The Crystal November 2017

november 2017

The Crystal

White Nationalist Ideals

Spartan Marching Band

pg. 3

pg. 12, 13

Universities take a stand to protect students.

LHS band makes history with their first trip to Ford Field.

Boys Sports vs Girls Sports Gender gap takes its toll on high school athletes. pg. 16

2 Crystal Staff Adviser: Jodi Darland Editor-in-Chief: Jerry Haadsma News Editor: Abby Yott Feature Editor: Haidyn Markos A&E Editor: Clementine Hutchins Sports Editor: Karlie Kucharczyk Opinion Editor: Claire Tobin Photographers: Jace Canfield Reporters: Kirsten Butler Lacey Campbell Jayla Carpenter Riley Damore Moriah Edwards Hannah Techumseh Angel Wachera Business Manager: Shelby Boggs Administration: Blake Prewitt - Superintendent Jeffrey Bohl - Principal Stacy Helmboldt - Assistant Principal Shannon Walker - Dean of Students Editorial policy: The Crystal is a self-funded student publication distributed free of charge to all Lakeview High School students and staff with a total press run of 500. The publication is an open forum for expression and a two-way communication for both the school and community. The editor-inchief and staff are solely responsible for the content. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of the staff or the administration of Lakeview High School.

The mission of The Crystal is as follows: to inform and entertain audiences of Lakeview High School and surrounding communities by providing diverse, relevant stories. The Crystal strives to remain objective, accurate and truthful while increasing school and community awareness of timely issues.

In the Issue NEWS

SPORTS

White Nationalists Blocked pg. 3 Fake Service Animals pg. 3 Opioid Crisis/Human Trafficking pg. 4, 5

Boys Sports vs Girls Sports pg. 16 Healthy Lifestyle pg. 17 Importance of H2O pg. 18 Vegetarians/Pescatarians pg. 19

A&E

OPINION

Staffer’s Choice (Music and Film) pg. 6 Netflix pg. 8 Marvel vs DC pg. 8

FEATURE

Crystal Point: Academic Wing Closure pg. 20 Pro-Con: Trimester Schedule pg. 21 Pressure of Perfection pg. 22

ADVERTISEMENTS pg. 7, 19, 23, 24

Cover Photo: by Jace Canfield Boys vs Girls. Who really rules? As featured on pg. 16, LHS athletes and coaches talk about the difference between girls and boys sports.

October corrections: Page 10: Karl Shafer, not Kirk Shafer, is the new technology teacher.

Page 18: Accidentally identified sophomore Hannah Oo as a freshman.

Step Team pg. 9 Getting Published pg. 9 Mothers pg. 10, 11 Spartan Marching Band pg. 12, 13 Date Ideas pg. 14 Fall Play pg. 15

Letter from the Editor

Businesses are encouraged to advertise in The Crystal when their ads adhere to the specified guidelines available in the publications room.

Members of The Crystal staff can be contacted by calling the publications room phone at 269-565-3731 or emailing at thecrystal@ lakeviewspartans.org.

To view The Crystal in full color, visit: issuu.com/thecrystalLHS

The Crystal is printed by: The Argus-Press Company 201 E. Exchange St. Owosso, MI 48867 The Crystal is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. The 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2013-2014 Crystal won a MIPA Spartan award.

Lakeview High School 15060 Helmer Road South Battle Creek, Mich. 49015 269-565-3700 lakeviewspartans.org

With the holiday season quickly approaching and winter break right around the corner, many of us are starting to look ahead to the days off of school. But, let’s not get too much holiday fever as school can be gruelling during the winter months.

I think it’s very important to value our public education here at Lakeview. We get caught up in the celebrity aspect of high school, never realizing the true meaning of it. I think profiting from our teachers can be a truly valuable lesson.

Too many of us focus on the letter grade.

The letter grade and standardized testing that determines and/or perceives our so-called future. More than you think, it’s the little things in school that truly better you as a student and

person of society. Personally, I can tell you that I have learned a lot more from just one teacher, rather than a study guide on long division or logarithms.

Prioritizing your education should always be your sole focus, but, furthermore, learning from your experiences through your teacher can be a very worthwhile lesson.

Too many people criticize the unprosperous educational systems in the U.S. because of lack of engagement.

Sure, sometimes you get wound up with a not- so-good teacher, but I encourage everyone to be more accepting of their teachers and engage yourself in things out of your comfort zone.

Ultimately, this so-called “poor” education system starts with us. As students, we have the ability to express our opinions and summon a change in our school and community.

Jerry Haadsma, Editor-in-Chief

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

-Barack Obama

N

November 2017 3

Universities take measures to stop the spread of white nationalist ideals White nationalist Richard Spencer requested to speak at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. The University of Michigan has yet to decide whether they will allow him to speak on their campus, but Michigan State has already denied the right for Spencer to speak on campus.

Spencer has now sued Michigan State for violation of freedom of speech rights. Spencer’s ideals of a separate white nation have made waves throughout both campuses.

A contribution to the spread of white nationalism is social media supporting their ideologies. Social media opens the door for more people to be exposed to the white nationalist beliefs and join them in their movement.

“Richard Spencer is a violent white supremacist who advocates ethnic cleansing, and while he may deny promoting physical violence, his supporters engage in violence against marginalized people with

the intent of protecting white supremacy,” the University of Michigan Black Student Union said.

Spencer spoke at the Charlottesville rally, which soon turned violent between white nationalists and protesters; injuring 34 people and killing three.

Ever since the Charlottesville attack, less and less colleges, including Ohio State University, Auburn University and Florida State University, are willing to have Spencer speak.

Ohio State University released a statement explaining why Spencer’s group will not be allowed to speak on campus until further notice.

“The University values freedom of speech,” but in the issue of renting the space to Spencer’s group “it is a substantial risk to public safety,” an Ohio State University spokesman said.

Written By Claire Tobin, Opinion Editor

STUDENT VIEWS “I think Spencer is taking freedom of speech too far, because it is harmful to others,” senior Devy’on Baldwin said.

“This is wrong; this is America. America should be a place where all cultures are accepted, instead of being made to feel inferior,” senior Logann Haluszka said.

“Spencer should be able to go on campus and speak. If people are willing to come and listen then there shouldn’t be a problem, because it is freedom of speech,” senior Kyle Starkweather said.

Four-Pawed Frauds

Fake service animal vests make it difficult to differentiate certified animals from personal pets

People who have handicaps or disabilities may require their own companion to take with them everywhere they go. These companions have to be tested and certified. However, pet owners who do not have a disability cannot just take their pets places with them. Recently, there have been reports of pets attacking because they are not actually certified service animals who were trained be around the public.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are defined as “dogs that are specifically trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.”

