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Mario kart kraze

The new Mario Kart app is the new hot game that everyone is hooked on. Can it live up to the Wii version?

The app Mario Kart Tour took players by storm and has 10.1 million downloads globally, surpassing Pokemon Go, Clash Royale and Fortnite Mobile.

Number of Downloads on Launch Day

Mario Kart Tour Pokemon GO

According to Forbes

Clash Royale Fortnite IOS

The Mario franchise is the best selling video game franchise of all time which explains its popularity and number of downloads. The app allows you to play Mario Kart anywhere and everywhere because of easy access on the iPhone. Mario Kart Tour has a lot to offer. You can race around courses inspired by real-world cities and some of your favorite Mario Kart character incorporate the local style of these cities. In addition to classic Mario Kart courses, these destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks. You also have access to a variety of weapons used when racing that can mix things up on the race track, including a Frenzy mode, which gives you an unlimited supply of an item. Collect drivers, karts, badges and gliders and race to increase your high scores, which determines your online rank. Drive different combinations of drivers, karts and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top. Purchase Rubies which allow you to get different items you want in the game, as well as Passes, which are a monthly based subscription that allows you to get even more rewards. The short Italian plumber and a race car is a perfect combination for a successful video game and we are not only talking mobile. Mario Kart Wii is the second best selling game for the Wii Console behind Wii Sports.

Josef Quispe

Favorite Character: Rosalina

Favorite Powerup: Red shell

Wii version or app?:

A10 The Wii version is better because you can select your maps and you can play against or with other people.

Cooper Sullivan

Favorite Character: Bowser

Anthony Bell

Favorite Character: Metal mario

Favorite Powerup: Mushroom

Wii version or app?:

The Wii was better because you had the remote as a steering wheel, which made it more fun.

Favorite Powerup:

Squid ink

Wii version or app?:

The Wii version is better because they have all the characters.

The fall production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” was a creative retelling of the classic Christmas story, in which an angel is sent to help a frustrated businessman named George Bailey by showing him what life would be like if he had never existed. Senior Libby Robins plays the role of Mary Hatch-Bailey, the love interest of the main character, George Bailey, who is played by senior Noble Vater. For seniors, this was the last fall production of their high school careers, and for Robins, the theater program has made a tremendous impact on her life. “Theater has given me so many skills and developed ones that I already had. It has given me confidence with public speaking and developed my own personal confidence,” Robins said. “Theater has also given me a majority of my friends and so many memories that I will cherish forever.” Despite the fact the Vater has not participated in any Lakeview High School productions in the past, he has still been able to fit in well with the other cast members. “Theater has spiced up the monotony and frustration of life in high school and has given me a healthy outlet to some of my emotions,” Vater said. The production of It’s a Wonderful Life portrays a more serious topic than what cast members are used to. It deals with aspects that aren’t typically seen in high school productions, such as suicide. Although this can be a touchy subject to some, the cast mates are close-knit and very comfortable with each other. “Rehearsals have been going really well and I’ve gotten to know other cast mates that I didn’t know as well,” Robins said. Additionally, Ken Gordon, producer and director of It’s a Wonderful Life, has incorporated the use of student assistant directors. Gordon believes that this collaboration aids in the creative process and the overall success of the production. “I love the acting process, and we have had some outstanding conversations around characters, key scenes, and what we, as a cast, feel like is the central message that we want the audience to go home with,” Gordon said. Overall, students have put hours of hard work and dedication into this production, and the audience is surely going to enjoy every second of it. It’s a onderful

Senior Year W

By: Riley Damore, Editor-in-Chief

Can’t Hold It Back Anymore

Six years later, Disney’s Frozen 2 was released on November 22

Released to theaters on November 22, 2019, Frozen II was one of the most anticipated movies of this winter season. The first movie “Frozen”, had over 18 million home media sales in 2014. According to The New Yorker, “Since its release, Frozen has earned $1.2 billion worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time and by far the highest-grossing animation. That also includes two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, a soundtrack that’s accumulated more than a million album sales and seven million Spotify streams, hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, and a DVD that became Amazon’s best-selling children’s film of all time based on orders alone.” Frozen 2 continues Anna’s and Elsa’s story three years after the events of the first movie but six years after that film hit theaters. According to directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Frozen II aims to answer questions that viewers had after Anna saved Elsa from Hans, Elsa’s icy powers and among other things. There are many exciting things that have made Frozen II into another thrilling, animated movie, that kids and adults loved once again.

