October 2014

THE

TALON ROCHESTER HILLS, MI // OCTOBER 2014 // VOL. 77 ISSUE 1

THE ROCHESTER ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STUDENTS STARTS OFF THE YEAR WITH ITS RENDITION OF “GREASE.” PAGES 8-9

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TOMMY MASSA

PAGE 2 // NEWS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

news briefs: 1.

4.

5.

Photos courtesy of Creative Commons

1. RHS

2. RCS

3. STATE

4. COUNTRY

5. WORLD

Mr. David A. Uhrig will officially begin working as the band director beginning Nov. 3. Senior Lydia Mikail explained how his previous work experience as director of bands at Marine City High School will contribute to his position as director of bands at RHS. “The Mariner Marching Band has gotten straight ones for the past couple of years at festivals,” Mikail said. “It reflects his strong leadership.”

The application and interviewing process took some time and consideration.

“It started right after Mr. Nadeau was transferred,” Mikail said. “Ninety two [applicants] were considered, then individually interviewed until the committee narrowed it down to four applicants.”

Mikail thinks student involvement will help ensure a smooth transition.

“He officially begins directing us in November,” Mikail said.

“To ensure a smooth transition, drum majors, section leaders and the Rochester Parents of Music Students Board (RPMS) will have to take on even stronger leadership to preserve band traditions.”

In October 2014, the remainder of the district’s Strategic Plan will be finalized.

“It is a plan for the district for the next three years,” superintendent Dr. Robert Shaner said. “We have three main goal areas and then a number of action steps under each area. The three main goal areas are curriculum, infrastructure/facility and global competency.”

Dr. Shaner expects the new plan to address the district’s needs for the future.

“Last year we started the process, and this year we are going to approve it,” Dr. Shaner said. “Another thing that we are going to be doing is assessing the facilities of the district and the technology and determining our needs for the future.”

The plan focuses on readying students for the job market following their graduation.

“We’re committed to making sure that when students leave the school they will be able to engage in a global economy, and internationally,” Dr. Shaner said. “We are looking at building partnerships with local corporations.We hope to expand opportunities for international travel.”

Michigan’s only gubernatorial debate was held on Sunday, Oct.12. The incumbent governor, Republican Rick Snyder, is running for a second term against Democrat Mark Schauer.

Senior Kelsey Lilley, now elligible to vote, expressed who she thought best suited the job.

“I’m voting for Snyder,” Lilley said. “Since he took office, his economic policy has kept Michigan’s economy in a better condition than before he was in office.”

Senior Thomas Massa is also planning on voting for Snyder in the upcoming election.

“I’m voting for Rick Snyder for the fall election,” Massa said.

“I believe with his background in business he will make the right choices when dealing with economic policies.”

Massa believes keeping Snyder in office will keep Michigan heading in a good direction.

“He will keep Michigan in the right direction by creating jobs and not excessively spending money, while I just don’t think Mark Schauer will do the job right,” Massa said.

On Sept. 28, a 42-year-old man was admitted to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, and two days later he was diagnosed with Ebola.

Since then, panic has spread throughout the U.S. Senior Akash Pillai feels that people are afraid of the virus because of their lack of understanding.

“Because many people don’t know how it is transmitted and don’t know the symptoms,” Pillai said. “So they fear that they may contract it.”

U.S. troops have been sent to Liberia, and a 25-bed hospital is in the works. Pillai thinks the U.S. should focus on providing financial aid to Africa.

“The U.S. should send money to help the victims in Africa,” Pillai said. “But we should not send our doctors so we don’t risk it coming back to the U.S.” However, Pillai is content with how the U.S. has attempted to stop Ebola from being spread so far.

“They are isolating the patient so that it doesn’t spread to other parts of the country,” Pillai said.

ISIS has been committing public executions, and on August 20 and September 2, respectively, they released videos of beheadings of two American journalists, declaring it was a message to the U.S. for intervening. ISIS has continued to announce a few other executions since.

“It’s terrible for the people and families involved,” social studies teacher Mr. Kevin Briski said.

After the release of the videos involving Western journalists, questions have surfaced on how other countries should proceed.

Mr. Briski is not sure the U.S. should get involved.

“I used to think the U.S. should get involved,” Mr. Briski said. “But recent history shows it has done no good.”

People have reacted to the issue differently and Mr. Briski explained how he thought it impacted students at RHS. “ISIS is similar to new issues today; it’s a combination of horrible events we should be afraid of,” Mr. Briski said. “But there’s nothing we can do.”

PAGE 3 // NEWS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

Photo Illustration by Tommy Massa

JUNIORS WILL BE TAKING A NEW TEST THIS SPRING, IN ADDITION TO WORKKEYS AND THE ACT, YET NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT TEST WILL LOOK LIKE, WHEN IT WILL BE GIVEN AND WHETHER IT WILL BE TAKEN ONLINE OR ON PAPER.

W SAMANTHA MEDVED

NEWS & FEATURE EDITOR

WHY IS THERE A NEW TEST?

After the state of Michigan adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in June of 2010, schools have been expected to elevate the rigor of curriculum and increase students’ depth of knowledge to meet the new expectations. One of the many discussions that has resulted from the implementation of these standards is the

got together and wrote those tests, but the state question of how students will demonstrate their legislature decided that after that test was created knowledge through a more demanding new test. that they didn’t want it as their assessment.”

“When Michigan decided to adopt the After deciding to discard the Smarter Balance Common Core State Standards the old MEAP test earlier this year, the Michigan state legislature test that we had no longer fit all of those directed the MDE to write a completely new test. standards,” Mrs. Ashley Painter said. “Essentially, “This year the juniors what we have to will be taking a test do to keep our “TEACHERS AND STUDENTS DO called the ‘New MEAP,’” federal funding GET FRUSTRATED WHEN THINGS curriculum director Mrs. is to assess the students based on CHANGE AND THERE’S NOT A CLEAR Carrie Lawler said. “We those standards.” VISION OR GOAL, AND THEY CHANGE haven’t seen the new SO QUICKLY AS THEY DID FROM MEAP test yet, but it Prior to MOVING FROM SMARTER BALANCED sounds like it will be the change in much like the Smarter TO SOMETHING NEW.” standards, juniors Balanced tests.” were required to take a college readiness exam, Mrs. Painter, curriculum consultant HOW ARE TEACHERS the ACT, as well //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// PREPARING as an assessment STUDENTS? on Michigan’s standards, the MME. While students still need One of the major concerns regarding the to complete the two types of examinations, the legislative back-and-forth is that teachers are MME will no longer be used as the Michigan expected to prepare students for an assessment written test. that doesn’t exist yet.

“The state of Michigan requires that students “Teachers and students do get frustrated when be given the opportunity to take a college entrance things change and there’s not a clear vision or exam,” Mrs. Painter said. “We have the ACT as goal, and they change so quickly as they did from our college entrance exam and then this new test moving from Smarter Balanced to something will be for the high school state standards that new,” Mrs. Painter said. “I think what it’s going to have been adopted.” do is make teachers come back to the standards because that’s all we really have to go on at this WHAT IS THE NEW TEST point.”

