0708-3 by The Squall

November 27, 2007 - Volume XVIII - Issue 3 - Dexter

High School - 2200 N. Parker Road - Dexter, Mi 48130

Squall THE

Index

Hunter Lyons spends a day at East Detroit High School and ﬁnds we’re all the same in the end Page 7

Everything you need to know about college see The Rostrum page 4-5

Newell leaves for different job Kevin Butler staff writer

Austin Winkle becomes a YouTube star, hopes to inspire others

Students and staff walking into to Principal Kit Moran’s ofﬁce will have to make that trip, without seeing former secretary Gina Newell, now that Newell has left her secretary job at the high school to take a position as a senior project assistant at an engineering ﬁrm in Ann Arbor. “For the last three years, I have been working for my bachelors degree in business management and administration,” Newell said. She took all of her classes online through Saint Leo University, based in Florida. According to Mr.. Moran, Newell’s skills were recruited. “(The company) contacted her,” Moran said. “They were looking for a high level administrator.” Although Newell left this school in pursuit of bigger challenges, she said she still loves the school and the community. See ‘Newell’ on page 2

Page 7 Photo by Leah Gibson

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

news

Teachers enjoy beneﬁts of sub system Patrick Ledwige staff writer

The night social studies teacher Ryan Baese’s child was born, he requested a substitute at three in the morning. With the county’s new Automated Educational Substitute Operator (AESOP) system, this was not a problem. “The AESOP system is Internet based” said Dori Gross, Administrative Assistant for Human Resources and the Assistant Superintendent. “The system decision was finalized late spring at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District level.” Social Studies teacher Ryan Baese speaks highly of the new AESOP system. “Major pros would be the cost savings to the district; teachers have more control over their substitutes (if they want) and the convenience of a system that is available 24 hours a day.” The system is easily accessible at any time of day. “Employees may use the computer or a telephone,” Gross said. When a teacher is going to be absent the next day, he or she can either go to The AESOP web site or call in to notify the district. “If no one takes (the opening) within two days of the absence, the system goes looking for a substitute,” Gross said. “Employees are able to put in absence requests 365 days out by computer or 60 days by phone.” According to Gross, this new system is more efficient and less expensive than the old system. “It’s really not a matter of preference or which is better,” she said. “The new

system was a county wide decision,” Gross said. The biggest advantage to the new system is its efficiency Gross said. “My biggest pro is that I used to setup substitutes for the district which required lots of different things such as making certain (the substitutes) were qualified and had required permits and documents as required by the Michigan Department of Education,” Gross said. “Major pros would be the cost savings to the district; teachers have more control over their substitutes (if they want) and the convenience of a system that is available 24 hours a day.”

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Photo by Valentino Argiero

Leading the way: Social Studies teacher Ryan Baese said the new AESOP system makes arranging for a sub much easier. “Teachers have more control over their substitutes and the convenience of a system that is available 24 hours a day,” Baese said.

The teamwork has been outstanding, everyone is learning their piece.”

- Dori Gross, Assistant for Human Resources

In fact, Gross said she rarely finds problems with the system. “I frequently meet with secretaries using the system and poll staff members,” she said. “Positive comments outweigh the negative.” According to Principal Kit Moran, the major con to the new system is not AESOP, it is the Professional Educational Services Group. PESG is the system that works out of the intermediate school district in Ann Arbor and runs the AESOP phone and web system. “PESG does not have enough people in the system who want to be substitutes,” Moran said.

PESG was contacted on this comment but no response was given. This, according to Moran, means sometimes DHS subs haven’t shown up to cover teacher’s classes Another problem, according to Moran, is a substitute teacher may accept a job in a building, then drop it for a more desirable job. He also said it is common for a sub to drop a job here for an opening of a different job closer to their home. According to Gross, another con of the new system is the personal experience. “The district had a wonderful substitute caller, Paula Hornback,” she said. “I do know people miss the personal touch Mrs.. Hornback gave to the position.” Innovations were made to The AESOP system at the beginning of the year. to make it easier on teachers. A new innovation to the system is that a teacher may request a certain substitute. Gross said, “(Teachers) can call them direct or set up preferred lists. It isn’t a matter of being popular more so a matter of being good.” Baese said this is a major change, rather than not knowing who a they will get as a sub. “If you have favorite people for substitutes, it is easy to make sure you get who you want,” he said. “If you know people (subs) you don’t want, you can exclude them from subbing.” Gross said even though the system started out rough, with administrators and teachers adapting to The AESOP system, it has come together. “The teamwork has been outstanding,” Gross said. “Everyone is learning their piece and things are improving.”

Newell: worked at DHS for seven years (cont. from pg.1) “I think that the best part of this school Her son, Danny Newell, a junior, will stay is how the teaching staff gets involved with despite his mother leaving. the students, like the band they started “It was cool (when she was here),” (Progress Report), running the clubs and Danny said. “I got money when ever I coaching various sports,” Newell said. “I needed. But with her gone, it’s not much think the teachers set a wonderful example different. I never really saw her much.” for the kids here.” Although Danny misses his mother beAlthough Newell said she enjoyed work - ing in the same building as him all day, ing here for seven years, she said there are he said he thinks it’s really cool. She makes more money and she likes it some things that the more. school could work Although she is leaving, on. Gina said she will miss “I think the school I’m leaving only Dexter High school and could improve by because another the community. developing a cur“I’m leaving only bericulum for all of opportunity came cause the kids,” Newell another opportuup.” said. “The school nity, another challenge needs more options came up,” she said. - Gina Newell, for the kids that “Thank you to former secretary don’t choose the coleverybody lege route.” on staff Newand the ell would also like s t u the school to offer choices for kids, so they are able to get cer - dents and let evtified in certain fields in order to enter the eryone know that I w i l l work force right out of high school. truly miss them. This is a Gina was not the only Newell to present great community. This is a themselves almost daily at the high school. great school.”

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Counseling secretary replaces Newell

Replacing former secretary Gina Newell is what may be a familiar face to many students. Neil Reichard, the former secretary in the counseling ofﬁce, is taking the new opening. Reichard held his previous postion for four years and said he is excited to take the new job. “I have to work longer a litttle longer per

year, but I get paid more so I think it will be better,” Reichard said. According to Reichard, one of the most enjoyable parts of his job is getting to help students. “I really do like to help out kids so this new job as well as my previous job are both a good ﬁt for me,” he said.

8015 Huron St. Dexter, MI 48130 Ph.: (734) 426-1900 Hours: Sun. - Thurs. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. -

Write a letter to our editor with any questions, comments or concerns at:

letters@ thesquall.

photo by Leah Gibson photo illustration by Valentino Argiero

Correction On page 5 of the Oct. 26 edition of THE SQUALL the article “Parents teach at home and school” misquoted one of the sources. Junior Amy Baldus’ quote, “Sometimes I get free food at lunch and in the morning before classes,” was not factual. The Food & Nutrition department and her mother Nancy Baldus do not give Amy free food. THE SQUALL regrets the error.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

l a n t i o r i t e a

M F

l a in

Erin McAweeny staff writer

•Omega Skeean

•Peter Jebson

•Natalie Ritsema

•Nora Green

•Cassandra Hall

•John Christ

The names of the 2008 National Merit semifinalists were announced on Sept. 12. Six Dexter students qualified as semifinalists based on their scores on the PSAT. Out of the 1.4 million students who took the test, 50,000 of the highest scorers on the PSAT are chosen to be eligible for the scholarship. In early September the highest scorers of each state are chosen to be a part of the 16,000 semifinalists. The six semifinalists from Dexter are seniors John Crist, Nora Green, Cassandra Hall, Peter Jebson, Natalie Ritsema and Omega Skeean. “It’s really exciting, even though I know there is a small chance that I’ll be chosen for the scholarship,” Skeean said. Dexter had one student, Michael Quail, qualify last year. There would have been seven this year but senior Alice Thomsen transferred to a different school. The chosen semifinalists make up less than 1percent of all U.S. high school students. Skeean said while this is an outstanding accomplishment, the placement came naturally to her. “It’s pretty cool, but it’s really no big deal. I’ve always been good at standardized tests,” she said. Semifinalists must wait until February to be notified if they have made it to the finalist standing. Out of the 16,000 semifinalists about 8,200 are selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award. There will be a total of $34 million in scholarships awarded. High school principals are notified and given a certificate to give every finalist. Only students who have taken the PSAT are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship. The test is always taken on the third Saturday of October. While the test is only recommended, not mandatory, about 1/3 of Dexter High School students take it each year. Skeean said she took the test wanting practice. “I thought there might be a chance that I would get the scholarship, and I thought why not,” she said. The test is a practice for students taking the SAT and covers the same areas as the test. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, high school students must pass the selection index on their PSAT test. This year the selection index is 209. Along with doing well on the PSAT, students

are judged based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success. Skeean’s activities include debate, model United Nations and forensics. Also students must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school and do well on their SAT. In addition students must be recommended and endorsed by their principal. While this sounds like a lot of work, Skeean said that it’s worth it. “It’s really not that much (work). Compared to most college applications it was short. It’s definitely worth it to at least try,” she said. All semifinalists also must submit a scholarship application which includes an essay about their participation and leadership in the school and community activities. “The essays describe what personal qualities and goals you have.” Skeean said. “Mine was about how I like debate, and and it makes me want to go into politics.” Skeean’s essay had about 500 words. The National Merit Program started in 1955. It is funded by approximately 500 businesses, organizations and colleges. There are three types of scholarships awarded to high school students: the National Merit scholarship, corporate-sponsored merit awards and college-sponsored merit awards. Finalists will be awarded a $2,500 national merit scholarship. Also, about 300 corporations or businesses will hand out 1,100 scholarships. In addition, about 200 colleges are expected to finance 4,600 finalists who attend their college. Skeean said the amount of scholarship money given to her by colleges could affect her choice in what college to go to. “If a certain college gave me more money, I think I would be more likely to go there,” she said. Schools like the University of Florida offer a full ride scholarship to national merit finalists while schools such as University of Michigan offer no money. While the scholarship is important to her, Skeean isn’t nervous. She said,“If I don’t get it, it’s not like the end of the world.”

