then continue at U of M,” said Danelle Mosher, one of CHS’s CR monitors. “We have many students taking upper-level Spanish and other world languages, and certain honorslevel math classes.” A quality of CHS appreciated by students is its ease of communicating with teachers and its intimate environment. However, at U of M, you can quickly lose the advantage of a small class size and close interaction with classmates and teachers. “Musicology was a lecture-based class with about 140 students. Philosophy was too, and had about 100 students,” explained Gerdes. Despite a potentially overwhelming number of classmates,

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Gerdes has still been able to form bonds with some of the students at U of M. “The more classes I’ve been taking, the more accepted I feel,” Gerdes said. “I’ll say, ‘I had Multi-Culti at my school today,’ and then they’ll remember, ‘Oh right, you’re in high school.’ They do forget,” he said. “I’ve made friends — we’ll talk in the halls before class and go places after class. They respect me.” Because students are often referred to U of M to take specific classes, they should be aware of the differences between the two institutions, which contrast in terms of workload and time commitment expectation. “It’s a lot harder [at U of M] to get an A — only the top ten percent of the class gets an A,” explained Gerdes. “You really have to study for exams. I don’t study much for tests [at CHS],” he admitted. “But the entire semester [at U of M] is preparation for exams,” Boshoven weighed in on the influence of having college experience while in high school when applying to a potential college. “Success in the college-level class will provide reassurance to an admissions office that the student is capable,” Boshoven said. “If a student has already proved this, colleges are more reassured.”

Both Gerdes and Boshoven agree that the pursuit of a college class is a worthwhile venture, whether or not it’s the only means of taking the class. “It’s more work, so one should be prepared to handle that,” said Gerdes. “I’d say it’s a reasonable solution even if Community does offer a class in the subject area; you’ll get a more rigorous class.” Mosher added, “Many students often take a U of M class first semester and choose not to be a part of the experience second semester. Those who take social studies classes usually only take one semester, but usually [continue] for a language,” she said. “I think it depends on what their goal is,” she said. Boshoven and Mosher shared that students who have taken college classes often are pleased with their experience and are thrilled that they are able to to college-level work. “Most [students] feel very challenged and do very well. Professors say that they are some of the best students in the class,” said Mosher. “They are very motivated, and are out to prove something.” Boshoven noticed similar reactions from students. “They work harder than in the typical high school class. Discussion classes are enjoyable and students find their confidence levels rise significantly,” said Boshoven. “Confidence, rigor, and courage are all appreciated by colleges.” C

leaving her mark cr and online coordinator susette jaquette retires and leaves behind a legacy eli sugerman cooper depriest photo

n Dec. 31, 2011, Community High School will lose a long-time behindthe-scenes catalyst for our students’ success. Susette Jaquette has announced her retirement from the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Susette Jaquette started working in the Options Program and as an online coordinator in 1990. Prior to that, Jaquette worked as a math teacher at Huron High School starting in 1980, and then transferred to teach math at CHS for the 1989-1990 school year. After taking a year off from teaching to work on a cooperative project with the University of Michigan focusing on how schools function, she returned and resumed teaching math until 1996. At that point, Jaquette moved to teach math at the “New School Pilot Program,” a school with an “interdisciplinary project-based curriculum” and “about 100 students”. Jaqette was housed in the current Ann Arbor Technical High School building for four years. When the program was shut down, she returned once more to CHS in order to become a Community Resource (CR) coordinator. On a day-to-day basis, Jaquette accomplishes her many duties in the Options and online programs. “When students want to take more than two non-traditional classes, we have to do some special accounting...any student can take one or two CR or online

classes, which are the non-traditional ones, but as soon as a student goes over that, we have to use what is called our ‘Seat-time waiver’, which allows us to still receive funding for our students. If we don’t have a seat-time waiver, we don’t get the funding for the students,” explained Jaquette of the Options Program. There are about 24 Options students this semester which Jaquette manages. After her youngest son graduated from high school last year, Jaquette began to re-evaluate her future. “I kind

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[you] can’t go into any Ann Arbor school buildings for 30 days,” explained Jaquette. “So, if I retired at the end of the semester, that means I couldn’t come in until the first of March. But by doing it this way, if people need me to help a little at the beginning of the semester I could set foot in the building.” Over the years, Jaquette has certainly left her mark on CHS. Jaquette feels that the greatest effect she has had on CHS has been through her aide in the online classes program, because “the

This is the most awesome school in the world, you can’t say it any other way.

of always wanted to try my hand in consulting, to be helping districts do some of the cool things that we do here,” explained Jaquette of the force behind her future plans. “I started to talk to people [and I realized that] there appears to be a need out there for [consultants], so if I wanted to go do that, now is the time... I’m just trying to jump on this opportunity that is out there right now for me to be able to do it.” Jaquette’s retirement date, nearly a month before the semester’s completion is quite rare. “When you retire,

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growth has been so substantial,” she explained. “We have the technology now to individualize instruction for students in math and I think we should be allowing students to do that.” In a span of 10 years, Jaquette has expanded the program from four students, taking online AP classes, the first semester online classes were offered, to over 800 students enrolled in them across the district last year. “This is the most awesome school in the world,” said Jaquette about CHS. “You can’t say it any other way,” “To get to do all of the things that feature

I have done is really a teacher’s dream come true for me... I’m really sad to leave the people and everything but I’m really excited about the opportunities I might have to help other schools to take some pieces of Community that might work for them and help them have an awesome school too.” C

TOP MOST INTERESTING CR’S MONITORED BY JAQUETTE

1. Google Ad Words 2. Board Game Development 3. Gospel Choir 4. Online Math 5. U of M Calculus 6. Turf Field Maintenance 7. Ice Skating 8. Technology for Education 9. Forum 10. U of M Linguistics

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the wheel of good fortune clare lauer illustration margaret whittier-ferguson

A LOOK AT THE EVOLUTION OF HEALTH CLASS AT COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL Most classes at Community High School are not grade-specific. Students of all ages can be jumbled into Writer’s Workshop or Fantasy Literature together. With the exception of Introduction to Literature and the Foundations of Science program, students do not usually share a classroom only with others in their grade. But one class has developed a reputation for breaking that trend. The majority of students in CHS Health classes this semester are seniors. The rest of the students are almost all juniors. With such a high number of upperclassmen, it would appear there was a deliberate plan to have Health classes specifically for seniors. However, CHS Health teacher Robbie Stapleton recalls that this was not the case. Approximately 15 years ago, Stapleton was a history teacher at CHS. To her memory, the required health class was taught by a part-time teacher and

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consisted of a nine week course combined with driver’s education. Looking back, Stapleton said, “I just don’t recall Health being a major presence in the building.” Stapleton believes a state mandate led the district to take driver’s ed out of the public high schools. Health classes would now become semester long classes. “And that’s when I started teaching it,” said Stapleton. After returning from maternity leave, Stapleton was approached by Community’s dean at the time, Dean Judy Conger, about teaching Health at CHS. For a year, Stapleton balanced History and Health. After the previous Physical Education teacher left, another switch occurred. Stapleton swapped History for the newly available PE classes and continued teaching Health. Along with acquiring new classes to teach, Stapleton witnessed a change in the age of students signing up for her Health class. The newly formed Health class was also a graduation requirement.

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“By virtue of that, it became a senior class because it filled up in five or ten minutes during registration,” Stapleton explained. Students register for their semester classes in order of graduation year: seniors are the first to register. Part of the adjustment for Stapleton was designing her newly assigned class to fit the students she would have. “I knew it was going to fill up with seniors because it was required class. So from the get-go I based a lot of the curriculum on a college-based curriculum,” Stapleton said. Another aspect Stapleton considered when choosing to build her class on the college curriculum was the type of student she was teaching at CHS. Stapleton’s concern was how the majority of the class would relate to the high school curriculum. Due to the lack of relatable images in the textbook, where “those kids don’t look like our students,” Stapleton didn’t want the intended high school curriculum to ruin her connection to her students.

“I knew that my credibility would be diminished from the get-go, and when you’re teaching a subject like Health the one thing you have to have is credibility,” she said. At the other public high schools in Ann Arbor, health classes are based on the high school curriculum, and the majority of students in the class are 10th graders. Stapleton believes the content taught in their classes is generally like the content of Community’s health class. “I think we have similar focus,” Stapleton commented. The format of how the information is presented to CHS students compared to the other high schools is where the contrast between the college and high school text shows. “Here’s the big difference, I think. When we study health, I’m always going at theory first...We’re reading the people who have made movement in the field. That’s more college-like. To study

them, and to study what they’re doing. I think [what is] more high school is a much more...sort of personal approach. Like doing collages of, you know, your personality. I think there’s a huge place for that. I think it’s wonderful. I don’t have anything bad to say…but when kids are seniors, I don’t think that meets them where they’re at. And I just have a real healthy respect for who people are when they’re 17 or 18. They’re adults. You know, most kids don’t want to make a collage of their life at that point. And I think at tenth grade, that may be different.” The college-level content is intended for Stapleton’s senior-heavy classes. But when the rare sophomores do take the class, they rise to the occasion. “The ones that I’ve had are every

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Baublis, my teacher, does a really good job of not sugar-coating stuff for younger kids,” said Paull-Baird. Paull-Baird also suggested that sophomore year may be a better time to take high school health than senior year. “I think that senior year is a little late for some of the subjects and the content of the class. Not late in the sense that it would change what we do or what choices we make, but I think that a lot of the stuff she’s talking about is stuff that, as a senior, people have come across already. Whether that’s good or bad, I think that as a sophomore it makes sense to be talking about stuff maybe before you come across it.” Pioneer sophomore Amy Burdick is a classmate of Paull-Baird, and also finds

ing the show. The show was mandatory for freshmen, although that aspect was never an issue. The graduating class of 2010/2011 was the last group to see a “Tuned In” show in that form. “Tuned In” ended up being too time consuming for Stapleton, and therefore the show ended for freshmen. Of the experience, Stapleton said, “It was a ton of work, but I thought was good for the freshmen. It was bonding for the freshman, and it exposed them to content they won’t get until they’re seniors. And that sucks. I would love to teach mini-units, in a reworked curriculum, mini-units to freshmen or sophomores as they come in.” The mini-units Stapleton is referring to could contain conversations about misconceptions freshmen have about

With the lack of FTE available, Stapleton does not have the option to offer a health class for underclassmen as well. Stapleton finds it unfair that students don’t have the opportunity to take health as an underclassmen. However, through her years of teaching the class, Stapleton has developed a theory about high school health. “Here’s what I think I know. The freshmen and sophomores really need this content; the seniors are more receptive to it,” said Stapleton. Although the current trend of seniors in Health may not be intentional, CHS senior Gillian Teall, who took Stapleton’s health class her second semester junior year, thinks taking it any earlier would not have been a good idea for her. “I wouldn’t have raised the ques-

Balance your wellness. Spend time regularly in the 6 areas of wellness. Don’t ignore any area...I would say acknowledge and recognize that your brain is very much developing, and it is vulnerable...Slow down. Wait...Give your brain some time...If you’re already mentally healthy, take care of your mental health. Do those things we know, do those things regularly we know help your mental health: exercise, adequate nutrition, sleep, a support system. And if you do these things, you can avoid those things that trip kids up in high school...- Robbie Stapleton

bit as capable and mature as the older kids and in some ways more. They sort of have to be,” said Stapleton. Since Stapleton considers all of the classes at Community to be rigorous, she doesn’t wish to single her health class out. However, she added, “Because I teach seniors, I really believe I can expect them to act virtually like college students.” Layla Khorsheed, a CHS sophomore currently taking Stapleton’s Health class, is content with her choice. Although she was unaware the class would be upperclassmen, Khorsheed finds her age to be an advantage while taking the class. “I think it’s actually better to take it at my age because now like, I’m younger so I know the facts before I experience them more. Because it’s not just after high school when you go through all these things that the class gives information on,” said Khorsheed. In contrast, Carly Paull-Baird, a CHS senior, is a rarity in her almost all sophomore health class at Pioneer High School. Her teacher, Stapleton’s admired colleague Jan Baublis, has made Paull-Baird’s experience enjoyable, and allowed the class to have a somewhat more mature context. “I think Ms.