GOING TO BE? Mr. Nick Merlo aims to focus on developing deeper thinking in his students along with Initially the Michigan Department of teaching the curriculum, so they will be prepared Education (MDE) planned to assess the CCSS for anything they might see this year’s test. using the Smarter Balanced test.

“We try to come up with activities and “Michigan was supposed to adopt the Smarter questions that we assess our students on and the Balanced test,” Mrs. Painter said. “We were best practices that develop student thinking as originally part of the consortium of states who

well as develop student content,” Mr. Merlo said.

“The hope is that regardless of if it’s an online test, a written test or if it’s verbal a student is able to thoroughly answer a question.”

Despite the concerns Mrs. Lawler remains confident in teachers’ abilities to prepare students.

“I believe that teachers are some of the most adaptable people in the world,” Mrs. Lawler said.

“I know that they will do everything to make it work.”

HOW WILL IT FIT INTO THE SEMESTER? The state plans to keep all standardized testing within the spring semester for juniors. While there are not any confirmed dates, the MDE has released a testing schedule window.

“There is a window of time – from mid April through June 1,” Mrs. Lawler said. “Rochester Community Schools hasn’t set up the calendar for that yet.”

Due to the “New MEAP” taking approximately 10 hours to complete, there are concerns about balancing time for in-class instruction and assessment during the spring semester.

“I believe we are over-testing our juniors this year,” Mrs. Lawler said. “Two significant tests in one year means too much loss of instructional time.”

Despite these concerns, Mrs. Painter hopes working in the new test will be beneficial.

“It’s going to take some problem-solving on our behalf and some sacrifices that unfortunately we’re going to have to make in the content we can cover,” Mrs. Painter said. “Our only hope is that the sacrifices that we make are going to be worth it in terms of really finding out what we’re doing well and what we need to improve on.”

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 4.

PAGE 4 // NEWS

V

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014 not all schools have the necessary technology in place, so these schools can opt for the paper test.

Mrs. Painter believes many of the potential issues with virtual testing can be solved through using the printed test.

“The benefits of paper and pencil testing are obviously going to be logistics. You don’t have to crowd computer labs or book them,” Mrs. Painter said. “I’ve seen pilot versions where sometimes students have trouble logging in or the network crashes, so you don’t have those potential downfalls to worry about.”

RCS has yet to decide which form of the test they will be administering. They currently have a committee evaluating the state of technology throughout the district to determine whether or not the virtual test will even be possible.

“Essentially what they’re doing is they’re going to each school and looking at the technology , looking at our network capabilities, and our wifi capabilities,” Mrs. Painter said. “They’re going to make a recommendation to Dr. Shaner as to which version they would support.”

reap the benefit of graduating from a district with good standing.”

Although he thinks many students only seem to care about how they score on standardized tests, Mr. Merlo believes there should be more emphasis on the process of preparing.

“I just don’t believe we give students any value,” Mr. Merlo said. “As an educator you kind of have to sift through that and make sure our students VIRTUAL VS. PAPER TESTING know that their value is in how hard they work, the Along with the change of standards and kind of attitude they have and the kind of character length of this year’s test, the assessment also that they’ve developed here at RHS. Their whole comes with the choice of a virtual test that is lives they’ve been told the value of taking a test is adaptive and gets progressively more difficult if what you get on it where it’s really the process and students answer questions correctly or easier if what you’re learning.” students answer incorrectly.

Due to the test being tied directly to the state Mrs. Lawler believes that the online test’s standards, Mrs. Painter thinks the scores will be a ability to adapt to each student will increase good indicator of what students have learned as student interest in testing. well as what teachers can improve upon.

“Because of the adaptability piece, I think “When we get together as a staff when we talk that students will be interested in seeing how far about our building goals and what we want to do they can excel,” Mrs. Lawler said. “Plus, it’s more as a whole staff we look at our test scores and our fun!” data and what we have to go on as far as student Mr. Merlo thinks an online test will help achievement,” Mrs. Painter said. “Our goals may prepare students for testing in college. change based on how well our students do on this HOW DO SCORES AFFECT “A lot of graduate tests and certification tests STUDENTS AND TEACHERS? particular test as a whole staff.” at the college level are taken on computers,” Mr. With the implementation of completely Along with the new test came a lot of Merlo said. “There’s some benefit there.” different standards and a new test, Mrs. Painter speculation as to what the results would be used Despite the potential benefits of having a test for. Currently the Michigan state legislature is is anticipating a slight decline in student scores. that can adapt to a student’s level, Mrs. Painter However, she does not think it indicates a decline debating a bill focusing on using these scores to sees a different challenge; she believes attempting evaluate teachers. in the quality of RCS. Rather, that it indicates the to have the entire junior class take the assessment new standards are more rigorous.

“The Michigan legislature is considering some virtually might be an unreasonable goal.

“The Common Core standards are rigorous legislation that would tie part of teacher evaluations “It’s going to take a lot of our computer standards. They were designed to be more to student scores,” Mrs. Painter said. labs,” Mrs. Painter said. “As a teacher who likes Despite hesitation, Mrs. Lawler believes that the challenging for high school students,” Mrs. Painter to use technology, personally it would be nice new test will be beneficial to the district’s reputation said. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we see a drop if we didn’t have the computer labs clogged up and, as a result, students. in our test scores. When the community, students with testing for a lot of those spring weeks. ” “Students will benefit indirectly,” Mrs. Lawler or parents are concerned about it, we need to make Due to the adaptive features, lower cost and said. “Their schools will be ranked according to sure that we communicate that this is a new test timely feedback that the virtual test can provide, the test results, which affects their community and these are new standards that we’re trying to the state is encouraging schools to use the online reputation. RCS currently has a strong reputation reach, so adjustments and some difficulties will be assessment. However, the state recognizes that when students apply to colleges, so students will expected in such a transition.”

MIXED RESPONSE

COMIC BY NEHA BIDTHANAPALLY

DECONSTRUCTING THE FORMS

OF STANDARDIZED TESTING

MEAP/ACT SMARTER BALANCED Purpose: college readiness/ admissions Results: shows high school achievement Mediums of testing: will be offered online in 2015 Length: 3 hours, 25 minutes

Purpose: test based on common core standards Mediums of testing: online and paper versions available

NEW TEST

Purpose: tied directly to high school state MME standards Purpose: Michigan Results: will minimum possibly be used to competency evaluate teachers; (no longer the schools will be Michigan written ranked based on assessment) scores Results: shows Mediums of if students are testing: choice of making adequate adaptive virtual yearly progress test (becomes Length: 3 hours, easier with 25 minutes incorrect answers, harder for correct ones) or paper Length: 10 hours

PAGE 5 // NEWS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

MICHIGAN MID-TERM ELECTIONS

Republican Michael Webber and Democrat Joanna VanRaaphorst face off for the 45th District Representative candidacy on Nov. 4 DANIELLE KULLMANN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DISTRICT 45 STATE REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES

$

As Joanna VanRaaphorst sits in on a PTA meeting, dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, she listens intently as the discussion veers toward overcrowding in the classroom. VanRaaphorst isn’t at this meeting for her children, she isn’t at this meeting to campaign; VanRaaphorst is at this meeting to learn about the issues that parents, teachers and administrators are concerned about that she would like to change once she gets to Lansing.

