2011 January Issue

Find more stories, pictures, new updates, and all your favorite features at

pg. A6 www.theschssource.com

Your eyes, your ears,

Your Voice

S T O N E Y C R E E K

THE

SOURCE

VOLUME 8

ISSUE 6

January 28, 2011

575 Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306

Student Council tweaks Formal

by Dan Moore School Team

, Pastrana tephanie S , is rr a ntines. rs Sam H fts Senio ake their own vale es to a r C & s Heart valentin uelch m r Taylor Z y planned to give pread hildren s ll and junio c a e in g th ri t o le

by Anne had d to The club w decide n creations. (photo o n t u b , ren their ow the child sage with s e m s l’ e Rach y) arr Marie B

Rachel’s Valentines Children to receive Rachel’s message

T

hey fight for their lives with smiles on their faces,” Special Education teacher Nancy Stephanian-Bennett said.

She smiles as she tells of the children who so inspire her.

Her voice echoes with awe, because even after so much time spent with them, they continue to astound her. Stephanian-Bennett is also the advisor for the Friends of Rachel Club. And by “they,” she means the children of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Detroit “We wanted to go spread the message Medical Center.

(photos by Rob Sparks and Julia Nagy)

of Rachel throughout the community,” junior Taylor Zuelch said of the club’s intentions.

This year, on Feb. 10 or Feb. 11, the members of the Friends of Rachel Club are sending valentines kits with construction paper, scissors, glue, sparkles, and stickers to the children at the DMC. The children can make valentines for their families, doctors, nurses, friends, or just someone who has impacted their life according to senior and executive board member of the Friends of Rachel Club, Sam Harris.

“Giving that valentine to [the children] (Please see “Valentine’s” on p. 2)

Going for the Gold:

by Christine Kim Sports Team

A cup full of sand in his hand, senior Vishaal Kalwani takes a deep breath before he pours it into a bucket that hangs from the top of his handbuilt balsa wood tower.

The spectators hold their breath and wait to see if the tower collapses from the weight of the sand.

On Jan. 31, the Science Olympiad team will be attending the sixth annual Clio Science Invitational held at Clio High School.

There, Kalwani and members in building events will present their projects to the judges and compete with other teams, while members in

other events will compete by taking written exams.

In the world of athletics, the Olympic Games bring athletic abilities to action. Science Olympiad tournaments bring science to life. At each, participants exhibit their passion by bringing forth their knowledge and skills as they partake in a variety of competitions.

“When all eyes are on you and everyone is holding their breath, it’s an overwhelming feeling,” Kalwani said.

Members of the team are assigned to prepare for an event based on how well they are likely to do in the different areas of science, and preparation is key. Just like athletes

who prepare for years in advance, Science Olympiad members typically start a few months before the competition, according to sophomore member Kevin Zhu. Members in building events started preparing as early as October, according to junior member Soumith Inturi. During this time, participants study their topics as best they can. Then when the preparation is complete, it is time to relax.

“I try to relax and not think about it the week before and during the competition,” Zhu said.

“At this point, I’ve done what I can.”

The goal at the Clio tournament will be to

(Please see “Formal” on p. 2)

BPA gets down to business at Regionals

by Scott Shermetaro / Rohan Arepally Lifestyles Team

by Anne Marie Barry/ Colleen Kill Lifestyles Co-Editor/ Lifestyles Team

The DMC is a comprehensive center for many types of childhood diseases, and according to their website, the Children’s Hospital sees more kids and trains more pediatric, medical, and surgical experts than any other hospital in the state.

When the members of the club returned from Winter Break, they decided to help others outside of the school. The children of the DMC were brought up, and according to Stephanian-Bennett, the members jumped at the idea. She soon contacted the hospital staff to arrange an event with the Friends of Rachel.

The big question: Is it Sadie’s or is it Winter Formal? The answer is actually a combination of both.

Yes, it is true the midwinter dance, which is scheduled for February 5, is officially once again a “Sadie’s Dance.”

However, Student Council is adamant about emphasizing that anyone can go and its theme, Harry Potter, should be gender neutral.

“People say it’s a couple’s dance,” said Student Council president Bryana Bayly. “But we want to emphasize that it’s OK to go with a group of people.

Until recently, there had always been a Sadie Hawkins’ dance. Sadie Hawkins’, which started from a comic strip according to About.com, is traditionally when the dance when girls ask boys

and is popular among many boys.

Yet, two years ago, at the suggestion of then Principal Dan Hickey, Student Council decided to have a Winter Formal dance instead of the traditional Sadie’s. The change was to try to promote attendance and allow more singles to go.

And, it did work, but did not increase attendance by a significant amount..

“We are doing a good job in attracting a diverse group of people,” said Bayly.

The new dance did increase attendance, but only by a small amount and it had its share of problems.

“A lot of people were confused whether boys ask girls or girls ask boys,” said Bayly.

The change was welcome news among many students who never liked the idea of a Winter Formal.

“I don’t think that they

To members of Business Professionals of America, time is money. Participants woke up before 6 a.m. in preparation for their regional competition and got down to business.

Dressed up and ready to go, the BPA club attended Regionals on Jan. 6 at Baker College. Ranging from computer programming, to independent business plans, to global marketing, members of BPA tackled it all. This was the club members’ first opportunity to show judges exactly how much they knew about the business world.

“Regionals was fun and invigorating, but also crazy due to technical issues,” senior Pratika Iyer said. “Each school has to provide all of its own materials and, unfortunately, this year

we struggled with broken projectors.”

Even with all of the distractions, the club ranked extremely high.

It was announced that 27 out of 50 members qualified for states.

Currently T o m Mavis, the club advisor, is trying to organize for the club to get funds Senior Pratika Iyer so that each qualifying member can participate in the experience of States.

Senior Pratika Iyer, president of BPA, entered the Entrepreneurship event and also participated in Global Marketing with her team.

Last year, she placed first in her individual event and second in the team event. This year, she improved and landed first (Please see “BPA” on p. 2)

Science Olympiad prepares for tournament

win medals and trophies, according to seniors Nick Mertz and Tara van Veen.

“To win, you want to have a score like in golf,” senior member Nick Mertz said. “The lowest score wins because they find your total score by what place you come in for an event, and then they add it all up.”

Not only do the participants have an opportunity to bring home trophies, but they also gain more experience to prepare for Regionals. And in the long run, members work in partnerships to accomplish the goal, according to Advisor Dave Thomson.

“They learn to work as a team,” Thomson said.

Who’s Working on What?

Member

Event

Tara van SumoBots Veen Senior Regina Chen Freshman Vishaal Kalwani Senior

Build a remote -controlled robot

Write It Do It Examine a structure and write instructions for how to build it

Towers Build a tower that will support weight

Task

A2SOURCE

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NEWS

BRIEFS

French club plans trip to restaurant After numerous attempts to travel to Josephines, a French restaurant in Ferndale, the French club has made arrangements to travel there in an effort to promote the culture.

After Jan. 6, when the students take their last trip to North Hill Elementary, students will be able to order crepes, desserts, and other francophone delicacies.

“We’re looking forward to eating authentic French cuisine,” French teacher Madame Jarrell said.

Additionally, retired French teacher Madame Burke may be joining the club for the outing. Like Jarrell, Burke oversaw French levels one through five, the French Club, and French NHS. The club meets every Wednesday in Jarrell’s room.

Student wins essay competition

Senior Alex Jones’s essay placed third in the Sherwin T. Wine Oustanding Essay Contest. The winners were announced on Dec. 9 Over 200 essays were submitted, according to the Michigan ACLU website. Students had to write an essay on how the Bill of Rights has shaped the American identity.

“It felt good to win knowing that I have worked so hard on the essay,” Jones said.

Although Jones did not receive a monetary prize for the placing third, he’s excited about the possible summer internships.

“This opportunity gave me some possible internships in the summer because some people were so impressed,” Jones said. “Overall, it was a good experience and I am thankful for being able to place in the competition.

Cheer teams win The JV cheer leading team took first place in their cheer competition in Oxford on Jan. 8. Freshman cheer leaders took third place and beat all JV teams except Adams. The JV team was also the only team at the competition that landed every single tuck they went for. Their next competition will be held at Stoney on Jan. 16 (compiled by school team)

January 28, 2011

“A professor of mine in graduate school received that...”

“... I tend to overanalyze things.”

The

Q&

SCHOOL

Basic Bio Date of Birth: Oct. 30, 1970

Worst elementary school food: We didn’t have a school cafeteria Most embarrassing middle school moment: I threw up at a basketball game Best gift ever received: Last year my son gave me a bobble head he bought.

Greatest moment of your career so far: Having Tiago Olsen as a student

A

(photos by Nick Cruz)

with

Eric Thuma,

“... there is none, it’s just completely random.”

Physics Teacher

“We thought the flying pigs were cute.”

Zombies, flying pigs, woodchucks, Super Mario Galaxy, and late ‘80’s punk.

Random, right?

Maybe so, but in ten minutes with physics teacher Eric Thuma, all the above and more ended up in the conversation. Thuma isn’t an average physics teacher by any means (whatever that might entail), but who needs average when a lesson contains stories about fighter jet pilots and labs about flying pigs?

For a man who speaks physics as a second language, the idea of teaching didn’t come until late in college. But, coming from a long line of teachers might just have something to do with that.

Regardless, it’s clear Thuma was meant to teach, even if it isn’t in the most conventional way.

Dream job (as a kid): I didn’t think about what I wanted to be

Valentines (Continued from p. 1)

automatically makes them feel special, and then giving that to somebody else creates that chain reaction,” said Harris.

Rachel’s message was that small acts of kindness brought out the good in other people, and that those small acts could start a chain reaction of compassion. Harris and the other members of F.O.R. adhere to the club’s primary objective of uniting the school by trying to give other students the opportunity to give back to the community.

“We want Friends of Rachel to be the vehicle for other kids to follow,” Stephianian-Bennett said. “When students here are asked to give, they give with their whole heart.”

In the early stages of planning the project, it was decided that the club would have a table set up in the cafeteria during lunch so that all students could help create the kits. Each child in the DMC will receive a valentine construction kit, so the Friends of Rachel Club must produce about 300 packages.

“Students have what it takes to go through life and have courage to help others and spread the message of Rachel,” said junior Taylor Zuelch.

BPA

(Continued from p. 1)

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, so here’s a bunny with a pancake on its head.’

And he took that and tried to find some meaning in it. But of course there is none; it’s just completely random. So he kind of took it to heart, because he had the tendency to get really excited and talk really technical, and he would forget he was talking to undergraduates who had no idea what he was talking about. So he would tell us that if he got off on a tangent or was talking too technically, he gave us pictures of bunnies with pancakes on their heads to hold up whenever he got that way.

that example comes up a lot, well not flying pigs, but a toy that moves in around in a circle. We thought the flying pigs were cute. Actually, Mr. Slade ordered them.

Source: What’s the story behind the bunny on your web page?

S: Where did you get the flying pigs (literally, there are flying pigs that can be attached to the ceiling and they fly around in circles)?

What was the incentive there?

S: Prepare for the controversy.

This topic is a little delicate, so you don’t have to stress over it. How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?

