October 2021 - The Crystal

CRYATS L The

LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL BATTLE CREEK

4-5

COVID-19 is still permeating the lives of Michiganders. From vaccine mandates to mask requirements, check out the most up-to-date information.

Crystal

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TRUE CRIME stories are more popular than ever and are available on television, in movies, in books and on social media.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 VOL. 84, ISSUE 1

14-15 FRESH FACES of adults and students can be seen throughout the halls with the addition of 16 new staff members and 21 international students.

AT BLE Contents OF NEWS

PAGE 4: Vaccine Mandates PAGE 5: COVID-19 Cases Update

FEATURE

PAGES 6-7: Fashion Trends PAGES 8-9: New Faces Around LHS

LETER FROM

the Editors

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER has come around once again, and with it the beginning of fall. It is time to pick out costumes and dig sweaters and jackets out of the closet. It is once more time to delve into the pumpkinflavored sweets and drinks and get toasty under the blankets. The leaves have started to change and fall, and just as the trees are embracing the new time of year, we hope to do the same.

We are very excited to be appearing as this year’s Co-Editors of The Crystal. Since we both started on staff, we have held up different editorial positions, and now we have made our way to Co-Editor!

Our staff this year may not be as big as normal, but we have a rather diverse crowd. We were fortunate enough to receive three exchange students this year, who are all very valuable assets to the staff. Having them on the staff allows us to collect different perspectives since they have come from such different backgrounds. We will be pushed this year to bring varying stories, from all different viewpoints throughout our school.

One of our main goals in this issue along with all those yet to come, is to break out from old routines and bring a fresh start to the paper. We want to cover new and interesting topics that may have been brushed over in the past, while also remaining true to our roots and not neglecting the usual topics.

As Co-Editors, we will be working with the staff to make sure that they are able to present the best articles that they possibly can, and make sure that not only do they feel welcomed, but they make their sources feel welcomed as well!

KATE NOSIS & KATE HUTCHINS (AKA K2), CO-EDITORS

LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL 269-565-3700 15060 Helmer Road South Battle Creek, MI 49015 lakeviewspartans.org

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 and has been awarded the Spartan Award in 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2013-2014 and 2019-2020.

EDOR IT IAL

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 10: Halloween Movies and Costumes PAGE 11: True Crime Entertainment PAGE 12: The Marvel Universe

OPINION

PAGE 13: Overtasked Teens, Dating in a Pandemic

SPORTS

PAGES 14-15: Fall Sports Recap

ADVERTISEMENTS: PAGES 3, 16 COVER PHOTO:

By Diogo Pagy Bonilha

BACK IN THE STANDS: On Oct. 8, 2021, juniors Leila Overbeek and Annika Yoder cheer on the varsity football team during the Pink Out against Mattawan. After missing the sense of togetherness, students packed the student section at a variety of sports all fall season. “It’s like a sense of community as we’re all cheering for the same team. So, we all have the same goal,” Overbeek said. “And it’s nice to see everyone since I go to the [Battle Creek Area Math and Science] Center for part of the day.”

CRYSTAL STAFF Jodi Darland Adviser Kate Hutchins Co-Editor Kate Nosis Co-Editor Jenna Brown Reporter Wren Dant Reporter Letizia LeRose Reporter Ashley Mountain Reporter Diogo Pagy Bonilha Reporter Makayla Poole Reporter

Luna Rankl Reporter Lal Sangi Reporter Sydney Ross Reporter & Business Manager Kezia Wright Reporter & Social Media Manager Blake Prewitt Superintendent Cody Japinga Principal Dayna Lang Assistant Principal Tara Rice Assistant Principal Kyle Kracht Athletic Director

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 staff are solely responsible for the content. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of the staff or the administration of the 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.

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

CLASS OF 2022 TO-DO LIST Order a 2021-2022 Yearbook The cost is $75 for a yearbook and $80 for a personalized yearbook. You will want to place your order as soon as possible. Prices will go up in December. Order your yearbook here: www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=13758 Get your formal senior picture submitted to the yearbook.

To get into the senior section of the yearbook. Senior Picture Requirements: Senior pictures need to be emailed to seniorpictures@lakeviewspartans.org You will receive a confirmation email when your photo is received and has been verified to meet the above requirements.