Examples of these tasks include guiding people who are blind, protecting people who have seizures, or calming people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Service dogs are identified through their vests or documentation, which should always be visible to the public.

Although it may be tempting to approach a cute, cuddly-looking dog, service animals are not pets. They are working animals who have undergone months of training and are permitted to go places where household pets cannot.

Recently, there has been an increasing amount of fake service animals in public; this makes it hard to tell the difference between real service animals and household pets.

Service animal vests are available for purchase online for as little as $20. These vests are so similar to the ones that legitimate service dogs wear that one might not be able to differentiate real or false. This is an issue to law enforcement because it is unsafe for untrained dogs to be in public, especially when their owner is trying to pass them off as a real service dog. Using a vest to try to pass off your pet as a service animal is a crime and can be punishable by a $500 fine or 90 days jail time.

Because service animals have to wear vests signifying their “authority,” it can be difficult for business owners or law enforcement to allow, or deny, the access of the service animal.

The growing use of service animals is causing an issue in society, but only because people are abusing their access to the fake service animal vests. If an untrained dog is in public, it becomes a potential risk to others.

Due to the lack of training of the dog, it could bark (which service dogs are trained not to do) or even attack a passerby. Not only does this put the public in harm’s way, but it also gives true service animals a bad name.

Written By Riley Damore, Reporter

Facts About Four-Pawed Friends:

1. Any breed of dog can be trained to become a service

animal, but the traditional breeds of service dogs are German Shepherds, Labradors and Golden Retrievers.

2. There are three major classifications of service dogs: guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs.

3. Most service animals wear blue vests, but there are many different colors of vests available.

4. Training a service dog can be costly. It costs up

to $25,000 for specialized service dogs to be trained, depending on your location.

5. Service dogs perform tasks specialized for their “person,” and are trained based on the person’s disability.

4 News

Sex trafficking becoming bigger issue According to the International Labour Organization, 20.9 million individuals fall victim to human trafficking globally. Of those 20.9 million individuals, 68 percent are trapped into forced labor. There have been incidents of human sex trafficking in Battle Creek.

In June 2016 Battle Creek residents James Smith, Williams Edwards, Dakota Walters and Michael Noble were caught trafficking two 14-year-old girls.

The suspects gave the girls cocaine and forced them to participate in sex for money.

On Oct. 26, 2017, Smith received 20 years in federal

prison. Edwards was sentenced to 20 years for recruiting the girls. Walters got 20 years for coaching and trafficking the girls. Noble received four years for driving one of the victims to locations to engage in commercial sex.

The Internet is making it easier to traffick someone. Sites such as BackPage.com make selling someone much quicker and anonymous. BackPage.com is the adult classifieds section that used to be part of the well known New York newspaper “The Village Voice.”

In 2010 Craig’s List removed it’s own adult classified section.

This left BackPage.com with 80 percent of online commercial sex advertising revenue. On the website, third parties are allowed to put their own advertisements up, with BackPage.com acting just as a third party host.

The website received heat when three teenagers claimed that they were trafficked on there.

The families of the victims wanted to sue the website, claiming that BackPage.com made it too easy for sex trafficking.

Written By Clementine Hutchins, Arts and Entertainment Editor

1out of 5 runaways are likely victims.

Michigan Sources: www.humantraffickinghotline.org, www.lpnwp.org

136 109

cases of human trafficking were reported this year. of the cases were sex trafficking.

14 of the cases involved male victims.

120 of the cases involved female victims.

November 2017

5

Sources: www.drugabuse.gov

2 million people are addicted to prescription drugs.

United States 21-29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.

8-12% of patients develop an opioid use disorder.

4-6% of patients who misuse prescription drugs start doing heroin.

80% of heroin users started misusuing prescribed opioids.

90 people die daily after overdosing on prescribed opioids.

Opioid crisis declared public health emergency On Oct. 26, 2017, President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency in response to the opioid epidemic. The choice was made due to the growing number of Americans facing an addiction to prescribed medications.

“As Americans, we cannot allow this to continue.

It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction,” President Donald Trump said. “We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic. We can do it.”

The public health emergency will allow agencies to ignore delays for giving out grants and allow them to grant federal money towards fighting the crisis.

“One of the things that I think is the most beneficial part of having a public health emergency is you really can marshal public support and then you can bring all the resources of the federal government to bear on it, bringing people from all of the agencies to combat the issue,” Tom Coderre a former Senior Official in Obama’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration office said.

Public health emergencies expire every ninety days, but they can be renewed until the president feels like the issue is no longer an emergency.

Written By Clementine Hutchins, Arts and Entertainment Editor

A&EJack 6 Arts & Entertainment

&

180 South

Staffer’s Choice: Johnson The importance of celebrities and corporations in today’s society have increased dramatically. Although we are still human, their social status is significantly higher for things they have done. But lucky enough, I’m here to tell you why some “celebrities,” or big name people, have made a great impact on the millennial society.

I strongly advise anyone and everyone to invest a few minutes of your time to listen to a few Jack Johnson songs. Personally, my top three favorite Jack Johnson songs range from over 12 years of songwriting.

Johnson’s 2006 hit “Upside Down” ranks number three. As one of his more popular songs, “Upside Down” is featured in the show “Curious George,” as my favorite show as a kid. Johnson has always had a fun and meaningful message in his music that I’ll forever admire.

Coming in second, his 2005 world’s best song winner, “Better Together.” Like all other albums, Song: Washing Dishes Album: From Here to Now to You (2013)

In Between Dreams enhances Johnson’s core music talents as he builds a charming yet emotional appeal of songs such as “Better Together.” I love the acoustic song as it provides a love like feel while he tells a story about being “Better Together,” more than likely with a significant other.

Finally, my number one favorite song is Sunsets For Somebody Else. In his 2017 album, All the Light Above It Too, Johnson embraces the importance of the environment, and even touches upon his political views and President Trump. “Sunsets For Somebody Else” is unlike any other Jack Johnson song.

Whether you’re driving, doing homework or sipping on a cup of coffee this is one of the most peaceful and loving songs in the music world. Johnson decided to correlate his album photo by collecting trash that washed up on a shoreline in Hawaii and outline himself with color coating trash from the ocean while immortalizing the

Runners-up

Song: If I Had Eyes Album: Sleep Through the Static (2008)

Photo By Thom Duffy

Patagonia have bought nine national monuments and have over 4.5 million acres of land protected.

To make it even better, Jack Johnson features a few songs in the documentary. All in all, I would give this film an 8/10 as it perpetuates the importance of our environment and the care we shall give it to preserve our future. It can be a little slow in some parts, but those who aspire to protect something so precious, blast some Jack Johnson and watch a damn good film.