the class engaging. “I actually really look forward to going to that class. I think it’s really interesting,” said Burdick of the health class. Burdick believes the class is relevant to underclassmen, as it takes topics depicted in the media and gives them explanation.“I think that everything we are talking about are things that are commonly exposed to in classmates and in media. A lot of stuff we learn about is portrayed in the media, so I think that we’re definitely already aware of it. And so I think this is just a really good guideline for it to be expanded upon so we can actually know the real meaning and the real facts about it,” she said. In an effort to combat the lack of health class for underclassmen at Commuity, Stapleton originally started “Tuned In” to fill that void. In 2004, Stapleton created the student performance troupe, which looked at “bad” behaviors such as drinking and smoking, which are prone to start at an earlier age. “I started ‘Tuned In’ in order to shore up and provide access to that information to younger students,” said Stapleton. At the time, “Tuned In” held their show for incoming freshmen at the Neutral Zone with discussion follow-

Community. “I would love that to be the beginning of a social norming campaign for freshmen,” said Stapleton. There is another reason students at Community end up taking health as upperclassmen and don’t have a health class as underclassmen. Health classes at CHS have always been available to seniors first through registration. For students to have their Health requirements met as underclassmen, more Health classes would need to be offered each semester. The amount of classes offered each semester is determined by the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) put towards a specific subject. FTE refers to the number of classes a teacher can teach. Each class taught counts as .2 FTE for a teacher. Full time teachers cannot teach more than 1 FTE worth of classes. The FTE available for health classes at CHS have never been conducive to offering more classes each semester. For juniors and sophomores to take Health in equal numbers with seniors, there would need to be two Personal Fitness, two PE, and two Health classes per semester. In that case, Health classes would probably see mostly 10th graders taking the class. feature

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tions that are necessary for that class,” she said. CHS senior Amane Tawarada is currently taking health, and agrees with Teall that taking it too early wouldn’t have been as beneficial. “It’s definitely useful, but I don’t think it would be as useful as being a senior because, you know, I feel like you have more experience as a senior, and you’ll learn more and retain more information if you’re a senior,” said Tawarada. Regardless of what age group Stapleton is teaching, she’s happy to be working with students at Community High School. Her passion for the subject seems to stems from her passion for working with kids. “I love kids enough to want them to meet their potential...I believe students are better suited for meeting their God-given potential when they practice healthy living. So I guess it plays into the role that I care about kids.” Through teaching, Stapleton gets to teach the value of living healthily, something she works on herself, regularly. “It’s a huge value and I think you have to live your values, and that’s why I love my job. I’m living my values everyday.” C the communicator

take notice local homeless have found a community at camp take notice ella bourland communicator web staff photo ella bourland

Camp take notice works in partnership with MISSION, a local non-profit that aims to make tent communities safer and better connected to services.

ust west of M-14 and down a cleared trail off of Wagner St in Ann Arbor, there is a cluster of tents in the middle of the woods. This camp, Camp Take Notice, is a community for homeless people. Jackie Starkey has been a resident at the camp since June 18, 2011. Starkey retired early from her hospital job to watch her grandchildren in Saline. She lived with her daughter for seven years, but when the babies grew up and things got hectic, Starkey took the hint and moved out. “And naturally I had sold everything when I moved in with them, so that left me without [anything]. I didn’t plan very well, let’s put it this way,” said Starkey. With nowhere to live, Starkey turned to the homeless shelter in Ann Arbor: “I had called before I left a very comfortable living situation [at my daughter’s] … and I said ‘What do I do?’ [They said,] ‘Well just come down to the shelter, they’ll do an intake, we’ll get you a place to stay.’ When I walked in there, I did exactly what they told me to do on the phone. He looked at me and said, ‘We don’t have a place for you to stay.’ And I go ‘Great! So where so you want me to sleep? City Hall? Bus station? Cop shop? … Where should I sleep?’” Instead of giving Starkey an answer, an employee at the shelter gave her a bus token and directions to Camp Take Notice. Most people might consider an indoor shelter more comfortable than living in a tent, but Starkey feels secure

at Camp Take Notice. “I think we’ve established such a group of trust … I feel totally safe here,” Starkey said. It is understandable why Starkey feels so protected at Camp Take Notice. The camp follows a set of guidelines to keep residents safe that are outlined in their entry form, which requires a name, signature, emergency contact, and cell phone number. The form goes over offenses that will result in immediate expulsion, including theft of any kind, blatant drunkenness or inebriation, drawing police attention (except in the case of an emergency), and posses-

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Every Sunday after the camp enjoys a donated dinner, which is open to the public, the residents of the camp come together for a meeting. “Everybody pretty much shows up. As an incentive, we give out bus tokens,” said Starkey. To keep things running smoothly at the camp, the meetings address a variety of subjects, including possible rule violations. Starkey gave some examples of what they discuss. “If somebody was drunk and unruly, if some things come up missing, and if [someone’s] not taking a dump in the woods in the right spot,” she said.

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He looked at me and said, ‘We don’t have a place for you to stay.’ And I go ‘Great! So where do you want me to sleep? City Hall? Bus station? Cop shop? … Where should I sleep?’

sion of weapons. However, if a resident of the camp fails to follow more common guidelines, including maintaining peaceful presence of oneself and cleaning up after oneself, then the resident will obtain a strike. If the resident accumulates three strikes within six months, the person will be required to leave the camp for a period of time determined by the camp leadership.

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It is also important to keep the camp running in order because the residents are technically trespassing on Michigan Department of Transportation property. “But yet they recognize us. So they’re they kinda like, they’re not kicking us off, they’re not throwing us out … as long as every thing’s okay, then they’re pretty much, [at least] right now, okay,” said Starkey. A lot of the food seen at the camp

is a product of church donations and individual donors. Peggy Lynch, a missionary, brings down a breakfast for Camp Take Notice residents every Saturday morning. Every Saturday afternoon, lunch is provided by Diane Brandt. Brandt, although she is not affiliated with any organization, fixes 50 peanut better and jelly sandwiches. In addition to finding food, another essential thought lingering on a homeless mind is winter. Michigan winters are harsh, and living in the woods would only intensify one’s outlook on the colder months. Starkey is planning on braving the cold Michigan winter and staying at Camp Take Notice. Starkey is planning on “winterizing” her tent. “What they’ll do is they’ll give out winter boots, winter sleeping bags, blankets, … heaters, … all the equipment to winterize your tent,” Starkey said. She is keeping a positive outlook. “It’s gonna be cold. It’s okay! It’s doable! You learn to dress in layers. It’s just like when you were a kid and you went outside to play in the snow, you dress in layers. Good boots, double socks … it’s hard work being homeless,” said Starkey. Brandt sees that hard times bring the people together. “Well, you know we’re all going to do what we have to do, right? If there’s anything good about these economic times…it might be that we’re encouraging people to share and to think more about the people that don’t have anything,” Brandt said. C

detour construction on the east stadium bridge affects many students’ commutes melanie langa & shadi ahmadmehrabi communicator web staff illustration ryan shea

very morning, Dylan Summers, a junior at Pioneer High School who takes classes at Community, has to take a car and a bus ride to get to school. Since construction began on the Stadium Bridge on November 28th, he has had to change his routine to accommodate the Stadium Bridge construction. The city bus no longer stops close to his home, so Summers has to be driven to a school-bus stop a mile away from his house. “Now my mom has to drive me all the way to Industrial... to the bus stop because it’s an extra [drive] to Pioneer, I don’t know how much, probably 15 miles with the detours. To there it’s less than a mile and she prefers one mile over 15, so I just wait there until the school bus comes,” he said. During construction of the bridge, Stadium Boulevard will be closed from South Industrial to South Main Street. Stadium Blvd. closing has created traffic on nearby routes. Detours have been set up to bypass the affected area. The Stadium Bridge Project has been in the planning stages for several years. The city has been working on securing federal funding since 2008 in order to begin construction on the project, which is the city’s highest road construction priority. The bridge, originally built in 1928, deteriorated as it aged. To keep the bridge open, repairs were necessary. If improvements were not made, the bridge could have eventually collapsed. This is a major project that is scheduled to be completed in a year. Because Stadium Blvd. is a major thoroughfare, the construction has affected traffic patterns throughout the city. Many students have had to change their routines to accommodate for more traffic and detours. “My dad and I have to take a different way home everyday and it takes a

lot longer to get to my house now and it is annoying because it is really traffic jammy now,” said Franny Melampy, a sophomore at CHS. “We used to take Stadium, but now we have to make a weird loop through downtown.” When it became evident that the Stadium Bridge needed repairs because of weakening structural support, the city reduced traffic on the bridge. Until immediately before the start of construction on the new bridge, Stadium Blvd was reduced to one lane each direction from its original two. This way, the bridge would only carry as much weight as it could hold, and would not be at risk of collapsing. “The badly damaged beams definitely needed to be removed and we did that. Part of that work was also, part of the analysis, was lowering the weight limit on the bridge to ensure that the remain-

to put ourselves in the best position of making sure that we wouldn’t have problems with beam failure or anything like that.” For the duration of the project, the city has set up several detours to bypass Stadium. For eastbound or westbound routes, traffic is diverted onto South Industrial, Eisenhower and Main. Northbound and westbound vehicles have to take Stimson rather than State. The detours have caused traffic both on the appointed detour routes and surrounding areas. “[What] we’re finding is that we’re getting some cut-through traffic off of State St. into one of the neighborhoods over here, but other than that, I think the detour routes are functioning as we expected and they are doing their job,” said Nearing. Because the bridge is very near

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My dad and I have to take a different way home everyday and it takes a lot longer to get to my house... We used to take Stadium, but now we have to make a weird loop through downtown.

ing beams would remain in good condition for as long as we could. There was never really a point in time where I was seriously concerned that the bridge would collapse,” said Michael Nearing, the senior project manager. “However, in order to ensure everyone’s safety we took the precautionary steps of removing the five beams and we had already had reduced weight limits on the bridge at that time. We took the extra step to lower the weight limits again in order

”

Pioneer High School, the detours make it difficult for students to get to school. “The fact that Pioneer is there is important, and also if you look at the land uses around the project, with the University and Pioneer High and the public schools... there are really not a lot of options there. There is really no good place. About the only decent detour route or about the only acceptable detour route is Main St. down to Eisenhower Pkwy,” said Nearing. feature

The extra traffic has caused problems for students. “My friend who normally comes to school down Main Street, with all the detours she’s late to school because of the detour and she takes a normal way to school. So even though she never took the Stadium bridge, she is still affected by it closing. The traffic is redirected so it causes a problem,” said CHS senior Sabrina Kunselman, who drives to Pioneer everyday for track practice. “I have to leave like 10 minutes early to get anywhere,” said her sister Sophia Kunselman. School bus routes have also been affected by the detours. “[The school bus] goes down Industrial, then it goes to Eisenhower, then it goes to Main, where before it would just go all the way down Stadium to Pioneer,” said Summers. Although it may be inconvenient for many AAPS students and Ann Arbor citizens now, the project is necessary in ensuring the Stadium Bridge remain viable. The project would have begun even earlier if enough funding had been secured. “In this day and age, federal money is difficult to come by and... I knew that, or had strong suspicions that, this imminent collapse scenario wasn’t likely... We were balancing the fact that we were trying to obtain federal money and not have had to use all of our own resources which would have had a great impact to the city’s street resurfacing and street reconstruction projects,” said Nearing. “From everything I have seen right now, we’re on schedule and we are working towards that so we are in good shape.” C

the completion date set for the renovations is May 30, 2013.

