Issue 7

the

TOWER

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 Volume 90 Issue 7 @thetowerpulse thetowerpulse.net

A weekly tradition since 1928

Grosse Pointe South High School 11 Grosse Pointe Blvd. Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236

MSU law students visit South on student rights

LAUREN THOM 18 Staff Writer s the world of journalism and media continues to broaden for high school students, graduate students at the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Law believe society’s youth should be more educated on their First Amendment rights.

An eight week long law clinic has been set up by MSU, designed to reach out to several high schools across the state of Michigan. Two graduate law students will be at South for the duration of the clinic to talk to journalism, broadcast and various social studies classes in order to teach them about the First Amendment.

Graduate student Reem Said said she believes the clinic is especially important because teenage students have more opinions surrounding politics and other issues exploited by the media.

“We just find it very important for (students) to learn their rights as well as the rights of those around them,” she said.

The Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) pairs with the law clinic to reach out to advisors across the state, Tower advisor Kaitlin Edgerton said.

“It’s a free clinic that will come into the schools, and I thought it would be some-

A

thing that could enhance the curriculum One of the social studies classes the and journalism program at South,” Edger- clinic will be speaking in is seventh hour ton said. “I opened it up to broadcasting exploring global issues, taught by Meg and the social studies program because Pierce. they have elements of law in them as well.”

“Our class is really broad because it’s Graduate student Ben Middleton said global issues, but we’re going to be talking in order to join the clinic, they had to write about free speech as it pertains to worldan essay about why the First Amendment wide (affairs),” Pierce said. is important to them.

Exploring global “For me, it was to issues student La’Shun make sure we don’t O’Rear ’18 said so far We just find it very the clinic has taught lose these rights because there’s a lot of important for (stu- him about the rights legislation around that and restrictions of the dents) to learn their First Amendment. may strip that right or reduce them further,” “We’re learning rights as well as Middleton said. about slander and lithe rights of those bel and how you can’t Middleton said in around them. the past few years there just spew lies about hasn’t been any legislasomeone or spew hate tion or Supreme Court speech towards a group REEM SAID ruling passed regarding of people without facMSU Grad Student student First Amending repercussions,” ment rights off campus, O’Rear said. which is his motivation for joining the After interacting with students clinic. at South, Middleton said it has been “The second reason is so we all know eye-opening to see students who actually our rights as Americans,” Middleton said. know their rights.

“There were some things that were lost in “Even if they don’t know it down to the the school systems, and I think civics is science, they know what they can and canone of them.” not do, so it’s very refreshing to see that

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PHOTO BY LAUREN THOM 18

FREE SPEECH Two MSU grad students present a game of Kahoot as part of an eight week long clinic. Two graduate law students will be at South for the PHOTO BY EVAN SKAFF duration of the clinic to talk to journalism, broadcast and various social studies classes in order to teach students about the First Amendment.

Hypnotist to visit psych class: Michael Brody will visit in late October

and to know that it’s not completely lost,” Middleton said. “Whether it’s through the journalism class, the social studies class, the broadcast media it doesn’t matter, (students) still have that.”

Said added she hopes to accomplish the large task of fully educating South students on their rights and to be unafraid if an administrator or another authority figure tries to censor certain information.

“I want the students to be able to say ‘Well, actually my rights are so and so’ based on whatever case and hopefully it would be a case that we taught (the students),” she said. “That is one thing I want to accomplish because I feel the authority and the power that comes with this school could be intimidating and this is just one of the things that can help with.”

Middleton believes it is important for students to be able to respond civically to conflicts with public officials and be able to present information in the appropriate way.

“Personally, I would like to see the journalism and broadcast students understand how the First Amendment is related to copyright or trademark or pen or anything like that,” Middleton said. “(Then) you know your rights as an author, designer, videographer or photographer.”

Choir to hold garage sale fundraiser PHOEBE MIRIANI 18 Copy Editor The South choir’s great performances come with many expenses during the year. With the help of the Annual Choir Boosters Garage Sale, the choir is able to cover most of these costs.

“The money we raise helps cover things like costumes, competition and travel expenses, and choreography,” choir vice president Mollie DeBrunner ’18 said.

On Oct. 28 and 29, the choir will be holding their ninth annual garage sale, according to choir director Christopher Pratt.

“So many people love garage sales to look for a bargain on something they may or may not know they are looking for,” Pratt said.

“I hope the community will come and look at the items that may be newfound treasures and support a great cause in the process.”

According to DeBrunner, choir members contribute by working either during the event or setting up for it.

“My job will be to be there during the garage sale and be a welcoming face, along with helping with whatever tasks are needed,” Choir President Grace Brandon ’18 said.

According to Brandon, the people who help out the most are the parents and the Choir Booster Club.

“They are extremely generous with their time and efforts, the whole choir greatly appreciates it,” Brandon said.

The choir’s goal is to make this fundraiser as successful as possible and to make sure everything runs smoothly in the process, according to DeBrunner.

“The most difficult part is getting all the donations and advertising to the community,” Brandon said.

The garage sale will be held in the multi purpose room at South on Saturday Oct. 28 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m and Sunday Oct. 29 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

IMPORTANT DATES oct.

27

Freshmen class officer elections will take place from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

WHO?

WHAT?

The Grosse Pointe South Choir s Booster Club.

Annual garage sale.

WHEN? This Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29.

WHY?

WHERE? Takes place in South s multipurpose room.

To raise enough funds to cover the costs for the year.

oct.

27

South s football team takes on Cass Tech at 7 p.m. The game is away.

oct.

28

ABI DUE 18 Social Media Editor or the first year, DeEtte Reynolds’ psychology classes will have a special guest visitor: a hypnotist.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, hypnotist Michael Brody will be spending the entire day at South explaining what hypnosis is, the myths around it, and then performing hypnotic suggestions on volunteers.

Brody is also the hypnotist who performs at the senior all night party, so Reynolds said she has seen a little of his show before. According to Reynolds, she has never been hypnotized and does not plan on volunteering when Brody comes to

F

I m excited to see what the hypnotist can do and how strong the mind really is.

GIGI BONNELL 19 South.

Although eager to learn and watch the hypnotist’s show, some students are skeptical about if it will actually work and how it could affect them.

Alyssa Shrodes ’18 is interested in hypnosis, but definitely won’t be participating, she explained. Shrodes said it isn’t because she’s nervous of being put asleep, but of what she would say According to Shrodes, Reynolds told the class if students have sleeping problems, like insomnia, they shouldn’t participate because it will be harder to get out of it.

Psychology student Gigi Bonnell ’19 also showed mixed emotions on actually being hypnotized. Bonnell said there’s no way of knowing what you will do or say, which is why she would be concerned.

“I’m excited to see what the hypnotist can do and how strong the mind really is,” Bonnell said.

Other than excitement and concern, Alex McEnroe ’18 is skeptical whether hypnosis can actually be done.

“It sounds pretty cool. I don’t know what this whole hypnotizing thing is about, but I don’t believe it,” McEnroe said. “There’s no way someone can hypnotize you and make you do whatever they want.”

The South Choir Boosters Garage Sale will take place this Saturday and Sunday.

2 ¦ OPINION

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

Policy changes affect liberties of students MY VIEW

ELIZABETH WOLFE 18 Page Editor

NEWSPAPER

w

TOWER

STAFF

Last Thursday, I was almost hit by a car while walking to school. A lady was driving out of the lot, and my vision of her was obscured by one of the posts. When I began to cross in front of her, she slammed the breaks and apologized immediately.

I told her it was fine because it wasn’t her fault, as she couldn’t see me either. My frustration wasn’t directed at her, but rather at the security guard “watching” over the lot, supposedly aware of the situation.

In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t a big deal. I walked away completely fine and carried on with my day. However, I began to consider how this was never an issue last year with Dante Williams directing traffic.