news BRIEFS

news

Mobbs carries taser In Dec. 2002, tasers became legal to use by law enforcement and private investigators in Michigan. Recently school liason Paul Mobbs abegan carrying one. “Taser” is an acronym for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Riﬂe.” It is an electroshock weapon that can be used in place of a gun and it leaves less long-lasting damage than a gun. Principal Kit Moran said he thinks tasers in the high school are not an issue. “I think it is a device that law enforcement may use between chasing a suspect and using a sidearm,” he said. “It’s just one more heavy piece of equipment for Ofﬁcer Mobbs to carry.”

Former student rallies On Saturday, Oct. 27, 11 U.S. cities hosted peace rallies against the Iraq War. Kelsey Dubay, a 2007 graduate, attended the Chicago rally as part of a peace club at Washtenaw Community College. “It was a serious thing,” she said. “We heard from various speakers about why we need to get out of Iraq and how much money we have been using on the war.” After the speeches, Dubay said that more than 30,000 people marched three miles from the Union Park building to the Federal building. According to Dubay, the main reason the rallies were planned was to show the Bush administration people are sick of the war, and they are going to do something about it.

Library open after school The high school library is now open to all students after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is tutoring available, made possible by National Honors Society students and community volunteers led by Larry Courson. Librarian Jeanine Fletcher said she is happy this change has been made from previous years. “I have gotten complaints from students and parents before asking why the library was not open after school,” she said. “I cannot personally keep it open so it was great that people from the community stepped up when they saw a need.”

Water is safe in the school The school water is back on, but getting it back on was another story. According to Principal Kit Moran, copper was getting in the drinking water because the water had been softened too much. “Softened water is corrosive, and we think that it was taking copper off the insides of the pipes,” he said. According to Moran, a company called HealthAIR tested the water to make sure that it was safe, and when they saw the copper levels, something had to be changed. To fix the copper problem, filters were put in all of the drinking fountains around the school. However, the filters have to be changed, and that costs money. Moran said, “Each filter is $100, so it gets expensive, but that is the cost of keeping the water safe to drink.”

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

feature Konett wheels his way into new teaching position Matt Kaas staff writer

On the first day of school sophomore Marcus Wiseley saw a strange man walk by and wondered who he was. Once he arrived to first hour, he found out it was Ethan Konett, his new speech teacher who Wisely said he has really grown to like. Konett went to Michigan State University and received his teaching degree at Eastern Michigan. He then went on to be a substitute teacher for Ann Arbor Public Schools and has been a certified teacher for two years. Konett said, “Dexter is smaller than where I’ve taught before, but I like it.” After a couple months Konett said he is happy teaching at Dexter High School. “The staff is very supportive and the students are great.” Konett said. “(English teacher Deb) Marsh has been my mentor and (Assistant Principal Tim) Authier always has an open door.” Marsh said she has been happy to help Konett adapt to DHS. “When I mentor him, there is a procedure that we follow, and since he teaches speech and I’m experienced I was assigned as his mentor,” Marsh said. ”We meet weekly or more if needed so I can answer his questions, offer suggestions and give guidance, and I’m glad I can help him. He’s working hard, and I can tell he has what it takes to be a teacher. Mr.. Konett came in two weeks late and didn’t have anything, making his cart was the least that I could do. I love teaching here, and I want Mr. Konett to have the same wonderful experience that I do.” Because he has no classroom Konett has to keep all his paperwork and supplies on a Photo by Jeff Leonard cart and take them to a different room Blazin’ a trail: English and social studeach hour. “It’s ies teacher Ethan Konett makes his way through the hallways between difficult to teach classes. He teaches Speech, Crefrom a cart some- ative Writing, World History and times,” he said. Composition. “I’m late for class, I get stuck on the elevator and keeping papers and supplies organized is hard. But I’m still grateful for just having a job.” Wiseley said, “Mr. Konett is always in a good mood and always brightens my day, like one time I was having a bad day and his upbeat attitude made it better. Mr. Konett is easy to understand and teaches you a lot.” Konett also is the adviser for Model U.N. and Model U.N. member senior Omega Skeean said. “He’s a big change from other advisers. Others were laid back, and he seems like he’s dedicated to the club.” After school hours Konett returns to his Ann Arbor home with his wife and dog and eats his favorite food, pizza. “My parents own a pizza joint called Bilbo’s in Kalamazoo so I love pizza,” he said. In addition Konett is the coach of the boys soccer team for Huron High School. He lead his team to tie the Dexter boys in its regular season match-up. Meanwhile at DHS, Wiseley said he looks forward to class with Konett. “Mr.. Konett is a great teacher,” he said. “He will help you out if you need it, and will always give you a friendly smile.”

An Army of two: Yates and Kilian enter ROTC Shantal Daratony staff writer

There is no longer a draft to recruit young adults. If someone is going to join the armed forces, it is a choice. And this is just the choice that seniors Justin Yates and Sean Kilian have made. They will both join the ROTC next fall. The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps is an elective curriculum student’s take along with their required college classes. In this program Yates and Kilian will have the normal college life and experience, but when they graduate, they will become an officer in the United States Army. “I just want to try something different, to get out and experience something new,” Yates said. “I figured this would be the best way to do that because I have always wanted to be in the Army.” Although Kilian is going for the experience too, he said he has wanted to be in the military since he was little. “I have always wanted to join the Army since I was young,” he said. “I will be nice to come out of college with a high ranking, and it helps pay for my college tuition.” And entering the ROTC has other

& QA

benefits according to these two. Every student who enters the ROTC receives a scholarship, from two to four years in length. Kilian and Yates have both accepted the four year scholarship. “We are ready for that commitment,” Yates said. “If it doesn’t go well, a student can drop out after their sophomore year, but we are excited and ready for it. As an officer I am going to serve four years of active service in the Army. Then it is mandatory to serve in the reserve for four years. The reserve is more part time and allows soldiers to maintain a job and have a family.” Kilian, however, has different plans for after graduation. “I plan going to serve five years of active service, then receive my business degree at the University of Michigan,” Kilian said. Yates and Kilian were both recruited by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Rhoads. Rhoads does a lot of recruiting for Michigan State University, the college where both of these boys are heading. “Justin and Sean are both great for this program,” Rhoads said. “Throughout high school they have both distinguished themselves as the scholar/athlete/leader we are look-

ing for as future Army officers. They are poised, confident and fit. They also are willing to serve their country. This, combined with the fact that they have the unwavering support of their parents, makes them both ideal candidates for the Army ROTC scholarship at MSU.” Even though both Yates and Kilian have support from their parents, they both said their parents worry a little about their choices. “My parents are supportive, but my mom is a little worried,” Yates said. “She is afraid of me going into active service, but she is getting used to the fact that it is going to happen.” And these two boys have both been preparing for their journey both mentally and physically. “Mentally, I know what I am in for, and I know what lies ahead,” Yates said. “Physically I have been running a lot and lifting weights to try to stay in shape. Once my training starts I will have to pass a monthly fitness test so I am trying to stay in shape for that.” As these two boys look into the future, they see themselves as strong and confident officers. “We are excited for this new experience we’re about to explore, and we are ready for the Army challenge.”

& QA

With Sean Kilian

With Justin Yates Photo by William Charles Stewart Sloan

Q: A:

Why did you make the choice to enter the ROTC?

Q: A:

Why did you make the choice to enter the ROTC? I wanted to get out and try something new and different. I have

I have always wanted to be in the Army since I was young and now is my opportunity. It will benefit me in many ways like financial support with my college tuition, and I will be a ranked officer when I graduate the program.

always been into it, and I thought this is the best way and time to

Q: A:

What school are you planning to attend for your ROTC training? Michigan State University What type of scholarship are you going to choose?