When choosing your picture, make sure it meets these requirements Portrait, not landscape (It should be longer than it is wide) • The portrait may NOT include props, other people, pets, costumes • The portrait should NOT have the student’s name or year on it • If you do not take professional portraits, the Log staff will use the student ID photo • Verify whether or not your photographer will be submitting your photo; if not, you are responsible for submitting it on time in the required format • All seniors will have their photos taken at registration. This photo is used in Skyward and will be used in the yearbook if a student fails to turn in a formal, professional portrait.

DEADLINE: January 14, 2022

Vaccine mandates

SPREAD

A

cross the country, COVID-19 vaccination mandates are being enforced by educational institutions as well as workplaces, dividing many communities.

These mandates come after President Joe Biden’s administration announced on Sept. 9, 2021, that businesses employing 100+ people will be expected to adopt a vaccine policy. Eventually, public school district employees may also be subject to this mandate.

Those who support the vaccine believe it will improve herd immunity and get us back to normal.

According to goodrx.com, “Vaccine hesitancy or distrust is a problem because it can make it harder to contain a disease. To improve disease control in a community, the community must reach “herd immunity.” Herd immunity means that the majority of people cannot get sick or spread the disease to others. In this way, the whole community is protected.

The percent of people that need to be immunized to achieve herd immunity is different for different diseases. For COVID-19, experts estimate that between 70% and 90% of a community would need to be immunized against the virus to achieve herd immunity, although the exact number is not known.”

The lack of a vaccine mandate has students concerned about the impact COVID-19 could continue to have on their educational experiences.

“I think the mandate isn’t a terrible idea,” junior Karria Watkins said. “Without encouraging everyone to get the shot, the community won’t be able to really move forward and always have the fear in the back of our heads that we could end up normalizing Online [learning] in the middle of year for the rest of high school.”

States throughout the country have been taking the precautions for COVID-19 testing levels for the outbreaks that occur in schools. One way that schools in Michigan have been trying to prevent COVID-19 is testing students daily. These students particularly include those involved in sports that come in contact with other schools or teams. Michigan.gov states that most students who are fully

across country

vaccinated may not have to participate in testing for COVID-19.

The CDC claims that the vaccine can also help by, “Reducing the risk of COVID-19, including severe illness, among people who are vaccinated by 90 percent or more,” and “Infections happen in only small proportions of people who are fully vaccinated. Even with the Delta variant, when these infections happen among vaccinated people, they tend to be mild.”

The COVID shot does work most of the time and has been proven to have less harmful effects in the end to those who are fully vaccinated as opposed to patients getting COVID-19.

Like with any type of medical decision it is always important to be aware of all the effects and understand that nothing is guaranteed, so the CDC does state that although the vaccine does protect you it cannot always protect others involved.

The CDC warns that “If you are fully vaccinated and become infected with the Delta variant, you can spread it to others.”

Since schools cannot require students to get vaccinated, the one rule that has been consistently implimented is the mask requirement. Some students appreciate the mask rule, but are still in favor of an overall vaccination mandate.

“It should required so that we can be one step ahead to going back to normal,” junior Makayla Glasgow said. “It keeps most people safe and I think most people should consider that it doesn’t just affect them but everyone else they are around. If people can’t get vaccinated, to be safe, testing should still be required for them. And [they should] wear their masks if they are unable to be fully vaccinated as some sort of precaution.”

Those who refuse to get vaccinated or are against the mandate think that people should be able to choose to get vaccinated regardless of public health recommendations. However, especially now that the booster shot is available and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 years old on Oct. 29, there are several reasons people are starting to believe more in the validity of vaccine mandates.

The vaccine reduces the risk of COVID-19 among people who are vaccinated by 90 perecent or more. ~CDC

ASHLEY MOUNTAIN, REPORTER

working with the MANDATE The biggest vaccine mandate impacts federal workers and contractors who do business with the government. According to an executive order signed by Biden, businesses will have to agree to the policy when signing any new federal contract or renewal.

workers who will be MANDATED Employeees at any company with more than 100 total workers. In Michigan, that’s roughly 2 million workers at more than 6,000 companies, according to a Bridge Michigan analysis.

