Issue 8 by The Tower Newspaper

the

TOWER

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017 Volume 90 Issue 8

A weekly tradition since 1928

@thetowerpulse thetowerpulse.net

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

TOWERGATE A gathering turned scandal sweeps the school, leading to a lesson learned

IMPORTANT DATES nov.

South’s blood drive sponsered by Red Cross will take place in the gym all day.

VICTORIA GARDEY & ELIZABETH FLOWER BOTH ’20 Copy Editors ast week, administration investigated the attendees of a student-led “Tower party” with underage drinking, which occurred on Sept. 23 and was uncovered the week of Oct. 16. The party was hosted by a Tower student and included about 25 staff members.It was advertised as a “Tower party” but was not officially endorsed by the Tower. According to principal Moussa Hamka, administration discovered this through multiple sources, but waited about a week before calling students down to the office in order to gather evidence. “Some students were present and knew there was alcohol, and were intentionally in that presence, which is a violation. And per that code they received half the consequence of someone who drank,” Hamka said. “However there were a few, and not many, students who showed up not knowing that there was alcohol, and when they found out there was alcohol they left.” According to Tower adviser, Kaitlin Edgerton, she was not aware of the event prior to being alerted by multiple parents. At which point Edgerton alerted South adminstration. “I was completely shocked,” Tower adviser Kaitlin Edgerton said. “My trust in my students was betrayed. Honestly, attaching The Tower name to a party is not okay.” According to Hamka, because the incident was off-campus, the student code of conduct was not in effect and could not be enforced. However, the extracurricular code of conduct, which applies to clubs and sports, is always in effect. “A student intentionally being in the presence of illegal consumption, whether that’s drugs or alcohol or smoking, is in violation of that code,” Hamka said. “There are some consequences. Students are going to have to sit out a game; students might lose some leadership positions that they have in an activity or club.” According to Tower leadership, the party did not have formal invitations, but spread through word of mouth and in group messages. “We’ve come to know that students who were not a part of Tower were turned away and told to return at a later time,” Hamka said. “So this was a Tower-exclusive event to begin with, and sometime around At the end of the day, 11:45 p.m., other students-- not students need to realize members of Tower-- were althey made a mistake. lowed to enter.” Hamka believes South is not Now is the time to learn unique in that alcohol is the from those mistakes substance of choice, but he said and take positive steps South has a more prevalent alcohol problem than other high to move forward. schools. KAITLIN EDGERTON “Our school is committed to Tower Adviser help students make safe, healthy, responsible choices,” Hamka said. “All our efforts to dissuade students from using substances have never been an ‘I”ve got you!’” Edgerton has addressed the situation by having conversations with Tower leadership, and moving forward will include a code of conduct in the staff manual including a list of specific Tower-endorsed events. “The students broke my trust and now they have to regain it,” Edgerton said. “At the end of the day students need to realize they made a mistake. Now is the time to learn from those mistakes and take positive steps to move forward.” Tower leadership said they will move forward and learn from their mistakes. According to Edgerton,Tower staff would never associate something outside of school with the newspaper unless sanctioned by the adviser and emailed to parents. Editors John Francis and Liz Bigham, both ’18 hope the incident doesn’t affect the credibility of the Tower staff. “In a broad sense, people are looking at Tower now and kind of have a distrust of it (the paper) now almost because we write so many stories like this and are usually the ones reporting on it,” Bigham said. Francis agreed that one mistake some staffers made should not define who they are, or change the community’s view of The Tower. “I don’t want our readers to think because our staffers do some things that aren’t always right outside of school, they aren’t good writers or aren’t respected writers,” Francis said. “We’re all students, we all make mistakes.”

nov.

South’s Band and Orchestra holds their annual Pops & Pastries in South’s Main Gym at 7 p.m.

The South “snitch” trials we could do to fix that, because that’s a big issue.” Connor Mallegg ’16 was also a member of the Principal’s Advisory Committee during his Whispers began floating time at South. He and Willard through the halls of South last both agree that the committee Thursday, summarized by two was used to better the school. words: “It was a lot of administraSnitch Society. tion getting a read from students A helpful way to give students how the school felt, like a climate and administrators insight into reading,” Mallegg said. “I really South’s policies has become lost like what they did with who they in translation. got involved in the committee; Many students have deemed they tried really hard to get a dithere to be a group of pupils verse group of kids.” working in tandem with the Mallegg was a football playadministration. Their assumed er, a swimmer and involved with motive: to communicate what student government; he said the the student administrabody doing tion made when nobody sure they is watching. invited stuWe’ve never asked a According dents across student to turn other to principal the entire students in, and it’s not spectrum of Moussa Hamwhat this group is used South to be ka, the group for. in question in the comis not the rumittee. MOUSSA HAMKA mored ‘snitch “A big part Principal society,’ but of student rather the voice is helpPrincipal’s Ading me see visory Committee. This group things through different views, consists of around 20 students and different lenses, in addition who meet with Hamka and the to the regular feedback that I get assistant principals to discuss from the teachers or the adults in the policies at South and how the the building,” Hamka said. “The school can be improved. group helps me see what’s go“That ‘snitch society’ rumor ing on, what’s going well in the is false,” Hamka said. “It’s com- school, what things we need to pletely untrue. We have never, work on and also some ideas.” ever, engaged in any such activHamka said the committee’s ity during my time here at South. intent was never to turn anyone We’ve never asked a student to in, but rather to get clarity and turn other students in, and it’s make connections between stunot what this group is used for.” dents and the administration. According to Hamka, the There are other outlets students Principal’s Advisory Committee can use if they feel they need to began meeting during his first present information. year at South in 2014. He said he “Grosse Pointe is a very small got the idea from the principal at community, and at some point, North Farmington High School, everything finds a way to... bubwhere he previously worked as ble up to the surface and come an assistant principal. full circle,” Hamka said. “I think “When I first came to South, we have many students in this I formed the Principal’s Advi- building of integrity who want to sory Committee to help give do the right thing, and we have students a voice,” Hamka said. a lot of caring community mem“Student voices are an essential piece in our school culture, and if we want to enhance and maintain our I really like what they amazing school culture, did with who they got student voice has to be a involved in the compart of that feedback that I mittee; they tried realget on a regular basis.” ly hard to get a diverse Patrick Willard ’17 was invited into the Principal group of kids. Advisory Committee his CONNOR MALLEGG ’16 sophomore year of high school and attended meetings regularly. To him, the point of the committee was to bers. When something is going use students’ perspectives to find wrong, when people are putting ways to improve the school. themselves in danger and doing “A couple people would like things they’re not supposed to, to bring up the racial tension go- people do speak up. That comes ing on,” Willard said. “We talked from a variety of places or sourca little bit about that and what es.” RILEY LYNCH & ELENA RAUCH BOTH ’18 Supervising Editors

nov.

No school for all students because of elections.