Written By Jerry Haadsma, Editor-in-Chief

7.1

Million dollars was donated

by Patagonia to 824 non profit organizations in 22 different countries.

2015

Quick Facts

• Born May 18, 1975 in Oahu, Hawaii • Education: University of California, Santa Barbara • Hobbies: Loves to surf. His dad, Jeff Johnson, was a legend in the surf community.

waste problem in the Pacific Ocean.

In retrospect of Johnson’s music and environmental outreach, the Netflix documentary, 180 Degrees South is a great watch.

The 2010 documentary focuses on the environmental aspect of corporational outreach. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Douglas Tompkins, founder of The North Face, share many interests. In the film, they talk about their 1967 trip to Patagonia. Both Tompkins and Chouinard were experienced rock climbers and shared a love for the environment.

In the film, Keith Malloy, who grew up in the small town of Ojai, Cali., is featured as a main character. Malloy follows in the footsteps of Tompkins and Chouinard through climbing, surfing and environmental inspiration.

Throughout the entirety of the movie, Tompkins and Chouinard express the true and important meaning of the preservations around America.

Since then, Chouinard and

In 2015, Doug Tompkins of The North Face died in a kayaking accident, leaving his wife Kris with mountain, forest and steppe to face by herself.

“

The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn’t even think to ask.

“

-Doug Tompkins Founder, The North Face

November 2017

7

8 Arts & Entertainment

Marvel

With what seems to be a constant influx of screen adaptations of comics, the fan bases of Marvel and DC Comics tend to remain loyal to one company or the other.

Marvel MOVIE

Iron Man 2 Captain America: The Avengers Iron Man 3 Thor: The Dark World

Captain America: Civil War

Ant-man The Avengers: Age of Ultron

VS

Regardless of the rivalry, the numbers speak for themselves. According to indiewire.com, “There’s a lot more Marvel movies than DC movies, and they made a lot more money. Marvel has produced 48 movies, which grossed $11.8 billion in North America. (All numbers adjusted.) DC has 29 movies, totaling just under $6.7 billion.”

DC Comics

SPENT

PROFIT

PROFIT

SPENT

$170 million

$621 million

$1 billion

$185 million

The Dark Knight

$300 million

$55 million

Superman

$140 million

The First Avenger

DC Comics

$370 million

MOVIE

$225 million

$1519 million

$359 million

$150 million

$200 million

$1215 million

$266 million

$80 million

Batman Begins Batman Returns

$150 million

$644 million

$39 million

$32 million

A History of Violence

$250 million

$153 million

$1 billion

$275 million

The Dark Knight Rises

$130 million

$519 million

$411 million

$25 million

$330 million

$1408 million

$108 million

$54 million

Batman Superman II: The

Compiled By Karlie Kucharczyk, Sports Editor

Richard Donner Cut

http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Marvel-Cinematic-Universe#tab=summary

Popular Teen Dramas on Netflix If you’ve already binge watched Stranger Things Season 2 and Riverdale, here are some other dramas to dive into.

Written By Angel Wachera, Reporter

Even stranger similar shows…

Fans of Stranger Things who have finished binge watched the show’s second season might experience a feeling that leaves them wanting more of the supernatural.

1 3

Mysteriously similar shows…

If murder mystery peaks your interest, Netflix has a variety of shows similar to Riverdale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The OA • • • •

Science fiction based show Young kids are the main characters Based in a small Michigan location Another dimension

Sense 8

2

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries • • • •

Science fiction based show 1920s Melbourne Likeable character She solves mysteries

Twin Peaks (1991)

• Extradimensional location in a small town • FBI agent investigates murder of high school girl • Supernatural

• Diverse cast- connections with Stranger Things characters • Psychic powers cause a character to be hunted • Only two seasons

Haven • • • •

2

Female FBI agent is the main character Solving mysteries in a small town Supernatural mysteries Suspensful until the end

1 3

Sources: pcmag.com and sweetyhigh.com

...Stomp The Yard...

DJ Williams takes after sister’s footsteps in restarting the step team

A

fter four years the step team returns, and has more participation than ever. LHS graduate Darika Williams and brother sophomore Daijour “DJ” Williams are a generation of beats, rhythms and steps, as shown by DJ Williams carrying on his sister’s legacy.

DJ describes his knowledge of step routines as a watch and learn process.

“When I was younger I would always watch my sister and her friends do steps and make up routines and play the music for them,” DJ said. “So I’ve always had Watch and Learn: Darika Williams sneaks into step team practice as leader along side DJ to teach the team that in my brain, and it’s always been interesting to me.”

DJ encountered what he saw as big opportunities and took steps to make his vision of restarting the step team a reality during Multicultural Week last school year.

“We got a pretty good reaction from the school last year, and I thought it was a good idea to continue it as a club,” DJ said.

Spreading his idea, which started off as just goofing around during lunch time or passing times, he and seven other friends approached a counselor with this idea, and found a supervisor for the team.

“

“Because this is student organized it’s more fun, and it’s like friends just hanging out after school,” freshman Brazyll Watkins said. “My favorite part of step team is performing. We all have to work on being in sync and becoming one sound. There is nothing that I would change about step team, except I wish there was an actual room for step team to practice in.”

Still working out some kinks and figuring out a calendar for practicing and performing, members feel that the team is really becoming a team “This is the real deal,” team leader sophomore Tania Reese said.

Written By Jayla Carpenter, Reporter

Expect to see the Step Team’s next performance during spirit week for Winter Carnival in January. In the mean time if Step Team interests you, practices are every Tuesday after school. You can contact advisor Haley A-bel or some of the current members: DJ Williams, Ti Spicer, Tania Reese, Amiya Boggerty, Courtney Mobley, Alayna Satterfield and Shania Williams.

F

November 2017

A Journey Through Writing

9

Written By Moriah Edwards, Reporter

M

y talent has always been writing. I started out when I was in the first grade. I had this red notebook that I would always carry around with me and I would write comics in it. I wrote comic books from first through sixth grade and my best friend would always read them for me in order to give me a critique.

But eventually I grew tired of my best friend being the only one who got to read my stories, so I started writing on this app called Wattpad.

Wattpad is a large platform for writers and readers to use. Anyone that wants to post their own works on there can and then anyone who wants to read on there can just read those for free.

It’s a win-win. Other people get to read your stories and you get feedback through the comments they post and how many times people vote on your story.

I wrote my first book on Wattpad in the seventh grade and after completely finishing it I only had about 80 reads, which is pretty bad for a forty chapter book on Wattpad. Wattpad is a hard platform to get many reads on when you’re just starting out, and this is due to the vast amount of books that are added everyday.