Election Day is on Nov. 4, and VanRaaphorst is running against Michael Webber for the 45th district state representative. She is supported by the Michigan Education Association after responding to the Screening and Recommending Committee, and holding many philosophies that coincide with the MEA and REA. “The Screening and Recommending Committee liked VanRaaphorst's views on the importance of strong public schools and her uneasiness over the rapid expansion of charters and cyber schools in Michigan,” REA president Doug Hill said. “We also liked the fact that she has spent a lot of time in our schools at PTA Meetings and such, speaking to parents and students to gain insight into what they feel about what's right, and wrong, with our schools today.”

Although Michael Webber doesn’t hold the primary support of the MEA and REA, he is hopeful for the Rochester constituents.

“I hope that people would consider voting for me because of my commitment to the community as a 24-year resident who grew up and went to school in the area, my experience and service to the community during my seven years on the Rochester Hills City Council and my nine years as a Legislative Staff person in Lansing,” Mr. Webber said. “I hope to accomplish to continue Michigan’s recovery with a focus on jobs and the economy, budget for our priorities which, for me, are education, roads/infrastructure and public safety and focus on the constituent service role of the office.”

VanRaaphorst and her husband, who own a periodontal practice in Rochester, decided that she would run after she came to the conclusion that she was dissatisfied as a voter, especially after meeting a candidate who had been rude and dismissive to his voters.

“I thought well we pay a lot in taxes to have people represent us and if they’re not doing a good job then I’ll do it,” VanRaaphorst said. “So I basically decided that day after I met him that I was going to run for office.”

VanRaaphorst then decided that it was her job as a concerned citizen to get involved.

“I really got involved in learning about the political process which there are many good things and there are many sad things about it,” VanRaaphorst said. “One of those being that if someone is doing a bad job, no one will step up and take them out, and then we pay them 71,000 dollars a year to work part-time against us. I found that a little disturbing.”

According to VanRaaphorst, she would like to be what she says other candidates are not: involved in the community and ready to listen and come to compromises with people who have contradictory opinions to hers.

“To me being a representative is getting a pulse of what’s needed in the community and what the concerns are and then being the advocate in Lansing because everyone else has other things to do,” VanRaaphorst said. “It’s kind of like being a lobbyist; you’re working on behalf of your community.”

VanRaaphorst is a strong supporter of public schools, which is largely why she was backed by the MEA. “I think we have to stabilize schools, first and foremost,” VanRaaphorst said. “We have cuts in the classroom, overcrowding in the classroom. We really need to focus on the public schools that are really working, like the ones around here.”

Additionally, VanRaaphorst’s platform focuses on oil exploration in suburban communities, a problem that came up during her door-to-door visits.

“I was contacted 10 months ago by people who were like ‘you’re running for office, there’s this problem, you should know about this problem,’” VanRaaphorst said. “So you sit in on a three hour meeting, and you find out that there are many people who don’t want oil exploration in neighborhoods.”

Lastly, VanRaaphorst believes that there should be a better focus on road construction in Rochester Hills.

“We all know we need to fix our roads, our bridges and our infrastructure,” VanRaaphorst said.

“It’s like going into a dental practice; if the chairs are falling apart and the carpet is gritty, you won’t trust that person to be a good dentist. If you expect people to come to Rochester and invest in the city and build businesses here, they will see the roads and see even we don’t invest in ourselves.”

VanRaaphorst wants to make a positive change in Rochester Hills and in the government.

“A lot of people are very disillusioned with people in government,” VanRaaphorst said. “So they say ‘You say you’re gonna help, but are you really?’ and ‘You say you’re gonna stand up, but are you really?’ and I can see their point, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing to say. To me you have to be optimistic and you have to keep trying.”

Michael Webber (R) Fewer government restrictions Improve roads/infrastructure, strengthen public safety, invest in education Lower the cost to live and work in Michigan, fight so families can keep more of what they earn Obtain energy independence by addressing oil and gas drilling Pro-Life, endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan Protect gun rights

Joanna VanRaaphorst (D) No privatization of schools Raise funding for public schools Make higher education affordable Secure proper funding Determine solution for our roads Don’t allow high density residential drilling Educate people about the drawbacks of drilling in our area Keep home values up by disallowing drilling

PAGE 6 // FEATURE

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

KING OF THE DANCE FLOOR Senior Noah King becomes the first male to join the RHS Varsity Dance Team.

CARA GILES

STAFF WRITER As the audiences watches the pom poms shake furiously they notice one dancer doesn’t hold them. This dancer also doesn’t wear the glittering skirts that is typical of the dance team instead they sport long black pants. As the audience looks closer they realize these aren’t the only things that make this dancer different. The dancer, senior Noah King, is the only boy on the Rochester Dance Team.

“I was a little freaked out at first because the dance team had never had a boy on the team before,” sophomore dance team member Anna Cloutier said. “I wasn’t sure if it would be awkward or not.”

Others members of the team were also taken aback initially.

“I didn’t even know boys were allowed on the team,” senior dance captain Allie Mercer said.

According to Cloutier, having King on the team ended up being an easy transition.

“While adjusting to these changes, the team was really great about accepting both the challenges and differences Noah brought,” Cloutier said. “Besides the little things, there wasn’t too much to adjust from.”

According to King, the dance team has welcomed him the same way they would any member.

“The team actually hasn’t done anything different since I’ve been on the team,” King said.

“They treat me exactly the way they would treat anyone else.”

Senior Noah King practices his moves at dance team practice. Photo by Danielle Kullmann King is viewed as a positive member of the team by many.

“Having Noah on the team has helped the team tremendously,” coach Katelyn Palazzola said.

“He brings so much positive energy wherever he goes, and he is constantly motivating his teammates to continue to push themselves and do better.”

King joined the dance team for a few reasons.

“What motivated me was simply to be different

and do something no one else has done,” King said. “And because I like to dance.”

A boy on the dance team is actually not as uncommon as it seems. Data collected by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) shows the number of men who choose to study dance as their major has risen 56 percent since 2004. Dance is becoming more common as a choice for young men.

“I have seen multiple high school dance teams

with male members before, I just have never had a boy teammate myself,” Palazzola said. “Last year, Royal Oak High School had a boy on their dance team and fortunately Noah was able to meet him at our four-day camp over the summer. They were able to talk about their personal experiences on the team so far.”

Other people have a different view of King on the dance team. Not everyone has been supportive.

