2011 April Issue

S T O N E Y

Your eyes, your ears,

Your Voice

C R E E K

THE

SOURCE

VOLUME 8

ISSUE 9

April 27, 2011

575 Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306

AP Art students win national awards

by Julia Nagy/ Matt Pitlock

co-Editor-in-Chief/ Sports Team

Artistic Awards: “I wish I could understand Why my Biological mother didnt want me. Was I damaged goods?” Reads the writing on one of the winning photos that Hess took, featuring senior Desta Gebregiorgis. (photo courtesy of Mandy Hess)

Senior wins regional science fair

One out of two. Two out of sixteen.

Sixteen out of thousands.

Out of all high school art students entered in the National Scholastic Art Contest, only sixteen artists received gold portfolios and only two were given for photography. This year four Stoney students received national recognition for their work. Senior Mandy Hess was the first ever to receive a gold portfolio in media photography, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.

Other winners include senior Katie Doyle, who received a silver portfolio for multimedia including fashion design, senior Audrey Benjamison, who also received a fine arts silver portfolio,

and senior Sara Harbin, who won an individual award for photography. The awards ceremony will occur on May 31 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Hess was elated when she received a call from Scholastics.

“It was really funny because I was in the middle of working out and I was really sweaty and the phone [number] was restricted, so I was like, ‘Hello,’” Mandy said. “They were like ‘this is scholastics’. I was then like, ‘Oh, my god, I had no idea.’ They were laughing at me. In tenth grade this was my wildest dream.”

AP Studio Art teacher Diane Heath has a fond memory of finding out Hess won a gold porfolio.

“I made [Hess] sit down and tell me step-by-step,” Heath said. “‘Ring, ring,

hello? Yes this is Mandy.’ Then what exactly did they say? Who was it? I have met with the national people on several occasions. It all fell into place.

We waited for an email confirmation for about a half hour and sure enough there it was—a national gold award and $10,000 for Mandy!”

Harbin was excited when she heard about her individual win, aswell.

“I didn’t expect to win at all,” Harbin said. “When I found out I almost started crying I was so excited.”

Heath believes the awards are so exciting because of what it means to the girls and the art program.

“The national awards are a huge honor,” Heath said. “Only a few hundred students from literally hundreds of (Please see “Art” on p. 2)

3.

1.

by Soumith Inturi/ Rob Sparks

(Please see “Science” on p. 2)

ACLU sends cease and desist letter to Rochester schools

by Catherine Foster Lifestyles Editor The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to Rochester Schools on March 28, demanding they stop filtering Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) websites or face legal action. The ACLU gave the district until April 4 to make a decision before the ACLU willact.

The letter was part of the newly launched, “Don’t Filter Me” campaign “that will continue to process complaints from students around the country and send demand letters to many other school districts,” Joshua Block, Staff Attorney from ACLU’s LGBT project said.

“Schools are sending a terrible message to students that LGBT voices are to be ignored and silenced,” Jay Kaplan, ACLU of Michigan LGBT Project staff attorney said, in the Michigan Messenger.

Senior Nick Rinehart from Rochester High School contacted the ACLU because he has been blocked from accessing such sites.

“I couldn’t believe my school would block access to perfectly legitimate websites just because they were about LGBT issues,” Rinehart said in the Michigan Messenger. “It’s not fair for the school to try to keep students (Please see “ACLU” on p. 2)

2.

1: Powerful production. Capa leads “the Pit” in a musical number, accompanying the action on stage. “The Pit” began daily rehearsals in March.

2: Drilling the details. Instructor Eric Kausch conducts during a night rehearsal. Kausch helped Capa transition into playing for the musicals.

3: Focus, focus, focus. Capa focuses on the sheet music set before him. Capa learned to play piano in sixth grade.

(photos by Chandler Clay)

Piano Man Senior Tyler Capa plays with “the Pit” for the last time after changing the music department

by Nick Diamond/ Kelsey Jackson School Team/ Opinion Team It takes three components.

An $80,000 elevator.

Fifteen musicians.

Oh, and the Piano Man. Senior Tyler Capa has been involved with musical productions since he was a freshman, and he is renewing his commitment this year with his involvement in the spring musical “Good News!”

Capa lends his musical talents almost entirely to “the Pit,” a group of students who compose the orchestra for the musicals.

Even though he can play almost any instrument, it is the piano that Capa prides himself on. He has earned the position of first pianist, a spot normally reserved for professionals hired by the theater department, according to Capa.

Mike Perkins, a student teacher from Wayne State University, has been helping band and choir instructor Eric Kausch for the past three months. He sees Capa’s true potential.

“Musically, Tyler’s role is one of the vertebrae of the backbone,” Perkins said.

“What everyone is playing is up to him. He seemed like Mr. Music Man when I first met him.”

Capa’s influence

stretches across the choir, theater, and band departments and through musicals such as “Into the Woods,” “Children of Eden,” “Once on this Island,” and “Good News!” according to Capa.

“I get home at 9:30 p.m. every night for the entire year,” Capa said.

Other students note this dedication, these contributions to the musical, and look up to Capa for his dedication Sophomore Kyle White has grown close to Capa through his involvement with musical theater, band, and Marching Band and he works to emulate Capa’s success, according to White.

“He’s an incredible person,” White said. “He’s extremely confident and driven in music and theater, which is why he’s a

“

Musically,

Tyler’s role is one of the

vertebrae of the

backbone.

“

School Co-Editor/ Lifestyles Team This was no baking soda volcano.

This was no model rocket. This was senior Rohan Arepally’s lifesaver.

Arepally’s project, a method to safely evacuate thousands of disasterstruck citizens quickly and efficiently, brought him to the highest award at the fifty-third Science and Engineering Fair of Metro Detroit (SEFMD): the Grand Award.

Now, Arepally looks ahead to tackling the International Science Fair hosted

by Intel in Los Angeles from May 8 to May 13.

According to the Society for Science and the Public, this Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

This science fair caters to millions of students from across the world and showcases their talents on an international stage.

Arepally’s journey to the International Science fair started at the Science Fair in Cobo Center in Detroit on March 15. He represented Stoney Creek High School and competed against others from the region. Dave Thomson, a Stoney Creek math teacher, offered Arepally support throughout Arepally’s science fair career, beginning in Arepally’s freshman year.

“Rohan did pretty much all of the stuff on his own,” Thomson said.

Student teacher Mike Perkins

role model to many of his surrounding musicians.”

Although Capa’s talents are widespread, he chooses to focus his involvement in the musicals on behindthe-scenes tasks—technical aspects, and “the Pit.” “I always thought instruments were more fun,” Capa said. “Choir doesn’t do much for me; instruments give me a sense of accomplishment.”

This year’s musical has required a new level of focus all around as the musicians adapt to the music score, which is of a different genre than previous years.

“The music is from 1920,” Capa said. “Everything else has been modern. This is ragtime, fast note music.”

The stresses of producing this type of music have not only affected the students, but the instructors, as well.

“The big thing is that it’s Rag-Time jazz,” Perkins said. “Very Louis Armstrong, Dixieland. They’re doing very well with it, considering we don’t have a jazz band to play it with.”

Despite the challenges that “the Pit” faces while working toward a finished product, many of the musicians feel as if they do not receive the proper recognition for their efforts.

(Please see “Music” on p. 2)

A2SOURCE

THE

ACLU

(Continued from p. 1)

in the dark about LGBT resources.”

Superintendent David Pruneau responded to the ACLU letter, writing. “We use an internet filtering software (DeepNines Technology) in order to comply with the Children’s Protection Act. As with most internet filtering software, the filter screens websites by broad categories rather than by individual sites.”

But Block believes Rochester could comply with The Children’s Protection Act without blocking LGBT sites.

“The problem with the filtering at the Rochester Community School District is that the school district has activated another filter category called ‘Society & Culture,’which blocks LGBT-related websites,” Block said. “The school district needs to do more than simply provide access to specific LGBT websites; it needs to reconfigure its web filtering software to stop categorically blocking LGBT-related websites.”

According to Judy Freels, media specialist and member of the internet filtering commitee, one hurdle is money.

“When filtering, we have to think K-12,” Judy said. “In a perfect world, we would have a two filter systems (one for the elementary grades and one for secondary grades), but money is the issue.”

According to Freels, the school district has a committee and process in place to review case-by-case filtering of specific websites. However, this committee must now review its broad category filtering as a result of the ACLU’s actions.

A recommendation by the filtering review committee in response to the ACLU was due out the week of April 18, before this issue went to print.

Art

(Continued from p. 1)

of thousands of entries are honored.

This gives the students additional scholarship dollars and adds recognition to our SCHS art program.”

The girls gave each other their input.

“I was having Katie and Audrey help me, and they suggested wallpaper, so I added that—just little things like that add so much,” Hess said.

The girls have their own corner in the AP Studio Art class, next to the fake skeleton some of the students dance with. But it’s not all fun and games.

“Mandy worked her butt off with those pictures,” Doyle said. “For all of us, it was non-stop working.”

But the girls are best friends out of the classroom, and they say it helps with the stress.

Doyle and Hess sit on a bench in the freshman locker bank.

“We say the weirdest things,” Doyle says.

Mandy, sitting on the bench’s corner, angles herself towards Doyle and raises her eyebrows.

“You buildin’ the house?”

Hess asks.

Both of them burst out in laughter, to a joke only an art kid can understand.

Heath also helps the girls deal with their stress.

“She’s like our Yoda,” Doyle said.

With Heath’s support and a national win, Hess now plans to make a career out of art.

“I wasn’t going to go to art school,” Hess said. “I wasn’t planning on winning this award.

My goal now is to take my art and open people’s eyes.”

April 27, 2011

“That guy has the greatest voice on earth.”

“...but it would be so worth a shot!”

The

Q&

SCHOOL Science (Continued from p. 1)

Basic Bio Date of birth: January 1, 1993

Worst elementary school food: I never had school food.

Most embarrassing middle school moment: Eighth grade.

Best gift ever received: A box my girlfriend made me.

Greatest moment of your high school career: Everyday in choir.

A

(photos by Nick Cruz)

with

AdamoneWeber , happy senior

“...an out-offocus monster roaming the countryside.”

“I’ll take her over…no… maybe I’ll take...”

Senior Adam Weber is easily the happiest guy alive. There’s hardly a moment where he isn’t grinning away. He will gladly share any story, smile at any passerby or greet any friend. His first question is always, “How are you doing?” and he genuinely cares about the answer that follows.

In Weber’s world, there is no point to sadness.

“Sad doesn’t fix anything.

Dude, if you’re sad when things go wrong and you stay sad, nothing gets better. But if you’re happy and just push it away, you’re fine!” Weber said.

Although he’s busy with his work at School of Rock, as well as a national tour with the school this summer, Weber always has the time to relax and write a song or play an instrument. He’s a die-hard Led Zeppelin fan and played one of their songs in an audition tape for the School of Rock National All Stars tour this summer. But until those two weeks arrive, Weber can sit back, wave to a few friends in the hall, and take his shot at making Q&A history.

Source: You teach kids to play instruments. Could you teach a cat to use and flush the toilet?

It’s the same basic principles…

Weber: I’d say, by using certain amounts of theory and practice… yeah, totally. It’s totally doable. My cat can’t use the toilet… sometimes she misses the litter box. Do you want to see my cat? (Shows picture of tabby cat from cell phone) That’s my cat. That’s Molly.

