The squall, issue 2, 2013 14

Dexter High School 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter, MI 48130 www.thesquall.com

Oct. 11, 2013 . VOL. 19. Issue 2.

How do we

stack

up?

Some state ranking methods for schools show DHS near the top, while others show lots of room for improvement. Which one is right and what does it all mean? pages 8 and 9

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Index 2

3 5 6

8 10

14 16

Staff Head Designer Abby Mesaros Photo Editors Katie Vontom Sam Musgrove (assistant) Isabelle Sinibaldi (assistant) Copy Editor Lauren Kimmel

Web Editor Bryce Pederson

Staff Editorials:

Letters to the Editor Policy:

The Squall encourages letters to the editors. They can be emailed to dextersquall@gmail.com, dropped off in room 407 or given to staff member of The Squall. Letters may be edited for length and unprotected speech. Requests to withhold a writer’s name will be considered by the editorial board.

Business Managers Lauren Kimmel Casey Hansen Illustrator & Design Brittany Byma Drew Daugherty Design Team Ben Grover

Sydney Swigart Guy Burke Matt Mitchell Kat Kerska Cadey DesRosiers Staff Writers Kait Eekoff Lauren Kimmel Carolin Schade Joe Molloy Derek Seidl Harrison Kane Zac Sharp

Check out The Squall’s new website at www.thesquall.com

3 Feature Sophomore with Down syndrome crowned queen.

5 News Scheduling conflicts, students blame counselors.

6 Sports Social media contracts spread in sports.

8-9 Center Spread 2013 Michigan and SEC school rankings for DHS. 10-11 Interactive Spread 5x5 Freshmen, Cup of Joe. 12 Opinion Students should say Pledge.

13 Editorial DHS should support gay rights for all students.

16 Photostory Homecoming 2013.

Contact us at: 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter MI, 48130. (734) 426-4240 ext: 7407. dextersquall@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief Cameron La Fontaine Levi Kipke

ON THE WEB

Morgan Van Hoof Zeke Breuninger Teddy Walton Jon LeBlanc Scott Rogers Noah Mellifont Alisha Anderson James Fischer Owen Kellenberger Jake Kilian Photographers Casey Hansen Brittany Byma

Chris Ryan Ethan Kremkus Kyle DeVoogd Alisha Anderson Haley Quinn Jake Kilian Darion Mayrand Adviser Rodney Satterthwaite

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Editorials are unsigned.

Columns represented the opinions of the individual staff members who wrote them.

Staff Policy:

The Squall is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Dexter High School. The Squall is also distributed by subscription to the Dexter community. The Squall has a press run of 1700 copies and is printed

by The Argus-Press in Owosso, MI The paper serves as a public forum with student editors making all content decisions. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of Dexter Community Schools.

Memberships:

Friday, Oct.11, 2013 The Squall News 3

Schwartz crowned sophomore queen Lauren Kimmel and Carolin Schade Staff Writers Meet sophomore homecoming queen Alana Schwartz.

She has a mild case of Down syndrome, which means that while she has a learning disability, she doesn’t have any of the heart problems associated with the condition.

One day Alana was sitting in front of sophomore Sam Bremmer on the bus. Alana was singing and having fun as usual.

“I wondered how she would react if she were homecoming queen,” Bremmer said.

And this led to Bremmer deciding to do something special for Alana.

Bremmer emailed student council adviser Al Snider in August to make sure Alana would be on the ballot when it came time to vote for homecoming court in the fall.

“She emailed me basically saying, ‘I know homecoming is usually a popularity contest, but I think it should be more than that,’” Snider said.

Once school started, Snider met with Bremmer and told her that Alana would have to receive votes in order to be on court, like any other student.

According to Snider, Bremmer said, “Well, what can I do to make that happen?”

Snider and Bremmer started brainstorming until Bremmer came up with the idea of making a Facebook page. Not long after its creation on Sept. 10, over 700 Facebook users were invited to the “Alana Schwartz For Homecoming Queen” Facebook page.

Diana Schwartz, Alana’s mother, first found out about the campaign when she saw the posts on Facebook.

“At first I thought, ‘No, it can’t be. Is this a joke or something?’ But then I kept reading and realized it was real. It brought tears to my eyes.”

A few weeks later, the balloting began.

Within the sophomore class, there were 12 groups of 20 ballots.

“Typically, a person gets three or four votes, within a group of 20,” Snider said. “Alana was getting 13, 14, 15 votes out of a group of 20.”

According to Snider, Alana received about 250 votes out of 300 sophomores.

When Diana heard about her daughter’s victory she was ecstatic.

“It’s very touching that the school, and the sophomore class especially, wanted to do this for Alana,” Diana said. “It just really touched our hearts.”

Alana remained unaware of Bremmer’s campaigning until the day court was announced.

“It was really hard to keep this from Alana,” Diana said with a laugh. “It was difficult to pretend that nothing had happened, but we did it somehow.”

On Friday Sept. 27, the administration, Alana’s mom

Photo Credit: Katie Vontom

Sophomore queen Alana Schwartz, escorted by her father Glenn and sophomore Sam Bremmer, walks down the field during half time at the game on Oct. 4. Schwartz blew kisses to the audience while being honored.

and sister came with Snider to see Alana’s reaction when he told her that she had been voted homecoming queen of the sophomore class.