2 | OPINION

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

Building student journalists brick by brick OUR VIEW || EDITORIAL

You don’t just drop a house on a plot of land and hope everything turns out alright. You need to set the base and make sure the foundation is solid. Brick by brick, it starts to become a house: a student who is well-educated in journalism and prepared for the world. We at the Tower believe middle school journalism is not only an essential part of how our publication functions, but is also important in preparing students for high school in general. The decline in middle school journalism enrollment exemplified at Brownell will lead to a decrease in the number of experienced, passionate students who join our staff. “The way the numbers looked, it looked like I was only going to have 19, possibly 20, students for the entire journalism program,” former Brownell journalism teacher Corey Ernst said. “That’s yearlong and semester combined… that’s just not enough to run a class. So what they’re doing is taking those journalism students and moving them into a broadcast class.” Pierce used to have an award-winning publication too, but the program died when the teacher left for North, according to Ernst. “(Pierce) tried getting a new

teacher, but the teacher had three other classes and the interest died down and it just went away,” Ernst said. The students who came through the middle school journalism program have this certain confidence about them that doesn’t come right away with kids who start in high school. They have been interviewing students, teachers and administrative staff for the past two years. Skills gained in middle school have become second nature. Not only has the interviewing experience students develop from middle school journalism prepared them for the more intimidating process of doing so in high school, but it has also developed their social skills and self-confidence. Being able to approach and have a conversation with those you don’t know is an essential skill, and is hard to acquire anywhere else. Another brick middle school journalism has laid for students is giving them the ability to write confidently and at a higher level. The program enables students to build a love and talent for writing, even in those who may not have realized it before. Journalism allows students to write about what they have a passion for and in the style they prefer. It improves their writing skills exponentially by filling the gaps between their essays and exposing them to a different writing style. The final brick middle school journalism adds to this house is that it teaches students how to meet deadlines and be held accountable. For some, this is the first time anyone has been on

their case to get a specific story done by a certain time. People are counting on their actions. And if they don’t follow through, there will be repercussions. This is a skill everyone needs, and one students will use throughout their entire lives. Getting exposure to these deadlines also prepares students for their high school classes, where they will be expected to turn assignments in on time, or will receive a zero. There is no other class or opportunity in middle school comparable to journalism. This drastic decline of middle school journalism students will affect the Tower, which will impact the community as well. Take our leadership team for example. Co-Editor in Chief: middle school journalist. Associate Editor of Print: middle school journalist. Supervising Editor at Large: middle school journalist. We clearly have a pedigree of Brownell journalists to fill the larger roles on the Tower staff. This is because of the immense advantage middle school journalism has given them. We have included in this package stories to educate the public on the state of journalism in middle school and help them recognize its importance. Middle school journalism is a vital asset to the Tower, the community and students’ ability to grow. So many Tower staffers have relished in old middle school memories about fun times in the journalism room. And how they wouldn’t be where they are today if it weren’t for their middle school journalism experience.

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY RILEY LYNCH’18

Student reminisces on her time at the Brownell Beat MY VIEW

ALYSSA CZECH ’19 Associate Editor

NEWSPAPER

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Middle school journalism. The program may seem arbitrary, unimportant or mundane to many at first glance. However, it is everything but that. Of all the classes I took in my three years at Brownell, the choice to take journalism was by far one of the best decisions I’ve made. The class and the teacher, Corey Ernst, opened doors for me to new situations, skills and social opportunities I couldn’t have even imagined. First of all, the choice to take Brownell journalism launched me into the world of the Tower at South, which gave me experiences that have shaped my past two years here. I could go on forever about Tower. It has developed my self-confidence. It has opened my social world to an entirely new group of friends and given me priceless memories through the common goal of producing a weekly paper. I have learned to improve my people skills and be a bigger part of the district. Tower has given me leadership skills no other experience else at South could have. But none of this would have been possible if not for Brownell journalism. The program changed me and shaped part of who I am today. I remember going into the class without knowing what

to expect, just knowing I needed another elective, but journalism exceeded my expectations. This was one of the first times I was putting my writing out for other people to read. The first time I learned how to develop and maintain an official website, and brainstorm how to promote it. That was the first time I took so much pride and joy in my work. I could see myself growing as a writer and as a person, and I loved it. You can’t say that about many classes, but you can hands-down say that about journalism at Brownell. One of the best things middle school journalism did for me was teach me how to talk to people. Before this class, I was shy. However, journalism was more than a class that taught me how to write and construct a website; it taught me how to talk and develop my self-confidence. Journalism forced me to leave the safe bubble of the classroom and go talk to people I didn’t know in the hallways and at lunch, sometimes having to ask them them difficult questions. The first time I found out I had to do this, I was terrified. “What?!” I thought. “I have to go talk to kids I don’t know, who are even older than me, and ask them questions they probably don’t want to answer? No way!” But I sucked it up, grabbed my “press pass” and my notebook and walked into the lunchroom. This class also enabled Editor-in-Chief

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

Henry Ayrault* ’19

Print Associate Editor

Alyssa Czech* ’19

Online Associate Editor

Grace Reyes* ’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

me to approach various teachers and develop new relationships. It gave me the confidence and means to interview administrators and professionals. This was an entirely new realm I had been introduced to that I never would have been otherwise. My assertiveness and ability to approach and start a conversation with those older than me or unknown to me would not exist were it not for journalism at Brownell. The program built a part of my personality I am so grateful for. It also prepared me for high school and the more intimidating interviews I had to conduct. If I had not at first been introduced to interviewing at Brownell in small steps, there is no way I could have conducted half of the interviews I do for the Tower. There is no way I could have calmly interviewed Dr. Jon Dean about the district’s plan to privatize South’s hall monitors, or interviewed Principal Moussa Hamka multiple times. Brownell journalism provided the foundation for all I have accomplished in journalism at South, and also is to thank for the ease with which I am now able to approach teachers after class and ask for extra help, or to speak up when I don’t understand something. Middle school journalism also helps students find their niche before high school. As an editor, I developed an unknown passion and knack for analyzing other students’ writing, helping them improve on it and showing Page Editors

Chase Clark*, Kaitlin Nemeh* 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*, Jaqui Mercier*, Audrey Whitaker*, all ’19 Dominic Dulac* ’20

them where their strengths are, which allowed me to pursue it in high school. The fact that I was even trusted enough to do this in the first place made my confidence skyrocket. Recognizing your passions before you enter high school, where there is an intimidating number of choices and paths you can take, is an undervalued goal that cannot be accomplished in middle school in many ways other than through journalism. I wouldn’t be an editor or have succeeded in Tower if it weren’t for Ernst teaching me what I know about journalism, showing he believed in me, pushing me to be part of the Tower at South. “The writing is one thing, but the personal skills and confidence that goes to students to lead and know what is going on in the world is another… (it) helps the whole democratic process,” Ernst said. If journalism at Brownell dies, that will not only harm the students who are missing out on the program directly, but will also have a widespread effect on the students and staff at Brownell, on the the amount of passionate journalists enrolling in Tower and on the community as a whole. Remember, when you sit down to construct your schedule, don’t breeze by the word “journalism” as if it is a waste of time or as if it is pointless. I challenge you to make room in your schedule for journalism next year. It will be one of the best choices you make.

