Vol. 2 Issue 6

Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Parkway Troy, MI 48098

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theTROYINDEPENDENT Vol. 2 Issue 6

Sophomores knit ‘Hats for Hope’

NEWTOWN: THS students react, respond to tragic Connecticut shooting

BY SONALEE JOSHI On Dec. 14, Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people before committing suicide at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The reaction from Americans was immediate— people all over the country showed their support for those who lost loved ones, and political debates were sparked over gun control and mental health in the nation. At Troy High, students mobilized charity efforts and joined together to deal with the shooting.

“I actually heard about it on the news and I was completely shocked,” junior Shachi Srivatsa said. “To be honest, I couldn’t really

Peer Mediation: A safe outlet for conflict

BY AMANDA MCCAFFERTY

VIRGINIA RIOLO

Students in Virginia Riolo’s 10th grade English class knitted hats for Halos for Hope, a charity providing hats for cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy.

BY AMANDA MCCAFFERTY Halos of Hope, a non-profit organization providing chemotherapy patients with handmade hats from volunteers, has struck English teacher Virginia Riolo’s first hour class. In dedication to Riolo’s aunt’s passing of cancer, Riolo’s tenth-grade English students took time out of their days to knit hats to donate to this modest program.

“In total we had around 24 knitted hats to donate,” sophomore Daniel Chmielewski said. “Mrs. Riolo actually took home the hats that were unfinished and knitted them over winter break.”

Knowing only a few students knew how to knit, Riolo taught students how to craft the hats of hope.

“My Craft Room sold us knitting needles and yarn,” Riolo said. “They were re-

kids came in early to work on the hats.”

Chemotherapy causes patients to lose their hair. As a result, patients’ heads get cold, especially in the winter.

“I know they lose their hair and that it’s winter time Interested in donating so they get cold,” Riolo your homemade hats to said. “The kids said they would like to learn how this cause? Send them to knit and make a hat for to the address below. this cause and I thought it was really great.”

Halos of Hope Halos of Hope makes it P.O. Box 1998 their job to provide paArlington Heights, IL tients with not only a hat that will warm their head, 60006 but also a hat that will warm their heart. Riolo’s ally awesome and took a first-hour class is a reminder huge cut out of their profits that any act of random kindto do this for us. Everybody ness can go a long way for got needles and yarn and my others.

Discussing the risks of sleep deprivation at final exams

BY TOMMY ROWBAL With midterms right around the corner, some students spend the last few nights cramming for the big tests they will take over the next few days. But is pulling all-nighters really worth it, or is it just harming stu-

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January 18, 2013

dents on test days? Not getting enough sleep has always been a consistent problem for high school students, and final exams don’t help.

Studies by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine show that teenagers need an average of about nine hours a night of sleep to do their

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best in classes, and many teens are not reaching this requirement.

Teenagers are a major risk group for sleep deprivation, as many have limited sleep time. Primary effects of not getting enough sleep are irritation, anxiety and lack of motivation, all which can

You may have seen them walking the halls with a green lanyard hanging around their necks. Peer Mediators at Troy High School know how to solve conflicts with their words rather than with their fists.

“I would define Peer Mediation as a group of students solving problems while helping others work through possible conflict,” said senior Nico Adamski, a head mediator.

Adviser Gail Yax believes it “gives the student a chance to face others, whether it’s a falling out or a disagreement, and talk it through to help find a common ground.”

One of the ten head mediators, senior Rebecca Ress joined Peer Mediation to help other people solve their problems so they can have a better time at school.

“I think it helps our school because people can learn how to resolve their problems and talk it out with See MEDIATION, Page 3

have a significantly negative impact on the quality of schoolwork.

Other important effects that directly result from sleep deprivation include lack of concentration, increased errors, forgetfulness, attention deficits and poor decision-making. These effects compounded make learning under the condition quite difficult.

Students know that their performance is off with little sleep, and so there are differ-

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process the information for a while—shooting elementary school children is just incomprehensible.”