As someone who walks to and from school on most days, I felt safe knowing he was there keeping pedestrians and drivers safe.

This sense of safety was lost this year after he and other local employees were replaced with security guards. The S-Lot is absolute chaos, and the security guards standing by seem oblivious to the problems occurring.

This is not the only change that has frustrated me. Everyone is aware of the Wi-Fi restrictions the school has put into place, and also the school’s methods of stopping the use of illegal substances. The biggest problem with these changes is how they’re changing the nature of South; the freedoms students have are a pivotal part of South’s culture. By implementing these new policies, they’re hurting the experience South provides.

South’s cell phone policy is very reasonable. It’s understandable students shouldn’t be using their cell phones during class time, but instead, during passing time, lunch, or when a teacher permits it. Administration allow students time to use their devices, while simultaneously preventing them from doing so by blocking certain apps. We can technically still use our cell phones, just not in the way we want to.

The same logic goes for the regulation of the bathrooms; both these policies attempt to prevent inappropriate behavior at the expense of students’ needs and rights.

It’s common sense that we relieve ourselves throughout the day. This rule limits students from doing so when needed by only letting in certain amount of kids at a time. It can be difficult enough to find time to relieve oneself between classes without being hindered by security guards.

The parking lots, Wi-Fi restrictions and anti-vaping policies hurt the freedom and safety of South students. The administration has good intentions, but their actions have come with negative consequences.

The Wi-Fi blocks may help productivity in classrooms, but they hurt students’ freedom to use their devices when allowed. I believe old methods could be just as effective when properly enforced. It’s fair to confiscate cell phones after multiple warnings, as it’s disrespectful to the teachers and compromises the student’s learning. Cell phone use should be regulated during class and allowed when appropriate, not one way or the other. Hall passes are very reasonable as well, but the rules regarding bathrooms are too extreme.

Impeding on students’ use of bathroom facilities for fear of group vaping is absurd. As for the parking lots, I don’t mean to insult the security guards themselves, but rather the point of their jobs. I want to know if their job descriptions mention directing traffic in parking lots. Unsafe parking lots endanger students, who should feel safe when on school property.

My desire is for school policies to return to the way they were before: understandable and not corrupting of South’s liberties.

Editor-in-Chief

Liz Bigham* ’18 John Francis* ’18 Online Editor-in-Chief

Henry Ayrault* ’19 Grace Reyes* ’19

Print Associate Editor

Alyssa Czech* ’19

Supervising Editors at Large

Ray Hasanaj* ’18 Liam Walsh* ’18

Supervising Editors

Katherine Bird*, Rachel Harris*, Riley Lynch*, Elena Rauch*, all ’18 Bianca Pugliesi* ’19 Page Editors

Chase Clark*, Kaitlin Nemeh*

An open letter to the teaching staff at South OUR VIEW ¦¦ EDITORIAL Dear teachers, The art of teaching is not one easily mastered over the course of a single day, night, month or even year. Teaching is something that calls out the best of society to pour their efforts into tending the garden of youth; a job never appreciated enough and only for the strong of heart. For that, we would like to extend the most heartfelt and sincere thank you.

We at The Tower would like to acknowledge all the work put in by the teachers. The countless hours spent advising clubs, a job without pay. The creation and teaching of electives, something many other schools don’t include in their curriculum. Some of those electives are born out of the will of teachers to make sure that students will do well in the class in college, showing the care put forth by the teaching staff. You inspire us to follow in your footsteps and show us what we truly love in academia.

Thank you for the countless letters of recommendations. The ability of teachers to turn around letters within a week due to a procrastinating stu-

dent. Thank you for pushing us to excellence, acting as the backbone of an elite institute of education. A job at South is desired by teachers far and wide, and you have earned your position. You are the reason South is held in such a deified position. Thank you for waking up and at least putting up a facade of being less tired than us, even though the job requires much strain to sift through tests and bothersome students. Thank you for getting to school early and staying at school late, and sometimes using your lunchtime to give us the chance to improve.

Those breakthrough moments where everything clicks are not our own doing, they are yours.

Although you may try to act modest and pretend like we are the ones who are responsible for our own growth, that would be a complete falsehood. It would be incredibly onerous to find a student here who would say the teaching staff as a whole has negatively affected their lives. The love, devotion and resolve of the teaching staff to sharpen the minds of the next generation and catapult them to success is worthy of admiration beyond words.

Every student has a teacher that has been able to reach deep into our inner selves and genuinely com-

prehend how we work. Those teachers know where to push and where to pull; how to make us the best version of ourselves. This creates the teacher that we will tell our kids about, shining with pride and adoration. When our time at South is up, those will be the last thoughts as we exit these hallowed halls-the thoughts of knowing there was someone to go to when there was no one else, a person who knew how to teach to us, how to make us a better human and someone who used all of these facets fully.

If you are having a bad day or ever question why you chose this profession, we would like you to know that you have transformed countless lives, a gift which is impossible for us to reciprocate. Know that you are truly appreciated, no matter how many times students doze off or are rude little snots.

Thank you for taking full advantage of the responsibility to educate and illuminate our minds, and we do see the hard work put in day in and day out to make sure that we move forward.

One last time, from all at The Tower, with the utmost respect and admiration, thank you.

Sincerely, The Tower EDITORIAL CARTOON BY RILEY LYNCH 18

A glimpse into what parking in the S-Lot is really like, along with its downfalls MY VIEW

JOHN FRANCIS 18 Editor in Chief

The constant reminder that high school is a time full of responsibility and newfound freedom can be found whenever I turn over the ignition to start my car.

That feeling comes every weekday morning, as I make my way into the famed ‘S-Lot’ parking area, which is also referred to as the senior lot, which creatively comes from the fact that only senior students can apply to get a spot (with the exception of one or two lucky juniors, but that’s not the point).

In years before, I’ve battled my way through the constant fight for a spot somewhat near the school in the J-Lot (along the football field) or when really running behind, taking whatever is left in the K-Lot (behind the football field). If one isn’t timely in

getting to school, the repercussions are but not limited to: tardiness, tickets or even getting towed. Coming from someone who has experienced all of those three things, it’s better to ride a bike if you plan on being late.

When I first received my S-Lot pass after promptly paying $50 and proving to the front office I drive a silver Subaru, my initial thoughts were about how little stress will come out of parking my last year at South. Then, reality hit.

Turns out, the passes are only semester-based, and you’re not allowed to have a spot for both semesters.

That’s fine, but the other problem is that if you have any sort of out-of-school activity that starts at 3:30 p.m., you better cut class and get out of the parking lot before the line is 15 cars deep. Between foot traffic blocking off the exit and the insane amount of cars on Grosse Pointe Blvd., it

Cam Smolen*, JD Standish*, all ’18 Adrian Doan* ’19 Anne Muawad*, Lauren Nemeh*, Maura Shine*, Aidan Walsh*, Elizabeth Wolfe*, all ’20 Copy Editors

Ian Dewey*, Piper Eschenburg*, Phoebe Miriani*, all ’18 Sylvia Hodges* ’19, Elizabeth Flower*, Victoria Gardey*, Claire Sheeren*, Imran Siddiqui*, all ’20 Business Managers

Evan Skaff* ’18 Web Editors

Arianna Pagenette* ’18, Kaitlyn Perkins* ’18, Kathleen Carroll*, Katherine Costello*, Claire Koeppen*, Jacqui Mercier*, Audrey Whitaker*, all ’19 Dominic Dulac* ’20

creates this one-car-per-minute type pace that can lead to time line anxiety.

Just the other day, I found myself in the parking lot from 3:07 p.m. until 3:20 p.m..

Luckily, I didn’t have to tutor for NHS at Brownell, because I would barely have time to go home and then head to tutoring.