She’s adorable. I love that cat…

S: If you got to travel on a tour bus this summer, what’s the first thing you’d do?

W: See if could fit in the top compartment. Probably not, but it would be so worth a shot! Because if I could sleep up there I totally would. I’d pop out and scare people.

S: If you could have a candle lit afternoon snack, followed by a B

horror movie, and finally share a box of Kraft Mac-n-cheese with any rocker, who would you invite?

W: Dude, alright, alright, you put me on the spot here! That is freaking tough. One guy, one guy, man… wait, wait, no, keep waiting, wait on it, wait on it. I totally know—Myles Kennedy, lead singer of Alter Bridge. That guy has the greatest voice on earth. Dude they are—Led Zeppelin is my all time favorite band without a question and no one is above them for me—but I call Alter Bride modern day Zeppelin.

Dude, that’s the highest compliment I could give a band!

S: Are you a concert guy?

W: Dude, I’ve been to more concerts than anyone I know.

I’ve been to ACDC, Kiss, Between The Buried And Me, Killswitch Engage, O Tap, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Slayer… I’m going to see Between The Buried And Me again in like a month. I just saw Times of Grace. They were all opening bands for those bands.

I saw Iron Maiden and Dream Theater. Oh, I saw Bullet For My Valentine. Yeah, I’ve seen Kiss twice. So yeah, I’ve seen more than anyone I know. All I wear are band shirts, basically. I’ve got like fifty. I have like ten Zeppelin shirts. My overall favorite was probably… the Alice and Chains one or… Times of Grace. Those were two of the best shows, but overall every band was awesome.

All I wear are band t-shirts.

S: Wonderful and completely legal things happen at concerts. Any stories to share?

W: That last show I went to at the very first band I got into a pit and got punched in the face. That’s how you know it’s going to be a good show! That is instantly how you know. Also, one of my heroes was at that show, and I got to hold his arms and he screamed in my face while on stage. It was at the Eagle Theater which is where I got to smash a guitar and dented their stage. Yeah, that was a good

Dream job: I’m going to be a famous musician.

one. At Between The Buried And Me a really fat guy ran on stage and stage dived. He land on my friend, who drove us home. This guy was like HUGE and everyone was like, “Clear out!” Evan did not move. Evan got nailed. Yeah I’ve been in some crazy pits.

S: You’re the happiest guy alive, next to Flo from the Progressive commercials and that guy who keeps finding low prices at Staples. What’s your secret?

W: Ha… what’s my secret?

What’s there to be sad about?

Dude, I have a great job, my friends are awesome. I live in Rochester and not, like, Africa! Ha! I’m well off and being sad doesn’t fix anything, so I just don’t do it!

S: How much money would someone have to pay you to shave you bald? I’m not implying anything here…

W: Wouldn’t happen. No. Not worth it. I’ve always had my hair longer, always. This year and last year it started getting really long. But it’s always been longer than most guys.

S: You’re trapped in a pit with Betty White, Justin Bieber, The Situation, and 4 Russian Mobsters. Who dies first?

W: All them but Betty White.

I’ll take her over…no… maybe I’ll take the mobsters. The other two are out of the question.

They’re garbage.

S: Now it’s time for a little controversy, just to keep the tradition going. Is Bigfoot real?

W: Yeah. The problem isn’t that all the pictures are blurry; the problem is that Bigfoot’s blurry. So there’s an out-offocus monster roaming the countryside. That’s scary to me.

He’s on the all the beef jerky commercials; clearly he’s real!

Who else are they going to hire?

I mean I could probably do it. I’m a size 13. And to lure him out… well T.V never lies, so I’m going to use some beef jerky. I always trust what I see on television. (compiled by Danielle Linihan)

was there to help when he asked, but most of the things he learned at Oakland [University].”

At Oakland University, Arepally took classes in graph theory and the design and analysis of algorithms.

At the science fair, participants enter their science fair projects in 13 different categories and wait for the first round judging.

After lunch, the participants come back and check for pink slips near their projects. The pink slip determines who advances and who goes home.

Then, after three to four hours of interviewing, the judges collaborate and determine the winners in each category and then they decide the overall winners of the science fair.

Finally, after judging the contestants are called into a room and the awards are given out. Arepally was the second one to be called to receive the grand award.

“It was just so exciting,” Arepally says. “I was confident I would make it to the second round, but I did not expect the grand award.”

The previous year, Arepally entered the contest with a project about graph theory, an area of math dealing with vertices and edges. However, because of the high frequency of projects on that topic, Arepally did not win the grand award. According to previous participant, former student Rahul Pandey, the judges look for more out-ofthe-box projects that can be applied in real world situations.

“Basically, last year, Rohan didn’t go beyond just the mathematics, which could have contributed to a loss,” Pandey, Arepally’s mentor says.

So, this year, Arepally expanded on the graph theory of the previous year and formulated an algorithm to evacuate citizens as quickly as possible from disaster-struck cities. This project appealed more to the judges because of the timing of the science fair and the earthquake in Japan. This contributed to Arepally’s victory in the regional science fair.

“It helped that the event was recent, but I think it still would have appealed to the judges even without the earthquake,” Arepally says.

This year, Arepally’s biggest competition came from Detroit Country Day senior Allen Yuan. Yuan’s project was similar to Arepally’s. His project also dealt with graph theory yet on a more advanced level. Yuan’s project proved various high-level theorems.

However, both won the Grand Award.

Arepally’s journey continues as he must now compete against talented young minds at Los Angeles.

“I am looking forward to this fascinating experience,” Arepally says. “I hope to learn a lot from it.”

Music

(Continued from p. 1)

.Band instructor and musical theater guru Eric Kausch wishes the spotlight would move from the actors to “the Pit.” “It’s called a musical for a reason,” Kausch said. “It’s not called an actor-ical, not a dramical, not a sing-ical. A musical.”

Nevertheless, Capa sees music as an important role in his life. He is planning on attending Oakland University in the fall, and then possibly transferring to Michigan State University to study Music Education.

“It will be a loss without him next year,” Perkins said.

Rochester Hills Government Youth Council

Annual 5K Run/Walk in benefit of the

Rochester Area Neighborhood House June 18th, 2011; 9-11am at Bloomer Park

Registration and sponsorship packets available at www.rochesterhills.org/our_government/youth_council

THE

April 27, 2011

SOURCE

SCHOOL

Filling Pruneau’s Shoes RCS selects new superintendent

by Jenna Jonjua Lifestyles team

A

big pair of shoes in Rochester Community Schools have just been filled.

On March 25, the school board reached a unanimous decision on the district’s new superintendent, Mr. Frederick Clarke. The search for the next superintendent was expected this year after current superintendent Dave Pruneau announced his retirement.

Clarke wrote about himself in a letter he wrote to Barbara Cenko, school board president. “...I am confident I bring a wealth of credentials that will be valuable to maintain the excellence you have acheived foryour students, faculty and community,” Clarke wrote.

Clarke, when starting in the district, plans on conducting student surveys, forming round table groups with students, and get to know students.

“Although it will be impossible to get

“

...Mr. Clarke repeatedly emphasized the importance of continued

improvement...

which would take the district from great to

”

greatness.

President of the School Board Barbara Cenko

to know everyone, it’s important that I am visible and approachable to all students. It’s important that students feel that their superintendent listens and cares about what they think.,” said Clarke.

Clarke is currently the superintendent of Albion Public Schools in Albion, Michigan. According to a RochesterRochester Hills Patch article, Clarke holds a Bachelor of Science degree

from the University of Michigan and has formerly worked as a science teacher and as an assistant high school principal in Texas.

The position went to Clarke after many interviews with other highly qualified applicants from outside the district and within.

“The superintendent candidates were all experienced educational leaders with unique and positive attributes.

Mr. Clarke, however, exemplified the attributes our community felt would move our district forward,” Cenko said.

According to documents posted on the Rochester Community Schools website, Mr. Clarke has raised test scores for students in the Albion district, as well as implementing new kindergarten programs.

“During the interview process, Mr. Clarke repeatedly emphasized the importance of continued improvement,” Cenko said. “He described a collaborative process which would move our district from great to greatness.”

With a change in the district that is so significant, significant changes are also in order. Students have their own hopes for what Clarke will do in the district.

“I hope he emphasizes creativity,” senior Erica Nowak said, carving a piece of work in pottery class. “All the subjects are more intertwined than people think, and I think that creativity is the basis for all of them.”

Senior Kaitlin Keenan is concerned with advanced learning opportunities.

“I think it’s important that with the way the district’s programs are changing that students who are motivated still have opportunities to go above and beyond requirements,” said Keenan.

“There shouldn’t be a limit to what kinds of classes people can take.”

Clarke will be moving his family to Rochester, according to Cenko, and will begin his tenure as superintendent in early July.

“I am extremely enthusiastic! I am looking forward to working with so many people who are so passionate in what they do for children,” Clarke said. “...I am also looking forward to to working together to make us the greatest!”

Old Shoes....

New Man New superintendent Frederick Clarke is bringing new ideas and experience to the district starting this summer.

His plans for the district *Technology has a big role in the plan. Clarke mentioned iPads loaded with textbooks and distancelearning options. *Increasing teaching time.

Implementation of a yearround school environment Increase the school day by two hours to gain instructional time *Flexible scheduling to address low- and highperforming students (with options to pull them out of the classroom). *A Montessori model in early childhood education, with individualized instruction. *Foreign language requirement.

A3

Senior starts new Business National Honors Society

by Emma Guschewski

Sports team She may just seem like the average high school girl: she’s got the passion to make a difference, the ambition to graduate with honors, and the school’s varsity soccer team to play on. In addition, she also has the right grades, a high level of confidence, and the perfect amount of drive and motivation to accomplish something important before she ends her career at Stoney Creek in these next two months.

Senior Carly Frensley’s new aspiration is to develop a Business NHS, a National Honor Society devoted entirely to students at Stoney who are interested in pursuing a business major in college, or students who want to get a feel for what the business world will be like.

“This will be the same type of thing as the normal National Honor Society we have here at school” Frensley said.

Currently, the normal NHS has approximately 340 members, according to the Rochester Community Schools’ website.

“The only difference with Business NHS is that it will be aimed toward developing business skills,” Frensely said, “Kids can accomplish things associated with business throughout their two years in this program to put on their college applications, and it may even help them get jobs; they also have opportunities to be recognized through the program with awards.”

She originally came up with the idea back in October but never fully had time to devote to developing the program and didn’t work out all of the kinks, until this past March.

“I think I have a firm plan now, of how I would run everything,” Frensley said, “The only problem, is that I’ll be done here in a few months and I’m going away to college, so I won’t be around to follow up with everything, and I need to have someone run this program for me: someone who has the same love for the subject that I do, and someone who will happily take it over.”

Frensley has felt strongly about the lack of business opportunities availible to high school students for years, but she never really knew what action to take.

“There needs to be an organization like this for students in the business world,” Frensley said.

“Students who have a drive to be in the medical field have numerous opportunities to shadow doctors, to volunteer in the hospital, and most importantly to build up an insane amount of hours of volunteer work related to their field, whereas we don’t get those same opportunities as easily. That’s one of the main goals of the program: to make it easy and simple for students to gain those same valuable experiences related to business, and have the opportunity to be helped and assisted through these experiences while in their junior and senior years in high school.”

