the
C h e c k o u t t h e S q u a l l f a c e b o o k p a g e . O h w a i t , y o u c a n’ t . Fa c e b o o k i s b l o c k e d a t s c h o o l . Dexter High School 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter, MI 48130
October 29, 2010 Volume XVI Issue 2
Ford shows teens how to handle dangerous driving situations
Photo by Sarah Dobrei
Young Commuters: Students’ cars line up on Parker Road after school. While many young drivers are on the road, they may not have the skills to cope with dangerous driving situations, which is why Ford hosted Driving Skills for Life, an event to teach new drivers skills they may not have learned in drivers’ education.
Connor Thompson Managing Editor A month ago Ford hosted Driving Skills For Life, an event for teen drivers at its proving grounds in Dearborn. There, teen drivers were taught accidentpreventing driving skills, in addition to comparing impaired driving to unimpaired driving in a riskfree setting. The main idea of this event is to teach new drivers skills they might not have learned in Drivers’ Education, as well as the risks of distracted driving.
Lead Instructor Mike Speck said, “We do about 10 (events) across the country. Each lasts two days, and around 100 people come out to each one.” The next upcoming event is in Phoenix this November. Young drivers practiced split-second decisionmaking and maintaining control of a sliding vehicle. In addition, teens were allowed to drive through multiple courses while attempting to change settings on the stereo, talking to other passengers, etc. The local Police Department was also on hand to provide goggles that simulated vision at various
levels over the legal limit, which students wore while driving and while being administered a field sobriety test. This event is addressing a recurring problem. Students frequently drive while distracted, and it affects them and everyone around them. According a report by cbsnews.com, “texting took a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time ... to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.” Dee Braden is a Drivers’ Ed teacher for All Star Driver Education and has worked with studentdrivers for years. Said Braden, “(The worst distractions for drivers are) peers in the car, and phones - whether texting or dialing.” According to the Michigan State Police, 3,300 accidents occurred in 2009 due to driver distraction, in addition to 856 as a direct result of cell phone use. Two hundred eighty-seven of these crashes resulted in injury, and a further 20 caused at least one fatality. These statistics are not only native to Michigan. Teen-related auto accidents occur in other states as well. Said Speck, “In Tazewell County, Illinois, for example, they lost 15 teens in a 15 month period.” The opportunity for practice that Ford provides could give teens skills they need in order to avoid a potentially fatal accident, whether from losing control of their own vehicle or due to the negligence of others. Driving Skills For Life and other related programs seem to be creating good results. According to Speck, Illinois has improved since the deaths in Tazewell County. “Since then, they’ve had a 70 percent reduction in teen driving deaths,” Speck said. This reduction does not mean teens should stop practicing, however. “It takes five years for young drivers to become as good as their parents,” Braden said. “I would like to see students not be so confident in themselves and their abilities, and move more slowly, even though they think they are skilled. It takes time to learn about the variety of situations that they can encounter.”
Driving Stats i•In 2008, teenrelated auto accidents killed almost 6,500 people •In 2008, drivers ages i16-24 made up 14 percent of iall drivers •In that same year, drivers ages 16-24 were iinvolved in 36.3 percent of all crashes •Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens
The Rostrum is full of Halloween fun!
Our Town
Page 6
Girls on JV football Page 5
Mrs. J on her way to the Olympics? Page 3
Blocked websites affecting school work
Steve Miller
features editor
Social Studies teacher Ryan Baese is having trouble teaching his students this year because of blocked websites. In previous years Baese said he has used Hulu with his students. But not this year. “Ever since they blocked Hulu, I can’t show “Wall Street Warriors” to my Economic classes,” Baese said. And Baese is not the only one having problems with limited web access. Students such as junior Ethan Cramer say they are not able to do the research necessary for school because of blocked sites. Cramer said he spends most of his free time during the school day in the library trying to finish as much school work as he can before he goes home. With all of his time in the library, he said he runs
in to blocked sites quite frequently. “Sometimes I get blocked when I’m doing research paper or playing a game,” Cramer said “I can understand blocking the games, but (blocking) the research websites are annoying.” Because of this annoyance, some students say they have taken the risk of bypassing the blocked websites by going to Atunnel.com and typing in the website. According to junior Erik Skiver, “Everyone can get on to Facebook from the school, even though it’s blocked. I don’t feel like Facebook is that bad. Teachers use it, and it is on our school’s website.” Other students say they use such sites asQloy. com, and Zelj.com to get around blocked web addresses. While district technology director Matt Maciag acknowledges some blocked sites can cause problems for teachers and students, he said he is doing as much as he can.
“As a district we are philosophically more open to site blocking,” he said. “If you have a website that you feel should not be blocked and has educational value, you can just e-mail me, or tell your teacher to e-mail me, and I will normally unblock it for you.” Among the sites blocked include social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. Other websites that are blocked include, as Baese found out, Hulu. According to Maciag, the WISD uses a filtering system that blocks websites that have key words or phrases, so everything that is deemed safe has to be manually unblocked. “Right now the filtering system is for all of Washtenaw County (administrated by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District), so we have limited control, but we are moving (control of what is blocked) to our district so we will be able to have more control of that we filter out,” Maciag said.
Photo by Kristie Duve
Corrections from the last issue ...
Articles we should have run this issue ... Mistakes from this issue ...
• We incorrectly identified English teacher Sarah Ashman as Susan Ashman. • Math teacher John Heuser was in the Navy but not the Navy Seals. • Science teacher Annette Jones’ name was incorrectly spelled. • Brittany Martini did not write the photostory article, Kristie Duve did. The Squall staff regrets these errors.