So in reality, paying for an S-Lot pass gives the student one luxury. This being that every day, your spot will not be taken. The other nuisances that come with student parking (the long walks into school, getting caught in traffic, and being late to class) are all still a constant reminder that there’s no way around some of the pains that the S-Lot has a reputation to ease.

To make things even worse, the closest doors to where students primarily park are all locked at all times. In the mornings, during lunch and after school, doors that allow entry to the S-Building

Multimedia/Social Media Editors

Abigail Due* ’18, Erica Fossee* ’19 Tower Radio

Alex Acker* ’18 Zachary Heimbuch* ’19 Staff Writers

Margot Baer, Solana Bryson, Blair Cullen, Griffin Jones, Harper McClellan, Caitlin Miller, John Schulte, Lauren Thom, Brennan Zihlman, all ’18 John Bellamy, Isabella Craparotta, Allison MacLeod, Olivia Mlynarek, Sarah Stevenson, Arif Ulku, all ’19 Madeleine Allen, Julia Ambrozy, Daniel Klepp, Evelyn Kuhnlein, Charlie Matthews, Kari Ronning, all ’20 Eva McCord ’21 Adviser

Kaitlin Edgerton

are locked, but by walking about 30 yards to the staff ends of the lot, a student can gain entry no problem. So why would one of the doors of the S-Building be locked if anyone can get in by walking 30 to 40 extra steps outside?

It’s not like the staff needs the doors to be unlocked, after all their ID’s are able to gain entry in any of the school’s doors by one swipe of the card. So if any of the doors are to be open and monitored, why not make it one that will get frequent use? This is something similar to opening the doors at the greenhouse and near the rock. Those two locations have heavy foot traffic, just like the doors near the student parking section of the S-Lot. I am truly confused by this.

The only way to gain entry from the locked doors is from the good Samarwitan on their way to class, who will make the day of on average three to four people.

“The Tower” is the weekly publication of the Advanced Journalism classes at Grosse Pointe South High School. It has always been a designated public form of student expression.

The Tower is located in room 142 in Grosse Pointe South High School. Please contact us at 313-432-3649.

If safety is the main concern then why can any student who approaches a locked door easily wait to be let in by anyone, or on rare occasion the door is propped open, using a pencil or shoe to help out everyone in the lot. So why not just have the doors open for certain times and locked during class time?

Again... I’m baffled.

The school shouldn’t see students helping one another out by letting each other in or propping the door open as a bad thing. Actually, this shows to me everyday just how nice one of my schoolmates can be. By always willing to lend a hand, or thinking ahead for the better of everyone else is an example of what kind of people we are shaped to be in the world.

I wouldn’t trade much for my S-Lot pass, and it seem that there are only problems that come with it. That isn’t all true, and the system certainly has room to be improved.

Errors

Factual errors will be corrected on the opinion page or in news briefs written upon request and verification.

Letters

Letters to the Editor are encouraged and will be screened for libel, irresponsibility and obscenity. The Editorial Board may edit Opinion Pieces or shorten letters as long as the meaning is Editorials represent the majority opinion of unchanged. All letters must be signed and the Editorial Board and are left unsigned.

Columns represent the opinions of individual include a telephone number for confirmation.

Request to withhold the writer’s name staff members and outside contributors. from publication for good reason will be considered. Letters can be sent to the above Editorial Board email address, or dropped off in “The Tower” An asterisk * denotes Editorial Board editors.

Room.

Advertising

Display adverising is sold at a rate of $7 per column inch, with discounts for large or frequent advertisers. Advertising may not advocate illegal activities or contain libelous, irresponsible or obscene material.

Professional Associations

Member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll, the Society for Newspaper Design and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

3 ¦ NEWS

Mu Alpha Zeta prompts new appreciation for math

According to Frazer, she heard about the society from her cousin, a high school math teacher who has a chapter of Mu Alpha Theta at her high school.

“She told me about it and I thought it would be a fun The extensive list of extracurricular opportunities thing to start at South because there is a lot of recogniat South should expect an addition by the end of the tion for sports and languages and other clubs, but not 2017-2018 school year. This time, it is a club recogniz- so much for math,” Frazer said. “I wanted to recognize ing a subject every student has to endure in their the kids that excel at lives: math. math and have a little Allison Frazer ’19 has begun efforts to bring a bit of fun with it.”

I feel like math is very chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, a National Math HonLucy Burgoyne ’19 underrated as a subject, or Society for High Schools and two-year colleges, is currently in honors and I think it would to South. pre-calculus and supbe a lot of fun to just According to the organization’s website, they ports Frazer’s effort to help strengthen the are dedicated to inspiring an interest in mathebring a chapter of Mu matics, developing strong scholarship in the subAlpha Theta to South. appreciation for math ject, and promoting the enjoyment of “I feel like math is mathematics in high schools. very underrated as a LUCY BURGOYNE 19 As of June 2016, more than subject, and I think it 113,500 students would be a lot of fun are members from to just help strengthen the appreciation for math,” Burover 2,300 schools goyne said. internationally.

According to both Frazer and Alexa McConaghy, the math teacher asked to sponsor the club, students will be invited to join the club in the coming months if they meet Mu Alpha Thetas requirements.

According to Mu Alpha Theta’s website, high school students must have completed the equivalent of two years of college preparatory mathematics, including algebra and/or geometry, and in addition, have completed or are enrolled in a third college preparatory mathematics course in order to be eligible for membership, providing their mathematical work was done with distinction. On the 4-point grading scale, this shall mean at least a 3.0 grade point average.

The club will intend to focus less of service hours and tutoring, but more the general appreciation and celebration of the subject, according to Frazer.

“The purpose of it is really just joy of math,” McConaghy said. “We’re going to do things like a math competitive test and we might do a Pi Day celebration, but we’ll figure a lot of it out as we go along.“ The club is hoping to have the invitations out and begin meeting before the end of the year. According to McConaghy, their potentially shooting for Pi Day induction of new members.

JACK BELLAMY 19 Staff Writer

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Through competition and in-class learning, DECA provides students with solid background in business-based skills.

PHOTO BY JEN TOENJES 16

DECA club returns to room 106 this fall IAN DEWEY 18 Copy Editor Last week, the DECA group marketing cluster tasks, I took a at South met for the first time in class in marketing. I used that to preparation for their annual com- study for the exam, as well as to petitions. DECA is a competi- build my role-playing skills.” tive-based club which aims to deStudents who participate velop the business in DECA are enskills and knowlcouraged to take edge of participants, a business class to It s a great way according to DECA refine their abilito start building member Ponette ties, according to a resume that Rubio ’18. club advisor Wilsupports an “We compete at liam Cayo. interest in districts, states and “Ideally, stuin the past, we’ve dents that particibusiness. competed at the napate in DECA also WILLIAM CAYO tional level,” Rubio take a business Club Advisor said. class, where they According to learn about busiRubio, the compeness and effectively titions are divided into two parts: practice in class,” Cayo said. “But, a multiple-choice test, and an im- we invite anyone that likes business promptu role-playing sequence. In to be in the club. It’s a great way to addition, each participant choos- start building a resume that supes an area of interest they wish to ports an interest in business.” compete in for the rest of the year.

Meetings take place immediate“There are a hundred different ly after school on Wednesdays in things you can do,” Rubio said. room 105.

“Last year, I did marketing and communications; I studied for the

GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH 18

Sincerely, The Breakfast Club KARI RONNING & CLAIRE SHEEREN BOTH 20 Staff Writer and Copy Editor The smell of cinnamon, syrup The other Co-president Amelia and fresh pancakes will be wafting Walker ’18 shared the added perks of through the halls during breakfast club beginning this Thursday, Oct. being a member of the club.

“You don’t have to eat breakfast in 26. the morning, you can just show up to It will be the first Breakfast Club the club and you’ll be set for the day,” meeting of the year, taking place in room 145 at 7 a.m., and will go until 7:45. After the first meeting, the club will continue to meet every week before school on Thursdays.