For updates and traffic information follow Ann Arbor Bridges on Facebook and Twitter (@AnnArborBridges) the communicator

welcome back

CHS Alumni Return to CHS and share their experiences with life beyond high school cooper depriest photos cooper depriest

SPENCER MACDONALD

LIZZIE ROLSTON

KATIE O’BRIEN

College: The University of Michigan LS&A

College: College of the Atlantic in Maine

College: Kalamazoo College in Michigan

Major: Movement Science

Major: Undecided

Major: Human Ecology with a focus in Marine Sciences

Fast Fact: Rolston wants to study movement science so she can become a physical therapist that helps dancers.

Fast Fact: MacDonald is playing soccer for Kalamazoo. How Community has helped him: “I would say, the emphasis on writing and the structure of the lit classes. Also Jason, the way he constructed his class is a lot like a college class.”

How Community has helped her: “[Community] prepared me for everything, especially being open to new experiences and ideas and taking in everything and taking nothing for granted.”

Fast Fact: O’Brien is representing the youth of America at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change conference in Durbin South Africa How Community has helped her: “Community allowed me to be able to approach my professors and I have found that teacher student relationship vital in getting through college.”

JOSH FENDRICK TYLER MOSBEY Work: Currently employed at Ray’s Red Hots on South U Plans for the future: Mosbey wants to become a firefighter but first he needs to have hip surgery. How Community has helped him: “Some devastating things happened second semester my senior year and Community has helped me out in way more ways than one.”

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College: The James Madison College at Michigan State. Major: Undecided Fast Fact: Fendrick originally planned on majoring in law or politics, after arriving at college he is no longer sure about what he wants to do. How Community has helped him: “I think the small school atmosphere prepared me for the small school atmosphere in James Madison and the friendships I made at Community translated well into me making friends at Michigan State.”

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DAVID SOTH-KIMMEL College: Washtenaw Community College Major: Undecided Fast Fact: Soth-Kimmel plans to transfer to a four year university in the near future. How Community has helped him: “[I was helped by] the freedom and Tracy Rosewarne.”

ANA LEÓN College: The University of Michigan Residential College Major: Undecided Fast Fact: As part of her studies in the Residential College, Leon is taking intensive Spanish classes. How Community has helped her: “Writing, definitely, and having my own opinions. Community was really great about having you understand what you want to do and how you feel about things. It’s good because you are thrown into this huge mass of stuff called college.”

JOELLA BENNETT College: Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont Major: Nursing, and going through the core of cadets Fast Fact: Norwich University is a military school where the freshman are referred to as “rooks.” As a “rook” Bennett is only allowed to talk to her family for 10 minutes on Sundays. How Community has helped her: “My study habits. My study habits are awesome. Community taught me to study well, and manage my time. Some of my classmates are not good at prioritizing their time.”

KYLE AARONSON

College: The University of Michigan LSA Major: Undecided Fast Fact: Ringquist is currently taking a non-fiction writing class focused on Kanye West’s first album. How Community has helped her: “I think Community got me to come out of my shell that I was in in middle school and actually talk to people. Also, being close to my teachers made me not afraid of my professors.”

AARON NELSON-PURCELL

College: Kenyon College in Ohio Major: Most likely majoring in Classics (Greek and Roman literature) or Film

College: Washtenaw Community College Major: Business

Fast Fact: Aaronson joined the Kenyon rugby team at the beginning of this school year. How Community has helped him: “Community definitely made my writing a lot better thanks to Judith’s American Lit class. Also I was able to become much more independent with Community especially because I was a split enrolled student. I learned to fight for the classes I wanted. The system at Kenyon is similar to the process of split enrolling.”

EMMELINE RINGQUIST

Fast Fact: Purcell plans on transferring into the University of Michigan’s business school. He is currently taking classes with credits that are transferable to Michigan.

SONYA KOTOV College: The University of Michigan LS&A

How Community has helped him: “[Community] has prepared me really well. All of my education kept up better than everyone else in my classes. I am doing the best in my classes and getting good grades. It’s really surprising how well you do compared to other students.”

Major: Women’s Studies Fast Fact: Kotov is doing a study abroad program next year in Germany. How Community has helped her: “I took a lot of U of M classes when I went to Community and that really helped the transition and Community made me close to teachers so I was a lot more proactive about my education. I am more willing to take risks. I would not be the same person if I went anyplace else.”

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eliza stein & brienne o’donnell photos brienne o’donnell & cooper depriest

A 24 percent of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed.

life long mark is inserted through tiny pricks into the skin’s top layer. A hand-held machine acting just like a sewing machine pierces the skin repeatedly and with every insertion, a scar appears. For a collection of students and staff at Community High School, their skin has been decorated by colorful images, some hidden, others in the open — a perpetual drawing — a tattoo. alia persico-shammas

When receiving a tattoo, your skin is pricked between 50 and 3,000 times per minute by a needle in the tattoo machine.

A small boat holds a young girl sitting delicately on the edge. Since age fifteen, CHS senior Alia Persico-Shammas’s skin has been garnished with this image on her body. That young girl on the boat is her mother as a teenager. When Persico-Shammas was 13, her mother died of cancer and on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, her mother’s picture was permanently inked onto her side. “I had just been thinking about it for a very long time and I just wanted to do something for her but also kind of really for me, to solidify that part of my life because I feel like when something happens like that, it is hard to believe it is real, so it makes it real for me and okay. I don’t really want to remember my mom as sick as she was when she died; I want to remember her like the person she was. the communicator

She was a really amazing person,” said Persico-Shammas. She explained that in just that single tattoo, so many of her mother’s characteristics that she adored, such as her wisdom, beauty and desire for adventure, are visible. hannah lehker

The peony represents passion and intensity; the peony bud is for a pleasant future; vines mean strength and connection to self and others. The dragonfly with a bold shadow is finding balance. CHS Junior Hannah Lehker recently got tattooed in early October of this year. Lehker’s entire shoulder is covered in design. As she finally reached the legal age of 16 to get inked, Lehker jumped right on the oppurtunity. “I love it and wouldn’t change any of it but some people can’t believe it’s real and like to scratch it,” said Lehker. Her parents were more then fine with the idea as well. “My mom even came with me and got something done too,” she said. liz stern

There are three small dots, two on her waist and one in the center of her body. She had breast cancer. CHS teacher Liz Stern’s story is different than most. Three years ago, for 30 consecutive days, Stern went to the hospital. She had to be perfectly aligned feature

to the machine to make sure the radiation would miss her vital organs and target the cancer; the most efficient way to secure the place was to tattoo the location. “I didn’t know that they were going to do that. I was just kind of lying there and they have this bottle of ink and they were like ‘oh it won’t hurt, we just need to make markers,’” said Stern. The dots, although small, are persistent reminders of what Stern had to experience. “I think that [radiation] is definitely something to go through and you know it’s not an easy thing, so I think when you get on the other side of it, and three...five...ten years out; you’re like this [tattoo] is pretty cool, I’m glad that it is over,” she said.

but I see some of their art and ask if they want to design one for me,” said Davis. With the addition of the CHS students’ artwork, Davis’s potpourri of tattoos is growing and addiction is one of the reasons why. “If I wasn’t addicted to them, I wouldn’t have as many as I have. I have tried to stop, a long time before my last four. It is an expensive habit and you just have to find the right design and say ‘okay, yeah I want this permanent,’” said Davis. The permanent aspect of tattoos does not bother Davis. “If I assumed that I could wash them off, I would never get them. They are a part of me now and I enjoy expressing a part of me.”

kevin davis

tattoo removal

A bear claw, a lizard, and Mighty Mouse. Kevin Davis, Community Assistant at CHS, currently has nine tattoos and those are just three of them. Davis, like Persico-Shammas, received his first tattoo when he was 15, and has continued to add to his collection. For most of Davis’s tattoos, it is more about the aesthetics than the meanings. Most of his recent tattoos have been designed by CHS students. “I usually find a nice art student and have them design one for me. I haven’t had a specific connection to the student

According to Teri McHenry, a Registered Nurse at a dermatologist’s office, tattoos don’t have to be permanent. It is possible to “wash” them off — with lots of money, time, and possible side effects. McHenry says that her patients describe the procedure as “extremely painful and more painful than getting the tattoo itself. They say it feels like getting hot oil splattered on them, and they can’t get away.” The pain also costs a lot of money. The removal of an image tends to be almost double the cost of the tattoo ap-

plication. “ The removal for a 2” by 2” tattoo is $99 per treatment and people can need between five to 15 treatments. You can do the math,” said McHenry. Although side effects of the treatment that McHenry performs are easy to avoid, if appropriate measures are not taken to avoid them, they can be painful. “In one [extreme] case, a patient popped his blister with something unsanitary and didn’t use an antibiotic ointment as follow-up-care and he ended up with sepsis, a blood infection, which was treated in the hospital with IV antibiotics,” said McHenry. McHenry said that strong allergic reactions are also possible, as well as an internal itching feeling. Even with some pitfalls, there are also advantages to getting the tattoo removed. “People’s self esteem and confidence is regained. They can live their life now as if that regrettable moment of getting the tattoo never happened. Every patient that starts this journey of removing their unwanted tattoo, wants it off yesterday, they can’t wait until it is gone. This is when I remind them to have patience, their tattoo was put on to be permanent, and slowly we will get it off,” said McHenry.

parent perspective

But for Matthew Graff, CHS parent, he hopes his children will not have to worry having to get a tattoo removed would about never be the case. “While I do appreciate the artistry and the beauty of many forms of body art, my biggest concern is that I have seen fashions change. I would not want my own kids to make a choice based on a current trend that locks them into this moment,” said Graff. The past also holds a concerning effect on why Graff has chosen to not get a tattoo. “There is a troubling echo of the holocaust years, when many of my own family members were tattooed by the Nazis, in part as a deliberate desecration to religious persons. We went through that dark time and now our children willingly choose these marks — sort of weird,” said Graff. Although Graff believes that if his children do decide to ink themselves after age 18, he won’t admire their choices but respect them enough to keep on loving them. Love is evident through the deliberate decisions to get a tattoo. Whether it be for a lost loved one or a personal story, a tattoo creates a visual imprint that will never be forgotten. “I think tattoos are just really really beautiful. It is just a really cool way to express yourself,” concluded Persico-Shammas. C

TOP RIGHT Hannah Lehker and her tattoo BOTTOM RIGHT The lizard on Kevin Davis’ forearm TOP LEFT Another tattoo on Kevin’s arm

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is that you,santa?

examining the tradition of mall santas, and how corporate america foiled me, yet again

itting on an old man’s lap has always seemed weird to me. Maybe it’s just that the concept of “stranger danger” has stuck with me since Safety Town, but I can empathize with those children who go ballistic when their over-eager parents drag them to get pictures with Santa Claus. Initially, I wanted to talk to the guy whose job it was to be Santa Claus, not “Claus” himself. But, thanks to Briarwood Mall’s policy, this was impossible. While other employed Santas are allowed to be interviewed under their real identity and not as Santa Claus, Briarwood is strict. If I wanted to conduct an interview with the man in the red suit, he would have to stay in character. Now I’m going to be honest, I had a hard time keeping a straight face when I asked the portly man with a beard what his normal day was like: “Well, I wake up in the morning and Mrs. Claus fixes me breakfast. My elves get the sleigh all ready and me and Mrs. Claus hop in it and ride down to Briarwood mall and land on the roof,” he said. Despite the comedy of the situation,