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THE CRYSTAL NEWS

Federal workers and contractors who do business with the government, including the 27,000 federal employees in Michigan.

Workers at any hospital or other medical facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid payments from the federal government.

Michigan hospitals alone employ a combined 234,000 people.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

COVID-19 updates

S

ince number of COVID-19 cases has risen in the past months of in-person school, it is important for everyone to improve their knowledge of how it is spread and how the virus can be contained, and to understand the impact it has on education.

LAL SANGI, REPORTER

“I think that people should wear their masks over their nose more and I do not want to go back to virtual learning,” freshman Yanaq Quispe said.

From American Medical Association

“COVID-19 cases have been going bad and I think we should go back to online,” sophomore Bawi Cung said.

“I think COVID-19 cases have been going better because of quarantine but the cases are still going up as well,” sophomore Luke Borozan said.

new to know Children ages 5 to 11 now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine For full story visit: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98158-571806--,00.html

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), doctors and state public health leaders today urged Michigan parents to get their children ages 5 to 11 vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 pediatric vaccine, which received emergency use authorization for this age group from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immuni-

zation Practices (ACIP) on Nov. 2.

MDHHS is recommending providers begin vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 years as soon as possible.

“Being able to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 with the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine brings us hope and also an additional opportunity to urge all eligible Michiganders to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “We know these vaccines work and protect our children and their families. Even healthy children can suffer serious affects from COVID-19. The vaccines

remain our way out of the pandemic, and more than 825,000 children in our state are now eligible.”

In Michigan, there have been more than 201,000 confirmed COVID cases in those age 19 and younger, and 20 deaths have been reported in ages 10 to 19 as of Nov. 2. More than 450 children under the age of 12 become infected with the virus each day.

“It is important to get children ages five and up vaccinated as quickly as possible to save even more lives and reduce serious illness,” said MDHHS director Elizabeth Hertel.

From Valley Health System

This graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States and other countries.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

THE CRYSTAL NEWS

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Current

Hats that are fitted to your head and meant to be worn by you specifically Fashion is a huge element of culture and is what alows you to express yourself. Here is a peak into the current hottest fashion trends.

FASHION Trends and Styles

PUFFER JACKETS $49.99 Forever 21 Jackets with a quilted design with sections that are puffy between stitching

SYDNEY ROSS, REPORTER

JENNA BROWN, REPORTER

FITTED HATS $41.99 MLB Shop Hats that are fitted to your head and meant to be worn by you specifically

SWEATER VESTS

Gender Neutral Clothing

$12.99 H&M Item of knitwear similar to a sweater but without sleeves

LEATHER PANTS $99.99 Abercrombie Pants that are styled and cut all kind of ways that are made out of leather

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THE CRYSTAL FEATURE

HIGH TOP CONVERSE $60.00 Converse Casual shoes that can be styled up or down

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

CLAW CLIPS $9.99 Amazon.com Hair clips that are shaped like claws, ideal for onthe-go and easy hairstyles

BABY TEES $25.00 Dollskill.com T-shirts that are form-fitting

Experts predict a

30%

growth in online fashion sales in 2021 GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS TENNIS SKIRTS $39.95 Garage Skirts that are pleated at the bottom and tight fitting on the hips

BEADED JEWERLY $15.00 Etsy.com Jewelry that is made up of beads

$35.00 Urban Outfitters T-shirts with an image or graphic design

CARGO PANTS $59.99 Dickies.com Pants that are loosely cut pants designed for outdoor activities

Y2K FASHION

Y2k is a contemporary style of fashion that combines past styles from the late ‘90s to mid 2000s.

Popular clothing items within this style are baby tees, mini skirts, wide-leg jeans and low rise jeans.

OLD NAVY’S NEW SIZE-INCLUSIVE

On Aug. 21, 2021, Old Navy launched their new initiative. Bodequality. All their women’s clothes are now sold ranging from size 0-30 and all at the same price. There is no longer a separate plus line and plus size clothing is no longer made and designed in a different place than the rest of their items.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

JORDANS $150-600 GOAT Brand of shoes inside NIke which has grown in popularity in recent years

THE CRYSTAL FEATURE

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New

16 9 2

New staff working in...

different departments in addition to

new administrators

Megan Drumm-Lozon

Social Studies She has broken every bone in her left arm.

