0405-3

“First place the third time feels just as good as third place the first time.” - womens cross country

Blind Date: Young lovers in the making?

Check out their first date. Section B No more stress: Student suffers from stress because of her intense schedule. pg.3 November 19, 2004 Volume XVI, Issue 3

Development proposed for Baker Road More construction might be coming to Dexter. Jim Haeussler, president of Peters Building Co. of Saline presented the idea of Harvest Valley to the village planning commission more than a year ago. Harvest Valley would be a development of homes, condominiums, professional offices, a self storage center, child care center, research park, village park, community center, shopping center, restaurants and senior care center. If approved Harvest Valley will be put in off of Baker Road near Dexter Crossings.

Dexter High School 2200N. Parker Road Dexter, MI 48130

Rock and roll: Battle of the Bands strikes again. pg.6

Student punished for mock threats

Zero tolerance policy treats jokes, real threats in same manner Sara Newell staff writer

Senior Kayla Wing never thought her sarcastic threats would land her a seat in detention.

Wing, who is one of the drum majors for the band, had been collecting money for band shirts and said she jokingly threatened a student who hadn’t yet brought in her money.

“I was just being my sarcastic self,” she said. “I was going around saying that to everyone. I didn’t mean for anyone to take me seriously.”

Even though Wing said she meant nothing by the threat, the student she spoke to thought she did.

“I took her seriously,” senior Brittany Bowling said.

“She didn’t seem like she was jok-

ing around,” Despite the fact that Wing said she was joking, that didn’t stop Bowling’s parents from contacting the school and taking the threat seriously.

Wing ended up with a detention for making a threat.

And according to Superintendent Evelynn Shirk, a detention is appropriate in this situation.

“When a student verbalizes his or her intent to hurt another person, and that threat is made known to school personnel, we must follow up on it,” she said, “Students who make threats do not always intend to carry through with them, but who can really judge something like that?”

However Wing sees some inconsistancy in the districs approach to dealing with threats.

Though steps with Wings incident seem to have been taken very seriously, she said her brother, sophomore Brandon Wing, was verbally threatend by some students, but those students only had to sign a contract saying they wouldn’t do it agian.

“They threatend to beat my a-and kicked a door at me,” Brandon said.

This apparent double standard has Kayla confused.

“I don’t get how I went through hell and got detention, and the two kids that threatened (Brandon) had to sign a contract saying they wouldn’t do it again,” she said.

According to Shirk, though, for every threat, specific procedures are followed.

Verbal assaults are to be handled by the superintendent, with a possi-

bility of a student being expelled for up to 180 days for making a verbal threat.

However, Shirk said rarely are threats taken to that level.

In fact, the most common punishment in a threatening situation is a detention or to fill out a contract.

This doesn’t sit well with Kayla.

“I don’t see how filling out a contract makes a threat OK,” she said.

However, Stevnson said, “For a first offence the first step is to fill out a contract, After a second offense the punishment changes.”

For Kayla, though, there’s a difference between a real threat and a joking one.

“I promise when if I say I’m going to hunt you down, I don’t really mean it.” she said. “I’m just joking around like the other half of the school.”

photo by Brandon Mayotte

Tootin’ her horn: Senior Kayla Wing plays her clarinet in symphonic band. Wing was given a detention recently for what she said was a joking threat.

Mens cross country team takes third state title Mike Vickers design editor

photo by Christina Field

Vanquishing hunger: Seniors Jessie Priestley, John Dobrei, Merissa Wojiniski and Alex Goss serve a hot meal to peeople in need. NHS attended the Salvation Army on Oct 28.

With a little help from their friends Students in NHS help feed the homeless at the Salvation Army Christina Feild photo manager

One hundred and thirty people packed into the large room on Park Street in Ypsilanti. There wasn’t one spare chair along the three tables that stretched across the room. A long line of hungry people had been waiting outside the doors of Salvation Army for the clock’s short hand to reach five.

And when it finally did, the people filed inside, signed their name and grabbed a plate of chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, a cupcake and other assorted goods served to them by Dexter’s National Honors Society (NHS).

Advised by science teacher Cheryl Wells, NHS is composed of students, mainly seniors, maintaining a 3.0 GPA. The club organizes activities such as the scarf and mitten drive, Special Olympic bowling, the Red Cross blood drive and the Seniors Only Food Auction.

Wells says that NHS has been helping support the Salvation Army for at least seven years. “NHS usually goes there twice a year, so we just needed a few volunteers to make it happen,” senior NHS member Krista Kappus said. Kappus added that the NHS usually goes to the Salvation Army twice a year and that they just needed a few volunteers to make it happen.

NHS members went to the Salvation Army at two o’clock, cooked the donated food, served it to the residents and cleaned the dishes afterwards.NHS member and senior Mark Messmore said he has visited the Salvation Army at least 10 times.

“The most shocking thing to me was that I haven’t been there since March,” Messmore said. “And I saw a lot of the same people in the same place.” In Messmore’s view a lot of people have been losing their jobs lately and he noticed that there were more people at The Salvation Army waiting for a hot meal this time than there were six months ago.

And for people such as unemployed Ypsilanti resident Robert Hope, The Salvation Army does makes a difference. I’ve been coming here for at least four years,” Hope said. “I come here just about every day. I liked it so much I brought my friend.”

Hope said he loves Salvation Army’s food and thinks there are great people working there. “They should have more organizations and food, and help and that such,” he said.

“But not a lot of people really know what we do,” said Major Rick Carroll, the Salvation Army’s Washtenaw County Coordinator.

“Most people just see us ringing our bells at Christmas time and figure we must be good because we keep getting money.”The Salvation Army offers people with low income food, clothes, shelter and support.

“We have Emergency Assistance,” Carroll said. “(People) come in crisis meaning they don’t know where to go ... They’ve tried everything else and have no where else to turn.”

Carroll also said that the Salvation Army also offers assistance for such things as natural disasters, veterans and substance abusers.

They also send children to summer camps so they can have experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to have.

When it comes to providing shelter, The Salvation Army asks for a small amount of money from the residents once they have a job. “We make them pay a small rent every month,” Carroll said. “Then at the end, we give it all back to them so they can use it for housing, but they don’t know that.”

In Ann Arbor, the Staples Family Center was created for homeless families trying to get back on their feet. It has 37 beds and residents can stay for 90 days. Their meals are provided and the staff helps them to find a job. They are asked to stay substance-free for at least 30 days and do chores such as washing dishes and raking leaves as a contribution to their stay.

Greg Lay, who has been a house monitor at the Staple Family Center for the past two years said, “I try to do what I can to make (the residents) feel at ease and get back on their feet.“I’ve always wanted to help the less fortunate,” Lay said. “When I was in high school, I was just busy playing basketball and going to some parties-you know, doing kid stuff. I guess I just grew up.”

As for the NHS’ members, Kappus said she and the others who worked at The Salvation Army did a good thing. “It was a good experience,” she said. “It was interesting. It opened my eyes. I saw kids which I don’t really think of. They weren’t just drug addicts.”

Messmore agrees. He said, “I think a lot of people in the school take things for granted, and I think this really opens their eyes that they can actually join a club and make a difference.”

The mens cross country team took their third consecutive division two state title at the state meet at Michigan International Speed Way on Saturday, Nov 7.

“Scouting repords were coming back saying we were the team to beat,” Coach Jamie Dudash said.

“We were the team with the most returning talent.”

Leading the Dexter runners was senior Lex Williams finishing third with a time of 15:43.

The secound finish from Dexter was senior Tony Nally who finished sixth with a time of 15:53. Sophomore Dan Jackson finishing 19th with a time of 16:23.

The current seniors have a record of 555-20 including 17 invitational wins, state titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, eight SEC Jamboree wins, four conference titles and three regional wins.

“The kids haven’t lost in division two for three years, and I think the kids realized that there were other teams who wanted to beat them,” Dudash said.

Although the success of the team linked directly to the team’s efforts, Dudash said the team couldn’t have been as successful without the help of others.

“It hasn’t just been the team,” he said. “From Mr. Roberts letting us enter B teams and paying the entrance fees, and the parents who did all the driving (we had a lot of help).”

Dudash said with all of the success the team has had this year, as well as in the past, he thinks the team will have a challenging, yet bright future ahead of them.

“I think the future will be up to the kids that remain,” he said. “The seniors have has quite the run.”

School board decision reduces parking pass prices

photo by Christina Field

Dishing out supper: Senior Jenna Stewart prepares grilled cheese sandwiches for the Salvation Army’s homeless shelter on Oct. 28.

Salvation: Did you know? When you make a purchase at a Salvation Army thrift store, you are helping to finance the local Salvation Army’s programs • The Salvation Army is active in 10,000 communities nationwide • The Salvation Army reunites 2,500 missing people anually • The Salvation Army assisted more than 6.5 million people in need last Christmas • information from www.redshield.org

The board of education decided at its Nov. 7 meeting to reduce the fee students must pay for a parking pass.

Passes currently cost $50 to park in the student parking lot. According to assistant principal Andrea Glynn, the decision was made that the passes will cost $25.

“Within the next few weeks the parking pass rule will be reinforced,” she said. “The students who haven’t purchased them will be required to. For those who have purchased them, they will recieve a $25 refund.”

2 news

theSquall

Friday, November 19, 2004

No one home ‘Down on the Farm’ Many feel that too few students show up for float building Sarah Craft editor-in-chief

Six seniors sat on the wagon doing the tedious work of twisting red and brown poms. It was Wednesday and their float wasn’t even close to being done.

And the same people had been at float building the past three days despite all of the talk at school.

Signs everywhere called students to participate. Announcements blared at the beginning of the day to remind students.

But no one else came.

“It was really frustrating because no one ever showed up to float building,” senior Whitney Holmes said. “If we had 10 more people there every -Student council adviser night, we defiSandy Klein nitely would have won first place.”

It wasn’t just the senior class that had a low turn out, though. According to paraprofessional and student council adviser Sandy Klein, every grade could have used a few more hands at float building. Every year, she said the hardest part about homecoming is getting students to help.

“Very few kids actually show up to float building,” she said. “Every class adviser told me they needed more kids to help. The advisers and the parents shouldn’t be the ones building the entire float. Homecoming is for the kids, and they should be the ones building the floats. For some reason students think it’s my job to organize everything for homecoming. I definitely need help with it.