• Q&A with Mr. Miller’s beard • Bringvictory.com suffers the ultimate defeat: Carl Schimmel devastated • Student gets stabbed with pen; are rulers next? • Mermaids • Something about Zombies • Justin Bieber hits puberty
• Putting Steve Miller’s article on the front page • Not enough Ray Carpenter • The absence of Findalimus • No 3D pictures • Connor Thompson’ name likely spelled wrong somewhere in the issue
2
NEWS
Friday, October 29, 2010
Unveiling a new home for
After their lease was up, it was time for a new space, and their new location on Baker Road made it a 'perfect opportunity to move' Marne Little
staff writer
Marni Schmid, the Director of Operations for the Dexter Pharmacy, realized that her lease would be up in November. So when she saw a building for sale on Baker Rd. she knew it was the perfect opportunity to move. With so many advantages, she said she had to grasp the opportunity. And Schmid said what drew her to the new location initially was the vision of a Wellness Center. Steve Brouwer from A.R. Brouwer is planning this arrangement and the property around and behind the new pharmacy is reserved for this vision. “I believe the plan is to build a fitness center with physical therapists, a cafe, a pool and other workout equipment,” Schmid said. “As a pharmacy, we wanted to be part of that. All of Dexter’s health needs will be in one convenient location. Which will benefit everyone.” Schmid also said the Dexter Pharmacy hopes to have a greater connection with the schools. “It’s a practical place to get your everyday items,” she said of the new location. “For example, if you need a birthday card quickly, the Pharmacy is the perfect place you can stop by and pick that item up. This location also allowed us to own the building, instead Full Service Floist
Pharmacy said, “I believe the move was a of leasing, which is less expensive.” Dawn Fryer, the manager of the Pharmacy, good choice because I think it’s bringing agrees and thinks the new drive-through more business. It was fun but also difficult prescription feature will be a point of interest (to move from the old location), and we worked till 2 a.m.” for many. Sharon Powers, a Dexter resident and “I think the drive through will especially help the elderly,” she said. “I also notice frequent shopper said she likes the new location but missed the that sometimes the homey feel of the old store. elderly will have a the quaintness of hard time moving We are always the“Ioldlove Pharmacy, so maybe around in the looking for help, and we when they fill it all up and store, so the drive through will be very never turn down an ap- the smells come back, it will beneficial.” plication.” be just as quaint.” Regardless, Abby But moving a Ericson head of the Dexter whole store was no picnic. Marni Schmid Chamber of Commerce said, Fryer said the Dexter Pharmacy owner “(The Dexter Pharmacy) has always positively move was very affected the community. time consuming “I believe that as long as as they had to take they support Dexter, Dexter everything down from the old store and rebuild it at the new will support them,” she said. In addition, she agreed the Pharmacy will store. Fryer and Schmid also said the new benefit from being closer to the schools. “The location is more visible there is more traffic, Pharmacy wants to accommodate to Dexter,” both food and vehicle, which in turn is Ericson said. Also, The Pharmacy is always looking for bringing more business. Fryer said, “I’ve seen more students ways to improve so that it’s an ideal place for walking over from school when school gets students and parents. Schmid said, “We are always looking for out and checking out the apparel.” Senior Sean Pollard, an employee at the help, and we never turn down an application.
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NEWS briefs
Sarah Molnar
staff writer
Seniors win spirit week The seniors and juniors battled it out with the seniors eventually winning spirit week. During the assembly, the seniors won most of the events which helped them gain points to win the week. The juniors won the float building with 103 points while the seniors took second with 97 points with their Incredibles float. The sophomores received 85 points, and the freshman got 65 points. Overall the point total for the seniors was 928 points, and the juniors finished with 918 points, sophomores with 850 points and freshman with 628 points. The senior king and queen crowned were Joey King and Taylor Garcia. “Honestly I had no idea my name would be called, but it was a really exciting moment especially standing alongside my brother and sister,” Garcia said. “All the girls up for court are amazing, and I love them all, I had no idea who it would be. Winning with Joey made for a great night. It was amazing to win with a good friend. I’m so happy for him.” SchoolDude used to help maintenance According to Superintendent Mary Marshall, Schooldude is a work order system that is used to process and track requests for work that needs to be done in each building. If a staff member needs something fixed, replaced, delivered, or set up, they can submit a Schooldude request. That request will be routed by e-mail to their supervisor for approval and then will be assigned to a specific custodian or maintenance person to complete the request. “In the future, we will hopefully add the preventative maintenance module to our Schooldude products. This module will allow us to set up a schedule of preventative maintenance tasks such as changing furnace filters, send e-mail reminders when the task is due, and maintain a record of preventative maintenance activity to support the longevity of our equipment,” Marshall said.
Wireless technology upgraded Last year the wireless networking system in the school was not reliable. Many teachers and students complained about the slowness of the network, and many days the server wouldn’t allow student log-ins. However, this year the wireless system appears to working better, and according to district technology director Matt Maciag, that’s because of a wireless system upgrade. Maciag said the speed of the wireless is faster and there are now guest log-in capabilities. This upgrade was paid for out of bond money.
Block scheduling voted down by staff
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According to the Dexter Education Association president and computer teacher Joe Romeo, teachers at the high school may vote to adapt a new schedule for next year. However, the first vote to change from trimesters to an 8-block failed. Romeo said one of the reasons the staff is considering a new schedule is to accommodate the needs of the International Baccalaureate program, which may be adopted next year. Romeo said the staff wants a schedule that provides an opportunity for students to take IB courses, music classes and other electives they might want to take. Among other scheduling options being considered by the staff according to Romeo are a 7-period day, a 6-period day and some form of block schedule. IB is difficult if not impossible to run under a trimester schedule according to Romeo because of the possible 12-week gap between such classes as math and world languages.
3
Feature
Friday, October 29, 2010
Illustration by Trevor Herman-Hilker
Eligible voters don't show up at polls for midterms Kevin Skiver
new president in office.” Presidential elections have historically had a much higher turnout news editor than midterms statistically, drawing out approximately 60 percent Voting is considered a right in the United States, but many fear it of eligible voters, according to The Washington Post. According to is a right that is not exercised nearly enough. With the 2010 midterm Bergen, this trend has to do with advertising more than people not elections approaching, according to a government census, only about caring. “Presidential elections get a lot more 40 percent of the population who is eligible to vote national attention,” Bergen said. “Seeing plans to vote in November. people on TV tends to give them a little bit Senior Meaghan Thompson, who turned 18 in August, would like to vote in the November election I don’t think anyone more credibility than people who appear but didn’t register in time. “I missed the deadline shold have to be educated on signs in front yards, like they do during midterms. Also, there are smaller campaign by one day,” Thompson said. “I would have liked to make a vote, but I do budgets, and the campaigns are a lot more to vote, because I want to see the Democrats keep the house. I like Obama’s policies, and I think think that everyone should localized, as opposed to presidential where that he’s had the right idea. It’s just a large change know who and what they’re they’re appealing to a whole crowd. “Since 2004, there’s been a big surge of people aren’t comfortable with.” voting for ...” younger voters,” Bergen said. “The truth is that Senior Zach Johnson, who turned 18 in July, young voters haven’t really influenced elections also missed the cut-off date to register. “I would have voted if I’d known where to register, and I Cory Bergen much since 2004, but there’s been a lot of towards them for decades by wish I could still go in. I did want to vote in social studies teacher campaigning candidates. Since they’re a relatively untapped November. I just didn’t register in time.” demographic of voters, and since so few of And these two won’t be the only no-shows in the them have turned out to vote, they have the November elections, according to AP Government teacher Cory Bergen. “The thing about midterms is that after all power to really influence an election. In 2004 Obama really played to the optimism people felt about the ’08 election, it’s a lot tougher to that demographic, and he drew a lot of votes that way.” Some skeptics of the political system say people should be more enact policies in office than it is on the campaign trail,” Bergen said. “Voters tend to feel disillusioned after the first few years of having a educated before the vote for the president. These skeptics cite the
“
2008 election, where many analysts said Obama was nothing more than an advocate for change, and he won the vote because people want that change. Bergen, however, disagrees. “I don’t think anyone should have to be educated to make a vote, but I do think that everyone should know who and what they’re voting for when they go to polls to vote,” he said. “I do not, however, think that anyone should let an apparent lack of knowledge stop them from going to polls and exercising their right to vote.” Students also say their political beliefs are not just based on the flashier candidates. “I’m a big advocate of Obama,” Thompson said. “I would love to see the Democrats keep the house, since I think that they’re making changes that are necessary. It’s just a big change people aren’t comfortable with and have to get used to, and I don’t think anything will get done if the Democrats lose the Senate. “I wish that I had gotten in on time to register, since it’s a big deal to me,” she continued. “It was a bit of a letdown to miss the deadline by as closely as I did. I wanted to make myself heard, especially since everyone’s talking about how the Democrats are going to lose a lot of representatives.” However, according to Bergen, change like this is inevitable. “Once policies start getting enacted and large changes are made, people start to realize the impact of that change and become highly motivated to go to the polls,” he said. “Also, the party out of power is usually hungrier to energize their base of voters than the party that is in power. It’s the old adage, ‘It’s easier to become number one than to stay there.’”