I felt like an intruder, watching children approach this stranger, as parents reminded their sons and daughters what toys to tell Santa about. Some were eager to jump on Santa’s lap, and others a bit more cautious. In a society where there is a widespread fear of predators, it seems noteworthy that the tradition of stationing Santa Claus at malls across America has lived on. “We are teaching our daughter to take gifts from a stranger. But Santa’s a good stranger,” said Santa, detailing the commentary of one child’s parent. The ultimate question is: how does one, especially a child, distinguish between a “good” stranger, and a “bad” one? One way would be to ask Claus himself; he does, after all, keep a list of that, right? The naughty list has become a convenient threat for parents during the Christmas season (Lord forbid you are a bad child and only get coal in your stocking). Santa also reminds children that, “You just have to be asleep when I come.” Now, I’m all for keeping kids in line, especially when it comes to good versus evil, but the idea of using Santa Claus, a character modeled after a generous Bishop who gave gifts to the poor, as a way to encourage children

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personal essay

margaret whittier-ferguson illustration james mackin

S on black friday, 2011, the national retail federaton estimated that 28.7 million people shopped both online and at stores around the united states.

to be well-behaved and generally good people strikes me as ironic. At least in the Bible (yes, Christianity did influence the formation of this corporate holiday), there is an attack against greed. Why would someone need a Christmas present, when they could have the comfort that they will go to heaven? Or, what about simply giving gifts to those less fortunate than yourself ? While the holiday season is a time of gift-giving, it isn’t just the recipient of a nice pair of earrings, or the new Drake album, who benefits. This is the time of year for corporate America to squeeze every last penny from Americans who are so keen to buy, buy, and buy some more. But maybe this isn’t so bad, after all. The holiday season does create revenue that is beneficial for America: on this year’s Black Friday, The National Retail Federation estimated total spending to be $52.4 billion. Just in the hour-or-so that I was observing Santa Claus, about eight kids entered the winter wonderland scene that had been expertly crafted with an excessive amount of white felt, a glue gun, and some spray snow. Every child that Claus talked to wanted some

type of electronic device. When asked what he thought about the increase in technology that children want for Christmas, Santa replied that despite being hard on the Elves, “[electronics are] good things, [they] make our children smarter.” If those eight kids were a focus group for companies like Macintosh and Nintendo, there is no doubt that these already wealthy corporations would increase their profits this holiday season. But for Claus, there will be no billion dollar profits. His salary consists of hugs and love for, after all, “[there is] no better pay.” While I might question the authenticity of this statement, I envy the guy. “I come here and I meet all of the children.... My youngest so far has been three days old and my oldest has 97 years. And I love all of the children between those two age groups,” Claus said when describing a day at the mall. It’s nice to think that somewhere out there, lost in the crowds armed with pepper spray and credit cards, is jolly old Saint Nick, working only for love, desperately trying to satisfy the evergrowing cravings of all of the good children around the world. C

a gift for community 100 COMMUNITY students and faculty ANSWER THE QUESTION, “WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR THE HOLIDAYS?” casey macdonald & nate porter illustration james mackin & sacha moravy-penchansky

Electronics Electronics finished as the most commonly desired present category as it took up 25 percent of what students and teachers here at Community wanted. Not so surprising considering the fact that Apple had recently released the new iPhone 4S. Besides that, laptops, headphones, Android phones, and video games were all part of the long wish list of electronics.

25%

Clothing Nothing Thirteen percent of the people interviewed simply stated that they didn’t want anything for the holidays. This proves that there are indeed some students at Community High that are truly selfless.

14%

Love/Family A whopping 14 percent happily admitted that they either wanted to find some kind of new love during the holiday season and/or they just wanted a happy family get together.

13%

Rolling in at the fifth largest category was clothes. Ten percent of the people we interviewed said they wanted some type of clothing. You can’t blame someone for trying to stay in style.

11%

Jewelry Types of jewelry people wanted were new earrings, watches, and nose rings. Fancy, fancy! You would be supprised how much a small diamond or watch would change your appearance.

10%

Money On the other hand, there are some students and teachers (11 percent) that don’t ask for a specific gift, but instead ask for what is needed to buy it–money.

Other

Sleep Asking for extra sleep over the holidays isn’t too big of a gift, so you can almost guarantee that you will get it. School can be very stressfull for some students, and catching up on sleep can be just as good as an iPhone, or a pair of jeans.

infographic

The category “other” was interesting because it consisted of gifts that didn’t quite make it into the other more generalized categories. Gifts in this category included a new car, a new house, a new dog, and lots of Skittles.

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ann arbor coffee a review of six ann arbor coffee shops, judging their lattes, hot chocolates, and green teas. gabby thompson illustrations

the judges gabby thompson

favorite shop: Zingermans daily coffee intake: 20 cups caffeine level: too dang high!

STARBUCKS Surprisingly enough Starbucks was pretty much the cheapest shop on our lists. Though the walk is long, the atmosphere is nice and the staff is kind. The green tea had a great leafy taste, but took some time to cool down. The hot cocoa was rich and chocolaty. The latte was creamy. If you have the time to walk down to Starbucks, I recommend that you do. It will save you some cash and your taste buds will thank you.

BIGGBY Biggby is a coffee shop known mostly for their specialty frozen and hot drinks. The staff is great, but the walk is pretty long. Biggby is a great place to go to if you want something special, but for drinks like hot cocoa and lattes there isn’t anything you can get here that you can’t get cheaper at Kerrytown, not to mention spending less time walking.

THE CO-OP Even though the co-op is the priciest on our list, it is still a great option. The staff is the nicest we encountered and the walk isn’t too much longer then the walk to Sweetwaters or Zingermans. The quality of the drinks are also great. They use fair trade coffee and natural ingredients, so you can be sure that what you’re tasting is the real deal. We highly recommend this coffee shop for all community students.

hannah king

SWEETWATERS

favorite shop: Starbucks daily coffee intake: 5 sips caffeine level: way up there

ratings:

Fantastic

CAFE AMBROSIA Hipsters will feel at home in this obscure café. Café Ambrosia has thrifty prices and friendly service. Though their drinks may burn like the inferno, they still manage to taste fantastic--that is if you manage to keep some of your taste buds from burning. Despite the extreme temperatures, the drinks were still good and definitely worth try.

Bad

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The two minute walk from CHS to Sweetwaters is a benefit for any CHS student. Their hot chocolate, latte, and green tea were some of the best drinks we had. The temperature of the drinks was definitely way up there, but with a few minutes wait it’s just perfect. The staff at Sweetwaters is always friendly and happy to see community students. All together Sweetwaters is definitely a great place to go for a drink in the winter.

ZINGERMAN’S People from all over the country come visit Ann Arbor’s famous Zingerman’s Deli; right next door to the Deli is the Zingermans Café. The green tea was a bit too bitter and too hot. However, the hot chocolate had just the right amount of chocolate. The latte took a while to cool down and was considered one of the better tasting lattes. With a nice staff and a short walk, Zingermans is definitely a good choice for any community student.

passing on the midnight sun

In the last four years, CHS has had four different yearbook Advisers. gabriela rosales photo illustrations maragret whittier-ferguson & gabriela rosales illustration brienne o’donnell

his school year, the production of The Midnight Sun, the CHS yearbook, began three months into the school year. This is a late start compared to Huron, Pioneer, and Skyline. These high schools start working on their yearbook on the first day of school and even during the summer. The late start was due to the process of creating the adviser position. The teacher staff at CHS had to agree to have a deviance from the teacher’s contract in order to have a stipend for the position of the adviser before the club could start. A stipend is a small amount of pay to compensate for the additional work that an already paid teacher receives. At the other high schools in the district, yearbook is a part of the curriculum, which makes being the advisor a paid position. At CHS, Yearbook is not a class; it is a club, but was not always. When Steve Coron, an art teacher at CHS, was hired in 2003, he inherited the teaching position of Yearbook Production and Graphic Design. He soon found out that producing a school yearbook was a lot of work. “One year I had a really good staff. I had 10 girls who were really committed to doing a cool, good yearbook,” said Coron. “And that was one of those years I could truly be an adviser

because the students were dedicated, but you got to have that all the time otherwise the book just isn’t successful and it’s a drag.” The years following, Coron had a small staff. This is when it became extremely stressful and mistakes were made. “We were always leaving things out, missing pages, and missing deadlines,” said Coron. Coron put in a lot of extra time in creating the yearbook, but there was always work waiting for him. In 2008, Coron decided not to be the advisor anymore. “I needed a break. It got harder to do Yearbook because less kids signed up for the class. Since there were less kids committed, it created too much work as the advisor,” he said. Elena Flores, also an art teacher at CHS, became the adviser for yearbook. Flores enjoyed being the adviser. A portion of the semester was producing the yearbook and then another portion was grapically designing posters for the school events. Unfortunately, the art department, along with many other departments, had to cut a class to save money. Most of the art classes offered were filled with students every semester, except Yearbook. So the decision was made to cut Yearbook.

After Yearbook was cut Flores chose not to be the adviser. “It was a tremendous amount of work and I was not willing to be the advisor of an extracurricular. It’s a perfect art class, we just need more student participation in order to make that happen,” said Flores. Now for the past two years, after the stipend was agreed upon, CHS just had it has to be produced and there’s a lot of work behind it,” said Flores. “There to wait for a teacher to volunteer to be the Yearbook advisor. Last year, Dianne is a cultural change that is needed within the school. There needs to be Dudley stepped up. Dudley decided not to continue year- mind shift. Communicator is popular, why can’t yearbook fit into that too?” book this school year, but fortunately Although The Midnight Sun is off to Nat Powell, the media specialist here at a late start Powell, is not discouraged. CHS, volunteered. “We have a great team. I think that “I thought, well first of all, there was with the people who have come on a lot of reluctance for someone to take board to work the yearbook will be able it and I thought yearbook, media cento catch us up and create a great prodter, media specialist, library all kind of fit in a nice package, so I volunteered to uct we all will be proud of.” C do the job.” Powell said. The yearbook staff is comprised of 13 students, Powell, and Lucindia ShelSeniors can now sumbit their ton, an ILC teacher. Powell is grateful senior photo to chs.yb2012@ for the sizable staff, but would like to gmail.com before the deadline see more students join. of Jan. 2 Every year one problem stays consistent. There’s always a lack of support from the students, which was ultimately the reason why Yearbook was cut from being a class in the first place. “Somehow it’s just expected to appear. No one seems to understand that feature

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a&e

concert review: lupe fiasco fernando rojo communicator web staff & nate porter photo fernando rojo

Running on a tour artist’s classic one hour of sleep and DayQuil, Lupe Fiasco walked on to the stage covered in multi-colored lights and performed at EMU on Saturday, Nov. 5 Wearing camouflage pants and a jean jacket with “Laser Club” written on the back, the 29-year-old rap phenom shook the floor of the auditorium with his exhilarating performance. Doors opened at 7pm, and hours before the performance a line stretched around the door. People awaited entrance to rush for good placement on general admission. Pioneer High junior Zach Pagani arrived at 5:30pm, over an hour before doors opened, and about four hours before the main performance. “They took a long time in between opening

acts, and I had been standing for a really long time...but it was definitely worth it all,” said Pagani after the show. Fans pushed and shoved in general admission area to aproach the stage. Fiasco has been one of America’s elite rappers since he rose to fame in 2006. His debut album “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor” was released in 2006 shortly after he signed with Atlantic Records. “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool” went gold, selling over 500 thousand copies. His third album “Lasers” was released March 8, 2011 and was one of the most played hip hop albums of the year. After somewhat of a dismal performance by the warm up bands, fans cheered as the dark red “A” figure on the stage (the same design on the front of his album cover) lit up. Fiasco dived

straight into action starting his performance with “Words I Never Said” which was a hit on Lasers. Many of the songs Lupe Fiasco performed were full of powerful emotions. His liberal views on politics and society have attracted a unique crowd of fans. Along with his many opinions, Fiasco is certainly an activist for his beliefs. At the concert he wore a bandanna and a camouflage outfit; this symbolized his status as a rebel against certain policies in society. Midway through his performance he took a break after a song and talked to his fans. Fiasco stated he was feeling “messed up” and was on Day Quil to help him feel better and then jumped right back into performing. Near the end of the performance he let his band

take the stage light and introduced each of them to the crowd. All of them performed a solo as if it was a jazz band, and the fans loved it. Fiasco performed almost all of the songs that appeared on his album Lasers, along with previous hit singles “Superstar” and “Daydreamin’”. At the end of the concert, Fiasco performed “The Show Goes On” which was ironic in a memorable way. While he was performing this last song, the energy level sky-rocketed as fans screamed, sang, and danced. It was the perfect way to end his magnificent concert, and fans erupted in applause as it finished. He then said “What a night. I love you all. Peace!” and reluctantly walked off the stage as fans continued to cheer his name. C