I can’t be responsible for every aspect.”

Eventually Klein said she convinced a few seniors to help with the set up and organization of homecoming, one of whom was senior Mark Messmore.

“

With a week before homecoming, Klein put Messmore in charge of everything from counting the homecoming ballots to organizing the parade. Messmore said it was a lot of work and not very rewarding.

“It’s a lot of time and a lot of work and no one from the school is getting anything from it,” he said. “The whole school doesn’t participate; a lot of kids are in the parade and then half of them go home so there are so few people at the pep assembly. After that, everyone goes home. I know it’s for the community too, but I just think there’s a lot of money pumped into homecoming for nothing.”

Since there were complications with homecoming this year, as well as in past years, Klein said she is trying to set a meeting with community members, class advisers and at least two students from each grade to debrief homecoming. She hopes the meeting will come up with some alternative ways to run Dexter’s homecoming.

In fact, Klein has looked to other schools for examples of how Dexter’s homecoming could be improved.

“One thing Chelsea does is the students make the floats over the summer and show it to the community at the Chelsea Fair,” she said.

“We could do the same thing only at Dexter Daze.”

Another aspect of homecoming Klein wants to discuss is how the homecoming court is nominated.

“There are a few schools in the area that require the girls to do so many hours of community service in order for them to be on court,” she said. “That way, it’s not only a popularity contest. Other schools only have one representative from each grade so everyone fits on one float, and it’s not so much competition between the grades.”

Although nothing is decided for sure, Klein said she wants to hold the meeting so students, teachers and community members can have their ideas on homecoming be heard.

“I’m not saying we have to change anything,” Klein said. “I think we want more kids to get involved because it is an activity for them.

“The meeting is to throw some ideas out there and see if we can come up with a better way to do things.”

Very few kids actually show up for float building. Every class adviser told me they needed more kids to help. The advisers and the parents shouldn’t be the ones building the floats.

Photo by Brandon Mayotte

Serving it up: Mrs. Roberts works industriously during lunch as junior Ryan Seagram looks on. According to Food and Nutrition staff, there is plenty of food available for students during C lunch, and students should ask if they can’t find what they want.

Lunch budget crunch crunches C lunch Lack of food in C Lunch leaves students unsatisfied and hungy for more Hilary McCown copy editor

It’s 11:30 and freshman Arya Sokansanj’s stomach starts to growl.

He glances at the clock for the umpteenth time.

Only 30 more minutes until C lunch.

Time slowly ticks by, and it’s not long before his mind starts to wander. “I can’t wait to get some food,” he thinks.

“Maybe I’ll have some bosco sticks. Or a pizza and some chocolate milk.”

At 11:54 the bell rings. Sokansanj scrambles to gather his things and rushes out the door to make sure he’s not the last in line for lunch.

However, after stopping at his locker to drop off some books, his worst fear is confirmed. After arriving two minutes late, Sokansanj realizes there’s no food for him.

The cafeteria has run out of bosco sticks, pizza, chocolate milk and water. Once again Arya and the rest of C lunch’s late arrivals are forced into another meal of Pop-Tarts, cold French fries and pop.

“It makes me really mad,” Sokansanj said, “Because then I don’t get the choices that I want.”

But is his anger really founded in fact? According to Food and Nutrition Director Catherine Durocher, the answer is both yes and no.

“Perception is reality, but it’s not always true,” she said referring to the fact that when students see an empty pizza tray, their perception is that

there is no more pizza left.

“More often than not there is another pizza tray waiting in the back to be sent up to the front. All (students) have to do is ask.”

Due to budget cuts, Durocher said the Harbor’s staff is currently one position down.

“We’re running on six people when what we really need is seven,” she said. But being a self-supporting program, meaning that they get no money from the school, F and N has to pay for everything themselves.

This includes cleaning, gas for the delivery trucks and utilities. Despite all this, Durocher said the Food and Nutrition staff is putting forth an effort to please its customers.

“One of our goals this year has been to raise enough revenue to hire another person,” she said. “Adding a seventh staff member to float around the Harbor would be ideal.”

Also, the F and N is talking with Frito Lay, the school’s chip supply company, to get another chip rack in the lunch room.

Students such as Sokansanj often encounter the problem of running out of “the good chips” in C lunch.

The problem, according to Durocher, is not that there aren’t enough chips, but rather that there isn’t enough space to put them all out.

And since the chip racks aren’t free, F&N currently can’t afford to spend money from its limited budget for another chip rack.

In another effort to please students, Food and Nutrition’s Assistant Director Margee Faber and Food Service Manager Lorraine Bienko have proposed a Harbor Committee that would work on finding ways for students to get what they want out of lunch.

“The best part (of the committee) is the taste testing,” Faber said. “We will also explore line-time reduction, new menu selections, healthy choices and possible theme days.

“The students are our customers,

”

LUNCH FACTS

Twelve security cameras cover school areas

Daily Federal Lunch Requirements: •2 ounces of protein •3/4 cup fruit/veg •8 ounces milk •bread

Eric Wilkinson

•To qualify as a lunch a student must choose three of these five above F/N is reimbursed 21 cents for each lunch by the federal government and we won’t be successful if we don’t respond to their wants and needs,” she said.

And Faber urges students to make known what they want.

“We make every effort to keep quality high, costs low and line-time short while keeping waste at a minimum yet still preparing enough of the food choices that everyone wants,” she said. “As you can imagine, it’s a tightrope walk.

“We want to run a survey of our customers to see how we’re doing and where we should go from here but that takes time.” she said. “So in the meantime, if there’s a question or concern like, ‘Are you out of pizza?’ ask us. If we don’t know, we can’t fix it.”

ad designer

Many people become a victim at some point in their life, but senior Zach Birchmeier didn’t expect his time to come in the high school parking lot.

“It’s hard to get into your car when there’s honey all over the door handles,” Birchmeier said of the vandalism to his ‘96 Probe which took place in the student lot. “But the scratches from the key really looked cool with my car’s bodyline.”

In order to prevent such incidents, the school board approved the installation of 12 cameras around the school, but only three of them cover the student parking lot, according to Assistant Principal Patrick Little.

“Every year we have between five and 10 instances where the video cameras are used as evidence,” Little said.Although, if vandalism isn’t reported immediately, Little said it is likely the video tape would be lost.

However, he said the cameras have come in handy because of their additional features.

Little said the cameras can take

Photo by Seth Porinsky

Scoping the lot: Video cameras in the student parking lot don’t see the center of the lot. There are 12 cameras around the school. screenshots which can be e-mailed; have the ability to record, store and save segments of clips and the option to download certain clips and burn them to a CD. Birchmeier said he is empathetic to kids whose car damage wasn’t caught on tape, and offers a warning

to those who are lucky enough to have evaded it so far.

“You’d think it would make you feel cool if someone stole something from your car, or keyed and kicked it because you’d feel like they’re jealous,” he said. “But it’s not cool. It sucks.”

the Squall

features

Friday, November 19, 2004

3

Community members propose alternative to PE requirement Plan would allow students to count sports, band as PE credit

Photo illustration by Brandon Mayott

What to do when stress pulls at you from all ends Michelle Svetkoff managing editor

The sky was pitch black.

Only one small light flickered through junior Nika George’s window as she frantically studied for her exams.

George had been studying for her exams since she got home from her softball game at 9:30, and she knew this was going to be a long night.

The thing is, other nights are as least as stressful for her.

“One night I had five quizzes the next day, and at 11:30 I still had three more quizzes to study for,” she said.

“And my dad was also yelling at me about how I wasn’t responsible enough and that I needed to clean my room ... I don’t remember the last time I watched TV. My relax time is taking a shower.”

During the school year, many students such as George say they have minimal free time.

“Sometimes I’ll just run not realizBut school isn’t the only time ing how much I’ve ran because I’m so where students feel stress.

“For my travel softball team my focused on other things.”

Some students don’t have their coach was yelling at me for like 20 own personal ways to deal with stress, minutes,” George said.

“And I was thinking, ‘You’re not but counselor Gerry Holmes said most students could if they helping anything coach.’ thought of it.

The next day I had three “I try not to tell stutests. A lot of (older dents what to do (when people) don’t underI don’t they come talk to me stand that it’s a lot more remember the about stress in their stressful than when they lives),” she said. were younger.” last time I “I try to guide George did say, howthem, because I know ever, that she chose to watched TV. that sometimes stutake hard classes, so she dents just need somesays she can’t complain one to talk to, to get about that stress in her out what they need to life.

-Nika George get out.”

“I was the one who Once stress is choose these classes, overcome, she said, chose to do softball,” she most students feel said.

Still she said she can’t remember more relaxed, sleep better and genthe last time she’s been able to watch erally feel better about themselves.

George agrees.

TV. She said when she overcomes her But she did say that she has found other ways to manage her stress, stress and is successful, the feeling is amazing for her. which leads to her success.

She said, “When I do something “I usually run two to three miles, depending on the amount of stress,” well and I know no one has helped me, no one else has a claim to what I did.” she said.

“

”

YOU MAY BE STRESSED IF: •Tend to blow up easily.

•Seek unrealistic goals.

•Make a “big deal” out of everything.

•Have difficulty making decisions.

•Get less than eight hours of sleep a night.

•Have constant fights with friends/family.

•Are fighting with your boyfriend/girlfriend

Student finds alternative schedule appealing Teri Chiado photo editor

Catching some Z’s in class seems to be the norm for junior Mike Ray as he struggles to stay awake in his classes at DHS. However, when he gets to consortium, things change, he said. For Ray, the hands-on approach to education at consortium keeps him going.

Ray said he likes getting out of DHS for three hours because, in his opinion, the teaching approach at consortium is geared more to students with his learning style.

“It’s good to get out of here to see other schools and see other people and teachers in different schools,” he said. “Saline is more interactive with my class. They are more involved with the students.

“During a typical day in Saline, we really don’t start class until 25-30 minutes into class. Our teacher is really laid back. Then, we either get lectured on something such as oil, tires, oil filters or rims. Or we do some type of lab: changing oil, bearings, working on cars.”

According to Ray, either choice is a winning situation for him.