Breakfast club advisor, Patricia O’Hare, said students come together each week and make all kinds of different breakfast foods. Some popular items last year included donuts and cinnamon rolls.

“Kids come in and they make whatever they want,” O’Hare said.

“They make new stuff each week.”

Co-president Anna Clark ’18 started the club last year to encourage students to learn how to make breakfast. Clark said it’s important for students to know how to cook so they are prepared for living on their own.

“I wanted to teach kids how to make breakfast so when they go off into the real world, they’re not stuck making ramen; they actually know the fundamentals of cooking,” Clark said.

I wanted to teach kids how to make breakfast so when they go off into the real world, they re not stuck making ramen; ANNA CLARK 18

Walker said.

During a regular meeting, students have the opportunity to make and eat food together, according to Clark.

“Typically, you come on in, we have food prepared and all ready to go and all you have to

do is finish preparing it,” Clark said.

“Then we cook it and we all eat it around together and then clean up.”

According to club member Kate Henry ’18, the club is also a good way to connect with new people.

“It’s a fun club to join and it’s a great way to meet new people,” Henry said.

O’Hare enjoys the social piece kids bring each week.

“I think it’s really good to have the kids working together and chatting,” O’Hare said. “There’s been such a decline in families having meals together and I think (breakfast) is really important.”

This year, Henry is excited to try new things.

“I’m looking forward to making new foods we’ve never tried before,” Henry said.

According to Clark, the aspect of working together in the club sets it apart.

“I love the camaraderie of everyone coming together and being able to cook and put aside our differences,” Clark said.

Only a 7 minute drive from South Subs and snacks great for lunch

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNA CLARK 18

YUM! Breakfast Club members make various morning meals, including cinnamon rolls and other sweet foods.

FAIRFAX QUALITY MARKET

899 Beaconsfield Grosse Pointe Park (313)-822-7074

GOOD MORNING! Early morning risers in the Breakfast Club prepare savory meals.

Emily’s Middle Eastern Deli 22205 Greater Mack Ave (586) 777-2256

THE PINK FLAMINGO

4 ¦ REVIEWS

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

4

Albums/EPs released this fall you are missing out on MY VIEW LIZ BIGHAM 18 Editor in Chief

THE GIRL WHO CRIED PURPLE- TERROR JR “I don’t think we will ever be okay, and baby, that is okay,” sings Lisa Vitale. The third and final installment of electro pop group Terror Jr’s ‘Bop City’ sets itself apart from the others, but manages to be just as brilliant. So many musicians, movies and TV shows attempt to depict youth culture, but no one captures it as truthfully as Terror Jr does. Materialism. Escapism. Love. Boredom. Hope. Bop City 3 should be played late night and on early morning drives. The lyrics are as elegant as they are aggressive.

You will constantly be thinking ‘are those really the lyrics?’ Although the references and language aren’t appropriate to recite in a school newspaper, high school students can relate to what is being said. Terror Jr is set to release a full length album next year, but in the meantime check out the group’s final EP.

TRIP- JHENE AIKO

Dealing with the pain of her brother’s death, Jhene Aiko turned to music and released a 22 track concept album.

This album isn’t about producing tracks, but rather is a memoir of Aiko’s journey through acceptance and discovery. The ambient melodies and psychedelic sounds give sound and identity to what Aiko used to numb the pain she faced. All the tracks produce a similar sound and can be nice background music, but when the sixth track, “Sativa” comes out, it sticks out from the rest. Aiko’s vocals are silky, yet dominant over the raspy, rap infused vocals of Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee. The duo works perfectly. Most albums about grief dwell in the pain. Aiko dealt with the hardship differently; she created music that focused on the distractions and her acceptance for the vices she used to find salvation.

HARD- THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

The Neighbourhood is back with a five track EP, releasing music for the first time in two years since their sophomore album “Wiped Out!” Most are familiar with the group’s hit “Sweater Weather”. The California based group still evokes the same airy, deep vibe as they did four years ago, but there is a sense of progressive to their sound. With slow building synths and echoed vocals, lead singer Jesse Rutherford sounds detached, haunted and introspective. Songs like “Roll Call” and “Sadderdaze” evoke the sort of dark, moody vibe while songs like “You Get Me So High” counter with a more optimistic outlook. The balance is distinct. This is only a small taste of what the Neighbourhood plans to bring to the music industry in the, hopefully, soon future. New music and a new sound is coming.

LOVERS- ANNA OF THE NORTH

Anna of the North, a Norwegian based pop-indie artist, has a better English lexicon than any other American. Her debut album is exactly what I hoped for-genuine, clean and wistful. The tracks are held together by similar dreamy synths and echoing vocals, but each song is far from ever being alike. The lyrics are what drive this album. The chorus of “Someone” consists of Anna repeating “I’m only human, baby / Sometimes act a little crazy”. The chorus of “Always” does a similar technique repeating “I’m tired of being in love / Always in the background”. As discoverable from the title, this album is about love. It follows all aspects of love, from losing it to embracing it. Lovers is not an album flooding with radio hits, but it’s full of heart and passion. That is what makes it so special.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTISTS WEBSITE

Student experiences ambient, inviting pop-up located in Corktown MY VIEW

AUDREY WHITAKER 19 Section Editor

Initially, I was very skeptical of the Pink Flamingo; I was skeptical of the menu, the location, the flamingo theme and the crowd.

The surrounding neighborhood seemed a little sketchy at first, but once I arrived at 2746 Vermont, the feeling of skepticism melted away. Friends and families filled the yard, sitting around pink painted tables and a giant bonfire, under umbrellas edged with pink flamingo lights.

The menu, supplied by Guerrilla food, which serves farm-to-table food every Thursday, has both veggie ($11) and meat ($13) combo options, as well as gluten free and vegan options.

Even as a vegetarian, I’m skeptical of vegan food. I’ve found food designed for people with dietary restrictions can be very bland, but the Pink Flamingo definitely defies that stereotype.

I was blown away by the flavor in their salad dressing and rice balls, as well as the vegan cornbread.

The combo of a salad, two rice balls, basmati rice, sweet potatoes and cornbread was the perfect ratio of each to fill me up without overstuffing. My meal also left me with the satisfaction of supporting locally grown food and having a healthy meal.

While the menu changes weekly based on what’s in season, I have no doubt their food is consistently delicious, healthy and filling; it is definitely worth the price.

A huge part of what made dinner at the Pink Flamingo so cool was the atmosphere. Sitting around the massive bonfire waiting for my food, I struck up a conversation with a complete stranger about film photography. Families with little kids danced to the music and ran around the yard, which is a community garden in north Corktown.

The fire also becomes part of the Pink Flamingo’s no waste system. Paper plates, napkins, cups and food scraps go into the fire, plastic and glass are recycled, and anything else goes into a bin to be washed and used again.

Going to the Pink Flamingo is a great way to support small businesses and farmers in Detroit. It’s an amazing place for people from all over the city to come together and enjoy.

You can follow @pinkflamingodetroit on Facebook for information on upcoming events and menus. The Pink Flamingo happens every Thursday night from 6-10 p.m. at 2746 Vermont Detroit, weather permitting.

The Pink Flamingo serves dinner Thursday night in a modified air stream trailer.

The Pink Flamingo hosts dinner in a community garden in north Corktown.

People of all ages are welcomed.

The Pink Flamingo incorporates sustainability into its atmosphere by using the bonfire to dispose of paper and food scraps.

Food for the Pink Flamingo is farmto-table fresh, provided by Guerrilla Food every Thursday.

The menu changes each week, depending on what s in season.

The Pink Flamingo is open from 6-10 p.m. on Thursdays.

