Final Issue

the

TOWER Friday, June 2 , 2017

Volume 89

WHAT’S INSIDE:

-PAGE 2:

FINAL ISSUE

Grosse Pointe South 11 GP Blvd. Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236

@thetowerpulse

Issue 26

-Editorial -Future Editor-in-Chiefs’ columns

-PAGE 3-8:

CLASS OF 2017

-Senior Columns

-PAGE 9:

-STEM accomplishments at South

A weekly tradition since 1928

-PAGE 10:

THE LAST DANCE | The Class of 2017 attends their final homecoming football game. South beat Anchor Bay 26-0 this year.

-Class Rankings Feature -Class of 2017 Honor Roll

-PAGE 11: -Student Athletes

BY THE

-Triple Sport Athletes

-PAGE 12: -Advice

-PAGE 13: -Student Military Q&A

-PAGE 14 & 15:

NUMBERS

PHOTO BY MARGOT BAER ’18

1 6 5 7

4.3892

-Where the seniors are going to college.

is the highest GPA of the class of 2017

-PAGE 16: -Plams for after graduation

-PAGE 17:

students attend South

GRAPHIC BY CHASE CLARK ’18

-Fashion trends

GRAPHIC BY CHASE CLARK ’18

-PAGE 18 & 19: -The 50th anniversary of the Detroit riots

-PAGE 20: -Summer preview

-PAGE 21: -A lifetime in review

-PAGE 22 & 23:

14

1 1

gold key portfolios for art/writing

8 2

A k oo t s t n e d stu

s t s e Pt D

A

E

B

-Summer preview part two

-PAGE 24: -Highlight of the school year

THIS WEEK AT SOUTH...

June

02

The North-South outdoor concert will take place from 7-11 p.m.

GRAPHIC BY ERYKAH BENSON ’17

GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH ’18

June

07

South senior caps and gowns will be distributed on Wednesday.

June

13

The South graduation rehearsal will take place from 1-2 p.m.

OPINION

2

6.2.17

From us to you: Thanks for a great year, Edge The Tower staff has been through a lot in the past four years. It hasn’t been a traditional high school journalism paper by any means.

First year: a so-so substitute followed by a competent English teacher….who left us at the end of the year…to teach AP Lit. at North.

Ouch…okay, we’ll find another teacher. We’ll be fine. Many kids drop out, only leaving the strong to fend for themselves. The group that stays become closer and bonds.

Second year: A bald guy who tells us he’s 50, but we don’t believe him in the slightest, takes over. He possesses a “cool, calm and collective” attitude that no one to this day can replicate. Break out year, win a Sparty, what else could you ask for?

Third year: The bald guy is still here (a new record for all the seniors on staff), everyone seems to like him. No Sparty (still don’t know why). But again, friendships were made. Bald guy leaves for California (Palo Alto) with wife and kids. Everyone’s let down. We can’t seem to hold onto an adviser for more than two years. What’s going on? Does anybody want to mentor us?

Fourth year: A kind face at the door at Shaw Hall at MSU. “Hi everyone I’m Mrs. Edgerton. I’m your new adviser.” She brought Little Caesars Pizza, which instantly put her in high regard in our eyes.

Dear Edge, You’ve been like a mom to all of us. You’ve kept us in line, walked through stuff with us, had our backs throughout the year, read through anything we wanted to with you, and much more. Please, don’t leave us.

It’s incredibly difficult to come into such a deep-rooted paper and make it run smoothly. No one else could have accomplished such a feat. From organizing an entire NYC trip to making sure all the editors stay on task, you’ve been the role model that us kids need.

You’ve bought into the program, and we love you for that. Not only did you get acclimated to the unique and tightly knit culture of Tower, but you had to get your family acclimated to Grosse Pointe all at the same time, including one of your own going into preschool. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon and we are glad.

As an adviser, you’ve guided us always with the mindset that we, the students, are the ones making the decisions. As a nearly century old student-led newspaper, carrying on that tradition is so important to us. Not only have you given us good

PHOTO COURTESY OF YEARBOOK STAFF

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA | The Tower staff poses to take the yearly picture.

Mrs. Edgerton will be the fourth advisor for The Tower in the past five years. advice and good resources to turn to for more help, but you’ve ingrained in our minds the concept that as The Tower Newspaper, we have the responsibility to make the ethical, journalistic call.

Your unwavering passion for journalism and the power of the press is one of your defining characteristics that has made an impact on the type of reporting The Tower has done this year.

One of your most underrated qualities would have to be your abil-

OUR VIEW | Editorial

ity to give someone clarity. Whenever staffers have had problems with sources or even their personal lives, you’ve been able to give them clarity. We’ve seen firsthand someone who has been having a super crappy day walk up to your desk, and after a couple softly spoken words, they are instantly put in a better mood.

We are glad you found us, your second family. You have no idea what you mean to us. Even though we might drive you up a wall and might be the reason you retire early…we love you, and we can’t wait for another year of carrying on this extraordinary tradition.

Sincerely, The Editorial Board Staff

A letter from the future Editor in Chiefs

More than a legacy Help us help you 90 years.

This upcoming year, The Tower will be nearJOHN ly a century FRANCIS ’18 SUPERVISING EDITOR old.

Ta k i n g the helm of this publication is a daunting task, without a doubt. With the tools and mentors I’ve had the pleasure to learn from, both Liz Bigham and I are ready for the task.

It would be fair to say I’ve thought about the Editor in Chief (EIC) position since I was young.

My sister, Jackie Francis ’13, was also EIC, and the last to be under the command of the famous and beloved adviser, Jeff Nardone.

Since middle school, I have been familiarizing myself with the amount of rigor and time needed to make this paper be the great beacon of student journalism and what it is known for.

It wasn’t until my freshman year that I really set my sights and became determined to lead this 70-person team of students who meet three times weekly after school to meet a deadline.

One person in particular who pushed me to want to lead is Rod Satterthwaite. He was the Tower adviser for only a couple years, but became a friend to every staffer and student he encountered. His leaving last year was a hard pill to swallow, but it also gave me the initiative to keep the paper rich with the knowledge and integrity he instilled in me.

Today, I no longer can call him my adviser, but a friend, one who is always willing to lend an ear for whatever I need.

Even with Rod gone, the Tower Room is still my home. For at least two hours of the day, I find myself there

NEWSPAPER

the

TOWER

STAFF

MY VIEW

surrounded by years of tradition. No amount of recognition to this awesome co-curricular could speak to how it has shaped me and continues to do so, into the adult I will have become by the end of next year.

Looking in that direction, I’d like to encourage our writers to stay on the ethical and objective side of journalism. This is not an easy task. If you’re thinking to yourself it is, then take a look at some of the most highly-rated news shows in the world and you’ll see that even those top dogs can fail to bring both sides to the table in their coverage.

And so, I will end my year’s writing with one promise to you, the readers: Our priority is simple, to tell the story-- your story-- correctly and factually. As I said before: this is a daunting task, one that comes with a great deal of responsibility. And in no way will we go low to come out first with the news, or leave out detail that doesn’t suit our personal beliefs. It’s just not who we are. So if you pick up the Tower next year and find yourself appalled or in great discourse with the text on our pages, don’t direct those feelings toward our administrators, direct them to Liz or myself. Lastly, if you’re still left wondering who we are, here’s your answer; we are the dedicated, aspiring and noble journalists of the 21st century. We are The Tower.

Editor-in-Chief Erykah Benson* ’17 Associate Editor Jack Holme* ’17 Supervising Editors at Large John Francis* ’18 Liz Bigham* ’18 Supervising Editors Ray Hasanaj* ’18, Anton Mikolowski * ’17 Rachel Harris*, Riley Lynch*, all ’18 Page Editors Claire Hubbell* ’17 Cam Smolen*, Chase Clark*, Elena Rauch*, JD Standish*, Katherine Bird*, Liam Walsh*, all ’18

Copy Editors Madeleine Glasser*, Lily Kubek*, both ’17 Alyssa Czech*, Audrey Whitaker, Sylvia Hodges*, Bianca Pugliesi*, Claire Koeppen*, all ’19 Business Managers Cameron Francis* ’17 Asst. Olivia Sheffer* ’17 Photo Editors Lauren Thom* ’18 Phoebe Miriani* ’18

MY VIEW LIZ BIGHAM ’18

SUPERVISING EDITOR

This has been a year of change, nationally and locally.

Throughout it all, journalists have been

there to tell the story.

Yes, I’m aware people typically read the news off of Twitter’s explore page or Snapchat’s discover page. I do the same.

However, if you are reading this column right now, I would like to thank you for giving print newspaper a chance. I would especially like to thank you for giving this high school newspaper a chance.

I have been pursuing journalism since seventh grade. At first, it was just a fun class to take in middle school and then carry on with it in high school. Since receiving the position of a page editor sophomore year, I have been actively dedicated to the publication.

I can’t even begin to explain how much time the other editors and I spend in the Tower room.

I think I have experienced every emotion in that room. Let me list a few of my most memorable moments: When Claire threw a dead centipede in my hair. When Ray filled the hood of my coat up with water without me knowing and I was soaking wet the rest of the day. When Holme would put on my coat, vest, or any sort of girls’ clothes. When someone hung my shoes and car keys on the ceiling fan. When Claire changed my school computer background to a photoshopped picture of Steve Harvey shirtless.

Although it may seem like most of the time in Tower is spent messing around with

both ’18 Staff Writers Adam Cervone, Charlie Denison, Conner McQueen, Emma Russell, Gillian Eliot, Jack Froelich, Jack Roma, Kelly Gleason, Mac Welsher, Mary Grace O’Shea, Michael French, Sydney Stann, Thomas Sine and William Muawad, all ’17

Online Editor-in-Chief Ariana Chengges* ’17

Arianna Pagenette, Alex Acker, Blair Cullen, Evan Skaff, Evan Theros, Griffin Jones, Ian Dewey, John Schulte, Harper McClellan, Kaitlin Nemeh, Maren Roeske, Margot Baer, Mollie DeBrunner and Piper Eschenburg, all ’18

Web Editors Erica Fossee*, Henry Ayrault*, Kathleen Carroll*, all ’19

Allison MacLeod, Amelia Turco, Alyssa Cole, Donald McGlone, Grace Reyes, Jacqueline Mercier, Katherine Costello, Sarah Bellovich, Sarah Stevenson, and Olivia Mlynarek, all ’19

Multimedia/Social Media Editors Emma Andreasen* ’17 Abigail Due*, Brennan Zilhman*

Adviser Kaitlin Edgerton

me, we are productive with our work. It was a weird feeling during the winter when we would finish publishing an issue Monday evening and would walk outside to a completely dark sky. I’m proud of everything we accomplished and I thank Erykah for being such a great role model.

It’s nice seeing people’s reaction to our work.

I see people in third hours flipping through the pictures on the sports page. I see students at lunch pointing something out on page three to their friend. But I also see Towers on the floor in the hallway and shoved at the bottom of people’s lockers. Does it hurt a little seeing all of my and the staff ’s work not get recognized? It’s a little upsetting at first, but then I realize I can’t force people to appreciate it. It makes the few situations where people come up to me praising my work feel even more special.

I’m excited for Jack John and I to be the ones who take on this responsibility and work efficiently together to produce the best newspaper we can.

That being said, I strongly hope and encourage that everybody reading this-- students, teachers, administration, parents and community members-- to continue giving our paper a chance next year.

Please keep us as a source for accurate information and diverse, entertaining coverage about the community.

Please keep allowing our staff to interview you.

Please keep reading the newspaper.

Please let us tell your story.

“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.

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 Opinion Pieces and obscenity. The Editorial Board may edit Editorials represent the majority opinion of or shorten letters as long as the meaning is the Editorial Board and are left unsigned. unchanged. All letters must be signed and Columns represent the opinions of individual include a telephone number for confirmation. staff members and outside contributors.

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

Advertising Display adverising is sold at a rate of $7 per Professional Associations column inch, with discounts for large or Member of the Columbia Scholastic Press frequent advertisers. Advertising may not Association, National Scholastic Press advocate illegal activities or contain libelous, Association, Quill and Scroll, the Society irresponsible or obscene material. for Newspaper Design and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association.

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

The final send off is harder than I thought it would be

ERYKAH BENSON ‘17 EDITOR IN CHIEF

Reveling in the final days of Tower means for the first time in three years, life will truly be uncertain. While the life of a student journalist means on any given day anything can happen, I knew I could always rely on the weekly routine of Tower. I have found comfort in seeking out stories for the next issue, designing pages and clocking into the Tower room (which has become my second home). But now, all of that is about to change. I am now ready to graduate from the infamous Tower Room, which was once my grubby, chaotic, ancient fire hazard of a cocoon, of which I will now emerge from.

It’s strange to think of all the different avenues I could have gone down during my time in high school. During freshman orientation I recall strolling around the S building past table after table of students being lassoed in to join various school clubs. As the true ‘renaissance woman’ that I wanted to be, I joined a variety of clubs at first, with everything from Asian Culture Club to Gearheads. I was finally in high school and I wanted to try it all. Going into highschool, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. There were so many possibilities at first. I wondered if I would become a choir kid or a robotics kid or a newspaper kid. In the end, I realized I needed to commit to one main extracurricular. Looking back, I know I’ve made the right choice. Because now not only do I get to do what I love, which is to write, I get to enjoy learning about all the wonderful accomplishments of the clubs I’m interested in.

Going into honors journalism was not an easy freshman year. After Mr. Nardone’s illness and eventual passing, the staff at The Tower Newspaper was strong in its ability to carry on while still upholding the legacy that Mr. Nardone left behind. It was Nard who convinced me to join Tower. Over a plate of chocolate banana pancakes one morning when I was having a sleepover with his stepdaughter, he told me that if I liked to write, that I should join The Tower. Maybe it was his unwavering enthusiasm or the pancakes, but I was sold, and looking back, I am so glad that I took his advice. Being an honors journalism kid during that transition year was tough, resulting in a considerably smaller population of the Class of 2017 represented in The Tower. I appreciate those seniors who stuck it out during that tough year and continued their desire to learn about journalism and stayed in Tower. It is through Tower’s toughest times did I really the see the family come together and adapt to new situations.

Having spent the past four years writing for The Tower Newspaper, I’ve learned so many different skills. Whether it’s making a deadline or talking to new people, or gathering accurate, unbiased research, being a student journalist has allowed me to acquire skills that I get to use for the rest of my life. Most of all, though, Tower has taught me what it really means to work on a team. As a former shortstop for South’s freshman and junior varsity softball team, I learned the importance of snagging unexpected grounders and backing up other people, but it was also through Tower that I learned how to be there for other people, how to work with them and communicate with them, and eventually become a leader. I have the incredible staff in Tower as well as my wonderful advisers to thank for that.

To all the advisers, teachers, parents, students and coaches who have supported me during this entire journey, I am

CLASS OF 2017

so grateful for you. I am so thankful for the amazing staff we have at South, whether it’s the English department or the counseling center, we are truly blessed to have such a caring, passionate and supportive staff. Whether I needed them for sources or guidance, South’s staff has been there for me, and I’m so thankful for the important job that each and every one of them fulfil daily. I don’t think we thank the teachers enough for all the hard work they put into making sure we have some of the top education in the entire state, let alone the country.

To all the parents who have encouraged the staff or myself, I’d like to thank you. To Coach Caitlin and Margaret, thank you for constantly motivating me even after I stopped playing softball to do Tower. I will always be your Speedy Gonzalez. I’d also like to thank my parents for letting me complain about Tower to them all these years.

Over the past three years I have had the pleasure of having two of the greatest advisers and mentors who have shaped my high school experience. First, there’s Rod Satterthwaite, who’s probably off somewhere cruising through Silicon Valley with his shades on. Satt was always encouraging me to do bigger and greater things. And because he pushed me to do more, I learned more. It was Satt who gave me a flyer for the Al Neuharth Journalism Conference and urged me to apply even though I didn’t think I’d get in.

It was because of him that I got the opportunity to attend that conference, and learn so much more about journalism and meet people from across the country.

It was through his wisdom, his humour and his guidance, and that I gained the confidence to eventually lead the Tower.

Although I was sad when Satt left for California, meeting this year’s adviser Kaitlin Edgerton changed my life. After so many several advisers shuffling in and out of The Tower for the past couple of years, I hope Edge is here to stay, because never have I met someone so passionate about the pure ideals of journalism.