Thuma: A professor of mine in graduate school received that picture. The caption said

T: We ordered them out of a science catalog. When you’re talking about circular motion,

S: Do you think in physics? As in, you’re walking down the street, see a guy falling out a building, and then proceed to calculate the force he’ll hit the ground with?

T: Yeah, I do. Ha. My wife won’t go to science fiction movies with me because I ruin them. I tend to over analyze things and make everything about physics because I like it.

T: As much wood as a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. (compiled by Danielle Linihan)

Formal

(Continued from p. 1)

should have changed it [to Winter Formal],” said senior Mackenzie Tocco.

“Even when they called [the dance] Winter Formal everyone still called it Sadie’s.”

The switch seems to be welcome by more than just seniors, who for the time being are the only grade currently who have experienced Sadie’s. Underclassmen are also happy with the change.

“It makes it easier on the guys,” said sophomore Michael Keenan.

With the boys traditionally asking the girls to Homecoming and, if a senior, to Prom, Sadie’s is seen as an equalizer.

“I think girls should ask boys at least once,” said Tocco. “It’s not fair that boys always ask.”

It is true that many boys were upset with the change and this was another determining factor in going back to the old dance.

With the changes in the dance and the theme of Harry Potter, which is related to this year’s school theme of courage, Student Council hopes to increase attendance and increase the fun.

“I think it will attract more people,” said Bayly. “A lot more of the guys will be happy.”

place in Entrepreneurship and her Global Marketing team also swept the competition. Iyer and her team will now move on to States in Grand Rapids on March 24-27.

“I feel our members have high chances to even move past States on to Nationals because prior students have qualified for the past five years,” Mavis said. “Even our first year members performed extremely well this past competition.”

“Even though it was my first time participating in Extemporaneous Speech I felt very confident and knew I was speaking well,” senior Adam Weber said. “My event didn’t take much preparation, but I had to think fast on my feet and I qualified for States.”

During the regional event, the different schools organized themselves in the student center.

Like cliques in a school cafeteria, the diverse schools kept to themselves as they loudly discussed their upcoming events and tests. Frantically, some groups scattered to find a proper work area in the packed room.

“It was an intense atmosphere inside,” Weber said who received third place in his event.

“Everyone was focused on their own events and tried to block out the noise of others.”

“Our team really came together this year and performed to the highest caliber,” Iyer said.

To Iyer, BPA is much more than just a club.

“This club is applicable to life in so many ways,” Iyer said. “Even if you are not intrigued with the business aspect, the presentation skills you learn are indispensable.”

This applicability to life was all too relevant for Iyer who constructed her individual event around her future goal of creating her own cake business.

“Being forced to create a business plan made me think of everything needed to start my own business and sustain it amongst competition,” Iyer said.

Iyer plans to open The Cakelady, a small bakery specializing in ornately decorated cakes, at some point in the future, and through BPA, she learned exactly how to make it possible.

“Using The Cakelady as the idea for my individual event allowed me to think about all aspects of owning a business,” Iyer said. “I learned the importance of location, advertising, prices, and competition.

I even created my own business cards and floor plan for my future business.”

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January 28, 2011

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1

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RENDITIONS

Can you sight read?

Try your musical talent at guessing which popular songs are composed in each of the following bars of music.

A B C D Answers:

A: “Black and Yellow”- Wiz Khalifa B: “Teenage Dream”- Katy Perry C: “What’s My Name?”- Rihanna D: “Grenade”- Bruno Mars

(music recreated by Jonathan Raffa) 1:SeniorJonathanRaffarehearsesforhisdebutatMichiganMusic Conference.2:JuniorLindseyScullenworksoutthesmalldetailsofher musicselection.3:TheChamberSingerslearnanewchoralpiece.(Toprow fromlefttoright)seniorChrisOskioan,juniorsKayvonKashani-Gharaviand AndrewZaccagnini,(secondrow)seniorsCourtneyMerlo,HaleyBerichand JillianHoffman,andjuniorLindseyScullen,(thirdrow)seniorsRaynaSzantner, AshleyHalm,andNicoleDowell.

(all photos by Rob Sparks)

Choral musicians prepare to sing a new scale

by Kelsey Jackson /Derek Francis Opinion /Lifestyles Team Fingers strike the keys as a deep voice resonates in the otherwise still air. Senior Jonathan Raffa stands behind a piano as Choral Director Brandon Ulrich mentors him through “Nap De Bat,” a song that is new to Raffa.

“I do not believe I would have made it this far in music without the guidance of Mr. Ulrich,” Raffa said. “He wants nothing but the best for us and has shown that through the extent at which he prepares us for the future.”

Raffa, along with several other members of Chamber Singers, is preparing with Ulrich to showcase his talents at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids from Jan. 20-23. At this conference, singers will test their talents by working with choral musicians from

around the state, according to the Michigan Music Conference website.

These singers were selected to take part in the conference by first auditioning for the District Honors Choir, and then working their way through the ranks to State Honors Choir.

“To find out that I had secured a spot in the Michigan Music Conference was an exciting moment for me for the reason that I not only worked very hard to get there, but it will be a new experience for us together as singers,” Raffa said.

The States Honors Choir is comprised of three separate and smaller groups of singers. Each group will be learning and performing three new songs, according to Raffa. He is a part of the Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Baritone, Bass (TTBB) Choir.

Raffa is not the only student who is excited to have

gained access to this conference and the State Honors Choir.

Junior Lindsey Scullen is the only Chamber Singer to be selected for the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass (SATB) State Honors Choir. This is the most difficult choir to be selected for, and Scullen recognizes this honor.

“I feel very surprised and grateful to have been selected for the SATB Choir,” Scullen said. “I was very nervous coming out of my audition. I did not know what to expect.”

This choir will not only challenge the musical abilities of the students, but their social abilities as well, according to Scullen. This conference tests the singers’ ability to learn music on their own and to work with new groups.

Junior Andrew Zaccagnini expresses his excitement for the upcoming challenge.

Freshmen participate in one act play at festival

by Christiana Tanner School Team Trying to emulate a real high school environment, the entire cast moves around the stage, the bare foundations of the set surrounding them. They appear disorganized at first, but at the instruction of the directors, “Guys, don’t say your lines until you cross center-stage,” they start to form a more fluent arrangement.

The cast, crew, and directors of this year’s Winter One Act, “Cowtown,” are preparing for their various roles.

The cast will perform once in the Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3 before traveling to Love Fest, a convention of high schools performing their one acts to each other, on Feb. 4 and 5. Tickets will cost $5 for students and adults.

“Cowtown” is drama about high school students by Allison Moore.

“Cowtown is all about identity,” co-director Todd Miesch said.

“Having to move from one school to another, when you get there and you feel connected to someone, that person may not have a connection

to everyone else at the school....And I think a lot of kids can struggle with that. That person makes me laugh, but if I befriend that person then all of a sudden I’m in that crowd.

I don’t want to be in that crowd, but yet I like that person. It has its funny parts, but for the most part, it’s a drama. I think if students from Stoney come to see it they’ll really enjoy it and be able to relate to it.”

Student director senior Jill Hoffman collaborated with co-directors Maggie Hay and Miesch in choosing “Cowtown” because they felt that students could relate to the storyline and because a drama would set them apart from other schools at Love Fest.

Hoffman and the other directors expanded walk-on characters, named in the script simply as “students,” by having the cast develop their characters together (their personas, names, costumes etc.,) and by adding extra “students” and adding more lines.

“I think it’s really important for each character to know your character and to act like that

100%, all the time, 24/7 on stage,” Hoffman said. “So I wanted everyone to come up with a name for themselves, how they’re going to react to other people on stage, and I wanted to make sure that that would come across on stage.”

The “students” in the cast, mostly represented by freshmen, enjoyed the chance to create their own character.

“I named [my character]. His name is Steve,” freshman Chase Heinemann said. “It was really easy because you got to do whatever you wanted with it. And especially as rehearsals progress, I think [the characters] are going to become more rich and realistic.”

Heinemann played Pierre in the fall play, “Murdered to Death” and has been involved in Summer Music Theatre productions.

Freshman Caitlin Tanner, also a “student” is excited to have her first part with lines.

“My student’s name is LouisaMay,” Tanner said. “We got to make up this own little character. She is a geek, a nobody, she’s not very

Class Participation in Winter One Act Seniors Juniors Sophomores Freshmen 31.6% 21.0% 15.8% 31.6% (compiled by Christiana Tanner)

noticeable, she’s very quiet. So, I walk behind people and I have a couple of lines and it’s super-duper awesome.

Tanner, who was a make-up assistant for the fall play, and is helping with make-up for the one act, appreciates both sides of the theater program.

“If you don’t feel like you can get a part in the play, do tech,” Tanner recommended to students interested in the theatre program. “For sure, ‘cause it’s just an awesome experience.

And tech’s not some slack-off thing, you do stuff. It’s awesome.”

Hoffman also had some advice for beginner theater kids.

“I would say just go for it because you really have nothing to lose,” Hoffman said. “And, yes it hurts to be rejected sometimes, but really professional actors are rejected 9 out of 10 times and that’s just how the business is. And it’s really a lot of fun just to be involved in back stage stuff. Keep auditioning. The more auditions you do the more parts you’re going to get.”

1: Sophomores Cailin Elphick , Patricia Goble, and Erica Mattis and freshman Chase Heinemann socialize during break. They are rehearsing the hallway scene of the play.

2: Seniors Anne Marie Barry and Whitney Raska, and Junior Kayvon Kashani-Gharavi block scenes for the play.

Blocking scenes is an important part of learning a role for a production.

(all photos by Rob Sparks)

“I am excited to be able to work with a new group of singers from all over Michigan,” Zaccagnini said. “It will be interesting to gain insight on the programs from others schools and how they are both similar and different to our own.”

The help that the singers receive from Ulrich and their past experience with music has led them to be confident leading up to the conference, according to Scullen.

“Although it is sometimes hard to practice an individual part for a song that is made up of many other parts and singers, I do believe that it will all come together in the end and that we will have a great performance,” Scullen said. “All of the hard work that we have put in will be worth the phenomenal performance we will give at Michigan Music Conference.”

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January 28, 2011

SPORTS

LivetoDa Dance team hits Disney World for a competition

by Monica Nowak Sports Co-Editor

1)

This year, it’s something magical for them.

It’s half time at the boy’s basketball game on Jan. 7. The dance team comes out from the corner of the gym dressed in full costume. All eyes are on them. The music begins. One leaps, one twirls, and one spins. They extend their arms out with poise. The music slowly starts to descend, and they join together as one team in the end and strike a final pose. The spotlight is still on them as the audience applauds. They are winded and sweating as much as the basketball players, but this team is not considered a sport.

Senior captain Lisa Curatolo knows what it’s like just to be called a “not a sport” team.

“We practice and attend games just like how the guys do,” Curatolo said.

Three years ago, the dance team went from being nothing to actually being something. Recently, they took their practices to the next level. With all their dedication, they managed to qualify for nationals in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 3-7. Not only is it just in Orlando, the ladies will be performing and competing in Disney World. They will be performing the two dances of pom and jazz for the event of Universal Dance Association (UDA).