“Everyone including my family actually discouraged me,” King said. “Except three of my closest friends.”

In addition to King’s family, some spectators were not supportive of King either.

“I think it’s a little odd,” senior Jeremy Peckens said. “I think it makes the dances look less serious.”

However, not everyone shares this opinion.

Others have only positive things to say.

“It’s cool how he didn’t let gender stereotypes stop him from pursuing what he wanted to do,” senior Natalie Shepich said. “It’s inspiring.”

King will continue to dance no matter what others say and encourages others to go for their goals.

“If someone wants to do something no one else has done, I say go for it,” King said.

“Because as long as you can battle the fact that everyone is gonna be talking about you and saying mixed things it’ll be alright because just knowing you had the courage to do something no one else ever tried is reward enough.”

MR. CHAD ZWOLINSKI RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR COLETTE CLOUTIER

OPINION & SPORTS EDITOR Students at RHS are told how fortunate they are on a daily basis, but how much weight do these words really hold? The majority of students at Rochester High have never attended another high school, and therefore have nothing to compare it to. For all they know, every school could be saying the exact same thing. What really sets Rochester apart? Community involvement? Opportunities?

Administration? How about teachers.

“I think we’re fortunate to have so many outstanding teachers here,” principal Mr. Charles Rowland said. “I feel fortunate to work with so many highly committed teachers. I think, and I hope that students recognize that they're getting a pretty nice experience when they come to high school at Rochester.

We have people that really care.”

This spring, social studies teacher Mr. Chad Zwolinski was awarded The United States Presidential Scholars Distinguished Teacher honor from the Federal Department of Education. A prestigious title on its own, selected teachers can only be nominated by a student who met even loftier criteria. “[2014 graduate Pranita Balusu] was recognized as one of the top 150 students in the entire country,” Mr. Zwolinski said. “There were only two from Michigan.”

Balusu, incredibly modest about her accomplishments, describes requirements she had to fulfill in order to even be considered.

“It’s called the Presidential Scholars Program Award and it's by The U.S. Department of Education,” Balusu said.

“The nomination for it depends on your ACT/SAT score because they select the top 30 males and 30 females from each state. Then you have to write a few

small essays, a really big essay, and send it means he has to work extra hard,” in your résumé. They narrow it down Balusu said. “In addition to everything to eight and then pick one girl and boy Mr. Z. taught me about APUSH/ from each state.” writing essays, he inspired me to always Once the presidential scholars were work hard and to find something I am selected, each passionate about student was doing.”

“I hope that students recognize given the Mr. Zwolinski that they’re getting a pretty nice opportunity on the other hand, experience when they come to high to recognize is still blown away school at Rochester. We have people with gratitude. a teacher that really care.” who played “They asked Mr. Charles Rowland III, Principal her what teacher a significant role in their ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// inspired her most life. in her high school career and had the “They greatest impact on her becoming one of encouraged us to nominate our most the top 150 students…for some reason influential teacher,” Balusu said. she picked me,” Mr. Zwolinski said.

It appears as if having to choose her most influential teacher was very simple “Personally, it’s unbelievably humbling because, I mean, she did all the work. for Balusu and that Mr. Zwolinski was It’s pretty awesome to feel that a kid the obvious choice. thinks you had that big of an impact “I picked Mr. Z. because he is on them, especially when it’s such an passionate about his job and is so amazing award, only 150 kids in all supportive of his students, even when

the country? I’m humbled, without a doubt.”

Continuing to search for words to explain his feelings, Mr. Zwolinski describes what this recognition means to him as a person.

“I guess for me, it kind of reinforces the reason I did this,” Mr. Zwolinski said. “To try and impact kids and the fact that it shows I even had some type of impact on a kid like that, shows me I did what I set out to do, which is treat kids like I wanted to be treated when I was in school.”

When asked if he had anything else to add, Mr. Zwolinski immediately shifted the focus back to his former student.

“Honestly, all the credit should be to her,” Mr. Zwolinski said. “Not me, I did what I was supposed to do and I’m just lucky that she feels that I had a big part in it; but she did all the work, I just got lucky to have her as a student.”

PAGE 7 // FEATURE

Freedom House

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

CHECK OUT

THE

TALON ONLINE ABOUT YOU:

*HOCO RECAPS/PHOTOS *CLASS CONGRESS UPDATE *SOPHOMORE O.U. FIELD TRIP *MORE “GREASE” COVERAGE *CROSS COUNTRY & STATES *SPOTLIGHT ON TENNIS/GOLF *SENIOR CLASS TOO SPIRITED? *ADVICE COLUMN Members of French Club from AHS, RHS and SCHS traveled to the Freedom House in Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 25 to interact with French-speaking refugees and introduce them to American traditions. Photo by Madame Elizabeth Arcangeli

French Clubs spend time with refugees from French-speaking countries pumpkins.

“I want to be able to help other people STAFF WRITER acclimate to life in America by showing them our Halloween customs,” senior When pulling up to Freedom House in Raluca Laza said. “They may not know Detroit, visitors don’t know exactly what to about [them] considering they are from expect. Previously a church, this building other countries.” houses refugees and victims of human Learning worked both ways during this trafficking escaping from war-torn countries exchange, and Laza believes she will be able including Palestine, Rwanda, Cameroon, to better overcome language barriers thanks Guinea, Uganda, Republic of Congo and to this trip.

Democratic Republic of Congo. On Oct. “There’s the French speaking concept,” 25, the French Clubs from RHS, AHS Laza said. “We can learn and SCHS from them because they volunteered “The refuges express a gratitude are native speakers, and to help these that is absolutely life-changing for we can also learn how to individuals everyone involved in this project.” help people who are in and improve their own Madame Arcangeli, French teacher need.”

Submaranian is French skills. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// looking at the trip from a “I hope to more personal angle, and gain language thinks about how she will experience,” senior Sabrina Subramanian said. “I want to be able to better appreciate her own life learn French by helping these native speakers after spending time with the refugees.

“I think it will be a bit of a culture shock with their English, and I want to work with for a lot of us from Rochester to see what people who don’t have as much as we do.” these people have had to go through,” Because of the October date, students Subramanian said. “It will be beneficial for educated Francophones on American traditions that happen in the fall, along with us to get some perspective, considering providing some company and friendly faces. how good many of us have it in Rochester.”

According to Madame Elizabeth While there, they played games and carved

JESSICA LEININGER

Arcangeli, the service project was initiated by the AHS French Club last year and the RHS students were excited to get involved this year.

“It’s all about the human connection,” Madame Arcangeli said. “Because of legal and safety reasons, most refugees are not allowed to leave Freedom House until they are granted asylum, so it can be very lonely there. Our students will undoubtedly be moved by the relationships that they form by performing community service. The refugees express a gratitude that is absolutely life-changing for everyone involved in this project.”

According to senior Sara Vitale, the experience was life-changing.