“During the lectures, I get to sleep, and working on the cars is cool,” he said.

Dexter’s schedule he said, is not

quite as exciting to him.

“I go to class, sleep, go to class and sleep,” he said. “It’s real boring except for Anatomy. Everything else is pretty cut and dry boring.”

Plus, he said, “I want to know more about cars just in case something happens to my car, and so no one can screw me over,” he said.

“Consortium is the only place I knew that I could take the classes for free. It might look good on my transcripts too.”

And there’s lots of fun to be had too. “One time, some (guy) lifted one of the cars onto the oil pan and crushed (it),” he said. “He was trying to lift the car off of the ground and ended up breaking the pan.”

Although Ray finds his Auto Tech class to be a fun environment and an important class to take, he said his real love is for criminal justice.

“The field that I want to go in after high school, schools do not have,” he said. “They don’t have a criminal justice class.”

He also said he wants his future to have involvement with the FBI or other different types of law enforcement. And he plans to go to college after high school.

“In college, I would probably play football,” he said. “I’d play for college. My intent isn’t to go pro,

Spinin’ the tires: Junior Mike Ray learns to fix a car in his consortium class. He said he’s learned a lot about mechanice that high school courses couldn’t teach him. but if I made it, I would do it.”

So even though he may not be doing Auto Tech for the rest of his life, Ray said consortium will still benefit him in the future. “(Consortium) would help me in my future because with Auto Tech, I could charge people to work on their cars and make money on the side. Like a side

job,” he said, adding that he may not be at consortium next year.

“I am not planning on taking this class next year, because we would have to be there at 7 in the morning, and we’d have to drive,” he said.

“I won’t take that class, so I will probably build up a lot of stuff for college my senior year.”

posal, if adopted, would affect many students.

“I don’t think it will have much affect on the overwhelming majority of students,” she said.

“For as many years as DHS has been in existence we have had students without a whole lot of problems fit in their P.E. requirement.”

One of the more controversial aspects of the proposal is the one that would count marching band as an Kyle Muse athletic activity. But Mary Kumbier news editor says this only makes sense.

“It is not uncommon for schools In effort to provide students with what they say would be more aca- (including colleges) to equate two demic options, parents Mary semesters of Marching Band into Kumbier and Deb Vincke presented one semester of gym,” she said.

However, in Leblanc’s opinion, a proposal to the Board of Education marching band should not qualify which would allow students to count athletic activities they already par- toward a PE alternative.

“It is not so much the physical asticipate in toward their physical edupect, but the education component cation requirement for graduation.

Kumbier and Vincke’s proposal that someone might get from Lifewould also count marching band as time Fitness,” he said.

Scott agrees. She said Lifetime an athletic activity.

Fitness covers a broad spectrum of Kumbier said the objectives of the proposal are to increase academic activities and education that stupossibilities for those who are not at dents might not get in marching risk of obesity and health problems. band.

“In lifetime fitness we cover at According to Kunbier, the plan would benefit students by “offering least 12 sports are well as 12 health potential cost savings to Dexter High related topics that can not be School and provide an alternatives learned through being in a sport or two,” she said. for physiAlong with becal activity ing one of only two outside of high schools in the the curcounty without alriculum ternatives to gym, and [to] DHS is also the utilize only school in commuWashtenaw County nity reto not require a sources.” health class.

T h e “Therefore we current need to implement P.E. reit somewhere, and quirement -Angie Scott that is why our consists of Lifetime fitness one full class is so imporcredit of tant,” Scott said. physical education. Students must complete “It is very important that we don’t at least one semester of lifetime fit- start giving young people the imness and one semester of an elective pression, through our actions, that physical activity and health are not course.

Kumbier and Vincke’s proposal an important part of our lives. Bewould allow the elective to be filled cause they are an absolute crucial by participation in an activity such part.”

For students who can’t currently as two seasons of band or participation in a school sport. “This allows fit PE in to their schedule, there are more academic freedom at the high other alternatives to gym including a $200 for a summer course to earn school level,” Kumbier said.

Dexter is one of two schools in the PE credit.

However, Kumbier sees this alarea that have no option of an alternative activity to replace the gym re- ternative as a problem for some families. “Although there are famiquirement.

Counselor Larry LeBlanc, how- lies that will pay, not everyone is ever, said the component of learn- able to make that financial and/or ing to be fit for a lifetime is very ben- time commitment to meet the reeficial. “I am very supportive of quirement, many students need to maintaining physical education in work in the summer,” she said.

Although Kumbier said passing the curriculum,” he said.

For some students who can’t find this proposal would benefit students room for electives in their schedule, as far as academic freedom, Scott however, the plan seems like a win- said she is very confient there are a large number of seniors who are takner.

Kumbier’s son, sophomore Kirk ing teacher or office aide, early release, late start or have taken too Kumbier, is one of these students. “(The proposal) would let me opt many electives at one point in their out of gym because I play soccer and high school career.

As far as where the proposal I swim,” he said. “It would give me more electives since I’m in a lan- stands, Scott said,“There has really only been talk about this, and we guage and music.”

But PE teacher Angie Scott said aren’t sure what it will entail as far she does not believe that the pro- as specifics.”

“

Our lifetime fitness class is so important.

”

4 feature

the Squall Friday, November 19, 2004

Holiday tidings from a new land Exchange students from around the world experience American holidays Thanksgiving approaches. Halloween is long gone. Christmas is not far off. And all kids’ thoughts turn to Santa Claus. That is unless your name is Edgard Curmina or Joao Mussi, and you’re still figuring out what the deal is with the jolly old man in red.

Curmina and Mussi have lived in the United States for less than three months, all of these in Dexter.

Both bronzed; one short and slim with gelled hair and a Abercrombie jacket, the other tall with a flop of black hair and a nondescript white hoodie, Curmina and Mussi don’t differ much from well-tanned Americans.

However, Curmina hails from the Campeche district of Mexico, across the Yucatan peninsula from Cancun.

Mussi resides off of Brazil’s southern coast on Florianopolis, an island haven. He says it’s the Argentineans that are the hated tourists in his hometown, not the Americans.

Although Curmina was informed about Thanksgiving by his American host, senior Eric Franson, he only knows, “You eat lots of turkey. We eat turkey at Christmas (in Mexico),” he said. Mexico’s Christmas and America’s Chirstmas share few other similarities, religion replaces commericialism for most Hispanics.

Mussi said his host family, the Herrlingers, have not informed him much about Thanksgiving. “I just hear about turkey,” he said. It occured to Mussi that Americans should take their holidays a bit more seriously.

The Hispanic world has its peculiar holidays, including Dias de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead, and Carnaval, similar to Mardi Gras.

Curmina estimates 70 percent of Mexicans are Catholic and most holidays signify some religious event. The coming of the wise men after Christmas means much more to the average Mexican than the average American, he said.

The five-day long Carnaval is one of the biggest shows in Mexico, Curmina said. There are Carnaval parades and a festival in Campeche, unlike Cinco de Mayo (May fifth) which Curmina said “is not a festival ... it’s just a special day.” He added that Mexicans living on the US border encourage Cinco de Mayo the most.

Carnaval, synonymous with Mardi Gras, is unlike any American festival.

Curmina proudly said, “My girlfriend was the queen (for Carnaval).”

In a metropolis such as Rio de Janeiro, both Curmina and Mussi agreed that the last day of Carnaval is one big party.

Arriving Oct. 31 and leaving Nov. 2, spirits of dead relatives highlight the Days of the Dead. Mexicans honor their ancestors through step-altars adorned with fruits, flowers, incense, etc. Like American holidays, Days of the Dead involves meals including pibipollo, a kind of food with chicken, and pan de cazon, a tortilla with fish and black beans.

Brazil celebrates the Days of the Dead as well, but the name and customs are Portuguese. Comparing this day to Halloween Mussi said, “We have white pumpkins, (but) no jacko’-lanterns.” Mussi emphasized that Brazilians expend less than Mexicans on this holiday. He said people “go to the cemetery and just see (their) relatives.”

Both Brazil and Mexico consist mostly of Catholics, causing Curmina to say, “I hear that there are a lot of different types of people in America.”

STUDENTS AND FESTIVITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD Austria – Senior exchange student Ana Orescanin, St. Nicholas Day: On Dec. 5 and 6, the original St. Nick beat naughty children and placed gifts in the boots of the good children. The krampusse, or St. Nick’s helpers, roam the streets tormenting children in their way.

Brazil – Senior exchange student Joao Mussi Carnaval: In the same week as Mardi Gras, pre-Lenten Catholic festival for binge partying before the 40-day fast.

Germany – senior exchange student Katrin Suller Erntedankfest: Harvest festival on the first Sunday in October. Originally a festival when farmers brought in the produce, now villages mark with a visit to church. The church altar is decorated with seasonal fruit and flowers that the congregation donates to the needy.

Mexico – freshman Lucy Lopez Cinco de Mayo: On May 5, the celebration of Mexico’s food, music, beverage, and customs are celebrated in remembrance of their Mexican heritage.

Mexico – senior exchange student Edgard Curmina Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead): This celebration consists of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day (the Day of the Dead). It is a Catholic holiday to remember deceased relatives with food, altars, gravesite vigils and joviality.

Photo by Jennifer Allen

Pickin’ up trash: Senior Lindsay Aeschliman picks up trash around the school for environmental club. She said,“It’s a good way to give back.”

Off to Save the World Environmental club strives to help Dexter, community and world Jennifer Allen

Peru – Senior Luis Escudero Corpus Christi: Participation includes procession 60 days after Easter to greet Christ’s body at the town cathedral.

The celebration is preceded the evening prior by a 12 dish feast and followed by a return processional seven days later.

Russia – Sophomore Margarita Malysheva Maslyanitsa (Pancake week): Celebration of winter’s end, the week before Lent.

Townsfolk burn a scarecrow representing winter and serve blini, a thin pancake topped with sugar or honey.

circulation manager

A few determined enviornment club members met outside the school on Oct. 20and went to work on the trashed grounds. They picked up trash, pulled invasive plants and cleaned the area.

“There were wrappers, bags, even the leg from a school chair laying around the grounds,” science teacher and environmental club adviser Amanda McLenon said. “Last year, we found several animals, including a large garter snake, that were entangled in the mesh they put down for the grass seed, and in the trash on the grounds.”