Curatolo has been dancing since the age of two and is ecstatic to be going on this trip with her teammates, and curious to see how far the team will go.

“I’m super excited! We are going to have so much fun it’s ridiculous. They even shut down the park for just the dancers, so basically we get to frolic around the Magic Kingdom with a bunch of other dance teams,” Curatolo said with a chuckle.

This year is different for the ladies because it is the first time ever the team has been accepted to go to Nationals and travel somewhere this far. The reason they have qualified for Nationals is because they performed at a camp for the UDA and were judged to win a spot to Nationals.

When being judged on dancing, technique and performance are the two most important elements. The use of choreography and age appropriateness are also considered, according to Dance University website.

So, how did the team improve so much? The team has gained a couple new dancers from the past three years as well as two new coaches.

“My freshman year we got new coaches and every year, we progressively have gotten better because of them. We owe everything we have accomplished to them,” Curatolo said.

The two coaches are Kaitlin and Kelsie Caponi.

“Our goal when we first started coaching was to build this program to become successful and to travel to Orlando for Nationals. Both main goals we set from that first meeting were accomplished” Kelsie said.

Also, she thinks the girls have come a long way so she set other goals for while in Orlando.

“We would love to make it to the top five and be presented on ESPN in March. That is something very hard for a new team going down to Nationals for the first time to accomplish, but we know we can succeed,” Kelsie said.

Even senior Elizabeth Raglin, who has danced for 15 years, is preparing herself for this trip.

“I keep a positive attitude and focus on my upper body, but mainly my arms so I can have that flowy dancer look rather than stiff and awkward,” Raglin said.

Hard work, dedication, preparing, and practicing aren’t the only things the ladies are already doing. They are all excited to be with each other.

“It’s going to be amazing, a straight four days together in Disney World dancing and eating dinner and just hanging out. Even the plane ride will be fun and we’ll wear our snuggies,” Cuartolo said laughing.

Although Curatolo is excited for the trip itself, Raglin had a slightly different opinion.

“Being able to go to Disney World isn’t that fun for me because I’ve been there so many times, but the fact that I will go with the team and do something we all love to do will be the trip of a lifetime,” Raglin said.

If the girls pass the semifinal round, they will compete in the finals. If they win the whole competition, they are awarded with jackets, a trophy, and known as one of the top dance teams in the country against 300 other high schools, according to Raglin.

The results will be announced on their last day there.

1)

5)

On the web: dance university website.

1) The whole dance team smiles in a photo. They all had a great time together. 2) Sophomore Sam Kwiatkowski, senior Alyssa Lawler, sophomore Heather Kelly and senior Elizabeth Raglin perform in front of their coaches. They practiced the pom dance in the cafeteria. 3) The team dances at the basketball game on Jan. 7. Sophomore Heather Kelly struck a pose in the middle of the dance. 4) Senior Lisa Curatolo, sophomore Heather Kelly, and sophomore Sam Kwiatkowski perform a dance at the game. They twirled around for the audience. 5) The girls gather around for a snapshot photo. They just won a competition. (photo used by permission of Kelsie Caponi and Nick Cruz)

THE

January 28, 2011

SOURCE

SPORTS

ance Junior relevés to fame

by Lindsey Scullen Opinion Co-Editor

2)

3)

4)

She walks into the room like a girl lost in herself. Slowly. Her head turns and eyes lock with the audience. And now they’re lost too.

Quickly. Quickly, she moves slowly. Gracefully, she bends frantically. Lost, she is focused. Stopped she is moving. Enraged, she is calm. Adrift she is resolved. Resolved in her dance. Relieved of her emotion.

Oct. 23, 2010 marks the day that Snyder participated in a nation-wide Music Television (MTV) dance competition designed to promote the movie, Burlesque. She auditioned at Westland Mall and became the top dancer across the state of Michigan.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Snyder said, “but when I got there, there were all of these big names in the dance world. It was really scary.”

Snyder did not choreograph her audition dance. She just showed up at the competition, felt the music, and won.

Because she won for the state of Michigan, the video of her audition was broadcasted nationally on television and on the internet along with 49 other dancers’ videos. The nation was asked to vote for its favorite dancer.

Snyder, even though she was the youngest competitor, came in third place. She won $300 and tickets to the premiere of the movie Burlesque which debuted in Michigan at the Palladium Theatre in Birmingham. Seats were reserved under her name.

But the competition was not without its controversies.

Snyder revealed that the two people ahead of her in the final results are rumored to belong to a dance company, which was against contest rules, and to have cheated in the voting process.

Still, Snyder is “so happy” with her standing at third place in the nation.

This burlesque dance-off was far from the only time Snyder’s feet have hit a big stage. She is a Pulse Protégé Dancer which means that she has been noticed at multiple national dance showcases and is on her way to making it big in the dance world. She is allowed dance as a student of The Pulse, a national dance company, dancing at any of their national protégé conventions, whenever she wants.

The Pulse holds conventions on most weekends in the major cities. It serves as a prestigious dance class with teachers ranging from directors of today’s hottest music videos to Broadway’s choreographers.

“We know that our dancers and teachers walk away from our conventions feeling stronger and more empowered to reach their next goals in dance,” says The Pulse on Tour website.

At each convention, scholarships for future conventions are offered to the best dancers. Snyder has received one at every conference.

Snyder has been to Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, and Toronto, among other places, as a protégé of this professional dance company.

In The Pulse, she has found a world where

she fits.

“People [at Stoney] think I’m crazy for the way I dress, the way I do my hair, but these friends are just like me,” Snyder said nodding.

In an interview conducted over Facebook, Gage Roark, another Pulse Protégé from Lebanon, Ohio, said that Snyder “gets so into the combo and the music” and that “she became my best friend right away.”

The more she dances at national conventions, the more people she meets, and the more her name gets out into the dance world. So far, she has met people like good friend Matt Dorame from So You Think You Can Dance, the judges from So You Think You Can Dance, Broadway dancers and choreographers like Tyce Diorio and Joey Dowling, and many of the choreographers from the Step Up movies.

Dorame visited Michigan on Jan. 3 to help Snyder choreograph a solo. Snyder spent the entire day at the studio with him.

But her name is not the only evidence of her talent out in the dance world. Her personal choreography, too, is acknowledged and shared with not only her friends at her studio but also with dancers she meets at the conventions.

“People notice my choreography, and they like it,” Snyder said. “I don’t think it’s that good, but maybe it is to someone else.”

Snyder records her choreography and then posts it to YouTube, so that people who ask her to choreograph a dance for them can learn it even from out of state.

So, as a student by day, time seems to be the problem for this dancer. Snyder says that she spends at least five hours at Suzette’s, her studio, on weekdays, and 10-15 hours on weekend days, if she’s not traveling that is.

Yet, somehow she finds time to play a leading role in Stoney’s winter play. And well at that.

Senior Jillian Hoffman, director of the play said that Michelle’s acting doesn’t suffer at all.

“She had to miss one rehearsal, but we made it through and she was on top of it the next day,” Hoffman said adding, “She’s a phenomenal dancer.”

Still, juggling school, play rehearsals, and dance proves to be a struggle.

“I don’t have time to eat, and I don’t have time to sleep,” Snyder said laughing at herself.

But it’s worth it to this dancer. It’s all worth it.

“I don’t dance because I love it or because it’s a passion,” Snyder said. “It is my life.”

She feels incredibly lucky to have already discovered what she is supposed to be doing in life, and to be given the chance to do it.

After high school, she plans to go to college online because “dance has a short life and I’m not willing to stop my life for college.”

Junior Michelle Snyder dances her “Relief” dance at the Hall of Fame Dance Challenge in Orlando, Florida. The performance earned thunderous applause. (photo used by permission of Michelle Snyder)

A5

“

There were so many thoughts going through my mind when I finished learning that solo. I came up with this twisted idea...it’s pain.

In life most people would think pain is a bad thing, but I happen to love it as much as I hate it, because if we didn’t have pain, then we wouldn’t appreciate being happy.

Junior Michelle Snyder, of her “Relief” dance.

”

A6 SOURCE

THE

January 28, 2010

SPORTS

MEET THE NEW COACHES

Right: Coach Norgrove Left: Alex Jones (Photos by Nick Cruz)

New coach gives basketball team an update

SC

COACH

2.

0

Matt Pitlock/Damian Rotarov Sports Team New team. New coach. New mind-set.

The 2010 basketball team started the year with only three returning varsity players and a brand new coach, but he knows exactly how to handle this problem. He plans on solving the problem with sheer hard work.

In his first season, Coach Steve Norgrove wants to instill the mindset to go out there and work harder than the other team for a victory, and senior Forward Tyler Curtiss couldn’t agree more.

He claims that the basketball team doesn’t have that “arrogant” attitude. “We never take anything for granted,” Curtiss said. “We know we need to fight for every win.”

Curtiss believes that Norgrove is making lemonade from few lemons by getting

back

to the basics.

“We practice all the fundamentals: shooting, ball handling, that sort of thing,” Curtiss said. “I think coach is doing the best job he can with a smaller, less athletic team.”

According to Curtiss, this thirst to work comes from the coach, and, as a result, this became the main focus in the team’s practices for the Adams game on Jan. 7. The boys lost 43-40 “Coach knew Adams had a reputation to be the hardest working team out there.”Curtiss said “He stressed that we needed to man up and out work them.”

Norgrove claims this mind-set gave the basketball team the spark they needed against a more experienced Adams team.

“There’s no shortcut in athletics. You either put the time in and work hard and get better, or you get passed up,” Norgrove said.

The players’ shoes squeak loudly on the

hardwood floor, as sweat drips down their faces, during their lengthy conditioning section.

“If you want results you’ve never had before, you need to do things you’ve never done before,” Norgrove added.

The team may be fresh with new faces, but Norgrove sees fertile ground to help the team flourish.

“I see a lot of talent, and part of coaching is trying to cultivate that talent into our team,” Norgrove said.

Not only is Coach Norgrove great at firing up his teams to work hard, but he also has the playing experience to improve the technique of any player on the courts.

“He’s got a lot of tips for every position because he has played all of them,” Curtiss said.

Sophomore guard Austin Jones credits his coach with being great at helping younger players feel welcome on the varsity team.

“He is a good person, very respectful, and he has a good sense of humor,” Jones said. “This all made the transition from the freshman to varsity level even easier.”

Even though the team is 1-6 with two heart breaking losses to Adams and BishopFoley, according to highschoolsports.com, Norgrove believes his team is improving every day. He not only believes in fostering a strong work ethic, but he also believes in fostering a bond between teammates that will allow them to look back on the experience as a positive one.

“My biggest [measurement of success] is when I’m done coaching an athlete, I want them to look back on the experience of playing as a positive experience.”

Norgrove said. “I want them to want to come back to the games and still be an active part of the team.”

“We are de-

vising a game plan to counteract what our opponents are going to

”

do.

Varsity Head Coach Steve Norgrove

“My goal for

the season is to develop these young guys into JV and Varsity level basketball

”

players.

Freshman Head Coach John Alfoldy

January 28, 2011

Figuring it

SPORTS

THE

SOURCE

Out

Future Skating Hangs in the Air

by Claire Donaldson

Art Editor

Robinson glides, balancing from one foot to the next, building up her momentum.