The Five C’s of Nursing: Competence, Confidence, Compassion, Conscience, Commitment.

Do these characteristics describe you?

Then consider a career in the Nursing Profession, which gives talented individuals like you an opportunity to improve the world.

Make a difference in the world, one person at a time, through the specialty of Medical/Surgical Nursing: Cardiac Telemetry Nursing: Care for patients with cardiac diagnoses who require special monitoring, diagnostic testing and therapeutic interventions to achieve optimal recovery.

Medical/Surgical Nursing: Care for patients with a variety of conditions receiving a variety of therapeutic interventions and surgical procedures to achieve optimal recovery.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne Frank

Oncology Nursing: Care for patients who are undergoing cancer treatment through the latest technologies or are receiving end-of-life hospice care in a supportive environment.

Orthopedic Nursing: Care for patients with chronic joint pain and/or disabilities from disease or trauma who require corrective hip, knee, shoulder and spine surgery. Following surgery, patients are involved in comprehensive rehabilitative programs to assure recovery.

A4 SOURCE

THE

April 27, 2011

SCHOOL

Goodbye,m

Remembering teacher Katie Walter Senior eulogizes Walter

by Derek Francis Lifestyles Team Good afternoon my sweets!

While preparing for this speech, I began to look back on my life in order to share stories with you all today that would truly exemplify Katie Walter for the remarkable woman she was and the amount of love she brought to my life. I soon realized, however that no one story could even attempt to explain what Katie meant to me and all of you for the impact she had on our lives was infinite. I will try, however, to shed light on this lasting impact with a few stories of Katie Walter from my perspective.

The year was 2007. My first day of high school was drawing to end, when I entered my last class for the day: World History. Because I was new to the state of Michigan, I knew no one except for my twin brother, Zachary. Upon entering the classroom I quietly found a seat in the back of the room, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the other students. Once every student had filed into the classroom and had finished their conversations with friends, a woman, whom I assumed to be the teacher advanced gracefully through doorway holding the jolliest smile I had ever seen. I was amazed at the fact that when this convivial woman entered the class, the room began to light up like the sun had just risen to start the day. Her infectious smile proceeded to fill the room with a state of delight. Once she had found her spot at the front of the room, she plopped her- self onto a stool, looked each and every one of us in the eyes and in a quiet and charming voice whispered, “good afternoon my sweets.” Upon hearing these words, I sat frozen in my chair, as did my classmates. I remember thinking to myself “how odd?”, she had never met any of us, yet she was calling us her sweets as if we were her own children. Little did I know, this teacher who would soon go on to tell the class that her name was Mrs. Walter, the same teacher who had smiled and called my classmates and I her sweets, would change my life forever.

When the school bell rang, I ran to the car and began to give my mother a blow-by-blow of the entire day, highlighting the ups and downs of my World History class. My brother was eager to add on, for he had Mrs. Walter earlier that day. I will always remember my mothers’ response to my rant, for she said: “It sounds like she enjoys life.

Stay close to Mrs. Walter, I think she will become the best teacher you will ever have.”

During the rest of my freshman year, I began to discover Katie’s’ love for movies, plays, art, and literature. It was an average day in World History class, when a fellow student was concluding her presentation of family relics. Once she had given her final words, Mrs. Walter proceeded to say “ Now class, let’s all give a Dumbledore clap” and began to demonstrate just that. Being a de-vowed fan of Harry Potter, I was ecstatic that a teacher

shared the same passion. I was dumbfounded as to how a teacher could be so expressive, so free willing to share her interests. When class had ended, I immediately ran up to Mrs. Walter and began to share my love for the world of Harry Potter. This discussion lead to the creation of the Harry Potter Club at Stoney Creek High School in which, Zachary, our new friend Audrey, and I would act as “prefects” of the club and Mrs. Walter would act as our “ Head Mistress.” During this club we would reserve an hour and a half on Mondays after school to all that is Harry Potter.

We would play games, watch movies, participate in trivia, and hold debates on the series of books and the movies that companion them. What has started out as a group of three misfit students and an enthusiastic teacher, soon turned into a friendship that could never be broken. Looking back it is safe to say that my favorite aspect of the club was not the food, movies, or games, but the sheer joy that came to Katie every time we would meet. The three of us would look forward to watching the unconditional love that she had for the canon of these novels and how it allowed me to be myself. During the summer following my first year in high school, Mrs. Walter, Zachary, Audrey, my mother, and I took a road trip to

“

taught

She has also us that it is important to be yourself, no matter what anyone else may think or say. It is because of these

lessons that I am who I am today.

”

Senior Derek Francis Chicago where we spent one of the greatest weeks of our lives at an international Harry Potter convention filled with thousands of fans just like us. That trip made me realize what beautiful person Katie was and how grateful I was to have someone like her in my life.

It wasn’t until sophomore year that I realized that deep inside Mrs. Walter was a horrific disease fighting to take control of her body. It soon turned out that our Head Mistress was diagnosed with cancer and that she was undergoing Chemo therapy on a regular basis, in efforts to fight it.

Upon hearing this news, I was in complete denial

because I was bewildered as to how someone could be so happy and rich with laughter everyday, even when faced with something so savior and devastating. The rest of sophomore year was an incredible time, for it was then that Mrs. Walter truly proved to be one of the most important people in my life. One day in November during a Harry Potter club meeting Zachary, Audrey, and I began to inquire Mrs. Walter about her cancer.

We began to talk about how it will affect her and how she will be treated for such a disease. During this discussion, I noticed that while Zachary, Audrey, and I were worried and scared for Mrs. Walter, she was acting like her normal self. She held an infectious smile and bore a sparkle in her eyes as if we were in discussion over the latest Harry Potter movie. It was because of her attitude during this conversation that we realized what she was trying to convey. She was trying to so subtly explain to us that it is pointless to dwell on the faults and downsides of life, when there are so many things to be grateful for. Even though Mrs. Walter retired from Stoney Creek before my junior year, her message did not. I began to apply her wonderful way of thinking to my everyday life, approaching obstacles with an optimistic attitude and relieving daily stress and the pressures of high school with a happy outlook.

Zachary, Audrey, and I are now concluding our senior year in high school and are still carrying Katie Walter’s message with us where ever we go. My family and I visited her often.

Weather it is going out to dinner together or having her and Jim over for tea and conversation, we always were able to have an amazing time.

Now that I look back on these four years of my life, I am beginning to analyze my achievements and hardships and how I have dealt with them, just by utilizing Mrs. Walters’s state of mind. It is evident that I have battled through the worst and best times in my life thus far, because of what she has so generously taught me. Mrs. Walter taught us all too cherish every moment of life and too embrace all that is good. She has taught us that at times, life will throw the worst at you, but you must keep a clear and cool head or else you will cease to function as a human being.

She has also taught us that it is important to be yourself, no matter what anyone else may think or say. It because of these lessons that I am who I am today. It is because of Katie’s exemplary life that that I have become comfortable with myself and my surroundings. As I leave Stoney Creek High School and shift into the next chapters of my life, I will not remember who went with who to homecoming, or what the cosign of 38 is, but I will remember the magical woman who turned to my classmates and said with a charming whisper “good afternoon my sweets.”

Katie Walter Courage Award Given to a staff member every year

Staff member must demonstrate courage

Art teacher Diane Heath and Prinicipal Larry Goralski present Katie Walter, pictured in the middle, the first ever Katie Walter Courage Award. She battled ovarian cancer for over two years.

“

“

THE

April 27, 2011

SOURCE

SCHOOL

my sweets

A5

“

I only wish that I can live my life like how Mrs. Walter lived her’s. To the fullest extent, each and every day, and always have a smile on my face no matter what the circumstances may be. Rest in Peace.

You will be missed forever and always.

“ ”

”

Senior Jenna Niewiadomski

‘Good afternoon my sweets’- we’ll miss you Mrs. Walter.

“

Senior Molly Robbins

Of the three greatest people I know, she was one of them. I never heard her say a bad word about anybody.

“

”

Teacher Joe Glaser

(photo used courtesy of Derek Francis)

Good night my freshman world history teacher RIP Mrs. Walters.

”

Senior Emily Blakowski

“

She was just so genuine and she had such a good heart.

”

by Sarah Dittrich co-Editor-in-Chief

Senior Audrey Benjaminsen

“

If we had more school moms like her, it would be absolutely amazing.

”

Teacher Diane Heath

(photo used courtesy of Audrey Benjaminson)

“

When I learned that her cancer had returned, I remember coming into her room and starting to cry as soon as I saw her. It was then that she gave me a tight hug, looked me in the eye, smiled, and told me not to cry. Standing there telling me it was going to be okay and reassuring me exemplifies exactly who Katie Walter was. It showed her strength, love, and compassion and what it did for so many people.

”

Teacher Tracy Naylis (photo used courtesy of Derek Francis)

“

My mom passed away in the beginning of October 2007 and it was very difficult for me to come back to work. So there was a day in December where I was just having a really hard day. I couldn’t stop crying. I was in the mail room and Mrs. Walter was in there making copies. She said, ‘What’s wrong?’ I said, ‘I just can’t stop crying. I need to get my head together.’ She, without pausing, pulled out her car keys and $20 and she said, ‘Go get coffee. Clear your head. Take my money. Take my car.

Go now.’ She always was, ‘What do you need? Here it is.’

”

Teacher Kristine Balinski

Senior reminisces about Walter’s impact

(photo used courtesy of Derek Francis)

(complied by Nick Diamond and Julia Nagy)

“I’m dying,” retired teacher Katie Walter told me.

“It’s natural. It isn’t a big deal. It’s okay. It’s like the five stages of grief we’ve talked about in class.

I’ve accepted the fact that I’m going to die, and hopefully so will you.”

I’ve had four years to come to terms with the fact that she was going to die, but I still haven’t reached the psychological stage of acceptance.

I’m glad that she’s no longer in agonizing pain, but that provides only a little comfort.

I miss my Psychology teacher.

I miss the woman who would dance into the classroom every morning and say, “Good morning, my sweets.” I miss the way she would have lipstick in her teeth every morning, and she would laugh when we pointed it out to her and then scrub it off, giggling.

I learned so much from her, so much more than just how to giggle when my make-up smears.

I’ve learned to smile—to smile not only when you are having a bad day, or a bad week, but to smile when your whole world is falling apart. When you are in agonizing pain and you know that your time in the world is growing short.

She taught me to look death in the eye, and say, “Yes, I know you’re coming. But while you’re on that journey, I’m going to have as much fun as I possibly can.

I’m going to surround myself with people who love me and just laugh about the good times, and smile about the good times to come, whether I’m here to see them or not.”

She never let me see her anger towards her cancer. She never let me see her cry. She only showed me her smile and her optimism.

It takes an amazing person to remain positive despite the odds, despite what modern medicine says, despite the pain she feels.

She used to say that a kind word or even just a smile for someone who looks upset could change not only your mood, but the world’s mood. Even when I was going through some of the most difficult times of my life, seeing her smile at me and tell me that everything was going to be okay would make me feel better.

Because with her in my life, everything was okay. And with the wisdom that she passed on to everyone she met, everything will be okay.

A6 SOURCE

THE

April 27, 2011

Charity Week Re-Vamped

SCHOOL

Student Council Adds to Charity Week

13

gym for spectators to use. The Student Council raised over 300 dollars through team fees, entrance fees and concessions. And, this is before charity week had even started.