Editor in Chief credits Brownell journalism for sparking a passion MY VIEW LIZ BIGHAM ’18 Editor in Chief

Not a lot of good results from one’s middle school phase. Juicy jackets. Roaming the Village on half days. Ugg boots. However, I can recall of one thing positive that occurred, and that was my experiences in room 53. I began journalism in seventh grade in Mr. Ernst’s class at Brownell. I knew nothing about journalism, but I knew my brothers’ had Mr. Ernst previously and raved about him. I remember the first day of class we took a survey. The question asked, “how often to look/listen to the news” and I responded, “I watch E! NEWS every night at 7.” True statement. I have come a long way since that moment, being an editor of the Beat for two years. I learned how to write a news story, column and a feature. I learned how to work the Adobe programs the Tower currently works with. I learned how to communicate with others and have eyes and ears for a possible story. I took on a lot of responsibilities for the middle school paper. It wasn’t until the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) spring awards ceremony that I realized I wanted to stick with journalism. Mr. Ernst, about 10 other students and I walked into the conference with little hopes, but we left with plenty of awards. It was in that moment I discovered all my work meant something and was appreciated by others. Recognition is all I ever hope for. During the high school awards portion of that ceremony, I watch the Tower students go up to get their numerous individual awards, as well as their Spartan. At the time, the Tower seemed like such a foreign thing-- like

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

“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.

a matured and advanced verizon of the Beat. I remember sitting there thinking, “That is what I eventually want to be a part of.” So here I am today, Editor in Chief of the Tower newspaper. The Tower is no longer something I look to. I am in it. Eight issues in. Eight issues of informative news, clean design and great leadership. I have been actively, constantly involved with journalism for the past four years. My days spent in Mr. Ernst’s class shaped and guided me as an individual. I discovered news is so much more than what is said on E! NEWS. Mr. Ernst believed in me, so I believed in myself. He treated us like young adults in a school full of teenagers. If it wasn’t for my middle school experiences, I never would have signed up to take journalism in high school. I never would have discovered my passion for the subject. I never would have made the life long friends I have made in this process. When I discovered the middle school journalism program I evolved through was being altered, I was disheartened. I was mad. I was sad. I was confused. How could they get rid of a program that is constantly crafting student’s passion into the field of journalism? This didn’t make sense to me. It still doesn’t. Unfortunately, participation in Brownell journalism is declining. That being said, I challenge everyone reading this to consider the scope and abilities of a middle school publication. If you are a parent with a middle school child, consider guiding your child to take the class. If you are a middle school student, consider signing up for it. If you are someone who no longer has the opportunity to be a part of the program, encourage others to support middle school journalism programs. Encourage others to find their passion just as I did in room 53. 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 or shorten letters as long as the meaning is Opinion Pieces unchanged. All letters must be signed and Editorials represent the majority opinion of include a telephone number for confirmation. the Editorial Board and are left unsigned. Request to withhold the writer’s name Columns represent the opinions of individual from publication for good reason will be staff members and outside contributors. considered. Letters can be sent to the above email address, or dropped off in “The Tower” Editorial Board Room. An asterisk * denotes Editorial Board editors. 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 | 11.1.17

Halloween attack linked to terrorism kills eight RILEY LYNCH ’18 Supervising Editor The largest terrorist attack in New York since September 11, 2001 occurred this Halloween in Lower Manhattan around 3:05 p.m., after a vehicle ran over bicyclists and crashed into a school bus, New York law enforcement officials said. The motorist, identified as 29-year-old Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, deliberately drove a rented pickup truck into a bicycle lane less than a mile from the World Trade Center, killing eight and injuring at least 11 more, according to police. Two of the 11 injured were children on the school bus. In the midst of the event was South alumna Emily Fleming ’16, who is currently studying at New York University (NYU). Fleming was in a journalism class in the East Village, and as they were looking over CNN.com for current events to discuss, the page refreshed to show live coverage of the attack. “We were on CNN.com when the page refreshed to reveal a breaking news banner at the top, and we were all kind of frozen,” Fleming said. “My professor then did an impromptu lesson in breaking news and we spent a majority of the class gathering as much information about the attack as we could and talking about the details of what happened.” Fleming said the impact of this event, while not on the same level as 9/11, will still be profound. She hopes fellow students can learn from this experience and remain brave in the face of adversity. “9/11 was an act of terrorism on a much, much larger scale so I am not sure the response will be the same,” Fleming said. “That being said, any loss is a major loss and it is a tragedy that the victims of this attack lost their lives. I think the most important thing is to focus on what can prevent these attacks in the future and to not stop talking about them when the news cycle ends.” According to NBC News, four senior law enforcement sources said Saipov shouted “Allahu Akbar”, a phrase meaning “Allah (God) is the greatest”, before firing a BB gun.The same officials reported finding a note in the truck that claimed the attack was committed in the name of the Islamic State.

Brownell Beat Annual poetry slam showcases merges with broadcast talented, creative students

It was a slammer

“This was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a briefing after the event. “We know this action was intended to test our spirit.” Andrew Fleming ’20 is Emily’s brother, and is hoping the act of terror will not impact Emily’s decision to continue to study at NYU. Andrew said he heard about the attack while he was with his parents around 6 p.m. on Tuesday night and became very worried. “My first reaction was to call my sister, because though this stuff doesn’t happen often, when something like it does happen, especially in New York, I always try to reach out to her to make sure everything’s alright.” Since finding out about the attack, Andrew said he has been in close contact with Emily and his extended family. “My parents have been very upset since it happened,” Andrew said. “As there have been so many horrible attacks like this previously, they are worried about how we got to this point where stuff like this becomes not only more awful, but more prevalent in today’s society, which is very disheartening to everyone.” Grace Brandon ’18 is Emily’s cousin, and said she was as scared as Andrew when she found out about the attack. Because she and Emily are very close, Brandon immediately texted her to make sure she was alright. “My family is extremely close,” Brandon said. “I would call my cousins more like my siblings than anything. Emily is my best friend.” Brandon believes this will have an impact on everyone, not just those with family members or friends in New York. While she recognizes it will most likely change the dynamic of the universities there, she hopes it will have a mostly positive impact. “I think when things like this happen it’s impossible for it not to have an impact on anyone,” Brandon said. “I think the learning environment will be altered slightly, as focus will be shifted towards this event, but I also believe that events like this drive some students to do more for the world in terms of making it a better place.”

IAN DEWEY ’18 Copy Editor

feedback on poems. According to poetry slam judge Kaiya Sutton ’18, judging is open to anyone who wishes to do it. “You choose to be a judge. This is the second one (poetry slam) I’ve ever been to, second time I’ve been a judge,” Sutton said. “I think it’s fun. I think you get more engaged in the poetry.” Students don’t just judge and read poetry, they host and run the poetry slam event as well, according to poetry slam host Joelle Reich ’19, who is ecstatic at her temporary position.

assionate words and verbal slings were abound at the poetry slam last week. Multiple South students who attend weekly poetry workshop meetings with English teacher Harry Campion met at the Ewald Branch on Oct. 26, in order to get participants engaged in poetry and to foster friendly competition, according to Campion. “Poetry slam is a way to get more people involved in poetry through the fairly ridiculous experience of judging it,” Campion said. “And it is ridiculous, I’m always a slammer, and I understand it is riso being able to host diculous. But it gets more people engaged, it gets this (slam) is… it’s so people out there.” exciting. Poetry slam has two main events; first, there is an open mic session in JOELLE REICH ’19 which participants read their poetry for the sake “I’m always a slammer, of reading it. Then, there so being able is the poetry slam, the to host this competitive por(slam) tion. In both is… events, judges give

it’s so exciting. I feel so lucky to be able to host, it’s a great experience,” Reich said. For some students, such as La’Shun O’Rear ’18, poetry slam and poetry workshop is more than just another after-school activity. It can be therapeutic. “As a high-schooler, you do go through a lot of anxiety and depression and sadness and loneliness… just everything. And you try to also find yourself,” O’Rear said. “When I found poetry, it was like no judgments, nothing. I could write about whatever I wanted to write about. So it’s that freedom that I had, it actually allowed me to find myself.” Poetry workshop sessions are held in Campion’s room at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. The time of the next poetry slam event will be advertised at a later date. “Come to workshop, we always talk poetry slam there,” Campion said. “The emphasis is always on performance. It’s exciting, it’s fun; poems don’t have to be crafted literary works that are going to be a part of a literature class at some point to be enjoyable.”