Before gravity can catch up, she hooks a leg around and jumps. Robinson hangs in the air. Her strength and control dictate her landing.

Junior Kristina Robinson is nearing the well known point in every student’s career; deciding her future. As a figure skater Robinson is presented with the option of figure skating professionally when she graduates. If she practices hard, by the end of the next school year she will face these choices.

Robinson has been wearing skates since she was nine-months old.

“My skates were obviously way too big but my dad has been skating since he was twelve, it became a huge part of his life. My parents met through figure skating basically, so I guess they wanted it to be sentimental.” Robinson said.

“Of course I wasn’t skating around, but I was definitely crawling around, licking the the ice. I think we actually have that on video.”

According to Skating, the official publication for U.S. figure skating, Robinson’s father competed in the

national figure skating championships from 1987 to 1990. During this time, his highest placing was 14th . Now he coaches Robinson along side other students in the ice rink. She is under no delusions when it comes to deciding to figure skate after she graduates. Robinson has gone through high and low moments in figure skating.

“My dad is my main coach, my only coach pretty much, and it’s really hard. Of course he expects more from me than he does his other students and I have had some crazy “I want to quit” episodes, but I think its all worked out for the best Robinson said.

By spending one to two hours a day, seven days a week figure skating, Robinson ensures she will have the skills she needs to skate after her graduation.

There is a long list of skills needed to enjoy working for Disney on Ice, aside from being able to skate and do jumps.

“You have to be able to work with other people, because in the show you’ll have to work with a lot of people. You have to have a lot of patience. Most likely you’ll have to get up early in the morning Robinson said There’s a lot to sacrifice, you have to travel around the world and handle it all

on your own sometimes, because you’re going to be away from family and friends.”

As for the Olympics, Robinson believes there is really only one thing that counts.

“You have to be really good. For women you have to have triples.

The least difficult jump they can do is a double axle, and for me that’s pretty much my hardest jump I can land consistently right now Robinson said.

In competitions and shows, a figure skater is required to jump, spin, and land on the ice. A double-axle is only achieved when the skater pops into air the off their left foot, spins two and an half times, and lands on their right foot. Not falling over is key.

Robinson recognizes the trials that come with skating, but figures that to persevere she should do what she is good at.

“I’ve been doing it for a while,” Robinson said “and I love shows. Competitions are not my absolute favorite, but I guess, even with shows, I get nervous. When I get out there though I’ve head that I’m kind of good at presenting. It just comes naturally. With other things that I’m good at, I have to work extremely hard at it, while with presenting you just go out there and skate to the music.”

A7

iTunes

Players rely on their music Intensity, energy, and inspiration are all needed for any athlete to be ready for competition.

The perfect pump-up song can give the competitive edge they need t jump ahead of the competition. It has been said that you can learn alot about an athlete by their pre-game music.

PLAYER Matt Zuelch SPORT Hockey YEAR Junior SONG Gonorrhea ARTIST Lil Wayne WHY Its a great song and the beat is bumpin.

(illustration

by Claire Donaldson)

Disney on Ice, or the Olympics?

41255 “likes” on Facebook 2089296 “likes” on Facebook

PLAYER Alex Yu SPORT Swimming YEAR Junior SONG I Will Not Bow ARTIST Breaking Benjamin WHY It’s a good tempo for stroke and it’s one of my favorite songs.

(according to facebook)

Team runs on spirit over strength Boys swim leads their division in undefeated season

by Soumith Inturi / Nick Cruz School co-Editor / Sports Team With intimidation, Junior Alex Yu stared down his neighbor, an Avondale swimmer, as they adjusted their caps and goggles before the 100 yard backstroke.

“Swimmers, jump in,” the official said. Yu and the Avondale swimmer jumped in.

“I said jump in, swimmers,”

the official repeated. Some stragglers followed. Yu turned to his neighbor.

“Good luck, man,” Yu said, offering a handshake as he placed his feet on the wall.

Then, the buzzer blared and the swimmers pounced off.

These team displays of sportsmanship encourage a growing Cougar spirit as the boys trudge towards their next meets.

“You don’t stop where you are,” Yu said. You always get even higher on top.”

The team’s spirit thus far has rewarded it with an undefeated season with five wins and zero losses, according to highschoolsports.net. The Cougars began their season with

a tri-meet against Southfield High School and Oxford High School at Southfield on Dec. 9. On Dec. 16, the Avondale Yellowjackets saw blue and gold as the Cougar boys swim team added to their winning record.

On Jan. 6, the Cougars faced the Hazel Park Vikings and crushed their 12 swimmers with a score of 105 to 59. Finally, on Jan. 13, the boys defeated Royal Oak with a score of 109 to 95.

“I’d say we are off to a good start this season,” Coach Erica Zuercher said.

Zuercher, a new coach, is still getting to know the team and has really like what she has experienced.

“They have a great team atmosphere going, always

The Swimmer’s Scale:

Level Of Difficulty

Ever wonder how swimmers think of each stroke? 30 experienced swimmers were surveyed on their rating for each stroke on a scale of 1-5, in terms of technicality, speed, and endurance required. The average on each was taken for each stroke.

Technicality

1 = Cat-tastrophic 2 = Fish-ish 3 = Dolphin-like 4 = Michael Phelps 5 = Aquaman

Speed

Freestyle Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly

Level of Difficulty 1 = Cat-tastrophic 2 = Fish-ish 3 = Dolphin-like 4 = Michael Phelps 5 = Aquaman

Endurance

positive,” Zuercher said. “That’s something I really like about this team.”

Both Erica and the team have high hopes and expectations about the Blue Division League Meet, the apex of a high school swimmer’s career, from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25 at Royal Oak Middle School. The Cougars hope to defend their League title from last year.

“I believe that we’ll all be able to win Leagues again this year, second year in a row,” Yu said.

Yu gets his confidence from his inspiration and his inspiration from his team.

“The team feels like a family, and everyone treats each other like family,” Yu said. “We always help each other when we’re down; we push each other to go even higher than before.”

Sophomore Eric Heinrich, a freestyle swimmer, feels the same way.

“Everyone else is motivating each other and I’m always motivated by everyone else,” Heinrich said. “Someone else gets a good time, I get a good time.”

With this strong spirit and motivation, the team plans to continue with its winning record all the way to the end of the season.

“The team’s been winning these meets and we have to keep winning these meets,” Heinrich said.

“We’ve got to stay on our toes and not get cocky and stay focused on our main goal: winning leagues.”

PLAYER Courtney Merlo SPORT Cheerleading YEAR Senior SONG Whip My Hair ARTIST Willow Smith WHY The team enjoys dancing around to “Whip My Hair” and it gets us all pumped.

PLAYER Berrion Berry SPORT Indoor Track YEAR Junior SONG No Hands ARTIST Waka Flocka Flame WHY The song has a great beat and it really gets me in the mood.

A8 SOURCE

THE

January 28, 2011

SPORTS

1)

Home Court Advantage

Half Way through the season the Varsity Cheer team looks to continue on to States and repeat last year’s success Captions: 1) Olivia Niel-

2)

son, Jaquline Cox, Sammy Andrews, Kelsey Roseman , and Haley Baudendistel begin their round one performance on Saturday January 15 at the Cougar Spirit Invitational. The lady Cougars finished first out of the twelve teams at this competition.

2) The girls preform tucks and handspring tucks in their third round routine.

Last year at states the third round was key in the girls championship.

3) Junior Carley Pascaretta cheers on the cougars at Stoney Creek. Pascaretta being a second year junior, was granted with the honor of captain this year.

4) The Varsity team celebrates their first victory of 2011 at the Cougar Invitational. Last year the team used the mental victory at this competition to rally going into districts 5) Senior Sammantha Andrews 6) Junior Elizabeth Difranco 7) Senior flyer Heather Thomas keeps her balance atop her stunt group.

Thomas has been a varsity flyer for four years now.

(Photos by Chandler Clay and Rob Sparks)

7)

5)

Varsity Cheer Schedule CCAM Invitational @ Stoney Creek

4th Place OAA League Meet #1 @ Athens

2nd Place Sterling Heights Stevenson Invitational

4th place OAA League Meet #2 @ Lake Orion

2nd Place Cougar Spirit Invitational

1st Place Troy Invitational

3rd Place Lake Orion Invitational

January 29

Delt Plex Invitational

February 12

3)

6)

4)

Varsity Cheer team looks to take momentum into the postseason Dylan Wilcox Sports team Much like any other sport, in competitive cheer, the half way point in a season is a great time to evaluate what has been done thus far and compare it to what has been done last year at this time, and what needs to be done down the road.

For the lady cougar cheer team, every year, that half way point is the Cougar Spirit Invitational, which was held on January 15.

As the scores were being announced the girls anxiously waited for their name to be called hoping it wasn’t until the end. As second place was being announced tension in the gym was at an all time high.

“And in second place...

Rochester Adams, ” the announcer proclaimed.

The girls tried to contain their excitement knowing they had just won their first competition of the year, waiting until their name was called for first place.

With this victory and two second place finishes, the girls have been off to a much faster start than last years team. Their first place finish came at the first OAA league meet which was held at Troy Athens on December 16, at this competition the girls lost to Rochester High by only an eighth of a point. Then again the girls took second at the Lake Orion OAA meet. With a third place finish on January 22 at Troy High, the girls were

awarded with their first number one state ranking in school history.

But the girls aren’t letting this get to their head because they know that things can change quickly, like last year.

Last year the team started fairly rough but bounced back and won the state championships at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids.

This is somewhere we have been before,” senior Bryana Bayly said.

“Sure we have had some difficulties thus far,” Bayly said, “but this team has a lot of things that last years was lacking, even though we are missing some key pieces from last year’s squad.”

Last year the girls finished fourth out of twelve teams at the invitational. The

momentum gained from this mental victory set things in motion for the first state championship in school history. With a win this year at the invitational the girls feel like they are on the right path to another successful season.

“Winning States is one of the biggest thrills of my life,” senior captain Courtney Merlo said.

“Hopefully this year we can repeat. But that’s not our goal. Our goal is to work as a team and perform our best each and every time.

The girls are planning on taking the success from this year’s invitational to once again catapult them into the state competition and once again win states.

THE SOURCE

&

Opinion B1

Lifestyles

January 28, 2011 BYTHE

NUMB3RS

1 Problems

Stoney Statistics

1722

The current number of students enrolled at Stoney Creek.

(Photo by Rob Sparks)

Crowded Creek

Open enrollement closed due to overcrowding

by Catherine Foster Lifestyles Editor

When the time comes for classes to be over, Senior Hayley Raska quickly jockers for position as she tries to return to her locker for the next class.

For Raska, the hallways are a constant issue that make her late to class.

As she stands in the hallway waiting for the crowd of people to move, she becomes frustrated with this problem.

“The school is very crowded. It is difficult for me to go from my class to my locker and back to class in seven minutes,” Raska said.

The Rochester Community Schools are monitoring the overcrowding issue.

North Hill Elementary and Hart Middle School are currently closed for open enrollment applications due to current enrollment levels, according to the Rochester Community Schools website.