Middle school teacher strives for Olympic goals Mill Creek gym teacher Katie Jazwinski continues her training for marathons and pursues her dream of ultimate competition Tucker Whitley
down and cried at the finish line with tears of pure joy
Sports Editor that I did it and relief that it was over. I now respect the
It's a rainy, cold morning in the town of Dexter, and while most people are asleep, comfy in their beds, middle school gym teacher Katie Jazwinski begins her run. It's 4:30 in the morning, but she doesn't stop. Not until she is completely satisfied with herself and what she accomplished. It takes a lot to satisfy the one they call Mrs. J. Her students call her a teacher, a coach, a role model, and in this situation, a straight up-runner. At last, she's done with her morning run, but her morning has just begun. “My kids then wake up,” she said. “I get them ready for pre-school, teach a full day of PE at Mill Creek, go to the girls cross country practice, come home and play with my kids, make dinner, put the kids down to bed, and head to the track or the hills.” In addition to these things, Jazwinski is training for the Olympics and according to the people who have watched her run, she's going to make it. “She is so self-motivated,” says junior cross country captain Emily Pap. “She was beating me at practice when she was pregnant. She knows what she's talking about, and she connects with us so well.” On Oct. 17, Jazwinski ran a marathon in Grand Rapids and won by more than 12 minutes. Next on her list is the Olympic trials, which she has qualified for after her victory at the Grand Rapids marathon. But first, it's recovery time. Jazwinski said, “This week after the marathon, I am toning it down. My body is still recovering, but I am running every day to get back into my routine. For my first marathon that I ran competitively, I was not smart, to use polite terms, by being so aggressive for the first half of the race. I have always been an aggressive individual that has set high standards for myself. Strangely, I enjoy putting myself through discomfort and pain to see how much my body and mind can withstand it. My first 15 miles of the race were 5:40-5:50 per mile. The last 12 were pure emotional and physical pain. I definitely needed the strength from deep inside, and miraculously I found it to finish my last mile in 6:00 minute pace. But, that pain will fade and my trials time will not. I broke
distance of 26.2 miles and hope to become a wiser marathon runner. Racing a marathon is a humbling experience.” If she were to make it into the top three at the Olympic trials, she would be able to run in London in 2012. A long process, yes. But worth it to this woman who started running as an eighth grader. “It still hasn't set in that I actually have qualified for the Olympic Trials,” Jazwinski said. There are two classes for the Olympic trials. Class A, which is the faster of the two groups and class B. Jazwinski said she can make it to the top. Her personal coach, trainer and husband, Bob Jazwinski, is doing his part in making sure she does just that. Jazwinski said, “Since my husband and I decided that I was actually going to go for it, he has set out a quite intense training plan for me. For the last eight months, I have run on average from 95-120 miles per week. Some of my tough workout sessions have included lot of hills, 10 x 1 mile repeats at 5:20 per mile with 4:00 minute jogging recovery, 20 x 1/2 mile repeats at 2:32-2:35 per interval with 2:00 minute jogging recovery, and a long run of 2 hours and 40 minutes at 7:00 minute pace with one hour in the middle at 6:00 minute pace.” This lady isn't looking for pats on the back, either. “It’s all about self pride now,” she said. “Making it to the Olympic Trials and possibly the Olympics is a personal goal that I have always wanted to reach for myself. I have always had the attitude to demand more from myself than anyone else can. I am not looking for praise, pats on the back, public attention or medals. I would love to tell my children some day that I strived for this goal. It is a huge feeling of personal accomplishment that I have reached the goal to the trials. I am now in the process of setting higher goals now that I have reached one. I want to continue to get better at marathon racing and hope to improve my time. I also hope to run a smarter race next time and gain wisdom with each one. I am thankful that I have stayed healthy and hope to continue the journey. Running is a passion that I continue to possess for the rest of my life.”
Photo by Sarah Molnar
Pursuing her dream: Girls cross country coach Katie Jazwinski finishes the Grand Rapids Marathon. Jazwinski hopes to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.
Entertainment & Trends
4
Friday, October 29, 2010
Frank the bunny mask
Costume trends change every year Sirah Camara
Trends Editor
Every year Rows said his staff goes through hours of training before they are able to work. “We educate our staff on the best-selling costumes,” Rows said. “They go through special training to find out what the best merchandise is.We evaluate employes every year and love for people to come back year after year.” And all of this preparation worked for junior Lindsey Green who got her costume at Halloween City. “I like Halloween because you get to dress up as someone you normally wouldn’t be,” Green said. “ After trick or treating I go home, count my candy and after go to a party or do something with (my) friends. I want to be the girl from the Top Gun this year.”