While she allowed the leadership team and I to make all vital decisions for The Tower, Edge always made sure we looked at the situation from a journalistic standpoint first. I had my fears going in as Editor in Chief this year, especially with a brand new adviser, but Edge encouraged me, Edge was my confidant and sometimes my shoulder to cry on -- she is the Rosie the Riveter of Journalism. I can not even begin to express how excited I am to see what Edge and next year’s leadership is going to accomplish next year.

Looking back on a year of leadership, I have only but my outstanding leadership team, Edge and my right hand man Jack Holme to thank for accomplishing what we did. It is only through the relentless effort of the Tower staff were we able to tackle issues like racism, LGBT+ rights, sex education and the presidential elections, all while presenting a variety of perspectives. When it comes to covering breaking news such as the school lockdowns or the school board’s changes to the district budget, the Tower staff was on it.

I am so proud of the entire staff of The Tower Newspaper, both print and online, for doing what we’ve been doing for nearly the past century, which is delivering news to the student body and surrounding community as accurately and fairly as possible. And so when you flip through the pages of this final issue, I hope you enjoy our hard work just as much as I enjoyed working for this amazing staff for the past four years.

So this is your 2016-2017 Editor in Chief, Erykah Benson, signing off with one final phrase: Right over left.

3

An open thank you letter to everyone who got me here

JACK HOLME ‘17 ASSOCIATE EDITOR

I personally believe that you learn the most from mistakes that you make yourself. This column won’t be a “Survival Guide to High School”. That book or article doesn’t exist, if it did all of us would’ve read it. Instead of focusing on my “great” four years here at South.

This will be a letter to all the teachers, parents and people that have had the greatest impact on my life during my high school and people that I strive to be like. These people have shaped me to be the best man that I can be, To all of you... thank you. You have no idea what you all mean to me.

To the people who literally gave me everything: Thank you for tutoring me in Geometry, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Chemistry and going over APUSH notes and Spanish vocab with me. You put a roof over my head and clothes on my back. You two are my boulders I can talk to both of you about almost anything. Thank you for pushing me to do my best in everything that I do. Mom thank you for teaching me the skill of thinking of others even when all I want to do is think of myself. Dad thank you for the drive to work hard and continue to push myself. Even though I might not show it and I annoy you beyond belief. We are super weird and anyone looking in can atest to that statement, but I wouldn’t want to be related to anyone else. I’m glad I can call you two my parents. Thank you. I love you both.

To the middle school teacher who believed in me: You probably don’t understand how much of an impact you had on me. I don’t know if you’re ever going to read this... but thank you. If you hadn’t kept me involved with “The Beat” I wouldn’t have gotten this far. You trusted me to get my stuff done and I can’t thank you enough. You taught me all of my Journalism skills: leads, headlines and how to interview properly. Skills that have carried me all the way through high school and life. Thank you for trusting me and keeping me involved in journalism..

To my Journalism Mom and Dad who shaped and molded me: To the person who had my back: Thank you for shaping me in my writing, page design and how to face adversity.

When the cookie story broke and “you know who” was after us, you, Alexa and Camille held your ground and trusted in me.

That showed me that someone believed in me and my ability to conduct an interview. Miss you bud, I hope you find copious amounts of success in Cali.

(Let’s have a beer next time you’re in Michigan) To my second mom: You’ve got no idea what you’ve done for me this year. I don’t think I’ve ever been closer with a teacher. Even though it might be extremely weird there’s a reason I call you “Mom”. You’re my second Mom. You didn’t want to be but hey….you don’t have a choice, you’re stuck with

me. If I’m having an awful day or extremely conflicted you can always give me clarity. You’re the one who has kept me (somewhat) sane throughout this year. You’re going to be an awesome mom (you already are but you’re going to keep getting better). Thank you for everything that you’ve done for me, The Tower and everyone around you.

All of us couldn’t of asked for a better adviser…hey I know you said no before but if you still want to hit up the John Mayer concert….let me know.

To my “older brother” who can tolerate me: I only had you for a quarter Junior year and to say it was a struggle would be an understatement. “Should I drop down?” “Yeah, let’s go handle this right now!”. The next day I was in the math class that I thrived in and belonged in.

While you were a great teacher I didn’t have you enough to really appreciate what you do for your students. (p.s. It’s caring about them. Most teachers let you skate by when you don’t do homework, nope not you.

You want the best for your students even if that means more work for yourself, thank you.) I joined “the club” this year after receiving my varsity letter last year. I always wanted to be in it but just needed that letter.

You recognized me from your class last year and from being on Tower. This transpired into a friendship that lasted throughout this year. “Why aren’t you in class!?!”, “Oh jeez do you ever go to class?”, “The bad boys are back, you’ve got to drop the shoulders and walk with it come on!”. These are just some of the little things that made my senior year a great one. I knew I was a clown before but dressing up as one was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to do it for many years to come, hit a brother up.

To the the teacher who made me drop a tutorial to have another class with her: Oh jeez where do I start?

Do I start in first hour AP Psychology when we learned about everything about how the human body worked? Is it our friendly political jabs back and forth. Was it your insight on James Madison at MSU that convinced me to transfer in in years to come? No matter what the scenario was or if I was up late finishing Psych notes for the next morning, I know that I don’t regret a minute of it. I have usually dreaded my first hour classes but this year I’ve woken up excited to get the day started with you: an ejertetic person who truly cares about their students and what they’ve done in days prior. We both experienced hardships through the class and we both overcame them. And now it’s a part of both of us. We’re both stronger and we both feed off each other in the classroom because of it. Thank you for everything, again, you can’t fathom the impact you’ve had on me.

To the person who always has my back and who has a heart that I will hopefully have someday: I’ve never seen you in a bad mood….that’s something that I wish I could pull off. But i’m human unlike yourself, you’re all positivity. I’ve only interviewed you a handful of times but every time has been better than the last. Then I found out that we share the same political beliefs and we bonded even more. Whenever I had a school related question you could always answer it. And on the rare instance that you couldn’t

you directed me to whoever can. I’ve always read columns and overheard conversations how you’re the greatest and by getting to know you myself I know those conversations to be truthful. The way you treat each and every kid like your own is astonishing. Listening to what they have to say and helping in anyway you can. That’s something I need help doing and something I’m trying to improve on. I look to you to see if I’m doing a good job or not.

“What would she do in my position?”. Is a common question that arises. That’s something that will stick with me. Your pureness and genuine personality is an asset that the school can’t afford to lose.

To the large, rambunctious family that I never had: I joined Tower as a Sophomore with only a handful of other kids. We had a so so long term sub and a lot of kids dropped the class. The ones who did I became instantly close with. The brothers and sisters that I never had growing up. When people ask me what are you going to miss most about high school….it’ll be you...The Tower. I’ve spent countless hours (If we have give or take 26 issues each year and I spend give or take 8 hours each week at Tower and I do that for three years….that’s 702 hours.

Not counting EB meetings…. early mornings that I’ve come in to work on my page and the nights that I’ve stayed late….oh and actually writing stories out of class. So it’s more like 1,000 hours. Yeah that sounds about right.) working on this paper.

Would I trade that 1,000 hours for anything else….hell no.

When people ask me, “Is Tower hard?”, you bet your ass it is.

But I love it. I love the people in it and I’m not ready to let it go. I’m jealous of my Sophomore friends who don’t appreciate the gem they’ve stumbled upon and who aren’t taking full advantage of their situation.

As my year is winding down I reflect back on the good times and the bad times I had at the cult like institution. The advisers that laid the groundwork for us, the students, to fly and be the best we can be. I don’t know if i’ll ever find something that will fill the void in college.

I hope I do but it’s highly unlikely. Tower I love you and i’ll miss you.

All these people have had huge impacts on my life, even if they don’t know it. I didn’t want this to be about me. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for these very special people. I wouldn’t be half the man if I didn’t have these role models in my life.

South hasn’t given me a lot of “great” memories but the people who put their blood sweat and tears into it have made up for it tenfold. I don’t tell them enough how much they mean to me and that’s a problem. If I could tell an underclassmen something it would be to find people that genuinely care about you. As soon as you do your physical and mental state will be through the roof. It took me till my senior year to realize it but I’m sure glad I did….I wish it didn’t take me this long to realize that.

MY VIEW

s

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

We are never ready for life...and that’s ok

MY VIEW

ANTON MIKOLOWSKI ’17 SUPERVISING EDITOR

There’s something we should accept before walking across the stage at graduation with our vestments dripping behind us; something hard to hear and not entirely pleasant. We aren’t ready for life, and we never will be.

Life is a torrential onslaught of the humdrum dayto-day, coming down on us like a fistful of nails, week after week, month after month, year after year and decade after decade. We don’t know when it’s all going to come crashing down around us like the ruinous foundation of some derelict structure, but when it does, and it’s a question of when not if, we won’t be ready, and that’s okay.

We, as a group of students and as a collection of humanity, have a duty to make the best of life, regardless of how much it smacks us around and tugs at our morality. Life is to be lived, not to be endured.

It’s important to remember how sweet the smallest trifle can be. We can always broaden the scale later, but for now let’s lounge in contentment. Think about an idyllic stroll through some boot-beaten path in the brush, bugs and bats chirping about you while the dying sun smiles faintly at your back. Or what about the smouldering urban pavement amidst a cavalcade of concrete towers? Is this what defines happiness? The slow breath of an old oak? The clink-clank of ice cubes dancing in a metal cup? Maybe. Maybe.

There are many beautiful things in our path, which is why we must work to preserve such a walkway of the living. We must. We must if we wish to go on enjoying life as we have thus far.

The first step to progression is to find yourself; and no, we’re not talking about that namaste, yoga DVD crap either-- we’re talking about finding yourself, through yourself. Express-- exude! Melt down the metal mask pushed into your palms by the cult of suburbia, take a sledge to your picket fence, say “screw the weeds” and let ‘em grow.

Before you attend your next cocktail mixer in the community hub, filed up side-by-side with a legion of nameless others, these soldiers of pointless monotony, cut your teeth on the world from the fit of someone else’s jeans. Maybe point out to these self-proclaimed socialites that they need to tip their waiters and cabbies, that they need to find some culture outside of the local yacht club and step 10 feet out of Campus Martius to realize not everyone’s like them, and that it’s hard pull yourself up by the bootstraps when you don’t have any boots.

At the same time, it’s not enough to just rail on the people of the Pointes for obliviousness, oh no, for criticism without didactics is useless. To preserve our shared walkway, we must teach those who do not un-

derstand the plight of the citizens of the globe. Teach them through experience and observation; step outside of your circles and into the casting streetlights of some dense, urban jungle; festering with poverty and slathered with gentrification. Digest the hardships that brew beyond the gold-lettered signs hanging across the border at Jefferson.

Be worldly; care about the world-- our world, your world-- and its boundaries which go much further.

There are endless cultures twisting in on each other like the roots of some venerable Methuselah, worming through the soils of identity and society, all plagued with the rot of contemporary ignorance. Ignorance which we need to overcome in order to move forward as a people who all breathe the same air, share the same chemicals and stare wondering at the same craterous moon.

Let’s take a moment to step barefoot over the rush of waves dividing our continental string from the rest of the world. Let’s drift over ancient hills and under weary bridges; dig our toes into the cool sands of a pale Algerian beach, stride beneath the winding arches of a Moroccan palace. We should let the scrub of the savannah brush against our heels while the Arc de Triomphe stares down at us from above. Let us run a hand along the crumbling, foregone walls of Toledo and let us taste the full-bodied grapes as we marvel at the stock of an Italian vineyard. After, we can roll on past the towering basilicas of Istanbul and the pride of the Red Square in Moscow. We can marvel at the wonders of Damascus, while the gravelly voice of Mongolia echoes in the distance. There’s nothing stopping us from coasting through Ha Long Bay, or melting in the neon pools of light in Hong Kong city.

Wonderful, is it not?

It’s unfortunate none of us will ever live to see it all, but it can give us an appreciation for scope, and the shared experience of human consciousness. Yet in our envy and agitation at our finite limitations we must not become ignorant; we should cast aside our nationalist tendencies and purge isolation from our hearts and minds, so as not to become corrupted by malice and misfortune. While some are satisfied by the immediacies of living, you must not be. You, along with any who bear a soul ingrained with the love of culture and diversity, must be the one who notices society, particularly American society and its denizens, have enough freedom to realize they are locked in a cage, but not enough freedom to escape it. The key has been lost long ago, eaten by the gibbering, fascistic oozes of a stubborn legacy of nationalism and imperialistic pride, so we need to break the bars, and we need to work armin-arm to do so, to free our fellow citizens of the world from confinement.

Just like I can become lost in thoughts of the world, I can also become lost in the words of some labyrinthian column of words, so if you’ve made it this far, good on you. I have nothing to offer you besides a grain of knowledge in the all-encompassing sandstorm that carries us from our first heartbeat to our last breath; from embers to ash.

Try to take something from my quixotic musings and philosophical blatherings, just try.

And, my friend, as a final piece of parting advice, if you’re ever lost, just remember: you aren’t ready for life, you never will be, and that’s okay.

Senior reflects on mediocre past four years CLAIRE HUBBELL ’17 PAGE EDITOR

At this very moment, I’m sitting in my dining room.

For the past 15 minutes, I’ve been trying to see how many blueberries I can stack on top of each other at once on the table. So far, I haven’t gotten my tower higher than four blueberries at a time.

Though I’m fully aware this is meant to be a senior column about my high school experience, my motivation to actually write about something not dumb continues to elude me. The truth is, I just returned from my last ever high school lacrosse game. We lost 10-17. It was pretty embarrassing considering the fact that the stands were packed with excited fans that we all let down.

Just kidding. The only people there to let down were the ten moms and dads who showed up out of parental obligation. We’re all pretty used to letting our parents down anyway, me especially, so I guess losing was just another disappointment to add to the books. I wish I could say a score like that stings, but anyone that follows the Tower Pulse Twitter account knows we’ve seen much darker times.

That’s not the point, though. I don’t want to be the kid that writes about high school athletics in their senior column. I’m just trying to give a background for my more-acute-than-usual lack of motivation. Also just trying to rack up my word count, so I can get at least one A+ this quarter.

Anyway, I’m not really sure what to write about. I tossed around a few ideas earlier today, but then I fell asleep. Coincidentally, while I was sleeping, I was supposed to be checking on the dinner cooking in the oven while my mom was out. When I saw that chicken pot pie after an hour and a half in the oven, all I thought was ‘I haven’t seen burns that crisp since my spring break trip to Mexico!’

Just kidding, I didn’t think that. I went to Iceland for spring break, as one does.

Pretty sure I actually got reverse sunburns while I was there, my skin was probably going from white to whiter.

What I was really thinking when I peered down at my charred black dinner was, ‘Real idiot move there, Claire.’

I think this a lot.

Though I’d like to offer some unsolicited high schooler advice to any of my peers reading this,

CLASS OF 2017

4

Unforgettable moments

CLASS with unforgettable OF people 2017

ARIANA CHENGGES ’17 Pulse Editor-in-Chief

Here I am watching Mean Girls for the millionth time as I try to put off writing my senior column. But, what else is new. Some could describe this time as depressing, but for me it just means moving onto the next chapter of my life. Cliche? Thought so. But so is reflecting on the best memories with the best group of friends anyone could ask for. Sure, that may not be original, but it is definitely the one thing I will never leave behind after graduating.

It feels like just yesterday we all met, not ever knowing how inseparable we would be over the next four years of high school. The times I shared with them, whether it involves early morning breakfasts at Mimi’s or screaming at each other to figure out where to get food from is what I will miss the most. The five hour car rides

up north and the Applebee’s stops will also never be forgotten.

Yes, our lives pretty much revolves around food, but if it didn’t we would all be hangry disasters.

The endless amounts of boat rides while jumping from tube to tube and almost killing ourselves will also never be forgotten. The nights where we would call our “spots” on the couch up north while watching a movie we picked out at Blockbuster and running in the back of the store will always be something I laugh at.

The ups and downs we have all been through involving stress, drama or frustration, we all pulled through to help one another out. The countless hours of talking about the most random things possible and never running out of topics is what has kept us all so close. Sometimes putting that one worksheet aside that is due tomorrow to help each other out could turn our day upside.

Thank you guys for always being there and motivating me and everyone else to accomplish their goals.

With the most amazing times of our lives, it has almost come to an end, and I couldn’t thank a better group of people to cherish this moment with.

Hopefully you won’t forget my story telling and how I can make a five minute story into a 30 minute story!

For those of you who are still reading this, and I give you credit because this is kind of boring, take advantage of the opportunities that high school gives you and don’t take any second for granted. Thank your family,

I feel like that’s a freedom I just don’t have. I’m too much of an idiot to be able to simply dole out good, helpful tips. Also, I feel like there’s not really any advice to give.