Student Council was pleased with the outcome of the event.

“Volleyball went really well. We were really happy. There were a lot of spectators, parents and friends, who came to watch the game. Yeah, it was really fun,” Bailey said.

The winning team of the 2011 charity week volleyball tournament was The Assassins, who were dressed in black uniforms, and were made up of girls on the varsity volleyball team and other volleyball players.

However, it isn’t all about winning. The team was glad that they could play they sport they love in a stress-less environment.

“It was great because a couple of us were cut from the varsity team and it was nice to play without being on a team. None of us cared that we had to pay, because it was fun, and the money went to charity,” Senior Mackenzie Tocco said.

The runner-ups, The Pink Panthers, wore pink breast cancer awareness t-shirts, and played to support breast cancer charities, according to Senior Olivia McCain.

All in all, the new charity week was deemed successful. “ The new events we have been doing, such as selling Mrs. Walter’s ribbons, ended up to be really good. It’s nice because people can donate for a specific cause, and teachers [as well] have been specifically donated money for that cause,” Student Council Director Dan Bliss said.

Amount of hours of YouTube content uploaded every minute

600

years required to watch all the videos

300,000,000 Number of accounts on YouTube

34

Languages Youtube is available in

200,000,000 average number of videos watched daily

(According to webcache. googleusercontent.com)

(Photo by Nick Cruz)

What Does Student Council Do? Winter Formal February

September Homecoming

March Cougar Idol

The School Year

Teacher Appreciation Day May

April Charity Week

May StuCo Elections

Keeping It Green: Earth Advocates Earn the Emerald Award

by David Hanna School Team After many years of hard work and determination, the Earth Advocates club has finally earned the Emerald School award.

It is the highest award the club can receive for the school and the only other school in the Rochester district to receive this award is Hugger elementary. The club has been working on getting this award for three years.

“This award was something the club has been looking forward to for a long time, and I was glad that I could take part in earning this award,” Junior Lindsey Diamond said.

Diamond is the president of Earth Advocates Club and took charge in telling the other club members their roles in making Stoney Creek a green school.

Diamond also looked at this award as being a way to get others to join the club.

Sophomore Stephanie Mrowczynski recycles excess papers to keep a healthy environment. The club worked at keeping the school eco friendly. (Photo by Rob Sparks) “Not many people were aware the club even existed so the activities that we had to do to win the award were sort of a way to get people to join,”

“

We just simply want people to realize that we aren’t just a bunch of hippies and tree huggers...

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Diamond said.

The club had to complete a total of 15 activities to receive this award. Some of those tasks include building bird houses,

Senior Sam Harris

”

NUMB3RS Youtube Problems Sensations

by Rohan Arepally and Christiana Tanner Opinion Team/School Team

Our charity week this year will be different than those in the previous years. This year, starting on April 18, charity week, along with their usual events like Jail-n-Bail and Penny Wars, is introducing some new events to increase the benefit of the fundraiser.

To begin with, the Student Council has established business partnerships with local restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Cold Stone, and Max and Erma’s.

Twenty to 25 percent of student’s checks went to charities like the American Cancer Society: Relay for Life, Ronald McDonald House, Rochester Neighborhood house, the OAA conference, and Teen for Teen. On top of that, Student Council reintroduced the iFlirts, where students were paired with potential boyfriends and girlfriends, based on a compatibility quiz.

Another twist on charity week’s multiple events is a new tournament was introduced. On April 15, 2011, the Friday before charity week, there was a volleyball tournament, among student led teams, that was held in the main gym.

In total there were six teams with about seven people per team. The skill ranged from amateur to varsity level, however, competition was still rife in the gymnasium.

Each of the teams displayed team spirit by sporting different custom made uniforms: like camouflage and pink shirt designs.

Student Council was inspired to have a volleyball “We have been getting the same amounts of money and Troy Athens has raised 35 thousand dollars, during their charity week, and we wanted to try to rise to that level,” Senior Brianna Bailey, the president of the Student Council, said.

Making the event their own, Student Council opened the double elimination volleyball tournament up to boys and had an extra volleyball net set up in the auxiliary

BY THE

recycling, and raising awareness about “going green” such as the Big Green Gig concert held on Jan. 21.

The idea of trying to gain this award was first proposed to the club by Principle Larry Goralski in order to make the club more students-centered and the orders were soon carried out by teachers Elizabeth Tigue and Alex DeSantis.

“When I was told about this award I was almost certain that the club had the potential to receive the Emerald Award,” DeSantis said.

Senior Sam Harris also played a major role in carrying out the orders for the club. His tactic was simple; use this as an opportunity to get more people to join the club.

“More people, more power,” Harris said. “We simply just want people to realize that we aren’t just a bunch of hippies and tree huggers, and we actually do fun things everyone can enjoy,” The proceeds given to

the school for the award is partially being donated to the Word Wildlife Foundation.

“We are also doing this thing called Adopt a Cougar where we are actually adopting a family of cougars and having them sent to places like Africa and Canada,” Harris said.

Diamond is also hoping to further change Stoney Creek by having recycling bins placed in the cafeteria.

“It just bugs me when I see kids throwing away plastic materials and having recycling bins put in would help the environment,” Diamond said.

The Earth Advocates club is willing to do whatever they can to change the school and make the school more Eco- friendly.

“Winning this award is not only a great accomplishment for our school, but for our environment as well,” Diamond said.

Be Green

4 billion trees are cut down a year

50

million tons of paper used annually

850

million trees consumed per year

1

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2,000 pounds of recycled paper needed to save 17 trees (According to recyclingrevolution.com)

April 27, 2011

THE

SOURCE

SPORTS

A7

Field of Dreams Freshman stand-out shines on varsity baseball

Coming Home: Freshman Joe Cox rounds third base while coach Clint Rodger sends him home. He is one of the first freshman to make varsity baseball, and

(photo by Nick Cruz)

By Marnier Peeples/ Steph Siewert School Team/School Co-Editor Freshman Joe Cox stands in the outfield anxiously awaiting the ball to be hit and the game to begin.

He is the only freshman that made the varsity baseball team this year. “[Cox] is only one of two people on the team who c o u l d

achieve a varsity letter all four years,” Varsity Coach Clint Rodger said.

Rodger has been coaching varsity baseball since the school opened and has had much experience at other schools in previous years.

“You have to be the best of the best. I mean, there are always a lot of great players, but we have to pick the top thirteen to fourteen players in our school,” Rodger said.

Throughout the past years the team has had rough patches, but Rodger expects this year they will be on the top of their game and have a great season. Cox started

playing baseball when he was six years old. Before he came to Stoney this year, he used to play for the Rochester Federation team, The Red Socks where he mostly played shortstop and catcher.

“I really worked hard before tryouts by practicing the past four months in the off season,” Cox said. “I went to clinics with my fed team and made sure to keep in shape.”

Although he is on varsity now he was a little nervous during tryouts.

“I wasn’t nervous in the first few days of tryout, but on the last day I did get a little nervous,” Cox said.

His teammates occasionally play practical jokes one him, like telling him to wear his whole uniform to school

Sophomore swims hard to move his way up to a national ranking

By Max White/Dylan Wilcox Sports Editor/Sports Team

Under one and a quarter second was the only thing that separated first place from nineteenth place, and in sophomore Dennis (D.J.) Rusiewski’s case, that was the time that stopped him from being the best junior swimmer in the nation for the Men’s 50 Yard Backstroke.

On March 15-19, Rusiewski, along with other members of the Oakland Live Y’ers (OLY Swimming) attended the NCSA Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida.

“Even though I have been there before, it is still an intimidating meet. However, because there was a lot of good competition, it gave me the opportunity to get some of the fastest times of my life,” Rusiewski said.

During the meet, Rusiewski raced in three individual events and four relay events. He and his teammates Joseph Krause, 15, Matt McNamara, 16, and Justin Glanda, 18, placed their best in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. Rusiewski had a time of 24.08 seconds, and the team had a total

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time of 1:33.03, finishing fourth in the country.

Other races include the 200 Yard Freestyle where they placed fourteenth.

Rusiewski had a time of 21.40 seconds.

In the 400 Yard Medley, the team placed tenth, and Rusiewski had a time of 25.00 and 22.48 seconds.

In the 400 Yard Freestyle where they team placed twentieth, and Rusiewski had time of 22.53 and 23.10 seconds.

In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Rusiewski had a time of 51.17 seconds, which knotted him a twenty-third place finish.

As mentioned before, he

placed nineteenth in the 50 yard backstroke with a time of 24.00 seconds.

Rusiewski was unable to qualify for the 200 Yard Backstroke during the preliminaries.

Not only is Rusiewski a great national racer, but as of August 31 of last year, he is in the top 10 state records for 15-yearold swimmers in six of the 14 events they swim. He also holds the second best record in the Boys Age 15, 50 and 100 Meter Freestyle Long Course, according to miswim.org.

Rusiewski, along with other OLY Swimmers, have been invited to the Texas

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Invite which is in Houston, Texas, on June 2327. Also, Rusiewski will be competing at the summer nationals, which take place at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

It hasn’t been an easy trip to becoming a swimmer competing in national events though.

“The hardest part has been the time commitment.

I have had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to be fully committed to the training,” Rusiewski said.

Rusiewski has a training routine that consists of about nine workouts per week.

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when the rest of the team really wasn’t going to.

“We do play some jokes on him,” Captain Michael McKinley said with a smile, “but he knows it’s all in fun.”

At practice the team seems to welcome him as just another team member. As they warm up on the field and then head in for batting practice they joke around and have fun together. At their first game the ball is thrown out, Cox catches the ball throwing it to first base attempting to get another player out, but he was already safe. Though he is just a freshman he played well helping the team gain their first win 11 to 7.

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A8SOURCE

THE

Pitch Like A

Pro

April 27, 2011

SPORTS

Baseball team breaks down pitching basics Junior Zak Northrup digs his feet into the dirt for a firm hold on the ground. Northrup creeps his head up to stare down the catcher. He exhales deeply; his breath becomes

visible from the early spring chill. He lifts his leg to start winding up his pitch. Suddenly, Northrup explodes into a high speed fastball reaching up to 85 mph.

(photos by Nick Cruz)

To start off the pitch, lift your leg as high as you can. The pitcher gets all his potential energy from the windup, and he needs to wind his leg to get that power.

While winding up, put all your weight into your back foot and set that as your balance point. Your arms should stay still.

“This is pretty much the pitcher’s center,” Senior Brandon Lamarche said.

“The arms don’t have to move at all at this point.”

Focus on winding up that leg and bending the back leg for a bit.

“Bring your leg up for timing to get all that weight back,” Coach Clint Rodger said. “Put all your weight on your back foot, and get ready to separate your hands.”

Start separating your hands when your leg is going down. Synchronize when your arms go out in front of your body with when your leg goes down. Keep your weight back and follow through from the last step.

“At this point the arms start to move,” Lamarche said. “Point your elbow towards your target, and start creeping your glove toward the catcher.”

As your foot touches, that’s when your hands need to separate. Bring your arm up when your front foot goes forward.

“It’s really a timing thing,” Senior Captain Mike Mckinley said. “It’s different for everyone, but around your hips is where you should usually separate your hands.”

Bring your right arm up along with your throwing arm. Your glove arm needs to be pointing at your target. Keep your thumbs pointing down on both hands.