Snider explained to Alana what she would have to do the week of homecoming as queen, including walking at halftime of the football game and riding in a car in the parade.

“The whole time she was very receptive to it. She didn’t overreact,” Snider said.

“Until I walked away,” he added with a grin.

Once Alana turned around, she was so excited she jumped into her mom’s arms.

“It was a very special and touching moment,” Diana said.

Bremmer said she was “blown away” when Snider told her the news.

“I started crying when I heard, and then Mr. Snider pulled me out of class to tell me, and I started crying again,” Bremmer said. “I was just so excited. I couldn’t even think straight.”

At the homecoming football game, it was Bremmer who escorted Alana, sophomore homecoming queen.

“This has been a very happy, positive experience,” said Diana. “Because of her special needs, we didn’t think anything like this could have happened to Alana.”

This event has brought significant media attention to Dexter.

In the week following Alana’s victory, the story was covered by publications such as The Dexter Leader and MLive. com.

According to Diana, this can be a learning opportunity for those who have made fun of kids with special needs in the past.

“This will teach young people that kids with special needs have feelings too, and they need to experience the good things in life,” Diana said. “These kids don’t get opportunities like this very often, and when they do, it’s a very special occasion.”

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall News 4

Too far?

Murals cause controversy Alisha Anderson & Owen Kellenberger Staff Writers

Photo Credit: Alisha Anderson

This mural depicts the struggles of transgendered individuals, according to its creator senior Maitreya Menge, who painted it last spring. This and another mural have caused a stir among some students who think it promotes homosexuality.

Senior Maitreya Menge stood in the hall, paintbrush in hand. She got ready to pour herself out, expressing the subjects nearest to her heart.

With the first stroke of her paint brush, Menge started a conflict that she couldn’t have seen coming.

“I was told to paint a mural that meant something to me, something that I cared about, and that’s just what I did,” Menge said.

So Menge themed her mural around the subject of transgenderism.

“It’s really the idea that most people don’t recognize the struggles of transgenderism,” she said.

Her mural features characters with word bubbles surrounding their heads containing words such as “who,” “him,” “she,” “it” and “her,” etc.-making a statement about the characters’ sexuality.

But almost as soon as these murals appeared, a concerned student contacted Principal Kit Moran.

This student agreed to be interviewed for the story only if The Squall didn’t use her name because she said she was concerned about being bullied for her beliefs.

“It is my personal belief that the mural showing a transgender’s struggle is not appropriate for the walls of our school,” this student said. “In general, I enjoy the art murals in the school. However, I believe that they should not have any subject matter that promotes certain views one way or another.”

She said that although she knows public schools aren’t allowed to promote religious beliefs, she thinks that schools also shouldn’t be able to promote ideas that oppose these religious beliefs.

Controversial or not, murals have lined the walls of the school for years. They are created as a part of the Drawing and Painting class taught by art teacher Autumn Campbell. Student artists like Menge take this as an opportunity to share their artwork in a public space with the rest of the school.

Before the designs are finalized and painted, they are sent to Principal Kit Moran, who ultimately approves or denies them. Moran said he has not turned down a single mural idea.

“As long as the content doesn’t make a personal attack on a certain group or student or causes a disturbance to the school day, then I

Photo Credit: Isabelle Sinibaldi

Then-senior Cameron Travis painted this mural to depict the struggle for transgendered rights. Travis said the focus is on the use of pronouns that are incorrect for a person’s chosen gender role.

generally will allow it,” he said.

Sometimes, though, self-expression deemed not offensive by administration can conflict with the beliefs of other students or faculty.

And with thousands of students passing through the school each year, it’s inevitable that some controversial mural ideas would collide with the views and beliefs of certain students, even if they are principal-approved.

Campbell thinks that’s a good thing.

“I charge myself with being as culturally competent as possible so that I can celebrate all of the diversity at Dexter High School,” she said.

For Menge, the murals weren’t about promoting a certain idea, however. Instead, she was focused on educating people.

“I did not foresee people being upset about the mural,” she said. “I’m not trying to influence anyone to think a certain way, but rather to shed light on a subject that is generally ignored.”

Several meetings were held between the concerned student and Moran, but in the end, Moran made the decision to leave the murals up.

“The student has a right to express themselves,” Moran said. “All murals are signed and dated. The content does not necessarily express the school’s views, but rather the views of the artist. We have to learn to respect that other people have different views and opinions.”

Dancer’s Edge

3045 Broad St. Dexter, Mich. dextersdancersedge@gmail.com 734-424-2626

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall News 5

What to do?

Scheduling problems lead to angry students, but are the counselors to blame for the yearly mess?

Photo Illustration: Isabelle Sinibaldi

Morgan Van Hoof & Kait Eekhoff Staff Writers Senior Margaret Bussineau wanted to take Humanities. And she wanted to take IB French as well. But because Humanities is only offered during a first and second hour block and because IB French is only offered first hour, Bussineau had to settle with an Upper Class Seminar, or UCS, an English class for juniors and seniors.