High school was a very mediocre experience for me, in all honesty. I don’t have much to say about my time here. Sometimes my classes were hard, sometimes they were fun, but most of the time they were just incredibly boring. That’s not to say my teachers were bad, I just wasn’t interested in any of the subjects I studied. However, I did learn a few useful tools, like how to murder someone and get away with it in forensics class and the Spanish language in Profe’s classes (which I consequently unlearned in Seis Secreto). However, most of my time at South was spent being a complete moron.

These past four years, I’ve excelled in the paper airplane, paper football and cootie catcher markets. I’ve mastered the trickery of weaving ones earphones through their shirt sleeve while resting your head on your hand to achieve ideal incognito Spotify listening. I’ve even learned the unique trade of making the most obtuse lists the world has ever seen. Once, I spent almost an entire AP Biology unit making a list casting South teachers as characters from “The Office”. I had a great time making that character lineup, but I had an even better time when I opened my notebook the night before the test and realized that was the only thing I had written down. Yet another wise, smart-person move I commit on a daily basis: continually seizing every opportunity to sabotage my personal success.

Another shining example of this is how I’m writing this column the day after it was due.

Hopefully I’ve rambled on for long enough to have the points I’ll get for the length of my story to counterbalance the points I’ll have deducted for turning it in late. In the wise words of my fellow staffer, Olivia Sheffer, “PEMDAS that s***, it all cancels out!”

Anyway, that’s my story. People told me they had high expectations for this column because they think I’m funny, but here I am yet again disappointing my numerous fans. I’m not totally confident that this column had any purpose whatsoever, so to give it some substance, I’ll wrap up with some uninvited advice just like I said I wouldn’t do.

If you truly want to make these four lackluster years of your life a pinch better than the rest, here are a few pieces of my sage wisdom: One, Times New Roman wins games but Calibri wins championships. Two, only morons (me) get first semester S-Lot passes. Three, don’t step on the cockroaches that riddle the hallways. And four, always remember there’s no shame in doing the bare minimum.

Well, I’m going to get back to stacking blueberries now. In the back of my mind, going five-high is all I’ve really been focusing for the past 25 odd minutes it took for me to type out this column. I genuinely hope I can accomplish this noble feat, but if my life and this column have taught me anything, I probably won’t.

MY VIEW

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

Thanking the people who gave me everything

MY VIEW

The top five things Juniors should know

MADELEINE GLASSER ’17

LILY KUBEK ’17

COPY EDITOR

I love a lot of stuff. I love my dog, Harry Styles, chocolate, The Office and shopping.

But above all of those things, I love my parents. Over the past four years, there have been no two people who cared about me more than Troy and Sarah. I cannot thank them enough, but I’m going to try.

To my mom, One time I bought a fast pass with your credit card for Cedar Point without telling you, and even though you should have slapped me, you didn’t. That’s $60 you’re never gonna get back. But in all seriousness, you have never denied me anything that I’ve wanted, whether it be a new homecoming dress or skipping physics for the 800th time. During my 18 years on Earth, you’ve taught me how to be politically aware, accepting, headstrong and most importantly, how to handle road rage. When I would come home raging about school, you would listen, and that’s cool. And in these freaky times with this wacky president, I can’t explain how lucky I am to have a mom who makes me read the news, because being informed on current affairs is probably the most important thing right now.

Thanks for being in public education. You taught me to never lower my standards in school, and you made sure I always appreciated my teachers, even if we didn’t agree on everything. When I could come visit you at work, it was really cool being able to watch you teach, making sure that no student felt left behind, you embraced their intelligence and you engaged with all of them, and I hope some of that ability to understand rubbed off on me.

I’m so happy that I get to follow in your footsteps next year at Michigan. I couldn’t have gotten in without you. Remember that even though I’ll be away next year, you can still have packages shipped to Ann Arbor.

To my dad, Troy. You always made me face my fears and push the boundaries, and without that I wouldn’t be half the person that I am today. From riding roller coasters to trying new sports, you kind of got a son (sorry, William). I know I’m not “golden,” but I hope I’m at least close?

Thanks for teaching me how to put worms on a fish hook, how to swim and most importantly, taking us to the Flora Cafe for the best food in Gaylord.

Without you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to apply to college, because I think we both know that I wasn’t totally focused during the presentation, but those are the perks of being the daughter of a Grosse Pointe South High School employee. During the past eighteen years, you practically forced me to understand the value of a dollar, and hopefully I’ll be an expert saver next year.

I do have unlimited swipes at the dining hall next year, so come visit and I can try to pay you back for all the lunch money I’ve gotten from your office over these four years. I’ve learned more from you than I have from anyone else, unfortunately the word count is cutting me short….

It’s no Lincoln, Nebraska, but Ann Arbor will have to do.

The past four years have been great and I know the next four will be even better. I’m so lucky to have the parents that I do, I would be nowhere without them. I’m also really going to miss my dog.

5

CLASS OF 2017

COPY EDITOR

To all students who will be seniors next year; this is a letter to you. A list of five important things to remember going into your senior year.

Make it count.

1. Still try in school.

It’s senior year, we get it. Senioritis is a real thing, but so is the importance of good grades.

Many colleges request your first semester transcript from your senior year make sure you’ve been keeping up in school, or even use it as a deciding factor for acceptance. Don’t completely bomb in all your classes because your senioritis got the best of you. Try your best to rally through this last year because the payoff will be worth it.

2. Don’t worry about your applications after you send them in.

This summer is going to be stressful. You have to decide where you want to apply, write all the dreaded essays for the Common App and additional required essays for nearly every school. After your work is done in the fall, and every applications status is ‘sent’, stop worrying about it. Forget you even sent the applications. All you can do is wait to hear ‘accepted’, ‘denied’ or ‘waitlisted’ for a couple months. Don’t let the fear of rejection keep you from enjoying your senior year. All your hard work will pay off, and even if your school of choice doesn’t work out, it may be your second choice that brings you the most success.

3. Go to all sports games.

Your senior year is hands down the best time to go to games because you finally gain access to student-section. The first couple rows are filled with the kids you’ve gone to school with since first grade. Don’t miss out on big North vs South games because you’re tired or it’s not your scene. There, we all come together to support our sports teams; cheering on the sidelines with friends and people you’ve grown up with. These games are the last ways to remember of your time at South.

4. Take a lot of pictures.

You will want to look back at your senior year and remember the time you shared with your friends and classmates. From spirit week and homecoming to prom and graduation, these memories should be captured and documented forever. Try to take a couple photos every weekend, remember the littlest times you spent with your people.

5. Hang out with new people.

You’ve already spent three years, and maybe more, with the same group of friends. Don’t forget these friendships, because these people are your best friends, but find new people to hang out with too. Explore new friend groups and expose yourself to possibly awkward social situations, because you may find you really liked these other people. It’s important to remember you don’t have another school year after this to find time to hang out with new people. Don’t put it off. You’re leaving for college next summer and next year will be the last time you will ever be in the same place with these people. Ever.

South harbored a supportive four years to explore my academic interests before I leave for college. Thank you to all the teachers, administrators, family and friends who helped me get to where I am today. Good luck to all my fellow classmates as we enter our next chapter in our lives.

The slopes of life will be challenging but you must roll with it WILLIAM MUAWAD ’17 STAFF WRITER

Since the first day of my freshman year at South, so many things about me have changed: my height, my age, my weight, my favorite food and my friends. But there is one thing that has not changed, and that is my passion for skiing. Ever since third grade when my mom first took my sisters and me up north to Boyne Highlands to learn to ski, I have been hooked. From the first fall, to a blackout concussion, to going out to the Rocky Mountains almost every year, I have done a lot in my skiing lifetime.

Skiing has taught me a lot of things, like my love for winter, snow and adventure, a new language (all of the shredder lingo),

and I have made many friends because of it.

One experience really helped me grow as a person and learn how to handle myself away from home. In June of 2015 and 2016, I went to Momentum Ski Camp in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. It is a summer ski camp, which doesn’t make any sense to most people, but there is, in fact, still snow on the mountain in the middle of June. The camp takes place in Whistler, which held some of the events for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

Momentum is a skiing camp centered on aerial or trick skiing, the kind of skiing that you see in the Winter X games, where the athletes are flipping and spinning in the air.

The first time I went to Momentum, I went all by myself, not knowing anyone else going.

This was the first time that I ever flew by myself, which was intimidating to me because it is almost a six hour flight to Vancouver. It was also the first time I left the country since I was really young, and the first time I spent two weeks away from my family.

Before I left home, I was worried about how I would fit in at the camp. I was anxious about not knowing anyone there and trying to make friends.

During this trip, I not only got better at skiing, but I was also doing so many things for the first time and learning what to do along the way.

As it turned out I had another surprise moment of growing up on the second to last day I was there. I went off a jump and landed awkwardly on my hand, breaking a bone. I then had to be driven down the hill by ski patrol and taken to an Urgent Care near the mountain.

Here I was with a broken hand, in an Urgent Care, and a six hour flight away from my family.

Luckily I had a great doctor to fix me up and put a cast on my arm and give me a sling to help ease the swelling.

This situation helped to teach me how to just relax and realize that everything is going to be alright. There is no need to freak out and worry about something that is out of your control, you just gotta go with it and enjoy it. I have applied this to school at South and life so many times, like not worrying about a test I thought I bombed. It is what it is, no point in stressing yourself out about it.

It also taught me to remember to not be afraid in uncomfortable situations and not to be afraid to try something new, to put yourself in in situation that feels overwhelming. Go for the adventure and thrill.

High school is about being successful and improving in school, but it’s also about making memories that you will remember forever. I will never forget my amazing trip to Momentum and all of the things I learned and did for the first time.

Stage four Senioritis has lead to making life long memories CAMERON FRANCIS ’17

BUSINESS MANAGER

CLASS OF 2017

How does a senior suffering from stage four senioritis even manage to sit still behind a computer screen and attempt to make words of his final feelings? This won’t be easy, considering graduation is the only medically proven cure for senioritis. But a lot has happened in the last four years; there must be something to write about.

Grosse Pointe South is an odd place. So many people dread it here, but they don’t hesitate to take pride in showing off their school. Do you even go to Grosse Pointe South if you’ve never taken a picture of the clock tower or Googled the building for someone else to see? It’s been a true love-hate relationship.

However, the countdown to graduation is a countdown to the end of that relationship.

It’s hard to appreciate the little things when you’re a student with a brain full of books. But, because I “haven’t cracked a book open in four months,” everything seems more clear. This last semester, especially in the last few weeks, has been remarkably

different. School and studying have taken a backseat to friendships and memories. I’ve been able to notice and enjoy everything unique about living in this town and going to this school.

Instead of studying, I was making memories. I was fishing on the lake. I was hitting the links. I was playing basketball at the “hoopside court.” I was carpooling to and from school.

I was wearing “shmediums” for other people’s amusement. I was taking a week in Mexico, finding my alter ego. I was going downtown, to the most compact sports city in the country. I was totaling cars and spending the night in the hospital. I was going up north and leveling every dead tree along the uphill “trail.” I was getting together with friends to study, but without any actual intentions of studying.

Everyone says you never know what’ll happen after graduation. They’re wrong, though, because there’s graduation parties after graduation. But it’s a toss up after that. Some of us will return to this one of a kind town, others won’t. Regardless of what happens, I’m thankful to have been a part of the Grosse Pointe South High School Class of 2017.

MY VIEW

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

MY VIEW

Senior writes letter to her family

OLIVIA SHEFFER ‘17

ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER

Since most of my high school career has been based around the basic idea of procrastination, I thought it would only be appropriate to procrastinate my senior column as well. Since my parents have been my biggest support system throughout these four years of pure torture, I decided to dedicate this article to them.

Dear Mom and Dad, thank you for being the realest.

First off, I would formally like to thank both of you for always calling me out of school when I asked you to. I always pretended like it was a life or death situation where I was either on the verge of death or failing a class when in reality, I just wanted a quality mid-day nap, or to buy some extra time before I took a test I realistically did not study for even with the extra day.

Mom, thank you for always believing in me, for coming to all of my volleyball games even

though my position was riding the bench, and pretending to act surprised when I didn’t make the team the following year. Around the age of four or five, I also had a big dream to start my career as a pop singer early, and you were the only backup dancer to ever show up to practice since Dad was always too late by being in the other room on the couch. Also, thank you for always calling me out of my afternoon classes this year when I asked you, well, at least until I capped my absences.

Dad, thank you for giving me lunch money since you were always too lazy to pack my lunch, and transferring money to my bank account when my balance got down to less than a dollar. Also, thank you for always pulling through when Mom would not call me out and keeping it our secret, well, until now, at least. Having the same sense of humor as you is convenient since you understand me when no one else does. You are a pretty cool guy, I must admit it, aside from your slide-on Sketchers, but I get it, comfort is more important than style, to you, at least. I also immensely respect you for coincidentally planning trips around the time of Homecoming and Prom every single year so you would conveniently not be present for any of my meltdowns while getting ready.

While I’m here, I would also like to give a special shout out to my beloved dog, Louie. To all of my teachers who wondered how I somehow managed to not get an assignment done when given plenty of time in advance to complete it, you can thank my dog for always being my main distraction. I apologize (kind of), but he would be so sad if I didn’t play with him.

Also Mom, let’s hope that they let me walk at graduation because you have put so much effort into my graduation party.

Participation is the key to high school

6

Reflection on rhinoplasty

CLASS OF 2017

SYDNEY STANN ‘17 STAFF WRITER

In the summer of 2015, I got a nose job.

Yep, I said it. I, Sydney Stann, had rhinoplasty at the age of sixteen.

You may or may not have read my informative feature on plastic surgery a couple months ago. But I had talked about both cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries performed on teenagers and why it’s taboo to talk about them. For everyone out there who discredited my story, because my sources were all anonymous, I just wanted to let you know it’s true, teenagers in Grosse Pointe do, in fact, go under the knife.

Now, I am not writing my senior column to merely admit to my procedure, but to be the voice of everyone who has gone through plastic surgery or something similar and is too afraid to.

I have grown up in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, where everyone judges each other on appearances rather than personality. And let me tell you, it is exhausting, and it is also part of the reason I decided to go to a school 351 miles away.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for my friends who have always been there for me, for my teachers who have taught me lessons not always found in a textbook and for my family who has provided me endless support. But I know that there is more to life than what is inside this “bubble” I call home.

I used to be shy. I used to do things because everyone else did them. I used to care about what other people thought of me. But honestly, why should people care if I have had rhinoplasty or not. Why do other people care?

If there is one takeaway from my column, I hope that it would be to be do what makes you happy. To do them with no regrets, no shame, and for no one other than yourself. And if you’re still reading this, I hope you get out. I hope you travel because Grosse Pointe will always be here, but the opportunity to experience the world may not be.

Senior writes letter to his high school friend group THOMAS SINE ‘17 STAFF WRITER

JOHN ROMA ’17 STAFF WRITER

CLASS OF 2017

I did a lot in high school. I was on the lacrosse team, a member of Student Council, Link Crew and many more clubs.

I attended possibly every sporting event I was able to go to and participated in many school events, which included my historic second place finish in the Mr. Blue Devil competition. Looking back at the last four years, I wouldn’t change a thing.

As much of a shock as it comes to some of you readers out there, I was not the best student when it came down to my school work. The horrible procrastinator I am, I felt the need to do everything but my school work.

When I joined the lacrosse team in the spring of freshman year, I had no clue what to expect. Having never picked up a stick and not knowing any of the guys all too well, I only played because I didn’t believe I would make the golf team. After that first season, I liked it so much that I forgot all about golf and played lacrosse for the next four years.

After playing what could possibly be my last lacrosse game ever, I looked back on my career and realized that given the opportunity, I would play over and over again for Grosse Pointe South because those guys became like a second family to me.

Being a member of the Tower has had its ups and downs for me. The story

deadlines and tedious activities the Tower requires has always given me trouble. I never fail to have a fun time in third hour with all of the Tower kids sitting at the big table. Tower has brought me new friendships that would have never happened if not for third hour every day.

I’ve always said that grades are not most important, and even though I may be wrong in the eyes of a lot of people, I stand by it. I was always the guy to say, “Instead of studying for this big test, let’s go play a quick nine holes or do something that’s actually fun.” I’ve been doing it for four years. One piece of advice that I would give to anyone either coming into high school, going to college or starting something new in general, would be to get involved. You find out so many things such as what you like, what you don’t like and even what kind of a person you want to be.