“You want your thumbs facing down,” Lamarche said. “If they’re facing up, you’re going to throw it the wrong way and it won’t be accurate.”

Keep your legs bent still, and keep most of your weight on your back foot.

As you progress through this step, start transferring your weight to your front leg.

“In your mind you want to think about staying back as long as possible and then exploding forward,” Mckinley said. “That’s how you get maximum power.”

Follow through from the last step and carry all the momentum and weight that you held back in the past three steps as far forward as you can. Drag your back toe across the ground, which allows you to let it kick off in the last step.

“The biggest point is to keep your glove to your chest,” Mckinley said.

“Bring your glove to your extended point toward the catcher and bring it straight to your chest.”

It’s also important to throw all of your weight to the front leg.

“Transfer your weight and start finishing the throw,” Lamarche said.

“Get your elbow above the shoulder and just throw right to the target.”

Dropping the ball

Finish strong: kick your back leg up high while following through with the throw. Keep the back leg bent as it flies up.

Keeping the front leg bent also reduces undue stress and strain, according to pitchingtips.com.

“If you don’t really kick your leg, you won’t get your momentum over,” Lamarche said.

Your arm should stay low through, all the way past the front knee when coming back.

“Follow through, keep your hand low to the ground, and keep your head on the target and get that leg up and around,” Mckinley said. “End up with your feet squared on the ground in a good ready position, in case the ball comes back at you.”

May 2011 Varsity Boys Schedule Monday, May 2nd, 4:30 P.M. vs. Lake Orion High School Wednesday, May 4th, 4:30 P.M. vs. Athens High School Friday, May 6th, 4:30 P.M. vs. Troy High School Saturday, May 7th, 11:00 A.M. @ Romeo High School Wednesday, May 11th, 4:00 P.M. vs. Adams High School Friday, May 13th, 4:30 P.M. @ Rochester High School Saturday, May 14th, 10:00 A.M. @ Richmond High School Monday, May 16th, 4:30 P.M. vs. Oxford High School Wednesday, May 18th, 4:30 P.M. @ Clarkston High School Friday, May 20th, 4:30 P.M. vs. Avondale High School Monday, May 23rd, 4:30 P.M. @ Lake Orion High School Wednesday, May 25th, 4:30 P.M. @ Athens High School

(compiled by Damian Rotarov / Nick Cruz)

Varsity softball team lacks seniors

by Soojin Chun/ Monica Nowak School Team/ Sports co-Editor

Girls are lined up at their first and third base.

The coach throws the ball to third; the girl grounds the ball and throws it to first. The girl from third runs to first; the girl from first caches the ball. It’s a continuous process.

To most people, this seems like a normal sports practice, the team warming up and testing their skills out on the field.

But there is something definitely missing. There are no seniors on the team.

For the first time in history, the softball varsity team has no seniors in attendance.

When the season started this March, players were shocked to see so few previous team members at the tryouts this year.

Junior Angela Buccellato was one of the students

who saw this soon after making the team.

“I was surprised at who tried out this year because there weren’t any seniors,” Buccellato said.

“Most of the team from last year didn’t try out and that was also surprising.”

The softball team suffered a minor breakdown from previous years, according to senior Lauren Wetzel, a previous player. She says that some of the reason comes from poor support by their trainers. Girls currently on the team also agree with Wetzel and also believe that last year’s coaching made some players decide against trying out for this year.

“The coach from last year caused the girls not to play this year,” Buccellato said, “because she wasn’t a fair coach to all of the girls.”

Besides internal conflicts in the team, the girls have doubts on whether this year will be a good one or not. Because

of the lack of seniors on the team, the other members are uncertain of their future lookout.

“With the new coach we should win, but we do have a young team,” junior Ashley Lawton said.

The varsity players are also worried that the team would suffer from the loss of the seniors’ guidance.

“I think it it will be different without the seniors because we look up to them,” Buccellato said.

Varsity Coach Jerry Price, has his own opinion about the lack of seniors and how it could affect the team.

“I do not think it has affected [the team] one bit so far in practices,” Coach Price said. “Now, when we actually play the games, it could be different, especially going up against teams that may be loaded with three and four year starters.”

Coach Price feels that if the girls play with passion and come to practice fully confident with no short

cuts, they can work the competition, according to Coach Price.

Coach Price’s confidence in the varsity team proved itself true on their first game against Ferndale High School on April 13 when they beat them with a score of 16-1.

Although the team will start new with a different coach this year, the players will lose the chance to interact with the seniors. The seniors who had been on the team know their influence on the team. Although they are not playing, some try to give support to the team from outside.

“Without seniors, the team will definitely be lacking the experience and leadership that the seniors bring. That’s why I’m still trying to stay involved even though I can’t play. I wanted to try and bring experience and leadership where there might not be much of it,” Wetzel said.

Sophomore pitcher Brittany Gadigian covered home after a passed ball against Lutheran Northwest. In the end the ladies (photo by Nick Cruz) lost 7-19.

&

Opinion THE SOURCE

Lifestyles

B1

Yes, of course. It is a human crisis

No way. They deserve the right to vote!

I’m a maverick.

Should women’s suffrage be stopped?

END HERE

April 27, 2011 END HERE Verdict:

What was President Obama’s campaign slogan?

Time for change.

You’re really stupid. If you don’t have the excuse of living under a rock, maybe you should pick up a newspaper.

Verdict:

Chinese.

DUH!

Mandarin.

That’s a common misconception, but not a mistake I’d make.

END HERE Verdict:

Congrats!

You are “intelligent.”

Have fun ruling the world.

Ignorance harms nation

LOL wut??? OMG!?!?! I D C ! !

If you live in China, what language would you most likely speak?

UR Dumb

Are you stupid?

It’s easy for you to say that you’re smart. You get moderately good grades, you are semi-literate, and you know a lot about the news--well, the celebrity news anyways. But you may actually be ignorant to the world around you.

Take this quiz to find out exactly how smart (or dumb) you really are.

by Sarah Dittrich & Claire Donaldson

co-Editor-in-Chief/Art Editor I am working under the assumption that no one will be hurt by my words, due to the fact that the majority of my criticism is directed towards the illiterate—which sadly makes up the majority of our generation.

We pride ourselves on being the Information Generation—we can learn about everything, from what our math homework is actually saying to what is going on in J. Lo’s life immediately. But in spite of having so much information literally at the touch of a fingertip, we are incredibly ignorant of what goes on in the world around us. It’s not that we’re stupid—we’re just ignorant and unwilling to educate ourselves.

We couldn’t care less about the big issues—like the radiation crisis Japan is facing—when we can watch Snooki and the rest of the Jersey Shore cast drink themselves into a stupor and fist pump.

Whether our apathy is a direct result of technology or simply more noticeable because people can reveal terrifying levels of ignorance in 140 characters or less on Twitter is unsure, but this apathy causes a problem.

Our generation is being left a heavy burden by our predecessors—trillions of dollars in deficit, global warming, pollution, and the after effects of pointless wars. We should be keeping up to date on the serious issues we will be forced to solve. We should already be involved in efforts to solve these problems. But most of all, we should care.

But we don’t.

I’d like to think it’s only teenagers that are ignorant, that it’s because teen brains are not fully developed and the areas of empathy and higher-level thinking are active much less in teens than adults, according to a Live Science interview with neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore.

But it is more than that. Americans of all ages are frighteningly ignorant.

Twenty nine percent of U.S. citizens can’t even name the vice president—not of their local bank, but of the entire country --according to a study done by Newsweek.

It is unacceptable that there are people voting for major decision makers— politicians that make decisions impacting not only themselves or their countries, but the entire world—and they can’t even name who they are voting for.

It’s fine to be unaware of the outside world if you live under a rock in a remote part of the world completely untouched by civilized man, but otherwise, ignorance is not acceptable in today’s fast-paced society, according to Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker in an interview with Newsweek.

We have so many issues in the world, and we are struggling to solve them. We suffer not from the inability to find a solution, but rather a lack of information, according to Hacker.

The blame for our ignorance can’t be placed on any shoulders but our own. With the Internet, we have literally unlimited information available to us in less than half a second. We can easily do our own research, yet we content ourselves with believing what Fox News and campaigning politicians tell us.

Yes, of course.

Nancy Pelosi, obviously... or Sarah Palin....

Joe Biden, right?

Who is the vice president of the United States?

Yes? I think so...

No, but they’ll vote for it later.

Do you add extra letters to words or extra punctuation to sentences to convey strong emotions? Or purposely misspell words?

Let me think...

...Yussss...

I would never do such a thing.

I judge people for their poor grammar.

He’s a Libyan leader accused of defying international demands.

Budget cuts?

What are those?

Did the extensive budget cuts to the Planned Parenthood organization go through?

??????????

i don’t get it... :(

Isn’t he the president of some foreign country?

wait, wut? ;( ROFL IDK... lyke wow

You’re a little ignorant and dumb. Maybe your mother can forgive you, but the rest of us might not.

Easy. He went crazy and badmouthed his producers.

START HERE Do you know who Muammar Gaddafi is?

Schools make tough budget cuts

by Dan Moore

School Team Budget cuts, budget cuts, budget cuts.

Apparently, this is the new theme in this decade.

Usually, this idea belongs mainly to the right, but now everyone seems to be thinking the same thing and schools are no exception.

Schools are deciding to cut their budgets due to decreased funding.

Rochester Community Schools is expected to lose, if the current budget passes, about $873 per student or close to $13 million next year according to clickondetroit.com.

Deciding to not cut would simply be delaying

the inevitable and lately that idea no longer holds any weight. That’s what Detroit Public Schools has done for years and no one thinks they are in a better situation. RCS must keep their budget in check.

Beneath all the doom and gloom, there can be some positives. These positives should be the primary focus. These budget cuts need to be looked at for the good they can do.

“School districts can take advantage of the belt tightening by making good decisions to push through reforms,” according to aolnews.com.

These budget cuts offer a unique opportunity to cut the waste that districts built up during years of prosperity. It’s

time school districts streamline their system and become more efficient.

For years, failing schools have had money thrown at them to see if they improve. They don’t.

For example, in 2009 RCS receives about $8,300 per pupil, while Southfield Public Schools receives about $11,400 according to detnews.com. All RCS school received an A in 2010, while only 5 out of 12 Southfield schools received an A, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

RCS has done a good job cutting the budget in ways that have kept the education of its students intact, now it has to do that again.

Teachers are not the

Definitely not. This might be a question better suited for you: why is Charlie Sheen so famous right now?

Wait, I thought that was a country in Africa?

enemy either. Teachers should be the last ones to feel the budget cuts, not the first. They are the ones responsible for the great performances at our schools. Instead, other places need to see cuts or a price raise.

Many activities might have to be cut or programs cancelled.

RCS sports teams may have to make more money of their own, or the district might have fewer assemblies with hired individuals.

Budget cuts, budget cuts, budget cuts. It is time to stop saying the words and start taking action. Now is the time.

Of course cutting hurts, but it offers a fresh start.

Budget per pupil for the top ten Michigan districts Grant Township No. 2

1. Bois Blanc Pines

2.

3. Bloomfield Hills $12,443 Per Pupil

4. Birmingham City $12,366 Per Pupil

$15,876 Per Pupil

$12,726 Per Pupil

Jefferson $11,649 Per Pupil

6.

Mackinac Island $11,597 Per Pupil

7. Southfield Public $11,448 Per Pupil

8.