Like many students, Bussineau is the victim of a master schedule that leaves teachers, students, counselors and administrators stressed and often hampers students who want to take multiple, academically-challenging courses.

“I really don’t enjoy my (UCS) class,” Bussineau said. “It seems like a huge academic step down from AP English, but it was the only class that would fit. So basically, I am stuck having a class I don’t really want.”

So who’s at fault for what appears to be an issue year after year?

Bussineau said not to blame her counselor, Craig Rafail.

“Mr. Rafail could only do so much,” she said. “It wasn’t up to him to change the periods certain classes are offered.”

In addition, Dexter High School’s student-to-counselor ratio of more than students to one counselor is far above the state standard suggested by the Michigan School Counseling Association, which is 1-to-250.

Administrators say this imbalance cannot be fixed because of budget restraints. For comparison, Ann Arbor Pioneer averaged 275 students per counselor for the 2012-2013 school year.

“We’re understaffed,” Rafail said. “We need more time to commit to each individual student. It’s safe to say we get frustrated, but we get through it.”

In order to get more time, Rafail said, the counselors need to get the master schedule sooner. But the counselors aren’t in charge of actually making the schedule.

They often don’t get their students’ schedules until after school is out, and they are not contracted to work during the summer.

“Most schools get a master schedule in March and then have time to work with the students and their schedules,” counselor Kristie Doyle said.

So how does the scheduling process work? According

to multiple interviews with multiple sources, the master schedule is headed by Assistant Principal Ken Koenig who solicits help from volunteering teachers Ryan Baese, Debora Marsh and David Teddy.

Baese specifically joined the process to meet requirements for graduate school where he is getting his Masters in educational administration. Baese said that he would like to continue being a part of the master scheduling process in the future.

The process begins in January after students request their desired classes in PowerSchool in December. With this information, 96 percent of students’ choices are satisfied in the first draft of the master schedule, Koenig said. He also said that the process for creating the schedule each year has been made easier with the use of new technology such as PowerScheduler.

However, after these numbers come out, the scheduling process is generally stalled as projections for teachers as well as the budget for the next year aren’t released until the spring. As budget numbers are released and teacher retirements are announced, this affects the numbers of classes offered. Based on this information, the master schedule has to be modified again.

Because budget and retirement information came so late last school year, that made this year’s schedule particularly difficult to make, according to Dexter Education Association President Joe Romeo.

“Part of the problem came from the fact that Mr. Moran was told late that he would have fewer teachers, so the schedules had to be adjusted again,” Romeo said. “The class lists are supposed to be available the third Friday in May, but they were not this year.”

This meant that some classes with up to 70 students were not identified in time for adjustments in the schedule to be made in the spring.

This lead to some teachers not getting their actual schedule until the Tuesday or Wednesday before the first week of school, creating some unhappy teachers.

“If a teacher’s schedule is not the same in the fall as he thought it would be, the teacher might have wasted time preparing for a course he won’t teach, or he might not be

prepared for a class he is going to teach. Neither of these options are any good,” Romeo said.

According to Koenig, a large part of the difficulty with scheduling is all of the classes that DHS offers. Koenig said offering a large number of classes creates more student choice, which creates more potential for classes to conflict by being offered during the same hour.

The more classes we can offer within our teaching flexibility, the more possibility for conflict,” he said.

“That’s what kids don’t get,” Doyle said, “every class is not offered every hour.”

However, Doyle also said some of the conflict also comes from the students themselves. She said students often sign up for classes based on what classes their friends are in or what teachers are “cool,” or based on classes they think they should take rather than ones they are interested in.

“Kids have to make better, more informed decisions based on their capability,” she said. “Kids have to learn how to work with different people and different teachers. You won’t get to pick your professor. It’s the real world. You have to learn how to deal with that.”

As an example, Doyle said many students in January sign up for difficult classes like AP Language and AP Literature; however, when the school year comes around, they realize that they do not actually want to be in that class or maybe they didn’t complete their summer homework. She said these last-minute decisions are part of the reason that the counseling office is so busy at the start of the school year.

Regardless of a student’s reason for being in the counseling office for a messed up schedule, Koenig and the counselors agree that they’d rather have students in class.

“We don’t like having you stuck in the counseling office.

It’s crappy,” Koenig said.

Though counselors, teachers and administrators said that the scheduling process has been chaotic for over seven years, new Superintendent Chris Timmis hopes to see changes in the future.

“I understand the reasons for the delays this year, and Mr. Moran and I have talked about timelines,” Timmis said.

“The ability to build the schedule as well as get schedules to students is contingent on information regarding staffing, which comes from the superintendent and Board of Education, being available in February and March.”

And even though some teachers interviewed suggested that the schedule be changed so student choice not drive the schedule, Timmis said he doesn’t agree.

“I believe the high school schedule needs to be designed around student interests,” he said.

And despite the chaos and lines in the counseling office at the end of the year, Bussineau said she understands each counselor trying to schedule 400 kids is a monumental task.

“Even though I had a lot of scheduling conflicts this year, I have a lot of appreciation for what the counselors do for us,” Bussineau said. “It can’t be easy.”