Collins’s father used to sing to her as a child. She is not one to shy away from the high notes—nor should she be. In a folk fashion, Collins stuck close to her guitar for most of the night. It added a subtle background to Collins’s breathtaking soprano voice. At even her highest notes, she was comfortable. “I’ve been recording for fifty years, but who’s counting?…I am.” Collins said with a grin. She did manage to break away to the piano. “The Blizzard,” also known as “The Colorado Song” is the story of a stormy night in the Rocky Mountains. The piano part is a story in and of itself, the upper octaves paralleling the free fall of snow, and the lower octaves supporting Collins as she gains confidence throughout the piece. To see a legend perform is a perplex-

ing experience. Collins’s music and performance was, without a doubt, art. As a 17-year-old, I wasn’t sure if I could grasp who was singing in front of me. I laughed along with jokes about the 60’s, but I began to feel an obligation to Judy Collins and what she represents, as well as the people around me. Singers like Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and many more, won’t be here forever. How do we ensure that their activism, in music and public service, lives on? Towards the end of the show, Collins sang “Pure Imagination” from the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. It may have been the nostalgia, or the beauty in Collins’s voice, but the lyrics almost seemed to be instructive: “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there you will be free, if you truly wish to be.” C

concert review: judy collins kerry fingerle

Judy Collins sparks a certain vibe in an audience. She comfortably walked on stage, her shirt shimmering and striking, blond hair flowing onto her black blazer. The audience fanned to their feet, applauding in appreciation. Applauding where Collins has been, the music she has created and the music she would play. She picked up her guitar, said a few words of thanks and dove gracefully into her first song. On its own, Collins’s music is intimate and descriptive. In a unique and quaint venue like The Ark, she might as well be sitting next to you. Collins, now 72, played at The Ark on Dec. 1. She also played at the Ark’s annual Folk Festival in 2011. The Ark offers performers on the Folk Festival’s set list an opportunity to play an Ark-sponsored event later in the

year. Collins could have played a show at a bigger venue, such as the Power Center, but the magic in the Ark lies in its intimacy. The uninterrupted performance was relaxed, personal and humorous. She made passes at her age, and talked a bit about the Internet.:“You know, I was watching a few videos on Youtube, and you could go on there and see the past fifty years of my life.” Her set included “Both Sides, Now,” a Joni Mitchell song Collins commercially released in 1968. Collins’s performance of Both Sides, Now won a Grammy in 1969. Other songs from the night include “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, “Diamonds and Rust”, “The Weight of the World” and “Anathea”. Her voice was showcased in an a capella rendition of the Irish ballad “Danny Boy,” a song

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you must listen to this

reel talk: “the twilight saga: breaking dawn”

the communicator Staff’s monthly music picks Right Place Wrong Time Dr. John In the Right Place 1979 A funk masterpiece worthy of “Soul Train” from the king of New Orleans rhythm and blues piano, Dr. John’s hits hard with none other than The Meters and Allen Toussaint as his rhythm section. This tune is a icon of suave nasty-funk. A killer low-synth, horn stabs, funk guitar scratches and deep pocketed backbeat make this song a perfect song for anybody with a 1970s bug. Throw it on at a party. Or in the shower.

Money The Drums Supermodified 2011

CHARLOTTE STEELE

KERRY FINGERLE

EREZ LEVIN

Talkin’ Shit About A Pretty Sunset Beck This Is A Long Drive For Someone Who Has Nothing To Think About The Drums are a modern band 1996 ever-alluding to alternative classics like The first half of Talkin’ Shit is token The Smiths and Joy Division. They Modest Mouse — rough chords and specialize in fusing jangly guitar-pop vocals contrasted with touches of and the modern indie-scene, jittery melodic guitar work, but the seamguitars and dexterous bass-playing less transition into the instrumental hopscotch through the track Money, section of the song picks up the pace complementing singer Jonny Pierce’s and brings an optimistic feeling to distinct vocals and range.The Drums the moody song. Layers of cello and rely heavily on the guitar to define twinkly lead guitar polish the song off their rhythm section, cooking up a to finish happily ever after. recipe for an enduring indie-pop song. The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti Joan Baez Soundtrack 1971 Joan Baez has a voice of silk. She recorded this song for the 1971 film “Sacco and Vanzetti.” The lyrics are from letters Vanzetti wrote to his father while he was imprisoned and they are heart-wrenching. If you know nothing about Sacco and Vanzetti, I recommend first listening to this song without prior research, and return to it after you have learned more about them.

Teardrop José González In Our Nature 2007 You might recognize this song as the theme from the TV show “House.” It was originally written by Massive Attack, but José González’s unusual vocals bring out the more acoustic values of the melody. González begins with simple guitar picking, but goes into the lower octave groove carried by the low string of his guitar. González’s cover of Teardrop is an insane blue-grassy folk rendition.

The Walk Mayer Hawthorne How Do You Do? 2011

Dance The Night Away Van Halen Van Halen II 1979

Talk about a white dude with soul. Ann Arbor native Mayer Hawthorne is bringing back original R&B, his tunes laid-back and funky, reminiscent of everything from Otis Redding to The Meters. Instrumentally, this tune is airtight. It has simple yet addictive horn lines, drums as solid as can be, colorful guitar accents, and catchy vocals that anyone will want to sing along to.

This is my favorite Van Halen song. Complete with a simply righteous opening guitar riff, bombastic drums, volcanic bass, and explosive vocals, this song is just the right combination of volume and distortion alongside feel-good cheesiness. This is the perfect song for blasting in a car on a summer night. ...or at any other time.

this movie had me breaking down with laughter julia devarti photo cooper depriest

Here’s a little riddle: what’s sparkly, sexy and extremely popular? No, it’s not Ke$ha; it’s this generation’s version of a vampire. Or at least The Twilight Saga’s version. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, was certainly entertaining, but not for the reasons the creators intended. The series’ story takes a turn for the down-anddirty when sexy vampire Edward (Pattinson) marries average human Bella (Stewart). And it only gets worse from there. We get a detailed look at their honeymoon, during which their teenage hormones get the best of them. Edward and Bella do the unspeakable while Bella’s best friend, werewolf Jacob (Lautner), mopes around. Bella gets pregnant with a vampire-human baby, and then everyone starts to break down. Sounds crazy, no? And crazy it was. The acting was horrid from almost everyone in the cast. The actors tended to duck their heads when scenes got emotional, and it quickly became apparent that their only appeal was their beauty. Stewart in particular gave a poor performance; her emotions could only be measured by how emphatic her breaths were. Overall, the cast needed some work.

However, a lot of the fault can be put on screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg. The writing was inadequate, to say the least. Though many of the lines were taken straight from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books, the dialogue was awkward and stilted, which made for a very funny two hours. A particularly entertaining scene involved the werewolves communicating telepathically. The combination of bad computer generated wolves and weak dialogue had me rolling in my seat laughing. The most horrid parts of the movie, though, were the scenes with blatant anti-abortion propaganda and product placement, and those that glorified the abusive relationships in the series. After the overly dramatic sex scene, Bella is covered in bruises from Edward’s super strength. She justifies it, though, by saying that Edward just loves her too much. That’s not really a message the tween audience of this movie should be hearing. Overall, don’t go see this movie if you’re looking for a touching love story. If you’re looking for a comedy, or something a little horrifying, then this movie is definitely one to see. Just don’t complain when you wonder why you spent seven dollars on this. C

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ccurtesy of summit entertainment

JORDAN SIDEN

Kodachrome/Mabellene (Live) Simon and Garfunkel The Concert in Central Park 1983 An homage to the Kodak color film of the song’s namesake, this Paul Simon song made its way to the stage in the incredible Simon and Garfunkel Concert in Central Park. Color film is the antithesis of teenage Polaroid memories, and “Kodachrome/Mabellene” is just made for a high school senior: carefree, buoyant, and optimistic. Green grass and sunny days. Oh, I can’t wait until second semester.

stories behind the poems Four poets from THE CHS “poetry in craft” READING share their inspirations jordan siden photos jordan siden

“Lord

Teacher

Senior

Freshman

Senior

KEN MCGRAW

JACK KAUSCH

SOPHIA CAMP

SHADI AHMADMEHRABI

Pickerel: A Fish Story”

“Oh,

a Rhinoceros”

Ken McGraw is in love with the Michigan outdoors. For McGraw, heading over to Pickerel Lake and fishing is more than a past-time or a hobby. It is more holy than that, and it inspired his ‘Poetry in Craft’ poem. “If I catch a fish, and take it home, and eat it, that to me is a sacred act. In a sense, I am imbibing Michigan, and what is natural and beautiful about Michigan. The fish was born there in the lake, grew up there, it ate what was there to be eaten in the lake. And for better or for worse, I am imbibing the lake,” McGraw said. An English teacher and veteran poet, McGraw gave a try at first-person slam poetry after attending a teacher’s workshop with fellow teacher and poet Jeff Kass over the summer. Kass, a local youth poetry figurehead, teaches his students to write from the first person about subjects which they truly love. “I wanted to write a poem that is as delicious to listen to as my wife’s meatloaf is to eat,” said McGraw. “It really is a poem all about eating. It’s about local food.” As for the helpless fish, McGraw does not feel like an uninvited stranger in their waters. “I understand that it seems like championing over wildlife, but I don’t see it that way at all. Rather, it’s a communion with nature and Michigan, and wildness, and something other that’s not human.” McGraw plans to suffer the elements alongside his prey ice-fishing this February. at Pickerel Lake

Seventeen-year-old Danny Friedland had died in a car crash four months before his friend and fellow actor, senior Jack Kausch, wrote this poem for him. Friedland had been paired with Kausch in CET’s adaptation of “Rhinoceros” last spring. They played the characters Jean and Béronger respectively. “There was a lot of respect, and a lot of admiration” said Kausch of their friendship. “He was really smart, ridiculously smart. Out of this world smart. He could just talk about anything, rant about anything, argue about anything just like, on the spot.” When the news broke, several of Friedland’s friends from CET had gathered at the by the Blackbird Theater close to Kerrytown. But something left Kausch feeling troubled. “We were all mourning off in our own places. There was no community coming together around the fact that this person just died...We were all left to mourn alone, and that was the strangest thing about it. It never felt like there was a connection there between us, and it just felt really weird, and really strange,” he said. Kausch, an experienced poet, had wanted to write a poem about this experience. But it took a few months to be able to reflect on the reactions to Friedland’s passing. “I feel there’s something about poetry that lives in the past,” said Kausch. “When something’s happening, I have to bring a poem out of it.” Kausch wrote the poem the day of its debut at ‘Poetry in Craft.’

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arts and entertainment

“Clean Air”

“Dam!”