LIke Justin I am going to receive a four year scholarship as well. It will help me pay for college, and I will come out of the four year program as an officer in the United States Army.

Once you have completed your college training, what will you do next with your officer position?

Right after graduation I am going to go into the active service for five years. Then I will go to the University of Michigan to get my business degree.

act on it.

Q: A:

What school are you planning to attend for your ROTC training? Michigan State University. What type of scholarship are you going to choose? I am going to take the four-year scholarship as well. I am ready

for a new experience.

Once you have completed your college training, what will you do

next with your officer position?

After I graduate, I am going to go into active service for four

years and then into the Army Reserve for four years.

��

Yearbooks on sale now! Go to room 407 to buy one!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

feature

Lyons gets window in to a different atmosphere during school visit Hunter Lyons uPage editor

Living in Dexter my whole life, I’ve experienced great schools, athletics, clubs, music, the best of everything. Though I’m thankful for all that, there is one thing that Dexter sometimes can’t supply: diversity. We live in a community where we are so protected and sheltered from so many things that it sometimes hinders us. So I decided to go to East Detroit High School for a day and get out of the fish bowl we call Dexter High School. For a day I was a Shamrock along with 1,500 other students. I did everything the other students did: wore my student ID around my neck, crammed through the halls and even got to wait in line for lunch for 30 minutes. Commonly, when people hear of East Detroit High School, their first thought is Detroit, where more murders occurred last year than in any other city in the United States. But according to EDHS yearbook teacher, Sarah Loop, that’s far from the truth. “When people think of Detroit, they think of rough and tough,” Loop said. “But in reality, (students here are) just like every other kid.” Our current Dean of Students and former EDHS social studies teacher, Ken Koenig agrees. “When I would tell people I taught at Dephoto illustration by Chas Sloan, photo by Hunter Lyons troit they would make jokes and ask if I wore A window on the world: Students at East Detroit High School practice their hands-on skills during art class. Hunter Lyons sat in on the class and learned how students my Kevlar jacket to school everyday. make art with charcoal. I can honestly say that before going to current disciplinary rules at EDHS, one fight one in Dexter is wealthy. People go through EDHS I was like ‘most’ people and was some- other “below the belt.” what nervous about being in Detroit. But I interviewed as many students as pos- results in an automatic 30-day suspension. struggles every day that are as bad, if not A second offense is 180-day suspension worse, than people in Detroit after spending a day with the students and sible to try to get a feel for who they were and staff, I couldn’t agree more with Loop. But I’m very fortunate for receiving this what they did differently. and a third is automatic expulsion. When it comes right What I kept finding, This has drastically changed the fighting opportunity to see what someone else’s life is like for a day. down to it, high schooltime after time, is there that once dominated the school. I’d like to thank all the people that helped ers are high schoolers, were very few differences. In the 2004-2005 school year, there were Seniors were applying to 45 fights resulting in suspensions. Last year, make it possible. I’d like to thank Koenig for and it doesn’t matter “Most weekends college, playing sports there were only 11. Loop said it has a lot to do waking up at 5:30 in the morning and buying if you’re from the prewe party, hangout and just trying to survive with the point system. “I think the disciplin- be McDonald’s. dominately urban East with friends and high school. ary rules are great,” Loop said. “It’s made a I’d also like to thank Principal Paul SzyDetroit or the predomBut inately farm country of drastic change.” manski EDHS wasn’t aland the rest of the EDHS staff and go to the football Though Dexter. ways students for having me and showing me a difthis way. Ten years many changes have been made at games.” And EDHS senior ferent side of high school that I’m fortunate ago, EDHS was filled with EDHS, not all problems have been solved. gangs and violence acBut according to teacher Jim Micallef, that to have seen. Stacey Demisch agrees. Stacey Demish, cording to . “Most weekends we It was evident that strides are being taken might not be such a bad thing. EDHS senior “When I was there party, hangout with “The kids that go here know how to work to make their school better. friends and go to the What I really realized going to EDHS is were one to two fights a for what they get,” Micallef said. “Many kids football games,” she day, ethnic gangs were have troubles, but it prepares them for life.” that people (including me) do stereotype and said. huge,” Koenig said. “It got to such a point And I agree. Growing up in Dexter has put labels. Yeah, it’s wrong, but it’s human Sounds awfully similar to a DHS student. where people realized that things had to be been great. I haven’t had to deal with a lot of nature. People, unless they’re living in or around the things that EDHS students have had to. I met Demisch in Loop’s yearbook class. changed.” But does that make me better off? Or does Detroit, often only know about the city what Similar to our newspaper and yearbook classBut under the past two administrations, es, there was complete chaos throughout the one including our former Interim Principal it hinder me from what life is really going to they hear on TV, the Internet or even the room, students running around trying to get Jim Bannan, strides have been taken to im- be like? Is life always going to be with people movie “8 Mile.” Good and hardworking people are all over exactly like me? Upper to middle class white pages done, students yelling at the teacher prove both. Part of this improvement involved making men? Probably not. for help and even the ever-so-common male this state. Sometimes you just have to get out No, I’m not naive enough to say that every- of your fish bowl to realize it. communication method of one hitting the an- harsher punishments for students. Under the

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After baby Ethier-Roy returns to school Student goes through many challenges as a high school senior with a baby Kids with kids • Approximately 1 million teenage women become pregnant every year • In 1997 about 13 percent of births in the United States came from teenagers • Each year approximately 750,000 to 850,000 teenage women experience pregnancy http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/teenpregnancy/index. shtml

Brent Muse Staff Writer

Going to high school. Having a social life. Being a teenager. Raising a baby. These are all of the challenges that senior Danielle Ethier-Roy has to deal with after her daughter Kiersten Faith Tobias was born on March 8. For Ethier-Roy having a baby was tough, but she said it was also the best moment in her life. “It was obviously scary, but I will never regret her because she is my little angel.” Ethier-Roy said. Since there is no maternity leave for Ethier-Roy in high school, there is a program called home bound services. Home bound services offers a certified teacher to helps her get caught up on classes missed. Susan Bado was Ethier-Roy’s homebound teacher and she helped her at home and got her caught up in all of her classes while she was waiting to have her baby. According to Bado, as a homebound services tutor, her job is to get the assignments from their teachers and brings them to her students houses to

teach them the lessons. There are some classes that cannot be taught by a homebound teacher because they do not know enough about the subject. Also during testing periods she had to be present because it is required by the school. According to counselor Larry LeBlanc, “The hardest part about having a baby for students is the support from peers because friends will always be supportive. Obviously, her friends and family will be supportive, but it’s the people that she doesn’t know that she needs support from.” According to Ethier-Roy, though, the hardest part about having a baby and going to high school is the homework. But she said Kiersten has actually been motivation for her to do better in school. “She doesn’t affect my grades at all because no matter how long I have to work or stay up, I know I have to get good grades for her so she can have a future,” Ethier-Roy said. With a nursing career in mind, Ethier-Roy is taking Health Sciences through the Saline Consortium pro-

gram. And after that she plans to receive her Certified Nursing Assistant degree by the end of the school year to provide for her family. Being a certified nursing assistant she will earning between $23,663 and $29,801 per year. In the meantime, she said her parents are supporting her and are doing everything in their power to help her and the baby. Also, she said the baby’s father, 2005 graduate Ryan Tobias and his parents help out a lot. And while her social life has suffered as a teenage mother, Ethier-Roy says she has other priorities now. “It doesn’t affect my social life because she is my social life,” Ethier-Roy said of her baby. “Now that I have her, she is the most important thing in my life.” Balancing work, school and a family can be very challenging at times for Ethier-Roy, but she said her love for her child helps make it easier. She said, “My favorite thing about having a baby is having someone you know loves you and to be able to see something that is a part of of me.”

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

health

The Squall

Holidays lead to compulsive overeating

Students overeat: Sophomore Alex Beattie likes to indulge in food during the holiday season.