Like Srivatsa, many heard about the incident through the media and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Many students were deeply affected by the news and launched campaigns to show support for the victims, such as junior Thisal Mudalige.

“I work with kids all the time at the local Kumon Math and Reading Center,” Mudalige said, “so the ages of the kids I help every week are the same as those who were murdered. [It] hit me pretty close to home.” He teamed up with junior Belino Xhafa and senior Lawrence

Kim to launch a wristband campaign to raise money for the victims’ families.

“The main thing we’re aiming to do is to show Newtown that we care,” Kim said. “As human beings, the most important thing we can show is empathy. On top of that, we’re hoping to donate to a fund at Newtown that raises money for services such as grief counselors who are in much need for both the students of the elementary school and the grieving families.”

Xhafa recalled his disbelief after hearing the news and, like Mudalige, was affected.

“It was just awful,” he said.

“I kept thinking, ‘What if this

BY KATIE SCHLAFHAUSER

recycling portion of it? The group is responsible for recycling the bottles and bags and bags at lunch, but soon, the Environmental Activists will take over the recycling.

The staff has also been very supportive of Lunch-Time Revolution.

“They were actually really compliant with it,” Vasudevan said. “I think everyone realized that lunch time, especially with 2,000 students in the school, is a really big thing. So then Mr. Roncone was really excited to work with us, and we also got Mr. Zynda, who’s the environmental teacher, and then he helped us implement new programs in the school, and also the janitors have been really compliant with us, helping us empty everything, and help[ing] us set it up.”

To promote their program and get the word out to the student body, they played a commercial on the announcements parodying off of the ASPCA commercials.

“We knew that the video announcements were usually very popular and most students watch them,” Ketkar said. “We decided this would be the best way to spread the message around.

See NEWTOWN, Page 3

A Lunch-Time Revolution

A new student run program has hit the cafeteria at Troy High. This program, LunchTime Revolution, brings recycling to lunch.

Every lunch there are bins set up for students to recycle their bottles and paper bags that are often thrown away.

This group also wants to incorporate recycling lunch trays in the future.

“We put in bins for bottles, and we have paper bags on the trash cans for people to recycle their own lunch bags,” sophomore founder Urvi Vasudevan said. “We also [will be recycling]plastic trays.”

Lunch-Time Revolution was started by students independent of Environmental Activists.

“Last year our team observed the Environmental Activists try to implement the plastic trays idea,” junior founding student Sachin Ketkar said. “Unfortunately it did not work out for them.

However we thought it was a good idea, so we decided to try to start a mass, trashreducing program [in] Troy High’s lunches that included the plastic trays.”

How do they handle the

ent ways to cope with it, all with limited success—the only surefire cure is to get fully rested. Most students drink caffeinated beverages, such as coffee or pop, which can provide temporary alertness and relieve some symptoms for a period of time. Some resort to taking naps in class, which tends to cause more problems than it solves.

Many students change their sleeping habits to get rested for upcoming finals, but

See RECYCLING, Page 3

many don’t as well.

“Not much changes for me,” senior Christopher Delong said. “I study more than I usually do, but still get to sleep pretty late.”

There’s not much that has a larger effect on academics than getting a proper amount of sleep, and with midterm exams coming up fast it’s important not to be tired during classes. Studying and preparing for tests is important, but so is getting fully rested.

Got a news tip? Want to share your thoughts on our stories or issues affecting Troy High students and staff?

Shoot an email to troynewspaper@gmail.com.

Features

The Troy Independent - thetroyindependent.org

Students, staff share New Year Resolutions

BY SARAH CHMIELEWSKI

Jan. 1 is notorious for being the start of many New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions range from serious to seriously funny and foreshadow the coming year. The Troy Independent surveyed students and staff to see what some of their hopes and dreams for the coming year held.

“I ran my first 10-K this year, so my next goal is a half marathon!”