McLenon said the club was hopies to improve the appearance of the school in any way they can.

“The students hope was that people would be less likely to leave trash in a place that already looks clean.” McLenon said.

According to McLenon, the club was formed towards the end of last year.

Before that, she was in charge of the Purple Loosestrife club. Because Purple Loosestrife is no longer funded by Niles Laboratory, McLenon wanted to find another way to benefit the environment.

“Towards the end of last year, one of my (Ad-

vanced Biology) classes had a project in which they cleaned up the area around the school,” McLenon said. “They not only made a big difference, but they also had a great time. That’s when we decided to form a club.”

So far, the club has done a lot of small projects,

“

It’s important for our generation to start getting involved now.

“

Thomas Leonard sports editor

-Amanda McLenon, environmental club adviser such as collecting used shoes and taking them to Lansing to recycle the shoes into basketball courts.

They also sell chocolate Dagoba bars which are made from cocoa trees in the rain forest.

“Selling chocolate Dagoba bars do two things.”

McLenon said. “It provides people living in rain forest areas with a fair wage they can live on for growing cocoa without selling the canopy trees and decreasing the amount of rain forest left. It also educates people who buy them about the impact consumers have on the environment.”

McLenon said the club plans to do other things like restoring the trail through the wooded area of DHS, starting a compost pile, pulling invasive species from the environment and raising awareness of environmental issues.

“Our main goal is to improve our local area, then we’ll move to global action.” she said.

The club meets in McLenon’s room, 304, after school Wednesdays.

“It’s a lot of fun,” senior Lindsay Aeschliman said. “I really like being a part of something that makes a difference. It feels really good to help the environment. Everyone should definitely join.”

And McLenon said the club is not only a good time for the people involved, its projects are beneficial to the community as well.

“Environmental Club is a great way to make a difference in the community and have fun,” McLenon said.”It’s important for our generation to start getting involved now.”

the Squall

Friday, November 19, 2004

entertainment

5

Five must-see movies for film fanatics Ager finds movies that appeal to the film buff in us all David Ager staff writer

Aliens This blurred vision of a space-age future is the much praised sequel to the ground-breaking movie "Alien."

Of every movie in the Alien series, this one is the best yet.

The one thing that separates this movie from the rest is the non-stop action sequences where the Marines battle it out with the aliens. The look of the aliens is surreal and the special affects are top class.

Sigourney Weaver is excellent as Ripley, a lost soul living in a different world as she confronts these aliens.

Also note Bill Paxton in his role as Hudson. That guy makes me laugh every time I see him. I find myself enjoying this movie many times over and over again. It is the best outer space adventure movie, truely.

Taxi Driver A dark film about a man trapped in his life and how his job eats away at his sanity. "Taxi Driver" stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a man who finds himself working night and day shifts as a taxi driver.

We follow him as he works his shifts and encounters numerous amounts of bizarre riders and interacts with them. Slowly we see how his job is driving him insane. Finally, in a sort of twist, he ends up saving himself in a lucky incident involving a 12year-old prostitute.

De Niro's acting is tremendously effective, and viewers are sucked into the plot through this. The overall feel to the movie is mystic. While Travis

goes berserk, we wonder what his next move will be. Great movie that really looks deeply into an insanity-driven mind.

Dumb and Dumber This movie is perhaps Jim Carrey's best comedy role to date. This movie is about two idiots who follow a girl to Aspen because she left her briefcase at the airport.

Of course, they mess everything up, but it is the Jim Carrey/Jeff Daniels combo that makes this movie such a great comedy. After viewing this movie, it seems like these two were meant to make such a wacky wild comedy.

No line in this movie fails to catch a laugh or two. This movie, along with other Farlley Brother's films, has been a stepping stone to the comedies of today. So many blockbuster hits mimic this film but seem to fall way short. No other film can pull off comedy by selling a dead bird to a blind kid. This movie is a true gem to our lives.

Rushmore This is a brilliant movie about an oddball kid (Jason Schwartzman) who is going to a prep school named Rushmore. He belongs to many clubs, yet he still manages to flunk out, which sends him to a public school.

A new, young teacher is introduced to Rushmore, and he falls in love with her. But Schwartzman’s character is in competition with a divorced millionaire (Bill Murray).

The style of the movie is what I enjoyed most. Director Wes Anderson

Photo Illustration by Eric Wilkinson

sets up a dark, playful mood where you find the characters lost and in need of something.

Bill Murray brings a dark, comedic element to the screen in a wonderful performance. Jason Schwartzman also lights up this screen as a bewildered, selfishly lost boy.

This movie is toped off by a phenomenal sound track that really illuminates the movie.

Brazil I find myself wondering many things about this movie, mostly because it is so unbelievably weird.

It’s about a man (Jonathan Pryce) living in a futuristic society where everything is filed in perfect order and no one is out of line. The smallest paper work infraction will get a person sentenced to death.

While Pryce’s character lives his life, he has many things to worry

about. His society is crashing down due to rebel terrorists trying to break free from the society in which they live.

For him, life is normal though. In his dream, he has a picture of a secret love whom he longs to have, yet can never find her. While trying to find her, he encounters how rough the system actually is.

I am a lover of the weird, which this movie is perfect example of. It is amazing the things that people can come up with.

The look of this new world is extravagantly bizarre which I enjoy watching. My favorite part of this movie is the way that the government puts people to death. It has to be seen to be believed.

This movie also features a surprise appearance by Robert De Niro.

Jonathan Pryce is also excellent in his role of Sam Lowry. He brings an innocent feeling to the character.

Ager’s other notable movies Pulp Fiction

Road Warrior

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Platoon Apocalypse Now Blood Simple The Grifters THX 1138 Predator The Great Escape

12 Monkeys Cool Hand Luke Repo Man The Last Picture Show Citizen Kane Mean Streets China Town Paris Texas A Clockwork Orange

The Royal Tannenbaums

Requiem for a Dream

Good Charlotte make hopeless attempt at good music but fail Seth Porinsky Staff Writer

The other day I was running downtown with my friend, senior TJ Larosa, thinking about how much cross country practice sucks.

Our legs were weary of the seven miles we had already trekked.

As we crossed a street, cutting off a car in the process, we began to think about how our sport is discriminated against by many classmates.

The car, seemingly hearing us, immediately emptied an entire case of compact discs at our team and many casualties were sustained.

Had it not been for one tiny coincidence, this incident very well could have been the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

As TJ and I plotted to chase down and drag the driver out of the car, Grand Theft Auto style, I spotted a Good Charlote disc on the ground.

My one prayer was that the fresh scratches on the disc would not hinder my listening pleasure.

As TJ and I popped it into my CD player, my prayers were answered. As the first charming guitar plucks of track one, “A New Beginning” started, I reached a state of unequalled bliss.

The song wound down, and I heard the familiar vocals of “The Anthem.”

We had both heard this one on the radio and began jamming out. I could not help being able to relate to this song..

It was an anthem written specifically for losers. Finally some music that wasn’t written for popular people.

Although I was sad this song ended, my sorrow was quickly obliterated when I recognized the next song also. It was “Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous.” I had worshipped this video on MTV for years, and now I finally possessed the album.

Once more, I felt like Good Charlotte had been

“

I finally realize that girls don’t just like me for who I am, but for my ‘94 Carolla.

”

-Eric Kumbier, senior

stalking me and writing songs about my life. Every lyric applied directly to my life. But then, of course, who isn’t tired of those celebrities? “All they do is piss and moan inside the Rolling Stone.”

Senior Eric Kumbier says he finds it easy to relate to Good Charlotte, most notably for their song “Boys and Girls”. In it, lead singer Joel Madden says, “Girls don’t like boys/Girls like cars and money.”

“I finally realize that girls don’t just like me for who I am, but for my ‘94 Carolla,” Kumbier said.

Recently, I was confronted with a scoffer, a truly ignorant person who couldn’t understand Good Charlotte’s real talent. They brought up the point that the members of Good Charlotte were those “celebrities,” and that they were being hypocritical because they were leading a lifestyle of the rich and famous.

“Not Good Charlotte. Other celebrities,” I said.

As a result of my newfound musical interests, I have decided to take up skateboarding. I’m doing well with the whole, “I’m 17, and I’m angry at my father,” syndrome.

And now, everytime I start to feel as if I’m a loser, I just pop in “The Anthem.” I just “throw all my hands up” and remember that it’s not really my fault. It’s the fault of those popular people. It’s the fault of my parents. After all, who wants to take the blame for their own misfortunes?

Cartoon by Kendall Goode

6 entertainment

the Squall

Friday, November 19, 2004

Rappin’ Ronnie Reagan rules

Mike Vickers design editor

The battle of the bands

Music saves them: Sophomores Eric Deveers, Kevin Monteth and Alex Kruasman jam out at a practice session. Below the members of 3ree Red Chesters goof around in between practicing.

3ree Red Chesters competed with four other bands on Nov. 11 Photo by Jon Williamson

Jon Williamson staff writer

There wasn’t one pivotal moment in my 17 year history where I simply squinted my eyes a little bit and said, “Hey! I’m going to be a rapper when I grow up.”

This notion crept up behind me much like a mugger from the dark.

Rap stole more than my wallet though, it stole my heart.

I remember trying to beat Donkey Kong Country while listening to Puff Daddy songs on repeat for many of my summer days.

I remember resenting my best friend’s metal-head older brother when he told me that rap was merely an acronym for Retards Attempting Poetry.

I could never understand how rap artists’ covers of classic songs could be so consistently ... well ... better.

My love of rap continued when my cousin introduced me to all of her cool high school friends who taught me how to freak dance and how great it was to be 12 years old, underneath the spell of beauty, lust and rap.

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The words rang out from the television hanging in the corner of my eighth grade social studies classroom.

My Reagan report had been by far the best with a fully interactive Power Point, quiz and various sound clips.

It was the first time since Nelly released the single ‘Country Grammar,’ that I was completely awestruck by a human being’s since of compassion and virtue.

For many weeks afterward I forgot about rap altogether. I realized that Reagan was just as much of a thug as any rapper of the time: he took a bullet, took on the Reds and starred in many lukewarm Hollywood films in his time.