Hannah Ruble (10): Hula Girl
Junior Stephanie Matich takes Halloween very seriously. “I get ready, go trick or treating, then I go home and sort my candy,” Matich said. “I trade with my siblings and then go to a costume party.” Matich said she starts researching on-line a couple months ahead and visits stores more than once in order to pick a costume. “I want to be Pocahontas,” she said. “She’s my favorite Disney character.” Matich said Halloween is important to her because she loves to dress up in costumes and to see other people in their costumes. Many students like Matich enjoy Halloween. They like to go trick or treating and have Halloween parties. Take sophomore Alex Semifero, for instance. She is a big fan of Halloween. “It’s when me and my best friend met,” she said. “(Me and my friends) are going to dress up as the Harry Potter characters.” There are also many stores that open seasonally just because of Halloween. Formerly known as Halloween USA, Halloween City is one of the nation’s largest Halloween stores. Donnie Rows, Kenzie Goffee (12) Marketing Manager for the Ann and Logan Powell Arbor district, said this year’s (2009): Ash Katchum big costume sellers are and Misty Avatar, The Mad Hatter and Iron Man. For kids, the Transformers and Spiderman a r e always big he said.
Jorgen Powell (11): Present
Taylot Petri (11): Bumble Bee
Brandon Canniff (12) and Cameron Maisch (12): Mark Antony and Cleopatra
Meaghan Thompson (12): Pink Crayon
Rachel Sakowski (11): Pumpkin
Erin Lashbrook (10): Snow White Charlotte Becker (12): Pirate
Mishael Bingham (11): Constuction worker Lauren Schoof (12) and Nick Byma (12): Deef and Hunter
Staff playlist Leah Drinkard “Only girl (in the world)” Rihanna
Patrick Becker (11): Gothic Construction worker who also cheerleads
“I love singing to this song while I’m driving.” Christine Wolyniak “Other Side” Rebelution
Alex Scharf (12) and Gabio Viola (12): Bunny and Magician
Anica Zadrzynski (12): Cupcake
London Wendt (12): Snooki
Block Buster may go bust
Derek Fead
Staff Writer
Blockbuster employee Sam Reich puts on his blue uniform and gets in his car to go to work every day thinking this could be his last because 900 Blockbuster stores nationwide are closing before the end of 2010. On Sept 23, Blockbuster filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy after going $900 million dollars in debt. “Netflix and other mail order and on-demand companies have been putting a lot of stress on rental companies, like Blockbuster,” Reich said. Blockbuster is currently the largest freestanding movie rental retail in America and owns 4,356 stores nationwide. But this could soon change. Netflix has grown over 300 percent in the last year and is now worth over $8 billion dollars. Netflix also adds the benefit
of online viewing. DHS senior Brandon Pederson said, “I love Netflix online. I can view movies whenever I want.” Subscribers can watch hours of video online with no waiting or driving. Netflix has also made an aggressive campaign to keep up with technology. Subscribers can access Netflix from Xbox 360 and PS3. This is a big advantage for people such as senior Brandon Pederson. “Netflix sends the DVDs straight to my door, no driving, also there are no late fees. I still used to Photo by Logan Boonstra use regular movie rental store if I needed a movie that day, but now Netflix is online and on Xbox so I get the movies instantly.” Blockbuster has set up their own mail rental system to compete with Netflix called “Total Access” which currently
has 1.6 million subscribers. “Total Access” also allows subscribers to drop off and pick up movies in store. Blockbuster hopes this program will expand and compete with Netflix. “Netflix had a head start on the consumers,” Reich said. But Reich said it might to little too late. “Blockbuster couldn’t catch up with Netflix’s consumership.” Blockbuster is currently setting up a network of kiosks to compete with Redbox, as well. Redbox is a movie rental vending system. There are over 15,000 Redbox kiosks located in most large grocery stores like Meijer and Walmart. Blockbuster has 497 kiosks currently but plans to increase that amount to 2,500 kiosks by the end of 2010. “The Blockbuster kiosk could be successful, although Redbox already has a stronghold in most of the large stores,” Reich said. In the meantime, Reich said he is just going to wait and see. Blockbuster has said it will keep 3,300 stores open for now. “We don’t know whether any Blockbusters will close in Ann Arbor yet,” Reich said. “But for now we can plan on staying here.”
“His voice sounds sexy.”
Murphy Hansen “Who’s That Chick” Rihanna “She has an awesome music video where you can choose whether you want to watch it in day or night.” Tay Schmidt “Hold On” Sam Adams “Good mix between hip-hop and techno.” Connor Thompson “Swagger” Flogging Molly “It’s good pump up music because it’s fast paced and loud.”
5
Sports
Friday, October 29, 2010
Student athletes face season-changing injuries
Murphy Hansen
staff writer
Junior Nathan Killian tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus playing soccer in August. “I had surgery the first day of school,” Killian said. “Without an ACL you can’t play sports because it keeps your knee in place. That’s why I had the surgery, so I could play soccer and swim again. The muscles around my knee are really weak so it’s not very stable. I don’t practice. I’m usually doing rehab.” And Killian is one of a number of student-athletes who underwent seasonchanging injuries this fall. But there are things injured athletes can do to help speed their recovery, according to Rosanne Crompton, a physical therapist for The University of Michigan For example, Crompton said an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain is a joint injury that causes a stretch or tear in a ligament. The ACL is one of the major ligaments in the middle of the knee and helps keep the knee stable and protects the femur from sliding or turning on the tibia. Crompton said the ACL is frequently injured in forced twisting motions of the knee or when the knee is straightened further than it normally can (hyperextended). When the joint is first injured, there is usually a loud, painful pop, followed by a lot of swelling of the knee within a few hours of injuring it. Students such as Killian can help their ACLs heal by following proper procedures. According to Crompton, this includes, “In order to reduce swelling, applying an ice pack on your knee for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days or until the pain goes away she also suggests keeping your leg elevated. Some common treatments include: participating in your regular treatment like the exercises recommended by your doctor, using crutches, and possibly talk to your doctor about having reconstructive ACL surgery if needed,” said Crompton. Crompton said, “When talking about returning to your sport or activity, it is determined by how soon your knee recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. Although most ACL injuries occur during accidents that are not preventable, by having strong thigh and hamstring muscles and maintaining a good leg stretching routine injuries are less likely to happen.” Killian said he keeps thinking positive despite his injury and is trying to work toward a proper recovery for his injury. “I’m recovering ahead of
WF