Psychology teacher Kelly Forshey

“To pay attention to the ones who are suffering around us. [I want to] take a few minutes [to] listen and be there for them.”

Senior Candace Sosa

“To be more positive and not let bad things bring me down!”

Senior Kellie Halushka “I want stop taking the people I have in my life for granted and cherish all my time with them like I should.”

Sophomore Emma Steele

“To put all the bad things of 2012 behind me and start out on a clean slate so I can be the best I’ve ever been.”

Junior Bruno Gonçalves

“Lose 20 pounds.

[And] run a marathon, [although] I don’t know which one yet.”

ALL PHOTOS BY SARAH CHMIELEWSKI

Math teacher Matt Reimann

“To pass APUSH... with at least a B!”

Sophomore Brianne Yeskey “To better show my appreciation for the friends of mine who are always there for me.”

Junior Allison Brown “I want to live life with no excuses and love with no regrets because in the end, it’s not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.”

Senior Michael Peng

“Lose weight [and] grade things faster!

[Although] it is not a promise!”

-History teacher Scott Gibbons

Former student Hodorek finds tech success

BY ANNIE CHEN Typical jobs Troy High students have involve cashing money at the register, taking calls as receptionists and serving food at restaurants.

But a senior holds slightly different jobs as not just a theatre technician but also a contract lighting designer.

Meet Greg Hodorek.

Hodorek started out with Troy School District’s tech crew when he was in eighth

grade. Through attending services at Kensington Community Church, he learned more about the production field and was eventually offered jobs at both places.

Working as a technician for the school district, Hodorek must make sure that the show runs smoothly. For any performance at Troy or Athens’s auditoriums, he and other crew members not only control the visuals and audio effects onstage, but

also the “fly lines,” a system of beams, ropes, and pulleys backstage.

But work is different at his job as a lighting designer at Kensington Community Church, which regularly incorporates stage effects in its programs.

“As a lighting designer, I get to access my artistic side as well as my technical side,” Hodorek said. “At Kensington, I focus more specifically on the design of the lighting.

I come in early and program the lighting board with cues which contain the ‘looks’ of the show, as well as flashy effects or movements.”

For a recent show at Kensington, Hodorek programmed the lighting for the song “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex.

With the lighting designs he created, he was able to pump up the mood in beat with the song.

Balancing school work and his two jobs is difficult. For in-school assemblies or presentations in the auditorium, Hodorek skipped classes to help out.

“This was a lot of fun at first, but between that and some health issues, I began to fall behind in my classes and on my attendance,” Hodorek said.

He had to let go of something—but not his jobs. He dreams to continue in the production field, so he decided to transfer from Troy High to Niles Community High School in 2012, giving him more time to do what he loves.

“The rush I feel as I’m dimming the house lights and preparing the audience for a show, ” said Hodorek, “is indescribable.”

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‘Battle of the Books’ opens in media center

BY ANNIE PAPPAGEORGE Few people know how Battle of the Books started.

“It started out because kids were coming to the high school saying, ‘How come you don’t do something like Troybery?’” librarian Toni Isaac said. “So Mrs. Parker [a former librarian] and I decided we really should try to do something.”

In the early years, the librarians used lists from the Michigan Library Association and Michigan Reading Teachers but weren’t satisfied with the books.

Finally, knowing so many students like to read and talk about books, Isaac asked students for requests.

“The first year I had the students help me come up with the books for Battle of the Books,” Isaac said, “they came up with a list that was way better than any of the lists we’ve used before. So for the past three years it’s been our tradition over the summer that we read nominated titles.”

Isaac and students nominate 40-50 books from the current year and choose 10 finalists from those.

Students can vote for their favorite book and win prizes by reading at least three books. Voting will take place May 6 through May 17. Students who read all ten books could win a trip to Barnes and Noble to help select the books for next year. These books, with the summaries from the media center website, are available for checkout in the Troy High library.