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Sports 6

Bump, set, sign

Social media contracts part of some teams Harrison Kane & Noah Mellifont Staff Writers

Photo Credit: Ethan Kremkus

Junior August Bishop supports her team’s new social media contract, which states that members of the team cannot post cruel comments about each other, the team or opponents. “The contract hleps structure the public image of our team, and it’s good that it’s being kept positive,” Bishop said.

Before hitting the court, all players in the volleyball program have to sign a social media contract prohibiting them from posting hurtful comments about the team, fellow players and opponents.

The contract is a replica of the contract the University of Michigan uses for its women’s volleyball team.

“At the old school I coached, people would write untrue things about their teammates to get them kicked off,” volleyball coach Deanna Day said. “I just don’t want to see that again. I wanted to put guidelines in place for the team to follow.”

Day said she is helping her athletes prepare for the future by teaching them to respect the permanency and prominence of social media.

And junior volleyball player August Bishop recognizes these benefits.

“I actually like the idea behind the contract,” she said. “Our whole team supported it.”

Social media contracts such as these aren’t uncommon in high school sports due to the increasing prominence of social media in high school life.

Head varsity football coach Ken Koenig, for example, gave his team distinct rules to follow throughout the season.

Positive or negative, every electronic comment toward the Dexter football program had to be posted only on the Dexter Football Touchdown Club Facebook page.

If a player violates this social media restriction, he is suspended for a game.

“If you’re going to say it, it should be something that can be read by everybody,” Koenig said.

He said he wants his team to make their decisions based on the acronym C.H.I.P.: Character, Honor, Integrity, and Pride.

“CHIP is the filter that our guys should run their ideas through,” he said.

But there are some sports teams that

don’t feel social media poses a significant threat.

The women’s varsity basketball team doesn’t have a social media contract in effect.

According to Assistant Coach Lauren Thompson, the coaching staff doesn’t think such a contract is necessary.

“We feel like our players respect our wishes on social media,” she said. “We think that they do a pretty good job of representing us in the right way. We have a good relationship with our players, and we trust them. They understand the expectations we have for them.”

However, even with its positive attitude, the basketball team isn’t immune to social networking scandals.

“We’ve had to not start players before,” Thompson said. “We don’t have any tolerance for any kind of negative social media stuff about our team or our opponents. Part of participating in our program is to have high standards for ourselves, and they understand that we carry ourselves a certain way.”

Despite not having a concrete social media contract in place, basketball players still face consequences for any inappropriate social networking. Thompson encourages her girls to act respectably.

“We try to keep things as positive as we can,” she said. “Obviously we can’t control what our girls tweet and facebook about, but we want them to be as positive about us and our opponents as we can. If we see something negative that they’re Tweeting or Facebooking, there are definite team consequences.”

Athletic Director Mike Bavineau said his department doesn’t have a set policy for coaches to follow when it comes to a social media contract, but he supports the idea.

“My biggest priority is to educate kids on what they need to know and how social media will impact them eventually,” he said. “As for contracts, I think the coach has to lay the expectations down for each of their individual teams and how they want their programs to run. So if they decide that they want their teams to have a contract, I support that.”

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Entertainment 7

Weight room remodelled

Jon Leblanc & Zac Sharp Staff Writers

Using $120,000 in bond money and $20,000 from the Athletic Booster Club of Dexter, a $140,000 weight room remodelling had begun at Dexter High School.

“I think it was long overdue,” ABCD member Brad Hochrein said. “The size of our old weight room compared to the other schools in our district showed that we needed to expand it.”

The new weight room now includes all-new equipment including medicine balls, squat racks and enhanced air compression machines, which use compressed air in place of metal free-weights.

The renovation is an attempt to make the weight room more all-purpose, according to Athletic Director Mike Bavineau.

“The coaches and I got together, and the weight room was more of a football-type weight room,” Bavineau said.

“So we wanted to make a more wide variety weight room for all sports.”

Hochrein also said the weight room needs to take in to account all sports in Dexter, not just football.

“Many sports require training in the offseason so that when the season comes, the players can perform,” Hochrein said.

But physical education teacher and former football coach Tom Barbieri--who bases a lot of class time around the weight room--said while he appreciates the changes, he wishes he was consulted more about how the new room would work.

By the numbers ... $140,000 total cost of weight room remodel $120,000 from bond money $20,000 from ABCD “We have a lot more room, so it changes the class a little bit, but we will be all right,” Barbieri said. “My teaching station was being changed, and I had little input into the decision. I would have liked to have more input into the decision, but I’m OK with the changes.”

Bavineau, however, said he wanted to focus more on the athletic aspect of the new weight room and that he did talk to the gym teachers before the remodeling began.

“We wanted to focus more on the athletic approach when making the new weight room,” he said.

And Hochrein agrees with Bavineau’s approach. To him, the weight room needs to be something all sports programs and all students can benefit from.

He said, “Certainly there has been a good direction that sports programs have been taking in efforts to improve all the sports in the district.”

Photo Credit: Katie Vontom

Junior Ben Hoang works out every day in the new weight room.

Hoang said he likes the new weight room because there are “more weights to work with, not better quality but everything is new.”