Teachers care: Health teacher Shirley Bitters teaches students about healthy eating habits. photo illustration by Nora Green

Kaitlyn Shepard staff writer

Sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table sophomore Alex Beattie looks down at her plate as she ﬁnishes the last of her pumpkin pie. She spent the whole week looking forward to this meal, and now all that’s left is turkey. “Normally I stop eating when I feel like I’m going to throw up,” Beattie said. “I don’t really worry about what I eat because I don’t gain weight very easily.” But some aren’t so lucky. Thanksgiving is the kickoff for the holiday season. And many holidays are loaded with family parties, get togethers and food. Being surrounded by food at this time of year can make overeating an easy thing to do. “It’s a very social time full of social gatherings and celebrations,” health teacher Shirley Bitters said. “All the celebrations cause people to cook more so there is more food available.” Bitters said another reason people tend to overeat during this time of year is because of all the stress that surrounds the holidays. People will eat more comfort foods like candies and cookies to cope with the stress. According to Bitters people tend to eat more during the holiday season, but they don’t just overeat, they also eat more of less healthy foods like sweets and heavy, greasy foods. “You really can eat anything in moderation,” Bitters said. “However in general the best kind of food to eat less of is the greasy, heavy and sugary

foods.” the holiday season can be very difficult with the And Bitabundance of food at holiday celebrations and ters family get togethers. For those of us who aren’t as said lucky as Beattie, and who have to watch what we there are lots of foods that are good to snack on while waiting for eat, Bitters has some tips. First she said, eat smaller portions. When you the turkey to finish cooking. Crunchy foods like fruits and vegetables are good to munch on as take smaller portions, you eat less which will alwell as lean meats like white meat turkey. These low you to have that slice of pumpkin pie later foods tend to have fewer calories while tasting without feeling guilty. good at the same time. Second she said, eat slower. When you eat fast, Another big thing that affects our calorie in- you ignore the signals your body sends you telling take is the size of our meals. There are many dif- you that you’re full. Finally she said, don’t deferent ways that people eat prive yourself of the foods you Thanksgiving. Some will have a normal sized meals love. It’s OK to eat anything in and then a big dinner while moderation. When you deprive It’s when we start to others won’t eat anything yourself of foods you like, you other than a huge dinner. can end up binge-eating these overeat on a regular “My dad will make foods later which can be worse basis that really breakfast in the morning,” than having a taste now. Beattie said. “And then I Continuing to eat healthy affects us.” try not to eat anything else throughout the entire holiday during the day because I season can be difficult, espeknow that dinner is going cially with all of the holiday -Shirley Bitters, to be huge.” parties and dinners. But Bithealth teacher Overeating once or ters said one of the easiest ways twice a year is OK as long to keep from overeating is to it is balanced out with eatfocus on the social part of the ing healthier, less fattenholiday rather than the food part. ing foods for the rest of the “By focusing on the social part of the holiday, year Bitters said. “It’s when we start to overeat on a regular basis you do what you came there to do without overthat really affects us,” Bitters said. “Just taking in eating on the assortment of food available to 3,500 extra calories causes you to gain a pound if you,” Bitters said. “If you focus on eating a taste it’s not balanced with eating healthier things and of everything while listening to your body, you exercise.” can keep from overeating and enjoy the holidays Making sure you eat healthy foods during more.”

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Staph infection worries Dexter community Administrators and health professionals say it is not a big deal though David Pisano opinions editor

Senior Walker McHugh, a member of the mens soccer team, has had to answer the same question countless times in the past weeks- “Do you really have staph?” The answer was yes, but more specifically he had Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA. “I had a lot of swelling down to my wrist,” McHugh said. “There was a cyst which was resistant to antibiotics, so it had to be removed.” He underwent a simple procedure to remove the cyst and drain the infection. McHugh continued to attend school, simply keeping his wound covered, which led many students to question how serious this was, and if they were in danger. Many rumors have been circulating about staph. It has been made out to be a huge threat to our safety while at school, but people often fear things just because they do not know a lot about them. “A staph or MRSA infection most often causes a localized skin infection,” school nurse Aileen Kernohan said, “such as an abscess or a boil.” MRSA is an infection caused by staph that is resistant to most commonly used antibiotics for treating staph. You may actually the staph bacteria without knowing it. “The staph bacteria is present on 30 percent of the population,” Kernohan said. “But only one percent of them actually get an infection.” Kernohan also said staph is not very contagious and can be easily avoided. “If you get cuts, clean and bandage them,” Kernohan said, “and keep them covered. Don’t share towels or razors, and wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.” She also stressed that athletes, especially, should be careful. Many students and parents are wondering why they have not been told about cases like McHugh’s, or calling for the closing of schools, which has happened elsewhere in the state. “Some schools in the state have perhaps overreacted,” Principal Kit Moran said. According to Moran, staph is not something that students and parents should be too concerned with. “There are certain things that you must The infection report (to health offi- spreads: Senior Walker cials),” he said. “Staph McHugh still is not a reportable in- participated fection.” in school and Nonetheless, the sports after district has taken pre- getting a MRSA cautionary measures infection. to prevent an outbreak of the infection. “We want people to feel safe,” Moran said. This includes a baseline cleaning of the weight room and the mens and womens locker rooms and showers, where students would be most susceptible e to the infection. This is not a one-time deal, though. A permanent system has been established, and these places have a new cleaning procedure which must be done at least once a day. “It’s just like maintaining your house,” Moran said, “You need to do this regularly.” In addition to these new procedures, Kernohan has also trained all coaches and any staff members who supervise the weight room on how to use the new cleaning equipment. However, there has been some concern over whether or not everybody is actually doing what they need to do. “We’re working hard,” Tom Barbieri, Varsity football coach and Physical Education teacher, said, “but there are so many different groups that use the weight room.” This includes sports teams, gym classes and recreational lifters. In an e-mail from Moran to the staff, he stressed the importance of cleaning the weight room properly. “It is imperative that after weight lifting sessions for sports or PE that all the equipment be wiped down and the place picked up,” the e-mail said. “If we cannot provide a clean weight room that is presentable on a daily basis, we will have to temporarily close it until we can find a procedure that works.” The e-mail certainly made an impact. Barbieri said, “Everybody realized that this is stuff that needs to be done.”

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

arts

Drama club performs 'The Odd Couple' Sarah Akbarifard staff writer

Photo by Jeff Leonard

He loves me not: Senior Arik Cunningham, junior Alexandria Zadrzynski and junior Luke Longoria perform the female version of “The Odd Couple.” The female version premiered on Nov. 14.

Photo by Jeff Leonard

Behind closed doors: Junior Mitchell Clark, sophomores Caleb Kruzel, Matt Logan, Kent Sprague and junior Dave Cooper eavesdrop in the male version of “The Odd Couple.” The male version premiered on Nov. 15.

November reviews Caitlin Henderson staff writer

'Saw IV' very graphic 'Twilight' suspenseful “Saw IV” is filled with blood and many intense, horrific scenes. The movie is completely graphic and overwhelming. Seeing Saw I, II and III is important to be able to understand the movie completely. “Saw IV” loops back to the first three when describing how the main killer in the movie became the way he is. It’s not necessary to see the other movies, but it will help with understanding how the man’s mind works and all his crazy emotions. The motivation behind the killer picking these people to be the one he tortures is they have done something bad in their lives, and he thinks they deserve it. This is so scary to think of and makes the movie that much scarier because who would actually think torturing people would make this better? He wants people to “cherish their life.” The movie is very twisted in the ways the man believes he should make the people realize this. “Saw IV” is more twisted than the other movies because so many things have changed with the main character and the setting of the movie. His torture ideas have become more serious, such as scalping a young girl. It is evident in Saw IV that the man’s work is never going to die, and he will train people to do the things he does. The things are so twisted and creepy, it’s intensely scary. It’s hard to believe people could even make a movie this twisted and insane.

The premise of this book is simple: your life is in danger when you find out that the love of your life is a vampire. And while the thought of reading a book about vampires usually turns most people away, you don’t want to turn away from this novel. “Twilight” is a relatively new novel that is sold at all major book stores. It is a New York Times best-selling book and was named a 2006 Top Ten Book for Young Adults as well as a 2006 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the New York Times. The book has a good romance story with an intense twist that puts the reader on edge. The main character, Elizabeth Swan (Bella), is in love with a vampire (Edward). This makes for a series of problems she goes through dealing with her love, along with the struggle of her vampire love having to try every second not to kill her. Reading “Twilight” creates adventure and suspense. This book is good for anyone, even those who don’t like to read. The style and type of writing fits any type of person. This is the first book of the three-book series consisting of “Twilight,” “New Moon” and “Eclipse.” In “Twilight” Bella first meets Edward and goes for some time without knowing he is a vampire. This adventurous book has many scenes of Bella beginning to learn Edward’s secret. This book is really for all types of readers. It will suit someone who enjoys adventure, romance and a lot of suspense.