2013 TITLES

The Alchemy of Forever: An Incarnation Novel

by Avery Williams

Seraphina Ames has lived six hundred years due to a method of alchemy, discovered by her boyfriend Cyrus that allows them to swap bodies with other humans, taking their lives in the process. After vowing to stop killing, Sera accidentally takes over the body of a sixteen-year-old girl who was in a car crash. Sera loves her new life and falls for a guy, but Cyrus threatens everything.

Boy 21

by Matthew Quick

Finley, an unnaturally quiet boy who is the only white player on his high school’s basketball team, lives in a dismal Pennsylvania town that is ruled by the Irish mob, and when his coach asks him to mentor a troubled African American student who has transferred there from an elite private school in California, he finds that they have a lot in common in spite of their apparent differences.

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

Sixteen year old Hazel, who has cancer, meets Augustus

at a kids-with-cancer support group and as they fall in love they both wonder how they will be remembered.

Hemlock

by Kathleen Peacock

High school senior Mackenzie attempts to solve the mystery of her best friend’s murder in a town affected by the werewolf virus.

I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier

by Howard Wasdin

Howard Wasdin reflects on his life and military career, discussing his difficult childhood, training, goal to become a member of Navy SEAL Team Six, experiences during the Battle of Mogadishu and more.

Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks

Galen, the prince of Syrnea, is sent to land to find a girl who can communicate with fish. He finds Emma and after several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, Galen becomes convinced Emma holds the key to his kingdom.

Revived

by Cat Patrick

Having been brought back from the dead repeatedly by a top-secret government super drug called Revive, and forced to move so the public does not learn the truth, fifteen-year-old Daisy meets people worth living for and begins to question the heavy-handed government controls she has dealt with for eleven years.

Starters

by Lissa Price

Sixteen-year-old Callie lost every family member besides her little brother when a genocide spore killed all of those who were not vaccinated. She has found a way to support him by renting her body to seniors who want to be young again, but after a neurochip malfunction results in her being stuck in the life of her renter, she uncovers the horrible plan of her boss and must race against time to stop it.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer Smith

Hadley and Oliver fall in love on the flight from New York to London, but after a cinematic kiss they lose track of each other at the airport until fate brings them back together on a very momentous day.

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

When Aria, a sheltered and fragile Dweller, is exiled from her home in Reverie, she must face The Death Shop, a land filled with cannibals and dangerous energy storms, and her only hope for staying alive depends on Outsider Perry, a savage hunter.

The Troy Independent - thetroyindependent.org

Features

NEWTOWN: Troy reacts, responds to tragic Connecticut shooting Continued from Page 1 was us? What if somebody went to Bemis or Hamilton or even came to Kumon and did this?’ It really made me want to help these victims out because I know that if I had been the victim I would have been grateful for any support or any comfort.

Also, I can’t even begin to imagine what those kids and adults must have gone through. Even those who did not get shot will live with the trauma of this event for their whole lives.”

The incident also rekindled the debate on gun control laws in America, a debate which some Troy High students felt was far overdue.

“I was astounded that it took this long for this gun control debate to happen,” freshman Chaitu Dandu said.

“I personally thought laws on gun control should have been changed at the Aurora shooting.”

While many agree that the discussion is critical, students had many different views on how gun control laws should be changed to prevent such tragedies.

“Because we pay tax money for education, I believe the government-funded facili-

ties should be safe for both workers and students alike,” senior Justin Wu said. “One teacher able to carry a gun is able to save endangered lives of many, but because they are not allowed to have them, guess what [happens]?

I’d rather see one single man who kills for nonsensical intentions dead than see a large number [of] innocent workers and students with loving families dead.”

Sophomore Kumresh Sharma agreed with Wu and said that people needed to be better equipped to use guns as proper defense. Junior Allen Wang was skeptical about the ability to enforce gun control laws and doubted that they would stop dangerous people from obtaining them. However, others believed that leniency on gun control would only spur more violence.