Whitefish Township

Oneida Township9. No. 3 $11,171 Per Pupil

10. Lamphere $10,926 Per Pupil

5.

$11,261 Per Pupil

67. Rochester Community $8,348 Per Pupil

(according to detnews.com)

B2SOURCE

THE

April 27, 2011

OPINION

Issue Wordsearch

Grrr!

The Staff

Prrr!

Why am I here right now?- AP Tests are coming up fast. For some poor souls who took AP Biology or AP Physics that means coming in to school early to test while the rest of the kids have the entire day off!

The Key Fits! - The new Key Club board looks fantastic. Good job guys and keep up the good work.

Royal Pain in the Bum- The royal wedding is approaching. Who cares? If we have to read one more news article about their fancy new china, we’re going to kick a puppy.

Redefining Hot Lunch- Student council has been working all year to buy microwaves to put in the cafeteria. Now we can eat Hot-Pockets instead of last month’s lunchroom leftovers...

Charlie Sheen- Why is Charlie Sheen famous all of a sudden? Leave the poor guy alone! So what if he’s crazy? Let him go to the asylum and move on to something more important people!

Bittersweet Goodbyes- Seniors are leaving next month. This means graduation, prom, and the beginning of a whole new way of life.

The Editorial

The True

Editorial Cartoon

Artists Teachers in the Fine and Performing Art Departments lead students and school to success

(illustration by Claire Donaldson)

Thick brush strokes accented by vibrant colors line the walls. Photos and sculptures wait patiently to be noticed in display cases, while the soft sound of a grand piano fills the air. The art wing is arguably the most beautiful hallway in the Rochester area.

The arts have always been an integral part of education. We applaud both the visual and performing art departments for inspiring the love, beauty, and creativity that they do in our students.

At the core of the curriculum, of course, is the instructor.

Ten year choir director Brandon Ulrich has devoted many years of his life to music, and has done wonders for his students who consistently score in the “superior” category at State Solo and Ensemble.

“Mr. Ulrich has been my inspiration since I have known him,” senior Evan Conover said.

“He has opened my eyes to a world that

many people go through their entire lives and never get to experience. For that I am thankful. We are all thankful to know him.”

Ulrich has been working with Conover since he was a freshman, and before that with his older sister Jen, who graduated in 2007.

Ulrich, however, is not the only teacherextraordinaire in the art department.

As much as we here at The Source love singing Justin Bieber harmonies in the layout room, singing is certainly not our forte. For students like us, there is Diane Heath. She makes art challenging for budding artists and exciting for the ones who simply need the credit.

“She gives us a great environment to work in,” senior Sara Harbin, who won a National Gold Key this year for her photography, said. “She jokes around, but will still bust your butt when you’re on a deadline. She’s completely in it for all the kids and has

helped me blossom as an artist.”

Heath has lead our young artists to 158 works in the Regional show, countless Regional Silver and Gold Keys, and even Mandy Hess’s National Gold Key Portfolio this year.

Ulrich and Heath are not alone; they are supported by their colleagues Eric Kausch, Kim McMurray, Erica Hernandez, and even Spanish teacher Nancy Ann Tomaszycki.

It’s difficult to become an artist, both in the visual and performing arenas, but it is extremely rewarding. With teachers like these a student is bound to succeed.

Children need to be allowed to explore their passions and the environment for that here is unparalleled by any other. We sincerely hope that when the district tightens its belt this area is left unscathed.

The entire art department makes our school a better place for everyone.

Cutting around the edges

Obama proposes cuts to save Pell Grant

by Christine Kim

Sports Team With the help of the Pell Grant, many students will be able to attend college this fall. With the economy spiraling into deficit, however, we turn to our leaders to propose a plan to maintain the Pell Grant, a need-based grant for low-income undergraduate students.

President Obama’s proposition to cut Pell Grant perks while sustaining the actual grant is a good step toward decreasing the deficit. These perks include limiting each student to one grant per school year instead of two. In total, eliminating this perk would save about $89 billion over the next decade, according to the Associated Press of Yahoo! News. Limiting each student to one grant a year would allow more students who need the money to receive it.

Originally, the goal of granting the second gift of money to students in one year was to support those seeking education in the summer as well. However, there was little evidence that students earned their degrees any faster this way, according to the Associated Press. Therefore, guaranteeing one full grant to each eligible student, in my opinion, is a better option than two. The ultimate goal is to encourage students to pursue education, and for this to happen, I would agree that a change needs to be made within the Pell Grant program, and that’s exactly what

OBAMA’S

the Obama administration is proposing.

Obama’s focus on education is clear: he strongly supports education as the key to global success. Although his plan to decrease the nation’s deficit affects the area he supports, it is a necessary step to take in order to support education in the long run. This concept may be difficult to accept, but think of it as having your cake and enjoying it too. While his plan includes cutting money from the program overall, the goal is to maintain the grant so that students can receive the education they deserve.

These cuts will be painful to those students depending on each aspect of the Pell Grant, but these changes are necessary for the grant to make it in the long run. Because the Pell Grant is so significant, changes must be made in order to ensure a maximum amount guaranteed every year. With those savings made from cutting around the edges of the actual grant, eligible students will be able to receive the maximum award of $5,500 per school year.

The President is making a tough call with these cuts, but I respect him for following through on his education plan by keeping his promise to support education.

WHAT FOR?

$100

To ensure eligible students 1 award of

BILLION DOLLAR

$5,500

BUDGET CUT PLAN FROM THE PELL GRANT PROGRAM



per school year

HOW?

2

Grants per year

Co-Editors in Chief: Sarah Dittrich Julia Nagy School Team Editors: Stephanie Siewert Soumith Inturi Team: Marnier Peeples Nicholas Diamond Colleen Kill Soo Jin Chun Dan Moore Danielle Linihan David Hanna Opinion Team Editors: Kevin Adams Lindsey Scullen Team: Rohan Arepally Chandler Clay Kelsey Jackson Claire Donaldson Lifestyles Team Editors: Anne Marie Barry Catherine Foster Team: Zach Francis Derek Francis Courtney Bourgoin Scott Shermetaro Robert Sparks Paige Efting Sports Team Editors: Monica Nowak Maxwell White Team: Nick Cruz Emma Guschewski Jenna Jonjua Jill Kelly Christine Kim Dylan Wilcox Matthew Pitlock Damian Rotarov Stephanie Siewert Christiana Tanner Photo Editor: Paige Efting Adviser: Gayle Martin

The Policy We, the Stoney Creek Source staff, produce this publication to accomplish the following goals: The Source will serve as a means of communication between students, teachers, and members of the community. We will respect all opinions and will present them in an unbiased and tasteful manner. The Source will inform and entertain readers and address trends and issues important to its audience. Although we are a student publication produced by the Journalism II class, we will strive to make The Source accurate and truthful and to adhere to all standards of professional journalism. We recognize and respect the privileges given to us under the First Amendment, including freedom of speech and of the press. The Source is a forum for student expression and we, the students on the staff, have the editorial authority to make our own content decisions. We will provide a sounding board for the student body and the community; therefore, the opinions expressed in by-lined opinion articles and letters should not be considered to be the opinions of the entire newspaper staff, the advisor, the school administration, or the student body as a whole.

Contact LETTER POLICY: Letters to the editor and guest articles and art may be submitted to Mrs. Gayle Martin in Room C285. All letters, articles and art must be signed.

Names may be withheld upon request. (illustration by Claire Donaldson)

WOULD SAVE..

$8

BILLION next year

$60

BILLION over 10 years

(According to money.cnn.com)

The Source Stoney Creek 575 Tienken Rd. Roch. Hills, 48306 E-mail: gmartin@ rochester.k12. mi.us

Members National Scholastic Press Association Michigan Interscholastic Press Association

April 27, 2011

THE

SOURCE

SCHOOL

B3

The Source

Short Story + Poetry Winners Short Story Winner

The Rewarding Anguish

by Jonathan Raffa

T

he air is light and cool.

A thin mist lifts off the vivid green field like a steel steam engine. The grass has its own movement as the chilled breeze breathes. Dew drips down each, single blade and the trees shiver in the damp, dense, waves of wind.

Silence. No voices. No movement. No human disturbances. Everyone and everything is still.

Even the animals cease their jitters, flutters and excited leaps and trots for this moment. The swings stop swinging. The leaves stop rustling. The trees stop creaking. Breath and breeze are all that exists.

But these twin sounds are zoned out because of what lies ahead. Three point one miles of trails that weave throughout each other. Five kilometers perfectly knit together.

Sixteen thousand four hundred and four point two feet of agony.

My head starts to ache.

My stomach betrays itself, but a gust of invisibility awakens me from my nightmare. Navy shorts and golden, nylon jersey freely let cold air circulate in and let warm air respire.

Icy blood rushes through

my veins, starting at my warm heart and coursing through my chest, up and over my shoulders, down throughout my arms and into my frozen fingers.

Reaching the tips the blood rebounds shooting down into my legs barely reaching my feet. The red stream cools my skin which deepens and freezes my muscles from the inside out. Intense shivers turn to jumps to thaw out the frozen bodies. Starting on the left foot I recoil back to the right. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Finally a lean layer of sweat emerges, nervously dripping from my forehead, warping around my eye, passing my lips and dangling from my chin until, drip. The droplet speeds down to the already wet ground. Iodine particles from the bead sting my eye causing more liquid to leak from the corners of it. Drip. Drop. Soft pats of this mixture consisting of sweat and tears create tiny tidal waves for the ants that have crawled up onto my shoes. I now taste it, the salt, tingeing my tongue with foggy fluid. Spitting, my dance turns into a solid two footed jump.

Trained, mentally prepared, and full of adrenaline, I am ready.

The whistle has blown and my jump calms back into a slight trot. Back and forth.

Back and forth. Lighter and lighter until it becomes only a weight shift. Arms at ninety degrees and black bent. Bang! All my anticipation lurches forward as a surge of energy is shot through me, as if the unloaded gun had been full of the chemical needs and injected into my veins replacing the subzero blood. This energy flows throughout sixty, maybe seventy others and because of this, the struggle immediately begins. Not so much physical. My muscles were built. My lungs were strong. And my injuries sufficed. My body was fine now, but what happens when the body isn’t fine?

What happens when I’ve reached my limit? What happens when I’m being passed by opponents both from other teams, and from mine? And most of all, what happens when the ghost passes me without my acknowledgement, only to realize seconds later that it is too far out of

reach? Time. Time was my personal rival, my silent, unseen enemy. Time speeds by so quickly. So quickly in fact, that I was already almost finished.

I rounded the last bend finally meeting my foe face to face. The clock ticks at 18:30. The muscles are now done like I had hypothesized, but I am not. Each stride is death but I lengthen it anyways.

18:35. My mind takes control of my body forcing my arms to thrust forward with momentum pushing through the should cramps.

18:40. Empty stomach grabs onto my abdomen lurching, begging me to stop. 18:46. I stop. Not too soon. Just in time.

Bending over, grabbing my knees, I know the line is crossed and my suffering can come to an end. I regain blood circulation to every crevice and my body, which was so recently itching to move forward, slowly but surely thanks me for standing still. I secretly thank my mind for being there to take over when I physically could not go any further. 18:46. Personal record.

Jonathan Raffa Raffa is a senior and participates in choir, theatre, and cross country. Raffa’s inspirtation for this short story was one of his experiences as a cross country runner. He descriptively tells about the race in which he created his personal record.