Check out thesquall.com We have: •School announcements updated daily •Sports scores updated daily •A weekly poll •Podcasts •Our Twitter feed: @dhs_squaller •LIke us on Facebook at The Squall

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Spread 9

Dexter High School was recently ranked in the 92nd percentile of all schools in Michigan for overall quality, with only three other SEC schools--Pioneer, Adrian and Saline--ranked in the top 10 percent by the Michigan Department of Education.

But Dexter was only given a “yellow” by the MDE on the school accountability scale, even though it scored in the top 10 percent of all schools in Michigan.

No schools in the SEC received a “green,” the highest grade given by MDE. So why such different rankings?

According to Curriculum Coordinator for grades 7-12, Jeff Dagg, there are several factors that go into the creation of the accountability of schools and state-assigned grades for each school.

The system is based on student achievement, improvement and achievement gaps, all of which are measured by annual tests like the MME. Student scores are then reported from every core subject to form the results.

The data is also broken out by subgroups with categories for gender, ethnicity, special needs and economically disadvantaged students as well as the bottom 30 percent of students.

While Principal Kit Moran said the state’s intentions are right in attempting to hold schools accountable, he doesn’t think the state’s new system accurately is clear or achieves this

goal.

“The system they now use is a traffic light system,” Moran smirked. “In almost all of the evaluative tools, the formulas that they used to come up with these stats are easily manipulated. I don’t mean you could cheat, but it’s an artificially-derived formula. At a certain point you can push at statistics and find that they are challengeable. Nothing ever looks perfect when you start looking hard enough at it.”

Moran said that he’s happy with the rankings DHS was given, but is also bothered by the variables that schools can’t actually control, like race, ethnicity and socio-economic status of students and numbers of special needs students.

“When it says that at Dexter we’re a 92 percent and we were an 87 percent last year, I’ll take that any day of the week,” he said. “When someone says, ‘Well what can you do to improve?’

I’d say well a few things: we need to improve our MEAP scores, our MME scores our ACT scores but then some of the other calculations in the formula are very difficult for us to control.

These are the things that worry me.”

While the numbers are confusing and some factors are out of the school’s control, Dagg said he uses annual school ranking and data to help create an agenda and curriculum for Dexter schools.

“Some of what I do involves pulling together various data sets, presenting them to workgroups of teachers and administrators and facilitating discussions around what the numbers mean and what factors might be influencing them,” he said. “The workgroups then make recommendations to the

administration on what strategies and activities could lead to changes in the aforementioned achievement, improvement, and achievement gaps.”

The potential solutions by the workgroups is submitted to the state in the form of a government mandated “School Improvement Plan” on an annual basis.

This School Improvement Plan aims to reach new goals, especially in math and reading.

“The School Improvement Plans are very formulaic and created with a state-provided computer application with drop down menus for generating goals and improvement targets,” Dagg said. “Typically, plans will have a reading goal and a math goal because the state measures these two content areas every year in grades 3-8 and again in 11th grade.”

Despite the changing standards and seemingly confusing and sometimes contradictory rankings, Moran said he is satisfied where Dexter ranks this year among the state and the SEC. But he also said school rankings bother him because of comparisons and variables that the state uses. He said statistics are used to compare schools and damage educators, which concerns him.

“My professional opinion is that the state is still struggling with coming up with a system that does hold schools accountable for what they should be held accountable for,” he said.

“What I never like is that they compare us. I’m always nervous about statistics. What are you going to do with statistics, and then how are you going to use it to compare apples and oranges, and then how are you going to use it to damage educators?”

24.0 20.3 Bedford

125.0 (41 in State)

100.0 (128 in State)

Lincoln

Tecumseh

58%

78%

86%

73%

91% Ypsilanti 6%

(10 in State)

Adrian

Saline

144.0

Bedford

Pioneer

Tecumseh

Monroe 22%

(19 in State)

Administrators try to make sense of state ratings Editors

(77 in State)

School percentile ranking 97%

21.5 23.7 18.3 111.0 137.0

Dexter’s rank in the SEC for combined MME and ACT (math and reading combined) with a score of 157.2. Dexter trails Saline (168) and Pioneer (160.7).

65%

Monroe

3rd

(453 in State)

Saline

18.1 20.1

It’s all a jumble Levi Kipke & Cameron LaFontaine

Lincoln

Huron

(504 in State)

(223 in State)

63.0

79%

Huron

Adrian

DHS by the numbers

Chelsea

(34 in State)

23.5 57.0

(31 in State)

87.0

94%

23.2 130.0

23.2

Skyline

131.0

Pioneer

(26 in State)

92%

Dexter

134.0

0.0 = MME Combined math and reading score

Dexter

0.0 =ACT Composite Score

Skyline

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Spread 8

Schools received a color grade and a state percentile ranking based on their overall performance in categories, including testing participation, attendance and graduation rates.

Highest to lowest color grades: green, lime, yellow, orange, red.

Chelsea

22.6

24th

Dexter’s rank in the state for percentile ranking. Dexter’s 92 percent on the accountability scale falls short of just 23 other schools i­­n the state.