With both boys and girls basketball seasons underway, here is some insight into returning players and even some new players to see exactly how they are expecting this 2019-2020 basketball season to go and to see what they are looking forward to the most this upcoming season. “I’m mostly looking forward to a fun, wholesome basketball season for my senior year,” three-year varsity player, senior Caleb Cary said. As players who are constantly growing and getting better, some of the players were willing to share the goals they have set for themselves for this approaching season. “Hopefully it will be our best season, and hopefully we can go undefeated,” sophomore Aiden Crawford said. Predictions are hard to make when you are going to be on a new team at a new school, but freshman Sydney Ross is hoping for a “Really fun basketball season.” This season there are some slight changes to the coaching staff for the basketball teams. Hannah Matthies is the new girls freshman coach and Blake Shaw is the new girls varsity coach. Thus moving up last years girl freshman coach, Mark Beckley up to girls junior varsity. Kyle Kracht is still the freshman boys coach and Shawn Aimesbury remains the junior varsity boys coach. Steve Wichmann is returning as the boys varsity coach, which he has been for the past 18 years. All the players are looking forward to a fun, memorable, and hopefully a season full of wins.

The Annual Holiday Classic versus Harper Creek is on Dec. 28 at 4 p.m. The Classic continues a tradition of holiday basketball at The Battle Creek Central Fieldhouse. The court is named after the legendary coach, Chuck Turner, who retired as the third-winningest coach in the history of Michigan. He coached for 31 years at BCC and was Coach Wichmann’s first coaching mentor when he was student-teaching at BCC. ‘tis the season

Kezia Wright, Reporter

Getting committed

Getting recruited to play college sports is one of the best things that can happen to young athletes who want to fulfill that dream of playing at the next level. However, playing at the next level isn’t all about your athletic talent. If you’re an athlete who wants to play at the next level you must be a good student, as demonstrated both in the classroom and on standardized tests, and be a good citizen who takes advantage of opportunities to give back to the community. According to scholarshipstats.com, “a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 14) went on to play a varsity sport in college and less than 2% of high school athletes (1 in 54) went on to play at NCAA Division I schools. The largest percentage of both male and female college athletes competed at NCAA Division III schools.” With 1326 students who attend Lakeview High School, even if all of those students were athletes, only 92 would possibly get recruited and play at the collegiate level. Even though the odds seem to be stacked against athletes looking to play beyond high school, that does not stop Spartans from pursuing their dreams. Senior Jack Goodman is a 6-foot, 2-inch, 200-pound, two-sport athlete who is planning on going to GVSU for six years. His plans include applying for an academic scholarship to earn a PhD in physical training but he is also interested in being a walk-on to the football team. Another Spartan athlete, senior Jaysi Hacker hopes to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level. With four schools in mind (Davenport, Northwood, Western Michigan and Indiana University), Hacker is a two-time All City, two-time All-Conference, three-time All-Team Academics, ODP International, and an AllRegion honorable mention player. Although Hacker is still uncommitted, she plans on waiting to see all the options she has before committing.

Committed Spartans

Jackson Kitchen

Spring Arbor University

Will play with his brother MEET

Baseball

Center Field

Tips to get Recruited Former Spartan Ava Cook, currently a GVSU soccer player with the potential to go pro, provides insight into the recruiting process.

S12 1) TRY NEW THINGS: Often times coaches will ask you to try things, but you have to trust them and try your best. 2)ATTEND CAMPS: I.D. Camps are one of the most effective way of getting your name in front of college coaches. Todd Well encouraged me to return to GVSU camp my junior year after an unsuccessful year before, knowing the amount of college coaches that would be there. 3) MAKE CONNECTIONS: On top of their soccer program having incredible past success, I had a great connection with the coaching staff and was truly honored to get the opportunity to be a part of such a historical program.