“A lot of people will say, ‘Guns don’t kill people, people kill people,’” sophomore Frank Boudon said. “The problem is, guns definitely make it easier for people to kill other people. For instance, around the time of the Newtown shooting, another horrific event occurred in a Chinese town where dozens of kids were slashed

[with a knife]. Yet, none died. Also, those who argue that outlawing guns won’t prevent criminals from obtaining them are making an illogical argument. There are lots of other things that are illegal—drugs, theft, etc.

Should those things be legalized?”

Srivatsa agreed with Boudon and also brought up the issue of mental health in the nation.

“The thing is, if there were never guns to get their hands on [these people] wouldn’t be able to commit such acts,” Srivatsa said. “But also more than gun control I believe that we should be looking into the kinds of people that kill so atrociously and get them help.”

Regardless of political views, students had the same message for the families of the victims: turn to loved ones for support and stay strong through this difficult time.

“I’ll be praying for you people,” Wu said. “None of you ever deserved to have this atrocity happen to your family members. I hope you can stay strong even if something as horrible as this happened. The ones you lost will never be forgotten.”

high school.

“I’m looking forward to a fresh start, going to college, meeting new people and most of all graduating high school,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people,” junior Afaaf Nassif said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing new technology and seeing things change, hopefully for the better.”

Sophomore Iman William is looking forward to some different things in the year.

“There’s nothing specific I’m excited for, I’m just excited to spend another year with my family and friends,” she said.

Junior Rachel Dean is look-

ing forward to getting back into sports after being injured.

With the whole year ahead of them, many athletes are looking forward to their favorite sports.

Senior Ereny Demian is looking forward to many things but mostly life after high school. Most seniors want to have a new start with their life.

“I am looking forward to going to college, [and] also for job opportunities,” she said. “I’m excited to see what new movies come out. And I’m excited to see what movie, actor and actress will win Oscars. I’m also looking forward to spend a lot of time

2013: A year to look forward to

BY ANNA LARSON AND MARCEY SHEHATA As the new year begins, 2013 is a new start for many students. They are prepared to make a change and are ready for what the year is going to give them. Seniors are looking forward to graduating and starting a new chapter in their lives.

There are many exciting thing to look forward to.

Many new movies are coming out like “Iron Man 3” and “The Great Gatsby.” There are also many albums coming out.

Senior Merna Abdou is simply just ready to get out of

Page 3

Students plan future jobs Aeropostale

BY AUJENEE HIRSCH things and [ I like to] motiplans ‘Teens AND KATHERINE vate them to do something that would affect them or for Jeans” MAHER others in a positive way.”

Some high school students have no idea what they want to do in the future, but others have honed their skills and interests to come up with their future jobs.

While some may find these jobs odd, others find them fascinating.

Freshman Maliha Khan wants to be a radiologist, a medical specialist who uses radioactive substances and X-rays in the treatment of disease. It takes roughly 13 years to become a radiologist—four years in an undergraduate program and nine years in specialized programs for radiologists.

“I’ve always been fascinated with the human body, particularly the bones. I mainly want to just deal with X-rays,” Khan said.

Sophomore Emma Thomas wants to be a motivational speaker. Much like Dr. Mykee Fowlin, who visited THS earlier this year, a motivational speaker uses others stories, along with some of his or her own life experiences, to inspire others.

“It interests me because I’m a pretty upbeat and happy person,” she said. “I love getting people excited about with my friends during the summer. I just want to get out of high school and start my life.”

“I’m looking forward to a new year, to starting over and patching up some lost friendships with people,” junior Angela Krokos said. “I also want to not only meet new people, but also reconnect with old friends that I haven’t talked to in a while.

I’m also looking forward to having to fix the dates on my homework from 2012 to 2013!”

Most students seem to be looking forward to the same things. People tend to see a new year as a new start. It becomes a motivation to try new things, make new friends and make a change.

2013 is the chance.

Freshman Adrienne Harig wants to be a costume designer and a makeup artist.