He was the conservative super gangsta’ that I needed most at that point in my life.

My Jay-Z records were collecting dust, and the girls were a little less freaky. I would sit until midnight in my basement on the Internet on online Reagan forums, wearing duck pajama pants and eating Ramen noodles. Then one day my friend grabbed me by the shoulders and gave me a little shake.

“Where are you man? Where did you go?”

I must admit, I didn’t know.

My Reagan obsession had separated me from who I was like the wall of Berlin.

All of a sudden it fell. Nelly got more of my stereo time, Jay-Z posters went back up on my walls and the girls were as freaky as ever.

Reagan taught me a lesson that I won’t soon forget: You’re only on this planet for so long, so there’s no time to wait for what you want to trickle down.

“He lives not long who battles with the immortals, nor do his children prattle about his knees when he has come back from battle and the dread fray,” said Homer in the Greek epic poem the Iliad.

Battle: something so treacherous, so diabolically dangerous that the very mention of it is enough to make a week man flee and the bravest warrior shake in his boots.

It is this great adversary that threatens to consume five lonely soldiers as they attempt to prepare themselves for the looming threat that will confront them on Nov. 11 at SPACE. Yes, it is that almighty foe “Battle of the Bands” that attempts to defy these humble musicians.

I made my way through the blinding darkness towards the fortress that is said to house our intrepid heroes.

The soft echo of music bounced of the walls beckoning me on.

I was immediately struck by the full power of the rock and roll that was being hurled at my senses from every angle.

The band “3ree Red Chesters”, just as the other bands that will perform at the Battle, is experiencing the backbreaking pressure that comes with a show for which they are ill prepared.

Sophomore and lead guitarist for 3RC Alex Krausman said, “(Battle of the Bands) is a really a great way to get your band exposure.”

According to English teacher and Battle of the Bands founder Deb Marsh, the premise of this musical extravaganza is to take local bands, give them a stage and an audience and let them play there hearts out.

Judges present their verdict at the end of the night and the winning band receives more than just bragging rights, they are also presented with a handsome chunk of cash as icing on their cake.

With a turnout that often exceeds 250 people, it is important that their strategies are firmly in place.

In order to assure such precise perfection, 3RC has been feverishly practicing to nail down a definite set and iron out some of their musical wrinkles for the performance.

They have recently added a new member to their roster, sophomore Megan Wonacott who took over lead vocals for the band .

Wonnacott said, “Even though Battle presents a formidable foe, we shall rise to the occasion and smite it with the mighty powers of rock.”

There will be four bands playing at the Battle.

Additionally senior Max Harris will play an acoustic set under the alias of “The Proph,” and junior Adrian Pierre will showcase his original techno music.

Marsh said, “I’m really looking forward to the starting of this year’s SPACE season with a high energy battle. We are having eight SPACE sponsored events and I hope they are all successful.”

With their battle plan set and their weapons poised, it seems as if the young recruits of 3RC are ready for all the horrors that could possibly face them.

With Homer’s words in mind and the realization that they are responsible for the consequences that could befall them, their bravery in battle is something to marvel at.

Photo by Jon Williamson

The incredible tale of Willy Walrus From The Squall’s vault of fiction comes a timeless tale of the trails and tribulations of being a walrus TJ LaRosa staff writer

On a fine October day, Willy was walking around downtown with his friends Bobby, Joe and Darficus.

But Willy wasn’t like his friends. Willy was a walrus.

Willy took a lot of crap for being a Walrus, but, hey, it was a birth defect.

I mean, what can he do about it?

People are just prejudice against walri these days.

Anyway, he was walking downtown with his friends, and they decided that they wanted to get some ice cream. They moseyed down to their local Dairy

Queen, where they bought a couple of Blizzards.

Willy had to have Bobby feed it to him since his flippers did not allow for the rapid consumption of ice cream.

I guess this kind of worked out for Willy, though, since Bobby and Darficus both died of ice cream headaches from eating too fast.

And that’s when it hit him.

Willy wanted to have a pet of his very own, one he could play with all by himself, just like all his other friends had. One of his friends, Jeremy, had this T-Rex, and he went off skateboard ramps with it. It was super-sweet.

Willy waddled home to his mother, immediately asking to get a dog.

Willy’s mother was a computer, and she said no.

Being in his teen years and a little rebellious, Willy just said, “Whatever,” and control-alt-deleted her.

He saw dogs, cats, birds, nothing that really ticked his fancy, until he saw a soda-like machine, a vending one, only this one sold sharks.

He popped in $1.25 and surely enough, out popped a shark. The shark immediately replied in a German accent, “Hallo, I am Hanz, und I am a shark. Look at mein abs.” The shark definatley had huge abs.

The End.

This little walrus has a big adventure. Check it out. It’s amazing.

Illustration hand drawn by TJ LaRosa and colored by Kendall Goode

Q: What characterisitics do you look for in a girl?

A: They have to be athletic and funny.

a little more SQUALL

B

senior Matt Brown

TheNewSection

“

photos by Molly Brewster

Not the average dinner and a movie

Waiting to break the ice: Senior Matt Brown and junior Jill Baird scan the menu at the Dexter Pub while on their blind date.

The waitress had to return to their table three times before they were ready to order. Enter if you dare: Brown and Baird walk into the Terrified Forest located outside of Pinckney. It took the couple 40 minutes to make it through the haunted maze.

Blind Date Molly Brewster morale manager

As he walked down the stairs with one more hour left in the school day, senior Matt Brown wondered what his Friday night would be like. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake when he agreed to go on a blind date for The Squall.

Just as he thought about who his blind date might be, he heard a loud voice behind him.

“My dad is making me wash my car because I am going on that blind date for the newspaper tonight,” junior Jill Baird said.

Brown contemplated whether or not to turn around to see who the girl was. In the end he looked over his shoulder, not recognizing the blonde behind him.

As Baird talked to her friends before sixth hour, she too wondered about who her blind date was, not realizing he was walking a few feet in front of her.

Four hours later Brown nervously waited in the school parking lot, unsure of how his Friday night would go.

“I usually hang out with girls from

the swim team, pretty athletic and dinner. “My first thoughts were that fun to be around,” he said. He was it wasn’t going to be too bad,” Brown uncertain if Baird would be one of said. “It seemed like things were gothose girls. ing to lead to a good time.”

Baird pulled into the parking lot A few awkward moments of siright on time. lence on the ride from the high “I was so nervous because not school to dinner led Baird to believe only was I about to go on a blind her worst fears about the blind date date, but Matt might come true.

“I just hoped was standing in the parking lot there wouldn’t just waiting for be a lot of weird me,” Baird said. silences,” she “I stopped at evsaid. “I didn’t want to end ery single stop sign in the parkup talking too ing lot, because much, and Matt I knew he was seemed a little watching me. shy at first, so I figured that I thought, ‘He probably thinks would end up I’m a loser.’” happening.”

-Jill Baird Baird jumped Conversajunior out of her car tions began to and quickly ran flow more easily over to Brown and introduced her- at dinner, everything from college to self, apologizing for being late, even sports to movies came up. though she was really on time.

“We started out talking about our “The only thing it looked like we interests and one thing just led to anhad in common is that we were both other,” Brown said. “I was surprised blonde,” Baird said of her first im- at how natural dinner seemed, it pression of Brown. didn’t seem like we were on a blind After introductions, the couple date at all. It seemed like Jill and I was escorted to the Dexter Pub for were just old friends.”

“

It was so weird to think we were just standing a few feet away from each other at the football game just a week before our date.

”

The two got so in depth in conversation they forgot to look at the menu. They had to ask the waitress to come back three times before they were ready to order. “I had a hard time making up my mind on what to order,” Baird said.

“If Matt hadn’t made some suggestions I never would’ve made up my mind.”

“Dinner went a lot better than I expected,” Baird said. “I agreed to go on the date to have fun, and I knew I was going to have a good time because dinner went so well.”

Brown was also pleased with how dinner went. “There was some silence early on,” he said. “But after a while we didn’t stop talking.”

Both realized they had more in common than they thought. “It was so weird to think we were just standing a few feet away from each other at the football game just a week before our date,” Baird said. “And I was thinking who is that crazy kid with his shirt off and chest painted.”

The two agreed they could handle the gloomy weather and decided that

going to a haunted house would be a fun way to end their date. “We both laughed a lot on the car ride over to Pinckney,” Brown said. “Jill is really funny and kind of crazy.”

As the couple waited in line to enter the Terrified Forest, Baird warned Brown not to be surprised if she jumped on him or grabbed his arm mid-haunted house.

“The ice was already broken by the time we went to the haunted house,” Brown said. “It seemed like we were just going as regular friends.”

They came out of the haunted house holding hands and laughing, as it had taken them 10 minutes to navigate through the maze at the end of the haunted house.

“I was really happy we decided to go to the haunted house,” Baird said.

“Matt might’ve been more scared of my screaming and jumping than the people who were supposed to be scaring us.”

The date ended back where it began, the high school parking lot.

“The date went by really quickly,” Brown said. “And I had a really good time, because we connected and nothing went wrong. It could’ve been a lot worse. We could’ve been complete opposites and disagreed on everything.”

Baird agreed, “Matt would be the perfect guy to bring home,” she said.

“He is so cute, and there are lots of things we have in common. He wants to go into the Navy, and my dad was in the Navy, so my parents would really like him.”

Brown was happy to have met someone, whom, without the date, he may never have gotten the chance to know. “If we had a class together or something we would probably talk a lot,” he said. “But she definitely isn’t the stereotype of the girls I hang out with. They are usually swimmers and not as loud and outgoing as Jill.”

Both Brown and Baird agreed they would remain friends.

“I will probably just start laughing the next time I see Matt in the halls,” Baird said. “I remember all the times I made a fool of myself on the date and will wonder if he does too.”

Cross country: More than a seasonal sport Young team looks to improve on this year’s third place state finish Jenny Heldt features editor

The sun was already up as sophomores Melany Mioduszewski and Jessie Vickers laced up their running shoes in preparation for their morning run.

“We practiced together every day over the summer,” Vickers said.

While Mioduszewski added, “Our parents got kind of annoyed because we were always together.”