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Interactive Spread 10

THE FIVE BY FIVE Nick Leblanc

Freshman edition

Sydney Korte

Joe Molloy and Derek Seidl Staff Writers

Birame Sene

Katelyn Niswonger

2Chainz

What is the partial fraction decomposition for 1/(x^2-5x+6)?

Uhhhh ... two fifths?

Holy crap. I don’t know ... Oh, god.

Six ... What?? Six??

Five ... duh!

I ain’t ‘bout that life.

2.) Question How many seconds are in one year?

Well ... five times seven ... seven billion!

Like a lot.

A bunch.

I do not know.

2 Chainzzzzzzzzz.

I let you lick my lollipop. (singing)

No.

She got a big booty so I call her big booty.

1983.

I don’t care.

Wait? It’s illegal?

Channing Tatum.

Channing Tatum. He has a nice butt.

A big booty gurl.

Finish the line, “I’ll take you to the candy shop ... ” I’ll show you what I got.

Makes me think of candy ... I don’t know.

In what year did cocaine become illegal?

Probably after Coca Cola was invented ...

1956.

How would I know?...

2003?

On a scale of one to 10, Brad Pitt or Channing Tatum?

Three.

(No hesitation) Channing Tatum!!! (jumping and giggling)

The perfect week by Drew Daugherty

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Interactive Spread 11

Q&A Drew Glapa with

Q. What do you want in a woman?

A. A nice smile and a big booty.

Q. What’s a more important feature on a woman? Ears or toes?

A. Toes.

Q. What feature is most important to you in a woman?

Q. What’s your typical good morning text to a woman say?

A. Teeth.

A. Baby come back! You can blame it all on Q. How soon do you want a girlfriend? me!

A. I don’t know. The girls come to me.

Q. Will you date younger girls?

A. Half my age plus 7.

Q. When was the last time you had a girlfriend?

A. Technically last year.

Q. How’s your mom doing?

A. I don’t know, but yours is doing just fine.

Q. What’s your phone number?

A. 734-845-8419.

Photo credit: Jake Kilian

Joecoming

Or ‘Why bother to prepare for homecoming at all?’

Opinion by Joe Molloy and Derek Seidl Staff Writers Two months before homecoming. I am lying in my bed singing along to “Wet the Bed” by Chris Brown, and it suddenly clicks with me that I am not prepared.

I immediately jump out of my bed, put on some clothes (because I sleep in the nude ... it’s more comfortable, what can I say?) run through my one floor apartment, hop in my car and meet my boys at the mall.

The first thing we do upon arriving is make a list of what is necessary for a special, spicy, homecoming. We narrow the items down to a dress shirt, a tie, a vest, a sport coat, a right sock, a left sock, a cane, a belt, pants (optional) and the new Justin Timberlake album.

After prioritizing our list, we decide that we should head to Hot Topic to get the most important items.

As we arrive, we quickly realize that I’m in the wrong place, but it just so happens to be the right time.

As I look over at the galaxy-themed leggings, something catches my eye. The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in

my life is in the store with me.

My future wife and I make eye contact, and the fire has been lit. We immediately go into an embrace which seals the unspoken deal that we will be attending homecoming together.

I explain how I am out shopping for my outfit, but she doesn’t seem to understand: “Why would you be shopping for homecoming already? It’s so far away!

I don’t get my dress until like the weekend of.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but homecoming is a really enormous event for me,” I sassily responded. “I just absolutely have to know that it is going to go perfect!”

“Well, wow ... you aren’t exactly who I thought you were after all this time. I can’t even believe I wasted all of this time loving you when you were just a crazy, obsessed freak!”

As she walked away, I took one last look at that beautiful figure and took a mental picture. As I finally walked out of Hot Topic, still reminiscing on my first love, I see another girl who looks good enough, so she becomes my date.

I put my new honey under my arm and go off to hit up

Illustration Credit: Brittany Byma

the definite go-to store ... Von Maur.

I manage to find everything that I need, and I am able to happily head on home with all preparations set for homecoming.

As I settle down at my computer, finally getting the chance to relax after my long and stressful day of shopping, I check my Instagram.

Low and behold the third picture is some random freshman boy posing in his homecoming ensemble, managing to match my exact outfit.

As I sit there letting the whole situation set in, I realize that there is no need for me to be shopping this early ... only girls prepare for homecoming two months beforehand.

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Opinion 12

Photo Credit: Kyle DeVoogd

After the bell rings, sophomores Alexander Schwartz and Isabella Shehab stand to recite the Pledge in English teacher Zach Lindke’s class, while others catch up on homework or put their heads on their desks. Lindke said, “Everyone eventually stands, but just not for the pledge.” Senate Bill 637, introduced by Roger Kahn (R) on Sept. 13 states that Michigan schools are required to provide time for students to recite the pledge. However, the law also prohibits forcing students to recite the Pledge.

Everyone should stand and say the Pledge

Zeke Breuninger & Teddy Walton Staff Writers Before starting this column, we would first like to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to demonstrate our formal appreciation toward this beautiful fatherland that we call home.

Gentlemen, please remove your caps. Ladies, please pay attention for the time being.

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

It’s only thirty-one words, not a problem. But get-

ting students to actually say the Pledge of Allegiance, now that the state requires the school to give us time to do so, is a problem. The vast majority of students and teachers aren’t taking advantage of the time given to us to say these 31 important words. And we have a problem with that.