PHOTOS BY AUDREY WHITAKER 19

Vegan enthusiast emphasizes importance, quality and availability of cruelty free products favorite cruelty free products: e.l.f. Makeup Pressed Powder

Booda Butter Chapstick

H LUS

Not Your Mother s Leave-In Conditioner

Lip

Balm

Tom s of Maine Original Deodorant and Luminous White toothpaste

MILK Makeup Primer, Bronzer and Skin Tint

PHOTOS BY MARGOT BAER 18

MY VIEW

MAR GOT BAER 18 Staff Writer

About two years ago, I made the biggest decision I’ve ever made thus far; I went vegan. Shocking to many people, being a vegan doesn’t just mean you stop eating meat and dairy.

Going vegan is a conscious decision to eliminate all cruelty in your life. A huge part of doing this is to stop buying products that test on animals.

In 2016, an estimated 820,812 animals, ranging from mice to dogs, were used for animal testing or experiments, according to speakingofresearch.com.

According to the Humane Society’s website, dogs and cats make up 91 percent of all the species animal testing is done on.

If you’re transitioning into a cruelty free lifestyle, doing research is key. The website crueltyfreekitty.com is a great resource for knowing what makeup and beauty brands do and don’t test on animals.

While walking through the aisles of the store, it can be very stressful to know what to buy, or more importantly, what not to buy. However, shopping

cruelty free is easier than it seems. A simple Google search of “insert brand name here” and “cruelty free” will give the answer. By choosing to not purchase the product a living being had to be tortured for, it is a huge step in the right direction.

Amazon has a whole plethora of cruelty free options. If you go to the “Beauty & Personal Care” section, you can select a “Cruelty Free” tab, and it sorts through all the beauty products they sell and only shows products that don’t test on animals.

While shopping in stores, look on the back of the bottles and see if it is stated as cruelty free, or see the official cruelty free certified symbol. There are a few symbols to look for while shopping cruelty free. The Leaping Bunny logo is the universal symbol for labeling a product as cruelty free. Also, look for the certified vegan logo, which tells the product is cruelty free and does not contain any animal products.

Supporting brands who are proud to be cruelty free is how to stop animal testing for good. Voting with your dollar every time you go to the store sends a message loud and clear to companies that these type of products are highly in demand.

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

5 ¦ FEATURE

Stories behind the art of South Art students are drawing inspiration from influential people in their lives and famous artists

Gabriel Omilian ’19, who is in drawing and painting, first realized he enjoyed art in elementary school, and he has taken art classes ever since. Omilian said he enjoys free sketch and Art has had a major impact on South art teachers and finds inspiration from the lake and random objects. students, according to art teacher Kit Aro. Art teachers’ “I just like looking and finding cool things I can draw,” inspirations come from many different ways and contribute Omilian said. “I used to go on some bike rides down to the to their art work. lake and draw the lake. That’s what I like to do a lot, just to Aro teaches drawing, painting, figure drawing and go and free draw.” advanced placement drawing. Aro said her mom, Mary, is Omilian added through practice, he has gotten a lot better her favorite artist and number one inspiration. with art and has expanded his work.

“My mom is a remarkable artist in watercolor and oil,” Aro “I used to be really bad, but with a lot more practice said. “She taught me art is not so much about the product, and free drawing and sketches in class, I’ve gotten better,” but the process of seeing: seeing light, seeing details other Omilian said.

Kristina Rogers ’19, who’s currently in drawing and painting and computer graphics, said she doesn’t remember a time in her life where she first recognized the fact she enjoyed art.

“I’ve been interested in art my whole life. I don’t ever remember a moment where I was like ‘I really like art.’ I have just always liked it,” Rogers said. “When I was really little, I always liked crafts and making stuff, and then it just progressed from there into actual art and actually being interested in art and art history.”

INTO THE DEEP A signature painting by Melissa Bryan 11 in the IA building Rogers’ inspiration for her bridge.

PHOTO BY SARAH STEVENSON 19 work comes from the outdoors and being with nature instead of people. people miss out on and seeing the astounding beauty and “I do some stuff with the figure, Rogers said. “It’s pretty simple truth in the people and natural world around us.” much just being outside, being with nature and looking at In addition to her mother, Aro said she also admires her things around me.” students for their ability to get out of their comfort zone and According to Rogers, her favorite artist is Austrian artist create art.

Egon Schiele. She enjoys his different, yet controversial work.

“My students are choosing to create, which is radical in “He (Schiele) actually worked a lot more with the figure a world of highly critical consumers. They are also taking than he did with nature, but I love looking at his stuff,” criticism and pushing themselves beyond their comfort Rogers said. “It gives me a different vibe than everyone else zones,” Aro said. “I am really proud of them. They are during that time period. His work is also really controversial learning to see, and to trust their eye and not someone else’s because he was very avant-garde, but I love looking at his idea or judgment.” art.”

Rogers said she has grown as an artist by being able to find out more about herself overtime.

“Once I got to South, there was a lot more opportunity to be able to explore different techniques and different artists. So, I think in general, my style is a lot more refined since entering high school than it was beforehand because I know who I am more as a person,” Rogers said.

According to Aro, she believes all students should give art a try since it is a good way to wind down.

“I really feel all students would love taking art.

It’s good for the soul and a wonderful break in one’s busy day. Slow down and see the roses, so to speak,” Aro said. “The Art and Design department is here for everyone, no matter how confident, or KITTY LOVE A piece of artwork by art teacher, Kit Aro, uncomfortable, they are with making art.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIT ARO featuring a young girl with a cat.

SARAH STEVENSON 19 Staff Writer

LET IT GROW Kristina Rogers 19 poses with original artwork of her own. Rogers finds inspiration from the outdoors.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTINA ROGERS 19

First Amendment clinic teaches students about their rights AUDREY WHITAKER 19 Managing Editor

W

ith a First Amendment clinic coming to South’s social studies, journalism and broadcasting classes this semester, students will learn about the history of the First Amendment, and what it means for them.

Journalism teacher, Kaitlin Edgerton, said she wanted to have the clinic to enhance students regular learning.

“The Grosse Pointe School District is a First Amendment friendly district,” Edgerton said. “I thought it would be something that would enrich the students in their learning.”

South teacher Michael Rennell is having the clinic visit his government classes so students can learn about their most important rights, he said.

“They (First Amendment rights) are the most important right you have,” Rennell said. “Going back to our founding fathers, the Supreme Court has used the First Amendment as the preferred position.

It’s premiere over any other amendment.

So, if there’s two amendments in conflict, they always defer to the First Amendment.”

For students in Steve Geresy’s broadcasting classes, students are more than just looking at and examining First Amendment rights. According to Geresy, they will be looking how the amendment applies to copyrights, patents and trademarks, what is

fair use and how to acquire permissions for protest, our right to free speech.” the content they use.

Edgerton said it is important for students “It’s good for our students to know about to know they have a voice and that although the First Amendment and know how it ties there are limits, students need to know and to media,” Geresy said. understand what those “In addition to that, it’s rights are and how good for my students they can exercise them. to know what their aware of Free speech is the only what “Being legal standings are your rights are when it comes to using way that we protect is important, because digital artifacts such as it’s something that YouTube videos, music our democracy. lays the foundation and things you can of American ideals download so easily in MICHAEL RENELL and values,” Edgerton your productions.” said. “It’s important AP Government Teacher Geresy said students and teachers education is the key to protecting and understand what they mean so they know upholding the rights for today, and future, they have them, because you never know generations. when you’re going to need them.”

“Knowledge of what freedom of speech, Edgerton said The Tower simply printing freedom of expression and freedom of press an issue every week is proof students can and petition means,” Geresy said. “If you exercise First Amendment rights, like look at our media today, and you look at freedom of the press. the demonstrations, the protests and the “Often times, we get into production things going on right now, it’s good to have and you’re tempted by how easily you can background and knowledge of case studies, get digital pieces to assemble into your own court cases and whatnot, it helps to put it in production, and it’s good to know at least a perspective.” background of what are legal rights, even as a Rennell also said learning about First student producer of media,” Geresy said.