“North Hill and Hart are feeder schools to Stoney,” Supervisor of Student Enrollment Sandra Baldick said. “By closing North Hill and Hart the issue of

overcrowding enrollment. will not become The subdivision an issue. The next to Stoney, issue will Clear Creek, has correct itself.” “built fourteen The district new homes feels this effort since June with Vice Principal Kevin Cummings is enough mostly families to solve the with children issue and moving in,” plans on leaving Stoney 30 students were allowed Vitale Companies open to enrollment. this year, according to Sales Representative, The number of students Principal Larry Goralski. Vince Parente said.

“Stoney values every per grade has increased There are currently from 395 current center of academics, is between 28-58 lots left seniors to 448 freshmen, very student centered, in the subdivision with creating overcrowding and takes pride in working thoughts still left on in the hallways and with students who cannot expanding north. The the school in general. make it,” Goralski said. houses that are being Many people are “1500 students is the built add to the increase interested in Stoney limit for Stoney to be in student population. considered overcrowded. because, “great things “Families from out of We currently have are happening. While district, especially from 1722 students,” the school is bigger, the out of state, are buying remains very Assistant Principal, culture homes. Many people are Stoney Creekish,” teacher Kevin Cummings said. also upgrading because The increase in students Joe Glaser said. “We have of job security as well over the years has been great kids, great teachers, as the great school great parents.” caused by a few factors. and district,” Parente said.

Another factor affecting One of which is the The issue with excellent reputation of enrollment relates to the overcrowding leaves the school. Each year 20 building of homes within Stoney with many to 30 families from Holy the Stoney boundary. obstacles to endure.

Family choose Stoney as Prior to the recession, “All physical space is their desired high school. many new homes were being filled with students.

Even some families in built near the school.

Glaser said. “The hallways Today, new homes are more crowded, there the Rochester High and Adams school boundaries being built in the Stoney is a feeling of students choose Stoney for open boundary will continue having more power enrollment. About 20 to to be a culprit in school because of the largeness

“ spaces

We only have a couple more

wall

”

available to fill.

in numbers, and it is very difficult to get to know students on a oneto-one basis because of the class sizes.”

According to Cummings, this year has been characterized by more crowded lunches, larger class sizes of 32 to 34 students for the core academic classes, and close to and over 400 students per grade level.

If overcrowding continues, more lockers will have to be put in, teachers will potentially have to start sharing rooms, and potential portables will be used for classrooms.

“There is a strain in the locker issue,” Cummings said. “We have already bought more lockers for this year’s freshman class and if we have an increase in students, we only have a couple more wall spaces available to fill.”

Superintendent Baldick agrees there is an issue.

“While the district waits for the problem to correct itself, the students and staff must continue to endure the chaos created by too many students,” Baldick said.

80

Teachers in the building

33

Average number of students in the class

222

Fewer students at Rochester Adams than Stoney

The Oscars

83

Number of years the Oscars has existed

26

The most number of Oscars awarded to a single person: Walt Disney

11

Oscars won by Ben Hur, Titanic, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: the most by any movie (According to seeing-stars.com)

Auto Show

Superintendent sheds light on snow days 1907 Snow-day Requirements

(Official Rochester Community Schools) WIND CHILL: -25 (-25 deg. wind chill is district wide; a few oakland county superintendents decided on this together) MINIMUM TEMP.: There isn’t really a minimum temperature; it’s mostly based on the wind chill.

ROAD CONDITIONS: The bus driver’s take note of icy road conditions and large accumulations of snow (Courtesy of Dave Pruneau)

by Emma Guschewski Sports Team As soon as the weatherman reports that a snowstorm is headed in our general direction, one thing crosses kids’ minds: Could we have a snow-day tomorrow?

We all hope and pray and put spoons under our pillows, and wait for the wonderful phone call that allows us to sleep through the morning and relax (in the most effortless ways possible) for the remainder of the day.

Personally, I’ve always been curious as to how snow-days get called.

Who is the official person making the decision? How severe do the weather conditions really have to be? Would school officials really add extra days on to the end of our school year to make up for lost class time?

According to Principal

Larry Goralski they haven’t done so in his career, and this is a relatively new idea, anyway, according to the Michigan Department of Education’s website. Policies about snow-days were a little different back when Goralski was in high school: “When I was in 11th grade, we had 19 snow-days in one year, averaging 12 per year for the four years I was there,” Goralski said. “We missed 10 straight Mondays one year, literally every single one from Christmas through Easter, and they never added days to the end of the year to make up time.”

As for making the actual call, Rochester Community Schools’ Superintendent Dave Pruneau makes the final decision. The process of calling a snow-day is quite complex and consists of

many steps, which end up including a wide variety of participants and district members.

According to Pruneau, the first thing that happens is a few buses are sent out at approximately 3 a.m. to assess the road conditions.

The bus drivers then call the Operations Director and let the department know about the current conditions on the roads.

The Operations Director calls Pruneau around 4 a.m., and Pruneau then gets in touch with a meteorologist, who then (through a conference call with all of the Superintendents) reports upcoming weather conditions for our area and the surrounding districts. Then they try to make a decision by 5 a.m., and if they decide to call the snow-day, teachers are called around 5:30

a.m. and the student body is notified by 6 a.m.

Snow-days are a slightly sensitive topic.

“The thing is they’re always controversial,” Goralski said. “Whether the superintendent decides to call it or not, there’s always a big controversy. If we call the snow day, people think we just want a day off, and if we don’t, people think we’re putting the students at risk by having them come to school in the dangerous conditions.”

“I love snow-days. Even though administrators usually come in to school on those days anyway, they’re still great, and I have a strong internal sense that we’ll be having one more snow-day in February yet to come!”

Goralski said.

Did you hear that? There’s something to look forward to.

The first year of the Detroit auto show.

79

The highest number of new cars introduced at the Auto Show.

810,699 The record number of people to attend the North American International Auto Show

(According to naias.com)

(Compiled by Dan Moore)

B2 SOURCE

THE

January 28, 2011

LIFESTYLES

Contentious Chaos

A Peer’s Perspective Tensions rise between North and South Korea, students affected

by Nick Diamond

“The United States should stay out of the problem - it’s between North and South Korea.”

Senior

Kelsie Pittel

“The North has no reason to attack. They’re only doing it to show their strength.”

Junior

David Hoffman

“Kim Jong-il has Napoleon Syndrome, so he’s compensating for his height by bombing other countries.”

Senior Lauren Wetzel

School Team It only took two torpedoes to finish the job.

Now, senior Rachel Goh’s friend may be dealing with the after effects of the attack, making it a matter of life and death.

“He is in the military and stationed close to the demilitarized zone,” Goh said.

“My friend told me that it is very intense and he may be sent to battle, so I worry.”

The demilitarized zone, which lies at the border between both countries, is truly militarized, considering there are over two million troops on both sides, according to The Huffington Post.

Allegedly, the North Korean military fired upon a South Korean naval ship, Cheonan, on April 22, 2010. Forty-six sailors died in the attack, making this “the South’s worst military loss since the Korean War,” according to Fox News.

Then, on Nov. 23, 2010, eight months after Cheonan’s sinking, the island of Yeonpyeong was awoken by North Korean artillery fire. The chaos lasted for over an hour, leaving 2 soldiers dead and eighteen injured, according to The Huffington Post.

“To be painfully honest, peace won’t happen this year,” junior Patty Choi said.

Her aunt, uncle,

Foreign Facts

and parents emigrated from South Korea.

For her, the situation literally hits home.

“My grandparents still live near Seoul, so the violence is definitely bothersome,” Choi said.

“From a South Korean’s perspective, security is the biggest concern.”

It isn’t just a battle between two military forces, but also a battle between cultures. North Korea has a communist political system, whereas South Korea is a Republic.

This communist government has absolute power over their citizens.

“The media is so biased that some North Koreans don’t even know what is happening,” Goh said.

From Choi’s point of view, North Korea’s future does not look as bright as that of the South’s.

“In my opinion, it’s likely that the North Korean dictatorship will end badly,” Choi said.

“They have a fragile government. South Korea continues to look towards the future and hopes for peace and reunification.”

Peace is a luxury that many North and South Koreans simply do not have at this point in time.

Even though it seems unattainable, both nations still chase after it.

“I didn’t have any feelings towards North Korea until this happened,” Goh said.

“It’s scary. A part of my family still lives near

April 22, 2010 two torpedoes crash into a South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan.

the demilitarized zone.

They think it is a total disaster and hope for a way for re-unification.”

Even though it appears to be political, Goh doesn’t believe that there is a single reason as to why the two nations feud.

“When I left, the president was supporting North Korea and gave them aide,” Goh said.

“There is a large difference in politics a n d culture.

From South Korea’s point, it’s the government that is the enemy.”

This conflict has not stayed within the borders of N o r t h a n d South Korea, however.

China is remaining neutral, even though “China accounts for fully one-third of North Korea’s total external trade,” according to Time Magazine.

Choi doesn’t see China as necessarily “neutral.”

“North Korea is already a huge military power, and with China’s help, it’s even worse.”

North Korea feels as though the Asian Pacific region is being pushed closer to the brink of war.

“This all bothers

Nov. 23, 2010 North Korea launched an hour-long air raid., killing 2 soldiers.

me a lot,” Goh said. “My homeland is being attacked and there isn’t anything I can do about it.”

Sea of Japan

Demilitarized zone Seoul

Yellow Sea

Nov.28, 2010 Eleven U.S. naval ships enter the Yellow Sea, near North Korea

Dec. 1, 2010 China officially declares itself “neutral” in the situation

B3 SOURCE

THE

Equestrian Team seeks Varsity sport title

by Courtney Bourgoin Lifestyles Team The club has everything needed to be successful: devoted members, a coach, and a passion for the sport.

Money is the only critical aspect the girls are really missing.

Members of the school’s Equestrian team have been showing their horses competitively together for five years, since the club began.

The group started as a club and their label remains the same today.

However recently, members are looking to gain the more worthy title of a varsity sport and receive school funding.

“It’s a demanding sport and takes a lot more hard work than people would expect,” Spahar said.

Titled as a club, the Equestrian Team receives

The Mane NUB3RS

45 450 1400 MPH is the top speed of a horse

dollars a month on average for barn board, food, and turn around for a horse

pounds was the biggest horse ever recorded.

600 dollars for show clothing

(Compiled by Jenna Jonjua)

no funding from the school.

The average cost of each girl adds up in respect to vet bills, the horses’ boarding, and the riders private training.

Although a shortage in funding proves to be a challenge at times, the team has found creative ways to raise the many needed dollars.

For Valentines Day this year, the girls plan to sell affordable roses in the school cafeteria that students can purchase.

The roses will be sold for 20 dollars a dozen and can be delivered around the Rochester area for an additional five dollars.

The flowers are available in pink, red, and white.

“You can send them to your girlfriend, your aunt, or even your Grandma,” Mrs. Spahar said, the girls coach.

The sale begins on Jan.17 and goes through Feb. 3.

The girls are anticipating a successful return of money that will cover their riding costs.

“There are club fees and stall fees, and we pay additionally for rider registration.