About halfway through eighth grade I had a new idea for a book. I personally didn’t think that it would do all that well, especially considering the fact that I was discouraged from how my first book had done. The second book that I started writing is called The Girl Who Stutters, and The Boy Who Mutters and it didn’t start out well either. In fact,

I almost decided to stop writing it after I had finished fourteen chapters of it. But I decided to at least finish writing it for myself because I knew that the book was a good idea. I’m great at coming up with ideas, but the execution is where my problem usually lays.

So I did continue to write it, and unexpectedly people started to read it. It wasn’t an overnight sensation or anything like that. It started growing with time. I’ve gone from getting five new readers a day to getting anywhere between five and six hundred new readers a day. I went from having zero followers on Wattpad to now having over four thousand. I went from having just under one or two hundred reads to having over 2.4 million reads.

Just recently I was invited to join the writing team on a different app called Radish.

There’s a distinct difference between Wattpad and Radish, that difference being one pays while the other doesn’t. I’ve been slowly making the transition over to Radish Although I’ll be getting paid for posting my books on Radish, I’m going to continue to update on Wattpad too for the audience that I’ve built over there.

This past year has been extremely successful for me and that’s only because I found a way to do something with my talent.

It wasn’t an easy decision either, in fact It was nerve wracking because even strangers judging my works felt scary. If I hadn’t done it, then I’d probably still just be sitting at home writing stories in notebooks that I’d never let anyone else read.

10 Feature

Oh, Mother

The unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters are formed from things like going to school together, being family, or living down the street from each other. These mother and daughter bonds are formed [forming]through teen parenting, parents divorcing and going through adoption.

Angelina English, senior Life changes in the blink of an eye for teen mothers. Responsibilities are gained and priorities are changed. For senior Angelina English, these priorities have shaped her into the mom she is today for her daughter.

“What I use to think was important, I don’t care about anymore. I do everything for the good of my daughter,” English said.

English raises her daughter with help from her family, especially her mother.

English appreciates the help because her life revolves around her daughter and her homework. English is a part of the 38 percent of teen moms who continue

their education and earn their high school diploma.

“I didn’t know what I wanted for my future, or if I really wanted anything big,” English said. “Now what I want for my future has changed and I need to do something to pay for my baby and I because my future became my reality very quickly.”

English has created a blog to share her experiences with being a successful teen mother. In this blog, she shares tips and advice for other teen parents that may help them with the daily struggles of being a teen parent.

“[It is difficult] learning how to be a mom and student at the same time and finding people who can relate,” English said.

There are not many teen moms around to relate to, which meant English had to learn how to cope with her responsibilities on her own. Before having her daughter, English had no plan for her future. Since having her daughter, English’s future has turned into a reality quicker than she had ever imagined. The responsibilities she has gained have turned her into a person she would have never imagined herself being two years ago.

Follow her blog at angelinaenglish.wordpress.com

November 2017

11

Jodi Communication Arts teacher Darland, Being a teen mother is very us have an unusually close bond. I

8 of 10

stressful for both mother and child.

For Communication Arts teacher Jodi Darland having a teen mom did not stop her from succeeding.

Darland’s mother was 16 years old when she had her and her father was 18. Although her mom gave birth at a young age, she continued to have children and had Darland’s brother at the age of 18 and another son a year and a half later. Not only did her mother have to take on the responsibilities of being a mother at a young age while finishing high school, but she had to build a stable home for three children by the time she was 20 after she and Darland’s dad were divorced.

“I basically grew up with my mom,” Darland said, “which made

teen fathers do not stay with the mother of their child past six months after the birth of the child. www.dosomething.org

Aprionna Mosley, junior

50%

of teen parents do not graduate high school

didn’t even really realize how young my mom was until I was an adult myself.”

Growing up with such a young parent who made unlimited sacrifices for her children gave Darland a desire to defy statistics and not use having a teen mom as an excuse to not set high goals for herself.

“I appreciate everything my mom did to make sure we had what we needed and I never wanted to let her down,” Darland said. “Now that I have my own children I can definitely see what an impact my mom has had on me and what values I gained from her. I wish everyone could have a relationship with their mom like the one I have with mine.”

3 in 10

American females will get pregnant at least once before the age of 20

About 135,000 children are adopted in first and found that I just needed to talk to my Mosley got to meet and connect with her America every year. Junior Aprionna Mosley adopted mom about meeting my real mom,” mom last summer. was adopted when she was 2 years old by her Mosley said.

“It was very exciting and emotional to see father’s sister. my mom,” Mosley said. “I am hoping to “When I was younger my cousin told “All of the challenges I faced connect a lot more with my mom.” me I was adopted and I was scared Mosley is similar to her mother, even made me a lot stronger and because I thought I was kidnapped from without growing up with her. Their I know that when something personalities connected well when they my [adopted]mom,” Mosley said.

Mosley found out she was adopted the first time; it had been like they bad happens all I need to do met when she was 5 years old and plans to already knew each other on a personal is push through it,” Mosley move in with her mom when she turns 18 level.

Written By Haidyn Markos, Feature Editor years old. said.

Written By Karlie Kucharczyk, Sports Editor “I was scared to meet my mom at

12 Feature

marching TO VICTORY Marching band makes it to states for the first time

The 2017 program title “Unbreakable” represents the band’s strength and resilience and their ability to unite as one.

Hitting the Road Band students load on buses, heading for Ford Field . They left for states Nov. 4 with a send-off organized by the Pep Club. “We received a lot of support,” junior Co Nguyen said.

O

n Oct. 11, competing at Vicksburg High School in Class A, the Spartan Marching Band (SMB) received the highest possible score of Division I. This win qualified them for states, only available for 12 out the 14 in their flight. Never before had the SMB qualified to compete. Qualifying at number 12, SMB competed at states, which was held at Ford Field in Detroit. They received a score of 86.2 and got 11th place.

This victory comes at a complicated time for the band. After Brian Massey, the former band director of six years, resigned at the beginning of the year, the band was forced to adjust to new a management style.

“We just have to keep on going and keep working,” sophomore J.J. Radford said.

With the change in leadership came a new effort.

“We got really serious this year,” junior drum major Co Nguyen said. “Our practices are really more intense.”

While the three hour practices paid off in the end, other consequences arose with the commitment.

“Our grades for other classes suffered the most,” Radford said.

When their eligibility for states was announced, support for SMB did not go unnoticed.

“It was overwhelming,” Nguyen said. “We had a huge send-off when they said goodbye to us on the buses.”

Their victory to states meant traveling to Ford Field and competing against the other bands in the state on Nov. 4.

“We got to watch some of the best schools compete,” said Nguyen.