Freshman Sophia Camp was understandably nervous reading her poem to a packed crowd in the Craft Theater. “It’s the first time I’ve ever read anything like this in front of people, and I kind of told myself if I didn’t than I’d regret it later, because I’m just trying to make my life more interesting by doing things I’m more comfortable with doing. I never really get nervous when I’m in front of people, but I got really nervous, because it was kind of making me vulnerable by reading this. But I’m glad I did.” Camp wrote her poem last year at Forsythe Middle School, a poem about a return to childhood innocence, after realizing the harsh realities about the world that come with a heightened sense of awareness during adolescence. “Last year I was having a lot of issues with school in general. I was really truant and I wasn’t at school a lot. Everything was just so complicated as far as grades and my friendships and stuff.” Due to when the poem was written, Camp admits some of the thoughts and feelings expressed in the poem may not exactly reflect her thoughts today. However she felt grateful for the audience’s reaction. “It kind of shows how accepting it is here. Even if I don’t agree with everything I say, and [if my poem] is from some outdated thought process from a year ago, people still respect it regardless.” It seems all can relate to the phenonenon known as ‘teenage angst’.

“What did a fish say to a concrete wall? Dam.” Senior Shadi Ahmadmehrabi is known for her deadpan one liners, but she never could have guessed that one of her trademark jokes would ever stop a fight, and that the experience would lead to her first poetry performance. “I’m sick of your shit,” Ahmadmehrabi overheard a sophomore to the freshman in the third floor hallway, and that’s when she stepped in. “The freshman turned around and he looked so freaked out. Like, I’ve never seen someone look so scared...I turned around, and it’s true, I literally stepped in between them. It was like, guy here, guy here, tiny amount of space...I stood there and I didn’t really know what to say so I said, ‘Hey guys let’s just be friends! Who wants to hear a joke?’” narrated Admadmehrabi. The sophomore stepped back before he even heard the punchline. “That wasn’t exactly the goal. The goal was for them to laugh and be like ‘Oh man, did you hear that joke?’ and like, bond over it. But I guess it got the guy to walk away,” she said. This story found its way into Ahmadmerabi’s first poem which she was nervous to read in front of an audience. Before reading, she scanned Craft Theater to see if the two boys were there. They weren’t.

For more about Poetry on the Ledge, as well as selected full poems from the reading, visit the-communicator.org

behind the scenes of “as you like it”: tracy makes trees for theater helen januszewski communicator web staff

Community Ensemble Theatre’s (CET) recent production of “As You Like It”, directed by Quinn Strassel, with technical direction by Brice and Deb O’Neal saw an incredible amount of work on and offstage. The set in particular was an impressive achievement, comprised of pieces on the regular proscenium stage above the audience, and a large wooden stage on the theatre floor. This platform, featuring a moving piece and two ramps, gave actors multiple levels on which to perform. Starting off square, geometric and technical, this flexible acting space experienced a dramatic shift when the plot led into the Forest of Arden. For a more organic feel, a corner of the wooden stage swung off from the main square and onto an adjacent platform, creating an “S” shaped curve. Essential to this change were the trees standing as tall as the proscenium itself, and the large trunks against the theater windows. CHS sophomore Tracy Scherdt was the head of the scenery set design crew, whose job was primarily to create the trees for “As You Like Its” dynamic forest. Scherdt was brand new to CET when she joined for “As You Like It”. “I wanted to be involved in something that I hadn’t really been involved in before, and CET was a very new thing for me,” she said. “I also knew that CET was a very different environment from

my middle school theatre. Much more structured, but also just [a] very different group of kids and dynamic.” At first, Scherdt was put off by the close friendships within CET. “I was excited to meet new people, but that also kinda made me nervous, cause that was a specific crowd of people that I had never really interacted with, or even knew that well. So that was kind of nerve wracking, to be thrown into a dynamic where everyone knew each other and everybody had done another show,” Scherdt said. “Everybody brought back jokes from ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ was brought up...everyone knew the words to the songs, and I didn’t have the same experiences. I didn’t have the same connections.” Despite these obstacles, Scherdt found that there is always room for one more in CET. “One of the things that I learned coming in as being a new person, [was] it was easy to find somebody there, [people] kind of helped me along the way. I made a lot of friends, and I think that it’s a worthwhile experience because you really make something with a group of other kids who you normally maybe wouldn’t hang out with,” said Scherdt. Scherdt imagined her involvement in the program would be “a kind of subordinate position, because I was new to CET and crew heads were already established,” she said. However, her

experience quickly changed when the scenery set design crew split from the set crew and she was made a crew head, something unusual for a brand-new member. “I came and I brought ideas,” she said, “And they put me in charge of [scenery crew], and that was really interesting because I didn’t expect that at all, so I kind of ended up in a leadership role anyways, and had to take on more responsibility than I expected, but it was fun and it was worth it.” Thrown into a crew head role, Scherdt sometimes found it tricky to balance everything. “ I think [the most difficult part] was finding time to put in the effort that it deserved,” said Scherdt. “Finding time in my schedule to come in on extra days and … during school, especially during tech week … was really difficult to juggle school work and tech work, because both deserved a lot of attention,” she said. Scherdt’s stress peaked when tech week rolled around, as she struggled to complete her schoolwork, scenery work, and learn the ropes on the running crew. The trees, a major part of the set, experienced many problems throughout the construction process. Scherdt and her crew were eventually able to work out multiple solutions to the weak joints between the tubes making up the tall trunks, and trees were attached to the stage throughout tech week. It was a continuous process, and one that Scherdt balanced with her

position on running crew. As a part of several set changes, Scherdt discovered the difficulty of moving in the dark. “I had to wait when blackouts happened, and I had to change sets really fast, and that was scary … there was a lot of moving around in the dark, which is very nerve wracking, and avoiding killing someone in the audience with our mats and our poles,” said Scherdt. “I remember, at one point we had someone fall, and then a domino effect, and [we] just had to pick ourselves back up and go back out in the dark before the lights came up. It was scary. It was intimidating, to say the least, but at the same time it was fun to be a part of.” Despite the stress and the major time commitment, Scherdt found participating in CET to be rewarding. She felt this most keenly when the cast and crew stayed after the Sunday performance to strike the stage. “It was a bittersweet moment, too, because the show is over, and it was successful beyond belief, and everyone was really happy with the way it turned out. But, it’s also like you become a family with these people … and it’s taking apart the sets you spent hours and hours on, and seeing the show come down before you eyes, is a really bittersweet moment,” she said. Scherdt warns against joining if you are already busy, but is glad that she did anyways. “In CET, there’s a lot of love,” Scherdt said C.

a&e review: cet’s “as you like it” james mackin photos sari greifer communicator web staff

“As You Like It” was originally written by William Shakespeare and first performed in 1603 in the Wilton House. This time around, it was performed by our very own Community High students in Community Ensemble Theatre (CET) and directed by Quinn Strassel. The play comes to life with a breathtaking scene of Duchess Senior’s (Jessica Shapiro) castle being taken over by Duchess Frederika (Alexandra Cubero-Matos). Duchess Senior and her people were then banished into The Forest of Arden. Orlando (Ari Litman-Weinberg) is then introduced complaining about how he doesn’t want to be told what to do. He gets into a argument with Oliver (Louis Hochster), his older brother, and says he will wrestle Charles the Wrestler (Tod Thar p). Rosalind (Becca Amidei) and Celia (Sofia Kromis) are introduced as cousins and they do a lovely job portraying that they have been life long friends. It is clear early that the court

jester, Touchstone (Jack Kausch), is one of the most interesting and best actors on the stage. The best part of the play is the wrestling match between Orlando and Charles. The crew is quickly able to set up the scene, showing off their hours of practice. This is when Rosalind and Orlando meet for the first time and fall gravely in love with each other. But besides that, Tod Tharp and Erez Levin (Announcer) do a great job bringing the real feel of a wrestling match to the stage. The same night of the wrestling match, Rosalind is banished to the Forest of Arden Touchstone and Celia follows her. Thinking it will be unsafe there, Rosalind pretends to be a man. At the same time of all of this Orlando is told that he will be killed if he stays so he leaves to go to the Forest also. The Forest of Arden was made by the crew and looked beautiful. Duchess Senior and her people live happily

in the forest and entertained the audience with live music. In the forest Orlando and Rosalind meet but a slight problem stands before them. Orlando doesn’t know that it is her because she is dressed up as a man. Eventually all the problems are solved the day several marriages are set to take place. It all ends happily. Everyone begins to sing and the setup of the wedding is gorgeous with overhanging lights and the forest in the background. They bow and it ends.

TOP LEFT Louis Hochster, Tod Tharp BOTTOM LEFT Jack Kausch, Becca Amidei, Sofia Kromis ABOVE LEFT Jack Kausch ABOVE RIGHT Sophia Camp

Overall “As You Like It” was a fabulous play. The cast was amazing, the production crew allowed it to flow smoothly and the band gave just the right tunes to make the play a masterpiece. C

arts and entertainment

the communicator

sports feature

thinking to win A LOOK INSIDE THE MENTAL ASPECT OF SPORTS zach shaw & adam mannheim photo james mackin

he walls were caving in for Ian Grosh. The Community High senior and Skyline water polo player was battling top-ranked Rockford in the state quarterfinals, and nothing was going his way. The Rockford players were out-swimming, outmuscling, and out-scoring the Eagles at a startling rate, Grosh’s teammates were upset and were beginning to bicker with each-other, and the refs seemed intent on making Grosh’s life miserable with their calls. Through all of this, Grosh tried not to give up. Eventually though, he gave in, sealing the lid on what would become a 15-2 loss. While even Grosh admits that Rockford’s superior talent was the cause of the blowout loss, not all games are decided on talent alone. Hall of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental, the other half is physical.” Incorrect math aside, Berra’s statement on the value of the mind in sports holds true. Most games are won or lost not in pools or on fields, but in the minds of the athletes, where the strongest-willed are awarded with victory. Before any games are won, athletes must become mentally prepared for games and be ready to handle any situations that may come their way. Grosh, who also swims for Skyline, gets himself ready for big races through visualization. While warming up, Grosh will go and touch each of the jets in Skyline’s pool, each jet helping him envision the great swim he is about to have. “It’s a bit of a calming thing,” said Grosh. “While you’re doing it, you’re thinking ‘here we go, time to go fast’ and you’re getting your head in the

game.” Thomas George, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, who specializes in sports psychology, agrees that visualization is a good idea. “It’s important to visualize yourself having success,” said George. “It ends up writing a script for yourself, and more often than not, you tend to follow that script.” George says that no matter what has happened in the past, it’s important to think positively before games: “What a lot of athletes do wrong is they think about what they don’t want to do, like missing a ground ball, and then they do that instead.” In addition to visualizing success, many athletes like to get themselves hyped up before games. For CHS junior Dan Eder, who does football and track for Pioneer, getting hyped up plays a major role in his success on the field. “Playing your music really gets you in the zone and lets you focus on what your responsibilities are,” said Eder “Once you get hype you get this adrenaline...all of a sudden, you feel so much stronger, like you’re ready for anything. It makes a huge difference.” While getting pumped up before a game works for some, George doesn’t think it’s as crucial to success as some would think. “It depends on the sport, and it depends on the person,” said George “some people need to get pumped up, others need to be calm. The idea that you need to go into a game a certain way is untrue.” No matter what athletes are thinking when they go into a game, they likely will have forgotten it by game’s end. In sports, so much can happen—good or bad—throughout the course of a game