In this job, Harig would be working with many up-andcoming stars—both onstage and onscreen—designing their costumes and makeup to make them look good for the production.

“I’ve always loved mixing the clothes together,” Harig said. “I love using unusual colors or [interesting clothes like] a sweater over normal clothes. Makeup is just like art, you’re painting a new face.”

These jobs are the dreams and futures of some Troy High students. They may be slightly odd to some people, but to others they’re something that keeps them going, inspiring them to get through THS to achieve their goals, no matter how long it takes.

From Recycling, page 1

In fact, on those days that the videos were played we got the greatest response from the student body.”

This group hopes to make recycling a regular part of lunches at Troy High. So far, they have gotten a decent response, but they hope to get many more students involved.

“Many students have come up to us to tell us that they are happy we started this recycling program up,” Ketkar said. “Currently we are averaging around 50 bottles recycled and 50 paper bags recycled every lunch day. Out of a student body of 2,000, our group believes this number can be significantly increased.”

“We’ve gotten a great response from the students,” Vasudevan said. “I just feel that it’s not the best. It could be a lot better, but I think that we’re not used to it yet.

It’s been three weeks, so I bet as time goes on, it’s just going to become a habit. It can only get better.”

BY AMANDA MCCAFFERTY

Have an extra pair of gently used jeans lying around? Donate them to Teens for Jeans.

The Teens for Jeans program provides teens in need with pairs of jeans. One in every three homeless Americans are under the age of 18. For every pair of jeans donated, a 25 percent off coupon will be awarded towards the next pair of jeans you buy at any Aeropostale store. All jeans collected will be donated to a local charity or shelter. The school who collects the most jeans will receive $10,000.

Within five years, teens for jeans has collected and donated over 2.5 million pairs of jeans. Donate your jeans to junior Amanda McCafferty, junior Abbie Ward or junior Jeffrey Chavaux, or drop them off to Jennifer Doptis in the English department office before or after school by Feb. 10 and give our school the chance to win $10,000 and make a difference. Visit teensforjeans.com for more information.

From Mediation, page 1

each other versus getting in physical fights or suspended,” she said. “It also teaches them how to have better communication skills.”

Peer Mediation teaches students at Troy High how to work through their conflicts through their words rather than getting in physical fights.

“It’s a peaceful way for Troy High school to solve conflicts,” Yax said.

Whether it is a fight at lunch or a pointless rumor floating around Troy High, teachers, parents, students, and even hall monitors can refer possible conflicts to Yax or any of the mediators.

“If it’s an in-class fighting, then it will come from a teacher. But if it’s between friends usually one friend will come up to us and ask to talk it out,” Ress said.

But are all students willing to go into mediation?

“Sometimes they aren’t, a lot of the times when they are freshman they’re scared,” Ress said, “and don’t really know what it’s all about because they haven’t been here that long to know what it is. But for the most part I think kids are willing to go into mediation because they know the mediation will get them out of trouble instead of get them into trouble.”

“For the most part kids are willing to go into mediation,” Yax said. “Sometimes they are scared to face one another, but that’s what we’re here for: to give them that extra boost to let them know they can face their problems.”

Reassuring that Peer Mediation is there to help students, Adamski added they are there to help better the school and solve problems, not to get others in trouble.

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Page 4

Junior Ashley Fruehauf has posted 16 videos of her singing on YouTube. She hopes to pursue singing as a career.

Musical students use YouTube to jumpstart careers

BY SARAH REGAN It is said that an original can never be outdone: that nothing can top it and nothing can be as great. But millions have proved this wrong with the movement YouTube has created. Original covers of mainstream, well-known songs are given a new twist, a new chord and a new melody that gives an artist their iden-

Despite age, senior succeeds in music industry

BY CAROLYN GEARIG Most seniors are studying for midterms and finishing college applications, but senior Candace Sosa has already embarked on a solo career as singer, songwriter and guitarist and released her debut EP, “Where We’ll Start,” in April 2012.