Their program titled Unbreakable represents the band’s strength and resilience despite abrupt new management.

“This year, we’ve had a huge culture change,” Nguyen said. “Through it all, we are still unbreakable.”

Finishing in 11th, SMB was able to share an experience likely no one could forget.

Written By Abigail Yott, News Editor

November 2017

13

At Attention Drum majors stand with color guard on Ford Field. “Massey picked the right show for this year,” junior Co Nguyen said.

Blow Them Away “Everything we’ve worked for led up to that moment,” senior Brittney Sellin said.

together on ford field Percussion “We worked really hard to get there. I’m so proud of everyone,” junior Jessica Truong said.

United As One “It’s harder than you think, but it’s fun,” sophomore J.J. Radford said.

Photos Courtesy of Donna Keenan

14 Feature

Dating: It’s a picnic

Written By Lacey Campbell, Reporter

Fun and meaningful date ideas will get couples out of the dinner and a movie rut

When people talk about a perfect date they usually envision a candle lit dinner at a fancy restaurant and going to see the newest movie out in theatres. This may seem too cliche or basic, luckily there are so many other options to impress your significant other.

Coming up with unique date ideas can be hard, especially when you are on a budget. One thing that holds true to is that going on your dream date does not have to cost you a fortune.

Often times the best dates are the ones you can make up as you go along and not have to pay a penny for.

Some inexpensive date ideas could include things like going on a walk or a bike ride to sightsee, have a game night and

play each other’s favorite board game, or grab some snacks and binge watch your favorite tv show on Netflix.

Since Christmas is right around the corner, you could invite your significant other over and bake holiday cookies while watching Christmas movies and listening to music. You can also look around and shop at Target and get holiday items to decorate your house with, even if you do not buy anything.

There are so many other ways to get to know your significant other and be able to spend quality time with them. The most important things to do when trying to plan your perfect date is to keep in mind what both people enjoy doing and to think outside of the box.

Picnic in the Park

Ice Skating

Grab a picnic basket and a cozy blanket.

An easy and inexpensive date. Both you and your date can go into the store and pick out each others favorite foods to eat for lunch or dinner for under $15. You could also pick out snacks for each other. An option during the colder weather is to have a picnic in your living room whole watching movies.

The Rink in downtown Battle Creek is a close and fun way to get active and spend time with your significant other. It is only $5 per person for admission. Do not worry if either of you don’t have skates, you can rent a pair for only $2.

Dream and disaster dates

Q A

What is your dream date?

“I have always wanted to climb up a billboard at night and have a picnic. It would be really fun to hangout and look at the stars,” said junior Bryce Brust.

A

“My dream date has always been to drive out to a feild and watch the sunset and eat mint chocolate chip ice cream,” sophmore Allison Bost said.

Q A A

What’s the worst date you’ve been on?

“One time I took a girl to lunch and neither of us ended up eating our food or even speaking to each other,” freshman Conner Miller said.

“We went to the drive in and the radio wouldn’t work, and we only left the car battery on so it died and the car would not start.” said senior Jace Canfield.

November 2017

Dark turn of events W

ith a cast of only 14 students, Arsenic and Old Lace brought dark comedy to a Brooklyn living room in the Black Box. When Mortimer Brewster, played by junior Logan Robertson, discovers that his Aunt Abby, senior Abbey Bailey, and Aunt Martha, senior Shelby Boggs, have been murdering people for years, he struggles to keep his sanity.

With one brother, senior Reeve Lynn-

By Jace Canfield, Photographer

Hillman, who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and another, senior Kobe Osborn, who is a criminal and murderer on the run, Mortimer attempts to divert the attention of his fiance, senior Gwen Trautman, and the police away from his aunts while trying to keep them from murdering more people.

15

S

16 Sports Written By Kirsten Butler, Reporter

Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger Even though female athletes are gaining more support, the gap in attendance at athletic events is still significant enough to be noticed

A

t 5:30 p.m. on a Friday night the girls varsity basketball teamtakes the floor in front of a sparse crowd of family members and classmates. One would barely recognize the same gym at 7:15 p.m. on the same evening when the stands are filled with excited community members ready to cheer on the boys varsity basketball team.

G

irls varsity basketball head coach, Don Bussler started his basketball coaching with the girls basketball team and has loved it ever since.

He's one of the many people who notice the differences on how the girls’ team gets treated compared to the guys’ team with the amount of people in the audience.

“There’s a big difference in the number of spectators that come to girls’ games as compared to boys’ games. Usually there’s twice as many people at a boys’ game than there are at girls’ games,” Bussler said.

Students that are girls tend to go to the guys basketball games more than the girls to support their friends and have fun.

“People aren’t as entertained at a girls’ game, than at a boys’ game,” Bussler said. “Until girls start supporting girls, until women start supporting women’s sports, they’re probably not supporting the same crowd.”

A lot of times, guys and girls will choose to go to the games for the opposite gender. Depending on whatdecision they make, it affects both genders. Boys basketball head coach Stephen Wichmann notices a downward trend overall for athletic events.

“Basketball, in particular started changing when the MHSAA changed

the girls’ season from fall to winter, which forced people to choose on a Tuesday night which game to attend,” Wichmann said.

“As far as being “hyped,” I’ve seen great Friday night crowds for both boys and girls, when both varsity teams are playing at home. I wish it would happen more often,” Wichmann said.

In the stands at boys sports it is more crowded and “hyped.”

“The student section is a little bit more volatile and vocal for boys games in general,” Bussler said. “Now if you get a special girls game like a district championship game or regional, or tournament championship game, you’ll find a tremendous amount of support.”

For both girls and boys games, neither one is more entertaining than the other, or according to Wichmann it’s split pretty evenly.

There are many reasons as to why coaches coach a certain gender, but for Stephen Wichmann it was simply because there was a boy's job opening. He’s coached boys and girls basketball at many different levels.

“I thoroughly enjoyed coaching girls and have many great memories from doing that,” Bussler said.

However, for Bussler it was because he started with girls and it was a big impact for him.

“I got associated and attracted to the girls basketball first, and then we had a lot of success doing it,” Bussler said. “I had already established myself and I’d much rather coach girls. They’re hardworking, appreciative, thankful and wonderful.”

Varsity players weigh in What is it?

Title IX comes from the Education Amendments Act of 1972.

It’s a federal law that states no person in the U.S. on the basis of gender should be excluded from participation or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program.

Who does it apply to?

Title IX applies to all educational institutions, both public and private.

Title IX

How does it apply to athletics?

Title IX is applied to athletics in participation, scholarships and other benefits like equal equipment, supplies, medical training facilities and publicity and promotions.

Does Title IX only apply to athletics?