Amendment rights is important because it According to Geresy, this is a great is relevant to what people see on the news opportunity for TV production. today.

“Free speech is the only way we protect “A lot of people think they should restrict our democracy,” Rennell said. some speech in schools and out in the public,” Rennell said. “We have the big demonstration going on in the NFL, so some people think that should be restricted, but it’s our right of GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH 18

6 ¦ FEATURE

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDY MOOREFIELD-PINDER

EVIE KUHNLEIN 20 Staff Writer A night in jail, an almost kidnapping, and a burglary: all freak accidents Spanish teacher Cynthia Moorefield-Pinder, better known as Profe, has experienced while living abroad.

While these events have affected her, they haven’t shaped her entire view on living abroad. After being an exchange student in Colombia at the age of 16 and living in Spain for four summers, Moorefield-Pinder said she has a large amount of unique experiences under her belt.

“One hundred percent (living abroad) changes your outlook on the world,” Moorefield-Pinder said. “I became more grateful for what I had in my own backyard and more humble trying to understand I am not perfect. You’re going to screw up.”

Moorefield-Pinder originally had the top choice of choosing where to live as an exchange student, but was moved down on the list after making a bad joke during the final interview stage.

“The last thing I was thinking of was going to Colombia,

but it changed my life,” Moorefield-Pinder said. “I ended up becoming a Spanish teacher, and now I’ve been teaching for 29 years.”

Moorefield-Pinder said it was exremely beneficial in the long run to have that experience in a country, even though it may not of been her initial choice.

“I let students know if you don’t get into your first choice for college, it’s not the end of the world,” Moorefield-Pinder said. “I changed my whole plan after not getting what I thought I wanted.”

AMANDA MOON

SPAIN Cindy Moorefield-Pinder and some of her foreign exchange friends.

Moorefield-Pinder lived in Spain and was an exchange student in Columbia.

CINDY MOOREFIELDPINDER

TRAVELING THE WORLD

FRANCE Amanda Moon visits the French mountains during one of her several trips to France. She was engaged in France.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA MOON

GRIFFIN JONES 18 Graphics Manager Whether it be almost running with the bulls or spending days in the mountains without heat, Europe truly held its fair share of adventures for French teacher Amanda Moon.

In her travels with family or as a student abroad, Moon saw much of her life unfold before her.

“I got engaged in France while I was living there,” Moon said. “(My husband) came to visit and spent Christmas with me, and the night that he arrived, we got engaged.”

Moon took her youngest daughter to France recently for the first time, who turned one year old on the plane ride home.

“We would stay a couple days in Leone and we’d go and stay in the countryside,” Moon said. “This year, it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit plus, and we were in an not air conditioned apartment downtown. We all came home exhausted.”

As a student in the south of France, Moon took a train ride to Spain for the running of the bulls in Pamplona. The trip had many obstacles; she

and her classmates almost got kicked off the train for having the wrong tickets. On top of that, there were language barriers with them being French students traveling through Spain.

“It turned into the most comedic and chaotic trip. In the end, it was amazing, we made it there and back. We brought running shoes; we were going to run with the bulls,” Moon said. “We learned quickly, these men were like, ‘You are not running with the bulls, you could get hurt,’ so we ended up in the arena.”

Teachers and students share their experiences from foreign countries

GIGI BONNELL 19

ARGENTINA Elise Whitney 18 and her sister Hope Whitney 22 pose with their father in Argentina. Elise attended the fifth grade in Argentina.

ELISE WHITNEY 18

GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH 18

THAILAND A picture of Thai skyscrapers taken by Gigi Bonnell 19 while she lived there. Bonnell was born and raised in Thailand s capital, Bangkok.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GIGI BONNELL 19

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELISE WHITNEY 18

JOHN SCHULTE 18 Staff Writer While some fifth graders spend their time picking their nose and trying not to get cooties, South student Elise Whitney ’18 spent fifth grade in Argentina, becoming more cultured.

“I went to an international school; there were people from a bunch of different countries there,” Whitney said. “It was really interesting to learn about their countries.”

According to Whitney, the language barrier provided new and interesting challenges.

“Because these were crucial years in my childhood

development, I learned a lot of Spanish because I was immersed in the language, and it just comes kind of easier to me now,” Whitney said.

Since she was attending school with children from all over the world, Whitney had to make new friends.

“My best friend in Argentina was actually from Detroit.

Her name was Elani,” Whitney said.

In addition to Elani, Whitney said she also made friends from Bolivia, the Czech Republic, Thailand, Belgium and, of course, Argentina.

One of the big changes Whitney had to adapt to while

in Argentina was the traveling situation.

“I was living so close to school that I could just walk (in Michigan), but in Argentina I lived in the city and the school was in the suburbs, so we had to take this really junky bus to school everyday for about a half hour,” Whitney said.

This truly was the experience of a lifetime for Whitney, she said.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Whitney said.

“I’ll always remember the new and exciting experiences and, the amazing people I met from all over the world.”

ALYSSA COLE 19 Staff Writer Living in another country was the experience of a lifetime for Gigi Bonnell ’19. She was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and she describes life in Thailand as beautiful, entertaining and culturally different than life in Grosse Pointe.

“Life here in Grosse Pointe is more traditional, but in Thailand, I felt that I was experiencing life at my own risk and partaking in opportunities that many people never get to see or understand,” Bonnell said.

Bonnell attended international school for her elemen-

tary and middle school years, where she was able to meet students from around the world. This opportunity allowed her to learn about many unique cultures and personal life experiences of people from a variety of countries.

The education methods differed than those of American schooling. Thailand was hands-on and heavily technology-based, while schools in America are more old fashioned, according to Bonnell.

“The curriculum always used innovative techniques in order to help us evolve and progress as students,” Bonnell said. “There were a lot of op-

portunities to excel in our preferred subjects.”

In addition to the differences in education, extracurricular activities were also an important aspect of Bonnell’s life in Thailand.

Bonnell said all sports teams and clubs competed against other international schools, which involved traveling to new places and gaining knowledge and experiences with teammates.

“I got to connect with people from all over the world,” Bonnell said. “The people there were so friendly and caring. Thailand is called the land of smiles for a reason.”

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

7 ¦ FEATURE

Knocking on the door: Detroit crime rate rises

Pursuing a career in skilled trades CLAIRE KOEPPEN 19 Section Editor

GRAPHIC BY JOHN STANDISH 18

IMRAN SIDDIQUI & ANNE MUAWAD both 19 Copy Editor and Page Editor There are 13,705 violent crimes in Detroit within a single year. This startling statistic from the FBI’s most recent report on crime lead Forbes to name Detroit as the most dangerous city in the U.S. in the publication’s most recent countdown.

With about 556 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, Marty Wayman, a special agent for Homeland Security and former Detroit police officer, said the high crime rate is a drawback in a city rich in history.

“Detroit is a dangerous city,” Wayman said. “It has about one homicide a day, and there is a lot of violent crime, but it is also very poor city. A lot of factors go into violent crime. These include family, income, equality, and public safety. I

couldn’t even begin to fathom why certain people do certain crimes.”

Detroit has a reputation of being a threatening city, according to Nicole Kuhnlein, mother of student Evie Kuhnlein ’20.

Kuhnlein said she grew up with the city and works there now. Kuhnlein said the Forbes article was a big disappointment to her, and she has seen large improvements in the metropolitan area since she was a child.