schedule, but I’m still out of sports for six months. I’m pushed during physical therapy knowing that I may get in a month of swim season and may be able to help my team at states,” he said. Senior Jeff Pituch has endured a long battle when it comes to the injury he has been dealing with since 2008. “I had a stress fracture in my lower spine,” Pituch said. This occurred from over-exertion combined with a pre-existing bone defect. After working out is when he said he has the most pain. “It hasn’t hurt as much as it did last year or the year before, but I definitely still feel it during intense competition,” he said. “It frequently hurts after tough workouts, water polo tournaments and standing or sitting for extended periods of time.” Crompton said Pituch’s injury is different than Killian’s, however, “A stress fracture is a hairline crack that can occur in bones from repeated or prolonged use and the vertebrae is a common site for a stress fracture to occur. She said, “Symptoms include pain with activity and you may have swelling and bruising. Your doctor will examine you and may even order an x-ray.” She said the most important component of treatment is rest. Applying ice packs every 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours will help swelling if it occurs. Also, taking anti-inflammatory medication, changing your activity that irritates the injury and wearing a cast for 3 to 6 weeks while your bone heals with also be a part of the recovery process. However, if you have a spine stress fracture, a cast will not be needed. “Stress fractures are caused by overuse. The best way to avoid it is to listen to your body and not force yourself to do activities while you are in pain. If you do, you way cause further injury, which can lead to permanent damage,” Crompton said. Pituch said the hardest part of having an injury is the criticism he puts on himself. “Sometimes I feel like a useless old man when I can’t bend over to tie my shoes without it hurting,” Pituch said. “During the worst part of my injury, I felt like a slacker, watching my teammates work hard from the pool deck,” he said. “Eventually I realized that I had to give myself a break because I wasn’t sitting out by choice. Telling myself to take it slow and easy while I recovered was almost impossible. I’ve definitely improved a lot since sophomore year. I used the time I spent watching from the sidelines to help my water polo IQ, and
it’s ultimately improved my game.” Quarterback Michael Mioduszewski was injured during this football season with yet a different injury. “I tore my peroneal tendon in a preseason scrimmage,” Mioduszewski said. A peroneal tendon strain is an injury in which tendons are stretched or torn, Peroneal muscles are on the outer side of the lower leg and their tendons attach to the foot according to Crompton. During an injury when the foot and ankle are rolled inward, called inversion, peroneal tendons may be stretched or torn. Also if the foot is forced upward toward the shin an injury can occur. If this does happen, you will have pain on the outer side of your lower leg and ankle. You may even hear a pop or a snap when it occurs. Swelling around your ankle may be experienced. Doctors will examine the ankle and lower leg by moving it to test the tendons and may also take an x-ray to see if there is a break in your ankle or foot. “Applying ice every 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours while elevating the leg or wrapping an elastic bandage around your ankle will reduce swelling that may occur,” Crompton said. Wearing a stirrup splint called an Aircast or a laced up ankle brace as prescribed by your doctor and doing exercises to strengthen your peroneal muscles and tendons will possibly be included in the treatment and recovery for this type of injury. Crompton also said, “If you return to your sport or activity too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage,” said Crompton. A few ways to know when you can return include: when you have full range of motion in the injured leg, you have full strength of the injured leg, you can jog straight ahead without pain or limping, you can jump on both legs without pain and you can jump on the injured leg without pain. You should alway consult with your physician before returning or increasing your physical activity. Preventing a peroneal tendon strain would include: Keep the ankles and peroneal muscles strong, wear hightop athletic shoes or a supportive ankle brace, make sure to warm up properly and when running, choose a level surface and avoid rocks or holes. Michael is still injured, but compared to several weeks ago he is doing slightly better, “Before, when I was injured much worse, it stopped me from running fully, walking normally and practicing with the team. I always had to sit out of everything that involved running. I am in pain every day at practice and
Some fall sports injuries Jeff Pituch (12) •Developed a stress fracture his sophomore year (2008). •X-rays do not always show a stress fracture, your doctor may order a specialized test called a bone scan to come up with the correct diagnose. • A stress fracture is caused by overuse. The best way to avoid one is to listen to your body and don’t push through the pain.
Nate Killian (11) •In his first soccer game of the season, he was hit from the side and his ACL was torn. •The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the major ligaments in the middle of the knee that helps keep the knee stable and protects the femur from sliding or turning on the tibia. •ACL injuries usually occur during accidents that are not preventable, but you can try to prevent these injuries by having strong thigh and hamstring muscles.
Michael Mioduszewski (11) •He has had this injury for eight weeks and tore his peroneal tendon when he got his toe caught in the turf and came down on it. •You may hear a pop or snap when a peroneal tendon strain occurs and swelling around the ankle can occur. •A peroneal tendon strain can occur when the foot and ankle are rolled inward or if the foot is forced upward toward the shin, the peroneal tendon can be stretched or torn.
Photo by Nick Byma
Carrying on: Mioduszewski continues to carry the ball despite his season-changing injury at the Lincoln game. “I couldn’t think of deserting my team,” he said.
ho Says Girls Can’t Play Not juniors Jessica Ballard or Amy Moorman who ootball? have taken on this typically male sport
Photo by Lindsey Gagneau Photo illustration by Kelsey Heilman
Marne Little
editor-in-chief
As she considered her love of sports and her father’s influence, junior Jessica Ballard decided she wanted to play a traditionally male sport, football. “I wanted to join the football team because I enjoy all sports, and I wanted to challenge myself athletically,” Ballard said. “This is my first season with a team, but I have always played with my dad, because my dad played for a college team.” Although football is generally considered an all-boys sport, Ballard and junior Amy Moorman have broken the norm by joining the junior varsity team. Ballard’s father played as a wide receiver at San Francisco State University and in a California state championship game. “Jessica was influenced to play football by following in her father’s footsteps,” Ballard’s mother, Juliet Ballard said. “She was also •Moorman and Ballard encouraged by the Dexter football coaches to be the best that she can be.”