It applies to every aspect of education, including course offerings, counseling, financial assistance, student health and many other services that can impact each student.

Source: ncaa.com

“I definitely think more people attend guys’ games than girls’ games. A lot of people have to work later, and guys seem like the main event so that’s why people show up.”

Alex Munie, senior

“There’s a saying of girls suck at sports and they’re not as interesting as guys.

Everybody’s just known to going to guys’ games.”

Kalista Hubbart, senior

November 2017

17

Healthy 4 life

Living a healthy lifestyle starts with throwing out fads and diets

Five bites, cotton balls, tape worms too are just some of the fads that are known to change your body and make you lose weight. However, living a healthy lifestyle consists of eating vegetables, exercising, thinking small and dropping supplements.

Eating vegetables

1

Shoot for five servings of vegetables a day. A diet high in vegetables is associated with reduced risk of developing different cancers.

Some of the best vegetables to eat are spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, onions and kale. Vegetables provide a source of many nutrients including potassium, fiber, folate, vitamins a, e and c.

3

Exercise daily

Exercising daily improves eyesight, normalizes blood pressure, improves lean muscle, lowers cholesterol and improves bone density. There are different parts of the body that you can work on based on what you would like to tone. Some programs work specifically on strengthening the core, legs, arm, stomach and more. Exercise classes are available through the YMCA, Planet Fitness and Blue Moon.

Choose food over supplements

2

Supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. Although many health experts recommend taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement that provides 100 to 200 percent of your recommended daily value, each and every supplement should be carefully taken and make sure they are all carefully evaluated for purity and safety.

4

Think small

Start with small goals that you can reach and build your way up to the overall outcome that you really want to see. A good way to accomplish your goals is to write them down and put them somewhere where you see them often. Once you have a system for reaching your goals, do not switch up the way you do things because that leads to procrastinating and not accomplishing you goals.

Throw it away

Three diets that people have actually tried cause significant, irreversible health risks 1. Five bite diet

The five bite diet is where you eat whatever you want but only five bites of it. This diet is unsafe and causes health risks because you do not get the amount of food or calories that you should be eating daily. This diet can cause a lot of stomach issues and nutritional imbalances.

www.gaiam.com

2.Cotton ball diet

Eating cotton balls or any other nonfood items in an effort to lose weight is known as an eating disorder and not a diet. Like bulimia, anorexia and other psychological disorders, eating cotton balls as a diet comes with potential serious health risks.

Written By Haidyn Markos, Feature Editor

3. The tape worm diet

There are many issues and health risks that come with the tape worm diet, including diarrhea, pain in abdomen, nausea, feeling of weakness and a fever. Many people suffer from being allergic to the tape worms, which creates another problem. www.huffingtonpost.com

18 Sports

Wat-er You Drinking?

Even though our bodies need water for survival, we are choosing to fill up on sugary drinks instead Drinking water is so important because it is used to regulate body temperature and protect joints, muscles, etc. In addition, you lose water everyday when you breathe, sweat and even digest food.

If you don’t drink enough water you become dehydrated and can

get headaches, mood swings and fatigue.

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), “Men should drink at least 13 cups per day and women should drink at least nine cups.”

However, this varies on your specific weight and size.

Despite knowing the health benefits of drinking water and avoiding soda, people still choose sugary drinks.

“It’s convenient and I’m not as hungry if I drink soda. I like the taste and I don’t like paying for bottled water,” teacher and wrestling coach Chris Dunham said.

Written By Hannah Tecumseh, Reporter

The Atlantic reported that the average American consumes 44 gallons of soda along with 58 gallons of water year round.

Curb sugar cravings with a healthy water alternative For these water recipes, don’t forget that they not only replace an unhealthy drink for a healthy one, but they also taste great. The water additives, like lime, lemon and cherry help your body and serve as a treat for later when you finish your drink.

40 g 150

46 g

39 g

calories

41 g 150

cherry cream soda

tropical lime

140

flavors

vanilla citrus

170

sugar

fruit substitutes to add to your water

• lemon because it has antioxidants which maintains nerves functions

• cherry because it’s rich in potassium, melatonin and is an excellent source of vitamin C

• lime or use orange because it has a tropical taste, vitamin C and reduces the risk of stroke

If you really need to have that sugar, try using artificial sweeteners like stevia as a healthier option.

lime and vanilla • lime for taste and an extra boost of energy in the morning • researchers also believe lime reduces the likelihood of cancer

Sources: www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com, www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/products/coca-cola, www.drpepper.com/en/products/drpepper, www.mountaindew.com/products/mtn-dew, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/03/how-much-water-do-people-drink/273936/

November 2017

19

Taking healthy eating to a new level Fresh Facts

Better digestion:Pounds of Poop

• Approximately 25 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of wheat, whereas around 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of meat.

• The American Dietetic Association (ADA) concludes that a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthier than one that includes meat.

• The number of animals killed for meat every hour in the U.S. is 500,000.

• Being a pescatarian can help prevent eye trouble in the future.

• Pescatarians have been known for having healthy joints.

“My mom is vegetarian, so that was part of the reason, but I really care about animals and seeing the PETA videos... it’s disgusting.”

Vegetarian

“I’ve been a lot healthier since I’ve been a vegetarian. Since I stopped eating meat I’ve been able to experience new food because most people when they go to a restaurant get something like a burger.”

Lindsey Owens, junior

• Depending on your height, age and diet, anyone could be carrying between 5-20 pounds of poop/digestive build up.

• If you are eating the classic American diet, you may not know it, but you could be carrying several pounds of poop in Written By Jerry Haadsma, Editor-in-Chief your intestines.

“I feel like we kill for food unreasonably and we always have more than we should and other animals can’t do much about it.”

Pescatarian

“[Being a pescatarian] definitely limits fast food because you can’t just run in and grab anything.

It’s expensive being a pescatarian because fish is harder to get than just regular food.”

Jasa West, senior

Are You A Vegan, Vegetarian, An Omnivore, Or A Caveman?

1. Do you care how your food met its demise?

A. Of course, I will never put anything that isn’t organic non-animal products on my plate B. Yes, inhumane slaughter houses disgust me!

C. Yes, but not enough to stop eating.

D. As long as it’s meat I don’t care.

2. What type of food do you prefer?

A. Grains, Beans, Fruits, Tempeh B. Tofu, Milk, Eggs, Salads C. Meat, Cheese, Everything D. Did it die to get to me? No? Then I don’t want it.

3. Do you have a moral issue with slaughter houses?

A. Yes, they’re inhumane and dirty forms of mass murder.

It’s why I send them bombs shaped like cows.