Dayna Lang - Assistant Principal Kyle Kracht - Athletic Director Kaitlyn Banner - Athletic Trainer Jacob Krincek - English Teacher Barb Spencer - English Teacher Jeffrey LaGrow - Math Teacher Amanda Mitchell - Math Teacher Matthew MacQuillan - PE Teacher Charlotte Etienne - Science Teacher Zoe DeKoff - Case Manager Peggy Kurpinski - Case Manager John Cosby - Spanish Teacher Adam Westhouse - EL Teacher

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THE CRYSTAL FEATURE

Faces

Exchange students and new staff are abundant this year, bringing freshness to LHS

T

his year we are all back to in-person learning and starting to get a feel for how things used to be pre-pandemic style. Students are in the building five days a week with all grade levels, and no matter the first initial of their last name.

Returning to school this year alongside students are 16 new staff members that have been added into the mix.

Some of the new staff members are teachers, some are in the athletic department and there are even new administrators.

A handful of the new staff members are beginning their careers here at Lakeview while others have been working for years but moved here to continue the journey.

The atmosphere from school to school can be

Fun Facts Nick Vichinsky

English

KEZIA WRIGHT, REPORTER

Xavier Henderson

Reflective Thinking Room

He was the president of Yo-Yo Club in fifth grade.

Jessica Kosticak

drastically different and it’s all a lot crazier now that school is back to having everyone in person.

For the staff members that are starting their new beginning here, it’s especially important for them to get comfortable with the day-to-day life at Lakeview High School.

“Seeing the five days a week culture is definitely something that I wish I would have been able to see last year, especially now with all of the clubs and stuff that goes on,” English teacher Nicholas Vichinsky said.

There are plenty of new faces roaming the halls navigating their way around so it’s important to help those who need it and be kind and respectful to everyone.

He grew up in Florida.

She went to Japan for a couple weeks and can juggle.

Jay Rodriguez

He was in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade in 2010.

Science

Social Studies

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

“This is my second year abroad. Last year I was in Indiana. I decided to come to the United States because I want to improve my English and know more about American culture.”

Erika Granado Senior, Exchange student

Jon Bueno

Eelis Karhu

Luna Rankl

Junior, Finland

Junior, Germany Diogo Pagy Bonilha

Ulrikke Grauballe

Junior, Brazil Lucia Blazquez Senior, Spain

Junior, Denmark

Maura Piras

Letizia LeRose Junior, Spain Erika Granado

Junior, Italy Alissa Mella - Senior, Spain Jonte Seyler - Sophomore, Germany Leonie Maier - Sophomore, Germany Linda Isabella - Senior, Italy

Senior, Italy Nghi Dinh - Senior, Thailand Paula Martinez - Freshman, Spain Son Le - Senior, Vietnam Noah Veit - Junior, Germany

Senior, Spain Bennet Sandkuehler - Junior, Germany Gerda Hellum - Senior, Denmark Carmen Seguardo - Sophomore, Spain Fabio Gavazzeni - Senior, Italy

Global Perspectives

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long side the new staff members this year, there are 23 new exchange students, coming from a multitude of different countries such as Vietnam, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Brazil. Germany, Thailand and Spain.

The difference between cultures is very drastic and most of the exchange students decided to come spend a year living in America to learn more about the culture here.

In most of the other countries, students have 13 years of school rather than only 12. So, that plays a big role in why a lot of the teenagers choose to come to America; they simply want to finish school sooner.

Elementary school in other countries usually lasts five years, while middle school is three years and high school is five more years.

In Italy, high school is split into four group addresses, those being arts, language, science and economics. In America, there are countless kinds of different classes that students are encouraged to take ranging from Youth Empowerment to Woodworking and Manufacturing.

Outside of America, it is rare to find any school sports teams, so students who want to play any type of sports have to go out of their school to a league.