Moorman joined the team because she enjoys sports as well. “I like football,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun, but you have to be good at running.” Even though the JV team is generally all-boys, Ballard and Moorman say they don’t mind being the only girls on the team. They both they don’t feel treated any differently than the boys. “It is really fun,” Ballard said. “(The team) has been great. They always are welcoming to me, and I have made good friends with my teammates. I haven’t been treated differently. They treat me as though I am part of the team and all have the same responsibilities to the team.” Dave Evanski has been coaching for Dexter for eight years and said he has never coached a football team with girls on it. “But I did have a girl on my team way back in seventh grade when I played,” Evanski said. “I wouldn’t say I coach differently with the girls on the team. Football is predicated on the team, so you have to treat everyone the same no matter what. Besides the obvious differences like having to dress in another room, I think the girls are treated the same as the boys. They do everything in practice that the boys do. They condition the same as the boys and participate in drills the same as the boys. The only difference might be that we match up the girls Jessica and Amy with players similar in size for hitting drills. They are never separate from the team.” Teammate and sophomore Andy McWilliams said he welcomes the girls on the team as well. “Everyone has great respect for them because they are doing something special that takes a lot of guts,” McWilliams said. “Everyone on the team has also done really well helping them catch up and be part of the Dexter football family.” Evanski said so far the girls have done a great job this season. “There was definitely a transition the girls had to make, and the boys too, at the beginning. Both girls joined the team in the middle of the season, so we knew
we would have to bring them up to speed, and that takes time. Neither of the girls had played football before so we had to help them learn some of the basics. They both have shown considerable improvements from when they arrived. I think they both have a new-found respect for the game and the guys that play it and see how fast and hard hitting the game is, especially in our league.” Both of the girls joined the team after season had already started, but after participating in 12 practices both girls were able to play in a game. “Because the girls joined the team late, they had to get the required amount of practices in before they played,” Evanski said. “Jessica was eligible for our last game at Chelsea, and Amy is eligible to play against Monroe. Because this is their first year playing organized football I knew we had to start them out slow before we even thought about playing time. We play in a tough league where teams have been playing with each other since the 5th grade. You can’t replace all those years of experience with a couple weeks of preparation. So playing time may not be as important as seeing how the game is played, understanding our offense and defense, or even getting to know the rest of the guys better. With two games I foresee the girls getting to see a little action, but I won’t put them in situations where they will be overwhelmed.” Ballard said she was really excited about getting to play in her first game. “I loved playing in the game,” Ballard said. “It was one of my most exciting experiences this year. The experience has really allowed me to push myself really hard to compete, and it has made me want to play harder to help my team.” Evanski said he is proud of his team and the ways they have welcomed the girls to the team. “The boys have shown nothing but respect to the girls and have welcomed them in to our family,” Evanski said. “The JV team and their parents welcomed the girls in to our program with open arms. They deserve some credit.”
6
Get Involved
Friday, October 29, 2010
Drama club presents
'Our Town' Photo by Kristie Duve
Rehearsal time: Seniors Corey Bowen and Jackie Williams go over lines from the fall play, “Our Town.” Bowen plays the stage manager in the show
Photo by Kristie Duve
Ready to go: Sophomore Sammi Watkins reads over her lines prior to rehearsal. “Our Town” opens on Thursday, Nov. 18 in the C.P.A.
Dexter Drama Club is gearing up for its first production of the year, “Our Town.” Written by Thornton Wilder, the play centers around two families that live in Grover’s Corners, a small, fictional, town in New Hampshire. Narrated by the stage manager, who will be played by senior Corey Bowen, the play uses very few props and very little scenery. Also the stage manager/ narrator wanders in and out of the action according to director Matt Martello.
Photo by Jackie Tally
Read through: Seniors Ruby Grammatico and Colin Northrup look over their scripts. Grammatico is president of the drama club.
Nicole Minzey Other lead roles include Doc Gibbs, played by senior Justin “Biscuit” Hayes, Joe Crowell, played by sophomore Jake Dishman and Howie Newsome, played by freshman Elliot Styles. Senior Lisa Miller will be the play’s feature vocalist. The cast rehearses every Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. over an eight -week span. Besides rehearsing, cast members must also advertise for the play which includes making posters and commercials. As the director, Martello said the most difficult part is making sure everyone does their jobs and communicates effectively. But members of the cast say theatre is important to them and the work they do is well worth it. “(Theatre) is one of the greatest things in my life,” senior Ruby Grammatico, president of drama club said. “I will actually be pursuing theatre in college to continue my theatre career. Being a part of the play is almost refreshing because it allows a person to release all of the emotions and words that they would not normally facilitate in real life.” According to senior Alex Sloan, who plays George Gibbs in the play, spending time with the cast is another enjoyable part of participating in the play. “It’s the people, it’s the cast and the crew,” he said. “Getting to hang out with them after school is the most rewarding part.” According to Martello, there
entertainment editor are pros and cons of doing a play like this. “Our Town”, which doesn’t have traditional scenes and props, makes it easier because the crew doesn’t have to build sets, and it makes it easier to share the space with others who would use the CPA. It can be more difficult, however, for the audience to watch a play like this because people have been accustomed to more visual things. “The play is not a flashy show by any stretch,” Martello said. The first act “The Daily Life” chronicles the daily lives of the Gibbs and Webb families. The second act, “Love and Marriage” focuses on the love and relationship of George Gibbs and Emily Webb. In the third and final act, “Death and Dying” characters who have died reflect on their lives and realize they didn’t appreciate it enough. “The message of the play is ultimately how living humans are so preoccupied with small, petty thoughts that they never truly know happiness or the joy of being alive until they are dead,” Grammatico said. The play runs November 18,19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the CPA. Tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for students. As for what people will get out of seeing this play, Grammatico said, “I want people to leave this show feeling like they cherish their lives and never waste one second of time.”
Murphy hopes to contribute to student SUCCESS Kaitlin Gotcher
staff writer
Moving to Michigan from Colorado a year ago with a counseling degree and an interest in working with students, Erin Murphy, Project SUCCESS coordinator, did not know she would soon stumble upon the opportunity of a lifetime. From creating posters to giving classroom presentations Murphy works to create awareness about the consequences of using illegal drugs and alcohol. At the same time, she is also working on a way to prevent students from using them. Murphy Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) is a grant-funded program that helps prevent, reduce or cease the use of harmful substances among students. The mission of this program is to try and decrease drug use among students and help students become drug free. The Washtenaw County Health Organization funds the grant (Washtenaw Alcohol Reduction Project or WARP). “Students will be more aware of the consequences of using illegal substances and hopefully students I work with in groups or individually will reduce or completely stop using,” Murphy said. Murphy said Project SUCCESS is a safe place for students to talk about their experiences and to receive additional support from another adult in the building. Murphy moved to Michigan from Colorado, looking for a job in counseling, she said. She was interested in working in schools, and she came across this opportunity. “I like to support students as they work toward overcoming the hardships they face. Knowing they were able to find their own solution with some guidance and adult support is what I enjoy the
most,” she said. Project SUCCESS works hand in hand with SADD (Students Murphy’s position as the Project SUCCESS Coordinator has her Against Destructive Decisions) in trying to prevent students from running supports groups, working individually with students who are using illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Whereas SADD is a possibly using substances and educating students and staff about the student-led extracurricular organization, Project SUCCESS includes effects illegal substances have on people. a prevention specialist, such as Murphy, focusing on a small group “This position provides me the opportunity to work with students of students or an individual, whether they are heavily using or just in a group setting or individual basis and not have to be tied down to experimenting. too many administrative duties,” she said. During the meetings, Murphy and her small group of students Due to the confidentiality of membership discuss the different consequences they’ve in the support groups, a student who was had to face based on the decisions they made interviewed and benefitted from Murphy’s help and about the disappointment they have to I like to support students deal with when they know they have let their agreed to be interviewed but asked The Squall as they work toward overcom- families down. They also talk about the small not to use his name. This student said he started drinking when ing the hardships they face.” changes toward success that have worked and what they have accomplished. he was in 8th grade because he wanted to have “What I like the most about running groups a good time. Erin Murphy is that students are really able to support each He also said teens have the need to pressure Project SUCCESS Coordinator other. Once they learn that there are other others into using because it makes them feel students who are going through a similar better about themselves so they aren’t the only experience, walls begin to come down and ones using. they realize they aren’t alone,” Murphy said. But not everyone has a good time because of Murphy is in the high school on Tuesday that student’s drug abuse. This student’s mom was angry and disappointed that he was using daily, he said. And said mornings from 7:30-11:30 a.m. She has her own room in the counseling office. To contact Murphy, he needed drugs to get through the day. This student found out about Project SUCCESS by referrals from e-mail her at murphye@dexterschools.org. Now in 9th grade, the student involved with Project SUCCESS teachers, counselors, and friends who were concerned with his advises other students struggling behavior. With the help of Murphy, this student works on goal setting and with alcohol and drug abuse “ Free Fry Friday! monitoring behavior changes so that with every meeting, each group ... get help because (substance Show your school ID abuse) does hurt you in the long member is able to see the progress he is making. Any time on Friday “I enjoy working with students and helping them make positive run, even if you don’t think it’s And receive a FREE hurting you now.” changes they are able to see,” she said. Small fry!