4) STAY MOTIVATED: It is amazing how different being a collegiate athlete is from anything before. [Athletes] are bigger, faster, stronger, and the level of play is so much quicker. It can be a tough adjustment, but it motivates you to just work harder and take all of the necessary steps. 5) Some of the best advice is to truly think about what YOU want. Not what your coaches want, your parents, your family, or your fiends, but what you want. Don’t let the idea of divisions 1,2, or 3, Juco, or NAIA determine where you go. Be your absolute true self when talking to coaches and going to camps, because that’s what’s going to matter the most in the future.

Taylor Wilsey

Olivet College

Two-sport college athlete

Logan Komarck, Reporter

MEET

Track & Field

Cross Country

Winter Sports Preview Spartans winter athletics are underway and here is what the season will bring

BASKETBALL There were a lot of seniors who left the men’s and women’s teams last year, leaving spots open. With a new coach taking the lead for the varsity team, girls basketball will be rebuilding in this coming season.

WRESTLING There is a lot of new talent coming into the program that help could bring home the conference title and qualify for states. The majority of the team has worked on the off season to get ready to perform this winter season.

COMPETITIVE CHEER The cheer squad has a lot of potential to do great this season. There is a lot of new talent coming in and willing to give the most effort possible. They are currrently working towards strengthing their tricks.

13 S SWIMMING Boys swimming is underway and there is lots of young talent coming up that have the can bring a lot to the team. Some returners have been training in club season decreased their times, which could help them win more titles.

Revenge TOUR Revenge TOUR

The varsity football team dominates 2019 season

Many goals were set out for Lakeview’s varsity football team including winning a conference, being undefeated, winning a championship, getting through the playoffs and much more. With achieving their goals comes preparation from everyone, both as a team and individually. Junior Jaden Simonson typically listens to his music before every game along with mentally preparing. “I sit down and I just think about my job,” Simonson said. “Like what I have to do this game, and I listen to music- I have my own playlist, too.” Simonson is one of many that listens to music before a big game. However, for senior Tanner Underwood, he goes about his own ways. “I drink a jar of pickle juice,” Underwood said. Many things were different this year when it came down to attitudes and behavior. Not only did the players recognize it, but varsity Head Coach Jerry Diorio noticed a major difference from last season to this year’s season. “This year’s team, number one, has commitment to each other,” Diorio said. “They’re coachable, and they challenge themselves. They’re competitors.” The team can also relate to what Diorio said about the differences from this season to last. Sophomore Hunter Markos recognized a change in attitudes, along with the other players on the team. “Our negativity went away this year,” Markos said. “The team had a lot of negativity that would bring other players down, but not this year; this year we’re all together.” Each player could agree that the attitudes last year are completely different now. For Simonson, he realized it as well and could see the difference. “A lot more leadership this year,” Simonson said. “Team chemistry is so much better and we’re tightly round. We’re a family.” After all of the improvements and accomplishments that have been made, there are many responsibilities that come with each and every player. Simons plays a big role in their defensive line up. “I’m a leader on defense, trying to get everybody together to make sure we know what we’re doing,” Simonson said. “Then to just lockdown the whole game.” Often, athletes play with a purpose. There are many factors that go into why a person plays the sport they play to reach their full potential in every game. “Playing with your best buds makes me push myself,” Underwood said. “Part of it is also knowing this is the last year.” Underwood isn’t the only one who feels that his teammates push him; Markos can also relate to him. “When you see the other players and you look around, you just want to do it for them and you want to do it for all of us,” Markos said. While there’s usually a purpose to playing a sport, there’s a person, place, or thing that can potentially inspire them. For Markos, he’s happy to say that coach Diorio inspires him a lot. “He pushes me and he played college football, and I’ve always