Lastly, I have to shout out the people who made high school great. So thanks to the 7 a.m. meetings in Mrs. Roebuck’s room with the frat corner and the Class of 2017 Student Council. Thank you to all the lacrosse brothers for the 8 to 10 Friday night practices that made the team.

Thanks to my boys for literally always being down to do anything and never having a dull moment from the last four years.

It’s been the best time of my life and I am so excited to see what is yet to come from us.

I would like to give a formal farewell to all the boys in the squad: Will, Bojo, Morgan, TJ, Chris, Evan, Cam, Jacob and Ryan. We are all going to different colleges all over the U.S., so here’s my personal and meaningful goodbye, boys.

I will start with Will.

You have been one of my close friends since middle school, and we’ve been really close since eighth grade. Will, I’m going to the middle of nowhere for college and you’re going to be a Husker. You are easily the most sensitive person in our group and for that I thank you for taking all of our crap.

Now Nicholas Bojo, I do not think that I have called you by your first name since I met you at the academy in preschool. You are always down for a surf sesh and I appreciate you DDing all the time. Nick, you’re going to be a Boilermaker next year, and I will definitely be visiting you.

Morgan, I met you freshman year and you already had a full beard so I just am going to assume that you were born fully bearded. Along with that comment, Morgan is the hairiest person that I have ever met in my entire life. I will be praying for you next year at ‘Bama.

As for TJ, I have known you my entire life and I probably know you better than anyone else, which comes with its positives and negatives. You’re traveling across half the country to go to Boulder. TJ, you will always be my buddy that is down to go on a random camping trip to Isle Royale in the middle of Lake Superior and I will never forget that.

Well Chris, I really do not know where to start with you, but I can use your senior quote: “I died once”. Thankfully, you’re still here. I will visit you up at State if you’re still alive. You were really quiet and always had the boys over to play box and that is much appreciated. You’re going to GVSU. Cool.

Cam, I met you sophomore year and you were always fun to be around and I will never forget the intense games of badminton in your backyard. Out of this entire group, you are the only one going to Michigan and you are undoubtedly the smartest person out of our group and I wish you the best.

Jacob, I met you either eighth grade or freshman year but, along with Chris, you are definitely the most reckless in the group and that is a good thing. You’re also one of the funniest people I know. You are going to Western to row the boat and I definitely plan on visiting you.

Lastly Ryan, I’ve known you since middle school and we have been tight ever since we made the ghillie suit sculptures in Mrs. Rose’s art class. We share a bunch of memories, I’m looking for an invite up to State.

I definitely will miss all of you and I hope we all stay tight throughout the next few years as we go our separate ways and enter college.

MY VIEW

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

7

What I learned at South beyond math, science and english EMMA RUSSELL ’17 STAFF WRITER

I’m loved, supported, and have created an amazing world for myself. Within all that was something I’ve been fighting-- depression.

With depression, I was without sight, locked in a dark room.

What I found was, with a lack of sight, comes an enhancement in your other four senses. So, instead of sulking, or accepting the cards I’ve been dealt, I decided to find what made me feel okay. I did not do this all on my own, like I mentioned before, I have love, support and an amazing world I created; I just needed to dig a little bit to feel, hear, smell and taste it.

Surprisingly enough, school has made itself to be a wonderful resource. I may be one of the only students who actually enjoyed school to some extent. From plunging into the arts to running cross country to some pretty awesome teachers, it all kept me busy and distracted from the other issues I faced.

Running cross country became a passion freshmen year and from then on, I never wanted to give it up. It wasn’t just running, it was the team, it was the environment the coaches and every girl there created. As every meet or practice came to a close, a single moment occurred almost every time. When the last person would run into the finish line, every member of every team was there. Every parent, every coach, every sibling, every pet, all watching, cheering, urging the last girl to finish as strong as she possibly could. In that moment, I’d take a couple seconds to soak it all in. To inhale this feeling I never wanted to forget. It was support, love. Everyone sets aside all of their thoughts and feelings to help this one, single girl finish. No matter the situation at hand, we all seem to be able to come together in this moment. And that is why I have an endless love for the South girls Cross Country team. That is where I continuously felt the best throughout high school, surrounded by the many beautiful and kind faces. So, thank you cross country for being an amazing team and letting me feel supported and loved. Also, thank you Stephen Zaranek for always throwing a joke or two

my way, you never failed to make me smile.

Another enjoyable part of school was English teacher, Nicholas Provenzano. Provenzano was my teacher for freshman and sophomore year, and since then hasn’t been able to get rid of me. No matter what story I am telling him, whether it be funny or some ridiculous complaint, he always listens and he always has advice. But, he doesn’t just give me advice or laugh at my stories with me, he helped guide me to be my best self.

Provenzano would host local TedX Events and he would give his students and others within the school a chance to audition and participate, if chosen. My sophomore year, I was picked!

After creating, practicing, and giving a TedTalk, I saw myself work to my full potential, I saw myself be awesome. Without even knowing it, that was something I needed. If there is one thing I learned from Provenzano, after the loads of advice and coaching on the speech, I can achieve anything I set my mind to. So, thank you Mr. P, for always encouraging my smile.

The arts. I want to thank my photography teacher, Kit Aro, for being the person who taught me to see. She has taught me the ability to spot the elements and principles of design and from there, see and understand the bigger meaning behind the simple click of a button. I hadn’t noticed my growth until I was truly engulfed in my own work; I had to bring up an important topic, but also give my own opinion on it. How do you do that?

How do you talk about a problem in a photo, but also teach people how you think it should be handled?

The elements and principles.

By playing with line and movement and shape and color, I produced a picture or multiple pictures that provoked thought.

They upheld a meaningful concept, and, with that, I realized I have a voice, even when I’m not actually speaking. Ms. Aro showed me I have a voice, Ms. Aro showed me how to see. I became aware of the power I had from what I thought was easy, or a simple skill. For the first time in a long time, I was proud of being me. Thank you Ms. Aro for being that guide and pushing me to do the best that I can.

CLASS OF 2017

I learned from school to push myself, to be the best version of me, because the benefits are impeccable. My four years of high school were hard and long, and a lot of the time not that enjoyable. But, as I reach the end, all I can say for it is, thank you.

Thank you for the amazing teachers I learned from, thank you for the clubs and sports I was allowed to lose myself in, thank you for being my escape, even though I may have dreaded you, occasionally. I’ve grown, my four other senses are heightened, my sight is renewed, and I am okay.

Senior slams school system for not having importance

Senior athlete emulates his time at South with a bit of humor

STAFF WRITER

JACK FROLEICH ’17

CHARLIE DENISON ’17

So here’s the deal. I don’t really go above and beyond for anything in school, so this is probably going to be short. This year has been a bit of a breeze considering all I have to do is sit in class and not fall asleep.

I’ve had many teachers at South, some of them have been chill, but most of them make me angry on a daily basis. I don’t really see why I have to take half the classes I am currently taking.

Right now, I’m in pre-calc, and my teacher likes to say that ‘You’re going to need to know this if you are going to major in engineering or business,’ and I think to myself, ‘I’m not going to so why am I here?’

90 percent of what I have learned in school have since left my brain and will probably never return.

I took an AP Psych class first semester of this year and did pretty well in terms of my grade. Then I tried to help one of my friends with their regular psych homework a couple weeks ago and it was basically gibberish, so that’s a whole lot of time wasted.

That’s not a diss on the teacher, who was great, that’s a diss on the system that gives teachers such a short amount of time to cram information into your brain. Don’t even get me started on Latin.

I took that class for three years and got mostly A’s. The problem is that the only thing I can currently translate is Carpe Diem and I learned that from watching Dead Poet’s Society in American Literature. I also don’t get why I can’t call myself out of school.

I’m 18 years old, so that means I can join the military, vote and drop out of school, but I have to make my parents call me in If I want to skip math. So that’s about it, I’m done now.

STAFF WRITER

I’m going to make this short because I don’t have a lot of time to talk. I love sports, hip slash hop music and wearing the same shoes for around three months.

Sports have been one of my passions growing up and I brought that to Tower during my three years on staff. I was not in control of any leadership positions on Tower, but I’d say that if it wasn’t for my presence on staff, then I wouldn’t know the path of this print. Being a playby-play announcer for the football team brought Tower to the attention of many people.

Playing baseball and football during high school were some of the best moments of my life.

Being able to show up to the field everyday with my friends and playing the game we love are memories I won’t forget.

The friendships I made throughout these four years at South will be carried with me for the rest of my life. Although I will not be attending college with any of my current

friends from Grosse Pointe, I plan on taking the memories I share with me.

As for the rest of what I have to say is somewhere else because I’m rushing this so I don’t get in trouble. If you cringed during this then I’m sorry and don’t feel the need to talk about it with your friends.

I wish I knew high school wasn’t all about grades and sleepless nights MARY GRACE O’SHEA ’17 STAFF WRITER

I recently decided that the majority of senior year was far worse than junior year. I am sorry, juniors.

Applying to college, still worrying about your current school, planning events like prom and being asked about five million times where you are going to college and what you are going to study when, in reality, you have no idea, is not necessarily pleasant.

As stressful as this year was, it flew by just as fast as everyone said it would. I look at pictures from October and they actually feel like they were taken yesterday. It’s weird, but it’s good. I have grown this year alone more than I have over the past four.

What I wish is that I knew four years ago what I know now. I wish I was not so consumed in the importance of receiving ridiculous grades, being involved in everything and finishing hours of homework daily. When I look back, I realize there are so many times I could have just skipped doing that extra worksheet, spent more time with my friends and family and maybe, just maybe, slept for once. If you know me, you know that sleep these past years has not been an important enough part of my life and wow, I regret that.

CLASS OF 2017

High school can drain you. There are far too many pressures on students that no one should ever have to experience. There are the typical pressures everyone hears about: test scores, high GPA’s, being involved in clubs and sports and doing well in it all, of course. However, there are so many situations that bring judgement that I, along with many others, have experienced: how you look, how you dress, what you do with your time, your political and religious beliefs and endless other things. What I want is for future students not to be so consumed in these thoughts, but realize sooner than I did that, in the long run, they don’t matter. Sure, you need good grades and a good ACT score, but you can only do your best. That’s cliche, but it is true.

Some advice for freshmen or any student: 1. Just be nice to everyone. Life is so much easier when you don’t have anyone to be mean to.

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, but don’t let them ruin the peace for everyone else’s sake.

2. Who cares what you look like or wear? There is that sign in some teachers’ classrooms that says something like, “30 years from now, it won’t matter what jeans you wore or how your hair looked. What will matter is what you learned and how you use it.” Again, cliche but true. Not even in 30 years, but in 24 hours, no one will remember or care that you wore Crocs to school the day before. Chances are they probably don’t even care the day of.

3. Use your phone less while doing homework. I think everyone knows what a phone does at home during study time.

4. Sleep. Please, just sleep.

5. Appreciate your time, your school, your family, your friends and your life. There isn’t enough time to waste. It will all be over and you’ll be happy, but just love everything you have while you have it.

SENIOR COLUMNS

6.2.17

MY VIEW

A farewell to the ‘boi swaggs’

MY VIEW| MICHAEL FRENCH STAFF WRITER Before I talk about each of my close friends, I would like to let people know the story behind the “boi swaggs.”

It was summertime before my eighth grade year and Instagram was just starting to get big.

So I made an account, when it asked what I wanted my username to be, I really had nothing. I wanted to do something that was a little flashy, but something that wasn’t cringe-worthy.

The name came to me when I was playing basketball on Oliver Livingston’s court, and every time I got the ball, his brother Reggie would yell, “French Boi Swag, shoot!” so I went with it.

I know there are many theories floating around South about where the name originated, but this is fact. This was the start of the “boi swaggs” at Grosse Pointe South. These nine guys have been by my side since I first stepped into South.

Adam Cervone (Cervy, 7): Our friendship started the summer before my ninth grade year.

You were a kid that looked like I could get along with, but could never really crack. We started talking in Mrs. Bubeck’s eighth grade math class. Our friendship really took off when he joined the South hockey team. You can always make me laugh with your little phrases, such as, “Banging Bongos, keep it kid, bag it.” I refer to Adam as ‘7’ because that was his number in hockey... and I freaking love Tim Riggins. We’ve had so many memories together.

Chris Elliott (Elliott’s Butterflies, Chrissy): Our relationship is kind of a roller coaster. We went to the GP Academy for elementary school and were as tight as can be. I would go over to your house and play Halo for hours. Our friendship kind of faded away when you switched to St. Paul and I went to Kerby, but we reconnected playing lacrosse in the seventh grade. From then on, we have been boys. You’re kind of a schemer. You were never really reliable for rides at lunch and have a sick sense of humor. But this year’s lunches will be toward the top of the list. Next year, you will be in Chicago, only three hours from me, so we will live it up.

Mac Welsher (Welsh, Dirty Robby): Our friendship has been the longest. You were good

at hockey when we were little, this sparked an immense friendship. When we were young, we would sit in my basement for hours watching the Ninja Turtles. You always had my back.

When I switched schools to Kerby in fifth grade, it was super uncomfortable, but you welcomed me into your group of friends. You are the most confident person I have ever met.

You’re planning on playing in the United States Hockey League next year and I’m sure you have a bright career ahead of of you. My personal favorite memory was Larkin Jersey Night, at Addison Enders’ house. A close second would be your dad hiding me in the trunk of his car. I am so fortunate to have had the pleasure of being close with you. Good luck next year, Welsh, you are going to kill it. I’ll be up to visit when the Lions play at Lambeau.

Kevin McShane ’17 (Shaner, Shane, Combover): Before I even begin reminiscing about my times with you, I just want to let you know, you are the oddest human of all time. Everything you do is so funny while it happens, then after you think, “wow.” I was introduced to you

by Jay Ulbrich and Jack Brooks, when I began playing lacrosse. My first encounter with you was kind of strange. You had the blondest hair I had ever seen and these big ol’ buck teeth. The only thing that came to mind was the name “Kevin McCallister” from Home Alone. As our friendship developed, I realized how downto-earth and calm he is. As we became more comfortable with each other. From doing bear crawls to playing “poopball?” our friendship is as strong as ever. You will be going to Michigan next year to study biochemistry. You are a great kid with a huge heart and I know you’ll do great. Keep being yourself, and don’t miss me too much, I’ll be up for the Michigan vs. Michigan State game.

Jay Ulbrich (Peter the Ginger, Master Bedroom, The Trash Man): Our friendship began when I switched over to Kerby. I was the new kid on campus and the only kid I knew was Welsher. I still remember walking into the cafeteria behind Mac on my first day and met Jack Brooks and you. You had bright orange hair and were wearing a bright orange and white striped shirt. I was thrown off by your appearance but then we became friends. We have been playing lacrosse together for years now. I will remember making you laugh and I often try to because you don’t just chuckle or smile. It’s either you die of laughter or don’t laugh at all.

You are the strongest of my friends. I have never seen a kid get so pumped up about everything and you have the most adrenaline I have ever seen. We have some absurd memories. You just cannot make me stop laughing. The Trash Man? We’ve been best friends since fifth grade,

8

CLASS OF 2017

and I’m grateful for the memories that we have school memories this year. shared. You and Cervy are going to kill it next John “Teddy” Schooff (T-Monyear at MSU, and don’t forget that just because ey, Ted): To be completely honest, I the master bedroom is the most comfortable, really have no idea when we got sutwins work well too. per close. You are the golf prodigy Michael Lesha ’17 (Lesh, Head Guy): Our that went to St. Paul and didn’t play lacrosse. friendship began when we started playing la- You were introduced to us around the time crosse. When I began spending time with you, high school was starting and I still remember I realized how much we had in common. The the first time I saw you and I thought, “Wow, thing that I quickly learned is that you are al- that has to be as skinny as a human can possiways there for everyone and have a heart the bly be.” We have a lot in common, but the one size of a basketball. From eighth grade on, we thing we really could get deep with is talking were inseparable. This may have been due to about family problems. We have had very simthe fact that we both live out in Grosse Pointe ilar things happen within our families, and I Woods, far from everyone else at South. To this was fortunate to always have someone to talk day, we still drive to school together. We have to about it. Though we talk, we have plenty of some great memories. From chilling outside funny times and jokes. How about up north Sniezek’s house to our routine every day after at Colin’s house? That was for sure a highlight. school sophomore year, these times will for Liggetts Prom? That was super lit. Even though sure be missed. We will be roommates next year you don’t know what you’re doing yet next year, at Miami University and I hope you are ready. know you’re gonna kill it in whatever it is you Jack Brooks ’17 (Brooksie, The Brooks Fin- do. ish): Brooksie was also one of the three other The thing with the “boi swaggs” is that there “boi swaggs” I went to Kerby with. You are the is no odd man out. The remarkable thing about bada** of our group. You’ve been a die-hard our group is that everyone is so different in so hunter since the day I met you and are known many ways, but we found away to take the best for your beard. Honestly, I would not be sur- traits from each person and create a bond that prised if you came out of the womb with a full all 10 of us were fortunate to have. Whenever we beard. One of the first memories is going to are all together, there is never a dull moment.