“My experience there was beyond amazing,” Vitale said. “Interacting with people who don’t speak much English and just showing them the way Americans celebrate Halloween was so much fun.”

Vitale said they carved pumpkins, ate treats and played soccer, volleyball, Frisbee and football.

“I also witnessed them cooking dinner for everyone in the house,” Vitale said.

“It was so nice to see how they all help each other like a big family.”

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PAGES 8-9 // SPREAD

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014 NINOTCHKA VALDEZ STAFF WRITER

WHAT IS THE MUSICAL ABOUT? Sophomore Lauren Janney paces back and forth on the stage practicing the many lines she’s highlighted in her copy of the “Grease” script. She is looking forward to a few very hectic upcoming weeks with the Rochester Alliance of Theatrical Students (RATS) group, including staying after school for hours dancing, singing and acting. The show runs through her head at unexpected times during the day, but this comes with the territory of the role she earned: one of the leads, Sandy Olsson.

Janney stars opposite sophomore Logan Mueller, who is playing the male lead, Danny Zuko. The show centers around an unexpected teenage romance between the two, along with typical teenage struggles of how far one goes to fit in, managing friendships and discovering one’s passion.

CASTING According to musical director Mr. Frank Gollon, casting is the hardest aspect of planning the show, due to the many factors that must go into the decision, from vocal range to dancing and acting ability.

“Sometimes students come in thinking ‘oh, I really wanna play this part’ but the songs that are written for that character are in a vocal range that that person just can’t hit,” Mr. Gollon said. “Rather than put someone in a situation that could potentially harm their voice, or just not turn out well for them, we have to look at that and make sure they’re capable of pulling it off.”

This year, the cast is comprised of more underclassmen in lead roles than past years. According to Mr. Gollon, this sparked varied reactions.

“I know sometimes it’s hard for seniors to see underclassmen getting lead roles,” Mr. Gollon said. “But the nature of the business is that you have to put the best people in the positions to really make the show a success, and that’s what we’ve done here.”

Sophomore Lauren Janney had mixed feelings about the casting when she found out she was the lead.

“I was very shocked, but at the same time not so shocked because we lost a lot of really good seniors from last year,” Janney said. “But I did kind of feel bad for a bunch of the older girls who tried out and didn’t get the role.”

According to sophomore Jessie Carl, who earned the lead role of Marty Maraschino, being a sophomore in this position carries a certain weight.

“I feel pressure because I’m a sophomore,” Carl said. “There’s a lot expected from every sophomore, but I mean, that’s the pressure that I feel.

I wanna get it right, and I want people to be impressed, you know, why I got casted.”

Top left: Musical director Mr. Frank Gollon looks on as sophomore Lauren Janney and junior Katie Derkacz rehearse a scene.

Above: Senior Mike Halsey gets into character during rehearsal.

Bottom left: Juniors Katie Derkacz and Kaelan Donovan practice their lines.

Bottom right: Seniors Lucas Marselle and Diego Del Castillo Negrete and junior Kaelan Donovan walk through the choreography.

To buy tickets for the show, use this QR code.

PREPARATIONS For those involved, the musical means a lot of long nights at school, stretching from 2:30 to 8:00 p.m. prior to the premier in which the cast runs through the entire show with no breaks. According to the male lead, sophomore Logan Mueller, the most difficult part of being in the musical is balancing his other activities with it.

“I go to football practice everyday all week,” Mueller said. “On Wednesdays after practice, they have extra rehearsals from six to nine. Or six to eight, but I stay later because I have to review some more stuff. When football’s over, I resume with normal rehearsals everyday.”

During a normal rehearsal, the cast runs through the acts in order, and on Wednesdays and Fridays, they spend the entire time on stage running through the dance numbers. Janney had more to say about the time spent rehearsing, and voiced her opinion on her least favorite aspect of being in the play.

“All the really long rehearsals and the nights,” Janney said. “Just how long we have to stay to learn all of it.”

Carl, who schedules her after school activities around theater, doesn’t find the times intimidating, but she explained other problems they face.

“Tech week is always hard because that’s when everyone comes in, and they get mics and sound stuff,” Carl said. “It’s very difficult because it’s out of your control as an actor and you have to be very supportive of everybody but we still get through it.”

Mr. Gollon is optimistic for the show, and continues to oversee set design, set construction and directing to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“I think we have an exceptionally talented group of singers, dancers, actors,” Mr. Gollon said. “We have a range of all grade levels represented, so it’s a true mix of the entire student population.”

PAGE 10 // LIFESTYLES

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

What your ‘do says about you A COMEDIC ANALYSIS OF MALE HAIRSTYLES JESSICA LEININGER STAFF WRITER

THE AFRO

THE UNDERCUT

THE POMPADOUR

Anthony King, 10

Ivan Barraza, 10

Ives Bartels, 12

It’s like a halo of hair around your head! Heavenly!

Afros are a super fun hairstyle you can try, depending on your genetics. People are intrigued by your hair, and might try to grab it from time to time. Should you let them? It’s your hair, so that’s your prerogative! Whether you do or not, the afro will be a talking point, making you the life of the party. With the afro, you can shine with your ha(ir)lo like the big man intended. Spread the word!

Do you find yourself in front of the mirror after a trip to Salvation Army, looking at yourself clad in an oversize fur coat and feeling like something about the image you’ve carefully cultivated is missing?

If so, the undercut might be for you. The hair is short on the sides, and long on the top, styled to personal preference. It’s the faux-hawk for 2014.

It shows you’re trendy, have time to spend on your hair and may or may not shop in the men’s section of Forever 21.

Are you an astronaut, because boy, your hair is defying gravity. Whatever product you use to make your hair go straight up, it’s working. This style adds four to six inches to your height, so if you have a bit of a Napoleon complex, this cut may be the one for you. (And it’s cheaper than buying platforms, depending on the product you use.) This look shows that you know what’s up. (Hint: It’s your hair.)

THE FLOW

Griffin Harper, 10

It’s lush, it’s long and nobody can deny that they are jealous of the tuft of hair that is poking out from the bottom of your respective sport’s helmet.

Flow is a mark of an athlete who wants his hair to be as gorgeous as his game (or more so). Do you want people to respect you for your footwork, or your hair? With flow like this, you can have both!

THE CREWCUT

THE FABIO

THE DYED ‘DO

Jacob Hoeg, 11 Yeah, dude, you’re having fun. You’re expressing your inner aura by letting it bleed into your locks.

Blue, green, red, whatever the color, it’s artificial and you have adhered it to your follicles. It shows that you’re a risk-taker, and you want the color of your hair to reflect the color of your soul. Hair dye can be intimidating, and people will know that you overcame it, and conquered those chemicals and are confident enough in yourself to flaunt the color of your soul.