14 wanted to play college football,” Markos said. “We’ve gone down the same paths in our life as well.” Behind a game, meet, or race, there’s meaning that follows. Markos holds a strong belief that playing the game is all for the team and others, not himself. “Well like I said; when you look around the locker room, you always just want to do it for the guys with you,” Markos said. “There’s pictures of the past players so you always want to do it for them, the coaches, and your parents.” Along with playing the game for everyone else besides the team, Underwood views it as impacting the entire community. “When the football team is doing really well, the school’s excited and people are more likely to go out,” Underwood said. “People are more supportive as a whole.” In order to keep up with an undefeated season, Coach Diorio sets aside time to go over certain things. “We all have rituals, and every coach has rituals, too, ” Diorio said. “Some coaches call it superstitions, I call it a routine. I try to go over last minute preparations. Making sure I dotted all my I’s and crossed my T’s. I really try to streamline my plan.” In the end, the football team had an extraordinary season this year and continues to look forward no matter what. Underwood leaves a few last words to his senior teammates and overall senior athletes: “Have fun with it,” Underwood said. “Don’t think of it as a job- think of it as an opportunity to get to spend time with your buds, and get to do something that you won’t be able to do for the rest of your life.” Along with Underwood’s last few words, Dioro had a similar outlook and told his senior athletes to have no regrets. “Leave it all on the field,” Diorio said. “Forget about tomorrow. Concentrate now because this is going to affect tomorrow. I think our kids have really done that, and I always say one play, one day, one game at a time.” S P a R T a N S By: Kirsten Butler, Sports Editor

Everything you need to know about the final month of college football and what it means for playoff contenders College Football 1 1

College football always has some intense games. Whether it be a rivalry game or an unranked team going point for point with a top team, there are bound to be some upsets that were unexpected. There are several two loss teams that are out of playoff contention, however, if they beat playoff contenders they could cause a lot of debate when experts go to pick which teams will play for a championship. The 13 experts form a committee, called the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee, that form a list of the top 25 college football programs. These picks can cause some negative debate among fans. Ohio St was ranked number one in the first CFP rankings ahead of LSU and Alabama. People were unhappy because they thought LSU has had more quality wins.

Facts about the college football playoffs

• No team ranked number one in the first CFP ranking has gone on to win the national championship. • The first year the four team bracket was used was following the 2014 season. • Alabama and Clemson have won four of the last five national championships (two a piece). • Alabama has competed in four straight national championship games (2-2 in those four games). • Ohio St, Oregon, Florida St and Alabama were the four teams selected to play in the first ever playoffs. • Ohio St beat Alabama in the 2014 semifinals 42-35. The other semifinal game was Oregon versus Florida St. Oregon won that game 59-20. • The first national championship game to be played under the new bracket format was held at AT&T Stadium. Ohio St beat Oregon 42-20. • Alabama is the only school to be in all five of the college football playoffs. • Alabama is also the only team to be in four straight national championship games.

Oct 12

Oct 19

Oct 26

Nov 9

Nov 16

College football AP ranked teams that got upset by unranked teams

#3 Georgia loses 20-17 to South Carolina in overtime

#6 Wisconsin loses 24-23 to Illinois on a last second field goal

#5 Oklahoma loses 48-41 to Kansas State Kansas State moves into Top 25

#4 Penn State loses to #17 Minnesota 31-26

#8 Minnesota loses to #20 Iowa 23-19

Biggest Upset of 2019

VS

15 Auburn beat 5 Alabama 48-45. It was a back and forth game. Alabama did not have their starting quarterback because of injury. Alabama ended up going down to 12 in the next rankings, with Auburn moving up to 11.