Springhill with you and my brother. We were You guys made my high school career unforgetclose before the week brought us closer. Your table, and I can not thank each and everyone of sense of humor is one that will not be forgot- you enough. All of you guys have a very special ten, including your performance in the fashion place in my heart, and I will always reminisce show. It’s been an honor knowing you since fifth about the unforgettable times we had. Next year grade. Good luck at Dayton and know that our sure is going to be weird without you boys, but dorms are only 45 minutes from each other. come Christmas time, GP isn’t going to know Oliver Livingston ’17 (Vler, Vegan Man): I what to do when the boys come back to town. had to think a little before typing this on when Thanks for the ride boys. our friendship began. We have known each Much Love, other since Little League baseball or seeing each Michael French (French, MF09) other at the City Park. Our friendship took off when I moved a couple doors down from you and we started walking to Brownell together. We’ve been tight ever since and when we starting hanging out, I noticed two things.

One, you hate school. Two, you don’t speak often. But you always manage to feel uncomfortable in every situation. You change the volume on everything up two notches, then down four, then up one, etc.

You can play every sport well. To this day, when we go out golfing, you have to give me two strokes a hole, and you still win. Going up north has definitely been some of THE BROS|French ’17 and his friends pose our best times together. The phrase together before Prom. They call themselves “Vler Weekend” has played a huge ‘Boi Swaggs’ part of all the “boi swaggs” high

Summer’s blooming at Eastern Market with a flower celebration JACQUI MERCIER ‘19 | Staff Writer Russell street was shut down and packed with Metro Detroiters this past Sunday, May 21 in honor of Eastern Market’s annual Flower Day celebration.

According to Eastern Market’s official Facebook page, Flower Day has been an annual tradition on the Sunday following Mother’s Day since 1967.

“My favorite part about Flower Day is meeting all the people from different places and just interacting with people,” Andreas Perez, flower seller, said.

Despite the rainy weather this year, many dedicated Detroiters still attended the annual celebration from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.

“People still come here rain or shine, and I think that’s really good,” Roman D’ambrosio, worker at Beyond Juice in Eastern Market, said. “It shows you how much people really invest their time into the city, into Detroit and into Eastern Market.”

According to their website, Eastern Market partnered with the Metropolitan Detroit Flower Growers Association for Flower Day (MDFGA). MDFGA has members from Michigan, Ontario and other neighboring states, and together share 15 acres of flowers. Members attended Flower Day to help out and share their favorite flower care strategies at the event.

“I like the energy of Flower Day because people aren’t just coming here to buy something, they’re coming here to hang out, and it’s really more of an event than just coming here to buy something,” Erin Ivers, Worker at Beyond Juice and South alum, said.

GETTIN’ FLORAL| Crowds gather in metro Detroit for Eastern Market’s annual Flower Day. Many people celebrate downtown for almost the entire day, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FLOWER POWER| Vivid

flowers brighten the streets at Flower Day. Those from the MDFGA share some of their strategies for taking care of flowers.

CLASS OF 2017

GO GREEN| Vendors stock displays full

of a variety of plants and flowers. Eastern Market’s website said the MDFGA brings a variety of flowers from Michigan, Ontario and neighboring states.

SETTING UP AND SELLING OUT| Vendors set up shop and sell an abundance of flowers, fruit, etc.. Eastern Market’s website reccomends that shoppers arrive early to get the best selection.

MY VIEW

9.28.16

FEATURE

9

Women in

STEM

and how South has granted new opportunities this year

many women in my classes,” Martin said. “That might make my MADELEINE GLASSER ‘17 | Copy Editor classes a bit more intimidating at first, but I think I’ll be able to According to the US Department of Commerce, women make up adjust.” nearly half of the workforce but less than a quarter of Science, TechLike Bonahoom, Martin said that her love of mathematics and nology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs. But that number science classes made her decide to pursue engineering. is on the rise.

“I’ve always had an interest in math and science, and I like how Madison Bonahoom ‘17 is planning to attend the University of there are so many applications in the field of engineering,” Martin Michigan’s school of engineering, the fifth best engineering school in said. the country, according to US News.

Taking these advanced science and math courses made the risky “I am hoping to pursue Chemical Engineering, but I also have application process to Michigan a lot easier, according to Bonahoom. interest in Aerospace Engineering,” Bonahoom said. “It all depends “My junior year of high school was when engineering started to on what happens when I actually enter the program, but that is my seem like the right choice,” Bonahoom said. “I was in AP Chem, and plan for right now.” although I had to work really hard in it, I felt like it was something Part of the appeal to STEM careers is the minimal wage gap. The I could pursue. U of M was a particularly big risk. I have no regrets US Department of Commerce said that women in STEM jobs earn about taking that risk, looking back 33 percent more than women in other on it.” fields. The higher average salary also Like both Bonahoom and Martin, makes STEM jobs more desirable, chemistry teacher Jessica Wieseler according to Bonahoom. The averThere are so many opportunities decided that she wanted to pursue a age salary for a woman in a STEM out there for STEM related careers, STEM career when she took interest in job is $30 dollars, according to the her science and math classes growing US Department of Commerce, while many of them needing more women. up. women in other careers make around “When I got into high school, I $20 dollars. was very interested in chemistry and Bonahoom also likes that engiJESSICA WIESELER decided that is what I would major in,” neering jobs will provide her with the Science Teacher Wieseler said. “My major in college opportunity to help people. was chemistry, so I took chemistry and “I personally want to work with the other science classes. I also took teaching courses to get a secondary FDA. Ideally, I would test prescription drugs for effectiveness and education teaching certificate.” safe levels of certain potentially harmful chemicals,” Bonahoom said.

Even though women are less common than men in STEM careers, That feels like a rewarding job, because it uses your degree to help it shouldn’t scare girls out of pursuing it, according to Wieseler. people who could otherwise be put at risk.”

“There are so many opportunities out there for STEM related While there is a gender gap in STEM jobs, schools like Michigan careers, many of them needing more women,” Wieseler said. “I have have programs and clubs that bring women engineers together. met some incredible women in my science and math classes and “I have had learning communities like WISE (Women in Science career.” and Engineering) reach out to me to join,” Bonahoom said. “There While engineering can be demanding, both Martin and Bonaare also countless scholarships available for women going into scihoom are excited for what the future holds, especially at the Universience.”

Abby Martin ‘17 is also planning to attend the University of Mich- ty of Michigan.

“Michigan has one of the best engineering programs in the counigan for engineering as well for environmental engineering. She has try, and having the big M next to your name on a job application also applied to WISE. definitely carries some weight,” Bonahoom said. “It doesn’t give you Martin recognizes that she may be outnumbered by men in her jobs automatically, but the program opens you up to internships, classes, but she’s still looking forward to the next four years. study-abroad programs and networking opportunities to make the “I think at first, it might take some getting used to not having career hunt easier.”

Science opportunities at South GRAPHICs BY GRIFFIN JONES ’18

CLUBS Astronomy Club Biology Club Makerspace Programming Club Robotics Solar Car Club CLASSES AP Biology AP Physics AP Chemistry Forensics Organic Chemistry Astronomy

Leaving a Legacy:

South art student leaves her mark

PHOEBE MIRIANI ‘18 | Staff Writer What made you want to enter your artwork for the legacy project?

I’ve always wanted a mural in South and I’ve always looked up to the people who have made them in our hallways. I think they’re a beautiful representation of who people are and make a lasting impact on the lives of other students.

What is your project and what’s the reason for it?

My project is two visuals with a mirror in the middle. The goal is to stimulate the thoughts of people walking under it everyday and ask them what they want from their life.

How long did the process take?

The process is really just beginning, I have just been approved so now I am going to buy stuff for the construction this week.

The paintings and installation should be done before June 14.

What inspired you to make this piece of art?

This piece of art kind of just happened. It is a culmination of things I have been thinking about recently as I move

PHOTO BY MARGOT BAER ’18

to graduate from South. I wonder if I had known where I was going when I started high school what I would’ve done, and I wonder how much of my life I really have left. This piece, to me, just represents these thoughts.

How long have you had an interest in art?

I have always been interested in art as I tend to be a scatterbrained person and it helps me relieve that.

When I was younger, it was just fun, but now I notice when I don’t spend a lot of time making art I get easily stressed and overwhelmed. As far as a career, I wouldn’t want to go into art really. To me, this is a passion and an outlet I have, so making it into a chore as a job would probably ruin that for me. Art is how I use my voice and making art to suit other people’s needs has never really appealed to me.

Is it something you want to pursue? Who has influenced you the most?

My mom is an artist as well, so she has influenced me with accessibility to materials and has perpetuated my love for it.

Famous artists that have influenced me range all over the place, depending on my mood or specific pieces that spark my interest. Really, though, I feel my art is more centered around letting out my thoughts.

HONORROLL ACADEMICS

6.2.17

10

A look at all the seniors graduating with above a 4.0 cumulative GPA

Erykah Benson

Madison Bonahoom

Jack Burgoyne

Charles Calcaterra

v

Elaine Aro

v

Joshua Adams

Elizabeth Day

Audrey Doherty

Gabi Gigante

Anthony Kolesky

Kamryn Leonard

Kurt Huebner

Frances MacKethan

Philipp Huettemann

v

Alexander Kalmar

Mary Claire Hubbell

v

Adrian Iafrate

Lauren Hunwick

Zoe Evans

Kaitlin Malley

Noelle Shaheen

Abbey Schuetze

Mary Shepard

Grace Monette

Halle Mogk

Katherine Shrader

William Muawad

v

Abigail Reid

Kevin McShane

v

Madeleine Paolucci

Hailey McDonald

Madeline Thompson

Elizabeth Trost

Ethan Utley

Kathleen Vern

Patrick Willard

Hallie Williams

Claire Yeamans

SPORTS

411

9.6.16 6.2.17

SOUTH’S COLLEGIATE ATHLETES See where South’s finest athletes plan on continuing their education and athletic careers

AIDAN COMES: Albion College Brittons Football (D3)

ADAM PITTERS: Bowling Green Falcons Hockey (D1)

HANK WILSON: Adrian College Bulldogs Basketball (D3)

CHARLES CORNILLIE: Tufts University Rowing (D3)

BRAD TOMPSON: Adrian College Bulldogs Baseball (D3) NATHAN LAWRENCE: Albion College Brittons Football (D3)

LOGAN MICO: Defiance College Yellow Jackets Football & Baseball (D3)

ALEX HUGHES: University of Michigan Wolverines Swimming (D1)

PATRICK NAUERT: United States Airforce Academy Falcons Football (D1)

LEXI KOHUT: Appalachian State Mountaineers Volleyball (D1) JAMEY DALLEY: Albion College Brittons Lacrosse (D3)

CARSON DENNIS: Wellesley College Field Hockey & Lacrosse (D3)

ANDREW SHARP: Miami of Ohio Redhawks Football (D1)

ZANE DRAPER: Aquinas College Basketball (NAIA)

GRACE GULYAS: University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Rowing (D1)

MATTHEW ABAR: University of Georgetown Bulldogs Rowing (D1)

DAVID TOTH: Hillsdale College Chargers Baseball (D2)

MADELINE PAOLUCCI: Case Western Reserve University Tennis (D3)

OWEN CLEXTON: Beloit College Buccaneers Football (D3) All logos from the Creative Commons

Tight schedules keeps student athletes awake, on their toes ABI DUE ‘18 | Social Media Coordinator It’s 11 p.m. and Patrick Nauert ’17 is finally getting home after one of his normal days during the school year. Instead of starting his homework that late, he goes straight to bed, because even then, he’ll only get around five hours of sleep.

Nauert has been a triple sport athlete at South since freshman year, but this year he participated in four sports: football, wrestling, powerlifting and track and field.

The biggest challenge Nauert faced was trying to balance the amount of sleep he was getting each night, he said.

“Wrestling season is probably the most difficult because football season, I’m not training as intensely, I’m getting around five hours of sleep every night, so I have an intense couple of months,” Nauert said.

Kal Nardone ’18 played three sports for his first time this year and it will not be his last.

“I’ve always done a fall and spring sport, but this is my first year doing a winter sport. My buddies convinced me to wrestle and I ended up loving it and having a great time,” Nardone said.

Nardone said that when choosing to participate in three sports, it’s important to make sure you have a manageable school schedule.

“If you’re taking four AP’s and honors too, maybe you shouldn’t play three sports and take a season off to focus on grades and make sure you’re not going to bomb all your classes,” Nardone said.

Although students can struggle with balancing family, extracurriculars and school, Troy Glasser, South counselor, is agrees with both Nauert and Nardone.

“I was a three sport athlete, and research supports when kids are busy and performing in an extracurricular activity-- whether it’s a sport or instrument-- they perform better in school,” Glasser said.

Not only are sports a great source of exercise and fun, but they

teach students a lot of important life lessons too, Glasser said.

“Sports should be a venue to build and reveal character to learn more about you and how you communicate, how to be a team player, how to work hard and how to be disciplined,” Glasser said.

Instead of high schoolers solely surrounding their lives with one sport, Glasser believes students should have fun with a few sports, he said.

“Everyone gets caught up in specializing, but less than one percent of kids actually end up receiving an athletic scholarship,” Glasser said.

The problem most students end up having though is they start to overextend themselves. Students should give the best effort they can to evaluate and prioritize, putting family and their health first, then school and then the sports, Glasser said.

6.2.17

FEATURE

12

Scholarships offer aid to students

IAN DEWEY ‘18 | Staff Writer words or less, it shouldn’t take you that long, and you could possibly In the wake of rising university tuition prices and costs, taking get $1500 for it.” advantage of scholarship opportunities have become more important In addition to miscellaneous scholarships and other types offered than ever. Even if you’re a freshman, it is never too early to consider and through more independent organizations, scholarships are also apply for scholarships and to evaluate how your present performance awarded from the university itself, according to Naporano. will affect applications for scholarships.

“Once you know where you’re going to go to school, and you’ve Scholarships aren’t just completed your application and have been accepted, scholarships, though. According It shouldn’t take you that long, then you can get academic scholarships,” Naporano to College Resource Center Head “For things like a good GPA, good ACT scores, and you could possibly get $1500 said.

Elizabeth Naporano, there are two all of that stuff.” different types of scholarships.

According to Naporano, anyone can apply for ELIZABETH NAPARANO “There’s merit scholarships, which scholarships; not just upperclassmen. are based on your performance,” College Resource Center Head “There are tons and tons of scholarships that Naporano said. “And then there’s freshmen, sophomores and juniors can complete,” need based, which means it’s a financial need.”

Naporano said. “It doesn’t just have to be for seniors.”

According to Naporano, Naviance is the best resource for applying Finding scholarships through Naviance is rather simple. for scholarships. Some scholarships take more effort than others to “Just go on Naviance, click on each one, see if it’s something that meet the requirements of than others. interests you, it might not apply to you, you might not be eligible for “On Naviance, you can look for several different kinds (of a certain scholarship,” Naporano said. “But just go line by line, click scholarships),” Naporano said. “On there, there are ‘no-brainers,’ ones them and see if that’s something of interest.” that don’t take very long to complete; you write a little something, 250

Fears of Freshman year

Transitioning from South to college

GRAPHIC BY KATHLEEN CARROL ’19

ERICA FOSSEE ‘19 | Managing Web Editor According to a YouthTruth Student Survey, 55% of students feel unprepared for college. Grosse Pointe South graduates who recently finished their first year in college, as well as future graduates, have advice for incoming freshman.

“I feel mostly prepared, but I constantly feel like I’m forgetting something or that I’m going to mess something up,” Claire Duncan ‘17 said.

According to Duncan, she takes the advice from college students seriously since they are actually living it.

“I would definitely suggest studying a lot more for your classes. Don’t expect to not study and still pull off an A,” Lindsay Rabaut, John Carroll University student said.

Ally Maiuri learned the importance of balancing classes and knowing what workload you can handle at Georgia Southern University.

“The whole point of college is to get an education. Be ready to put in the work,” Michael Rose, University of Michigan student, said.

Despite this, Rose regrets spending too much time studying for classes instead of going out and meeting people.