THE ASYMMETRICAL FAUXHAWK

Griffith Losh, 10

Evan Miller, 9

Dylan Sikkelee, 12

Short and gelled over a touch, this look is a classic that people have been doing since the war. It’s your turn now, soldier. A crew cut is straight forward, and shows that you are a no-nonsense guy. Even if you woke up at 7:25, you could lie and say that you’re breathing heavily because you’ve been working out since five a.m. The crew cut would make your story at least eight times more believable, regardless of the fact that you can only do three pull-ups and dry heave after running a mile. You get things done though, and you want it done clean and sharp, not unlike your hair.

Ok, when worn in high school under a Monster® brand snapback, these locks don’t look like they’ve been ripped from the cover of a romance novel.

You have the length though, and if you wanted to style it, you totally could. Long locks are a versatile look, with your options running from a greasy KFC napkin from the nineties, to Fabio, to getting people to think you could play Jesus in their church’s nativity play. Grow it long, and do as you please!

You took the hairstyle you had in middle school, and shifted it to the left. It’s like seventh grade, but edgier!

USE THIS QR CODE TO READ MORE HILARIOUS HAIRSTYLE REVIEWS.

PAGE 11 // ADVERTISEMENTS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

FOLLOW falconsofrhs ON INSTAGRAM FOR AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE LIVES OF STUDENTS.

PAGE 12 // ENTERTAINMENT

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

MORE

1

4

THAN JUST A PIE

5

2

ALLISON SKELCY STAFF WRITER

3

Photos by Allison Skelcy

1

Georgio’s Pizza

Rating: 9/10 Price: $12 for a medium cheese pizza Type of pizza: Georgio’s offers round, standard crust pizza Atmosphere of pizzeria: Georgio’s offers a very cozy, nice place to go with friends for a quick bite before a game or for lunch. The red checkered tablecloths make for an authentic Italian pizzeria feel.

The service: The service at Georgio’s was excellent; most of the employees are high school or college age, and they like to joke around and make you feel at home.

Quality of ingredients: The quality of ingredients was above average, except for the floured crust, which made for a weird aftertaste.

Variety of pizza: Georgio’s offers the biggest variety of the five locations.

They have white pizza (Alfredo sauce), as well as a full Italian menu.

Extras: They have $1 slice Wednesdays, with huge pieces; it’s a great deal. Plus, their garlic knots are legendary.

2 Kruse & Muer

in the Village

Rating: 9/10 Price: $14 for a 2-topping medium round pizza Type of pizza: The pizza has round, standard crust. This crust was a tad thicker, so if you like a bigger crust-totopping ratio, this is the way to go. The pepperoni on this pizza was spicy, and overall very flavorful.

Atmosphere of pizzeria: K & M is a good place to sit down and eat, possibly for a first date. If was definitely the classiest restaurant of the lot.

The service: The pick-up has it’s own rear entrance, and the pizza was served promptly. The front of the restaurant has the same quick, friendly service.

Quality of ingredients: The ingredients are extremely high quality; you can taste the class in this pizza, which includes fresh dough made daily.

Variety of pizza: K & M offers various pizzas and other meal choices.

Extras: Definitely try the Muer bread with whatever meal you eat here. If you want to sit down, make a reservation, as dinnertime and weekends get hectic.

3

Antonio’s Town

Square Pizza

Rating: 8/10 Price: (cheapest) $7 for a medium square pizza with pepperoni Type of pizza: Antonio’s serves square pizza as their specialty, but they also offer round pizza.

Atmosphere of pizzeria: The atmosphere here is cheerful and familyoriented. The walls are decorated with assorted signs and memorabilia and the TVs on the walls offer the perfect place to watch a big game.

The service: The service is pretty fast, perfect for family time and conversation. This is a family-owned restaurant, and you can clearly tell by the friendly service.

Quality of ingredients: The ingredients here are fresh, but the bread that they serve can be room temperature at times.

Variety of pizza: Antonio’s has great variety of pizza and they also have a full menu.

Extras: This is a good place to sit down and eat, although it can get busy during sporting events.

4

Check out five reviews of local pizzerias in town to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

112 Pizzeria Bistro

Rating: 7/10 Price: $9 for a 14-inch pizza Type of pizza: This pizza has thinner crust, kind of like your cheap, college, “by the slice” pizza.

Atmosphere of pizzeria: 112 offers a modern, industrial design; the interior is nice with adequate seating for dine-in.

It’s very bright and inviting.

The service: This pizzeria’s service was extremely friendly; the woman who was working the counter was very interesting and seemed to enjoy her job and helping customers.

Quality of ingredients: They have good ingredients; the dipping sauce for the bread sticks was top notch.

Variety of pizza: The variety was fairly standard--nothing too crazy.

Extras: This place is extremely underrated; the pizza isn’t greasy and the taste is high quality.

5 Dan Good Pizza Rating: 6/10 Price: $10 for a medium, round veggie pizza Type of pizza: Dan Good Pizza has round, thick crust, lots of toppings and not much cheese.

Atmosphere of pizzeria: There really isn’t an atmosphere here as it is carryout only, and there are no seats in the waiting area.

The service: The service was rather uninviting; the counter help was kind of rude.

Quality of ingredients: Dan Good has quality ingredients. All of the veggies on the pizza were super fresh, though the sesame seeds were questionable.

Variety of pizza: There is more variety than the other pizzerias, and pizza can be purchased by the slice, which allows for flexibility.

Extras: The bread here is very cheesy and there are a lot of bread sticks per order.

PAGE 13 // ENTERTAINMENT

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

FALL DATE IDEAS

Fall is here, and that means perfect autumn weather, pumpkin-flavored delicacies, cozy outfits and other date-night pleasures. Take a break and enjoy all the activities this season has to offer with your significant other right here in Oakland County.

MARIA BROECKER STAFF WRITER

1. Yates Cider Mill

2. Bean and Leaf Café

3. Painted Pot

4. Blake’s Orchard

5. Emagine Theatre

The cider, donuts and gorgeous fall colors make Yates a scrumptious place for a date, and at an affordable price. In addition to spending quality time chatting while waiting in what’s sure to be a line for arguably the best cider/donut combination around, couples can take a romantic stroll along the lengthy trail that winds along the Clinton River; feed and pet the adorable goats and sheep in the small petting zoo (you’re never too old to do this!); visit the fudge, apple or painted pumpkin tents; or sit at one of the many locations next to the river to enjoy some peace and quiet. It’s a nature-lover’s dream date. As a bonus, couples could purchase a bag of apples and spend a few additional hours at home cutting, peeling and baking them into a delicious apple pie. It’s important to remember to bring cash for a trip to Yates, because credit or debit cards aren’t accepted at most of the tents. Ladies may want to wear thicker leggings or skinny jeans with tall riding boots, a scarf, a sweater with a fall jacket or puffy vest over top as it can be chilly, especially when the wind picks up. As for the guys, you may want to consider a flannel long-sleeved shirt with a light fall jacket or hoodie option along with jeans and tennis shoes.

This is a great location for an unassuming first date where young couples can pick from the large selection of coffee, iced tea or smoothie options.

To accompany your beverage of choice, one can purchase a delectable pastry or piece of coffee cake to satisfy a sweet tooth. The total cost for two might range between $15-20.