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Poetry Slam participator Jordan Conally ’21 takes the podium to present her work.

PHOTO BY IAN DEWEY ’18

Leaders gather for diversity JACK BELLAMY ’19 Staff Writer The Grosse Pointe Community got a taste of what life is like beyond the bubble during the Understanding Our Differences, Sharing Our Stories discussion event. On Thursday, Oct. 26, the Grosse Pointe War Memorial welcomed three speakers - Rev. Georgia Hill, Deputy Mayor Ike McKinnon and South prin-

3 | NEWS

cipal Moussa Hamka - from the metro Detroit area to speak to members of the Grosse Pointe Community about their history with race and diversity. Ike McKinnon, former Detroit Police Chief, Deputy Mayor of Detroit and Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, talked about his history and what he learned growing up being part of the police force in the Metro Detroit area.“I went through a long life of law enforce-

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ment and I saw good and bad in every group, but there were also these great people who try to help,” McKinnon said during his speech. “That’s why I stay around as a law enforcement officer, I stay around as a professor and I talk as much as I can about helping people.” Following Mckinnon, Hamka spoke. He grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and is the first Muslim principal of Grosse Pointe South High School. He discussed growing up in Metro Detroit as a Muslim and his experience with racism, but also beyond it. “It’s not just about race, there are so many other components to inclusion,” Hamka said during his speech. “We’ve all made mistakes, we’ve all probably been a little close-minded at times.” Concluding the speakers was Rev. Georgia HIll, the associate pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ who works in Christian education. Hill spoke about the importance of race and diversity-understanding it and generally respecting each other. She encouraged the audience to step outside of their everyday point of view at look at life through another perspective.

“What if those of you who appear white in this audience were to think of yourselves as black so that when someone starts to use racial epithets you would not think that they’re talking about someone else but they’re talking about you,” Hill said in his speech. “What would it be like if we all started to think of ourselves as one race, the human race and we stopped posting these ridiculous differences between us?” According to Hill, the metro Detroit area is very diverse in general, however it can be very divided and communities are often occupied by one ethnic group. He said discussions like these are important to help break this cycle. “I think the idea of talking about ethnic diversity is so personal, brave, wonderful, and timely, you know our city is so ethnically rich but we still have areas that are all white or all black and we need to come together,” Hill said. “I really feel like Detroit for some reason has all the pieces to have a more global atmosphere but we just have to be more intentional about it, We need to be really global citizens, not just on paper.”

RACHEL HARRIS ’18 Supervising Editor

After 11 years, Brownell Middle School journalism students haven’t missed a beat publishing their school newspaper. Formerly known as The Blaze when the program began, the widely known Brownell Beat has been distributed once a month. However, the number of students enrolled in this year’s journalism class has led to the decision to combine the journalism and broadcast journalism classes, journalism teacher Corey Ernst said. Ernst said he is hopeful the website will still be up and running, but the decision of whether or not to continue is ultimately up to Principal Rodger Hunwick. According to Hunwick, 20 students are needed in order to run a class. Students signed up for classes last January. Due to a small amount of students enrolled in journalism, the journalism class was able to be combined with the broadcast class. “We’re still running the journalism class the same way,” Hunwick said. “We’re staying away from the print and more towards using our school website as our way to publish. It is basically run on numbers; if there are not enough kids to run the class, we didn’t want to drop the class, so we did this layer perspective. In this scenario, we’re still able to do both, so it’s a winwin for everybody.” Ernst said he is now teaching sixth grade English at Parcells. Spanish and industrial tech teacher Bob Abel will be taking the journalism program at Brownell under his wing. According to Abel, there are seven journalism students out of approximately 60 kids in the classes, and the journalism students are mixed in with the broadcast students. “It’s an independent study, and they’re (journalism students) handing in articles every week, and then we’re going to publish those on the web,” Abel said. “That will change as time goes on, but right now they’re just independent study.” Abel said he has had background experience in high school with yearbook, photography and newspaper, but this year, it is all new to him. For Brownell Beat journalism student Alice Scott ’21, middle school journalism is the beginning of her journalism career. Scott said she is glad she made the decision to take journalism at Brownell, and her experiences on The Beat staff prompted her to continue studying journalism throughout high school. “It (the class) has shown me a lot about how you can use journalism later in life,” Scott said. “I’ve honestly considered it as a career, and Mr. Ernst has really contributed to that. As a staff, we are like a family. I learned so much and it’s really fun, not just learning about it, but seeing your articles and page design come to life on the page. It’s really cool to see your work all around the school and everyone really liking it.” According to Scott, The Beat has become a lot more popular because other young students enjoy reading the articles written by their peers. Scott credits this increase in popularity to the lessons Ernst has taught them about the basics of journalism and writing what others want to read about, along with how to interview and meet deadlines. Ernst agrees journalism is a good area for young students to find their passion. “Kids enjoy doing it and kids have fun doing it,” Ernst said. “To me, that’s the greatest thing. Those are the things that make me happy-- to see the progression of the kids and seeing the awards they win.”

We’re staying away from the print and more towards using our school website as our way to publish. COREY ERNST Journalism Adviser According to Hunwick, the program is differentiated to the needs of all students, journalism and broadcast alike. “My hope is that kids can pursue what their interests are. In this case, we are running broadcast, we are running journalism, we’re able to fit the needs of everyone,” Hunwick said. “I think it’s great, and it’s an integral part in the way school is conducted.” Throughout the years, the best part of being The Beat adviser was seeing all of the students move on and become successful, Ernst said. “The paper’s made a difference, and it has done something for people,” Ernst said. “You always hope it did, and you don’t know, and then unfortunately you know when you find out you aren’t going to be back.”

4 | FEATURE

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

Boy Scouts of America begins a new chapter by allowing girls to join The 107-year-old organization with millions of members will begin to incorporate girls into its ranks beginning in 2018, allowing them to reach Eagle Scout status in 2019 ANNE MUWAUD ’20 Page Editor After 107 years of Boy Scouts being just for boys, the organization has decided that girls of all ages will now be able to join. “As long as they can make the transition easily and they have rules set-up for it, I don’t mind it personally,” Eagle Scout Griffin Clements ’18 said. “I don‘t have anything against having girls in the organization. I know that Girl Scouts don’t do nearly as much as what Boy Scouts do.” According to Tori Huffman ’20, a former Girl Scout, as a younger girl she most likely wouldn’t have joined Boy Scouts due to her mindset that girls had to stick to their gender group. “I probably would have thought (that since) I’m a girl, I’d have to be in Girl Scouts; I probably wouldn’t have switched back then due to that,” Huffman said. Competitive canoeing, axe throwing, camping and leather work are all activities that participants in Boy Scouts can do. According to Huffman, the activities in Girl Scouts are very different from those of Boy Scouts and were dependent on what badge they were working for. The

badges varied greatly from babysitting and taking care of a child, to camping and learning to cook. “It depended on what badges we were working towards. If we were going for the babysitter (merit badge), we would have practiced taking care of a child,” Huffman said. According to Clements, oftentimes girls are dissatisfied with the Girl Scouts’ curriculum which results in them dropping out; thus, the Boy Scout’s new policy could be a step in the right direction for girls. “I’ve talked to Girl Scouts before and from what I hear, a lot of them are dissatisfied and end up quitting. I think that Boy Scouts could be a good alternative for them,” Clements said. The effects that this could have on Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are unknown. According to former Scout Zachary Pierce ’18, the decision will most likely be negative for the Girl Scout organization. “I think that allowing girls into Boy Scouts will have a lot of negative effects on the actual Girl Scouts. If there are a lot of girls who are not satisfied with the curriculum that they’re getting, then the Girl Scouts are going to see a decline,” Pierce said. According to Pierce, not only will it have bad effects