“In the first semester when everyone is out meeting people, make sure you get out into that scene because that is when you really learn who you will want to get to know and who you are fine being just acquainted with,” Rose said.

Maiuri feared being far away from home and not knowing anyone.

“Everyone ended up being really nice and was just as nervous about making friends. It works out really well once you find people you get along with,” Maiuri said.

According to Rose, he was initially not excited to be going to a school with so many other kids from South.

“It turned out really nice to have people around me that I already knew,” Rose said, “I casually hung out with a lot with people I knew from South for the first month or so of college, and people I wasn’t very close with during high school who also went to Michigan were really friendly which was nice too.”

Rabaut was surprised at how fast she became friends with people.

“My biggest fear was that I was going to end up hating my roommate by the end of the year,” Rabaut said.

However, Rabaut did not end up hating her roommate because she also made sure to spend time alone.

“My favorite part about freshman year was all the people I became friends with and being able to try new things in a new environment,” Maiuri said.

It was surprisingly easy to adjust to the new environment, according to Maiuri, and she quickly learned her way around.

Students should walk around the campus before classes start, according to Maiuri.

“Find the buildings your classes are going to be in.

That way you can map out your day,” Maiuri said.

The number of students unprepared to live on their own surprised Rose.

Students should get out of their comfort zones, said Maiuri.

“Your freshman year is what you make of it.

You’ll only enjoy it if you push yourself out of your comfort zone,” Maiuri said.

Rabaut agrees that students should get involved and take advantage of all college has to offer.

“Freshman year is a roller coaster, you’re nervous at the start, but after that initial drop, you have a great time. By the end (of the year), you want to do it again,” Rabaut said.

GRAPHIC BY RILEY LYNCH ’18

Stars of South: Teachers who add joy to the day at South IAN DEWEY ‘18 | Staff Writer At South, there are several amazing courses one can take. From art classes, to music, academia and home economics, there is a variety of subjects offered in each field. Of course, when one thinks of “fun” classes they should take, rarely do academic courses come to mind.

Yet, with the right teacher, these classes can be even more appealing than the aforementioned elective courses.

AP United States History with Mr. Cooper This is a personal favorite of mine-and for good reason. American History teacher James Cooper’s class is engaging, entertaining and interesting in general. The perspective Cooper gives on our nation’s rich history is sure to leave a student with a newfound respect for the traditions of America. “(We cover) the holistic view of American history and how we cover everything culturally, socially, politically and economically,” Cooper said. “We also cover the entire spectrum of it, so I think (American History) creates more of an understanding of the past and how it affects the present.”

According to Cooper, AP US History does more than prepare a student for the AP exam; it allows a student to further understand our past, as well as develop other skills.

“We do a lot of learning how to write,” Cooper said. “I think writing is a major skill for college, and it will help (students). I think the writing component of the AP US is pretty solid for a college-bound kid.”

As for what makes the class so great, Cooper believes it is the combination of an engaging approach to the subject material and a casual

approach to the class in general.

“American History in itself has a lot of intricate and controversial subjects, that we talk about, which I think creates a high level of interest,” Cooper said. “But I also think that student participation and our casual approach to it during the regular hour makes it kind of fun.”

AP United States History is an elective social studies class offered mostly to sophomores and juniors, although seniors are able to take it as well.

AP Economics with Mr. Cayo When I walked into this one, I honestly didn’t expect too much.

Economics, aptly named the “dismal science”, has been frequently pegged as a rather dry subject. However, Economics & Accounting teacher Bill Cayo offers an especially unique insight into the subject.

“There’s lots of reasons to take (AP Economics),” Cayo said. “I’d say economics in general is something everyone is affected by, so I think having the economics course is critical...and, it’s just interesting material.”

According to Cayo, his favorite thing about teaching the class is the student body that makes up its participation.

“I really love my connection with the students,” Cayo said. “I get wonderful students who are engaging and fun to be with, and it’s a journey, where we can learn and have fun at the same time.”

AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics are elective social studies classes offered to upperclassmen.

Despite being a mandatory class, Regular Physics with Matthew McGuire was one of my best experiences at this school. His use of demonstrations and plethora of jokes never fails to make this class interesting.

According to McGuire, learning physics is important for its immediately applicable knowledge about how the universe generally works.

“You actually learn about stuff that you actually see everyday,” McGuire said. “It is relevant, talking about how your cell phones work, how you can make them work more efficiently; and that’s obviously the most important thing in everybody’s life these days.”

And although McGuire recommends that students take both Chemistry and Physics, he believes that taking Physics rather than Chemistry is a better option for the less scientifically inclined.

“If you’re going to make the choice between either one,and maybe if you’re not a big science person, or if science has always scared you a little bit, and I’m not knocking chemistry at all, but you can’t see the atoms interacting with one another,” McGuire said. “With physics, you can see a stick and a bowling ball actually interacting with each other. So if abstract stuff is a bit more difficult for you, maybe physics would be better for you.”

Physics is a required class, unless one opts to take Chemistry instead. It is offered to upperclassmen.

Keep in mind that when signing up for classes that personal strengths, weaknesses and interests should be accounted for. These were my favorite classes, due both the subject material and personal interests.

Physics with Mr. McGuire

o h, n e PHOTOS BY IAN DEWEY ’18

FEATURE

6.2.17

13

Moving on to serve: Connor Brannagan Tower sat down with the Marine hopeful and asked him what it means to him to join the armed forces

A: Q: A: Q: A:

Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q:

What inspired you to enlist?

I love America and have wanted to serve the country since I have been a little kid.

How and where will you be training? How long does it last? Where is it?

I’ll Ship to boot camp June 6. The camp will either be in North Carolina or California. Bootcamp is twelve weeks of discipline and training.

What branch of the armed forces do you plan on going into and why did you choose that specific one?

I’m going into the Marines. I chose this branch for not only its prestige, but for the pride that comes with being a member of the few and proud.

What influenced you to also go to school and serve at the same time?

By going to school and being in the Marines at the same time I am able to become an officer, which offers more possibilities in the Corps than a regular enlisted position.

How long do you have to enlist for? How long do you plan to serve for?

Depending on the scholarship I receive, I will serve in between six and eight years. The minimum would be four years.

What are your feelings like not being able to attend graduation?

Being completely honest, going to graduation doesn't really bother me. I’ll be off doing something bigger than myself, which is much more important.

Brannagan is a senior this year who plans to serve in the armed forces for the United States. He has played varsity football for two years and varsity lacrosse for three, along with maintaining strong grades. Connor is attending college at Miami University, but is also enlisted at the same time.

Advice from the class of 2017 MY VIEW MADELINE GALSSER ’17 Staff Writer

ALWAYS bring hand sanitizer to school. Think of all the things you touch during the day, now imagine touching your food with that. If you just apply a little bit throughout the day, you’ll feel much cleaner.

1

We asked South Seniors ‘what tips they have for the underclassmen?’

KAITLIN NEMEH ‘18 | Staff Writer

2

Challenge yourself. Colleges would rather see a 3.7 with AP and Honors classes than a 4.0 in all regular. If you can take a few difficult classes, it’ll look so much better on an application, and it’s satisfying to complete a challenging course.

3 4

Join clubs that you want to join.

Even though some clubs might look great on an application, if you participate in activities that you really enjoy, it won’t be a chore to do and you’ll work harder in it, because you’re having a good time.

DREW AGLEY

Make time for yourself. School is hard, there’s no doubt about that, so every now and then, take a break from studying and homework to do something you love, and reward yourself when you do something well. If you get an A on a hard test, get some Starbucks, buy that shirt you wanted! You have to separate the hard from the fun, or else it’ll feel like you’re drowning.

Become friends with your teachers, and try not to procrastinate.

CHARLIE YOO

Save the money that you make. Set aside a few dollars every week, and by the time you want something really big, you’ll have the money for it. Don’t waste your money on Starbucks every day or on buying a lunch all the time. If you have something to show for all of your hard work, it’ll feel really good.

Remember it’s only four years.

There’s a goal, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but also, you gotta make the journey fun.

5 Find a small hobby. Whether it be reading or painting your nails, having something small that you like to do really helps to break up the day. Knowing that you can come home after a long day of school to an activity that you love can make the day so much better.

6

7 8

Have fun. While you’re in school, it might seem like it sucks, but make the best of it. Remember that there are always people around you who love and care about you. Go out with your friends, or stay in and watch a movie.

Whatever makes you happy, do it.

Pay attention in class. You have to be in school regardless, so you might as well listen to your teachers. Plus, if you focus in class, you won’t be playing catch-up while doing your homework.

ROWAN THOM Please do not express any form of PDA, everyone will hate you.

DAVID SILVERMAN

9

Try to get a job. If you make your own money, everything you buy will be so much better, because you’ve earned it. Plus, it gets old asking your parents for money every time you want to go out.

There is absolutely no point in taking honors classes whatsoever.

MAKE YOUR MARK.

6.2.17

MICHIGAN ALBION COLLEGE Aidan Comes Jameson Daley Nathan Lawrence

ADRIAN COLLEGE Bradford Thompson Henry Wilson

AQUINAS COLLEGE Brooke Cornillie Zane Draper

BAKER COLLEGE Taylor Laney

CALVIN COLLEGE Kate Mollison Anthony Swanson

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Grace Pellegrino Olivia Sheffer

COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES Amanda Christian Shannon Horan Gabrielle Miller

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Lillian Pellerito Aurin Schacht

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY Pierson Manikas

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Brennan Buszka Charles Calcaterra Chris Cassidy Erica Chown Hadley Clemens Kayla Conlan Skye Keith Robert Koerber Jack Liagre Brooke Martin Ian Murphy Erin Ptashnik Katherine Satterfield Cameron Schultz Evan Sutherland Joey Veneri Liam Walz Leah Wilson

HILLSDALE COLLEGE David Toth

HOPE COLLEGE Emily Dodge Emma Edwards Kjersti Oberle Katherine Trost

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE Fiona Costello

KETTERING UNIVERSITY Brien Dawson Scott Leising

MACOMB COMMUNITY COLLEGE Evelyn Brady Maya Harlan Dylan Hill Caleb Marion

COLLEGE

14

Corbett O’Meara Jane Partsalimis Randal Reno RaeAnne Woodman

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Noah Adams Drew Agley Anthony Attard Jack Austin Ushoshi Azad Nathan Barbish Noah Bellovich Erykah Benson Alex Black Marius Bochis Emily Brackney Jacob Brauer Courtney Calcaterra Sabrina Carr Adam Cervone Logan Cholody Antonina Cinnamond Virgina Cinnamond Rachel Dearing Charles Denison Maria Dessinger Bridget Donaldson John Drew Claire Duncan Jack Ecclestone Addison Enders Lillian Fannon Maximilian Finazzo Brian Flaherty Jack Flynn Megan Fordon Julia Gough Kendall Graczyk Hadley Griffin Adam Hafner Daniel Hessburg Jack Holme Ruth Impastato Christopher Kolomjec Ryan Kotas Steven Kretzschmer Lily Kubek Katie Kuhr Liesel Lagrou Kamryn Leonard Oliver Livingston Hannah Lynch Dominique Maes Lauren Marshall Alexander Martinez Robert MArtinez Ian McCord Haley McDonald Shannon McKenna Conner McQueen Alexander McWood Courtney Mestdagh Megan Michaels Noah Morris Abby Ottenhoff David Pashke Lea Perkins Allie Peruski Odette Peters Alexa Petropoulos Theodore Pinder John Ray Jonathan Rogowski Jack Roma Dawson Sales John Sanocki John Schooff Noelle Shaheen Sarah Shankie Calle Shannon Caryn Shannon Sarah Simmet Conor Srebernak Taylor Stanton Emerson Stidham Imani Sugick John Sullivan Alexander Szura Rowan Thom Peter Ulbrich Dante Valente Cassie Valice

Catie VandenBrink John Verlinden Eve Voci Andrea Vortriede Connor Wood Frank Yenchick Zaria Aiken

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Patrick Willard Claire Yeamans

Elizabeth Esmacher Kelley Graham-McNeil Michael Knust

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANDEARBORN

NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

Andrew Bosau Charles Griffin

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY Julia Ansell Claire Yonkus

SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Bridget Driscoll

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY Stephen Malbouef Anna Mellos Grace Monette

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Jacob Applegate Najila Boatwright Shayla Boatwright Madison Bonahoom Luke Bove Jack Burgoyne Jack Campau Gabriella Cascio Elizabeth Day Audrey Doherty Zoe Evans Catherine Fennessey Emma Foy Cameron Francis Andrew Galsterer Will George Gabi Gigante Madeleine Glasser Gillian Graham Hadley Hermon Marie High Claire Hubbell Phillip Huettemann Alexandra Hughes Lauren Hunwick Cinderella Ksebati Lucy Loch Frances Mackethan Abby Martin Kevin McShane Lauren Michels William Muawad Jacob Orhan Riley Parrish Rachel Price Abigail Reid Samuel Ronning Jared Schenk Abbey Schuetze Kara Semanision Katherine Shrader Maddie Thompson Rozzie Vern

Christian Marinescu

Victoria Beacham Matthew Belote Lucas Benz Louis Brady Payton Brandt Joseph Calhoun Emilija Covintree Salvatore Cracchiolo Noah Davey Jakob Filmore Darien Floyd Paige Green Calista Jankowski Noah Johnson Jamie Keogh Madelyn Kidder Lauren Mellos Reanna Raymond Timothy Riley Mikayla Samy Charlotte Shea Robert Suchyta Carter Toranes Mira Zaranek

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Maria Betanzos Aaron Blondell Nick Bsharah Robert Burton Dillan Finger Carmen Peck Mary Petz Meghan Richardson Lindsay Rogers Meghan Ryzewski Jacob Yezback

OHIO

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY Ellen Post

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Madeliene Paolucci

CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY Corinne Chadwell

COLLEGE OF WOOSTER Jillian Kouayara Brendan Linn Iyla O’Connor

DEFIANCE COLLEGE Logan Mico

MIAMI UNIVERSITY Carmella Bate Patrick Bourke Connor Brannagan Caroline Calcaterra Katie Carene Graeme Carlyle Michael French Alexandra Gormely Mackenzie Harrell Katherine Knapp Michael Lesha McKenna McGraw Halle Mogk Angelo Pendolino Andrew Sharp Charlie Yoo

UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Seth Adams Jack Brooks Gillian Eliot Alexandra Estes Jack Jordan Julia Lundell Aubrey Mathews Ashley Nihem Grace Scott Cole Teranes

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO Michael Braker

WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY John Uznis

XAVIER UNIVERSITY Maria Troscinski

INDIANA EARLHAM COLLEGE Michael Grady

INDIANA UNIVERSITY John Doerer Nicholas Etsios John Hensien Adrian Iafrate Liam Kavanaugh Sydney Stann Stephanie Vermet

PURDUE UNIVERSITY NIcholas Bojarczyk

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME Grace Guylas Ethan Utley

15 feature // 6

COLLEGE

6.2.17 Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015

Here’s where South seniors are headed

FLORIDA

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Ava Majoros

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA Samuel Rivard

TEXAS

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Alexander Kalmar

WESTERN TEXAS COLLEGE Sayanna Roy

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Abigail Bermudez

COLORADO NEBRASKA

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA Joshua Adam Will Kay

TENNESSEE BELMONT UNIVERSITY Mary Reinman Calyx Turco

ILLINOIS

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY Emma Russell

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY Margret Reilly

LAKE FOREST COLLEGE Christopher Elliott

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO Elizabeth Baratta Genevieve Boyle Ariana Chengges Charlie Francis Kelly Gleason Hallie Williams

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Anthony Kolesky

WISCONSIN BELOIT COLLEGE Owen Clexton

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY Caroline Seski

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINMADISON Michael Walsh

MINNESOTA

VIRGINIA

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY Payton Murray

WASHINGTON D.C. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Emilia Turrisi

VERMONT CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE Ethan Reeside

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT Thomas Sine

NEW MARYLAND JERSEY RIDER UNIVERSITY JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Mary Shepard

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY Phillip Gatbonton

Jerome Manning

NEW YORK COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Kathryn Williamson

MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON COLLEGE Kaitlin Malley

COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS Mary Grace O’Shea

KENTUCKY

TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Jack Froelich Daniel Kuhnlein Daniel Van Hove

Emma Andreasen

Matthew Abar

MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Sara Crader

PENNSYLVANIA

Elaine Aro

Charles Cornillie

WELLESLEY COLLEGE Carson Dennis

CORNELL UNIVERSITY Kurt Huebner

ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE Olivia Doherty

THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA Sarah Nurullah

UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY Jackson Webster

KANSAS

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Will Buhl

NORTH CAROLINA Lexi Kohut

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

DAVIDSON COLLEGE David Scupholm

DUKE UNIVERSITY Kathleen Vern

HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY Jeff Buhl Howard Crane Marshall Ferrara

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Markus Minanov

SOUTH CAROLINA CLEMSON UNIVERSITY Kaitlin McBride Parker Rieth

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA John Koukios Mary Sullivan

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA-BEAUFORT Michael Lanzon

MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI Ricky Berg Aria Franek

ALABAMA

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA Morgan Clevenger

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY MaryKate Kreisler Jarrod Seitz

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY Patrick Nauer

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER Ty Clutterbluck Anton Mikolowski Maddy Monahan

ARIZONA ARIZONA UNIVERSITY Grady Eger

CALIFORNIA SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE Évangéline Faussié

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIASANTA BARBARA Missy Millenbach

INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Kiriel Beall

UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO Caliyah McColl

HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE Joshua Penman

MILITARY UNITED STATES NAVY Daniel Lewis David Silverman

OTHER PLANS Zachary Boulahanis Gabrielle Cuffie Lanie Fitzpatrick Devin Naidow Adam Pitters Brittany Soulliere Robert Welsher

PHOTO BY ERICA FOSSE ’19 INFO COURTESY OF JACK HOLME ’17

FEATURE

16

6.2.17

Taking a road less traveled

Zachary Boulahanis ’17 decides on a unique route for his future plans SYLVIA HODGES ‘19 | Copy Editor hile many South students are off to college in the fall, one senior will be taking a different route.