Some other differences are that in European and Asian school buildings, there aren’t any lockers, so students are allowed to bring their backpacks everywhere they go throughout the school day. Teachers change their classrooms every hour instead staying in one room and having the students come to them.

LETIZIA LEROSE, REPORTER

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

21 8 3

Exchange students from...

different countries and in...

grades (sophomores, juniors and seniors) THE CRYSTAL FEATURE

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Get ready to with these

Hallo-Scream

fangtastic halloween

themed treats

From Scream to The conjuring;, Here are the best SCARY movies to watch this spooky season

SCREAM

It’s one of those more comedic horror movies. While it also has these dark/humor aspects when it comes to the Ghostface killer they also think that the actors really pull the movie together with famous actors/actresses like Drew Berrymore and Matthew Liliard.

Gianna Dant, freshman

CORALINE

It’s just so good. While being scary while not at the same time. It’s just a really great movie.

Leonara Rivera, senior

“I have always found plague doctors interesting and their history is cool. And it ties into everything that is happening now,” freshman Rosalyn Rhodes. “I’ve wanted to dress up like this for a while.”

WREN DANT, REPORTER

Corpse Bride: It’s Tim Burton and that’s perfect for Halloween couples since Victor and Emily are one of the best Tim Burton couples to go as for Halloween.

Harley Adkins, senior

THE CONJURING

Because she is terrified of dolls and it gives her a real scare more than other horror movies in her opinion.

Jenna Giggy, junior

HALLOWEEN

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THE CRYSTAL A&E

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE The entre Texsas Chainsaw Massacre series is good because the antagonist is iconic and I just generally like the movies more than others.

Kyler Hartung, freshman

TRICK R’ TREAT

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Wario and Walugi: The best couple costume in his opinion is Wario and Walugi because they are the best power couple costume.

Trey Willavize, freshman

Angel and Devil: You can mix it up a bit with variety and color. It is pretty easy to do also. You can do colors like red annd black while also having the freedom to change it up and design it the way you want.

Michael Bannister, freshman

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

TRUE

C Rior doMtheE

For the spooky season try true crime stories for a scare With the recent surge of true crime being watched and documented due to recent cases, we would like to share why people should get into true crime, how to get into it and some suggestions on what to watch. These crimes have shaken us to the core and we want to share the same experience with everyone.

True crime deals with heartbreaking and treacherous fatalities committed by sick individuals.

“It´s interesting to look into people’s mindset, for someone to live a normal life and for stuff like that to happen is crazy,” sophomore Abbey Brown said.

Getting into true crime might be a bit of a hassle depending on what people may be looking to watch, whether it´s popular serial killers, small-town killers in your own neighborhoods, or complex killers who have crafted large-scale plans to keep their secrets hidden from society.

“I personally got into true crime by watching

podcasts...Watch tv shows or documentaries,” Brown said.

From the vast majority of the content including podcasts, articles, documentaries, TV shows and Youtube channels, we´ve found a few options to watch on a journey into true crime.

“After a couple episodes I stopped doing any work and was locked into the screen,” User Nastybedazzler commented on the show “Forensic Files” on imbd.com. “There’s hundreds of hours of show here; it will consume your life and it’s totally worth it.”

Another great recommendation is Bailey Sarian on YouTube. She explores mainly true crime and does her makeup while talking about the interesting cases she covers.

“I appreciate how goofy and fun she is even when she’s talking about a hard subject,” Ruby Hoy commented on one of Bailey´s videos. “I feel like it’s easier to listen personally when someone is more lighthearted.”

MAKAYLA POOLE, REPORTER

Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffree Dahmer was an American serial killer who killed 17 males between 1978-1991.

Dahmer was sentenced to 16 life terms in prison for his heinous crimes and was killed in prison in 1994 by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver. Dahmer dismembered his victims and kept them sometimes, in bags, and sometimes performed lobotomies on them to force them into a more zombie-like state. (biography.com, apnews.com)

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

time

Forensic Files Season 2, courtesy of HLN Forensic Files, takes a scientific perspective on crimes throughout the U.S. It gives an in-depth look at how criminals are caught, and the work that goes into it.