In the United States, people hold many opinions and views across many different spectrums. Everybody has a voice in government, and we all are given our rights and protections in the Constitution. And we should honor these rights and protections by showing respect to our flag and saying the Pledge every morning.

Every student and teacher should carry core values and traits that mirror respect. Saying the Pledge shows that we are thankful for the men and women in our military who fight to keep terrorists out of our country.

As we sit in our cushy school, what does it hurt to stand up and recite the Pledge?

However, it seems that in most classrooms it is uncomfortable to say the Pledge because it’s not the norm to do so. This discourages many people who want to participate, including ourselves. It’s almost as if you’re judged by your classmates for reciting the Pledge.

If we’re going to be given the opportunity to stand up in front of the flag and recite the Pledge, all of us should stand as a united front and participate. And while the law doesn’t require it, if there’s no enforcement by teachers and staff, then it’s practically a waste of an opportunity.

In fact, there was one significant bugaboo with student participation in the rehearsal of the Pledge of Allegiance on the first day of school.

It was made apparent on this day by faculty and staff that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was optional and the student’s choice.

While this is what the law says, why wasn’t there as much emphasis on the fortuity of reciting the Pledge?

Why didn’t the teaching staff point out that saying the Pledge is a grand opportunity to demonstrate on a daily basis your adoration of the nation you live in?

What type of message is it sending if even our own teachers aren’t reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?

The Pledge of Allegiance should be recited daily by all students. It makes teenagers look bad if only a handful of students are participating.

Either all of us should stand together or none of us should stand. Let’s all join along with Principal Kit Moran’s golden pipes, link together and may God bless America accordingly.

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Editorial 13

Our View: School must support gay students Some students and parents have recently raised issues with two murals painted in the hallway because they say these murals support a homosexual agenda and lifestyle.

While we respect these people’s right to disagree, public schools such as DHS have an obligation to support homosexual students and their right to express their opinions.

Students must be allowed to share what they feel without being restricted by censorship, even if their opinions may make some students and adults uncomfortable.

The same rights need to be provided by public schools to every student, including full support and protection of homosexual students against bullying and discrimination.

In fact, many court cases have made clear that the only case where public schools can censor student expression is if such expression disrupts the function of the school or it is considered obscene to minors.

None of the murals in question disrupt the learning process nor are they legally obscene. So while some people say the thought of homosexuality is offensive to them, these murals don’t come close to meeting the legal definition of obscenity. In fact, such expression offers the opportunity for political and ethical discussion, something schools should promote.

In addition, school districts must ensure that students—including homosexual students—feel safe and comfortable. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, more than 90 percent of U.S. LGBT students say they have been the victim of harassment in some way, and these students are more likely to drop out of school or even consider suicide.

However, some argue this approach is not legal, because they believe homosexuality to be a religious issue, and therefore something public schools can’t be involved with.

But this issue is simply a social issue. Just because some religions and religious groups may have strong opinions on homosexuality and gay marriage, doesn’t necessarily make it a religious issue.

Many religions believe in helping the less fortunate, but that doesn’t make charity a religious issue. Unless some form of government is either promoting or condemning a religion or belief, it isn’t a religious issue.

When a social issue needs to be dealt with, it is the duty of a school to support and respect all students. And while homosexuality may make some students uncomfortable, this stance is simply a belief, not an identity. Public schools are not responsible for catering to beliefs and opinions, but for protecting and supporting the identities of their students.

Public schools need to support all students, including homosexual students. They don’t have any right to censor speech which endorses homosexuality and, in order to act in the best interest of all students, need to create an environment that welcomes them.

What do the editors think?

DHS should support gay rights

DHS should stay neutral

DHS should not support gay rights

Illustration by Brittany Byma

How should school districts treat homosexual students?

“I think everyone should just be treated equally.”

“We’re still all people, and we should still all have the same rights.”

“Everyone should have the freedom to do what they want.”

“You can’t take their rights away from them.”

Erica Eschenburg Freshman

Paul Manzo Sophomore

Maggie Pawlowski Junior

Andrew Park Senior

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Entertainment 14

Scott Rogers and James Fischer Staff Writers

Clasping a bag of blue rock candy in one hand and a bag of Funyuns in the other, junior Dan Laird prepares for the arrival of his friends as they gather for their weekly ritual of viewing their favorite show, “Breaking Bad.” Since Aug. 11, the highly-anticipated final eight episodes of Breaking Bad premiered each week with the show’s finale landing on Sept.

29.

The show followed the escapades of a high school chemistry teacher named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who decides to cook crystal meth to earn money for his family after learning that he is dying of cancer.

“It is truly a masterpiece of television,” Laird said. And there are many who agree with him.

The show began in 2008 and was met with mixed reviews from critics. But since then, it has gained a massive following, drawing 10.3 million viewers for the season finale.

It also received the 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. In addition, it has accumulated the highest user rating of any television show on IMDb.com, with a score of 9.5 out of 10. Part of this appeal is the realistic nature of the show, according to Laird. “ ‘ B r e a king Bad’ is not afraid to deal with some pretty dark subject

matter,” Laird, who started watching the show in the summer of 2012, said.