The costs add up quickly and fund raising is a huge help,” freshman Bri Minbiole said.

The team also plans to continue their tradition of having pony rides at the Heritage Festival in Downtown Rochester.

This year alone, the girls plan to host five fundraisers. The money is directly put into the teams competition expenses and towards actually purchasing their own horses.

“It’s a lot of money but for something I love,” Minbiole said.

Other than the actual sport’s expenses, the team also had to raise enough money to purchase their varsity letters.

Due to their club title, the school cannot provide the girls with varsity letters or school recognition as a sport.

“We have requirements, commitments, team captains, and coaches.

This is a real sport,” Spahar said. Overall, as a captain for next season, Spahar wants the team to be recognized as a true sport and taken seriously school wide.

“If we don’t raise enough money or work hard enough, we can’t compete,” Minbiole said.

With seven new freshman riders, the girls are motivated to make this year a positive turning point for the team.

“We want our hard work to be recognized. This is our passion. This is one big family,” Minbiole said.

January 28, 2011

LIFESTYLE

Been there

Stole that

(photos by Chandler Clay)

Student’s guilt discourages stealing

by David Hanna School Team

On Dec. 29, sophomore Eric Wright stood toe-totoe with the man he tried to steal an iPhone from his car, he realized stealing was not the right route to take. Stealing has been a growing problem inside the school and around the community.

Wright, whose name has been changed to protect his anonymity, made stealing an everyday habit around local neighborhoods.

“Stealing started for me when I was at a sleep over with some friends and they decided to go out and take things out of people’s cars,” Wright said.

“After that day, everything went downhill from there. It started off as little things such as small accessories to GPS’s, iPods, cameras, and even small TVs.” Wright has been arrested once before but luckily for him, the charges were dropped.

According to the Michigan Theft Charges, third degree retail theft under $200 is a misdemeanor and can result in 93 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Stealing has also been a growing issue inside of school. Dean of Discipline Jim Ellis and Assistant Principal Kevin Cummings are always catching kids trying to steal food at lunch. But, Cummings believes that stealing is turning around.

“Actually, stealing has reduced this year,” Cummings said.

According to the Student Code Of Conduct, petty theft is an automatic step three.

“Most of the students he catches stealing, are put on step three and are given a one day suspension.

But for Wright, getting into trouble was not his main focus.

“Stealing was like an addiction. I didn’t worry about getting caught or any of that but just wanted to get items and make some money.” Wright said.

There is also emotional factor caused by theft. Not only are people upset at the fact their items are missing, but also the thieves do not always feel good about stealing according to Wright.

“The one downside of stealing is the guilt,” Wright said looking at the ground in disgust. “Knowing that some person who paid for that item will realize that they will never see it again just hurts me every time. But I couldn’t turn down the money.”

On the other side, the people who’s items get stolen do not usually take this matter on a light note.

“Just one week after I bought a brand new GPS someone had stolen it out of my car,” junior Rebecca Donaldson said. “I was very upset, $150 gone, in an instant.”

Donaldson, whose name has also been changed to protect her anonymity, quickly found out the student who had stolen her GPS out of her car but found remorse coming out of the thief so she let him go without pressing further charges.

Sophomore Eric Wright Stealing soon came to an end for Wright after being caught by the man who he tried to steal an iPhone out of his car from.

“That night...shouldn’t have happened.” said Wright, “I went up to the car, got the phone, and thought I was in the clear until I was tackled by a young adult man.”

Wright’s hands start shaking just as he tells the story.

“It looked like he was going to hit me or take me to the cops, but he must have seen the frightening look I had on my face.

That is probably the reason I am not in jail right now.” said Wright.

Whether it is from petty things such as school lunches or accessories out of someone’s car, stealing has a very deep emotional and negative outlook.

“If I could take it all back, I would no questions asked,” Wright said. “I think about it every day, all the remorse I’ve caused myself to feel.”

“The one

downside of

stealing is the

guilt.”

Senior makes special plans for after high school

by Paige Efting Lifestyles Team Senior Bevin Fraser acts like any normal high school student. He chats with friends about the weekend, laughs at their jokes, and does some friendly name calling.

But Bevin is not just a normal student. He is a special needs student.

Senior Tessa Baron has known Bevin since elementary school. To her he acts just like a normal teenager who is very caring.

“He acts like a normal loving person who cares so much about his peers,” Baron said walking with Bevin during gym class. “He even remembered stuff I told him in elementary school. It shows that he is a great person.”

Bevin was born with several birth defects.

Bevin’s birth defects do not hold him back from being a very caring individual according to Kit Fraser, Bevin’s mother.

He enjoys school because he gets to see his friends, but he also gets pleasure from taking part in many activities out of school, according to Mrs. Fraser Bevin is in a special class for most of his hours, but he does take gym class forth hour and cooking fifth.

“Gym is my favorite,” Bevin said talking about his classes.

Gym is his favorite class because of all his friends in it, he said as he was sitting in a circle of them.

During his gym class Bevin fits right in.

He sits on the floor in a circle waiting for the teacher to call attendance, makes small talk with a couple of people and

always asking them how their weekend was or what they were going to do this summer.

He always tries to be a part of whatever people are talking about.

“I had a really good weekend,” Baron said.

“Why?” Bevin will said in response, and Baron went on to tell him about her weekend.

When Bevin talks it may sound different to some people and they might not be able to understand him, but that doesn’t stop him from continuing to talk. If he thinks that someone might not understand him, he tries to find a new way to get his point across.

“Bevin is actually a very smart young man,” Bevin’s main helper and teacher Susan James said.

“He just sometimes needs a little help in some

areas, like all children.”

Bevin is not the only person with birth defects.

Birth defects affect about one in every 33 babies born in the United States every year. More than 20 percent of all infant deaths are related to birth defects. Babies born with birth defects have a greater chance of illness and long term disability than babies without birth defects according to CDC website.

Fraser has come a long way in terms of speaking and walking. Back in elementary school Baron remembers Bevin taking his some of his first steps without his walker.

“He was so happy about it, he didn’t stop smiling all day,” Baron said. “He has come so far from back then now he is walking all over during gym.”

Senior Bevin Fraser poses for a picture while working on a drawing of himself and a friend. Outside of school, he rides (photo by Chandler Clay) horses during his free time

SOURCE B4SOURCE

THE THE

January 28, 2011

LIFESTYLES

“

My brother had ‘fag’ written all over his locker at Adams in the 70’s and had his books knocked out of his hands a lot. That was always pretty painful to watch.

”

FACEBOOK “Learn a little thing called M

Why are you so self absorbed? You

“ She’s suc

Oh my God, she’

Teacher Joe Glaser

“

It’s just the stupid stuff even. In class we might be playing Jeopardy and for team names kids will use other kids’ names in a mocking way.

That’s frustrating to me.

We’re gonna ki

Cyber bullying replaces

by Julia Nagy/Kevin Adams/Rob Sparks Co-Editor-in-Chief/Opinion Editor/Lifestyles Team

S

”

Teacher NancyAnn Tomaszycki

“

I remember once when five kids surrounded a freshman and wouldn’t let him get to his locker. Then they picked him up and put him into the trash can.

”

Teacher Mark Dillon

(photos by Rob Sparks)

statistics

“

In class there was a kid who bullied another guy for spanish homework. Unbelievable he’d do that, let alone right in front of me.

Cyber bullying

”

Teacher Megan Thomas

ophomore Olivia Taylor thought they would throw a brick through her house.

“I was a little scared,” Taylor, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said. “They were threatening to throw bricks at my house. One night, my dog started barking in the middle of the night, loud, and wouldn’t stop, just staring at the window. So, I freaked out thinking that someone was trying to throw a brick through my window.”

They were her friends. Some, best friends. And now they had turned on her.

Taylor, who has been dealing with bullying and “girl drama” since the seventh grade, broke up with her boyfriend, a guy who happened to be friends with her friends, last summer. And that’s when her friends became enemies.

“I took it down to the office because they would write stuff about me on each other’s [Facebook] wall,” Taylor said, looking down at the ground, listing off some of the comments made about her. “‘Oh my God, she’s such a slut. She’s such a b****. We’re gonna kill her.’”

The name calling hurt Taylor.

“You’re emotionally drained,” Taylor said. “You don’t want to come to school because you think they are going to come up to you and say more things. It’s intimidating because it’s me against them. One against like 20 different girls.”

She also received hurtful text messages and comments on her Facebook photos.

In response, Taylor deleted her Facebook profile. Her dad took away texting on her phone.

“It just kept me out of drama,” Taylor said. “I didn’t have to see them or deal with them. It was one less way for them to contact me.”

Over 50 percent of teens have been cyber bullied, according to the i-SAFE foundation, with over 25 percent of teens reporting that they’ve been harassed repeatedly. “Online bullying, called cyber bullying, happens when teens use the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended

to hurt or embarrass another person,” according to the National Crime Prevention Council.

“We get a lot of complaints about cyber bullying,” Assistant Principal John Kelley said. “It’s not like in the past where you had to bully someone to their face, possibly write a note. Nowadays, people can get their thoughts out so quickly on Twitter, Facebook, email, text, that they’ll type something and send it out there and a lot of times they don’t even realize what they sent is bullying.”

For Principal Larry Goralski, the type of bullying has changed.

“Kids aren’t being stuffed in lockers or given swirlies,” Goralski said. “It’s much more underground. It’s more like terrorism in a sense. They intimidate with looks or saying things. Kids are much smarter about not getting caught than the old days of ‘the big bully.’ I think we do a great job on ‘the big bully on the bus,’ because that’s pretty easy to deal with, but a kid terrorizing a kid, those are really difficult to prove.”

Taylor’s harassment followed her home via Facebook and text messages. At school, someone threw baby powder all over her gym locker. Someone scrawled a fake list of the people Taylor had slept with on a bathroom stall. People spread rumors about her—that she was promiscuous and that she did hard drugs.

“The rumors were worse [than the Facebook messages],” Taylor said. “They would come up with such ridiculous rumors that people believed. It just hurts my feelings. They say I sleep with a bunch of different people. They say I do all these bad drugs. No I don’t. I was raised right.”

But the worst rumor spread about Taylor actually got her suspended.

“A lot of girls got really drunk at this party, and one of my friends couldn’t even walk,” Taylor said. “She was on the ground and I look at her and I’m like ‘Get up. I’m not gonna sit there and help you. This is your fault.’ So I went inside and then she told people that another friend and I had drugged her. She told everyone in school that I drugged her. I walked up to her, because I was really close friends with her. I went up to her in school and said,

Over

25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet

‘Why are you you. What ar Confronti “She start to the office had a screwe that I didn’t suspended f and harassin I didn’t.”

But Taylo advantage. T the harassme “Yeah, it officer said more time, o jail. They k realized they that after aw were just bei For Taylor to make her “My mom switch schoo stress on th after school brother said switched sch other school know why sh Things ha “It’s gotte said. “I have don’t like to Taylor’s n cyber bullied and Zoe Ha changed, exp “Facebook personal sta was unintelli the drama a said. “Form comments personality, accusations me. Some of Hall rec comments a site where p questions a else’s accou “The actu saying mean weeks, but a

Fewer than

1 in 5

cyber bullying incidents are reported to law enforcement

B5

THE THE

January 28, 2011

SOURCE SOURCE

LIFESTYLES

STATUS: HARASSED

u’re so full of yourself.