Zachary Boulahanis ’17 has made the decision to not attend college next year and instead plans to pursue a career in baking.

“I am going to work for a year,” Boulahanis said. “I want to work in a bakery during that time.”

Boulahanis made this decision with help from his parents.

“My family and friends support me all the way,” Boulahanis said. “They helped me by explaining to me how work can be fun if you enjoy what you are doing.”

Kathleen McCarthy, Boulahanis’ “There are a lot of other experiences supports the decision her son is makthat kids can do to better prepare ing. themselves for college.”

“It’s the best decision for Zachary at this time. Zachary has some special needs that are not conducive to a strucTROY GLASSER tured college setting at this time. As he School Counselor grows and matures, that may or may

W

perspective or sometimes it could be financial,” Glasser said. “There are a lot of other experiences that kids can do to better prepare themselves for college.”

Glasser said many students need to get some cement underneath their feet before they go and journey into their own college experience.

“They might do what they call a gap year and there are a lot of programs out there that allow experiences for kids who are kind of unsure,” Glasser said.

FUTURE CHEF | Senior Zachary Boulahanis stands in In Boulahanis’ case, he will the foods room to prepare for his future career in spend a year working in a bakery PHOTO BY SYLVIA HODGES ’19 and then attend Schoolcraft Col- baking. lege.

“I plan to own a bakery at some point,” Boulahanis said.

McCarthy said she is certain her son will thrive in a hands-on, apprentice-type environment.

“Zachary possesses incredible kindness, honesty and loyalty,” McCarthy said. “As a result ,he will be a significant asset to any employer seeking a hardworking young man.”

According to Boulahanis, he believes this is the right choice for him since he needs to understand the working experience.

“I can’t wait for what this year has in store for me,” Boulahanis said.

not change,” McCarthy said. “Either way, provided Zachary is working to help support himself and applies himself at home and in the community, he is meeting his and our expectations.”

According to McCarthy, Boulahanis wishes to pursue further education as a chef.

“Until he is ready for that challenge, he is expected to begin work, hopefully in a bakery setting, where he can begin to learn the process of his intended trade,” McCarthy said.

South counselor Troy Glasser said there are several benefits of not attending college right away, but for the most part, those reasons depend on the individual.

“Some of the main reasons could be they’re not emotionally ready, they’re not ready from an educational

PLANNING THE PERFECT GRAD PARTY Now that the school year is coming to end and all the seniors have nothing more to look forward to like senior spring break, prom, and senior skip day, the graduation party MAC WELSHER ‘17 planning begins.

STAFF WRITER The first step to organizing any grad party is to find a location for it.

Multiple grad parties that I attended over the past few years have happened at the person’s house or at near by location that can fit a lot of people if your house isn’t big enough.

Another key step that happens early in the process is finding the perfect date that is most convenient for you most importantly, and your closest friends so they all can attend. Most all grad parties happen throughout June and the beginning of July, so picking a date around those times is best. Also, the time of day matters along with the date because you don’t want your grad party on a day if it is raining outside. Rarely will a grad party happen in the morning, so plan intelligently, with any time between 12-9 PM. T+he next step would be who to invite. Obviously, everyone is not going to be able to go, so if it doesn’t matter for you on a limit for how many you can invite, the best option would be to invite everyone that you think

of, even if you know they won’t come. This is a good strategy going into the invitation process because it shows everyone that you are thinking of them. If there is a cap of people to your party, then I would just invite your core group of friends that you bonded with in high school and a few others but not enough to go overboard.

Next-- is what happens within the party itself is when people start showing up. People are usually there to socialize and show their appreciation to you as you have graduated high school, but activities, food and photos are a big deal during grad parties to have your friends and adults enjoy their time at the party. A lot of popular yard games, for example, are cornhole, ladder golf, kan-jam, spikeball and horse shoe. The food that is involved is always best catered from a restaurant. It’s a little pricy, but better do that then cook food for hundreds of people. The best restaurants to cater from are Andiamos, Chipotle, Slows, and many other restaurants locally. Other little activities to add during your grad party are a lot of pictures of you and your friends, from when you were a kid all the way up until high school. Those invited tend to be drawn toward looking at all the pictures of yourself growing up.

These ideas for a graduation party are quick and easy, but at the end of the day, it is all up to you in how you want your only high school graduation party.

MY VIEW

PHOTO BY ELENA RAUCH ’18

PHOTO BY ELENA RAUCH ’18

PHOTO BY BRENNAN ZIHLMAN ’18

PHOTO BY BRENNAN ZIHLMAN ’18

PHOTO BY ELENA RAUCH ’18

but useful, these things Dorm room essentials: Obscure are the key to your college success INFORMATION GATHERED BY DONALD MCGLONE ’19

e bins

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Desk lamp

Screw driver set

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Extension cord

our appetite : For y

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Long charging cords

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GRAPHICS BY GRIFFIN JONES AND ELENA RAUCH ’18

FASHION

6.2.17

17

Fashion Trends of TWO-TONED | Denim is a classic staple for this spring and summer season. Jeans similar to what Harper McClellan ’18 is wearing were seen on Bella Hadid by the brand Frame.

All the must-have fashion trends of the past year

I’m wearing a Forever 21 shirt with Lucky Brand jeans and a Gap jean jacket. My furry slides are from Steve Madden and my sunglasses are from Nordstrom.

Kristen Williamson ’20

PHOTOS BY MARGOT BAER ’18

DENIM DELIGHT | Overalls are already a huge trend of this year and it’s not stopping now. Overalls are seen all over Instagram, worn by celebrities such as Emily Ratajkowski and Kendall Jenner.

AN OFF THE WALL TREND | The off the shoulder trend started last summer and continued into this spring and summer season. This trend stretches from the workplace to the beach.

I am wearing a Urban Outfitters graphic band tee, paired with American Eagle ripped jeans and my shoes are Adidas.

CHANDLAR DUFF ’18

FUR-FECT | Furry Slides first came to the fashion scene when Rihanna introduced them in her shoe/clothing line Fenty by Puma, priced at $80.

I am wearing a white long sleeve shirt from Hollister with Gap skinny leg overalls. My shoes are Nike Air Force 1’s and my sunglasses are from American Eagle.

ROSE WILLIAMSON ’19

CASUAL DAY | McClellan wears two-toned jeans from American Eagle and a graphic tee from Brandy Melville.

The Rolling Stones logo is the graphic on the tee.

18

IT WILL RISE FROM THE ASHES

Remembering the 50th anniversary of the ‘67 Detroit Riots ERYKAH BENSON & ANTON MIKOLOWSKI, BOTH ‘17| Editor in Chief & Supervising Copy Editor

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. At its economic height, the city of Detroit in 1967 boasted a population of nearly 2 million people and a powerhouse of an auto industry that served as the city’s backbone. Simultaneously, racial tension continued to broil just underneath the surface of the city, eventually erupting into what would be known today as the ‘67 Detroit Riots.

BEFORE THE RIOTS Detroit resident Ee. Jean Matthews was just 15 when she came to Detroit. She remembers the feeling of wide-eyed wonder upon seeing the city for the first time.

“It was huge!” She said, recalling what it was like to move to Detroit from her small town in Arkansas. “It was a lot cleaner than it is now. People as a whole kept their property up. They were proud of what they had. And it was a lot of fun going downtown. There were lots of people downtown.”

Matthews remembered being able to enjoy all different types of leisurely activities with her friends as a young woman in Detroit.

“We went to Belle Island,” Matthews said.

“We fished. We went to the movies. We went to the hamburger joint. That type of thing.”

At the same time, however, Matthews still said she could feel the daily constraints of racism weighing down every aspect of her life. “(It was) every single day,” Matthews said.

“White people lived with white people. The majority of the stores were owned by white people.”

Out of all the many instances in which she personally experienced racism first-hand, one moment still pains her.

“One time in particular,” Matthews said.

“And I was an adult, probably 30, and two young white boys asked me was I selling anything, asked me if I was a prostitute. It angered me. I got very angry. And it didn’t make me feel good at all. I had just left work, and it was very funny to them. They laughed a lot about it.”

D e s p i t e the continued racial

barriers that structured everyday life for Matthews, she didn’t expect the riots to happen.

“I was surprised about the race riots,” Matthews said. “I was busy raising a family, and when you’re doing lots of other stuff, sometimes you’re not aware of what’s going on around you. You’re busy trying to make a living, and trying to take care of your children.”

At the time, Matthews lived three blocks from 12th and Clairmount.

12th and Clairmount also happens to be where, on a sweltering day on Sunday, July 23, a police raid on a community celebration inflamed into a full-fledged riot, the epicenter of week-long upsurge of violence and chaos.

“I was scared. I was very frightened,” Matthews said. “Things were burning and people were making loud noises. The National Guard was driving down the street in tanks. So, you can imagine how frightening that was.”

Over the next five days, the city would engage in a conflict between civilians and police, including the Detroit police and fire departments, the Michigan State Police, the Michigan National Guard, and eventually, the United States Army, according the Detroit Historical Society. The aftermath of this war-like ordeal left Detroit to deal with 1,700 fires, 43 deaths and over 7,000 arrests. To this day, the 1967 Detroit Riots are the third most costly riots, with the Chicago Tribune recording the total cost of damages to be $293 million.

“For a long time, it didn’t change,” Matthews said. “For a long time, things were burnt and things were awful. Then you read lots about it, and sometimes when you’re reading about things, it feels like it’s happening all over again. The riots only made the police meaner.”

WHAT CAUSED THE RIOTS Over the years, the violent, destructive event that unfolded in the summer of ‘67 in Detroit has been given numerous names.

Some refer to it as a riot.

Some, a rebellion.

Others, a civil

[ BOILING CONFLICT] Detroit resident walking away from a chaotic street. By the end of the riots, the city was left to deal with 1,700 fires, 43 deaths and over 7,000 arrests.

disturbance. For Greg Bowens, President of the Grosse Pointe-Harper Woods Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the labels people give to this moment in history depends on their perspective.

“The perspectives that people may have on history is always viewed from where they stand, and the lens that they view it from themselves,” Bowens said.

Bowens refers to the riots as a rebellion.

“We do that because it encompasses all of the public policies that were put into place that prevented people of color from living where they wanted to live, from working where they wanted to work, from being full participants in the economy at the time,” Bowens said.

At the time, Detroit’s thriving auto

was still almost impossible, extremely difficult for people who wanted to be able to get a loan, buy a house, work as a police officer, to get hired because the generation that was still in charge, the children and the grandchildren of the people who had grown up with kind of privilege,” Bowens said. “And so they were willing to change, and times were slowly changing, but they weren’t changing fast enough in order for people to have decent houses. It just didn’t happen.”

This slow progress is the exactly the kind of social strife Matthews had to endure, she said.

Matthews lived during a time where she couldn’t live where she wanted nor work where she wanted. She lived in a world where she said that if she had went to the hospital because her baby was sick and hurt, it wasn’t

I was scared. I was very frightened. Things were burning and people were making loud noises. The National Guard was driving down the street in tanks. So, you can imagine how frightening that was.

EE. JEAN MATTHEWS DETROIT RESIDENT industry created a land of milk and honey for Americans, black and white alike, attracting workers from Southern states up to the growing city. As a result, competition for jobs and property left most minorities out due to discriminatory laws, creating a rift in the city along racial and socioeconomic lines.

Bowens said in order to understand the racial tensions existent in Detroit during the 1960s, it is important to first look far before the riots, back to the time of Reconstruction and the birth of Jim Crow laws.

“What made slavery so different was that we as Americans have codified slavery specifically based on race, meaning that you can be born into slavery simply based on the color of your skin,” Bowens said.

By the time the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came into effect, Bowens described this decade as watershed years in terms of breaking down the barriers still lingering from the era of slavery. Even still, America was dominated by bigotry.

“By the time ‘67 had rolled around, the last vestiges of Jim Crow were hanging on, it

guaranteed they would even treat her child.

“Things were different then, and they didn’t guarantee whether you would get treated or whether you would get service or not,” Matthews said.

Bowens said not only did these discriminatory practices exist in employment, but housing as well.

“There’s nothing fair about building a new subdivision and all the things that come with it, the new roads, the latest appliances, loans from banks, and excluding minorities from it,” Bowens said.

In an effort to keep communities segregated, organizations such as the Homeowner’s Association fought against the integration of schools and neighborhoods by building suburban communities to keep minorities out, according to The Detroit Historical Society. Champions of these policies included former mayors Louis Miriani and Albert Cobo. In addition, the city continued to discount minority residents of Detroit.

Two of Detroit’s major black neighborhoods, namely Black Bottom and Paradise Valley, were destroyed to make way for freeways and new suburban neighborhoods that would continue to bar black residents.

[THE CENTER OF A WARZONE] A young Detroit resident with an armed sergeant from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division on the intersection of Westminster and Goodwin Streets.

19 [ENGULFED IN FLAMES] Firefighters struggle to extinguish fires in the aftermath of the riots. The riots incited over 1,700 fires over the course of five days, resulting in $293 million in damages citywide.

On top of prejudiced housing and employment policies, discriminatory policing instilled fear and anger in the hearts of black residents in the city. Though he was only six at the time, Detroit resident and Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist church choir director Anthony Flournoy remembers feeling the anger and fear of the adults around him at the time of the riots.

“And there was a lot of anger, even seeing how the police treated black people back then,” Flournoy said. “They had a group called the Big Four and they also had a group called STRESS (Stop The Robberies, Enjoy Safe Streets), and people, as you see sometimes in the news today about unarmed black people being shot for no reason, people were similarly being treated as second class citizens.”

A f t e r the riots, the Detroit P o l i c e Department organized the special task force STRESS with the purpose of controlling the unrest built up from the riots.

According to the Detroit Historical S o c i e t y, force [ A NEW HOPE ] Coleman Young, the only further the first black mayor of Detroit, played a pivotal role in the reshap- agitated the relationship ing of Detroit after the riots. between civilians and the police, which was accused of racially targeting black Detroit residents.

“People were just upset and frustrated by how they have been treated, been ignored, been discounted, been talked to any kind of way just because of, for lack of a better term, racial profiling. And it just erupted from there into violence,” Flournoy said.

Flournoy said he still remembers seeing the smoke billowing over the east side of

American history was the Los Angeles riot of 1992, with an estimated $1.3 billion in damage according to The Chicago Tribune, was initially a response to the acquittal of a police officer accused of beating of a black L.A. resident.

The more recent riot in Ferguson, Missouri in August of 2014 was initially a protest, then rapidly evolved into a riot after protesters were similarly angered after the acquittal of police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown.

In Detroit in 1967, there was no single death. No single acquittal that triggered the onslaught of millions of damage and deaths of many Detroiters. It was the accumulation of decades of social rifts caused by socioeconomic and racial discrimination, Bowens said.

When it comes to looking at the dynamics of a riot, Bowens said it’s a matter of perspective from a historical standpoint.

“It’s a matter of perspective, and one of the things that we have to be honest about when we talk about our shared American history is that it is a shared American history, and that we can admit that some of the things that we have done wrong as a society without having to feel the guilt about it today,” Bowens said.