After enjoying time talking in the cozy, yet hip atmosphere, couples can walk down main street and window shop or people watch.

This date is great for spontaneous couples who don’t have a plan and are willing to go wherever the wind takes them. Ladies may want to consider a pair of dark wash skinny jeans with a solid sweater, a patterned scarf and bright ballet flats for this date option. Guys might want to wear jeans, a plaid button-up with a vest and a pair of Sperrys or Timbos.

Couples can tap into their inner creativity and go beyond the traditional dinner and a movie option by visiting this location to paint ceramic items together. Each individual gets to choose a mug, plate, bowl, piggy bank, vase, jewelry box or something else for $20 per item to paint and decorate to his or her heart’s desire. There are design suggestions for those who aren’t as confident with their artistic abilities, but others may just let their hearts guide them as they choose from a variety of colors to create a masterpiece. The employees are there for guidance, direction or help, and can be as involved or uninvolved as you choose. For those who are unique and creative, this is a dream date.

Couples can laugh together and explore each other’s personalities through artistic expression. If this date is a success, a journey to the Detroit Institute of Arts might be a good next stop. Outfits for painted pot include laid back attire, because couples wouldn’t want to get their fancy clothes covered in paint. Just jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes or boots are perfect.

Thrill-seeking couples may want to take advantage of all things scary this fall season by visiting this location to check out a hayride, haunted house or corn maze at an admission price of $17 per person to cover one’s choice of two of the following: haunted hayride, haunted house, or haunted corn maze. And for pumpkins it is $5-$35 depending on size. For food there is a small concession stand with donuts and cider. This provides an opportunity for couples to bond through overcoming their fears together. This date option helps couples figure out who is the biggest scaredy cat, and seek safety in that person’s arms.

If you or your date aren’t the adventurous type, during the day, you can visit Blake’s to pick apples or pumpkins, then take them home for an epic pie-baking or pumpkin-carving contest. If you choose the pumpkin option, don’t forget to bake the seeds with a light layer of sea salt for the perfect snack while snuggle up and watching a movie on netflix to close the evening.

Outfits for both girls and boys are pretty casual, and might include a hoodie and jeans, plus UGGs for girls and tennis shoes for boys.

For the traditionalists or perhaps the newer couple who may not be able to fill hours with conversation, a movie is an excellent and relatively affordable option at $10/ticket. With Halloween around the corner, the theatres are loaded with scary movie options that are gripping must-sees for movie buffs. When the movie gets freaky, expect the girl or guy to reach for a hand to hold to stay grounded in reality and realize that ghosts are not actually attacking at that moment. They say this generation is the visual generation, so might as well go with it and keep our movie-viewing skills up-to-par.

This option is a safe bet for a good evening that might prompt a second date to spend more time talking (see options 1-4).

For Emagine, keep attire simple, but not too casual. For girls, a patterned sweater with a long necklace and UGG boots or Converse would work great. For dudes, a cool outfit might include a plain, long-sleeve shirt with jeans and Sperrys.

Where: 1990 E. Avon Rd., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Where: 439 S. Main St., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Where: 421 Walnut Blvd., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Where: 71485 North Ave., Armada, MI 48005

Where: 200 Barclay Cir., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

PAGE 14 // OPINION

THE TALON STAFF Adviser, Mrs. Julia Satterthwaite

Editor-in-Chief, Danielle Kullmann Entertainment & Lifestyles Editor, Sydney Bammel Opinion & Sports Editor, Colette Cloutier News & Feature Editor, Sam Medved Staff Writer, Maria Broecker Staff Writer, Amanda Capaldi Staff Writer, Luke Deel Staff Writer, Zane D’Souza Staff Writer, Cara Giles Staff Writer, Jacob Groen Staff Writer, Michael Kainz Staff Writer, Julia Labban Staff Writer, Jessica Leininger Staff Writer, Jonathon Markwort Staff Writer, David Martin Staff Writer, Thomas Massa Staff Writer, Allison Skelcy Staff Writer, Edgar Sokoli Staff Writer, Mrudula Sriram Staff Writer, Ninotchka Valdez

THE TALON POLICY The Talon presents and open forum for student expression to be used by the Rochester High School community to promote and express thought and action.

The stories, opinions and bylined content in The Talon do not necessarily represent and should not be interpreted as the views of the Rochester Community School Board of Education or any of its staff, faculty or employees.

The Talon is devoted to professional journalism and fairness in all reporting. The Talon will adhere to a standard of responsible journalism and will refrain from publishing material which is legally libelous, obscene or could disrupt the operation of the school.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR If something annoys you about us, school or life in general, write a letter to the editor. If something amuses you about us, school or life in general, write a letter to the editor. If we got something wrong, write a letter to the editor. If it’s coherent and under 300 words we’ll run it.

Email your comments to Mrs. Satterthwaite: jsatterthwaite@rochester.k12.mi.us, tweet a link to us @rhstalon, post them to The Talon’s Facebook page or any other form of 21st Century communication you prefer. We look forward to hearing from you.

MEMBERSHIPS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

STAFF EDITORIAL :

Political opinions are not just for adults

Even if someone is not old enough to vote, he or she should still pay attention to political issues because the easiest way to develop political opinions is to be aware of and involved in the political process. It is impossible to have an informed stance on anything if someone has never been exposed to it, and politics is no different. To be able to choose candidates based on their beliefs rather than something trivial when they actually are old enough to vote, people need to start paying attention early. It is the only way to come to a solid conclusion on how he or she feels about a specific issue.

One of the most important aspects of political efficacy is being aware of how to express political opinions. Paying attention to politics and elections prior to the age where one can vote is vital because it provides an opportunity for one to understand the political process before they are expected to participate in it. Those who have no idea how the system works are far less likely to vote when they are older. They will not know how to register to vote, which precinct to go to or even when elections are being held. As a result, they will simply avoid voting in general rather than seek out the proper information, or they vote based on name recognition, rather than their own beliefs on issues. Becoming informed while one is young makes voting a lot easier when he or she is finally old enough to participate.

In addition, if students pay attention to election results, they can follow those candidates and see how society changes as a result. If one sees something change in a way he or she doesn’t like, it provides an incentive to get out and vote during the next cycle. For example, if one experiences the lack of necessary increases in education funding by sitting alongside 36 students in a sophomore English class, he or she may be inclined to vote for a candidate that plans to better fund schools.

Too often, this generation gets accused of being apathetic and lazy. We get accused of using Wikipedia or schmoop, social media and our parents as our only sources when we justify our claims. If we actually invest some time researching and thinking for ourselves, we could prove all the nay-sayers wrong.

Some may say that paying attention to elections isn’t totally necessary because there isn’t any way for teens to voice their opinions anyway. However, this is inaccurate. If teens know what they’re passionate about and who they support, they can volunteer in a variety of ways, from campaigning to passing out literature to simply voicing those opinions on those persuasive social media sites. Students can gain so much from getting involved in the political process early, both developing future career goals and making them better-informed adults.