on the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts will suffer as well. “Boy Scouts will have to start paying more money for housing if they get girls to join. This will have a bad effect on them since that’s a lot more expenses for every trip they have to go on,” Pierce said. Huffman thinks that the shift from Girl Scouts to Boy Scouts will most likely be seen in the younger girls, due to their lack of time and commitment already put into the Girl Scout organization. “I bet some people will but I know a lot of people are really involved in Girl Scouts and are at the higher ranks, so I don’t think they would leave that, but maybe younger children would want to,” Huffman said. No girls have actually joined the Scouts yet so how people react is still up in the air. Clements is open to the idea and wouldn’t mind the change as long as they are committed and willing to be a Scout. “I think it’d be just like, ‘Oh, there’s a girl in our troop now,’ it’s pretty novel actually. I think it would create some waves but our troop is pretty accepting of anybody.” Clements said.

GRAPHICS BY GRIFFIN JONES ’18

INFORMATION COURTESY OF BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA GRAPHICS BY ADRIAN DOAN ’19

U of M programs allow students to experience different perspectives, start a dialogue on diversity GRIFFIN JONES ’18 Graphics Manager Last winter, South partnered with the University of Michigan to have monthly meetings to help facilitate dialogue between students and personnel from the university about diversity. Once a month, students from North and South would meet at South and U-M personnel would open up discussion and influence the topic to allow students to understand one another’s differences, both physical and mental. “Change is difficult, there is no doubt about that. People will think whatever they want about other people and you can’t always change that,” participant Isaac Kado ’18 said. “But what we can do is make our school a place where every person can feel welcomed and appreciated for their differences, not scrutinized for being different than ‘normal.’” According to Kado, the program helps people understand and accept differences within their communities, along with comprehending the

uniqueness of individual communities as a whole. “This program is so important to me personally because of the role it has played in my life,” Kado said. “I have lived in Grosse Pointe my entire life and I think the work we are currently doing is going to help students see other students’ perspectives and help set up a better community for everyone to live in and be a part of.” Grosse Pointe has seen its fair share of diversity problems, be it with race, sexuality, gender, etc. within its school system. The program, which introduces discussion of such issues, hopes to help stop similar future problems, but the process will take time. “At first the general idea was talking about, ‘What is it like to be you?’” teacher advisor Mrs. Kline said. “So students from different racial backgrounds, religious backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, ‘What is it like to be you?’ in Grosse Pointe.” This was the first time South had partnered with U-M for this kind of project. According to Kline, the group is hopeful to start with smaller accom-

plishments like dialogue among students and teach- know about social justice versus how much they acers, and build on that. tually know about it,” Ford said. “I feel that this pro“Over the summer, a couple of the kids went to gram is here to fix that gap and take a leading role in a program called Sumteaching Grosse Pointe how to become mer Youth Dialogue and more aware of and end issues we have that was just what we had regarding diversity and inclusion in our What we can do is schools and community.” done at South on a whole make our school a other level, and it incorAccording to Kline, the program is porated kids from all over place where every just starting off, and the group has plans the Metro Detroit area,” projects this school year to influence person can feel wel- for Kline said. discussion to get people talking about comed and appreciat- social issues affecting people of all upDemetrius Ford ’18 was one of the students to ed for their differenc- bringings. attend the Summer Youth “I am expecting the work that we do es, not scrutinized for Dialogue seminar where to allow for the opportunity of more being different than equity and inclusion of minorities and they participated in dis‘normal.’ cussion with students more investment in our youth,” Ford from all backgrounds in said. “The social impact that the school ISAAC KADO ’18 southeast Michigan. environment has on the student body “There is such an edushapes how we will view society outside cational gap between how of the South.” much people think they

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

5 | ENTERTAINMENT

CHOIR’S FALL FOLLIES: the annual hit of

the season draws large crowd for a breathtaking performance PHOTOS BY HARPER MCCLELLAN ’18

ACAPELLA ALDRICH Ben Aldrich ’19 sings his solo during The Suspensions’ number.

MY VIEW

HARPER MCCLELLAN ’18 Staff Writer

t’s that time of the year again, pull out the sequins and the hairspray. This past weekend, the South choir put on their annual Fall Follies performance in North’s auditorium. The packed crowd, full of excitement, applaused when the full choir entered. This was the first time I attended Fall Follies, or for that matter, any choir performance. Now I know I have really been missing out. All five choirs performed: the Pointe Singers, the Tower Belles, Sounds of South, South Singers, and the Suspensions, along with many solos. As usual, some of the soloists seemed very nervous, but others came out with full confidence like they have done this a million times. A highlight of the night was the Pointe Singers’ rendition of “Rhinestone Cowboy,” fully equipped with cowboy hats and plaid skirts. The fake southern accents were surprisingly convincing and definitely entertaining. It started out with a solo by Eion Meldrum ’18 and

ON KEY The choir performs their last set, minutes before the confetti finale.

was followed by a high energy dance routine by the rest of the singers. Also, a pleasant surprise was the mash-up the Suspensions did in acapella, something straight out of Pitch Perfect. I couldn’t help but dance in my seat. The feather fans, which brought out soloist Melody Balos ’19, were very spectacular and made the performance hard to look away. I was amazed by the amount of work that went into this performance, considering all the singers had all the dance moves down. From what I saw, no one missed a count. The costumes were fascinating as well; they definitely added to the wow factor of the performance. But, I did appreciate when the choirs would switch up from their long gowns and tuxedos to t-shirts and jeans for a more casual vibe to fit the song they were singing. All the choirs came out on the stage for the final performance. I was hooked when the iridescent background came down, and each singer had a colorful flag that was incorporated into their choreography. Before going to the show, I was worried it would be too long or get repetitive. I was reluctantly proven wrong; after the show was over, I wanted more.

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD Rachel Rogers ’18 does a backflip during the first act of Fall Follies.

EVERYBODY REJOICE The South Choir ends their final song with a bang and shower of confetti. The choir performed the show twice.

GOOD EATS: reviews of the best places to fill up in downtown Detroit

Stranger Things 2: what’s new? MY VIEW GRIFFIN JONES ’18 Graphics Manager

OUR TAKE

MAURA SHINE & DANIEL KLEPP ’20 Page Editor & Staff Writer

In the heart of downtown Detroit between Woodward and State St., Avalon Bakery is a musttry for anyone who is looking for a light breakfast or lunch. The moment you walk into Avalon, you feel the rustic and homey atmosphere. Freshly-cleaned cases lined with pastries and desserts greet you as you walk in. The mood feels relaxed and laid-back. I ordered a grilled cheese with Swiss and provolone cheese that came with a side of potato chips.

It was served on olive bread, which was okay, but I could have done without it. The cheeses were very strong and they seemed like something that require an acquired taste to enjoy. Avalon’s menu has several options for vegetarians and vegans as well. Overall, their great location, relaxing atmosphere and large menu make it a great place to grab a bite to eat.