Thinking back to the horrors of the riots, Matthews simply described riots as a way for those who feel trapped to express themselves.

“I don’t think that people should be fighting, but sometimes there is nothing else that you can do,” Matthews said. “And when there’s nothing else that you can do, then you have to fight.”

Flournoy said the path to understanding the complexities of a riot requires understanding the perspective of those rioting.

“People riot because they feel hopeless, they feel powerless,” Flournoy said. “(They’re) saying, ‘You’re not hearing me right now, so I’m going to make you hear me.’

And through rioting, sometimes the message is lost. Unfortunately in rioting, they’re just going to see the ‘what,’ and they’re not going to see the ‘why.’”

THE AFTERMATH Bowens was just two years old when the riots happened.

“I was too young to really remember firsthand what things looked like. People will

As we mark this anniversary of the riots, we have the opportunity as a society to pick your place, to remember things that created segregation that created these unequal conditions so we don’t repeat it.

GREG BOWENS PRESIDENT OF GROSSE POINTE-HARPER WOODS NAACP the city from his view on the west side of Detroit. As a child, however, he couldn’t quite understand what was going on, but he said he could feel the anger and fear emanating from his parents.

“You could feel a lot of tension in the neighborhood, you heard adults talking about things, you could see the smoke, and everything was on the news. The riots dominated the news. Even in church, people were telling others, ‘Just stay calm, keep your kids at home.’ That was the main thing. You couldn’t go anywhere.”

Flournoy has two older brothers. One was 17 at the time at the riots and the other was 19 and serving in Vietnam. Flournoy said his parents were so worried for his 17-year-old brother that they would drive him to and from school to make sure he was safe.

“At six, I couldn’t go anywhere anyway.

I was just at home playing,” Flournoy said.

“But you could feel the tension. You could see police just everywhere, driving around the neighborhoods. And at six, I didn’t know exactly what was going on. But you saw the smoke and you ask questions. And my parents were moreso concerned about my brothers and cousins. People were just nervous, they were wondering how far it would go.”

ANATOMY OF A RIOT In the dissection of a riot, socioeconomic, historical, cultural and racial factors are taken into account.

The most costly civil disturbance in

remember how you made them feel, they will remember what things felt like, more than what they heard and what they saw,” Bowens said. “Feeling seems to be a more accurate place to start when you go back to memories.”

He described his generation as the first one to be born after the Civil Rights Act, but even still, he was brought up with the perpetual fear that things haven’t changed after all.

“Yes, we could get on I-75 and drive down south to visit relatives and stay at any hotel we wanted to, but our parents, who had grown up knowing that there were some places that you couldn’t stop and that there were some things that could happen to you on the road where you could be killed, they still had a wary eye,” Bowens said. “So since they were raising us, they were raising us to survive in a segregated world which by law had ended, but by practice was still dying out. There was still a certain level of fear that there were things that you could and could not do.”

Growing up, Flournoy said his innocence was saved from the horrors of the riots. “(Adults) did a great job trying to shield kids from certain things they didn’t want us to hear. They would send us outside when the news was on so we couldn’t see the violence, but you could see the smoke again outside,” Flournoy said.

After the riots, Flournoy said he saw the considerable population of white residents gradually migrating out of Detroit.

In addition to the riots, most white Detroit

residents were moving out to newer suburban areas of Michigan. According to the Detroit Historical Society, Detroit saw a decline in nearly 20 percent of its population between 1950 and 1960.

“That’s really what started the downturn of the way Detroit looked, because homeowners take better care of their property, not always, but most homeowners care more,” Flournoy said. “But when the people started leaving the houses in droves and renting out their houses, they didn’t care as much, so then you

created these unequal conditions so that we don’t repeat it.”

Bowens does not see the riots as some kind of societal plague to be wiped from the record, but as a stepping stone from which to pave the way to a bright, bold future for the youth of the country, who have been so wronged.

“It’s not some kid’s fault who was born in 1998 that the country had discriminatory housing policies,” Bowens said. “We live in a better society because we’ve learned to

I don’t think that people should be fighting, but sometimes there is nothing else that you can do. And when there’s nothing else that you can do, then you have to fight.

EE. JEAN MATTHEWS DETROIT RESIDENT started seeing a lot houses being boarded up and abandoned. That really started the downward spiral of how the neighborhoods looked. And then drugs started coming in soon after that and it just escalated.”

Although Detroit was being shattered into pieces both economically and racially, a glimmer of optimism rose from the ashes of the riot’s wreckage. To many Detroiters, the election of Coleman Young, the first black mayor of Detroit, brought a new sense of hope, Bowens said.

“By the time I was a little boy, Coleman Young had become the first black mayor of Detroit, and even though I wasn’t old enough to vote, I felt the sense of pride and accomplishment and hopefulness that my parents and grandparents felt, so I felt good, and didn’t really know why,” Bowens said.

“By the time I was in high school, I was used to feeling comfortable with going where I wanted to go, I had a black mayor, I saw black police officers.”

During his term as mayor, Young would not only bring hope to some Detroit residents, but dismantle many of its discriminatory policies, such as the police force STRESS, alleviating many of the fears felt by the black community toward police.

“He brought hope and a face to let people know that someone actually listens to us,” Flournoy said.

Flournoy equated the feeling of Coleman Young getting elected to the election of former President Barack Obama.

“I felt similarly when President Obama was elected. I felt like the poem from Maya Angelou ‘And Still I Rise.’ I never thought that I would see that in my lifetime. And for it to happen it was like -- and you couldn’t really express it,” Flournoy said. “The same feeling went for the first black mayor of a large city.

So that was a feeling of pride, a feeling that things are finally getting better.”

Bowens said this pattern of progress would continue into the future, and that future generations of children would only have their parent’s emotions to understand the complexities of what was really going on in society.

“By the time I was in high school, it was the 80s and it was New Wave, and everybody was ‘cool,’ and people were dancing together, and it was different. My parents, they still had this skepticism because they remember friends who had been killed because of racists,” Bowens said. “It used to be like this: there used to be this saying that there is ‘no law that any white man had to respect with respect to a black man.’ It took a long time for things like that to change.”

FROM THE ASHES As history fades into the folded pages of the textbooks, Bowens says there are those in the community who would simply forget the riots, dismissing them as a barbaric time.

“There are people who don’t want to remember the ‘67 Riots. They think it’s a black eye on our city, they think that with all the growth that is happening in Detroit right now, having this discussion about the ‘67 riots would be bad for growth and put the city in a bad light,” Bowens said. “A better way to look at it is that as we mark this anniversary of the riots, we have the opportunity as a society to pick your place, to remember things that created segregation, that

treat each other with dignity and respect, and we’ve found the value of human life.”

The value of human life, Bowen says. It means different things to different people, but for many of the denizens of Detroit during

[ CHAOS IN THE CITY] Wooden barricades separate 12th street, the epicenter of the riots.

All photos courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society

the riots, it has increased tremendously.

Particularly for Flournoy, who sees a new Detroit climbing from its self-dug grave in favor of a bubbly, bright atmosphere, riddled with gentrification and reconstruction.

“The shape of Detroit is what we see as we look across the whole city,” Flournoy said.

“A lot of abandonment and a lot of vacant neighborhood, that started as a result of the riots. Now we’re starting to see a lot of that getting rebuilt. The sad thing is that a lot of people who were here, some people who are still here, won’t be able to afford to come back or to move into the areas that they’re building up, because the prices are going to be so much greater.”

Above all else, in the face of such rapid reassembly, harkening back to the days of the churning fires of industry, Flournoy informs the citizens of the United States that there is one human component which must not be lost above all else.

“As Detroit is shifting back to perhaps a more predominantly white city, you don’t want to start treating people as outsiders, especially people who’ve been in Detroit this whole time, whether they’re black or white,” Flournoy said. “You don’t want them to feel like they’re not a part of this process.

This should be process where everyone has something to gain and something to contribute, and don’t eliminate anyone just because of the color of their skin or their socioeconomic status.”

FEATURE SPORTS

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9.6.16 6.2.17

Serenading the Summer To kick off the summer right, Griffin Jones ’18 arranged a ‘summer playlist’ that will properly serenade the summer. The playlist includes hit tracks by ODESZA, Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris and many others

OFF THE BEATEN PATH exploring unique summer activites around Detroit

Detroit African Festival The Charles Wright Museum of African American History will be hosting its 35th annual Detroit African Festival, a three-day event that offer live music traditional to African countries, food, games, crafts and poetry. The festival is the perfect opportunity to immersive yourself in a different culture this summer. The festival spans from Friday, Aug.18 to Aug. 20. For more information, check out http://thewright.org.

Salsa classes in Detroit Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine, a Cuban restaurant located on 1250 Library Street in Detroit, hosts salsa dancing every Friday and Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. to closing time. The restaurant also offers free dance lessons as well. For more information, check out http://www.vicentesdetroit.com/.

1st Annual Detroit Festival of Books Detroit is hosting its first ever festival of books on Friday, July 16 hosted by the Book Club of Detroit. According to its official Facebook page, the festival is free of entry. Sponsored by various businesses in the Eastern Market area, the festival aims to develop a greater appreciation for books. For more information, check out http://detroitbookfest.com/.

ERYKAH BENSON ‘17 | Editor in Chief

Bike safari at Detroit Zoo On Thursday, June 29, The Detroit Zoo is offering the rare opportunity to ride

through its 2-mile trail via bicycle. According to The Detroit Zoo’s official website, tickets are on sale now. The event also offers a post-ride event that includes live music and food. For more information, visit https://detroitzoo.org/.

Go to a drive-in theatre!

Get a retro experience and go to the Ford Drive-in theater in Dearborn. On any of its five large screens, you can watch double features of newly released movies in the comfort of your car. For more information, go to http://www. forddrivein.com.

Watch a movie at the Redford Theatre The historic Redford Theatre on 17360 Lahser Rd. in Detroit shows film classics all summer long. Established in 1928, the theatre runs solely on ticket sales and the work of volunteers. Examples of upcoming showings include “Jaws”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ” and “Grease”. For more information, visit http:// redfordtheatre.com/ or contact Film Lit teacher John Monaghan.

Seu Jorge Presents: The Life Aquatic, A Tribute To David Bowie For fans of the great modern director Wes Anderson, this event is for you. On Monday, Sept. 18, close out the summer on the high note at the Royal Oak Music Theatre and listen to the sweet sounds of Brazilian musician Seu Jorge, who is featured in the film “The Life Aquatic”.

Classifieds TORI POTTER ‘19

JAKE ORHAN

“I’m working at Black River Horse Camp for six weeks this summer. Stop by if you want to see me fall off a horse.”

“I’m a sailing coach at Bayview Yacht Club over the summer.”

ALLISON FRAZER ‘19

“I’m working at the Windmill Pointe Park Cafe.”

Where are some South students working this summer?

AUDREY WHITAKER ‘19 | Copy Editor

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6.2.17

A LIFETIME SPORTS IN REVIEW 4 21

The Tower chose to highlight major events, people and trends that took place throughout the lifetime of a Class of 2017 graduate.

KATHERINE BIRD ’18 | Page Editor

A Lifetime is Worth a Thousand Words

GRAPHIC MADE WITH WORDCLOUDS.COM

FEATURE

6.2.17

A look Back: THE 90’s MY VIEW KATHERINE BIRD ’18 PAGE EDITOR

Discussing the trends and icons that were-and still are‘so 90s’

M

y days in the ‘90s were short lived.

All 21 of them were passed quickly as I napped my way through most of them. I'm glad to say I'm the end of an era. Makes me sound cool.

As I kiss the last of us goodbye I want to reflect on the ups and downs of this decade.

Up: the Macarena.

Down: AOL. Up: Nintendo 64.

Down: slap bracelets. I swear I still have scars from them.

Not only did this era bring about new dances and interesting accessories, but it also shaped our generation.

In the 90s the infamous World Wide Web was launched.

Being one of the most important aspects it was quietly ushered in. This invention led to the future creation of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.

The 90s brought on one of the more shameful scandals in our society; People v.

OJ Simpson. This case challenged our society to think about race and privilege, considering everyone began to take sides.

Friends was a popular sitcom that was birthed in the 90s.

This television show featured six single friends all living in New York City. The characters were featured well past an age that was considered “normal” to still be single. This shaped our view of modern relationships.

Napster was a future trend setter that sprouted in the 90s.

This service became immensely popular for pirating music.

Soon, young people everywhere became accustomed to free digital content. Napster set a precedent that would dominate the next decade: wanting music content for free or cheap and at the touch of our hands. Voilé, now we have Apple Music and Spotify. Coincidence? I think not.

The 90s consisted of highs and lows, but through and through, it provided a platform in which our current generation built upon.

22

Movies to look out for this summer Here’s a list of the top movies coming out this summer: HENRY AYRAULT ’19 | Web Editor

10 BAYWATCH

May 25

Based on the original TV show that aired from 1989-1999, this movie stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron.

Johnson and Efron play two lifeguards who work on a beach in California and attempt to sink a drug-trafficking operation.

Rated R.

9 PIRATES OF THE

CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN TELL NO TALES May 26 The fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, this film stars Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. In the plot, Sparrow must find the ancient Trident of Poseidon in order to beat an old nemesis.

8 WONDER WOMAN

June 2

Preceding the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) made her cinematic debut, this movie follows Diana before she was known as “Wonder Woman.”

The Amazon princess herself stumbles upon a World War I pilot (Chris Pine) and leaves her home to fight in the war and to help end it. Rated PG-13.

7 THE MUMMY

June 9

A reboot of the original The Mummy franchise, this film stars Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella. The story is about an ancient mummy that is awakened after about two thousand years. Once she wakes up, she releases all the horror that has been with her throughout her life. Rated PG-13.

23 feature // 6

6 ALL EYEZ ON ME

FEATURE June 16

This drama and film biography is about the notorious rapper and public figure Tupac Shakur (Demetrius Shipp, Jr.). It goes through his life of controversy, trials and tribulations. The movie is also titled after Tupac’s 1996 last studio album. Rated R.

6.2.17 Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015

5 TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

This film is the fifth movie in the Transformers series. War has risen between humans and Transformers now that the leader of the Transformers, Optimus Prime (Voiced by Peter Cullen) is gone. A human, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) teams up with Bumblebee, a good Transformer and a few others in order to figure out why the Transformers keep returning to Earth. Not yet rated.

SPIDER-MAN: HOME4 COMING July 7

WAR OF THE PLANET 3 July 14 OF THE APES

2 THE DARK TOWER

1 DETROIT

The second reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise, this movie follows Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) through his life as a normal person in high school and also as Spider-Man: a superhero who swings from buildings like a spider.

He tries to balance life from both these positions throughout the movie. Not yet rated.

Aug. 4

This is the third film in the reboot series of Planet of the Apes. Caesar (Andy Serkis), the leader of the apes guides the apes through a war against an army of humans.

Caesar must face off against a colonel (Woody Harrelson) who seeks to destroy Caesar’s group of apes in order to save the humans from devastation. Not yet rated.

Aug. 4 This crime drama demonstrates the infamous 1967 12th Street Riot in the Motor City. The riot was racially provoked and included deaths and beatings of both white and black people. It stars John Boyega, John Krasinski, and Hannah Murray. Not yet rated.

Based on the eight-book series by author Stephen King, this movie is in the genre of sci-fi horror. The plot follows a guy named Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) who seeks to find a mysterious man in black (Matthew McConaughey). In addition, he attempts to discover the mythical Dark Tower, which hopefully will cure the world in its dying state. Not yet rated.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB.COM

UP NORTH PIPER ESCHENBURG ’18 | Staff Writer

CALYX TURCO ’17 I love going up north during the summer because summer wouldn’t be summer without going up there. Especially the little shops and being right by the lake and a beach.

SUMMER PLANS

CAM SHOOK ’18

Up north is a retreat from the drama of Grosse Pointe. We go up to Petoskey every year and we usually go out on the lake. We jet ski there, camp out and make memories.

DAVID PETROULEAS ’19 I go up to my cottage in Charlevoix, Michigan to get away from social media and have time with family.

GRAPHIC BY ERYKAH BENSON ‘17



06. 00

LAUREN NEMEH ’20

When I went (up north) it was really fun because I got to spend time with my friends and just hang out.

{ { THE LAST WORD

6.2.17

redrah e ltsuh sroines

RILEY LYNCH ’18 I GRAPHICS MANAGER

USE SNAPCHAT TO SCAN TO VIEW AN INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THIS GRAPHIC

YEAR IN

REVIEW

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