Last year as freshmen on the womens cross country team, both Vickers and Mioduszewski were key runners. They held two out of the

seven spots which make up a varsity cross-country team.

But that wasn’t good enough for them.

“Last year I was mostly the seventh runner, but I wanted to be faster,” Vickers said. “Melany is fast, so we started running together so we could both get better.”

That summer day the duo ran seven miles to Chelsea.

“We stopped at Zuzu’s to eat,” Vickers said. “But neither of us really wanted to eat there, so we went to Common Grill and ate in our sweaty running clothes. Everybody else was wearing business suits or khaki’s and a sweater. We felt out of place.”

As sophomores, they are young runners, but their goals show no sign of youth.

“We won SEC’s, and we made it to states,” Vickers said. “Those were two of our goals. Our last goal is to win states.”

The team placed third this year, but they are only losing one varsity runner next year. The rest of the varsity team was made up of three

freshman and three sophomores.

“The team is young,” senior captain Bridget Riehle said. “They will be contenders for the state title in the years to come.”

With such a young group of girls, staying focused wasn’t always easy. Before the races, there was a particular cheer that always pulled the team together, though, and age didn’t matter.

“Doughnut,” Mioduszewski said.

“It came from the words own it.

Before races we were always kind of hungry, and ‘own it’ rhymes with ‘doughnut’. Someone started saying it and it just stick with us.”

For the cross country team food seems to go hand in hand with running. Because of budget cuts, team members had to get parents to take them to Hudson Mills or Peach Mountain to practice every day instead of the traditional bus ride.

“Sometimes we would have to ride with a senior who would take us to practice,” Vickers said. “We would leave as soon as coach was done talking, and we would stop at the Dexter Bakery or the gas station.

Coach could never figure out how we always got there after her. We always made up excuses like, ‘One of us forgot our shoes.’ She believed us until we showed up to one practice the week of states with a whole pizza in our car.”

As the state meet approached, in fact, coach Amy Wolfgang wasn’t too pleased with their eating habits.

“I just don’t want their training to be ruined this close to the end,” Wolfgang said. “The two were so dedicated over the summer. They decided that they wanted to be better, and they worked at it. Jessie has improved so much since last year and Melany has a lot of drive.”

Vickers improved from the seventh varsity runner to the third varsity runner for the team and dropped over a minute off her average time between this year and last year.

She said, “I can’t wait to start running with Melany again this summer.” She jokingly added, “We are going to be so much faster next year. This year instead of running to Chelsea, we are going to go and run barefoot with the Kenyans.”

photo by Jenny Heldt

Fired up: Sophomore Melany Mioduszewski pins on her number before the state meet. Mioduszewski said she was happy with her performance at the state meet but hopes to do even better next year.

8

the

opinions

Squall

Friday, November 19, 2004

Separate bathrooms needed Public restrooms should be a place for students only

Bling Blingin’ All The Time Aaron McLean opinions editor

Happy mall times: Shoppers at the Briarwood Mall breeze through the shopping experience. The most popular time to start shopping for the holidays is the day after Thanksgiving where sales are jumping. photo by Christina Field

Shopping it up: Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor is a popular place for shoppers to go the day after Thanksgiving. Many people think that holiday shopping is OK to begin only after Thanksgiving.

What’s the rush all about?

There’s no need to hurry the shopping process during the holidays

Straight To The Point Stephanie Rushlow business manager

It is the day after Thanksgiving and the malls are packed. Tons of people head out in hopes of finding the best deals and the perfect gift. Many Americans have named the day after Thanksgiving as a day for holiday shopping and the biggest shopping day of the year.

But junior Heidi Clements knows first hand why she and her family will not be among these holiday shoppers.

“I will never go shopping the day after Thanksgiving,” Clements said.

“It’s so busy, and my family is always

“

When I couldn’t drive, I would always go with my mom,” she said. “It was fun, but this year is the first year I can drive, so I’ll be doing my shopping without her. Normally when I went with my mom, I had a list of everything I wanted to get because otherwise I would never find what I was looking for.

visiting other family.”

In many situations, parents sometimes bring along children for their Christmas shopping trip. This is one of the reasons why Clements’ family does not venture out the day after Thanksgiving.

“My mom hates shopping, but I remember going a few times when I was younger,” Clements said. “I just can’t stand rude people. I was in Target today, and there was this mom yelling at her son for something, and it was really annoying. Everyone that could hear her just stopped and looked at her for a second, but I just wanted to tell her to shut up. Her yelling was

”

-Heidi Clements, junior

making everyone around her really uncomfortable.”

Now that Clements is old enough to drive, her plans for Christmas shopping may be a little different than years before, however.

“When I couldn’t drive, I would always go with my mom,” she said. “It was fun, but this year is the first year I can drive, so I’ll be doing my shopping without her. Normally when I went with my mom, I had a list of everything I wanted to get because otherwise I would never find what I was

looking for.”

Although it can be a challenge to find the right gift with the amount of time that most people have during the busy holiday season, Clements said it is still fun to shop for people.

“I don’t mind shopping at all,” she said. “I just hate people that are rude.

Like the lady yelling at her son,” Clements recognizes that shopping early the morning following Thanksgiving holiday gifts is a great way to find the best sales.

“I’m sure there are sales that day

because if there weren’t I have no idea why anyone would go,” she said. “But most of the time the selection is good and I can’t complain about the price.”

With all of the advanced technology, Christmas shopping can be made at lot easier than years before. Avoiding crowds by shopping on-line is a nice alternative for some.

“I don’t do any shopping on-line because right now I don’t have the Internet,” she said. “And my mom doesn’t trust anything you give your credit card number to.”

Times change, good friends remain through thick and thin

Photo from Raleigh Holmes Rollin’ with the homies: Juniors Raleigh Holmes, Kim Sullivan and Molly Brewster take a vacation together on Mackinac Island during the summer of 2003. These three have been friends since second grade.

Raleigh Holmes morale manager

Two little girls sat in front of me at church last Sunday, and I watched them get in trouble with their moms for whispering to each other and climbing on the benches, hand in hand the whole time. W atching them, I started to reflect on the friendships I have had in my life.

Things were so much easier when I was a kid. Friends were easy to make and to keep. The only reason I would get mad at one of my friends is if she was playing with my favorite stuffed animal for too long.

It’s amazing how people change.

Friends I thought I would have for life,

“

”

As years pass, true friends are tough to maintain

Sugar & Spice And Everything Nice

Thinking back to the way life used to be often brings back fond memories for me. I remember when times were simpler than they are now.

Times of throwing the baseball a r o u n d , Is there times of building forts someand times of thing pulling my pants to my wrong ankles and with me? taking a nice long urinaNo. tion seem to fill my mind There is when I remisomenisce.

Taking a thing pee is as wrong much of a stress reliever with the as taking a teachers hot bath or playing a fain the vorite sport.

It relieves district. pressure that The is locked up inside. governOur right ment to pee in peace is being separates violated, church however, and the objective and state. of peeing has gotten more The complicated governjust like everything else ment has. should Unfortunately teachseparate ers all over America have peeing. made it It’s the harder to pee.

E v e n only type though teachof segreers have a staff bathgation I room, some believe teachers choose not to in. use it. You are probably saying, “What’s the matter with that?” There is nothing wrong with it until the teacher starts making conversation.

For me, personally, I like to get in and get out and, if at all possible, leave the middle urinal unoccupied.

Some teachers, on the other hand, see nothing wrong with taking their time and chatting it up with students. Conversation at the urinals is not necessary.Whenever I walk into the bathroom and see a teacher, I go walk around and wait for them to finish up their business and then go back. If I am in the act of peeing and they come in, for some reason I just can’t pee. I will stand there and just kind of be held up and wait for them to leave.

Once they have left, the streams start flowing and everything is AOK. Is there something wrong with me? No. There is something wrong with the teachers in the district.

The government separates church and state. The government should separate peeing. It’s the only type of segregation I believe in and would be willing to fight for.

I don’t walk into the teachers lounge during lunch or during the teachers’ time. I see the relivence of giving teachers their space. I think the favor should be returned, and they should respect one of our areas, the urinals.

The bathrooms need to be a place of comfort, and the only way to achieve that is by making the urinals a place for students and students alone.

“

I don’t even talk to anymore. There are so many things that can tear friendships apart: morals, the opposite sex, etc.When I came to high school there was an immediate separation between my friends who were friends with older people and wanted to go out and my friends who didn’t.

For example, during my freshman year I had plans to hang out with some seniors and juniors. One of my friends called me before I left and wanted to hang out with me.

I told her what my plans were, but she felt uncomfortable hanging out with upperclassmen, so we weren’t able to get together.

There are four grades and 1100

In high school you have to decide what your morals are going to be, if you are going to drink, smoke, stay a virgin.# These three decisions can make and break friendships.#

”

kids in our school. That means that there are 1100 different people that you can be friends with.

Your friends might realize that they connect more with people in other grades. Some of my closest friends are in different grades, but I make sure that I don’t drift from the ones in my own grade.

In high school you have to decide what your morals are going to be, if you are going to drink, smoke, stay a

virgin. These three decisions can make and break friendships.

The other thing that can come between friends is, of course, the opposite sex. I have had an instance where two of my friends liked the same guy, and it kind of tore them apart.

Although I have grown apart from many childhood friends, I have been best friends with Molly Brewster and Kim Sullivan since second grade.

Many people are shocked that we

could stay friends for so long and through all the changes of middle school and high school. We’ve been able to keep our friendship by not letting guys come between us and our general compatibility.

Those two little girls in church made me realize how hard it is to look at the people I used to be friends with and the wrong paths they have taken.

They also make me realize how luckily I am to have such great friends.

opinions

Friday, November 19, 2004

John’s Journal

the Squall

9

Thoughts of an emo kid Kendall Goode photography manager

Cartoon by Jared Myers

Opinions are like bellybuttons.

Everybody has one. Except maybe the kid in our school who magically has no bellybutton, but let’s exclude him for a second.

The Squall received no letters to the editor for the past two issues.

The letters to the editor section exists to allow anyone to state a concern or complaint about something that was in the paper.

Letters to the editor are even there to point out something that the public may be interested in but wasn’t addressed in a previous issue of the paper.