The Crystal Point

Anyone who lives in the United States knows how expensive it can be to attend college after high school. Often the question “Should college be free?” pops up or “Is college worth it?” Over the years, the cost of college tuition has gradually increased. For the 2017-2018 school year the average tuition for a four-year private college is $34,740. Public universities have in-state and out-ofstate tuition. The average in-state tuition cost was $9,970 and outof-state had an average of $25,620. Over the years, it is expected to have an increase in the yearly prices of 3.2 percent at public universities and 2.4 percent at private four-year colleges. In Michigan, the average student debt is $32,158 and the number of people who come out of college with debt is at 59 percent. Over 44 million Americans conjointly hold more than $1.5 trillion in student debt. About half of all jobs paying over $35,000 require a bachelor’s degree or higher. A bachelor’s degree is a four-year degree in which a student is required to take 120 semester credits. One semester credit on average is $594. A full bachelor’s degree can cost $71,280 within four-years of college. About 53 percent of students right out of college, are unemployed or working in a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree. On Sept. 18, 2018, New Mexico announced a plan to make tuition at all state colleges free. This means regardless of one’s family income, a student can go to college for free. A lot of countries abroad offer free college. This includes countries like Brazil, France, Germany and Iceland. Ulitimately, the answer is yes, college should be free. So many Americans are stuck with debt after their four-year experience. The cost of a bachelor’s degree can be more than an actual paycheck. When people think about going to college and what they want to do in their future, the cost of it has a huge impact on that decision. Why the cost of college should be free all across the World, including the United States Free College

Class Size Concerns Large classes at Lakeview hinder students’ ability to learn

Administration and staff in the Lakeview School District have been striving to connect with students on a multitude of levels from developing personal relationships to focusing on how to reach students of color in order to foster success. However, one element teachers have no control over that negatively impacts student success is class size. Some classes have as few as 15 students, but many have at least 30 students and one of the classes has over 80 students. With the larger classes comes some potential issues, such as teacher control over the class. These issues have a tremendous impact on the learning environment as well as student safety Smaller classes have their benefits. “Researchers have come to a general consensus that smaller class sizes produce positive social, emotional and academic results,” said Weston Kieschnick, a Senior Fellow for the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). Kieschnick who was previously a teacher and

principal also says that to get the most benefits a class should be about 18 students to one teacher., and “reduction in class sizes has the greatest benefit when applied longitudinally to grades K-3.” According to school counselor Robert Allison, the average class size at LHS is about 23 students. “But that is very misleading because that takes into account every advanced course and support courses, which are smaller by design,” Allison said. However, English 9B sizes for trimester two are on average 31-32 students per class. Other classes are even larger. “The overall average isn’t that big,” Allison said, “but, when you get looking into some specific courses, the average becomes much larger.” Reducing class sizes would cost the district money because more teachers would be needed, but in the National Education Association’s publication “Today” a February 2019 article

stated, “The things that cost money benefit students. Ample research indicates that children in smaller classes achieve better outcomes, both academic and otherwise, and that class size reduction can be an effective strategy for closing racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.”

Source: “Class Size Reduction: A Proven Reform Strategy,” NEA Policy Brief, 2015

O17december + PRO CON Always sanitary products are getting rid of the female, Venous, symbol so they can be more inclusive of people of the transgender and non-bianary community. (The transgender community is a group of individuals who feel like their personal identity and gender do not correspond with their birth sex. Non-bianary individuals’ gender identity is neither exclusively male nor female.) This change, even though subtle, is a step in the right direction. The biggest argument of those in favor of this change is that not everyone who menstruates is female as well as not every woman menstruates. This concept was behind the rationale for creating a more inclusive brand for all customers. “We’re also committed to diversity and inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers,” Procter and Gamble, the parent company of Always, said. Those against the removal of the Venous symbol feel like they’re being deprived of their rights as women. “Removing the female symbol from sanitary towel packaging is basically denying the existence of women,” feminest Julie Bindel said. However, multiple women claim that they didn’t even realize that the symbol was there until the controversy was create about Always removing it from their packaging. Marketing and advertising are constantly updating and being modified based off of newer generations. Brands and advertisers are going to start shifting because of all the societal changes and what the newer generations are more responsive to. Recently, the brand “Always” made the decision to remove the female symbol from the wrapping of their menstrual hygiene products. The purpose for this change was to be more inclusive to LGBT+ members; specifically transgender and non-binary costomers. This change is not meant for women who now identify, or have transitioned to men, this is inclusive to men to women transformations. Scientifically speaking, men cannot menstruate; even if you’re on the proper hormones. The new movement, “everyone can menstruate” was started by a transgender women, who believe that by appearing as a women, he was granted access to a menstrual cycle. If it’s not already been made present, menstruation is the shedding of the uterus wall, which is a female reproductive organ. Even if you were to get the proper surgeries to present yourself as a woman, they have not scientifically been able to produce the women's reproductive organs. Out of approximately 327.2 million Americans, only .06 percent, or 1.4 million, identify as transgender or non-binary, accoding to USA Today. “In 2017, there were 165.92 million women in the United States,” said Statista So essentially, companies are taking away the female perspective from female hygiene products in order to accommodate for an extremely low percentage of the overall female population. Transgender woman Blaire White speaks out against the new movements that have pushed companies such as “Always” to change their products. “Is it that pressing of an issue that you have to potentially alienate the 99.999 percent of customers who buy your product, who are women, for these 0.0001 percent that are non-binary.” said Blaire White in a youtube video based on the topic of periods and tans people's involvement. At this point, we are not creating progression in our society, we are creating regression. We are no longer fighting for relevant topics, we are fighting to play the victim in each and every situation. We are creating generations of overly sensitive and easily triggered people. We don’t want to have a real conversation because most of the population is going in a direction where everything is so exclusive if you don’t fit into the crowd of a small group with big mouths. We shouldn’t have to change a female symbol on a female product because 20 of the customers are offended. Because now women are offended. You’re taking female empowerment from them and telling them to feel bad because they’ve excluded such a small number of people. NOT NEED THE FEMALE SIGN By: Gabriella Ramos-Edgell, Reporter