Located near Campus Martius, Shake Shack is a New York-based burger and shake restaurant aimed towards serving quality food at a relatively low price. Shake Shack started in 2001 as a hot dog cart, and then evolved into a permanent kiosk in Madison Square Park. The company has since opened many more locations across the country, all with the same simple menu. Going in, you feel like you are getting into something good. People inside seemed just as anxious as I was to get their food; the mood was electric. Everything is well kept, everything is visu-

ally appealing and the lines are very long, which always gives the impression the product is worth waiting for. It was. I ordered a “Double Smokeshack,” which is a burger with two patties, cheese, bacon, chopped cherry pepper and signature “ShackSauce.” The burger was absolutely fantastic. Bacon and burgers are never a bad combination, and the addition of the ShackSauce tied the entire burger together, adding some tang to all the savory flavor. Although the food was great, it was a bit pricey. The burger itself was just over nine dollars, but it was definitely worth it.

Lafayette Coney Island has established itself as a staple of Detroit eats, with its cheap food, quick service and simplicity. The hot dog was alright, not great, but not terrible either. The “skin” on the dog itself was somewhat tough, which made it much harder to eat because you could bite through the bun, but not the dog. Nonetheless, the chili was spot-on, and the mustard added another di-

Bucharest is an Americanized Middle-Eastern restaurant, with locations in Corktown, Rivertown, Milwaukee Junction and Avenue of Fashion. Bucharest specializes in shawarma, but also serves falafels, wraps, and even burgers. Walking in, the environment wasn’t very inviting; it was overly spacious, and almost had a science lab feel to it. Although the environment has nothing to do with the food, it can definitely hinder or boost the eating experience. Lucky for me, the environment did not reflect the food. I ordered the Bucharest

mension to the flavor profile. I was disappointed by the onions on the hot dog. I thought they would pack a nice punch per bite, but I ended up not really being able to taste them. If you are looking for something cheap and quick, look to Lafayette. But if you are looking for better food, and aren’t as concerned about price, look to Bucharest or Shake Shack.

Shawarma, which is a normal chicken shawarma, but with the addition of fries, it was incredible. The chicken had a smoky char on it and the garlic spread was to die for. The fries added a good starch to counteract the acidity of the cabbage, pickles and tomatoes. Although the quality of the food was up to par with Shake Shack, it’s in a less lively location on the outskirts of Detroit. So if you’re looking for a night with your friends, Shake Shack may be a better option. But, out of Shake Shack, Lafayette and Bucharest, Bucharest easily had the best bangfor-your-buck. PHOTOS BY DANIEL KLEPP ’20

‘Tis the season to be spooky. Netflix released the second season of it’s hit, creepy mystery, Stranger Things, last Friday, just in time for Halloween. Whether you’ve already binged through it this past weekend or you haven’t seen the first episode of season one, there’s a couple things about the show that are worth knowing. Season 2 certainly lives up to the hype with an awesome continuation of the adventures of Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will. The plot takes place a year after the events of season one (RIP Barb), right around Halloween. All the boys are back together, Eleven is “missing”, and Will is having surreal visions of a giant squid-like shadow chasing him everywhere; everything seems perfectly normal. However, Stranger Things 2 offers a new approach to the plot of the town of Hawkins. In season one, it was all about Eleven and the Demogorgon. This time around, the mystery spreads out a bit more with seemingly more story lines than one can keep track of. But, the writers of this show know exactly what they’re doing because each individual subplot of the show is interesting enough to remember along with the other story lines. Whether it’s the love triangle of Nancy, Steve and Jonathan, or Hopper and Eleven’s secret from the rest of the characters, or that Will’s visions are getting worse, if not more real, each one grabs my attention. This show has staked itself in my heart by its truly unique experience. On top of a paranormal/extraterrestrial/inter-dimensional experience (I honestly don’t know at this point), the show has plotted itself in the iconic 1980s with perfect setting from the biggest to the smallest details to give its audience a hyper-realistic view into a fictional world. Season 2 of Stranger Things brought the fire power to keep its original viewers watching, along with intrigue to reach a larger audience. I remember a collective groan from ultra-fans around Grosse Pointe when Netflix released their first teaser trailer for the second season back in February. But now it’s finally here, and it’s better than I could’ve hoped. And a word of advice: it’s better to watch the show with friends or family, you never know what might take you to the Upsidedown.

6 | FEATURE

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

BROWNELL BEAT BITES THE DUST

The award winning Brownell Beat merges with broadcast journalism class due to low enrollment pressure on students now than probably any other time in public education’s history, so it puts a lot of pressure on the curriculum.” They won 36 individual Michigan InterscholasSophia Fowler ’22, Brownell journalism student, tic Press Association (MIPA) awards in 2016. Over said she was encouraged by her parents to take 200 state and national awards over the past 11 years. journalism in seventh grade and she “fell in love Two Spartan awards, eight Gold, three Silver and with it” and decided to “take it no matter what” this three Bronze awards for the Brownell Beat and their year. website combined. Bob Abel, Brownell teacher who took over the They raised over 1,000 dollars for charities such broadcast and journalism program, said there are as Wigs 4 Kids and Unbound during the 2016-2017 now seven students enrolled specifically in journalschool year. ism, out of more than 60 students in broadcast and “(Brownell had) probably one of the biggest and journalism combined. most active middle school programs in the state,” “(Journalism) is an independent study and Jeremy Steele, director of MIPA, said. they’re handing in articles every week, and then However, the enrollment in journalism at we’re going to publish those on the web,” Abel said. Brownell Middle School has faltered, and with it the “That will change as time goes on, but right now, existence of an independent jourthey’re just independent study.” nalism program there, according Students in the journalism to former Brownell journalism program can also be part of the I think from a kid’s teacher Corey Ernst, who now videos to supplement for their teaches English at Parcells Middle perspective, the thing stories, according to Abel. School. they like about it is they “One of the major differAccording to Brownell Princiget to do a bunch of ences is Mr. Ernst isn’t here pal Rodger Hunwick, at least 20 different stuff and they anymore, so Mr. Abel (is) really students are needed to run a class, reliant on us to be more by ourcan jump around. but only about 12 to 14 students selves,” Fowler said. signed up for journalism for sevJODY MACKEY Fowler and journalism stueral reasons, including the fact Traverse City East Middle dent Zach Voytowich ’22 see that it is not “cost effective”. School Broadcast Journalism some issues with the school’s “We are running the journalTeacher website this year. ism class with the broadcast class “The website isn’t updated and we have two classes of it,” as much anymore,” Fowler said. Hunwick said. “So we’re still run“Mr. Abel hasn’t really updated anything, so we’re ning the journalism class the same way, we’re stayassuming he’s going to update it at the end of the ing away from the print and more towards using quarter… so you have to be very patient with him our school website as our way to publish.” because there are only seven of us now.” Steele said he thinks many journalism programs Ernst said he thinks Abel will do a good job with are declining because there is more pressure in the program, but that he just has a lot of other classschools and more emphasis on core classes, while es to deal with and doesn’t have the time journalism journalism is typically considered an elective. requires. “I think schools with strong journalism pro“I’m a newbie at this,” Abel said. “I’ve had backgrams are tying those programs into English credits ground experience in high school with yearbook or an arts credits,” Steele said. “There is a lot more ALYSSA CZECH ’19 Associate Editor

READY, SET, ACTION Bridgette Rupp ’22 produces another Brownell Broadcast Journalism segment. PHOTOS BY ALYSSA CZECH ’19