The first issue of the paper had to go through a sudden change when we realized no one had written anything to the editor. The comic strip “The Funny” had to be created to take up the space that was left open with the lack of letters.

Although the comic strip has received many different reactions, we still would like to have you, the readers of The Squall, write in.

During October, there was a heated debate between Democrats and Republicans in the high school, yet no one wrote to The Squall about it. A new club in the school called GLOW was created for the support of the homosexual community in the high school, yet again, no one chose to write in.

You might ask, “Why should I write in?” Well, The Squall is one of the few places in the high school to get your opinion out. Even if you aren’t a writer for the paper, you can always send us a letter to let people

“ ”

Opinions are like bellybuttons.

Everybody has one.

hear your voice.

If you are worried people might not like what you have to say, take a stand anyway and send us a letter.

Under special circumstances, you can even send a letter anonymously.

That way what you want to say can be heard, but it doesn’t necessarily have to have your name printed all over it.

Now I’m sure you are thinking it takes effort to spend the time to write a letter. It involves finding stationery, a decent pen, an envelope and some nifty stamps.

Well, if you live in present day America, there have been technological advances allowing someone to write a letter without using any paper.

Of course, you’re thinking, “That’s amazing!” or “Is this guy from the future?” Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m not. Yet. The Squall may be a newspaper, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have an e-mail address. E-mail is becoming the universal way to get in contact with someone.

If you have a concern or complaint that you’d like to be put in the newspaper, just send us an email at thesquall04@hotmail.com.

Or if you aren’t a tech-savvy person, you can just write it down on a piece of paper and drop it off in Mr. Satterthwaite’s room or with one of the many members of The Squall staff.

Don’t worry, we don’t bite.

Too many penises Students show immaturity through their inappropriate graffiti

I like the color yellow Photo Illustration by Brandon Mayotte

Sarah Craft editor-in-chief

There were three lovely renditions of the male sex organ in the center stairwell drawn in black permanent marker earlier this month, two on the wall and another on the window. A penis is a strange image to be displayed on a wall anywhere, but especially at a school.

The drawings on the wall were quickly painted over, but the one on the glass couldn’t be erased. In order to get rid of the penis, the school has to replace the window.

If it was supposed to be funny, I guess I didn’t get it.

I was actually a little offended when I saw it.

Where would someone ever get the desire to draw a penis on the wall? What was the point they were trying to make?

The drawings were a vulgar and disrespectful way for someone to express him or herself.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to express thought and emotion through an artistic form:

painting, drawing, spoken work, literary formation, music-whatever. As a matter of fact, I encourage it.

I can’t go one day without having to have at least an intelligent conversation with someone about how I feel. Ideally, I would like to write about all of the emotions I got from the day.

However, I don’t really see how drawing a penis on the wall is portraying anyone’s thoughts or emotions.

This isn’t the first time students have felt the need to “express,” what I am assuming is their frustration with the school by drawing inappropriate pictures on school property.

Whenever I go in the women’s bathroom, many rude and offending words and phrases are displayed on the stalls and on the toilet paper dispenser for all to see. Why would a person want to deliver such a negative message to every person who enters the stall?

It is mean, inconsiderate and not the slightest bit funny.

Not only are the words a rude message for an unlimited number of people, but someone has to erase them.

The janitorial staff shouldn’t be responsible for taking time out of their day to erase the inappropriate drawings and disrespectful words of ignorant students.

I understand everyone has a message they want to convey to the world. But displaying it in such a crude manner is unnecessary.

Instead of writing rude slogans in the bathroom every time you get frustrated, write a narrative on the topic and submit it to Jargon, the school’s new literary magazine.

Instead of drawing a penis on the wall to show your aggravation, draw a mural to display in the school.

I understand how difficult it is to deal with school and everyone in it, but I strongly believe there is another way to share your feelings with the community.

Additionally, every piece of art you create doesn’t have to have negative connotation. I am just as eager to share good news with another as bad news. Why not make those feelings into a piece of art too?

The school is a place we are required to be. It’s a

“

Instead of drawing a penis on the wall to show your aggravation, draw a mural to display in the school.

”

place we can learn so much more than the quadratic formula. We can learn about ourselves and how to express ourselves.

Take advantage of the space you have to express yourself without being destructive.

the Squall

opinions

Friday, November 19, 2004

Students should be able to opt out of PE THE

10

THE SQUALL STAFF

ALL

S Q U A L L C A L L

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Sarah Craft MANAGING EDITOR: Michele Svetkoff

In the summer of 2004, a proposal was presented to the Board of Education by Mary Kumbier and Deb Vincke to change the physical education requirement for Dexter High School, allowing students to count particpation in a sport or in marching band as PE credit.

According to its supporters, this proposal would provide more extensive alternatives to the current curriculum, a possible decrease in expenses and academic choices for students without health problems or risk of obesity.

Currently a PE credit can only be obtained through taking a full year of physical education classes. This includes one semester of lifetime fitness and one semester of an elective. The proposal, though, would get rid of the elective requirement and allow students with two seasons of school-related sports or two seasons of marching band to receive PE credit for particpation in those activities.

The Squall supports this proposal. Although we recognize it is important to learn about health and fitness, we feels it would be more worthwhile for students to be able to take another class instead of PE, perhaps one more pertinent to their future interests.

There are many students whose fields of study, far from requiring the ability to play individual and team sports, require a knowledge of advanced mathematics, chemistry or higher level English.

Many of these classes take up a lot of time. Even if a student is a senior and only taking five classes instead of six, they are most likely using the extra hour for studying or for resting up after a long night of homework.

In taking Lifetime Fitness, students are learning valuable skills that will help them maintain a healthy life style.

Drug awareness, healthy living and how to incorporate physical activity into everyday life are very important issues that all high school students need to know about.

However, as long as students are involved in some sort of extracurricular activity involving physical effort, then it seems only fitting that they should be required to take only one semester of PE. After all, students not involved in after school sports or marching band are only forced to endure two semesters of physical activity. Why, then, should students who are more involved be told that they have to take more than everyone else? T he answer is simple. They shouldn’t.

EDITORS FEATURES: Jenny Heldt ENTERTAINMENT: Samantha Harris NEWS: Kyle Muse OPINIONS: Aaron McLean PHOTO: Brandon Mayotte & Teri Chiado SPORTS: Lee Hoggard & Thomas Leonard DESIGN: Mike Vickers COPY: Hilary McCown

MANAGERS BUSINESS: Stephanie Rushlow MORALE: Raleigh Holmes & Molly Brewster PHOTO: Christina Field & Kendall Goode CIRCULATION: Jennifer Allen & Sara Newell

STAFF WRITERS David Ager, TJ LaRosa, Daniel Monson, Seth Porinsky, Jonathan Williamson AD DESIGNER: Eric Wilkinson CARTOONIST: Jared Myers

Illistation by Kendall Goode

Letters To The Editor

ADVISER: Rod Satterthwaite POLICY: The Squall is distributed monthly to 1,083 students and is estimated to reach 4,332 people with each

Homecoming dance harder to plan than it seems Dear editor, I am writing to you about and article that was in your entertainment pages called “’Down On The Farm’ not a good homecoming theme” written by Kendall Goode.

I was very upset by some of the things written by him. First off, I am the head of the dance committee. I oversee everything that is done for the dance, and I make the final decisions on what goes on.

Goode saying “Most of our students at the homecoming dance don’t seem to have their hearts in it” upset me. I, along with the whole committee, put over 10 hours into this dance, not including the time it took to get people together to fundraise, talk to companies to donate things, get chaperones and write the Lions Club to donate even more money so we can make our homecoming what it was.

Another thing that upset me was how Goode wrote, “The decorations make me assume the student council and their respective adult helpers might have spent a few bucks at the dollar store for glittery paper, fixings for making punch and some plastic cups.”

Do you even know how much money we, as a student council, get to put together a homecoming dance? $700! Not a penny more.

When it comes down to it, about $500 goes toward paying for the DJ, who, may I say, is a

professional and works for the popular radio station 99.5. What little is left over, we spend on as many decorations as we can.

I would hope that even you agree that $200 isn’t enough to have video projectors, red carpets and huge pillars to greet our students when our school doesn’t have the money, let alone the materials, to have these sort of events.

Maybe instead of trash talking the dance, you should have come to the meetings prior to homecoming and voiced your opinion. Or you could have interviewed people in student council to get the facts.

The next time you want to take a stand on something that the student council does, maybe you should actually come to one of the meetings, every Tuesday morning at 7:10.

Sincerely, Melissa Ebright, senior

A review of hallway etiquette Dear editor, This is my fourth year navigating the bustling halls of Dexter High School. I’ve climbed the staircases, traversed the catwalk and quite successfully found my way through mazes of people.

Thus said, I’d like to use my experience

and take this opportunity to outline some basic hallway etiquette: 1. First and foremost, navigating the halls is much like navigating the road, and while it’s true that not all of you can legally drive, these things are important to know. When walking down a hall, walk in a forward facing direction keeping on the right side.

The slower paced should then keep to the very rightmost part of the hall allowing the more hurried students to pass them as needed. A pair of people walking side by side is generally acceptable, but please refrain from walking in groups that spread across the hall. These groups tend to block traffic and make some already sleepdeprived students rather frustrated. Furthermore, stopping in the middle of the traffic flow in order to chat with a friend is extremely frowned upon.

2. The hallways and staircases are used for travel. They are not your personal trash receptacles, and they are not blank canvasses for your artistic self-expression which is, from what I’ve seen, not very creative. Human anatomy should be saved for biology class. LIkewise, paper, soda bottles,and food wrappers should be saved for either your room at home (where your lack of environmental hygiene is a reflec-

tion of you and not your classmates) or for the large black trash cans which have been strategically placed for your convenience in each and every classroom of DHS. 3. Lastly, physical contact in the hallways, in any form, should be kept to a minimum.

While I am very pleased that you have found that girl or guy of your dreams and that you are so infatuated with each other that you can’t last an entire school day without showing your physical affections, I don’t want daily reminders of exactly how happy you are. Hand-holding is fine; kisses should have a time limit of1-2 seconds, and in my passing by I should see no tongues and no wandering hands. On a different note, physical contact also includes pushing, shoving, hitting, slapping, kicking and otherwise acting like a three-year-old.