Other serial killer media MOVIES My Friend Dahmer Zodiac Monster SHOWS This is the Zodiac The Pig Farm Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Bailey Sairian, full face of makeup, courtesy of Bailey Sarian on YouTube Sarian has an amazing personality that shows in her storytelling of popular true crime cases. She gives in-depth details on the killers she covers.

THE CRYSTAL A&E

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Marvel Movie Madness

With the amount of movies that are coming out this year, let’s take a look at the chronological order

Out of 150 people.

Swinging Statistics

Kate Nosis, Editor-in-Chief

55 %prefer iron man over captain america

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THE CRYSTAL A&E

84% 84 %prefer spiderman over venom OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

Detriment of being

overtasked Everyone has felt overworked at some point, just tired and worn down from all your responsibilities, but no one experiences this more frequently than high schoolers. It can have an especially negative impact on teens with all the growth and development that is occurring mentally.

It is never a good idea to overwork yourself.

The results are never worth the risks when concerning your mental and physical health. There is a big difference between being busy and being overworked.

Kendall Sidnam LLMSW is the counselor through Grace Health here at the school.

“Out of all the students I see, 100 percent feel overworked and stressed out because of their workload,” Sidnam said.

When you’re overtasked it can have really damaging consequences to your mental health, with an increase in anxiety and a decrease in focus and productivity. Teens feel the impact even more because they have so much going on around them and they have so much to worry

These percentages are based off of a sample size of 251 out of 1396 students here at Lakeview High School.

Does your workload stress you out?

about. There are many factors to make high schoolers feel the weight of their workload.

“I feel very stressed out and overworked, it is definitely impacting my mental health,” sophomore Emalee Campbell said.

If you do find yourself to be very stressed from your workload and struggling to keep up, remember to breathe and try to make time for yourself. Any activity that is just for you can help alleviate your stress.

According to CNN Health “The kids are not all right. During the Covid-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety in youth doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels. This suggests that the pandemic has likely instigated a global mental health crisis in youth.”

It doesn’t help that mental health in youth had already been declining before the pandemic. The momentum continued on and has only gotten worse the longer social isolation, missed milestones, family financial problems and extended school disruptions continue.

KATE HUTCHINS, CO-EDITOR

Do you find it hard to balance everything you’re expected to do?

Do you feel overtasked?

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.

We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. ~Marie Curie

Dating in a pandemic -staying close while keeping distance

We are in a worldwide pandem-

ic right now and a lot of people keep their distance from each other, but there are also several people that are dating. Those who are currently dating would agree that it is still worth it. But how can we say if it is safe or not and if it’s a good idea to take the risks that come with a relationship in a pandemic?

According to “The Washington Post”, any physical touch, even a hug, requires communication first.

Even though the COVID-19 cases have already gone down and a lot of people are vaccinated, all of us still need to be careful. We often don’t know when we are exposed to the virus and when not.

All in all you can say that

dating is possible right now even though it is more difficult. As long as everyone is careful and takes all the important precautions dating would be safe.

Dating in times of COVID is possible if people take the right precautions.

It is suggested to communicate a lot, especially about your values of the pandemic so both of you know each others boundaries referring to COVID. It is important to know about the other person’s

vaccine status, if they prefer wearing a mask and about how much physical contact they are comfortable with.

“I think that the pandemic doesn’t make it harder to date,” sophomore Holden Markos, who is currently dating, said. Iit is still the same, except from being more careful.”

Right now 216.6 million people have already received at least one

dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, bringing us close to normality.

Everyone is still encouraged to continue washing their hands on a regular basis, to communicate with their partner and to be as careful as possible. The situation right now for dating is not ideal, but all of us can try to make the best out of it while staying safe.

LUNA RANKL, REPORTER

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

THE CRYSTAL OPINION

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FA L L I N G I N TO AT H L E T I C S After a tough 2020, athletes have increased expectations and look forward to competing in front of fans again “This was my first experience, because of covid, last year.

Only a restricted number of parents could go watch our games, so I was really excited to finally see how it is, playing a game with all our fans helping us at each single play.”

Andrew Crail, senior ”The summer camps were very useful. It helped our athletes to get back in shape, and to know each other better. We had a good quantity of players for this year, with some good surprises as well.”