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sports

that it becomes as much of a battle of mental toughness as a battle of physical skill. To stay focused on the game, George recommends simplifying things, “The worst thing athletes do is they don’t play in the present,” said George. “They’re either thinking about past successes or mistakes, or they’re thinking about the future. It’s important to play in the moment, focus on every play, and try to ‘win’ every possession.” George believes that young athletes have the most trouble remaining mentally tough when they’re losing, “What a lot of people do when they’re down, is they try to do too much,” said George. “They get desperate and when they go try to do someone else’s job, they suddenly can’t do their job as well. Then you get the snowball effect, and you’ve got no chance [at winning].” Both Eder and Grosh have first-hand experience in this situation. In a playoff game last month against Detroit Catholic Central, the Pioneer football team (winners of 7 straight) were uncharacteristically shut out 21-0. Eder cited mental lapses on both offense and defense as major contributors in the loss, claiming a quick start by DCC shattered the confidence of his teammates. “In a football game, a lot of things can change,” Eder said. “You’ll go in the game really confident, but then when your team starts losing you get a little worried and you play scared.” Although Grosh admits that Rockford is a better water polo team than Skyline and that the loss at states didn’t affect him much, he has learned over the years that even when a game is lost, there are still ways to benefit from the

game. “[In a bad loss] it’s important to focus on yourself,” said Grosh “you have to think, ‘What can I do to get better? What can I do to make the team better?’” C

what are you thinking right before your game? “I want to kill someone. I make sure it’s a living hell for the offense, and I try to make life easier for my goalie.” Poom Boonsin, 12th grade, lacrosse “I’m thinking about just playing my best. I’m also getting hype during the warmup and cheers.” Anna Orosan-Weine, 10th grade, volleyball “I try to focus on the things around me. I try not to think about the game. If it’s a big game, I’ll listen to my music.” Tori Westhead, 12th grade, field hockey

feature

the off-season

DESPITE HAVING EXTRA TIME, ATHLETES STRUGGLE STAYING ON TASK DURING THE OFF-SEASON Even at a college level, athletes feel more productive during the season. University of Michigan baseball player Matt Miller works hard to man-

abby kleinheksel illustration gabby thompson

Rushing from school to practice while scrambling to get homework done is definitely a challenge. Athletes have little spare time, as they juggle sports and school, among other activities they may be involved in. Though the off-season may seem like a relief, it is a time of physical and academic struggle for many athletes. Kelsey Moran, a CHS junior and Huron field hockey and water polo player, spends her off-season in training for the next season. Moran’s off-season training is essential for success during the spring. “I think it is really important because the water polo season just kind of jumps into games. Especially for me, because I go from a land sport to a water sport so it is really important to start transitioning during the off-season,” said Moran. Moran feels that she is more productive during the season, even with the little time that she has. “[I am more productive] during the season because I have to manage my time a lot better. During the off season, I tend to watch more TV and get more distracted,” she said. For Jonathan Ruelle, a CHS freshman and Pioneer track runner, it is very important to stay in shape for the next season. “Oh, it’s re-

ally important, because if you go back when the season starts again and you’re really out of shape, it does not go over well. You get really tired, it lets down your teammates, and it will show up in your performance,” said Ruelle. Like Moran, Ruelle is more productive during the season. He has seen this affect his grades. “My grades dropped a little bit during the off season. I have more time, and more time to waste,” he said.

age his time during his season. “The schedule during the season forces you to get your work done at a certain time every night if you know you’re going to be booked for games or practice, or anything. There is definitely a point when it gets stressful, but you’ve got to

find a way to stay focused,” said Miller. CHS health teacher Robbie Stapleton agrees that athletes are more organized and have better time management during the season. “Most people who work with athletes, and were athletes, or are athletes, know that athletes are more productive, academically, when they are in season. It forces them to budget their time and it forces them not to procrastinate. There is something about that focus that gives you better grades,” she said. Though athletes are more academically productive during the season, Stapleton feels that it is important that they find a median between working too hard and not enough, so as not to burn out completely. “I do think that at some point in a season, if you are really over-stretched, you reach a point of no return or you reach a point of diminishing returns where everything suffers. When your sport suffers, your classwork suffers, your sleep suffers, etc. I think every athlete gets to that point, almost in every season,” said Stapleton. “It’s a balancing act.” C

2 minute drill

back in the day

CHS TEACHERS DISCUSS THEIR HIGH SCHOOL PLAYING DAYS

Courtney Kiley

Tod Tharpe

Sports: Soccer, Bas ketball

Sports: Football, Basketball, Shotput Played Since: 6th grade. Stopped football sophomore year after breaking his back. Favorite Moment: Scoring a 25-yard touchdown run in 10th grade. “This might not seem like a big deal, but since I was a fullback, I didn’t get a lot of touches.”

Played Since: She played soccer since she was seven years old. She still plays today for the Ann Arbor Football Club. Favorite Memory: Scoring both goals for Greenhills in 2-0 win over Huron on her 18th birthday.

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opinion

letter to the editors Dear Communicator,

staff editorial: what ann arbor can learn from penn state In early November, news of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal broke, sending shock waves through cities all over the country. An especially large shudder ran through Ann Arbor. For us, the Penn State news hit a little too close to home. After all, University of Michigan football is a central part of Ann Arbor. On game days, traffic blocks up town for hours. The streets fill with fans wearing maize and blue, and our Facebook news feeds fill with constant status updates about the game. A winning season is an instant morale booster, while a losing one leaves our town quieter and slightly subdued. But then it came out that Penn State former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky abused several young boys, and Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State head football coach, reported it to the Penn State authorities but failed to report it to the police or follow up. This scandal exhibits the darker side of the football frenzy and forces us to examine our town’s focus on the sport. Could a similar injustice have taken place in Ann Arbor? Of course, a direct comparison is made difficult by fundamental differences between the University of Michigan football program and that of Penn State. Michigan head coach Brady Hoke, while strongly respected in Ann Arbor for leading Michigan to a 10-2 season in 2011, has been Michigan’s head coach for only one year. In contrast, Joe Paterno was the Penn State head coach for 46 years, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach, and holds the record for

editorial cartoon

the most victories as a coach in NCAA Division 1 football. So if a scandal like Penn State’s had taken place in Ann Arbor, the result may have been drastically different. Penn State students drew criticism for rioting in the streets after Joe Paterno’s firing, apparently putting the fate of the football program over the plight of the victims. And the opinion of the country is deeply divided over whether Joe Paterno is guilty; part of this comes from the fact that it is difficult to see such an idolized figure toppled down. If a similar thing happened under Hoke in Ann Arbor, the reaction may have been milder. As Hoke does not have legendary status, he may have been criticized without hesitation. Still, this is an opportunity for us to re-examine our values and remember our priorities. What if such a scandal had taken place under University of Michigan legend Bo Schembechler and the abuser was a well-respected Michigan coach? Would we have put our love for a coach aside in order to restore the morals of our football program? In the wake of Penn State, the Communicator urges Ann Arbor citizens to remember that football is, at the end of the day, just a sport. Yes, it creates a sense of community when we put on our Michigan colors and raise our voices together to root for a team, and there is nothing wrong with being a dedicated sports fan. However, the minute that someone gets hurt and illegal conduct is overlooked to avoid messing up the football program, the concern over football has gone too far.

margaret whittier-ferguson

We cannot forget our moral responsibilities in pursuit of a trophy. Allowing Sandusky to remain free may have helped the Penn State football team on its championship season, but it did nothing to protect young boys from potential abuse. Football should never supersede the law or the well being of a human. Taking this into account, The Communicator believes that the media coverage of the Penn State scandal was, in general, inaccurately focused. Because Joe Paterno was a famous, well-loved coach, much of the focus was on his actions and response. However, though Paterno may have had a moral responsibility to take further steps, the primary focus should have been on Sandusky and his victims. Human rights need to be placed ahead of football. Though this story inevitably comes back to the Penn State football program, it should be first and foremost a story of abuse. The media should have devoted more coverage to victims, and to the prevention and awareness of sexual abuse. Going forward, we must remember that our coaches and players are, above all, just people. We can love our football program and the people that are a part of it, but idolizing them can lead to a skewed perspective. Coaching a winning football team does not give a person any special privilege when it comes to moral and legal responsibilities. C

Have something to say? Email the editors at thecommunicator@googlegroups.com

communicator policy The Communicator, being committed to the free exchange of ideas, is an open forum for expression of opinions. It is student-run; students make all content decisions. Letters to the editor are encouraged and can be sent to thecommunicator@googlegroups.com. Signed articles will be accepted with no prior administrative review as space is available. The Communicator reserves the right to edit submissions. Furthermore, opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and not of this newspaper, Community High School, or Ann Arbor Public Schools. For our complete policy, please see www.the-communicator.org.

the communicator

op-ed

A few weeks ago when I was sitting on the first floor ledge, a friend of mine asked me an interview question they were given. The question was, “As a high school student, what issue or current event are you passionate about?” After a moment of hesitation, I realized that I couldn’t come up with a half decent answer. In fact, no one I was sitting with responded, and not because they weren’t listening. This is a recurring issue that I’ve noticed in myself and other students. Some people blame seniors’ lack of spirit on “senioritis”, but let’s be real; I’ve had senioritis since freshman year and it’s only gotten worse. In fact, when Julia asked me if I wanted to write a letter, the first thing I thought was, “There’s nothing I really want to write about”. That thought in and of itself scared me, because I couldn’t come up with an issue that effects the student body as a whole. I’ve never pegged myself as a stereotypically vapid student, like the ones that bring red apples to their teachers and complain about nothing and everything at the same time. But as I was sitting on the ledge with my Sweetwaters coffee in one hand, and my Calculus binder in the other, I realized that I am self-involved. I think our class is too, and it is something we don’t think about often. Moreover, I’ve noticed that it’s easy for students to become desensitized by our own routines. We aren’t asking questions about what’s going on around us at school. This problem is reflected in the general level of school spirit, especially in the senior class. Other students have noticed it too, which is why there is a “Project: Class of 2012” Facebook group. It was made because there was a general agreement among the seniors that we can improve our efforts to bond before we graduate. CHS isn’t a comprehensive high school with pep rallies and sports to root for, but that doesn’t mean that we should be apathetic about going here. One of the greatest things about going to Community is that the opportunity to shape our school is practically handed to us. For example, students can design a CR or work as a Teacher’s Assistant. We should work on enriching our experiences at Community by becoming more passionate and involved in the student body. Sincerely, Senait Dafa

finding the right kind of patriotism mari cohen

On Nov. 10, the Michigan Senate approved a bill that immediately sparked heated debate in the comments sections of numerous online newspaper articles. If the House votes to pass it, this bill would require that every Michigan public school student start each day by reciting the pledge of allegiance (except for students that express an objection and choose to opt out) and that an American flag be displayed in every classroom. It is important that we question the objective of this bill. Evidently, the 31 Michigan Senators who voted for the bill are invested in students’ patriotism. But it is difficult to see how exactly the ritual of reciting the same phrase every morning benefits our country. The bill requires students to pledge allegiance without asking them to consider what they are doing and why they are doing it. This teaches students to be thoughtlessly and automatically patriotic, as opposed to basing patriotism on critical thinking and educated opinion. In my experience, thoughtless patriotism is cultivated in elementary and middle school. Patriotism is reinforced, but the question of why and for what purpose one should be patriotic is rarely tackled. The American History curriculum is simplified and occasionally misleading, and tends to represent America positively. With the exception of abbreviated information about slavery and the treatment of Native Americans, details that show America

in a negative light often fall by the wayside. Luckily, in the American History class that I took my sophomore year, I learned a more detailed and inclusive version of American history. Though I discovered a love for the subject and was fascinated with what I learned, I was also often disgusted. At every turn, it seemed that Americans were responsible for atrocities. I winced as I learned more details about slavery and the forcing of Native Americans onto reservations, and I shuddered as I learned the specifics of the damage our country committed in the Vietnam War. Descriptions of racism or corruption could be found on almost every page of my textbook. One of the most unpleasant surprises came as I learned about the period of American imperialism at the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time, the U.S. set out to exercise its power by dominating and annexing numerous countries, most famously the Philippines. Americans believed that they were superior and needed to “civilize” the residents of the new territories. Following this ideal, the Americans often committed brutal acts against people in the territories and suppressed their independence, just as America’s own independence had been put down by Britain more than a century before. The flag that I had been taught to admire and say the pledge for could be, when carried into other countries, a symbol

for racism, inhumane treatment and arrogance. After viewing a fuller picture of America’s past, it became difficult for me to muster up patriotism for my country. In addition to my disillusionment with the past, I felt increasingly frustrated with the partisan squabbles that dominate our country’s current politics. I did not feel there was much to be proud of. Now, I am in the process of re-forming my patriotism. I recognize that although it was not right for me to be blindly patriotic without truly knowing my country, it also was not right for me to forget the things about my country that I do take pride in. I remind myself that all countries have political issues; the U.S. is not the only country fragmented along party lines. I try to remember that unpleasant, shocking events are facts of history, and are not unique to the American past. I try to think about how far we have come and about all the individuals that made positive changes in our history. Above all, I remind myself that I am grateful to have the rights that I have and live in a democracy, even if it is a partisan one. I am grateful that I can write this piece and express my opinion without being persecuted by the government. I am grateful that I can choose my religion, and that when I turn 18 I will be able to vote for who I think can best lead the country.