B. Yes, it disgust me, but I’m not angry enough to do any thing drastic.

C. Not really. I don’t think or care about how my food gets to me, soooo...

D. Slaughter houses? I own 4! The sound of animals being put to death lulls me to sleep every night.

4. Why do you eat the way you do?

A. I have a moral obligation to not eat ANY animal products.

B. I have a moral obligation to not eat any animals.

C. I have always eaten this way.

D. I have no moral problems with meat.

5. If you were in the wilderness how would you acquire food?

A. I would forage for my food; I would eat like our monkey cousins.

B. I would forage as well, but I might steal an egg from a bird’s nest.

C. I would forage but if I saw the chance for meat I wouldn’t say no.

D. I would stalk my prey, pounce, miss and go hungry because my stomach can no longer process non-meat foods.

6. How would you rather die?

A. Because my homemade bomb, that I was sending to the slaughter houses, exploded prematurely.

B. Rare virus, bacteria, or parasite I picked up while trying to save the rainforests.

C. Old age.

D. My heart explodes because I have eaten so much meat that I literally have a clot in all of my major arteries.

Special Thanks to our monthly sponsor Allegra Battle Creek SENIOR PICTURES DEC. 15

TO seniorpictures@lakeviewspartans.org

See Miss McLaughlin or a member of the Log Staff with questions

If you answered MOSTLY A: You are a VEGAN Vegan: a person who does not eat or use animal products.

If you answered MOSTLY B: You are a VEGETARIAN Vegetarian: a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons.

If you answered MOSTLY C: You are an OMINIVORE Omnivore: an animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin.

If you answered MOSTLY D: You are a CAVEMAN Caveman: one who does not live in modern day civilization, but hunts for his/her every meal.

www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=are-you-vegan-vegetarian-omnivore--caveman

O

20 Opinion

Crystal Point One Staff, One Opinion: Closing the doors makes for a safer environment

In October, a new rule was implemented regarding the academic hall. The hall that used to be considered a hub for students to socialize with their friends is now blocked off 25 minutes after the final bell rings. This amount of time may seem like enough for students to make their way to teachers rooms for after-school help, but under certain circumstances, it could become an issue. Thus far, teachers seem to be enjoying this new rule.

The Building Advisory Committee (BAC) initially wanted to enforce this rule because students were often hanging around in the hallway unsupervised. So far, teachers can agree that the rule has resulted in a quieter hallway and fewer unsupervised students.

Although problems may arise if a student forgets something from their locker, the new rule has had a mostly positive impact on the staff working in the academic wing. Teachers have noticed that there are far less students hanging around by their lockers after school.

This is one of the main reasons that teachers benefit from the rule.

According to a survey, most teachers agree that if there are less students loitering in the hallway, then there are less distractions to teachers and students still in the classrooms.

“Students that need to see teachers are in the classroom promptly after the end of the school day, instead of wandering in at various

times in the afternoon (potentially missing the teacher),” science teacher Kaitlyn McCarthy said.

Not only does traffic in the hallways decrease at the end of the day, but the safety of the students also increases. There’s less concern about the students’ safety because they won’t be near areas where they shouldn’t be. The rule is safer for both the teachers and students...and safety is a top priority.

“There are far fewer students who are unsupervised. It is our legal duty to provide appropriate supervision for students when they are in our care,” Principal Jeffrey Bohl said.

Despite this new rule, teachers still have concerns. The policy seems to be effective, but it cannot work unless it is consistently enforced. Among staff, there are still difficulties that arise: possible confusion as to who locks the doors at the end of the day, or problems setting up meeting times with students. Teachers may find it difficult to select a time to let their student into the classroom. The student is missing an opportunity to complete schoolwork. And of course, there is always a possibility of unsupervised students around the school. Some may congregate in other areas, such as the cafeteria or B-wing. Like all new policies that are established, there are always improvements that could be made to better the school.

Written By Riley Damore, Reporter

Holy sh*t, students swear a lot Swearing used to be a way to get a point across, but it is becoming a social norm

Teens say an average of

90 swear words a day

53%

of people attributed their use of foul language to habit

W

hile walking in the halls, if a fellow student bumps into you then turns around and says, “Oh, sh**. My bad,” chances are you would not think anything of it because these types of statements are happening more and more everyday.

Foul language has become a social norm both inside and outside of the classroom.

When these words slip out it is often unnoticed and not thought about twice.

Millennials are more likely to drop curse words or “filler” words than older generations. Studies show that this is happening because teens are having more trouble adjusting their word choice to be appropriate with the people they are conversing with.

“I don’t think it should be treated as a big deal unless it is directed towards a teacher, then it is disrespectful,” senior Kenia Ramos.

The more times these words are getting

thrown around nonchalantly, the more they are getting used by younger people without consequences. When adults are around younger children or parents are near their kids, and use that type of language, their children are more prone to start saying those words as well.

These words are very common for teens and when they say them they do not have that much of an effect and lose meaning. One way that these words get tossed around is when teens are very aggravated with things in life, or with people. Sometimes they just slip out of teens’ mouths, but when people start hearing very young children say “sh*t!,” it’s not something that is very appealing.

Sometimes swearing starts to be looked upon as cool, and more and more people will want to start cursing because their friends are, but that may actually start to look immature to others.

Written By Lacey Campbell, Reporter

November 2017

21

Trimester Schedule The trimester schedule is better than a semester schedule

Pro

Written By Moriah Edwards, Reporter

Scheduling is one of the biggest components in the crafting of a student’s career. For the past four years our school has adopted to using the trimester schedule, but prior to that we had been on a semester schedule.

One of the biggest differences would be that when we previously had semesters we were on a block schedule. A block schedule would mean that a school would go from having 60 minute-classes to having 90-minute classes. This also means that we’d have to lower the amount of classes that students be able to take, eliminating how many elective classes we get to take.

Another difference would be that trimesters balance out students’ core classes over three terms as opposed to the two terms that semesters grant. Collating a student’s schedule into three terms instead of two allows for a significant decrease in stress for students. There’s much more creativity and flexibility when it comes to choosing their schedules and it gives students the ability to retake any courses in the same year.

Some students will agree that 12-week classes sounds far more appealing than that of an 18-week term with block scheduling.

“It is much easier to convince a student to persist in a course they find challenging through the end of a trimester than it would be if the course continued for 18 weeks,” The School Superintendents Association said. “I believe the entire high school environment seems less stressful. Meanwhile, the number of students cutting classes has dropped sharply.”

It would seem probable to believe that the truancy rate amongst schools would be much lower if they used trimester schedules. Students would much rather go through a couple 54-minute classes rather than having to try to continuously pay attention during a 90-minute classes. Most students seem to struggle with even paying attention in regular hour long classes Extending that time would just make them more antsy and less concentrated.