“I’m sad,” Kuhnlein said. “I’ve also heard it’s the most segregated city, which it has been for a really long time. I think it shows, for the I m disappointed it amount of adwas named the most vances downdangerous city in the town, like the United States because shopping and the sports areI really enjoy going nas, until we downtown. are able to realEMMA NAPORANO 20 ly improve the neighborhoods and the standard of living, I think safety is still going to be a concern.”

Many South students go to the city of Detroit for sports games, concerts, or to go out to eat with friends and family, according to Emma Naporano ’20. She said she tries to visit the neighboring city as often as possible, but with school and her parents who won’t drive her to the downtown area, it can be difficult.

“I’m disappointed (Detroit) was named the

most dangerous city in the United States because I really enjoy going downtown,” Naporano said. “I think Detroit is really turning itself around and getting better. I understand there’s crime, but I have faith we can change the reputation of Detroit into something more positive.”

According to Wayman, who has been working in law-enforcement for the past twenty years, there is no easy solution to the problem at hand.

“Crime is very cyclical,” Wayman said. “It seems to me people I arrested, or got involved with when I first started, now I’m starting to see their kids getting in trouble. Unfortunately, I don’t know if there’s an answer (to the crime).

I’m sure a lot of people smarter than me have thought of ideas to try to fix it, and it hasn’t worked.”

Kuhnlein said she encourages her kids to get involved with the city. According to Kuhnlein, as a child living in the city, there were only four or five places she was able to go. Everywhere was so run down; places often visited today, like Capital Park, didn’t even have a name.

“I think there’s too many opportunities in the city for great things; I can’t just say ‘you can’t go,’” Kuhnlein said. “We go down there with (our kids) a lot, so I hope we’ve taught them how to be street smart. I think you need to be conscious about where you go and where you stay away from.”

Wayman said he hopes the wealth in Detroit will move from not only downtown, but also into the outskirts of town with less money.

“A lot of good things are happening in Detroit, and I hope this trickles down from the central business District, which is the downtown, into the neighborhoods because there’s two sides to Detroit,” Wayman said. “There is the downtown, doing very well, and then there’s the neighborhoods; they are struggling. I’d like to see some of that money from downtown and some effort go towards the neighborhoods.”

GRAPHIC BY JD STANDISH 18

Interact s mission to eliminate a paralyzing, infectious disease DOMINIC DULAC 20 Copy Editor The Interact Club is known for its service to the local community.

However, this week they are going to be helping the international community by raising awareness for the eradication of polio.

Polio, which is a crippling disease that was widespread in the US in the mid-1900s, has been almost completely eliminated from the planet, according to Interact advisor Kevin Cox. Interact is working with the Grosse Pointe Rotary Club in a global effort to get rid of polio forever.

“What we’re trying to do is keep the educational efforts alive to let people know this disease, even though we don’t see it here, still exists,” Rev. Richard Yeager-Stiver, Grosse Pointe Rotary’s ambassador to Interact, said. “But, with (people’s) help, we can eradicate this disease because we are so close. We are just within that reach of the finish line.”

Interact will have a table set up in the main hall during both lunches from Monday until Thursday, Oct. 24-- which is World Polio Day-- according to the club’s vice president Elliott Gunnell ’20.

There, Interact is demonstrating to donors a technique used by doctorsw to ensure they immunize everyone who needs it, Gunnell said.

“When kids would get a vaccine in a third world country, they would have a dye, and they would ‘purple (a child’s) pinky’ so that they could make sure every kid got

a vaccination,” Gunnell said. “So, we will be purpling peoples’ pinkies if they donate.”

Although they are seeking donations to purchase vaccines, there is no monetary goal the club is trying to reach in their campaign, according to club advisor Kevin Cox. “All the donations we collect are going to go to PolioPlus, a Rotary initiative,” Cox said. “We don’t actually have a set goal. We just hope two things will happen: more people will become aware of the need to fight polio and the fact we can eradicate it within our lifetime.”

In recent years, the potentially fatal virus has been found in only three countries, according to Gunnell: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

“The fact is (Rotary) is very, very close to eradicating it,” Cox said.

“We’re going to focus our efforts on making sure vaccines go to those countries in particular.”

Additionally, the funds raised by Interact and Rotary will be matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, according to Gunnell.

“All the donations we raise will be going through Rotary International,” Gunnell said. “But other organizations, like UNICEF and UNESCO and all those different organizations, are going to be helping to lead the charge. Bill Gates is partnering with all these different organizations to back the money of every dollar donated.”

The overall goal of this campaign-- which has been going on for several decades now-- is to ful-

ly eradicate polio in the upcoming years, according to Yeager-Stiver.

“The goal is by next year, this is done, and polio will never be heard of again,” Yeager-Stiver said. “The reason we’re doing this big push is because we’re so close. The neat thing is by being involved, (sometime in the future) you will remember you contributed to this amazing thing and you were responsible for destroying a disease.”

There is one other way to help eliminate polio from the face of the earth.

Besides donations, raising awareness is one of the best ways to help, according to Cox. “The best thing to do is to tell your friends,” Gunnell said. “And then also make sure they help to raise awareness as well.

So go to your classes, and the people you sit next to-- please let them know.

Tell them why your pinky is purple. Make sure everyone can help donate to a great mission.”

GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH 18

In the midst of college applications and admissions, many students at South are pursuing a college degree. However, an alternative to a traditional college degree is enrolling in various trade schools and pursuing a career in specific areas such as cosmetology and plumbing.

According to Victoria Gordon, apprentice coordinator for Applied Technology and Apprenticeship at Macomb Community College, skilled trades allow a student to receive on-the-job training and mentoring, as well as in-class learning.

“Skilled trades offer students a pathway to a career that pays well and can provide a steady quality of life to them and their families,” Gordon said. “There are many job opportunities available and those opportunities will continue to increase as the aging workforce continues to retire or move on.”

Jennifer Seger, professor of Automated Systems and Mechatronics, said skilled trades are a good option for students who enjoy physical learning approaches.

“Students that are hands-on learners enjoy building and troubleshooting in skilled trades,” Seger said. “Skilled trades fields, though, aren’t for everyone as university is not for everyone.

Skilled trades are for mechanically inclined people who enjoy working with their hands.”

Public figures such as Mike Rowe have been promoting pursuing careers in skilled trades.

Rowe said many students who pursue a career in skilled trades find themselves more happy and doing meaningful work.

“Your happiness on the job has very little to do with the work itself,” Rowe said. “(I’ve seen skilled workers) follow opportunity, not passion, and they prospered as a result.”

Christiana Scheibner ’19 said she appreciates how students pursuing a career in skilled trades are so passionate about their future jobs.

“I think it’s cool because everyone has to do what makes them happy,” Scheibner said. “If you’re so determined on a certain workforce or job, then it’s great to take that determination and go get an education for it.”

Gordon said in her experience, students who enroll in skilled trades often enjoy the hands-on learning aspects of their job.

“Students who begin taking classes in the skilled trades are often surprised at how the applied approach to skilled trades click with them,” Gordon said. “Tradesmen are showing them concepts, theories and skills being taught that are practically applied on the job. Many students are confident enough in their accomplishments to go on to complete the general education curriculum that will enable them to earn (higher degrees).”

Being honest with yourself, Rowe added, and considering where a future career might take you is an important idea when considering a traditional college degree.

“Just because you’ve earned a college degree in your chosen field doesn’t mean you’re going to find your dream job,” Rowe said. “(A dream job’s) imaginary existence just might keep you from exploring careers that offer a legitimate chance to perform meaningful work and develop a meaningful passion from a job you already have.”

Seger said students can blend aspects of a traditional college degree with skilled trades.

“Students don’t have to choose between skilled trades and college,” Seger said. “They can choose to pursue a certificate in a skilled trade field and go to work, but they can also choose to work towards an Associate Degree that can lead to a Bachelor Degree. Every person has different work and educational goals at different points in their life.”