”

MODESTY.

- Zoe Hall’s bully

’s such a slut.

ch a b****.

”

ill her.

- Olivia Taylor’s bully

s ‘the big bully on the bus’

u saying this? I didn’t drug re you doing?’” ing her didn’t help. ted crying and she went down and told them that I said she ed up family and all this crap even say,” Taylor said. “I got for supposedly drugging her ng her in the hallways, which

or used the office to her They helped her end some of ent. helped,” Taylor said. “The that if they harass me one one of them is going to go to kind of stopped because they y could go to jail for it. I hope while they realize that they ing stupid.” r, the harassment was enough consider switching schools. m really wanted me to just ols because it’s just putting hem—seeing me come home l crying,” Taylor said. “My d it would only get worse if I hools because people at the l would start rumors, ‘Oh, you he switched schools...’” ave gotten better for Taylor. en a lot better now,” Taylor e a new group of friends. They get in drama or girl fights.” not the only one who’s been d. Seniors Emily Campbell all, whose names have been perienced hateful messages. k/text messages were abs and basically just said I igible, and they had to do with at that moment,” Campbell mspring comments are always about my appearance/ obscene comments, or false and terrible opinions of f the comments hurt.” ceived rude Formspring as well. Formspring is a people can post anonymous and comments on someone unt. ual duration of the person n things to me lasted a few as much as I thought it wasn’t

bothering me, it did freak me out that there was somebody out there who wanted to make me miserable and who wanted to bring pain into my life,” Hall said. “I was a little upset that someone wanted to constantly harass me.”

“

It’s much more

underground.

It’s more like terrorism in a sense. Kids are much smarter about not getting caught.

”

Principal Larry Goralski

Senior Adam Weber actually used Facebook to end the harassment he was experiencing.

Weber, during his sophomore year, was picked on by a senior.

“This senior would always bark or yell in people’s faces and he got me just about every day,” Weber said. “I’d seen him push people and one day he pushed me, but I let it go.”

Weber was fed up with what was going on.

“One of the days, I was having a bad morning,” Weber said. “It was right after first hour, and he barked at me so I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to me, and just looked at him. And then after a few seconds, I let go and we walked away. Later, between second and third hour, I was walking through the senior hall. And some of his friends gathered in front of me. They were asking me about [what happened] earlier. And I told them I didn’t need them messing with me every day.”

But Weber did not stop there.

“I actually solved the problem when I found him on Facebook and confronted him,” Weber said. “I just told him I didn’t need him doing that. I had enough going on and I didn’t need to worry about walking down the hall. The magic was that he actually admitted he was wrong and apologized.”

But for some, it’s not easy to let someone know they’re being harassed, let alone to confront their harasser.

“It’s tough for kids to advocate for themselves because part of the power a bully has over the person they’re bullying is the fear of reporting it,” Kelley said. “What we would like is to have more kids come forward if they know it’s happening to their friend or if it’s happening to them.”

Goralski agrees.

“I think that they should trust,” Goralski said. “And I think that everything at Stoney is built on building trust. The administrators try and build it. The kids have to trust an adult to say it’s happening and everybody’s got to be observant because we’re all responsible for each other.”

Taylor has a message to those who are being bullied.

“Just ignore [what they say],” Taylor said. “If they’re going to make rumors about you, just let them. I know they’re not true and my true friends know they’re not true. Just ignore them and they’ll go away. Don’t fight back because then it just builds a bigger fight.”

Matt’s Law still stuck in Senate “I don’t want people to

by Julia Nagy/Kevin Adams/ think that because we don’t Rob Sparks have something called antiCo-Editor-in-Chief/Opinion Editor/ bullying policy, that we let Lifestyles Team bullying happen,” Kelley said. “But a policy is only One in four students are as good as the people who bullied every day at school, enforce it.” according to the American Protecting students Justice Department. from bullying is not a job To combat this, “Matt’s for the administration and Law” has been introduced, these laws alone, though, requiring all schools to according to Kelley. have an anti-bullying policy “It’s up to everyone, not on file. Matt’s Law passed just the administrators, the House in 2007 and is but teachers to identify currently in the Senate bullying situations, and awaiting approval. students to report it,” Matt’s Law is named after Kelley said. “A lot of times Matt Epling, a freshman at we don’t know something East Lansing High School. has been happening until Epling was egged as a sort of “welcome to high school” initiation and took his life only a few short weeks later, according to Cia Segerlind, the lead on anti-bullying legislation in Rep. Pam Byrne’s office.

“This is a happy, healthy kid coming out of junior high and going into Stop Bullying high school,” Segerlind Now! said. “There was a tradition that the whole school knew www.stopbullyingnow. about and they allowed it to hrsa.gov happen. And unfortunately it resulted in Matt taking his life.”

Kids Against The Michigan legislature Bullying has been looking to www.pacerkidsagainimplement anti-bullying laws to better address stbullying.org/ this issue, according to Vice Principal John Kelley.

Crime PrevenRochester Schools is one of several area school tion Council districts that has no www.ncpc.org/newsspecific policy in place to room/bully-prevention deal with bullying. They deal with bullying under the harassment portion of Bullying Rethe code of conduct. source Guide No date has been set www.bullyingprevento create a new policy, but it has been formally tion.org/ addressed at meetings, according to Kelley.

International “[The administration] Bullying Associaneeds to feel responsible tion for directing this behavior, and laws like Matt’s Law www.stopbullyingwill help them do their jobs world.org/ more effectively,” Segerlind said.

Physical or verbal, it’s too late.” whether written or Senior Allie Anglim electronic, harassment can agrees. lead to placement on the “It’s a good thought, step system, according to but I don’t feel like it will the code of conduct. change anything,” Anglim Although the district said. “It’s great they have a deals with bullying under policy, but if [the bullying] harassment, Kelley feels doesn’t get reported, it it’s important to have a won’t make a difference.” specific policy in place.

Places to Get Help

1

2 3 4

5

Girls are

More than

1 in 3

young people have been threatened online

somewhat more likely than boys to be involved in cyber bullying

Only

1 in 10

teens tell a parent if they have been a victim of a cyber bully

(according to www.bullyingstatistics.org)

B6SOURCE

THE

January 28, 2011

OPINION

A ND T HE N OMINEES A RE...

The 83rd Annual Oscars will take place on Feb. 27th. The actual nominations, announced on Jan. 25th, are decided by members of the Academy. In anticipation, The Source has chosen films, actors, and actresses as their favorites for the nominees.

127 Hours

OSCARS

B EST P ICTURE

Black Swan

This heart stopping thriller is sure to put you on the edge of your seat. Strong performances and a riveting story are sure to make this a favorite for a nominee. (photo courtesy 127 Hours official website)

Inception

This cinematic masterpiece has a foundation like no other. It is one adventure that will keep you guessing between what is dream and what is reality. (photo courtesy Inception official website)

B EST A CTOR

This twisted tale of one ballet dancer’s struggle between reality and her mind’s perception is one that is sure to bring home the Oscar. (photo courtesy Black Swan official website)

The King’s Speech

As we follow this historical journey of King George VI, we notice an unbreakable bond between him and his speech therapist that will hold a substantial place in cinematic history. (photo courtesy The King’s Speech official website)

James Franco

Jesse Eisenberg

His effortless portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network provides a realistic and compelling performance. His addition to the film is undoubtedly Oscar worthy. (photo courtesy The Social Network

His performance in 127 Hours shows his versatility and strength as an actor. The complexity of his character makes Franco a front runner for the Oscar. (photo courtesy 127 Hours official website)

Colin Firth

This classically trained actor has experience spanning over three decades. His performance in The King’s Speech is just another example of his award worthy work that is bound to be acknowledged by the Academy. (photo courtesy The King’s Speech official website)

B EST A CTRESS

Duvall adds to the ensemble of unforgettable characters with his complex portrayal in Get Low, a magical and moving blend of folk tale, fable, and real-life legend.

Duvall’s magic surpasses others and makes him an obvious choice for the nomination. (photo courtesy Get

(photo courtesy Black Swan official website)

Her portrayal of Nic in The Kids Are All Right provides a feeling of an unconventional family through her unconventionally strong role that deserves to be recognized as a more than qualified Oscar nominee. (photo courtesy The Kids Are All Right official website)

Hailee Steinfeld Her groundbreaking role as Mattie Ross in True Grit provides a fresh face in a cast of experienced awardwinners. As a 13 year old, she makes her feature film debut an outstanding one that cannot be denied an Oscar nomination. (photo courtesy True Grit official

Michelle Williams

(photo courtesy Blue Valentine official website)

B E S T S U P P O RT I N G A C T R E S S

Christian Bale His portrayal of Dickie Eklund in The Fighter adds to the story that looks at a boxer going pro in the mid 1980s. Bale’s knockout role, that is sure to be nominated, is produced by his effortless take on a complex character who provides substance to an already fulfilling cast. (photo courtesy The Fighter official website)

He is no stranger to recognition from the Academy and his role as LaBoeuf in True Grit is a prime example of his superior acting. The complexity of his character should lead Damon right to an Oscar nomination. (photo courtesy True

Red Carpet Fashion

Grit offical webwsite

Hershey’s captivating performance as a mother in Black Swan with an ulterior motive is one that has surely raised the bar for the Academy’s expectations in years to come. (photo courtesy Black Swan official website)

As she takes on the role of Charlene Fleming in The Fighter, she becomes more than just Mark Wahlberg’s love interest. Her performance is one that will immerse you in her relationship and grab the attention of the Academy. (photo

ANNE HATHAWAY GERARD BUTLER ELIZABETH BANKS RYANREYNOYLDS KEIRA KNIGHTLEY VERA FARMIGA

(compiled by Jill Kelly and Zach Francis)

It’s kind of funny watching the Country Music Awards and hearing them announce, “Next up, Kid Rock performing his latest single Born Free.”

Kid Rock started out in his career as a rapper but gradually switched through different genres such as hard rock, metal, southern rock and finally settled on country.

Identity Crisis

Do you think you know your Country Stars? Where they started out? Their past music experience? Or where they grew up? All these singers have gone out of their boundaries as they test out different genres, leaving a legacy through the music industry.

a.2002 b.2004 c.2006 d.2008

a Hoody and the Blow Fish b.R.E.M. c. The Cars d. The Tubes

a. Country b. Rock/Pop c. Folk d. Hip-Hop e. All the above

was Darius Rucker’s band 4.) What genre is Sheryl Crow 2.) What considered? named?

Slade said. “The newer country is more pop, which is reaching a greater group of people from all ages.”

With these new, young country stars being brought into the Country Music Awards spotlight younger generations are drawn more to their pop/ rock country than the traditional music it once was.

“cross over to Country” 8.)

5.) What sic losing ground and Country music song did Uncle Kracker per-

artists Sheryl did Darius Rucker 1.) InCrowwhatanderaKiddidRock 3.) When start their turn Country? careers in? a. 1970’s b. 1980’s c. 1990’s d. other

and Darius Rucker? Or is this because these artist recognize country music’s popularity and are joining the bandwagon?