By: Jazmin Young, Reporter

MENTAL BREAKDOWN

Schools across the country have taken in allowing students taking mental health days at school. States such as Utah and Oregon enacted a law for it, and other states such as Colorado, Florida, and Washington are attempting to get a bill passed. Oregon passed a bill to allow five mental health days a year. It is stated that this is meant to change the stigma around mental health in a state that has some of the US highest suicide rates and encourage kids to admit when they’re struggling. “In the age of social media, the internet, and constant bombardment of negative news and events our children are bearing the brunt of a quicklyc h a n g i n g society. It is time for us to take mental health as a whole more seriously, kids are under a lot of pressure,” Florida House of Representatives Democrat Susan Valdes said. Florida is starting to recognize the toll on teenagers mental state of mind and attempt to get a bill to be passed for students in Florida to be allowed to take mental health days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have taken up on statistics that many states who are attempting to pass bills have looked to for more evidence to help prove that students need to start focusing on their own health. “National suicide rate has been on the rise and recently hit a 50-year high, climbing more than 30% since 1999. Being open to adults about our mental health promotes positive dialogue that could help kids get the help they need,” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Allowing students to take mental health days can help provide them with the mental break they need for themselves. High school students take on a lot more pressure nowadays, getting perfect grades and scores for college, pressure from parents, self-pressure from peers judgements, p r e s s u r e from peers, living up to their own expectations, h o m ewo r k , their job (if have one), sports, etc; Sometimes just taking a day off gives them the relief they need. Almost 40 percent of parents say their high-schooler is experiencing a lot of stress from school, according to a new NPR poll conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. In most cases, that stress is from academics, not social issues or bullying, the poll found. A survey by the American Psychological Association found that nearly half of all teens — 45 percent — said they were stressed by school pressures. Allowing students to take mental health days can help provide them with the mental break they need for themselves. “ “

8 everyday mental health tips 1 Exercise

2

Meditate

3

Get enough sleep

4 5 6 7

Sit up straight

Surround yourself with supportive friends

Set attainable goals

Eat nutritious meals

8

Seek help when you need it

See Summit Pointe information on pg. 19

Signs of Suicide

If You Need Help...

* Increased alcohol and drug use * Aggressive behavior * Social withdrawal from friends, family and community * Dramatic mood swings * Talking, writing or thinking about death * Impulsive or reckless behavior

Summit Pointe 24-Hour Crisis * 1-800-632-5449 Summit Pointe Youth Mobile Crisis Team National Suicide Prevention Hotline Crisis Text Line * 269-441-5945 * 1-800-273-8255 * Text HOME to 74174

For further information, see page 5

By: Alexa Morey, Reporter

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Credits made to move with you. TRANSFER

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