While Scheibner is planning to pursue a traditional college degree, she still understands the alternatives, specifically in skilled trades.

“I’m going to college,” Scheibner said. “I want to learn different fields in the medical profession and hopefully decide soon what I want to do.”

Gordon believes such promotion for trade schools has increased interest and popularity for students to pursue a career in skilled trades.

Skilled trades, Gordon said, are being looked at as a positive alternative to a traditional college degree.

“At least in Southeastern Michigan, I believe more students are going into or seriously considering skilled trades as a career option,” Gordon said. “(There’s a) movement to promote skilled trades and educate students and parents on the career opportunities available. The new image of manufacturing is starting to be understood and looked at in a positive light.”

Gordon also had advice for students considering a career in skilled trades.

“Many companies in the area that employ skilled trades are more than happy to open their doors to students who are interested in learning more about these opportunities,” Gordon said.

“Community colleges have industrial readiness or pre-apprentice programs that allows students to get a taste of what to expect out of the educational piece. Community college staff and faculty are happy to give students tours of the labs and classrooms to give them an idea of the training.”

8 ¦ FEATURE

THETOWERPULSE.NET ¦ 10.25.17

Girls ice hockey lacks a coach

Girls cross country heads to regionals

Weeks before the season, the team still has no replacement

CHARLES MATTHEWS 20 Staff Writer

T

he girls’ cross country team is preparing to compete in the regional meet at Metro Beach Metropark on Oct. 27 against 20 other teams.

If the varsity team places in the top three at regionals, they will advance to the state meet at Michigan International Speedway on Nov. 4.

According to coach Stephen Zaranek, the varsity squad is not favored to win the meet, but they are hoping to at least slide into third place overall at regionals.

“There’s this one team, Troy High School, who is highly favored to win, and there’s another team, Birmingham-Seaholm who is favored to be a strong second place team. We are a little bit behind Birmingham-Seaholm, but I put us ahead of all of the other schools there, so we have a good shot at the top three,” Zaranek said.

According to Zaranek, South has had a long history of success at the regional meet.

“We have been in the top three at regionals for the last 38 straight years,” Zaranek said. “We have won at most of those, but we’ve always been in the top three, and we want to keep that streak going for a 39th time to get to the state finals.”

According to varsity runner Devon Krasner ’19, Troy and Birmingham-Seaholm both have packs of girls who can consistently run times under 20 minutes, while South just isn’t quite there yet.

“I can run sub-20 (minutes), and we do have a pack of girls that can run in the 20:10-20:20 range,” Krasner said. “It’s a pretty big pack; all of our varsity runners are just in this one pack.”

The varsity squad has been preparing for the meet by doing a lot more faster-tempo workouts with mileage added into them, while many of the varsity girls have been stepping up their mileage at practices, according to Krasner.

While the JV squad will also be running at the regional meet, they will not be officially scored.

This has not stopped the JV team from training like the varsity squad, according to JV runner Susie Jarboe ’20.

“The workouts have been a lot harder than usual,” Jarboe said.

I’ve been pushing myself to the limits as much as my body can take, because at the race, we have to conquer it and make sure we have the right mindset so we can just go for it.”

SYLVIA HODGES 19 Copy Editor

CELEBRATION The boys soccer team celebrates their district champhionship win this past Saturday. The team won in the penalty kick shootout.

PHOTO BY LIZ BIGHAM

South sports ranked second Niche.com awards South second in Michigan PIPER ESCHENBURG 18 Copy Editor Grosse Pointe South High School was ranked second in athletics for the state because of the quality of its coaches, the effort and participation put forth by students and the involvement of student athletes’ parents.

For a number of years, Niche.com has compiled a list of the nation’s top athletic programs, both nationally and state by state.

This year, South was ranked second in the state and 13th nationally, according to South’s athletic director Jeremy Hawkins. With the exclusion of private schools, South ranks in the top ten nationally.

Hawkins relates the school’s high ranking to not only the work of the athletes, but the effort put in by the coaches.

“It’s a lot of work to coach high school sports. I’m very appreciative of our coaches. Most of the coaches coach 100 percent for the love of the

sport and the kids,” Hawkins said.

“It’s not college or professional sports where millions of dollars are floating around. It’s tough community coaching.”

Head coach of South’s boys cross

It s kind of a trifecta: The student athletes themselves, the coaches, and their parents. You roll it all together and this is where we re at.

JEREMY HAWKINS Athletic Director country team Mark Sonnenberg said that the participation and quality of his team’s work, and all of South athletics, is why he believes that South ranked second.

“The high participation from South students, the quality of their efforts, and the quality of coaching is important. When you put these all together, it is why South placed second,” Sonnenberg said.

Hawkins also spoke highly of the

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amount of participation and work put in by South’s athletes.

“We have really high participation.

I think even among our girl athletes it is a little higher than other schools as well. We have a high percentage of participation overall,” Hawkins said.

In the last eight years, South has won 14 state titles. Hawkins said that these achievements may be one of the reasons South was ranked second.

“I think we placed second because of all the state titles we have gotten,” said Philip Peck ’18, a member of the sailing team. “The sailing team has won three out of the last four state titles. I think that’s pretty good.”

According to Niche.com, 83 percent of students and parents believe that there is a high participation in extracurriculars. South also was ranked highly in both gender categories of its athletic department.

“It’s kind of a trifecta: the student athletes themselves, the coaches and their parents,” Hawkins said. “You roll it all together and this is where we’re at.”

The girls hockey team is currently without a head coach for the upcoming season, due to former head coach and social studies teacher, Chris Booth, stepping down due to family issues. Booth declined to comment.

The team is in danger of not being able to participate in the upcoming season if a coach is not found.

According to player Anna Clark ’18, Booth had a meeting with returning players recently to explain the situation.

“He (said) it was only fair for us to know with three weeks until the season,” Clark said.

Besides the meeting, the players have not been given much information about the process of finding a new coach, according to player Nicole Sceglio ’19.

“As of right now, we don’t know who the new coach is,” Sceglio said.

Varsity captain Lauren Kramer ’18 said despite only being head coach for one year, Booth did a good job.

“He got everything down pretty well,” Kramer said.

Even as a captain, Kramer doesn’t know much about finding a new coach.

“It’s kind of stressful because there’s still a bunch of girls that want to play,” Kramer said.

According to player Anna Mary Moody ’19 and Clark, Booth has been personally trying to find his replacement. “(Booth has) been giving references and Jeremy (Hawkins) has been looking for the past month,” Clark said.

Moody said she isn’t sure what will happen if a new coach isn’t found, as there is no assistant coach who can step up.

“I just hope it turns out okay in the end,” Moody said.

Kramer said she hopes everything will work out so she can continue to form bonds with her teammates.

“I’m with all my little underclassmen and it’s fun to hang out with them,” Kramer said. “Hockey season is really long too so I hope we find a coach because we all get really close.”

Despite the uncertainty, all the girls are still optimistic about their performance during the season, should they be able to play.

“We have a strong group of girls, and we work really cohesively together,” Sceglio said. “We have a good team bond, so I think we will still work well together.”

Field hockey team sticks it to North Varsity team beats North 6-0

STRESSFUL SITUATION Coach Amanda Amine watches a skirmish by North s goal.

GOING ALL THE WAY Alyssa Czech 19 dribbles the ball down the field. It felt great to finish so far ahead of our rivals, Czech said.

HOT PURSUIT Rose Williamson 19 charges ahead of the competition as the referee moves out of the way.

GOAL! The North goalie dives but misses the save as Izzy Adams 19 tips the ball in.

DODGING THE COMPETITION Czech maneuvers around a North player as she moves the ball out of the zone.

BATTLE FOR THE BALL Megan MacLean 18 fights with a North player as the ball rolls out of bounds.

PHOTOS BY JOHN FRANCIS 18