After the bell rings to release school for the day, senior Nathan Magyar rushes quickly to his locker. He grabs the books and homework he needs for the night and swiftly gets to room 400 for drama club, of which he is the president. Magyar has been a member of the drama club since freshman year. “One of the main reasons I joined was I always liked acting and performing since in middle school,” he said. “My favorite performance so far was when I played Pharaoh In Joseph last spring. It was a fun role because of all the fun songs, crazy dance moves and outrageous outfits that came with that character.” Although Magyar won’t be taking acting to the next level in college, he said he has had a good time these past four years with rehearsals and performances. The drama club has had its fair number of directors in Magyar’s four years including Harry Wilcox, Matt Martello, Kimberley Potocki and Erin Palmer. Martello has been directing for a total of six years, two with Wilcox and three by himself. This year, new social studies teacher Palmer decided to offer him a helping hand. “She’s a lot of fun, and I really appreciate her energy,” Martello said. “She has new ideas and does an overall good job.” As a new teacher and someone who doesn’t quite know how things are done at a high school, Palmer said Martello has really helped her out. “He has made my adjustment better than what I could ask for,” Palmer said. “It’s great to have him right next door. He’s always there for anything I have a question about or I am just unsure of.” Martello and Palmer have been working together throughout the past couple months directing ‘The Odd Couple’ in both male and female versions. While she is excited for the first performance of the year, Palmer said she still thinks things are difficult this time around. “The students have had their fair share of directors, so it’s hard for them to establish a routine of

how things are done, since each director varies how they do things,” she said. Junior Alexandria Zadrzynski is serving her third year in drama club, and agrees that having numerous directors does complicate things a bit. “With having so many directors, and Mr.. Wilcox and Mrs. Potocki leaving, we almost had a fear that there wasn’t going to be a director at all.” She said. “But I am really excited to work Mrs. Palmer this year and Mr. Martello has done a great job with the female version of ‘The Odd Couple.’” Despite the fact that the drama club almost didn’t have a director, they pulled through. They were able to have enough students audition and make a commitment to allow for a male and female version of the show on alternating dates. Nov. 14 was the opening night with the female version and on Nov. 16 another female performance also took place. The male version showed on Nov. 15 and 17. Zadrzynski said opening night for the female version was amazing. “I was so pleased. Everything came together perfectly,” she said. Although she thought everything turned out great, she said things were still a little hectic occasionally. “Backstage was kind of crazy at times,” Zadrzynski said. “Sometimes when I’m in the kitchen, and I notice a prop missing, I can bend down and call a running crew member over to bring it to me. I really liked that part of the set because we were able to whisper and fix small problems without making a big deal out of it.” Zadrzynski played the female lead of Florence who is an obsessive-compulsive neat freak who is having a hard time coping with the changes involved. She moves in with her friend Olive played by Senior Hannah Roussel, who is a complete slob, the opposite of Florence. “Florence was a fun character to play but difficult at the same time,” Zadrzynski said. “Her moods would change every few minutes. She‘d go from happy, to frustrated, to mad,

Freshman rocks out in YouTube videos Joe Sayre staff writer

Students were introduced to the next YouTube sensation, Austin Winkle, on Oct. 19. Winkle, a freshman, has produced several videos featuring himself lip-synching to popular songs such as ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ by Red Nex and ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavine. Winkle’s most poplar video based on number of views features him lip-synching and dancing to The Spice Girls song ‘Wannabe.’ The video also has a perfect five out of five rating. Despite his success, Winkle remains humble and true to himself. “I have dealt with success pretty well,” Winkle said. “I didn’t really know what to expect when I first made them. So far the results have been both positive and negative.” Winkle’s YouTube exploits have even inspired tributes. Using his YouTube user name, dman1001 posted a video tribute to Winkle, in which he lipsynchs to the High School Musical song ‘Bet On It.’ “Go Austin,” said dman1001. “He’s awesome!” And Winkle thinks this tribute is nice. “It’s really cool that he did that,” he said. “I really didn’t

to kind. But overall it was fun.” W h i l e Zadrzynski played the lead role in the female version Magyar played Erin Palmer: the lead role, Social Studies Felix Ungar teacher Erin in the male Palmer helped version. direct ‘The Odd “Felix Ungar Couple.’ was by far the most enjoyable role I’ve had in my DHS drama career,” Magyar said. “He’s nerdy, obnoxiously over-dramatic, and obsessive-compulsive about everything.” Even while playing a nerdy, over-dramatic and obsessive compulsive character, Magyar said his character still somehow manages to show off a pathetic quality that draws in the audience and makes them want more. In addition, things Magyar said turned out great for the male version of the play. “We had some memorization issues in the final week leading up to the performance,” he said. “But in the end we pulled it off nicely and everyone gave their best effort, and it definitely showed in our opening night.” Palmer agrees that the show was very successful due to student efforts. “It was spectacular,” she said. “I’m so proud of both the guys and girls. They really brought it.” Palmer was especially grateful for was the number of committed students, including freshman Laura Taylor, whose role was an important one to move props for each scene. “We were really lucky to get such dedicated students, especially freshman,” Palmer said. Palmer said the cast all had a great time performing the play and the students who saw it enjoyed it. “Everything was done by students,” she said. “The students designed and constructed the set and moved props back and forth for each scene. The technical staff was all students. This was the true definition of a student production.”

Whatchu know ‘bout Austin: Freshman Austin Winkle raises his arms and lip-synchs to ‘Breaking Free’ in a screen grab from one of his recent YouTube videos.

expect that. I feel appreciated.” It’s even rumored that the student garage band “Unhealed” is planning a tribute song to honor Winkle. But even though lots of people have enjoyed Winkle’s movies, not everyone who has seen them is a fan. One person who misinterpreted dman1001’s tribute said, “ha this is just great ha im so glad u made this that winkle kid is such A LOSER.” Others have taken to verbally assaulting him in school. “I have been called a lot of mean putdowns since I put the videos out,” he said. Through the put-downs Winkle has remained resilient. “I’m not scared to show myself to the world,” he said. Some people get the videos and some people don’t, but one who does is senior Matt Cambridge. “Austin does a good job portraying the respective artists,” Cambridge said. “He really sells it.” Senior Tim Pituch agrees. “Wow! I have mad respect for this kid,” Pituch said. “You got to have guts to do this, and it’s really funny.” Winkle said his drive comes from his fans. “I’m just trying to entertain,” he said. “If you believe in yourself, you can really go out and take that dream.”

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

sports

WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW

Ian McCarthy staff writer

Varsity hockey

photos by Maria Brundage

Girls and boys basketball teams will share the gym through the winter season Morgan Quist staff writer

The change of girls basketball from a fall to winter sport has caused crowded gyms, frazzled parents and confusing gym schedules. “The two (basketball) teams got along well before the seasons were changed, and we still will,” senior TJ Fenske said. “The thing that is disappointing and makes us mad is that the girls get more Friday night games than we do. We are a little jealous of that.” Fenske said although he is not in favor of the girls season change, both mens and womens teams will work through it. According to Fenske, every other state has this basketball schedule. He said if schools in different states can do it, DHS can too. Fenske also said while the girls are playing Friday night games more frequently than boys, the boys team could be

practicing at Creekside instead of playing in games, which is a first. “Not playing on Friday nights, I feel, will cost us fans,” Fenske said. “It also might jeopardize the enthusiasm within our team, too.” Because six teams (both girls and boys varsity, JV and freshman teams) all have to cram in practice time, girls varsity coach Mike Bavineau has discussed resorting to morning practice before school for the girls team. “The main issue I am concerned with is competition over fans,” Bavineau said. “We sometimes will directly compete against the boys for support. Both teams traditionally support each other and having games on the same night will eliminate that.” Senior Celia Kuzon said since there are two teams, everything should be split evenly, including the Friday night games.

“I hope as many fans come to women’s games as they do boys games,” she said. “I think both the teams should get an equal chance to play in the Friday night games.” Fenske said although gym space with the six teams is limited, it won’t affect their performance on the court. “(Coach Randy Swoverland) isn’t making a big deal of the season change,” he said. “It will just mean a more strict practice schedule, especially if the girls have a game that day.” While some think the change of seasons will be a big change, Bavineau said everything will be OK. “I do not think it will be difficult for our teams to practice and perform due to being in the same season,” he said. “Gym time is not an issue. We have good facilities, and it should not be a problem finding time to practice.”

Golf team plays on despite coach being hospitalized Brittany Martini staff writer

to Schlanderer. “It was more of a reality check for us,” she said. For senior Katie Young playing on Oct. 19 at the “We had to realize as a team that not everything is state tournament was mentally stressful. Just days before the biggest tournament of the perfect, and we have to play well and pull through girls’ season, her team was hit with shocking news. no matter what.” The reality of the matter Fred Ligrow, their coach, was that their coach couldn’t would be missing a portion of be there to support his team, the state matches for medical and the girls had to ﬁnd a way reasons. As seniors we felt to play and not think about “It was really hard,” Young as if we needed to what was going on outside of said. “None of us really expectstep it up.” the course. ed it.” Concentrating on the game Ligrow was unable to make -Katie Young, and keeping their mind on the it to the morning matches on senior course became very imporSaturday but came to the evetant. And Young said the team ning matches. But even his relied on each other to overmaking it to a portion of the come the mental obstacles of matches still wasn’t the same for the team. the situation at the tourna“It was a different experience, playing without ment. Young also said her teammates helped her, but my coach there,” sophomore Megan Schlanderer said. “I couldn’t talk to him between holes like I it was the upperclassmen on the team who felt they could at any other match.” should take charge and lead the team. Without Ligrow there to encourage and help “As seniors we felt as if we needed to step it up,” his team through a tournament they won last year, Young said. And that was exactly what the teammates did for many of the girls realized they had to do it on their own. Which was a difﬁcult spot to be in, according each other Young said.