The identity crisis can go the other way too. Artists such as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain started out country but then evolved to more Pop/Rock throughout the years.

“The reason most of these stars switch genres is to make more money,”

6.)

(True or False) Is Contemporary mu-

form with Kenny Chesney? a. Smile b. Good to be Me c. When the Sun Goes Down d. Follow Me What was Taylor Swift’s first single? a. Our Song b. Picture to Burn c. Tim McGraw d. Tear Drops on My Guitar

or False) Was Elvis 7.) (True Presley ever considered a Country Artist? a. True b. False

gaining? a.

True b.

False

was Carrie Underwood’s big 9.) What break? a. Grand Ole Opry b. American Idol c. American Band Stand d. America’s Got Talent 10) What “cross over to Country” song

Answers:

9.) b 8.)a 7.) a 6.) c 5.) c 4.) e 3.) a 2.) a 1.) a

Co-School Editor

ing to physics teacher, Ryan Slade. Slade has loved country music for many years now and is a fan of the newer pop/rock country that has evolved into the genre these past years. He is especially a fan of Brad Paisley.

U.S. sales of Country albums increased by 17.7 percent in the last six months according to Arbitron, a consumer research company. Is this because of artists such as Kid Rock

“

I can’t take you seriously with a face like that.

“

My mom’s in love with Channing Tatum but that doesn’t make her a cougar.

TOM FORD

Country stars evolve into new genres If you were to go on music searches, such as Rhapsody, iTunes or Yahoo Music and strive to find musical artists such as Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Uncle Kracker or Darius Rucker they would normally be categorized under Pop/Rock or Alternative, but now Country?

These singers are doing this because they are trying to reach a wider range of ages by evolving into different genres accord-

“

Mondays make me want to punch the world in the face.

courtesy The Fighter official website)

(fashion photos courtesy The Academy Awards press room )

by Steph Siewert

“

If you don’t have sass you don’t have class.

Barbara Hershey

Amy Adams

(photo courtesy The Oscars press room)

CAMERON DIAZ

“

I’m not as stupid as you look.

website)

Her performance in Blue Valentine adds to the story of love found and love lost. Her portrayal of Cindy takes her through the heartbreak that comes with fading love and broken promises but ends with an Oscar nomination.

B E S T S U P P O RT I N G A C TO R

Matt Damon

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

Robert Duvall

Her role as Nina Sayers in Black Swan leads the audience to question her psychological stability by her realistic performance. Her take on the character is both troubling and compelling, making her a clear choice for an Oscar nomination.

Annette Bening

H A L LW A Y S

official website)

Low official website)

Natalie Portman

O V E R H E A R D

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January 28, 2011

SOURCE

OUR OPINION Grrr!

Caption Corner Can you caption?

Each issue, readers have the chance to create a caption for the picture located in the Caption Corner. Submissions may be turned in to either Mrs. Martin’s room or mailbox in the main office. Be original and fun, for you might see your caption in the next issue of The Source.

Prrr!

The Staff

Unwanted sign- Recently astrologists added a new zodiac sign, Ophiuchus. People are upset with changing their zodiac sign.

Universal phone- The IPhone goes to Verison on Feb 10!

Honor Student Freak-out- Turning in National Honor Society points proved exceptionally difficult on Jan 13, the point form due date. Many students went into an uproar upon having their forms declined.

Big Green Gig- A bunch of our musical talent showed off its skills to save the Earth! What better reason to preform is there?

Unfortunate Timing- Sadies on Feb 5 this year is planned over not only a varsity hockey game, but also a cheer competition. Attendance is bound to suffer, leaving several unhappy athletes and their dates.

Unified at last- At President Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan 25, several members of the Republican Party made a point to sit with the Democrats. Finally, Congress is beginning to act civilized.

The Editorial

Editorial Cartoon

Bullying

Online

Social networking sites disrupt unification in schools and result in increased bullying One in two.

Every day one in two teens are threatened and bullied, not just in person, but online in their own homes. Depression, anxiety, and even suicide are the result. These seemingly harmless pranks are not so harmless after all, as one harmful word or sentence is equal to life intimidating threats when cyber bullying comes into place.

Because students are constantly being pressured and harassed online, cyber bullying’s effects are even appearing in school districts. With its victims and bullies together in one place, fighting and open chaos often result on school property. That’s when the school gets involved with the usual code of conduct and the step system.

But is it really only the schools that should be involved in this issue? Why shouldn’t the

various social networking sites be involved also? If the sources of all the extra commotion in schools are really big networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, why should they not cooperate with the district to help what is already occurring in our everyday lives?

According to Larry Goralski, principal of Stoney Creek, numerous social networking sites are reluctant to give schools information regarding an enrolled student and their behaviors online. Sites deem this information as private and the property of the web site and do not offer to help schools who are trying to solve troubles among the victims who are eager to leave the school.

Because of various networking sites’ refusal to aid schools with problems that were initiated by the sites themselves, schools can not reach out to students as they were able to

OSCAR

(by Claire Donaldson) before. In the modern world that we live in, kids are not shoved into lockers.

They have nonverbal conversations and messages that are harder to trace and gain proof of. If networking sites do not cooperate with schools, it will be their own fault that violence in schools are increasing over the years.

According to the I-safe organization, more than half of those who are bullied or threatened online do not tell their parents or an adult about their problems. That means all those kids are on their own, with no assurances or guidance to save them from further bullying. If only social networking sites cooperated with the district and offered the information that schools need to enforce anti-cyber bullying, schools can resort back to dealing with only internal issues.

libs

MY OSCAR SPEECH And the Oscar goes to… drumroll, possibly a dramatic pause for effect… you. Oh, snap, you just won an Oscar. Whoop! Whoop! Now get up to that podium, don’t trip, and maybe throw in a victory dance. It’s time to deliver that well crafted speech on Feb. 27—Oscar-Libs style.

OMG, this is so

. I can’t believe I’ve won the award for

A. totally fab B. ordinary C. ...wait, where am I?

but first and foremost, I’ve got to thank

A. the academy B. that one guy C. myself

. I have so many people to thank,

A. best actor B. best small category like foreign film that the people lucky enough to have TiVo fast forward through C. miss congeniality

. And I have to give a shout out to all

A. my peeps B. my fans C. my stalkers

for always supporting me no matter what. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be here today. I also

have to just mention the other

A. dreadful B. smelly C. talented

nominees. I mean, to be up against someone like

who have accomplished so much in their life… it’s just a huge honor for me and I am

A. Tom Hanks B. the Chihuahua from the Taco Bell commercials C. the Situation

so grateful to have won. I’m pleased to be the proud recipient of an Oscar who

. Now,

co-stars Brangelina, Ryan, and our fantastic director Martin. I’d like to thank all the crew members that helped

us get this movie made—my hairdresser, my makeup artist, the people who built the set, *Orchestra starts

playing* the people who decorated the set, the costume designers, the cameramen, the studio executives, the

Oh, and I’d like to thank my goldfish Edwardo, Bob, and

swimming. And…

(Illustrations

by Julia Nagy)

E-mail: gmartin@ rochester.k12. mi.us

Members

A. Dory B. Nemo C. McSnugglespuff

. I have one more thing to say.

A. I need to pause for dramatic effect B. I must sob for a moment C. Um

who inspired me to just keep

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.

The Source Stoney Creek 575 Tienken Rd. Roch. Hills, 48306

. *Music gets louder* I’d also like to thank my parents, my grandparents, my cousins,

my neighbors, my best friend’s uncle’s daughter’s cousin twice removed. *Half of the audience has fallen asleep*

The Policy

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.

behind every great actor and movie, there are other great actors and great crew members. I’d like to thank my

A. Cotton Eye Joe B. my dentist C. the caterers

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

Contact

A. wishes he were an Oscar Mayer Weiner B. is shiny C. I can use to validate that I’m better than everyone else

producers,

B7

A. I rock B. Thank You C. Hi Mom

.

(compiled by Julia Nagy)

National Scholastic Press Association Michigan Interscholastic Press Association

THE

SOURCE

1.

America vs.

Europe

North American International Auto Show

by Maxwell White/Chandler Clay

2.

Sports Co-editor /Opinion Team There once was a time when someone would drive down the street and see only American cars. That time is over. Nowadays, many Americans are given -the decision between buying an American car or a foreign car. When making this decision, people should consider both the good and bad things that type of car has.

Senior Alex Folz, who drives a 2010 Volkswagen GTI, likes the fact that foreign cars were made for high speeds because of the Autobahn, which is a series of high speed highways in Germany. Folz also likes the fact that the Europeans came up with great ideas for cars first.

“European cars where the first with ABS (anti-lock braking system) and other electronic controls,” Folz said. “They also have better space efficiency, which means they are smaller on the outside and larger on the inside.”

Some people, like junior Adam Sobilo, don’t like foreign cars because “they are taking away American jobs and the fact that it is almost like a copy and paste.”

What Sobilo means is that foreign automakers copy American ideas and then use them on their own cars.

“Chevy has been working on the Volt for years, and Nissan comes out with the Leaf, which is just a cheaper version of the Volt, just to have the first electric car,” Sobilo said.

Sobilo, whose favorite car is the Dodge Challenger, is also a huge American car buff. He loves the history behind American cars and American car companies.

“They all had a part of putting our country together,” Sobilo said. “It was almost like a new

invention, and it just revolutionized our society.”

After a period of struggling where some of the companies even resorted to a government bailout, The American auto makers have substantially revamped their product lines. The Chevrolet Volt and the Ford Explorer were both named Car and Truck of the Year at the 2011 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 10.

Also, according to The Oakland Press, Ford sales rose 15 percent in 2010, thanks to its car and truck sales. The Ford F-150 was the number one selling truck last year as well.

Foreign cars have also been great in the past few years.

Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW have all shaped their newer cars to appeal the everyday worker. In the past, driving an Audi or BMW meant that person was someone with a higher income, but they have more cars that are affordable for someone on a regular income.

In an attempt to compete more with the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, Volkswagen has lowered the starting prices of the Jetta and Passat will be lowered by about $1000 and $8000 when the new models come out.

The Jetta, which already came out, starts at $15,995, and the Passat is rumored to debut at around $20,000.

The North American international Auto Show has always been the best place to see all of the latest and greatest from all of the world’s automakers.

3.

4.

5.

7.

6.

1. The Lexus LS is shown backlit by blue LED’s on the floor and walls.

This is Lexus’ flagship sedan. 2. A view of the Chevrolet display from

the Balcony of the new Chevy Volt. Here they have different games and interactive experiences for the viewer. 3. This is the Audi R8 GT, a lighter and more powerful version of the R8. it has a tweaked version of of the V10 from the standard R8. 4. This is the headlight of the 2011 Bentley Continental GT. Engraved around the light it says Bentley Motors. 5.

This is the 2011 Bentley Continental GT. It has a base price of around $200,000. 6. The neon color of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell. It doesn’t show here but the car has gull-wing doors. 7. This is the new 2011 Chrysler 300c. It has been blessed with a sexy new makeover and slightly more horsepower for the new generation.

(Photos by Chandler Clay and Maxwell White)