Poetry Winner Alexandra Zurkan Junior Zurkan is new to Stoney Creek this year. Her poem was written last year. She was inspired by the mission trip she went on to Belize. There, she witnessed extreme poverty. She felt empowered when she saw that she could make a difference in the world.

What I See Empowers Me

by Alexandra Zurkan

I

sit and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and

upon all the oppression and shame

I see the Mother,

weeping over the loss of her son in the Middle East

I see the Father,

counting over and over again his week’s wages,

never coming up with enough to feed his family

I see the people of Haiti,

their country in such chaos and disarray

created by an uncontrollable force

I see the elderly woman,

alone and abandoned in a nursing home,

convinced her children have forgotten her

I see the drug addict,

once again subbumbign to the voice of temptation that is his addiction,

not able to abstain any longer

I see the orphan,

starving for nourishment of the body and soul,

wide-eyed and frightened in the third-world country she calls her home

All these things- All the sorrow and desperation without end,

I sitting, look

out upon

See, hear and am empowered. *adapted from I Sit and Look Out by Walt Whitman; lines 1, 2, 20, 21, and 22 directly taken from I Sit and Look Out by Walt Whitman

B4 SOURCE

THE

April 27, 2011

LIFESTYLES

From Boys to Which branch of the military would be best for you?

1.

What is your most comfortable battlefield?

A. Land

3.

A. Tank B. Submarine C. Fighter Jets

A. Minimum of 2 years B. 3-6 years C. 1-3 years

C. Air

2.

A. M1A1 Carbine

How long would you be willing to stay in the military?

B. shooting a torpedo

B. Water

What is your favorite military vehicle?

5.

What gun would you be most comfortable shooting?

C. Mounted machine gun

4.

What would you be interested to do in training?

A. Intense boot camp

6.

What type of combat are you most interested in?

A. Frontline, all action B. Rescue missions

B. Search and Rescue missions

C. Supporting those on the ground from the air

C. Learning how to fly

Mostly A’s- Marines

Mostly B’s- Navy

Mostly C’s- Airforce

Logos courtesy of Hamptoncountyohio.gov/veterans

Vinnie Richardson

by Paige Efting/Marnier Peeples Lifestyles team/School Team Many students choose their career because of a family business. Whether it is joining it or breaking away rebelliously, they take family into account.

Senior Vinnie Richardson chooses to follow in his grandfather’s foot prints and join the military.

“My grandfather really encouraged me to enlist,” Richardson said.

“It would make him really proud that I want to fight for my country like him.”

Richardson’s grandfather passed away before he could see Richardson really begin his career with the marines. He still wishes his grandpa could be there to see him graduate.

“I know he would be really happy to see me graduate from boot camp,” Richardson said.

Although he wishes his grandfather could be there to support him in his journey into the military he is very excited. He can hardly wait to begin.

“I really can’t wait,” Richardson said.

“I’m counting down the days.”

Although Richardson is high in the clouds about leaving for training his parents are not up there with them. His mother is nervous

6 1 9 1 After World War 1, Congress passed the National Defense Act creating the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).

about her son going overseas and fighting in another country where he could potentially lose his life. Richardson’s cousin also is joining the Marines, so his mom and aunt are supporting each other with the decision their sons are making.

“My mom is nervous but she thinks that it is for the best,” Richardson said. “It’s good that she has my aunt and that they are there for each other.”

He is going to need the support of his parents and family. When he goes to boot camp the soldiers will be beat down mentally and physically according to GoArmy.com. “[Boot camp] is more mental than physical,” Richardson said. “The drill instructors are meant to get inside your head and break you down.”

Harrison Richardson, Vinnie’s Grandfather poses for a picture. He flew 22 missions in the same aircraft for the US Army Air Corps and earned a bronze star.

1 4 9 1 On December 7, 1941 the ROTC was called up to aid the victims during the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

3 6 9 1

(photo used with permission of the Richardson family)

The first ROTC program out of the country was started in the Republic of Korea.

5 7 9 1

Women are granted the right to join the ROTC.

THE

April 27, 2011

SOURCE

LIFESTYLES

o Bullets

B5

ROTC recruiting remains constant in recent years

by Chandler Clay/ Kevin Adams Opinion Team/ Opinion Editor When people think of Harvard, they think of academic excellence. They think of an ivy covered campus, flooded with the best and brightest from around the world. They think of prestigious leaders being groomed to fill prestigious positions. And now they will think of the United States Navy as well.

While Harvard University has long been known for its scholastic merit, they have not been synonymous with the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program for quite some time.

According to the Harvard Gazette, Harvard was one of the original six institutions to have an ROTC program, but did away with it after the height of the Vietnam War. For many years,

institutions like Harvard did not support ROTC programs due to the “don’t ask; don’t tell” policy, which forbids homosexuals from enlisting, according to the Harvard Gazette. Some colleges did not agree with this discrimination, and therefore removed their affiliation with the military.

Upon the policy’s repeal in late 2010, many places are beginning to bring ROTC back. This of course begs the question: “Is ROTC getting bigger and more popular again?”

The answer is no, or rather, not on a national scale at least. According to Staff Sergeant Jason English of the U.S Marines, average involvement in ROTC depends on the location.

“Stoney in particular is the hardest place to advertise in my region,” English said.

“And that’s because most kids there go to college. The

part they don’t understand is that ROTC is a tool that can help them pay for college.”

The lack of interest in ROTC at Stoney is no mystery. During college visit time, a presentation was constructed for students to learn more about ROTC programs offered at nearby universities.

According to the counseling office, not a single student signed up.

For Sergeant English this is obviously disappointing.

“When I’m at the school and kids see me walking down the hall it’s like they’re scared,” English said with exaggerated humor in his voice. “It almost looks like they want to run away.

I don’t get why. Talking to us isn’t a commitment, just another way to get more information about another option that is available to them.”

Applying for ROTC

programs is comparable to applying to any other college or program. The process is selective, and the applicant pool is more and more competitive every year.

Unfortunately there are only so many spaces in a college or university. Likewise, with a finite amount of ROTC opportunities available, the number of students in the programs has not increased a significant amount.

Navy Sergeant Dennis Scott agrees. Sergeant Scott works in the recruiting office at the University of Michigan, and has for the last several years.

“When a university wants to get a program, they don’t just say ‘we want one’ and that’s it,” Scott said. “So with the budgetary constraints we have, we aren’t looking to expand right now.”

Even though it does not appear the ROTC programs of our nation are looking

to expand, some remain hopeful that they may earn the scholarships available.

Junior Connor McLeod is one of these hopefuls.

“I am interested in the ROTC because I want to go into the military,” McLeod said.

“They pay for college and I want to serve my country.”

McLeod wants to study history or political science at college with a Marine ROTC scholarship.

He hopes to earn as much money toward his tuition as he can, but is not worried by the fact that enrollment has remained constant over the last few years.

McLeod’s father, Dennis, thinks much the same way.

“Whatever Connor chooses, I will fully support him.” McLeod said. “I am proud that he is choosing to do this at this age and serve our country. The military builds character, and

instills morals and values that a public education does not. I was opposed to enlisting, because I think Connor has more to offer with an education.”

At the end of the day, ROTC programs are simply another tool at the disposal of the student. They, like any other college or government office, are selective and under budgetary constraints. While this is true, that does not mean ROTC is not a viable option in paying for college.

In the words of Dennis McLeod: “Look at it as an opportunity to advance your education, to do a public service for your country and your family, and to guard our freedoms. It is a way of life and a way to give back to a country that has done so much for us.”

Derek Rugge

by Paige Efting/Marnier Peeples Lifestyles team/School Team Richardson is not the only student who will be following in grandparent’s footsteps. Senior Derek Rugge is the only student who will be joining the US Navy academy after graduation.

Rugge is going into Air crew, after eight weeks of boot camp at Great Lakes in Chicago. Then he is going to Pensacola, Florida for his A school, for him it’s Air crew Candidate School.

“If I score top of my class I can pick my specific job in Air crew opposed to going last due to getting a low class standing,” Rugge said. He will then go on to SERE school (survival, evasion resistance escape). Both of his grandfathers were in a branch of the military, and one of them even meet his wife, Rugge’s grandmother, while fighting.

“My grandfather was drafted during the Korean War into the Army Military Police and

ended up station in Japan where he met my grandmother,” Rugge said. “Her dad was an officer in the Japanese Navy and graduated from the Iwa Jima Naval Academy and was at war with the Chinese.

He retired before WW2 started.”

The military has always played an important role in Rugge’s family.

“I feel like our family has always affected by what the military does,” Rugge said.

“It seems that someone is always overseas fighting, and I can’t wait to join them.”

“At first my mom blamed my Dad for showing me all the war movies but then when I decided I wanted to be a Marine so my parents and family did their best to convince me that the Navy was a better choice,” Rugge said smiling. “It works. Now they’re proud of me and like to brag about it to all the people they meet.”

Rugge’s Navy recruiter for the Navy Academy, Phillip Serra, agrees that boot camp will be rough and the support of the family will be good to keep the students going. “ B o o t c a m p i s r o u g h , a n d when the family is there to support them it keeps their spits high.” Serra said.

Anthony Bradke, Derek’s Grandfather poses for a picture. He was stationed in Japan during the Korean war. (photo used with permission of the Rugge family)

0 9 9 1

Members of the ROTC protest that homosexuals should not be allowed to enlist in the program.

3 9 9 1

Former president Bill Clinton signed the “don’t ask, don’t tell” bill forbidding homosexuals from joining any military force.

9 0 0 2 The Army ROTC reported that they reached a record breaking 30,721 college students enrolled in the Army ROTC program.

1 1 0 2 The “don’t ask don’t tell,” law is repealed but arguments still continue to spur over the issue.

Compiled by David Hanna sources pbs.org

B6 SOURCE

THE

April 27, 2011

OPINION

Fun in a new dimension New 3DS worth the cost

by Austin Paul

Guest Writer You shoot, it goes rolling down a hill, explodes, and a monstrous creature falls and dies.

What just happened?

Was a mighty beast slain by an epic hero? No, a giant worm d r a g o n was killed by bombs shot like golf balls. …

Yeah, I don’t get it either, but it blows your mind away when in 3D. When the 3DS was first announced, I really couldn’t care less. However, as I read more about the system, the cooler it seemed.

I decided to get it, and see if it was actually good. I was not disappointed.

The 3D is actually pretty impressive, and gives you a nice sense of depth. If the 3D hurts your eyes, there’s a slider on the top half of the screen that lets you adjust the 3Dness. The only bad news is that it doesn’t work too well in direct sunlight.

Aside from this, the 3D is movie theater quality.

What I mean by this is that it actually feels like you can reach out and

(illustration by Claire Donaldson)

touch what’s on the screen. I wouldn’t recommend doing this, because you might hurt yourself.

When you get the box, inside are the system, a charger, a charger stand (A.K.A. useless accessory 19872.), instruction manuals, and a pack of cards.

After you charge it, it’s time to turn it on.

When you turn on the system, you have to fill out some information for the system, and other rubbish like that. From the menu you can go to sounds, pictures, game, augmented reality, face raiders (picture Indiana Jones, only less nazis), Mii maker, download play, and activity log.

Now, for the menu options. Mii maker basically lets you make your own little mascot.

Sounds let you mess with sounds, and picture does likewise, only for… pictures.