HARD WORK AND DEDICATION Zach Voytowich and Sophia Fowler both ’22 have been a part of the Beat since they were in 7th grade. This has been something they’re passionate about. and photography and newspaper, but this year it’s all new to me and we’re starting from scratch.” Jody Mackey is the broadcast journalism, yearbook and AP Language arts and history teacher at Traverse City East Middle School. She said that while it gets chaotic for her, there are several positive aspects of merging programs as well. “I think from a kid’s perspective, the thing they like about it is they get to do a bunch of different stuff, and they can jump around and that’s pretty cool,” Mackey said. “I still think Brownell will be able to get their recognition, it’ll just be hard for the adviser to juggle everything.” Ernst said he was extremely sad when he found out that the journalism programs were merging because he had worked hard at developing the program for a long time. “It’s kind of like a perfect storm,” Ernst said. “In essence, what I did by taking broadcast, I choked off my stream of journalists. Really, this is literally the robbing Peter to pay Paul situation. I robbed my influx of students so I can get broadcast.” When Ernst told Fowler and her peers he was not going to be teaching at Brownell anymore because the journalism program didn’t have enough enrollment, and he would no longer be able to get a full pay, she said most of them started crying because they were so devastated. Hunwick said he was glad they had broadcast to merge with journalism so they could keep the program alive. He also said the program does a good job of differentiating itself so students can pursue what they are interested in. “My hope is that kids can pursue what their interests are, and in this case, we are able to fit the needs of everybody,” Hunwick said. “I really see that both broadcast and journalism will be in the same realm of one another given the future of printer paper and everything going more digital.” Hunwick said he believes middle school journalism is a “top priority” because it is essential for the

Q &A

students to write stories because they are the ones who are experiencing it and therefore helping the community understand. Middle school journalism is a way for students to make their voices heard, according to Steele and Fowler. Steele and Ernst said it helps develop other skills in student by getting them positively involved in their communities. “Not only does (journalism) help with writing, it helps with time management and it also makes kids get out of their comfort zone,” Ernst said. “We had kids who came in who were scared to talk to another student, and by the time they left they were interviewing administration; they became confident.” Camille Gazoul ’16, former Print Associate Editor for the Tower, took journalism at Brownell and said she gained invaluable experience from the middle school program. “The journalism program at Brownell gave me a community and it allowed me to pursue a passion that has followed me into high school and college,” Gazoul said. “If I didn’t do the Brownell Beat, I would not have the amazing experiences that came from it: journalism conferences, lifelong lessons and a background in writing that still helps me.” Both Ernst and Fowler said they hope more students enroll in journalism in future years. Fowler said she wants to let everyone know journalism needs more people. “Here’s the problem, and it has happened with Pierce and Parcells: Pierce used to be award-winning, they won a Columbia award and when that teacher left for North, they tried getting a new teacher, but the teacher had three other classes and the interest died down, and it just went away,” Ernst said. “If the program dies, it would be very hard to bring it back because it only takes a year and there isn’t anyone at the school who can work the newspaper.”

Q: WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN THE CLASS? A: I learned how to format stories in a way not just appealing to yourself, but appealing to the people that are reading it and to put it in a way that will entertain others.

with Jacob Harris ’21, a former middle school journalism student

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS CLASS?

Q: AFTER TAKING THE CLASS, ARE YOU GLAD YOU DECIDED TO TAKE IT?

A: I liked writing opinion pieces because it’s a good way to express your ideas to other people and because it’s fun to write about something you’re passionate about and not just something that you’re told to write about, so there’s kind of a freedom side to it. I also liked interviewing a lot because it gives you a chance to get to know a lot of people from the school, and you don’t just talk to kids in your grade that you know, but you talk to everybody in the school.

A: Yes, because I learned a lot about writing and now it made me want to do Tower at South, so I’m excited to do that.

Q: BESIDES THE WRITING ASPECT, WHAT ELSE DID YOU TAKE AWAY?

Q: IF YOU DIDN’T TAKE THE BEAT WOULD YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN TOWER?

A: It was fun because sometimes you got to do stories with people you might not know that well, so you could make friends with them.

BIANCA PUGLIESI ’19 Supervising Editor

PHOTO BY SYLVIA HODGES ’19

Q: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THE JOURNALISM CLASS AT BROWNELL? A: I first decided to take journalism because all of my siblings did it, and it seemed fun. A lot of people that took it before me told me to take it.

A: Probably not because I wouldn’t know anything about journalism, and I wouldn’t have known I would like it.

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

7 | FEATURE

STUDENT SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH WOLFE ’20

*The identity of this student is kept anonymous to ensure their privacy regarding the following story DANIEL KLEPP ’20 Staff Writer Harming 12.5 percent of adolescents, depression is a widespread epidemic affecting students across the country, according to NIMH.gov, even at Grosse Pointe South. Depression is a feeling of extreme sadness that interferes with normal daily activities, according to school psychologist Lisa Khoury. “I was very insecure about fitting in, and I never really felt loved. It didn’t get bad enough where I would harm myself, but it got pretty close,” Eric Williamson*

I was very insecure about fitting in, and I never really felt loved. ERIC WILLIAMSON* ‘20

said. Depression, known as a “silent killer”, is often more harmful than it initially presents, because students don’t speak

up about it. This can lead to a nasty snowball effect that can have long-term damages on students, Khoury said. “You can talk to your counselor, your parents or myself,” Khoury said. “Sometimes, students will talk to therapists outside of school.” Not only acknowledging the issue, but coping is also a part of the problem. When not finding oneself occupied with a hobby, one can have feelings of hopelessness and pessimism, according to NIMH.gov. “One way I coped with (depression) was music,” Williamson said. “I started listening to more people, and finding

Counselors’ calm room undergoes renovations

responsibilities and get out of doing their work,” Dempsey said. Although there is a possibility of students or a few years now, there has been using the chill room for the wrong reasons, a room at South used to comfort it is not open for just anyone to use at any students when they are feeling time. Students must get permission from overwhelmed. Recently, the staff decided to their counselors before they are allowed to redecorate the “chill room” to create a more use the room. relaxing atmosphere, according to Lisa “If students are feeling overwhelmed or Khoury, the school psychologist. struggling with anxiety and they come to “The chill room has been used for years talk with their counselor, it is up to their in the building by the counselors and staff counselor to decide if they can have access to help students,” Khoury said. “It used to the room,” Khoury said. “It’s more of a to be a conference room with a table and therapeutic space rather than just a drop-in chairs, but Mr. Hamka generously allowed thing.” us to turn it into a more calming space.” The amount of homework that comes The room used to have a conference with high school courses can become highly table where students could go to talk with stressful for many kids. According to Ellie their counselors to release stress, but in Kaess ’21, this room will be a great resource order to make the room more comforting, for providing kids with a place they can go it has been repainted and will offer a variety to take a break from their challenging work. of soothing accessories to help students feel High school can be especially frustrating at ease. for freshmen, because there is significantly Some of the accessories in the room more homework and classes are much more include furniture, such as a couch and bean rigorous than in middle school, according bag chairs, as well as stress-relieving oil to Kaess. diffusers and water fountains. There is also “I have experienced a lot of stress this an iPad available for students to play music year because it takes a lot more effort and or nature sounds, according to Khoury. time to do well in my classes than it did Reis Dempsey ’19 is skeptical of the in middle school,” Kaess said. “I spend so new addition to the school because while much more time doing homework now, and the newly decorated room will provide a I have been trying to balance school with calming space for students who m y other activities.” need it, there could be According to Khoury, many of Dementia students who abuse the the counselors believe this room Bipolar Anorexia purpose of the room. will be beneficial to students. With “I think students Schizophrenia permission from administration, Social Phobia could take advantage they were able to create a space Adjustment Panic Disorder Disorder of the room because that can be used by students in need Addiction they could go there of relaxation time. PTSD just to avoid “The overall idea behind the chill Substance Abuse room is to help students relax and regroup, Personality OCD and use some calm-down strategies so Disorder that they can get back to class as soon as Anxiety Depression possible,” Khoury said. Suicide ALYSSA COLE ’19 Staff Writer