Please remember there are people around you. If you aren’t concerned about embarrassing yourself, then at least try to be considerate of us.

issue. The Squall is printed by Morning Star Publishing in Mt. Pleasant, MI, and produced by the third hour newspaper class.

TALK BACK: The Squall is an open forum for student expression.

It accepts letters to the editor from any and all concerned parties. The Squall reserves the right to screen and/or edit any and all letters for inappropriate content and length. All letters must be signed. Requests to remain anonymous will be considered by the editorial board.

ADVERTISING: Requests for advertisements can be called into the Business Manager at 424-4240 x7407. Ads must be called in at least two weeks prior to the issue’s publication, which is at the end of each month.

E-MAIL thesquall04@hotmail.com

Hopefully, these helpful hints will guide you through your school days at Dexter High School.

WEB SITE www.thesquall.com

Sincerely, Jessie “Manners” Priestley, senior

Kids in the hall What do you think about varsity athletes and marching band members being able to opt out of gym class?

Journey Benjamin, freshman

John Wilson, sophomore

Kristen Burrows, senior

“I think it’s fair because they are are already filling the requirement.”

“I think it’s a good idea because usually those people don’t have any time anyway.”

“I think that it’s good because if you play a varsity sport you don’t need a gym class.”

Derek Ager, junior “I think it’s fair because it gives them more opportunities to take more academic classes.”

Joe Romeo, teacher “I think it is OK, but I don’t think it is fair. The schedule does not allow students to take the classes they want to take.”

the Squall

sports

Friday, November 19, 2002

11

Michigan should promote high school hockey more State’s current approach hurts the sport

Pop Yo’ Colla co-sports editor Many people assume that colleges do most of their recruiting through the high school teams.

However, for some sports that isn’t true at all.

In hockey, for example, there are two different routes that someone can take once they turn 16.

They can either choose to remain playing on their high school or travel team, or they can choose to further their career through the junior system.

Many people who aren’t involved in hockey probably don’t really know what the junior system is. It’s basically a step above high school hockey and a step below college hockey.

However, this is where most of the college coaches do their recruiting.

Therefore the junior system gets all of the premier 16-20 year old hockey players.

This system is what is holding high school hockey back, especially in Michigan.

It isn’t all the junior system’s fault though. For instance, in places like Minnesota and Wisconsin, high school hockey is so good that many kids will play four years for their high school team and then, if they have not already been scouted, will go on to juniors.

In Michigan, though, a lot of high school players feel that if they stay and play for their high school team, they will never get the exposure they

“

need to further their playing career.

Senior Kevin Vlazny tried the junior system last year when he was offered a position on the Michigan Junior Chiefs. The weird thing about it was that it was while he was rostered on the varsity hockey team.

Vlazny said he chose not to skate with the Junior Chiefs because it wasn’t a high level junior team and he enjoyed playing in front of his high school peers on the high school hockey team.

“If at some point I want to play juniors I can do that after my high school hockey career,” he said.

But many kids don’t make the decision that Vlazny did such as junior Mike Cappo who said, “It’s not that I don’t want to play for Dexter. It’s that I don’t think it will get me the exposure I need.“ This kind of comment is very common. They want to play for their high school team but feel that if they do, it will kill their chances to play in college.

Michigan needs to promote high school hockey more, so that they will stop losing a lot of talent to the junior system so quickly. If players felt that they could get the exposure they were looking for from high school hockey, they would definitely play for them.

Michigan needs to promote high school hockey more, so that they will stop losing a lot of talent to the junior system so quickly. If players felt that they could get the exposure they were looking for from high school hockey, they would definitely play for them.

”

photo by Raleigh Holmes

Regulating the team: Coach Randy Swoverland watches over a mens basketball after-school conditoning practice. Swoverland returns to Dexter’s head coaching spot after running Adrian’s program for three years.

Swoverland returns as head basketball coach After three years of being gone from the mens basketball program, its most successful coach returns Dan Monson staff writer One of the most successful coaches in Dexter boys’ basketball history is back after a three year absence from the program.

Math teacher Randy Swoverland, who coached 10 years at Dexter before leaving after the 2000-2001 season for Adrian, will return to his post as the varsity basketball head coach this year.

After Mike Bavineau decided to step down last season in order to spend more time with his family and to exclusively coach the girls team, Swoverland was hired to continue the tradition he has been credited for building during the 1990s.

Swoverland won four SEC titles and four district titles during his tenure as Dexter’s head coach from 1990-2001.

“The fact that he’s been here for a number of years, which you also need to look at for varsity head coach ... gives him an opportunity to stay and be a coach over a long period of time ... because he knows the program,” Athletic Director John Robinson said.

As for why he left in the first place, Swoverland said even though he had success at Dexter, he felt as though things could have been better.

“I felt as though I was in a little bit of a rut,” he said. “I felt like I needed a change.”

Swoverland lived in Adrian before

coming to Dexter initially, something that he said also influenced his decision to leave.

As the head coach of Adrian, he had mixed success, having a winning season one season out of three.

But the hardest part, he said, was to leaving the Dexter players he had seen develop in the program under his watch. Because Adrian is in the SEC as well, they play Dexter once a season.

“I hated competing against some of the seniors, the players I had coached and seen develop before leaving,” he said. “That was the worst part by far.”

Although he never left his teaching job at Dexter for Adrian, Swoverland said he entertained the thought after his first season in Adrian.

“After I realized what I would be giving up in terms of my tenure here in the Dexter School system, and things such as that, and I decided that (leaving) wasn’t an option.”

After last season, his third at Adrian, Swoverland said he had already decided to leave his coaching position at Adrian.

“I thought I would give it three years,” he said. “But the main thing was, I got tired of driving.”

As soon as Bavineau stepped down, Swoverland jumped at the opportunity. He approached Robinson about the opening, and that was all Robinson said he needed. “(Swoverland) was a very qualified applicant, “ Robinson said. He’s already done the job, so there was no reason to go beyond that.”

“

He can take the talent he’s given and develop his offense and defense to take advantage of their strengths.

“

Lee Hoggard

-

John Robinson, athletic director

Robinson said that Swoverland’s status as a teacher at the high school can only help as he tries to keep the program going strong.

“I think there’s always a real positive advantage to having a coach who’s also a faculty member,” he said. “The fact that he’s a teacher here gives us a better opportunity for him to stay and be a coach over a long period of time.

That’s how you build a good program.”

Swoverland’s success as a head coach has certainly made an impression on Robinson.

“He can take the talent he’s given and develop his offense and defense to take advantage of their strengths,” he said. “He’s a good influence on his athletes.”

Swoverland sees this season as being successful because of the players he has met with and gotten to know over the summer. He says they are motivated to succeed and work hard.

Robinson agrees the program is moving in the right direction with Swoverland at the helm.

He said, “He’ll help this team a lot to be successful, and this program to be successful in the future.”

BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Tuesday12/7 Hillsdale 7:30 Friday 12/10 Willow Run 7:00 Tuesday 12/14 Ypsilanti 7:00 Friday 12/17 Bedford 7:00 Monday 12/27 Tuesday 12/ 28 Dexter Winter Tourney Tuesday 1/4 Manchester 7:00 Tuesday 1/11 Jackson N.W. 7:00 Friday 1/14 Saline Friday 1/21 Lincoln

7:00 7:00

Tuesday 1/25 Haslett Friday 1/28 Tecumseh 7:00

7:00

Tuesday 2/1 Pioneer Friday 2/4 Chelsea

7:00 7:00

Tuesday 2/8 Adrain Friday 2/11 Lincoln 7:00

7:00

Tuesday 2/15 Bedford Friday 2/18 Tecumseh

7:00 7:00

Tuesday 2/22 Saline Friday 2/25 Chelsea

7:00 7:00

*Home games in bold

12 photostory

the SquallFriday,November 19, 2004

Everything’s on in

‘Noises Off’ Brandon Mayotte Photo Editor

The lights are off and the curtain rises. The crowd fills with anticipation.

Slowly, the lights rise and Dotty the house keeper in “Nothing On,” junior Amanda Forester, enters with a plate of sardines.

She picks up the phone, and the play begins.

“Noises Off” which opened last weekend has been in production for months.

According to senior Tom Szymanski, the actors have been

working hard to get their lines memorized and their British accents right.

The small cast has been attending play rehearsal almost every day, and Szymanski said that Dexter theatre is no stranger to comedy. “(‘Noises Off’ is) comparable to “Lend Me a Tenor,” Szymanski said, comparing this show to a recent Theatre Club production. “I think this show is hilarious,” Szymanski plays Lloyd, the director, of the play within the play.

The confusing in and outs of this show make it a complicated but a highly entertaining one according to director Harry Wilcox.

“This has been the best show

“Ah, a house of heavenly peace”: Inviting students to see the show, junior Sebastion Gerstner spreads his arms in welcome. In “Nothing On,” Gerstner’s character plays the role of an Arab Sheik.

Dexter has put on yet,” he said.

But the confusion and craziness is not just on stage.

According to stage manager Casey Flowers, the tech crew for “Noises Off” has been working hard to keep the show running smoothly.

“Most people don’t know how much crap we go through and how much work this is,” Flowers sad.

With two more performances on Friday and Saturday Nov. 19 and 20, the cast and crew encourage more audience members to come out and see the show.

“It’s a great show,” props mistress, junior Erin Cable said.

“Everyone should definintly come and see it.”

Just another plate of sardines: Act one ends with the crew members each holding a plate of dead fish. A total of 144 sardines are used in the play.

He got soul: Senior Mike Vickers “breaks a leg” in the slightly dangerous role of Gary. Vickers has been acting in DHS drama productions since his sophomore year.

Taking a fall: Sebastian Gerstner trips over his own pants which are wrapped around his ankles.

Gerstner often has “Nothing On” during “Noises Off.”

Curtain call: Junior Nick Forsythe, sophomore Tally Chomic, junior Amanda Forrester, seniors Andrew Morse and Tom Szymanski, junior Sebastian Gerstner, seniors Kesly Huddleston, Micheal Vickers and Sarah Craft take a bow at the end of the show. Repeating an element of the play, the pants of the male cast members all fall off when they raise their arms in the air during the curtain call.