Although my pride in my country is not what it once was and my patriotism is not as simple as the Senators who voted on the pledge of allegiance bill may expect it to be, I feel that my new patriotism is an improvement. Now that I have truly realized how often my country can have the wrong answer, I am more inclined to criticize and analyze political events and to form my own opinion and ideas. Now, instead of assuming that the U.S. is the best country, I try to think about how we can make the U.S. a better country. I discovered that it is good to be patriotic, but it is wrong to be blindly patriotic. Patriotism should be multilayered and well-considered. Our legislators should not put so much emphasis on students mindlessly pledging allegiance to a flag. Instead of requiring students to drone on with the same words each morning and to take these words at face value, we need to encourage students to think for themselves and analyze the current and past deeds of the country. Democracy is created through thought and opinion, and a true way to establish the American ideal is to foster independent thought from a young age. Patriotism is useful only when it is with the purpose of improving, questioning, and participating in government. Thoughtless patriotism, formed through mindless rituals, is an obstruction, not a vehicle, to peace and democracy. C

unique to itself down to the slightest of details, and can never be made the same way ever again. In the Oxford dictionary, art is defined as, “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.” This is more than true when relating to anything that mankind has created in the history of the world. Any kind of creation should be defined as art, whether it be a detailed sculpture or an advertisement for a billboard. Someone took the time, as small of an amount as it may be, to create something to view or hear for any sort of reason. One could simply be bored and make a stick figure; art is created there. A piece of work does not have to appeal to an audience. It can even not be appealing to the creator themselves. But the fact that they took the time to picture the figure in their head and draw it on a piece of paper says something. However, there are those who believe

nothing is art. The cultural movement Dadaism would aspire to such views. They believe in a pessimistic view in which anything achieved and created by man is useless. But when creating art, we are literally plucking ideas from our imagination and bringing them to the real world. Such an incredible achievement is what indefinitely separates us from animals. What makes us different can be defined by one sentence: “I see with eyes, think with words, then I am a human being.” But when one sees more with their eyes and thinks better with words, than they are able to use their creative abilities to their full extent and become artists.These qualities are what really make humans so different. No single person has to consider something art, but when one does have an open mind to the idea of art being anything that is created, then one can look at the world in a different, enlightened view. There are many things we

take for granted that can be looked at as art. For example, the font being used to type this document is a form of art. Someone took the time to design an appealing, concise, and clear alphabet. One of the oldest and most looked over works of art is language. It simply was someone thinking and using different sounds to help communicate with others. Then when its use was found practical, it caught on rapidly and changed into varieties of the original. Even if something created may be unappealing or effortlessly made, one should think about what it is in terms of art. Whatever the creation might be, it was thought of and made into reality from that thought. The next invention, portrait, sculpture, song, home appliance, and so on will have been made originally in the mind of a person. Imagination is forever and art is a gateway between our mind and reality. We will never stop creating art. C

As of 2008, 36 states have laws mandating that schools require students to recite the pledge of allegiance. As of October 2009, 26 of these states allow students to opt out.

what is art? lukas trierweiler

Recently, while I was browsing the Internet, I came across a video on YouTube titled “Modern Art Sucks.” In the video, there is a guy talking about how modern art is stupid and that is should not be considered art. He also talks about how anything that he could recreate is not art, and how artists are famous for stupid works like splattered paint on a canvas. But this is an extremely narrow view of art. Art should be defined as anything created by a human and brought the real world. It is understandable that one could have discontent toward an artist who creates something they find ridiculous and that the artist makes money for it. For example, someone who defines him or herself as an artist could create something simple and sell it as modern art to get money. However, that person may see that work as nothing but money, but the fact that they created it from their mind makes it art. It is

op-ed

the communicator

columns snap, crackle, pop: e-readers

julia devarti

amazon.com sells 143 kindle e-books for every 100 hardcover books.

As the holidays roll around this season, everyone seems to be making their own personal wish lists of gifts. While some of my friends are requesting new gadgets and gizmos, I asked my parents for a couple of new books. Pretty old school, I know. And my friends seem to think so, too. With all sorts of new Kindles and other e-readers coming out, I guess it’s

odd that I would ask for a real, solid, non-electronic book. After all, it’s more cost-effective to get a Kindle. Even with an initial price of $80, the “books” on the Kindle are much cheaper than their real life copies, so by the end, the whole package ends up being less expensive. Then there’s also size to consider. I often find myself lugging an extra bag just for books, and the Kindle aims to counter that. Why carry so much weight when the same content can be compacted into one pretty package? Even so, I’m still uncomfortable making the switch. There’s something almost dehumanizing about the e-reader. To me, reading a book is more than just processing the words on the page; it’s about the colors of the cover, the feel

of the pages and the sound of their crunching as you turn them, and the homey smell of a room full of books. Books are such a huge part of our culture, in ways we don’t even notice. Parents read bedtime stories to their children and later take their collegebound kids to go textbook shopping. Teachers expect their students to annotate and highlight their books as part of class assignments. Last I checked, you can’t write on a Kindle. And what kid wants to learn to read on a screen, especially when the standard Kindle doesn’t have colored illustrations? These are such amazing moments in our lives, and they’re dehumanized when they’re digitized. There’s just something simple about reading a book. You don’t have to push

any buttons, or light up any screens; all you have to do is turn a page. Kindles don’t even have page numbers; instead they tell you what percent of the book you’ve read. It’s a lot harder to compare notes with a friend or teacher without page numbers to reference. And, as a writer myself, I would much rather have my work read on a real page. All the greatest writers were first read in books or newspapers, and I want to follow in that tradition. Luckily, though, businesses this season are reporting good news: book sales are much higher than those of the last few years. This gives me hope that books will survive, and hopefully when I’m reading to my own children, it will be off of a colorful, fragrant, real page. C

average teenager watches 31 hours of TV, spends ten hours online, listens to 17 hours of music and watches three hours of movies. That is a total of 61 hours of media consumption per week. Absorbing that amount of media each week has a significant impact on the way young people think about themselves and the world around them. The biggest, most influential and mostconsumed media by teenagers today is television. Things haven’t always been this way. In the 1980s, television was much more controlled than it is today. Any scheduled programing before 9:00 pm was regulated to be “family friendly.” The Reagan administration de-regulated much of television by increasing the number of channels available to viewers and dropping the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) guidelines for the amount of advertising that could be broadcast. This had a major impact on the TV industry. Cable channels began to compete for viewers attention by doing bigger, better and in many cases more shocking things to increase their ratings. From then on, a gradual shift from culture-based to entertainment-based programs began. Today, the fastest growing and most degrading element of television is reality TV. On popular TV shows such as The Bachelor, America’s Next Top

Model and The Swan, women are often seen as “bitchy,” catty and overly-sexualized. In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality—and not in her capacity as a leader and intellectual. The movie highlights this lack of women in leadership positions in our government. The United States of America ranks 90th in the world in terms of female representation in national legislature. Women make up 51 percent of the population of the country but comprise only 17 percent of congress, 3 percent of fortune 500 CEO’s and hold only 3 percent of clout positions in telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising. All of these statistics show how out of control the problem of women being misrepresented has become. Things need to change. The next generation of women cannot grow up thinking that the way they are being represented now in the media and in government is okay. Women need to know from a young age that they are capable of doing great things and that the way they look does not define them.

setting it straight: women in the media

ruthie graff

over 1 million people worldwide have seen “miss representation”

“Miss Representation,” a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. The movie explores the dangerous effects that social media, the film and television industry, and magazines have on young women. The most staggering statistics in “Miss Representation” have to do with how teenage girls view themselves. Seventy-eight percent of girls hate their body by the time they turn 15, depression rates in the last ten years have doubled for teenage girls, 65 percent of women and girls have disordered eating habits, and 17 percent cut themselves. Cosmetic surgeries for 17-year-old girls have quadrupled from 1997 to today. These are not just numbers. The people that these statistics represent are our classmates, friends, sisters and ourselves. Change begins with awareness. “Miss Representation” aims to do just that. It is a much needed call for reform in the communicator

education for women, as well as for men. It features many successful and influential women including former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice and news anchor Katie Couric. The movie stresses the importance of young women seeing themselves as intellectuals, thinkers and creators. We are bombarded with hundreds of advertisements everyday. Are they simply trying to sell us a product, or is the product inconsequential? Is the real objective to sell us a mindset that we are not good enough, to make us into more eager consumers? The media constantly reminds us that we need to be fixed. Yet it is often the media that gets the most fixing: the majority of the advertisements we see in magazines have been airbrushed to perfection. The media gives young women an unrealistic standard of what beauty truly is. Today’s average model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman, and has a crew of professional makeup artists and hairdressers ensuring she appear flawless. Research done by the Media Awareness Network indicates that exposure to airbrushed models in print advertisements is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in young women. Here is one of the many shocking statistics in the movie: in one week the columns

shorts

Dear

what is your biggest regret from first semester?

Emily Brod, Freshman “I wish I had never lost my phone. I know it’s around here somewhere...”

Etsie Arruda, Senior “I wish that I had made more pancakes...”

Skylor Horne, Custodian “My biggest regret was cleaning up from Multi-Culti. Lots of trash.”

What is the most attractive hairstyle to superstars? Sincerely, Hip and Now My Dearest Hip and Now, As I am, technically speaking, a superstar, this is a piece of kügelwurst. The most attractive hairstyle is of course, the mullet. Adorned by many a superstar, ranging from Patrick Swayze and Andre Agassi to Hildebrandt van der Flaärg and Rünt Grösserschlick, the mullet is a sure-fire way to shout to the heavens: “I am powerful! I am invincible! I am das blöeterflaußgesunt!” Nothing broadcasts eternal victory like growing an epic mullet. For bonus superstar points, go with the slightly more epic handlebar mustache. The most incredible handlebar ‘stache of all time has been worn by yours truly since the dawn of time, and justly named the Dündlebar. Swäg to the maximum, Dünbar

fastFACTS 15,148

There are in CHS’s library

books

890

So far, books have been checked out this school year

3rd

CHS had the highest average ACT score in Michigan last year, the other two schools require entry exams

100%

CHS gives of the graduating class a chance to speak at their graduation

1/3

of CHS students play V/JV sports. This is a higher percentage than at any of the “big schools”

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illustrations james mackin

Finally ask out that teacher you’ve been crushing on since Freshman year

2 Capture a clan of squirrels and domesticate them

Chug a gallon of hot cocoa

Wear your footie-pajamas OUTSIDE of the house shorts

Skate the wrong way on an ice rink at Free Skate

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