Insomnia

Bulimia

Autism GRAPHIC BY ELIZABETH WOLFE ’20

ADHD

Alzheimer’s

good songs really made me feel better.” If one thinks they are depressed, it is important to take it seriously and discuss ideas with a counselor, according to Khoury “It is something that can be addressed, and stopped by treatment,” Khoury said. “It’s very treatable.” Although treatable, often the effects don’t completely leave, and may haunt whoever has had it long-term, Khoury said. “I didn’t really get out of it, it just kind of faded away,” Williamson said. “It hasn’t fully yet, but I feel like it will.” Even non-mental activities, like

exercise and hanging out with friends, or simply doing things they enjoy can help them get out of a bad place, according to Khoury. “If you can turn it around a little bit, and get yourself to change your mindset, it might work,” Khoury said. According to Khoury, with good counseling and moral support, strides can be made to help. It is a long path, but a necessary one. “Don’t beat yourself up, it always gets better,” Williamson said. “I feel like I’m proof.”

TWO OF TEN

the staggering statistics behind teenage depression 20 percent of teens experience depression before adulthood

Only 30 percent of teens diagnosed with depression are treated Teens with depression are

30 percent of teens with depression also develop a substance abuse problem

12 times

more likely to contemplate suicide

RILEY LYNCH ’18 Supervising Editor

8 | FEATURE

THETOWERPULSE.NET | 11.1.17

All good things must come to an end Boys soccer team ends season as Division 1 District Championships

DEFENSE Anthony Frasier ’18 protects the ball. South played Troy High School in the District Championships.

ROARING CROWDS Joe Ladensack, Peter Lianos, Orande Branch,

and Emme Harper, all ’18, attended the game to support the team.

BACK LINE Joey Erickson ’18 chases after the ball. The soccer team ended their season with a game against Troy High School. PHOTOS BY ADRIAN DOAN ’19

ADRIAN DOAN ’19 Page Editor Overconfident and outmatched, the varsity soccer team suffered a crushing 7-0 season-ending defeat against Troy High School, ending any momentum gained from the Division 1 district championship. The team clinched the district championship in a stunning underdog victory that was decided in a shootout with De La Salle on Oct. 21, but ended their season with a 7-13-1 record after a defeat last Tuesday in the regional semifinals game against Troy, according to Captain Anthony Frasier ’18. “We started out this season looking really promising but we still started slowly because initially we were getting scored on a lot,” Frasier said. “Then when we entered districts, we started gaining momentum.” The team chemistry was what gave the team such a successful performance in the district games, according to Frasier, but each game was still a tossup. “We would only win if everybody showed up and tried their hardest; that’s how we beat De La Salle,” Frasier said. “But that’s also how we lost to Troy so badly, because only a couple of players showed up that day.” South was forced to play defensively early on as Troy kept control of the ball, a theme that continued throughout the game. After letting through two goals in the first half the team’s confidence fell apart, according to Humza Mohsin ’19. “In the first half, there was one silly mistake that allowed Troy to score and then they got another good shot,” Mohsin said. “Then we just kind of collapsed and they ran away with it.” Mohsin attributed some of the mistakes to a hole in South’s defense caused by the ejection of a prominent player and

then the injury of his replacement, but also saw a bigger problem going into the game. “We didn’t have our defender because he got ejected and then the replacement got injured halfway through so we were left with a massive hole,” Mohsin said. “Going into that game, there was a tad bit of almost ‘Alright, see you Friday in the finals’; a bit of cockiness.” Although goalkeeper Thomas Wacker ’19 described the performance in the regional semifinals as “pretty horrible,” Frasier is still proud of the team’s overall performance. “You win some and you lose some,” Frasier said. “It’s sad we had to lose this one but I’m looking more at the future of the team and at preparing them so we can win next time.”

ATTACK Peter Buhl ’18 fakes out a defender as he takes a shot for the net.

GIRLS XC WINS: red division, become MAC champions CLAIRE SHEEREN ’20 Copy Editor The boys and girls cross country teams had a successful meet at the Macomb Area Conference (MAC) Championships on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Lake St. Clair Metropark. The girls were meet champions in both the varsity and junior varsity out of 35 teams, winning the red division and the entire MAC. Six of the eight varsity runners earned All-Conference Honors and the junior varsity took the top three places. The JV girls took seven of the top ten places in the race of 198 runners. Girls’ cross country coach “As a team, we’re all Stephen Zaranek together and we all was very proud of supported each other the team for their the entire time. I was achievements. “Our team really impressed with was magnificent,” that.” Zaranek said. “We LEAH MACKAY ’18 did everything the proper way and with full team intensity. This all led to our dominance in both races.” Team captain Leah MacKay ’18 was happy with the team’s performance as well. “I thought that overall, we did a really good job, especially our top six varsity,” MacKay said. “I was very impressed with them, and I’m really proud of my team.” The boys placed fifth in the red division and sixth overall in the MAC for the varsity and the JV were meet champions. The team improved from the two jamborees from sixth to fifth in their division. Boys’ cross country coach Mark Sonnenberg was thrilled with both teams performances. “Varsity met expectations; our times were about where we expected them to be,” Sonnenberg said. “The JV, which shows our youth and the future of our team, was fabulous. They won hands down, so I was happy.” Both teams are currently in the midst of finishing up their seasons. MacKay has been specifically proud of the large amount of team support this year, particularly at this recent meet. “As a team, we’re all together and we all supported each other the entire time,” MacKay said. “I was really impressed with that.”

Girls varsity swim stays hopeful for success at state conference

AIDAN WALSH ’20 Page Editor

South’s girls varsity swim and dive team defeated Detroit Country Day and lost to Birmingham Marian in their last regular season split meet last Thursday. This brings the team’s placing in their division to second and gives the team a promising chance at both the conference and state finals, according to coach Eric Gunderson. “The meet was our last home meet, and our last chance to swim before conferences” Gunderson said. For many on the team, it was more than just a regular season meet, being one of their last opportunities to place official times before state competitions,

according to Gunderson. “For certain kids, if they have to get the cut in conference meets and they don’t have a cut already, we end up having to do what’s basically called a taper, which brings them down to optimally swim fast at the conference meet,” Gunderson said. Gunderson believes that the South team has a likely chance of winning at the conference meet, but also described the greater struggle of getting into state level competition. “You could have the best kid in the state, but you’re not going to win states with that. You got to be able to put together relays, a first place relay is worth forty points… that’s 120 points up for grabs right there,” Gunderson said.

The team will host the MAC Red conference swim and dive meet from Nov. 3 through 5, the first time in the last four years, according to varsity swimmer Caitlin Finazzo ’20. “I think a lot of our success comes from our strong leadership under our captains,” Finazzo said. The team has had a successful year, almost winning their division, according to Finazzo. “It’s been a really good year,” Finazzo said. Gunderson elaborated on his high hopes, describing in particular one large factor unique to Grosse Pointe South. “Where we have an advantage is our depth. We should hopefully (get) all four of our top girls in the finals on Saturday,” Gunderson said.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM Swimmers take their mark for a backstroke race.

SWIM FAST Kathryn Leonard ’18 and other South swimmers cheer on their teammates as they race.

PHOTOS BY JACQUI MERCIER’19