“It’s a great show, and I hate to see it end, but I’d rather it ended now than jump the shark and go on to be terrible. It’s one of those shows that, by the nature of the things the characters are doing, just can’t go on very long.”

Laird said he also appreciates some of the more specific features of the show, citing what he describes as excellent music choice and unique cinematography and camera angles.

He also praised the major actors and actresses such as Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and Dean Norris, describing their performance as “dang near flawless.”

English teacher Debora Marsh has a special appreciation of “Breaking Bad” as well. Marsh has watched the show since it began. As an IB Film teacher, her experience with cinematography and acting gives her unique insight into the more technical aspects of the show.

“It’s been done artistically throughout,” she said. “Anybody who watches it can see those things. I think they’re evident, even if they don’t know what they’re looking for. It’s one of the shows that brought the standard up. AMC has really brought its level of TV show making up through their original series. They’ve raised the level of expectation for the quality of shows.”

Marsh is not the only teacher who has been affected by “Breaking Bad”.

Science teacher Daniel Witte has watched “Breaking Bad” since the summer of 2012, starting after the birth of his daughter.

He said he mostly watched the show during late-night diapering and feeding.

So while it was insomnia that made him start watching the show, it was the show’s realistic depiction of chemistry that helped keep him interested.

“When they talk chemistry, it’s stuff that makes sense to me,” he said about the scientific aspect of the show.

He also cited character development as a strength of the show, especially that of the protagonist.

“Walt’s a guy who’s put in extraordinary circumstances,” he said.

“He makes decisions that not everybody would make, but at the same time you can kind of relate to him.”

And while Witte is much more able to relate to Walter White than the average viewer as both are high school science teachers with families, he said that he can’t see himself behaving the same way.

“Walt takes a lot of risks I would never take,” Witte said. “I understand his idea of wanting to provide for his family, but I can’t say that I would start a drug business if I was in that situation.”

Now that“Breaking Bad” has reached an end, many, including Laird, will look back on its entire run and realize that it was something very special to them in their lives. “‘Breaking Bad’ is more than just a show,” Laird said. “It gave our generation something that will go down in history, and I will always remember it as something that gave my friends and I something to talk incessantly about.”

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Infographic 15 Object: Fuel Micro Charger Features: This keychain-friendly device may appear as a rusted fuel can at first, but this revolutionary piece of machinery can charge your phone battery without it strapping to the back of your phone. Its 220 milliAmp micro-USB port juices up your battery with 20-30 more minutes of life.

Release Date: March 28, 2013

Object: Kevo Lock Features: The Kevo add-on lock is the smartest add-on lock in ages. By the touch of your paw, this ingenious deadbolt gives you the ability to unlock your door using Bluetooth 4.0, your iPhone and its compatible app.

Release Date: July 29, 2013

New Gadgets for 2013

If you haven’t heard of these gadgets yet, you should get on board soon. Technology changes fast, and students should adopt early to confuse their parents and teachers. So here, in infographic form, are a few of The Squall’s favorite things for 2013 and beyond

Object: WeMo Light Switch Features: Belkin’s WeMo Light Switch allows you to control the dimness of your lights in your home from anywhere in the world! This Wi-Fi-enabled doohickey replaces any standard light switch in your house or apartment, letting you turn lights on and off by simply touching your Android or iOS device.

Release Date: July 23, 2013

Object: Beats Pill Features: The beats pill is the hottest sound on the market right now. This little puppy bows out at 2 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide.

For only $200, you have a speaker that offers the biggest sound with bluetooth, a built-in microphone, rechargeable battery boost and portability.

Release Date: April 4, 2013

Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 The Squall Photostory 16

Vegas homecoming hits the jackpot

Photo Credit: Sam Musgrove

Junior Francesca Farzalo paints part of the drama float promoting the Winter musical “Crazy for You. “

Photo Credit: Isabelle Sinibaldi

Senior Sarah Griffith cries tears of joy after being announced the 2014 homecoming Queen. “It was really overwhelming,” she said. “All the student section was chanting my name, and I had all my friends and family around me, so I was really happy and surprised. It was really exciting.” The other seniors on court were Alisha Anderson, Sierra Lakey, Morgan VanHoof and Brittany Byma.

Photo Credit: Katie Vontom

Sophomore Nick Grant plays the trumpet in during half time. Grant said he enjoys being a part of band. “It’s a fun team activity and I really enjoy playing music,” he said.

Photo Credit: Isabelle Sinibaldi

The football team lost its homecoming game to Tecumseh at Al Ritt Field. The final score was 20-13.

Photo Credit: Haley Quinn

Monday of Spirit Week was Pajama Day. Here a student runs through the commons during lunch with her pajamas on.

Photo Credit: Katie Vontom Photo Credit: Casey Hanson

During the homecoming pep assembly on Oct. 3, the dance team performed a highenergy routine which included spelling out “Dreads” on their shirts.

Alumni Nate Kilian crowns senior Graham Northrup 2014 homecoming king. Killian came back to present the crown and cape to the new king. Due to lightning the homecoming game was delayed for an hour.