Making the switch back to a semester schedule wouldn’t only pose an issue for the students already attending the school, but it could potentially pose an issue for transfer students too. Students who decide to transfer can be placed in classes much easier when it comes to trimesters whether it happen to be in the middle of the trimester or at the end of one, especially considering the fact that most core classes will probably be mostly filled up in a block schedule.

Course availability is going to be a big problem if we were to make the switch back to semesters. Students aren’t going to have as many electives anymore so core classes will more than likely fill up very quickly. With that being said, classes being 90 minutes and full of students, doesn’t necessarily mean that more work is going to get done.

Trimesters have proven to be an advancement in school systems, whether it be by providing more classes or reducing the amount of stress amongst high school students.

HALL TALK: Pro Trimesters

Karissa Jones, sophomore- “You have more opportunities to take more classes and see if you like new things. And you get to meet new people.”

Gillian Stranger, junior- “Trimesters seem like they’d be easier to work with than semesters.”

Camilla Rodus, sophomore- “I can take more classes and have multiple different experiences in one year.”

Written By Karlie Kucharczyk, Sports Editor

Con

Districts have the most trouble with determining what kind of schedule is best for its students. In the past, for a semester schedule, the school was set up in a block itinerary of 90 minute classes. Semester schedules allow more time in that specific class and less stress for teachers and students.

Not only do students stress over not knowing the information in a timely fashion on a trimester schedule of 12 weeks, but teachers want for their students to understand the information as well.

With 18-week classes teachers don’t have to cut out as much of their lesson plan as they do during a trimester schedule that lasts 12 weeks, also there are only two finals each year instead of three.

Because there is less time in each class during a trimester schedule there is a chance that classes will stay as a lecture style instead of any other way of learning. All students do not learn the same way and teachers need time to manage the needs of the some 30 kids in each period or 120 minutes of the whole day for each subject per teacher.

Students would agree that a semester gives more preparation time and opportunities to build relationships with teachers.

According, to the American Psychological Association (APA) “students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement than those students with more conflict in their relationships.” This concept demonstrates how a semester schedule would seemingly making it easier for students to want to work hard.

Not only does having semester schedule make students closer to teachers, making students more motivated and school more fun, but there is a smoother transition from high school to college in this schedule.

The semester schedule allows students to be more responsible and think logically about what they want to do after high school, especially in deciding the classes that they want to take, most students who have the classes that they need to graduate alone are taking classes that are unnecaessary to their future. In a semester schedule students don’t have much room to play around or fill up their schedule with things that aren’t beneficial.

Making the switch back to a semester schedule would be extremely beneficial because stress is a major obstacle for students, and having less classes and less finals would help to dimish the amount of time spent going back and forth between six classes worth of homework vs. four and keeping up with them all without falling apart emotionally and socially.

HALL TALK: Con Trimesters Abby Ringle, sophomore- “I want semesters because there are less finals.”

Alayna Satterfield, sophomore- “You have longer to learn about that specific subject.”

Josie Mann, sophomore- “I would rather have semesters because less classes means less stress.”

Grace Vega, sophomore- “More time to get your work caught up and work with teachers if I need it, because most electives aren’t getting me anywhere.”

Jon Miller, English teacher- “With semesters you get a longer time with your classes and it doesn’t feel like you’re switching right away.”

22 Opinion

Picture Imperfect

The pressure to be perfect in society is overrated Our society focuses too much on how perfect a person should be, accept the imperfections that come with it is a challenge in itself. instead of focusing on the best parts of that person. Being perfect Robins still struggles with this. should not define a persons life.

“I think it just depends on how you feel when you look in the mirror Academics and how you see your body,” Robins said.

Pressuring children into being ‘perfect’ it is actually disabling their Expectations willingness to take risks and thrive without fear of failure.

For junior Olivia Crowley living up to her parents expectations has According to a study by Psychology Today “perfectionism reduces been her motivation to be great. playfulness and the assimilation of knowledge; if you are always “I have been pressured by my parents to get good grades and focused on your own performance and on defending yourself, you constantly better myself and I feel like I am doing more for them than can’t focus on learning a task.” for me,” Crowley said.

Reaching perfection isn’t attainable, and striving to reach the bar By constantly trying to meet the bar set by her parents she has that continuously rises is a goal that cannot be reached. become more dedicated to her studies. The expectations of parents “My perfectionism has both helped and hindered me,” sophomore can both hinder and help a child’s progress in the world. A study Vikram Strander said. “When I was younger, I used to get really published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology(JPSP) upset when I didn’t get the score I showed just how much setting the bar too high wanted.” can affect a child.

Success in academics is now “Although parental aspiration can help related to being perfect and improve children’s academic performance, mistakes are just extensions excessive parental aspiration can be poisonous,” of failure. But it does not McKenna Evans, junior Kou Murayama lead author of JPSP said. always affect the kids who are The authors found that when a parent has perfectionist poorly. Sophomore exceedingly large expectations then the child Sharon Huang is a self-proclaimed is more likely to fail, compared to parents who perfectionist and uses her need to do the best possible to her give their children realistic expectations. advantage.

Social Status “When it comes to my academics I really strive to be as perfect Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is the “Theory of Human as possible, so I can be successful,” Huang said. “I try not to let my Motivation,” shows that love and the feeling of belonging is third in grades define who I am, but my perfectionism makes me work harder.” importance of humans basic needs. If a child doesn’t have a sense of Body Image belonging their self esteem needs will also not be met.

What a person's body looks like has been misconstrued in society On her blog mom Lisa Barr talked about how parents just want their for decades. Girls like sophomore Elizabeth Robins has heard all her children to have a sense of belonging even if it is at the expense of life what her body should look like to please the social norms. others.

“People were always telling me what was wrong with their body, “A mom somehow had access to get on one of the buses before so when I started looking in the mirror I started to realize the departure. She literally managed to rope off an entire section for eight imperfections I had,” Robins said. “I got a gym membership so I could 11-year-old girls. She stayed on the bus while the ‘Chosen 8’ boarded stay healthy and fix the things I didn’t like about my body.” and sat in their ‘designated’ seats,” Barr wrote.

Insecurities of the body affect 9 out of 10 women according to The need to have a high social status isolates all of the kids from the World of Psychology and only 5 percent of women actually possess people who are told that they are more important. This isolation will what is known as the perfect body. Learning to love your body and make the kids feel less important, and chip away their self-esteem.

“

“

In our world today everyone just wants to be in the ‘in’ crowd.

Written By Claire Tobin, Opinion Editor

Made on Pixton

November 2017

Chiropractic Care Improves Sports Performance

Dr. Brett A. Myers, D.C.

ElementsChiropractic.com

269-381-2200

23

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