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7
Opinion
Friday, October 29, 2010
Squall The
Filtering system should change
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Marne Little
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2001. This act is the source of the on-line blocking blunders at our school. Students often run into blocked websites while surfing the web, and while we find it reasonable that porn is blocked, pages about breast cancer shouldn’t be. Congress created CIPA to control offensive content on the Internet. A previous program, the E-rate Program, was altered by this act. The E-Rate program allows schools to receive funding for technology from the government. CIPA made it a federal requirement that schools have a filter system in place to receive funding from E-Rate. Ironically, the E-Rate program is supposed to aid schools in entering the communication age, but CIPA prevents this. So many sites are restricted that researching legitimate educational topics can become a nuisance. Our school is part of the E-rate program, and this is why the district blocks certain websites. Dexter chose to meet this government filtering requirement by using a filter provided by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. This filter blocks websites by categories and keywords, so if you’re doing research on breast cancer, you could be blocked from certain pages which contain the word “breast”. In addition to this filtering system, the district also has the authority add websites that they want blocked including Hulu, Facebook and Skype. According to district technology director Matt Maciag, the main reason the school chooses to block websites such as Facebook is
MANAGING EDITOR: Connor Thompson
EDITORS
DESIGN: Claire Berger NEWS: Kevin Skiver FEATURES: Steve Miller ENTERTAINMENT: Nicole Minzey OPINIONS: Dave LaMore PHOTO: Kristie Duve SPORTS: Tucker Whitley TRENDS: Sirah Camara uPAGE: Marshall Kellenberger COPY: Ray Carpenter WEB: Emily Darrow, Rachel Lomax
DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lindsey Gagneau, Logan Boostra, Shannon Gronvall, Christine Wolyniak, Joey King, Leah Drinkard, Sarah Dobrei, Rachel Lomax, Jackie Talley
MANAGERS
ADVERTISEMENT: Kelsey Heilman
all
Students, it’s time to clean up
Squall THE
call
they are a distraction to students’ education. This point of view is understandable. But the district needs to see the other side too. Students don’t need Internet censorship to keep them from procrastination. What they need are teachers who teach them how to work and use the Internet properly. By taking away an obstacle that causes procrastination, teachers won’t get a solution. That kid doodling in the back of the room will find a way to avoid work regardless. But if teachers show students how to avoid distractions, they will have taught them a skill they will need when they end up on a computer that allows them to access Facebook. The Internet can be a huge distraction, but it is also a fantastic tool. For students who are legitimately working, there is a lot of frustration in trying to view a page and being told that it is blocked. And the responsible students who want to relax after their work is done also find frustration in the blocks. The district should block sites that are inappropriate. However, websites that have words that are inappropriate in certain contexts but could be used in appropriate circumstances shouldn’t be blocked. We understand the district doesn’t want kids watching porn on its computers. However, a page that discusses breast cancer is not sexual. Nor are articles from The Detroit Free Press, whose web site was blocked last year for a significant portion of the year. We would also like teachers to educate students about how to use the Internet to assist them in their studies. With better education and an alternative filtering system, these blocking blunders could be busted.