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Upperclassmen took the role as leaders, helping each other play the tournament, trying to defend their state title. “We all played our hardest and tried our best,” Schlanderer said. “But I think that the outcome of the tournament was affected slightly by the news, even though they shouldn’t have been.” The team placed fourth in the state. And while it might not have been the team’s best run in the last couple years, it was still a good one, according to Athletic Director John Robinson. “Even though the team placed ﬁrst last year, coming in fourth is still a pretty amazing accomplishment,” he said. And despite the outcome of this year’s tournament, the team still has high hopes for next year’s season. “Hopefully next year we can bring it all together and win,” Schlanderer said. The outcome of the tournament in the future hopefully won’t be the only thing to differ from this season. According to Robinson, Ligrow, who didn’t respond to interview requests, is currently well and plans to coach the golf team in full health next year. “All is well,” Robinson said. “He should be back to normal soon.”

Nichols, Sacks, Slanks, Sendelbach & Buiteweg Attorneys at Law (734) 994-3000

Last year’s record 20-6-1 Captains: Hunter Lyons and Austin Shapiro. “The team has some pretty high expectations,” Lyons said. “This year we want to win the SEC and try to get even further in the playoffs.” Key returning players: Shapiro (DSr.), Lyons (D-Sr.), Nick Ceccolini (GSr.), Zach Lucas (LW-Jr.)

Mens varsity basketball Last year’s record 18-5 Team captain:TJ Feske. “We want to win the SEC,” Fenske said. “Also we want to win districts again and after that go as far as we can go in the playoffs.” Key returning players: Fenske (SG-Sr.), David Pisano (PF-Sr.), Ryan Lemasters (PG-Jr.)

Mens varsity swimming Captain: Ben Steavenson. “We want to win the SEC and improve on our team place in states,” he said. Key returning swimmers: Steavenson (Sr.), Scott Dyer (Sr.), Karl Kumbier (Jr.), Taylor Verna (Jr.)

Varsity wrestling Last years record: 12-13 Captain: Bret Marsh will be defending a division 2 state championship. “We have a really solid team this year, and we have some goals that we want to accomplish,” Marsh said. “We want to finish with a 75 percent winning percentage and beat up on Chelsea. Winning the SEC and sending at least five wrestlers to states is a team goal.” Key Returning Wrestlers: Marsh (Sr.), Dan Flowers (So.), Corey Chamberlin (Jr.)

Womens varsity basketball Last Year’s Record: 11-10 Captain : Kelsey Johnson. “ We want to keep a good record as well as come together as a team, getting farther in districts is important too,” Johnson said. Key Returning Players: Johnson (SG-Sr.), Sherri Gamble (C-Sr.), Celia Kuzon (SF-Sr.)

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

sports

Cross country just misses

Nic Miller Staff Writer

Team comes up just short in quest for sixth straight state title

Dreads Disappoint Coming up short seems to be the theme of our athletic programs thus far. The mens soccer team lost and couldn’t boast of back-to-back state championships, instead taking the lowly tiara as the Division II runners up, losing to Hudsonville Unity Christian 2-1. The athletic director and staff were probably thrilled to be coming home empty handed after organizing transportation and collecting funding for an eight-hour trip. The mens cross country team also failed to bring home the state championship losing to Fremont 105-138, unable to extend its fiveconsecutive Division II state championships. Because of the disappointment, the team missed out on an opportunity to break a record and have their names and a part of Dexter etched into the record books. Yes, team captain and fourth-fastest runner Alex Hess collapsed 400 meters from the finish line causing the Dreadnaughts to gain valuable points (lower point total wins in cross-country). I guess this may qualify as an excuse for not bringing home the championship. Shining far brighter, though, is the football team. Year in and year out, it astonishes me how they continue to produce such miraculous numbers. They never get too daring with their goals or season records, always striving to waver around a .444 winning percentage. The football team continued its blaze of glory gracing the record books of MHSAA as one of the only teams never to make the playoffs. Along with Lincoln, Dexter is the only team in the SEC who has never made the playoffs. We are the one of the select 183 high school football teams in the state to keep its season short with nine games played each year never trailing into November when the weather is too cold and the ground is too hard. The football team has found its niche as a team who has gained notoriety for producing mediocrity, never going so bold as to make the playoffs, keeping their fans on their toes, asking for one good year similar to the Lions. So how about instead of raising our hopes, making students salivate at the thoughts of two state championships, why don’t the soccer and cross country teams try taking lessons from the best. Try to be a little bit more like the football team. Don’t fill our minds with thoughts of success, then crush them in front of our very eyes. Try to be consistent. Try not making the playoffs a few years in row. Then no one will expect anything from you, people will still come to your games or meets and you won’t disappoint us when you lose.

On the run: Senior Ben Steavenson races to try to help the Dreads finish second in the state meet. Steavenson finished fifth with a time of 15:43.

photos by Jeff Leonard and Candice Wiesner photo illusrations by Candice Wiesner and Maria Brundage infographic by Maria Brundage infographic information from Jaime Dudash

Runners, make your mark ... Dexter cross country through the years 1955: Earliest record Coach Jaime Dudash has of a cross country team at Dexter. The team seems to disappear in the 60s.

1975: Jean Brooks becomes the ﬁrst girl to join the cross country team.

Kurt Miller staff writer

Junior Ken Metz dreamed of crossing the ﬁnish line at the cross country state meet just before a runner from Fremont, helping his team win the state championship. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The week before the state championship, according to senior Alex Hess training was the same as usual. Runners took the week like any other week in the season. “(The week before states) we do the same stuff. We don’t want to change, because its worked all year for us,” Hess said. “We’ve actually been to states seven straight years. This is just the sixth straight year we’re going for the state title.” And while it can be tough to stay motivated each and every day throughout the season, Metz and Hess say they both had the same motivation. “I think about the team winning the state championship,” Metz said. Coach Jaime Dudash also helped motivate his runners. “He’s great,” Metz said. “He knows a lot about running and training, and he’s very motivational.” Hess said the season’s top runners were senior Bobby Aprill, junior Ian Nystrom, junior Jason Bishop, himself, junior Ken Metz, senior Ben Steavenson and senior Nick Butler. Five of these runners score in meets, so the team score depends on how they do.

1976: Dean Lineman becomes the ﬁrst Dexter runner to qualify for state level competition in cross country.

At the state tournament on Nov. 3 the team came in second behind Fremont. Aprill finished first for the team, but the one obstacle the runners had to overcome was running without their forth runner, Hess. “He collapsed with about 600 meters left in the race and wasn’t able to get back up,” Metz said. “The training staff had helped him up, and he got two IV’s.” Although the runners would have liked to win the state championship, a few said they, learned something about themselves. “(Junior Ian Nystom) had a great race,” Metz said. Nystrom finished with a personal record time of 17:15 which is about 20 seconds better than his previous personal record. According to Metz, if Nystrom would have finished with his normal time, the team would have most likely ended up third or forth in the state. Metz said the team has a lot to look forward to next year, and it had a great run in the last six years. Of course, not winning the state championship for this program is a disappointment, but Metz said despite its finish the team has a bright future and plans to get back on track next year. “Right now we are ranked number one for team of the decade rankings, so we want to keep that going next year,” Metz said. “We also want to look and try to develop underclassmen runners.”

SUBURBAN CADILLAC-CHEVROLETSABB-HUMMER 3515 Jackson Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 663-3321

1981: The girls squad wins the Class B team state championship, Dexter’s ﬁrst team state title in any sport.

2003: The boys team wins the ﬁrst of ﬁve straight state championships.

Cross facts • The cross country team ended its streak of ﬁve straight state championships. •Junior Ian Nystrom ran a personal record 17:15 at the state meet. •The team has three returning runners next year who placed for the team in the state meet. •Senior Bobby Aprill ﬁnished second overall in the state meet. •The team has now been to the state championship seven straight years. •The record the team is now shooting for is six championships in a decade which is still possible for the team to achieve.

Source: Ken Metz and Ian Nystrom

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

columns

Hilton makes mockery of serious issue Katie Johnson Features Editor

First off, let me say that I love reality TV. I have procrastinated many a paper, instead opting to indulge in the latest “I Love New York” marathon and sit in awe as Bret Michaels excessively uses the phrases “such a turn on” and “what’s a goin’ on?” So I never thought the day would come, but alas, reality TV has failed me. The culprit? Paris Hilton. According to an article from Newsweek by Ramin Setoodeh, Hilton will be traveling to a charity in Rwanda next year called “Playing for Good,” a foundation that sends celebrities to help families and children in need. Throughout her five day stay in Rwanda, Hilton will visit numerous schools and health clinics. Her trip will be documented and made into a reality TV show called “The Philanthropist.”

The Cartoon

I guess her 20-something days spent in prison have been a real eye-opener. But really, Paris is just outdoing herself. I mean, she’s already shown us how to rough it in “The Simple Life,” teaching us how to persevere in harsh middle-class America. She’s shown us how to consume large amounts of alcohol, successfully get arrested and get jail time cut in half, all while looking good. She’s also really proven herself as an actress, starring in gems such as “House of Wax,” “Pledge This!” and numerous sex tapes. I personally feel like I can really relate to her. Now, I guess she can show me how to save starving Africans. She even told Newsweek she would resort to eating candy bars if she has to. Now that’s true dedication. The fact she’s making her trip into a reality TV show is extremely disturbing. She’s already gotten more attention than she needs (the Nicole Richie fiasco anyone?) She should really stay where her talents lie: excessively spending her daddy’s money and making horrible movies. But I’m glad she’s successfully found out how to completely center the problems of Africa around herself. Nice job, Paris.