At the end of the day, teens and adults alike don’t get as involved as they should, instead relying on the age-old misconception that one person can’t change a bureaucracy that is as large and corrupt as our government. It feels like an insurmountable challenge. There’s only one way to change that, and it involves getting to the polls. Teens should start learning about the process now, increasing the chance that they’ll make informed choices in the future.

“For the most part, in terms of local elections, I’m indifferent on being active as a teen who can’t vote.”

Edgar Sokoli, 12

“Even though I’m not voting, the things they are voting on still affect me.”

Cara Giles, 12

“I think it is important to vote in local elections because we should know what is going on.”

Luke Deel, 11

PAGE 15 // SPORTS

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

LEADERS AND BEST

Captain’s Club members set example on the field and in the community MICHAEL KAINZ STAFF WRITER

JACOB GROEN STAFF WRITER

When he worked in the athletic department at Marshall University, athletic director Luke Beach learned about their Captain’s Circle program, where captains of sports teams serve as leaders in the community through acts of service. When he was hired at RHS, Mr. Beach knew he wanted to implement a similar program to have captains prove themselves as leaders on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

“Giving back to the community, that was how our kids learned about being selfless,” Mr. Beach said. “I knew that we gave our captains stars and I felt like our kids needed to earn it. They could go above and beyond just being voted a captain; they need to learn what it was truly like to be a leader in all facets.”

As a result of Mr. Beach’s initiative, the Captain’s Club was born. Last year the group worked at Hamlin Elementary, and this year students at North Hill Elementary are getting regular visits from members of the club.

“We read to kids at elementary schools,” volleyball captain and senior Emily Trevarrow said. “And we set up for games and things like that as a group.”

Mr. Beach hopes the captains can be strong role-models and display leadership qualities in their interactions with kids.

“I think that the Captain’s Club has been very influential and impactful on these different elementary schools that we’ve been working with,” Mr. Beach said. “They’re able to have this positive interaction and look up to our kids and see what’s it like to be an RHS student.”

As part of the preparation for these interactions, the Captain’s Club had guest speaker Sgt. Boone of the U.S. Marine Corps during one of the club’s monthly meetings to talk about the 13 points of leadership.

“We want our captains to learn what it’s like to be selfless, and we want them to give back to the community,” Mr. Beach said. “They already have strong characters, but we want to make them stronger. I want our captains to

Volleyball captains and seniors Emma Kowal, Kelsey Lilley and Emily Trevarrow helped raise $775 for the Wounded Warrior Project at the football game against Adams on Oct. 17. Photo by Mr. Luke Beach

learn not only to know what it’s like to be leader of a sports team, but also to be a leader in life.”

Trevarrow says she enjoys the lessons and the reflection after.

“I think it’s made me think of my leadership styles and such because we do activities and things that point out what methods we use during practice to be a leader and a captain,” Trevarrow said.

In addition to working with elementary students, the Captain’s Club also volunteers with Blessings in a Backpack, Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Captain of football, senior Michael Halsey explains how being involved with the Captain’s Club has impacted his life.

“It’s helped me recognize the kind of leader that I know I can be,” Halsey said. “And it’s going to help me later in life.”

Mr. Beach agrees that the Captain’s Club has the potential to have a life-long positive impact.

“I think it’s only going to help them be better people, make them better,” Mr. Beach said. “Because our goal is to build our captains for all facets of life, but, we’re trying to build good husbands, good wives and all those different things too.”

Football captains and seniors Michael Halsey, Blake Fetterhoff and Anthony Cicala read to students at North Hill Elementary. Photo by Mr. Luke Beach

CAPTAIN’S CLUB MEMBERS

It means being a leader and a role-model for my sport.

It’s a privilege to me and I think it shows all the work I’ve done in the past.

It means a lot. It gives me a lot of confidence and makes me play better because your peers are the ones who pick you as a captain.

It means being a leader and being an example for your teammates to follow.

Emily Trevarrow senior volleyball captain

Michael Halsey senior football captain

Daniel Dubeck senior soccer captain

It means that you get to set the standard of how much effort the others put in and set the tone for the season.

It means to be a role-model and to help the team as a whole.

It’s an honor. I like being able to lead my team and help out the younger kids in every way possible.

Nicholas Ang senior tennis captain

Tiffani Steenson senior swim captain

Kyle Repetto senior cross country captain

PAGE 16 // SPORTS

BOYS TENNIS TEAM

THE TALON // OCTOBER 2014

qualifies for States, but falls short MRUDULA SRIRAM STAFF WRITER

At the players’ meeting the day before Regionals, tennis Coach Jerry Murphy asked his team to visualize their victory and realize that skill and a clear mind are equally important when competing in tennis. It worked. The team qualified for States by earning exactly eighteen points at regionals. They competed against many other districts such as Utica, Novi, Clarkston, Eisenhower and Northville, as well as the rival Adams on Oct. 17, 2014.

Coach Murphy starts the goal-setting process early on in the season.

“At the beginning of the season we have the players write down two individual goals and two team goals that they will be striving to accomplish by the end of the season,” Coach Murphy said.

“The two team goals that were listed by a majority of the team members were to repeat as OAA White Division champions and to qualify for the State championships in Midland at the end of the season.”

After qualifying for States, Coach Murphy attributes the team’s success to a few key factors.

“Our singles lineup has been the most stable and successful part of our team this year,” Coach Murphy said. “Senior co-captains Nicholas Ang and Torre Rocco have provided great leadership, not only for our other singles players, Santhosh Narayanan and Chris Sandler, but for the whole team in general. Without their great play and leadership, we wouldn’t have had the success we’ve enjoyed thus far.”

Senior Nick Ang believes the team’s success was in part due to unity.

“The spirit of the seniors, carbs from pasta parties and of course our team’s devotion to one another are other things that add on to our success,” Ang said.

According to junior Nathan Abreo, the team’s success has sort of flown under the radar among peers. “ I understand in high school and college sports, kids pay more attention to football,” Abreo said.

Ang hoped that making States would earn the team recognition from the student body. “ Even though we have one of the best records on the team out of all the other fall sports,” Ang said. “We still fail to get recognition.”

Nevertheless, the players continue to establish personal best scores for themselves and the team.

Sophomore Joseph Na believes the season ended on a high note.

“Overall this has been a really great and rewarding season,” Na said. “It’s amazing how we’re in a much harder division compared to a lot of other schools, but still managed to qualify for States and compete against some of the best teams in Michigan.”

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1. Senior Michael Sepeta hits a volley back at his opponent. 2. Senior Nicholas Ang hits a backhand at his opponent. 3. Junior Brenden Beckstrom gets ready to serve the ball. 4. Seniors Raluca Laza, Nick Ang, Torre Rocco and Axl Patlalinghug eagerly watch the match. Photos Courtesy of “Oakland Press;” used with permission