Not your typical teen driver
STAFF WRITERS
Emily Pap, Kaitlyn Gotcher, Jacob Van Hoof, Sarah Molnar, Toliver Rogers, Nicole Ferguson, Taylor Schmidt, Murphy Hansen, Carl Schimmel, Derek Fead, Joel Gowen
David LaMore
CARTOONIST
Trevor Herman-Hilker
ADVISER
Rod Satterthwaite
POLICY:
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opinions editor
Dear students, After being a senior for a couple months, I’ve started to observe the other grades and how they act. In the hallways, the parking lot, the bathrooms and the cafeteria, students seem to have gotten worse about taking care of the school. As I walk to class every day, I see papers, water bottles and other stuff lying in the hallway. Students need to clean up after themselves. I’m not asking for everyone to turn into clean freaks, because I know we’re all high schoolers and don’t want to be clean. What I’m asking is for us to have a little more pride in how we keep our school. Every day I eat lunch, and I notice people leaving their garbage on the table. If you see someone not pick up their trash in the cafeteria, yell at them and tell them to pick their garbage up. Are we really that lazy as students that we can’t walk 10 feet to throw our less-than-one pound Styrofoam lunch tray away? Come on, students, pick it up. We aren’t five years old anymore. We don’t need our daddies picking up our garbage for us. Do we need Mr. Moran and Connie to start wiping the ketchup off our faces at lunch too? We need to grow up. At Mill Creek, students cannot leave their lunch table until they throw their garbage away and clean off their table with a wet rag. Whatever happened to that? Did we forget about what we learned in middle school? I would assume that it’s just because we’re high school students and should be able to clean up after ourselves. Apparently not. Not only does this happen in the cafeteria, but students don’t take care of the bathrooms either. I can’t even walk into a bathroom without gasping at what I see. Just this week I could not even walk into a bathroom because there was urine all over the bathroom floor. Frankly, it’s disgusting. Are you really that immature to find urinating on the floor funny? It’s time for students to clean up DHS. Not like those crazy parent bloggers but literally. No one wants to accidentally walk on a mushed up apple in the hallway. It’s just not sanitary. Here’s three ways you can clean up DHS: 1. Clean up after yourself. If you clean up after yourself, the world will be a better place. 2. If you see a piece of trash, please pick it up. 3. If you see someone leave a mess, yell at them to pick it up. The only way we will have a cleaner high school is if we all pick up after ourselves, not just few of us. In the remaining months of my senior year, I hope I begin to see a change in the students and how they take care of the school. It’s going to take more than one student to clean up the school. If everyone cleans up after themselves, the school will be a cleaner and better environment for learning. Sincerely, Dave LaMore
Connor Thompson
managing editor
Faithful Squall subscribers, teachers, bloggers and, most importantly, my fellow teen drivers, know this: many of us are patently awful at driving. Despite the fact that, logically, our more recent completion of drivers’ education and youthful reflexes honed on years of Halo and Call of Duty could be viewed as an advantage, they don’t help. You might say you’ve heard this all before, and some of you may even choose to read a different article. I understand you kids enjoy the 5 x 5 a great deal. However, there is a crucial difference between me and the adult drivers who generally criticize teens on the road. I am, in fact, a teen driver. And I have seen enough scratches on students’ cars from anonymous peers who somehow missed the angry-wolverine yowl of metal on metal and unwittingly gave their neighbor a new racing stripe to know that we are not perfect drivers. We are, in fact, imperfect drivers, the epitome of inadequacy, the Leeroy Jenkins of the driving world. But we can improve. Several weeks ago, I was confident in my driving ability, my cat-like reflexes, my knowledge of what the parking brake indicator light is on my dashboard, my complete understanding of highway-merging, speed-limit-following and stop-sign-stopping. However, after completing Ford’s “Driving Skills For Life” event a month ago, I have come to believe something else. While drivers’ education taught us the essentials well, it did little to show us what to do in really dangerous situations. While most of us are quite adept at city driving and Michigan left turns, nobody got to practice split-second accident avoidance; there’s really no test for it in a real setting. It’s not as if we can go on the expressway and practice suddenly swerving out of our lane to avoid something that has just appeared there. Well, we could, but we could only do it once. At the Ford event, teen drivers got to practice two things: keeping calm and maintaining control of their vehicle in dangerous situations and driving while distracted. This may confuse some readers. Drivers who showed up were not taught how to powerslide at highway speeds, and they were not taught the best ways to change the radio station while driving. They were, however, given practice in situations such as making turns on icy roads, as well as avoiding suddenly-appearing obstacles on the highway. They also were able to compare their driving skills unimpaired to those hampered by in-vehicle distractions as well as goggles that simulated alcohol-impaired vision to various BAC levels. I was one of those drivers. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not so hypocritical as to say drivers’ education makes teen drivers overconfident and then be overconfident in my driving ability because I took a special drivers’ ed class. However, it definitely helped. It improved my chances of survival if I am thrust into a life-or-death situation on the road. And I, for one, would prefer the first option.
Letter to the Editor: Editorial wrong to criticize counselors Dear Editor, I have the following primary concern with the view you expressed regarding this year’s schedule in the editorial in the last Squall (“Scheduling needs to get straight”): it is based on an untrue assumption. It is not the job of our counselors to design the schedule. In fact, that job belongs to the administration, the principal and assistant principal. For this year, Mr. Koenig and Mr. Moran had that responsibility. The technical aspects (PowerSchool) were handled by (district technology person Vicki) Glowacki.
The counselors help provide suggestions as much as they can while the building administrators create the schedule. They put in extra hours to help, coming in during the summer to do things like schedule students for whom the computer has left blank spots in their schedule. They spend considerable extra time at the start of the school year trying to work with students whose schedules are problematic because of the design of the schedule or how PowerSchool has placed students. It is my opinion that you did a disservice to the counselors by
misrepresenting their role in scheduling. Further, I believe you muddied the issue instead of shedding light on it. By casting aspersions on the counselors who did not design the schedule, you made it more difficult to direct critical comments to the administrators who did. I believe you have a responsibility that in this case your did not meet. Sincerely, Joe Romeo, Dexter Education Association President computer teacher
8
Photostory
Friday, October 29, 2010
Pink Floyd tribute band plays CPA Carl Schimmel
staff writer
On Friday, Oct. 15 S.P.A.C.E. club, with the help of a grant from the Educational Foundation of Dexter brought Echoes of Pink Floyd, a Pink Floyd tribute band, to play in the CPA. The show opened with the top two finishers from the last battle of the bands opening. The first act to play was Declination, a metal band made up of sophomores Joe West on guitar, Brent Kellenberger on drums and Justin Carder on bass guitar. Then Orchid, the winner of the last battle, played with seniors Graham Low on drums, Justin “Biscuit” Hayes on bass and Albion College freshman Chad Bousley on guitar. But the main act was Echoes.
Shine on: Keyboardist Keith Billik plays during “Shine on You Crazy Diamond.” Billik is also known as “Mr. Banjo” to his bandmates because of his background as a bluegrass musician.
Their devotion to the material makes them stand out. According to S.P.A.C.E. adviser Barry Mergler, the band’s music sounds, “Note for note straight off the album. They know all the nuances.” A large part of their show was devoted to songs from “Dark Side of the Moon,” but they did play a wide variety of songs from Pink Floyd’s early years as well The center of the stage was occupied by a screen used to project lasers on allowing the band to illustrate songs with animations. Mergler also said members of S.P.A.C.E. hung out with the band all day, watching them set up and take down the show and getting hands-on experience working with and watching experts in the field.
Jammin’: Lead guitarist and vocalist Alex Gonzalez plays a solo. Gonzalez said he found his passion for Pink Floyd early in high school.
Lasers: Echoes laser light show was put together by Matt Junak He joined the band in 2008.
Dude, it’s in 3D: Sophomores Michael Allie, Vinny Moceri and Jordan Sinibaldi watch the show. Sinibaldi has 3D glasses on which were available for purchase during the show.
On the big stage: Sophomore Brent Kellenberger drums for the band Declination. Declination was one of the two winners of the Rocktober Battle of the Bands competition that got to open for Echoes.
So you want to go to the show: Echoes used lasers, spotlights and fog machines during their show. About 200 people attended with proceeds from the show going to SPACE.
Photos by Michelle Stone, Carl Schimmel and Frieda Schimmel
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