Does she realize Rwanda is one of the most dangerous places in the world, being the site of a 1994 genocide that killed over a million people? Can someone as shallow as Paris Hilton really be that influential in Africa? I think not. What’s even more pathetic is that a large number of Americans will watch “The Philanthropist.” Society is in a sad state if the only way we will pay attention to global issues is through celebrities. We shouldn’t hear about the effects of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide or the fact that only a small number of its inhabitants have access to clean water through a celebrity. We should already know about the problems in Rwanda as well as the ongoing genocide in Darfur by reading about them and choosing to educate ourselves. Sure, it’s great that celebrities want to promote awareness, but honestly, what can they really do in Africa? It’s only a publicity stunt to make them feel like that much more of a human being and make themselves feel a little better as they “help” humanity. As much as much I’d love to see my IQ drop while watching Paris Hilton parade around Rwanda saying “That’s hot,” I think I’ll pass.

By David Bays Maria Brundage Copy Editor

Your DHS to-do list You’re going to spend about 720 school days in high school. To put that in perspective, if you were paid hourly minimum wage for being in high school, you would make $30,888. Unfortunately, you won’t, but you might as well get something out of the experience. As a senior, I’ve suffered and laughed through most of those 4,320 hours, so I’d like to think I know something about getting some out of high school. So here’s your to-do list. Cut this article out and tape it in your locker. The years are mostly guidelines. For maximum excellence, you should be doing all of these as often as possible. Freshman Year Join a club or activity: Whether it’s varsity basketball or anime club, you’ll make friends and have something to put on college applications (this comes in handy later). And don’t worry, you’ll only be “the freshman” for one year. For more information, look at the activities board in the commons designed by senior Brittany Batell and yours truly. Drop stuff down the stairwell: Like your American Studies book THUNK! Superballs are also an excellent choice. Just make sure you have someone posted to warn passers-by, and don’t drop anything messy. That’s just rude. Do this one fast, because by the time you are a senior, you will probably be too mature for this. Sophomore Year

Ryan Aliapoulios entertainment editor

Where have all the good tunes gone?

I was sitting at the computer the other day listening to iTunes, an activity I often do when faced with the challenge of homework, when I stumbled across some interesting news on the Internet. As it turns out, Led Zeppelin is reuniting for a show in London in late November. The shock of the news nearly sent me out of my spinny chair. Led Zeppelin back together? After almost 20 years without any shows? My heart raced at the possibility of a tour in the United States to follow. After my initial excitement wore off, I tried to think about the situation more deeply. The guys in Led Zeppelin made some great music, sure, but to be realistic, they’re getting old. Jimmy Page is 63 this year. To put that in perspective, Keith Richards is 63, and we all know how he looks. I’m not hating on Page or Richards. These guys are rock and roll gods. What I’m more concerned about is our generation’s rock icons. Who is today’s Led Zeppelin? The better question would be what caused rock music to fade into obscurity? Maybe it’s the endless waves of sad Blink182 imitations or their slightly darker emo counterparts. Or perhaps it’s illiterate 17-year-olds who go by “Soulja Boy” and use shareware to produce their whole album. Seriously, go to download.com and type in “Fruity Loops Studio” and you will have in your hands the same faculties Soulja Boy had when he made his album, plus a brain stem. Again, maybe this is too harsh. Obviously, modern music has made a big shift into the hip-hop/rap arena, and I gotta say, I am loving it. About half of my iTunes library is rap music, and most of it is quality, so the blame I’m placing here is more general.

I enjoy “Crank That” just as much as the next guy, and I’ll admit, that one if-I-lay-here, if-I-just-lay-here song by Snow Patrol is kind of catchy. But is this what we want to be showing our grandchildren when we pull out our dusty iPods in 50 years? I just want to know where all the artistry has gone. What I will say for hip-hop is that there are some people out there trying to be socially conscious and artistic, and I respect that, but there are way more people dragging the genre down. The Talib Kwelis and Commons of the world are more often drowned out by the Mike Joneses and the Juelz Santanas, and it’s just kind of depressing. When I’m older, I don’t want the anthem of my youth to be “Still Tippin’.” Every decade has had its landmark bands, obviously descending in importance up until now. In the 60s they were Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix and the 70s had the Stones and The Doors. Quality went down a bit in the 80s, but you could make a case for Iron Maiden and The Cure, I guess. Even the 90s brought us Nirvana and Radiohead, but what about the 2000s? We’re seven years into this decade and we have Panic! At The Disco and Nickelback to show for it. Oh, and lets not forget the timeless musings of Hawthorne Heights. Even if you like these bands (I’m not ashamed to admit that I have them on my iPod), I just hope that we can make something that lasts. The best image I can think of is this: I was walking through the store the other day, and on the cover of XXL an article said Plies was going to be the next king of hip-hop. The best thing Plies has under his belt so far is the masterpiece that was “I’m So Hood,” and he had the worst verse on the song. Come on.

Write a letter to The Squall: You’re now cool enough to have opinions. So make sure all 4,786 people reached by The Squall monthly know. Just drop off a letter in room 407. We’re not kidding; it really is that simple. Last year, we received a total of seven letters in nine issues of The Squall, only one of which was from a student. I am ashamed of you, student body. Build a homecoming float: I missed every float building day in high school, and I will regret that for the rest of my sad, pitiful life. Junior Year Take the PSAT: It’s the only time you’ll ever be able to take the SAT without an essay. There is literally no better way to spend a Saturday morning. Plus, if you release your contact information to colleges, you’ll get some excellent mail like this letter I received from the University of Chicago: “Dear Maria, You are not your test scores. Someday you will sum up the events in your life, your friends and accomplishments, your triumphs and your disappointments, and your standardized test scores will be long forgotten. We hope. We are writing to you now, however, because your scores were good ... ” Paint the rock: Admit it, you’ve always wanted to vandalize something. Wish a friend happy birthday, support your favorite sports team or even smash a car on top. It’s all good. Just add your personal layer of spray paint to the countess layers already there. Bonus points if it stays up for more than a day. Senior Year Take a fun class: After 13 years of school, you deserve it. And I don’t mean a blow off class, because given the current graduation requirements, you have probably taken several already. Find something you might genuinely enjoy. In my completely objective, journalistic opinion, classes with English teacher Rod Satterthwaite are where it’s at. And contrary to popular belief, classes like creative writing and art are only blow-off classes if you choose to make them blow-off classes. Count the days: But don’t count down just yet; that’s far too depressing. For example, from today there are 106 days left of school for seniors. On the other hand, we will never have another 58th day of high school. Counting up makes every day a reason to celebrate. Get senioritis: It hurts so good. Now what are you waiting for? High school is only four years long, you know. Go forth and conquer.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

editorial

Squall THE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Austin Shapiro

MANAGING EDITOR:

the all

Scott Crompton

SQUALL call:

EDITORS ENTERTAINMENT: Ryan Aliapolious NEWS: Heather Siller OPINIONS: David Pisano PHOTO: Jeﬀ Leonard SPORTS: Charlie Pettit HEALTH & TRENDS: Celia Kuzon uPAGE: Hunter Lyons COPY: Maria Brundage & Michelle Chirby FEATURES: Katie Johnson

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS HEAD DESIGN: Candice Wiesner Chas Sloan, Val Argiero, Nora Green, Leah Gibson, Maria Brundage, Rachel Ariyavatkul

MANAGERS BUSINESS: Caitlin Henderson, Brittany Martini

CONTEST: Nic Miller, Kyle Boren, Jake LaRosa

Illustration by David Bays

Thumbs up for the district The Dexter High School teaching staff and all staff throughout the district does an outstanding job providing academic opportunities necessary for students to succeed. For that, we would like to say thank you to our teachers for their phenomenal efforts. It is obvious that their work and dedication is paying off. Six seniors are National Merit Semifinalists, an honor that is quite hard to achieve. And we credit this to the exceptional staff who has guided them through the years. In order to qualify as a Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, a student has to place in the 99th percentile or higher on the PSAT. Without our outstanding teaching staff, that would not be possible. To have six semifinalists from a high school of our size is respectable, and our exceptional teaching staff certainly contributed to that. Across the board, when it comes to standardized test scores, Dexter has consistently been over

the state and national average. Our ACT, SAT, PSAT, and MEAP scores reﬂect the high standards that are expected from students here. This year’s college bound seniors scored an average of 24.3 on the ACT, three points higher than the national average. They also scored 30 points higher on the SAT math portion than the national average Dexter’s average composite ACT scores ranks us 38th out of more than 800 high schools in Michigan. And Dexter students have been accepted into the most highly selective schools in the nation, including ﬁve of the Ivy League colleges. Students may complain that our administrators are too strict and some teachers are unfair, that they are given pointless assignments and that some teachers don’t “teach”, but at the end of the day, we should realize that we are extremely fortunate. We are incredibly lucky to be taught by such

experienced and motivating teachers. Teachers throughout the district are extremely knowledgeable and have a great passion for what they teach. They build strong relationships with their students, and it is obvious that they really care about the good of the students. Most importantly, these teachers are approachable and willing to help. They are willing to go the extra mile for students, and The Squall would like to make special recognition of that. It is teachers’ availability and patience that allows our students to thrive. From coming in before school and staying after, to ﬁnding creative ways to teach, to being friendly towards students, our teaching staff is one of the best. As students, we appreciate all the hard work and commitment teachers offer us. So thank you teachers for contributing your time and effort in teaching Dexter students to succeed.