Jerry Diorio, Head Varsity Football Coach

The regular football season ended with 6 wins and 3 loses, enough for the team to advance to the playoffs. The first playoff game against Dexter was won in overtime, 49-48, with a touchdown by sophomore Zach Kucharczyk and an extra point by junior Mathew Bacik.

Also, the senior Jaris McIntosh announced his commitment to play football with D1 Air Force.

”We had a much smaller team this year, most of our athletes were out of shape because of the lack of practices”, “ even though having a much smaller team, our team had a great comeback, the summer practices were very useful for our season.”

Becky Pryor, Girls Cross Country Coach

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THE CRYSTAL SPORTS

2020 was a year that affected every athlete; it was a year marked with fear and resilience, no games for the first months, no fans at the bleachers for the whole year. For the happiness of athletes and fans, 2021 started on fire with filled stadiums and gyms, no masks required.

A lot of things have changed from last fall, yet many fall athletes are still feeling the impacts of last year’s lockdowns and the lack of practices. Some had to stop playing their sport altogether to focus on more important things, while others showed the world that a different mindset is needed to be an athlete.

Most teams got affected by this tough situation, a lot of athletes quitting, others out of shape, but for those who didn’t stop playing, this was the best time to show that, to be an athlete, you need to be resilient.

The toughest part for athletes who were affected by lockdowns was not having a place to practice and work out once gyms were closed during quarantines.

For most of them, the only way was to work out and practice by itself. Unlike most of the athletes, some got more in shape and were able to work on their skills while they were at home. ”I started practicing and working out by myself,” senior soccer player Andrew Neil said. “I knew that in a certain point, we would have to comeback. No one knew when, but I couldn’t just wait for it.”

Diogo Pagy Bonilha , Reporter

The girls diving team has had one of the best seasons. Junior Bradleigh Palmer and sophomore Avery Hardy qualified to represent the Spartans during States at Oakland University on Nov. 19. Palmer took fifth place and Hardy took 11th place at Regionals.

“It won’t be my first year at States. I am confident and I’m glad to be competing with Avery,” Palmer said. “It’s like a mom feeling proud of their kid for doing well.”

The swimmers who will compete at States include seniors Emma Courter and Olivia Bagwell; juniors Grace Hudson, Alexa Thurman and Maitlin Miller; and freshman Avery Russell.

Bradleigh Palmer, junior Girls Swim and Dive OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

VOLLEYBALL The volleyball girls had a great season, winning the All-City championship 2-0 against Harper Creek High School. They also won Districts at Battle Creek Central, beating BCC and Sturgis , to advance to play Hudsonville in Regionals.

The golf season for the girls is over, but it was one to remember.

They finished it in 7th place in States with a combined score of 714 after two days of competition.

Feshman Amiya Gibson had an outstanding season.

She ended up being the number 12 in States.

GIRLS GOLF

SOCCER

CROSS COUNTRY

For cross country, Lakeview earned the 2021 All-City championship, and senior Parker LaGro, broke the school record during the SMAC East 1, running 5,000 meters in 15:57, breaking his last personal record as well. Nine days after, LaGro broke the school record again during the Otsego Bulldog Invitational with a time of 15:52.5, once again setting a personal record.

For soccer, the boys achieved a big goal for the season, after winning the championship game against Battle Creek Central, they earned the back-to-back All-City championships. The last game was marked by the score 7-2. Junior Abram Thang and sophomore Hung Ling scored twice, and junior Sang Sang had 1 goal and 1 assist.

MARCHING BAND

The marching band season just came to an end, and what a great way to finish it.

The Lakeview marching band had their best position of all time on States, finishing in the 6th position.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

TENNIS

The tennis season closed with the All-City championship as well as 13 wins and 3 losses. Senior Fredy Melges had 19 wins and 4 losses in the whole season, coming in with the best record.

Freshmen Eric Ryan and Adam Huang had a great season too. They finished the season with a 17-6 record.

CHEER

“This season was different. We had a lot

of new girls and they were very skilled, so we were able to do some different stuff from last year. We had a great connection during all season and we were able to have good friendships,” senior Carmen Anderson said.

THE CRYSTAL SPORTS

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