What else did you think it would be, Elephants? …That would be pretty cool, actually.

One of the major things in the menu options is the augmented reality, or AR, uses cards.

In other words, the cards are sort of like game

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cartridges. There are a few options at first, but you have to try them all to unlock more. The way you play AR games is by placing the AR card on the ground, and aiming the cameras at it. A 3D image will then pop up out of the card and allow you to play the game, which involves moving the 3DS and pressing buttons to either shoot things, play hockey with wrecking balls and teleporters, or to destroy a giant dragon with bombs.

There’s also fishing.

Face raiders is the same basic idea as AR, but they don’t use cards.

It’s mainly a game that involves using the 3DS’s camera.

In this game, you shoot faces while moving the camera to aim. It’s weird, but very fun.

However, despite all these pros about the 3DS, there is one major con. What is this, you may be asking?

It’s the lack of available games.

The current library of 3DS games aren’t very large, but even ignoring that, most of the games don’t look very impressive.

They’re either incredibly boring, or just plain dumb.

I mean, come on, nintendogs?

Really? The worst part is that all the good games are coming out later in the year.

So if you’re waiting for that Legend of Zelda game for the 3DS, you had better be prepared to wait. A lot.

All-around, it’s a great hand-held console, even though the current library of games isn’t impressive.

Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to invent an elephant machine.

Exciting 3DS games out or coming out Soon Animal Crossing Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy BlazBlue: Continnuum Shift Super Street Fighter 4 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Mario Kart 3DS Nintendogs Nintencats One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP

(according to the Nintendo website)

THE

April 27, 2011

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How to be a Youtube Sensation Search

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uploaded on April 27, 2011

by Colleen Kill/Anne Marie Barry

2:47

School Team/Co-Lifestyles Editor What you are about to read is highly classified information. Few people have ever read what you are about to, and we suspect that they are dead. So, continue at your own risk. It has come to our attention that Thursday comes before Friday. Not only that, but Friday is followed by Saturday, and then Sunday.

The latest Youtube sensation, Rebecca Black, who has since been offered a record deal of over $1 million dollars, was kind enough to enlighten the masses with her epic new single, “Friday.” Widespread awareness of the days of the week has swept the nation.

On a more serious note, the rest of nation has been wondering how the girl became so popular. Either that, or marveling at the fact that her single earned her a record deal. But the fact remains, however horrible and grating her video may be, that she is a Youtube sensation, with over 100 million views and counting.

So what makes a Youtube sensation? Here are a few steps to help you get there, but we make no guarantees. If Rebecca Black can make it big, maybe you can too. Or maybe not.

7:11 photos by Chandler Clay

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O V E R H E A R D

H A L LW A Y S

Step One: After analyzing Youtube’s most popular videos of all time, we have found that the most common factor is music. At the moment, Justin Bieber leads in most views ever, with over 500 million hits on his single “Baby ft. Ludacris.” We can’t guarantee fame to rival Bieber, but start with a song.

Step Two: A little something we like to call the Cute Factor.

The masses simply cannot resist adorable things, most notably kittens, puppies, and babies. In fifth place on Youtube’s most viewed of all time is the notorious “Charlie Bit my Finger...Again!” So either get your baby brother to bite someone, or put a kitten on someone’s head.

Just so long as there is no permanent damage

Step Three: It a commonly known fact that many people are, for a lack of a better word, stupid. And the majority of human beings like to laugh at the stupid people in the world. Coming in at thirteenth place, is “Tootin’ Bathtub Baby Cousins.” Go ahead and watch it for inspiration.

That’s 36 seconds of your life you will never get back.

Step Four: Put it all together and wait for the views to roll in. Just remember, you don’t have to be liked to be a Youtube sensation. Haters may be hatin’, but each one ranks you higher.

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Eating Starbursts is like seeing a rainbow in my mouth.

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Senioritis for me started the first day of freshman year.

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When I was younger I called the police for orange juice.

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You know you have failed if you marry a guy with velcro shoes.

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HOT Charlie Sheen

B7

You may never know what you may over hear in the hallways or class. Here’s a collection of conversation snippets.

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Sign In

IN THE

SOURCE

LIFESTYLES

I will fry you up into hippo bacon!

Lindsey Lohan rris

No huck

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I ran out of batteries in my calculator, oh well, its a good thing that I have a brain!

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I can’t imagine eating undercooked chicken and having it taste like a round sphere.

SOURCE B8 Replay

THE

April 27, 2011

LIFESTYLES

rule revisions are required

by Dylan Wilcox Sports Team

1975.

Wheel of Fortune, Jaws and The Peoples Choice premiered. Thank God I’m A Country Boy , Bohemian Rhapsody, and Kung-Fu Fighting were among the Billboard Top 100. And Led Zeppelin sold out Madison Square Gardens in record time. Also that year, Major League Baseball made a few minor rule changes, Cowhide was permitted as the primary material for making baseballs, and the criteria for a save was changed to the modern day requirements.

This may seem very minor, but this was the last time any in game rule changes of any kind were made in baseball, and for good reason.

The game of baseball is seen as this nations past time, it doesn’t need changes. It’s imperfections are what makes the game so perfect!

Unfortunately some do not see it that way and sought to change the game of baseball by instituting the Instant Replay in 2008. Thankfully this new rule only gave umpires the power to review questionable home run balls.

But now they are looking to expand that to “trapped” catches and fair or foul rulings.

Those in favor of this technological way of officiating a baseball game would say it gives the game more certainty and helps the umpires perfect their calls in what seems to be the toughest game in sports to call. However, baseball is not a game of perfection, no where near it.

Think about it this way, if you fail, as a batter, 70% of the time throughout your whole career, you are a near shoo-in for the hall of fame. Arguably greatest hitter of all time, Ty Cobb, hit .366 for his career, so he failed about 64% of the time and is considered one of the greatest ever! Clearly baseball isn’t a game about perfection, its a game about failure and over coming that failure.

Another reason this would be a mistake, is the simple fact that games are becoming too long as it is.

Many would be fans shy away from the game because of its length. The league average for a game time is just under three hours, according to baseball-almanac.com. With the institution of this replay system the games will just continue to get longer and the game will lose some of its run of the mill fans due to the length Instituting this system would be a terrible mistake in my eyes because baseball is a pure game, one which prides its self in its simplicity on the surface and complex undertone. Adding replay technology into the game would just take away from its purity.

THE

CALL

Carving up the lot: Junior Marcello Molteni rides up and down the Stoney parking lot after school. Molteni has been longboarding for two years. (photo by Rob Sparks)

Boyz On Boardz

Students longboarding in Rochester

by Zach Francis/ Derek Francis Lifestyles Team He is a blur. Nothing but two wheels and a board stand between him and the cement, as he races down the hill.

He maneuvers down the hill as if he were a surfer tackling a mighty swell. Even when he begins to reach daring speeds he is still fearless. He reaches the end of the hill with a smile on his face and scream of victory. What would seem like a nerve racking and dangerous experience to some, is just a regular day for junior Marcello Molteni and his friends, the Longboarders of Rochester.

According to Longboardskateboard. org, the sport of

longboarding was created in Oahu, Hawaii, in the 1970s.

Longboarding is the sport of riding concrete hills, sidewalks, and variations of terrain the very same way you would on a surfboard.

In order to have a board that could support such movement, the boards necessary for longboarding are purposely made to be longer and wider (38by-8) than your average skateboard (22-by6)]. The wheels on a longboard tend to be much larger in order to provide stability when reaching high speeds.

This design allows riders to achieve much higher speeds, which is something that many riders enjoy.

“I like slicing through the air

like a knife on soft butter,” Molteni said.

In October of this year, Molteni and a group of other “boarders” created a group known as the Longboarders of Rochester. This bunch of riders consists of juniors Marcello Molteni, Rob Sparks, Matt Connors, Ben Bruha, Trent Rinke, and seniors Austin Aiello, and Richard Shieb. Together they meet up periodically to find great riding areas in metropolitan Detroit.

“Some of the best boarding areas around are the Stoney Pointe subdivision and Birmingham neighborhoods. They have smooth roads and radical hills,” Connors said.

Longboarding is not just a way to ride hills

or cruise down streets.

It is also a means of simple transportation.

“I plan on using my Longboard as a great way to get from class to class when I get to college,” Molteni said.

A l t h o u g h longboarding is enjoyed

by The Longboarders of Rochester, it is still unknown to most.

“It is a great sport that does not get enough attention, so it would be cool if more people became involved,” Shieb said.

Longboarding is sport that is open to anyone who has the determination to hop on a board.

“Definitely do it. It is easy to learn, easy to get good at, and it is so much fun,” Molteni said.

THE LANGUAGE OF LONGBOARDING Cruising: LIGHTY RIDING AROUND NARLY: COOL, SOMETHING AWESOME/ CRAZY RIPPIN’: CARVING HILLS CARVING: RIDING FROM SIDE TO SIDE ON A HIlL, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CEMENT BOMBING: GOING AS FAST AS YOU CAN DOWN HILL STEEZY: STYLE & EASE

Flex: The amount of “flexibility” that your board has

The new ultimate sport: Ultimate Frisbee

by Paige Efting/ Chandler Clay

Winding Up: Senior Tanner Martin demonstrates the forehand throw. Martin has been participating in pick up games at Stoney. (photo by Rob Sparks)

Lifestyles/Opinion Junior Kurt Urbin runs down the field, arms out stretched reaching for a Frisbee. Sweat dripping from his brow he makes a dramatic leap towards the flying disc. He catches it in mid air and falls to the ground, scoring a point in a game of Ultimate Frisbee. For the past few years, students have been participating in the Ultimate Frisbee Club in the courtyard.

“Ultimate Frisbee is different from any other sport. People don’t hear about Frisbee a lot, so they want to go try it,” junior Ben Bruha said.

Usaultimate.com defines ultimate Frisbee as “Player defined and controlled non-contact team sport played with a flying disc on a playing surface with end zones in which all actions are governed by the ‘Spirit of the Game™.’”

It may not be the most well known

sport, but it is played in over 42 countries by thousands of men and women. Ultimate Frisbee is a combination on the fast moving speed of hockey, and passing from football, with rapid turn over’s and action like basketball, but it is all played with a Frisbee. The game is similar to football, where each team is trying to score points by catching a pass in the end zone.

According to Usaultimate.com, players are not allowed to run after they have caught the Frisbee but are allowed to turn and throw. Players are only allowed to hold the Frisbee for 10 seconds, or it will be turned over to the other team.

Over all, it is a competitive but easily played sport there are only 10 rules, and the first four deal with the field and Frisbee itself.

Bruha has been playing Ultimate for five years and now plays in the Ultimate Frisbee club that meets in the court

yard. He got started when some friends asked him to join in their game. From the first throw he was hooked.

“The first time I threw a Frisbee, it was pretty sweet, and I really liked it,” Bruha said.

According to Usaultimate.org, it doesn’t take a lot to get started playing, and to be good only takes a matter of time.

“You obviously have to be in shape, but a fat guy can throw a Frisbee,” Bruha said.

Urbin has been playing ultimate since the eighth grade. His Youth group got him interested.

He also agrees that even though it may help, you do not have to be particularly athletic to play.

“There is no specific type of person, but it does help to be athletic,” Urbin said. “You need to have good endurance and be able to throw well.”

Urbin has had many fun experiences while playing ultimate, many involving