Trimesters Pro/Con

STAFF WRITERS Sarah Akbarifard, Kevin Butler, Shantal Daratony, Alex Everard, Aaron Gilman, Matthew Kaas, Pat Ledwidge, Erin McAweeney, Ian McCarthy, Kurt Miller, Brent Muse, Morgan Quist, Lisa Richie, Joe Sayre, Olivia Scheﬄer, Kaitlyn Shepard, Alexis Sobczak, Karly Stanislovaitis, Allison Sutter, Emily VanDusen, Kevin Yarrows

CARTOONIST David Bays

ADVISER

Photo by Leah Gibson

Rod Satterthwaite

POLICY: The Squall is distributed monthly to 1,192 students and is estimated to reach 4,786 people with each issue. The Squall is printed by Owosso Argus Press in Owosso, MI and produced by the ﬁrst and second 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

Letters

to the editor

Racism article important Dear editor, “Wow, that is so awesome.” Those were the first words that came out of my mouth after reading the article, “Club formed to fight racism,” by Katie Johnson. It’s so refreshing to see high school students taking part in something to fight for, not to fight about. I want to affirm Sarah Burch, Katie Johnson, The Squall and Dexter High School for recognizing a need for this club, acknowledging its existence and spreading the word about acceptance for all people. I know it seems like a thing of the past to talk about racism, but it still greatly affects the lives of everyone even if we fail to realize it. Keep fighting for what is right and don’t tolerate racism or sexism. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what race, class or gender. We are all part of the human race and life isn’t about living for power or control, it’s about love. Love wins. Sincerely, Kim Wiesner 2007 graduate

A l e x

P r o

The majority of students in the school will likely moan and groan when the topic of the new trimester system is mentioned. Most students are strongly against it, but many are hard pressed to come up with a good reason why. “Well, tri means three, right? And we have two semesters now, so that’s more,” may be the typical explanation. E However, trimesters actually benefit stuv dents, and no, not in the “there-is-more-workso-you-are-challenged-and-learn-more” type e of way. Believe it or not, trimesters will benefit r students in the “this-is-sweet-I-have-less-homea work” type of way. Since most students don’t know the goal of r trimesters, or even how trimesters are set up, d they are against any type of change. I admit, I didn’t like the trimester idea either, until I actually found out what it is. Trimesters are designed to give students more choice, and in doing this, they will also take away stress and confusion. Since there will be three semesters instead of the normal two, that gives students more classes to take yearly. Trimesters also give students fewer classes per day, five instead of the normal six. So how can this be done without losing class time? Well, each class will be longer, 72 minutes instead of the regular 57, which will make up for the majority of time lost with a 5-period day. This time change is designed to give teachers more quality time to teach that will make up for the minutes at the start and the end of class when students are talkative and anxious. So added time allows teachers to get away with only having a class 1/3 of the year instead of half. The only yearlong classes in a post-trimester world will be AP and music classes, which means students get to finish more classes per year while attending fewer classes per day. Another issue most students have with trimesters is the longer class periods. Although classes will be longer per day, students will spend less time in each class overall throughout the school year. This is because students will be enrolled in more classes during the same time period (one school year), so each class has to be shorter to fit all of them in. The idea of trimesters is a productive one, and whether you like it or not, it’s going to happen. Students will have less stress, less homework and a better learning environment. Lets just hope administrators don’t wait until the first day of school to inform us about our classes this time.

Photo by Leah Gibson

C o n

Trimesters are not all they’re cracked up to be. Sure, they give schedules more room for choice and flexibility. But with this comes additional sacrifices. Confusion is a guaranteed occurrence next year for students, teachers and parents. After decades of the standard semester system, administrators and teachers made a seemingly surprise decision to switch to the trimester system, a system which nobody is familiar with and nobody looks forward to. Since each day consists of only five classes, and the days are just as long, all classes under a trimester system will be longer by about 20 minutes. I am definitely not looking forward to this unfortunate by product of trimesters. I can barely maintain the attention span to stay awake for 55 minutes of German. I cannot imagine what classes over an hour will feel like. Furthermore, since there will be three semesters instead of two, terms will be shorter than that of semesters. This gives teachers less time in class to teach the curriculum which will lead to more homework to make up for the lost time. In essence, teachers are taking more of your time at home to teach material that should have been covered in class. Trimesters can also cause problems with students remembering material. If Johnny takes math one trimester and not the other two terms, he has the the rest of school and the summer to forget everything he learned. By this time next year, he will be struggling in his next math class and cursing the trimester gods. Teachers who don’t change their teaching style will also run into problems with the extended class time. Teachers who spend the entire class lecturing will bore their student’s to death with a 70 minute chat about “Demos” and “Kratia”. I doubt the added benefit of having fifteen exams instead of twelve will go over too well with students. Most of us are already struggling to prepare for the current number of exams. With more exams comes more exam days, which take an entire day off of curriculum. This will cause teachers to have to plan around yet another day when making their lesson plans. While trimesters can allow for more electives and choices in a student’s schedule, the longer classes and shorter terms will have teachers cramming and student’s brains aching.

J a k e L a R o s a

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Squall

photostory

Left: Senior Charlie Kemp performs along with the Chamber Orchestra during the “Summertime” performance. “It’s a great song and never gets old. Composer George Gershwin does a great job of arranging this piece,” Kemp said. Below: Freshman Grahman Low and sophomores Jesse Claﬁn and Travis Jarosz dress up as cheerleaders in the beginning of the concert. “I thought it was pretty sweet being a cheerleader. It was lot of fun, and isn’t something I would normally do,” Claﬂin said.

Orchestra director Matt Deloria busts out on stage on a motorcycle for the Concert Orchestra’s performance of “Grease”. “It was my favorite costume because it was just jeans and a T-Shirt,” Deloria said with a smile.

Below: Senior Caitlin Gravel, junior Lindsey Simon and sophomore Jeanette Ganz perform a skit halfway through the concert about pirates vs ninjas. “It turned out pretty awesome. It was really fun thing to do,” Simon said.

Deloria comes out on stage wearing swim wear for the performance of “Summertime.”

Dressed as a queen, freshman Beth Presley plays the violin. She played with the concert orchestra at the Halloween concert.

Spookestra All photos by Jeff Leonard

Deloria conducts the chamber orchestra as a bride. The orchestra played the song “Overture Figaro” while he was wearing this costume.

Orchestra dresses up for the Halloween concer t Karly Stanislovaitis staff writer

Having to prepare in advance is stressful for a lot of people. But having to prepare nonstop for more than a month? That’s exactly what happened to Matt Deloria’s orchestra class as they prepared for the Oct. 30. Halloween concert. According to junior Anna Jones, the orchestra starts preparing for the concert sooner than people may expect. “We started preparing from the beginning of school until the concert,” she said. However, Deloria wants to make it

clear that a lot more goes into the concert than just the work of students. “It’s about a yearlong process,” he said. “We start the planning (for next year’s concert) the day after the previous years concert.” Although the students had to work hard in a short time, according senior Shauna Coffey, they got to have fun too. “We carved pumpkins and dressed up with a theme,” she said. According to Deloria, this, along with other aspects helped create a fun atmosphere for the students and the audience members who attended the concert. “The (audience reaction) is great,” he said. “We get tons of big laughs. This year I

wore a wedding dress onstage; everyone split their sides laughing.” Although Deloria dresses up for fun, he said the students are required to dress up. “If you don’t dress up, you don’t go on stage,” he said. Although having to dress up may bring negative reactions, Deloria said there are few. “Most people are excited (to dress up) but every once in a while we get a stick in the mud,” he said. Thanks to all of the hard work Deloria knows the work put into the show pays off in the end. He said, “(The concert’s) a pain in the butt (to plan), but it is all worth it in the end.”

Left: Junior Ian Nystrom leads the chamber orchestra onto the stage. The cello players were dressed in a DHS band costume. Below: A cofﬁn sits on stage as a decoration. Deloria rose out of it to start the show.

Deloria enters the stage dressed as a mummy. He conducted the concert orchestra in this costume.