Sosa began playing piano at age nine and switched to guitar two years later. She then went on to compete in the American Guild of Music competition two years in a row, winning first and second place for guitar performances.

Sosa launched her career when she joined band Live the Dash in 2009 as a guitarist and lead vocalist. With the band, she performed at venues ranging from Battle of the Bands at Troy High

tity.

Some Troy High students are these individuals and are on the path to establishing their musical identity.

Junior Ashley Fruehauf is one of these students.

“I want to show people what I can do,” Fruehauf said.

“Get out, get into the world, I want them to see me. I can sing.”

She has posted 16 videos on YouTube and has got-

ten views in the thousands.

Fruehauf said that she wants to pursue singing. She has covers of songs from many different genres of music and artists.

“There’s too many to list,” Fruehauf said of artists that inspire her.

Sophomore Brianne Yeskey also has posted covers of songs on YouTube.

“I just started to sing as a child, and it was a fun thing

to do,” Yeskey said.

“It’s just an easy way to get out there so people could see it,” she said of YouTube. “I’m just going to keep [singing] as a hobby.”

Yeskey posted videos of songs from a variety of genres and artists.

“I feel like you can gain knowledge about singing or any instrument and creativity from any kind of genre,” Yeskey said. “It’s

best to be well-rounded.”

Some students post videos of them singing covers of songs on YouTube while others create their own music like juniors Clayton Schubring and Kyle Powell.

“I kind of wanted to start, just to see what I could do with it,” Schubring said. “We make mostly electronic-dubstep-techno music.”

Schubring and Powell post videos on Soundcloud and

YouTube. They have gotten up to 10,000 views and 4,000 downloads on one of their songs on Soundcloud.

Although Schubring said he probably won’t pursue music, he did not rule the possibility out completely.

“I think it’s something fun now,” Schubring said, “but if catches on then it can go somewhere. If it happens, then I would pursue it, but if it doesn’t it was fun.”

to the Crofoot, a concert a l t h o u g h pendent film director who venue in Pontiac that has she draws has worked on music videos hosted bands and artists from “things for Adam Levine, Skrillex like Bon Iver and Owl that happen and Eminem, among others.

City. After she left the around me” The video was for her song band in early 2012, she and often “Look Away” and was rebegan focusing on her creates sce- leased in late December. solo career. narios based “It only took one day to “Where We’ll Start” was off of what film,” said Sosa, “but it took recorded and engineered her friends a few weeks to produce, beby Kid Rock engineer Al and fam- cause editing takes some Sutton and produced by ily are going time.” Sosa hopes that the George Friend. through. It video, professionally done, “The process of maktakes a week will help launch her career. ing this album included or more to go Although Sosa does not lots of money, time and from the ini- plan to study music in colCOURTESY OF CANDACE SOSA effort,” Sosa said. She tial songwrit- lege because she worries Senior Candace Sosa has released an EP album, performed at the Crofoot and worked with her guitar ing stage to a about job stability, she Royal Oak’s Arts, Beats and Eats and released a professional music video. Her teacher when writing professional would like to pursue music album is for sale on iTunes for $6.93. the four songs—“Where r e c o r d i n g , full-time.

We’ll Start (Tonight),” depending “I have tried to make a caFall In Love” were recorded gins with a tune on her piano “Look Away,” “What Else Is on her amount of free time. reer out of music,” she said. in Sosa’s home studio, as or guitar, which develops Left” and “This Christmas.”

In December, Sosa released “I’m still working on it, and were other songs like “Mad- into a song as she writes lyrSosa then spent four days her first music video direct- hope someday you’ll get to elyn,” released in Novem- ics and music. recording in a professional ed by Joseph Victor, an inde- see my name in lights.” ber in memory of Madelyn “If I decide the lyrics are gostudio.

Compton. ing to be more “We just played until we “The equipment I use to re- meaningful,” got a basic good sounding cord is Logic Pro 9,” she said, she said, “it oftrack,” she said. “From there, “which enables me to use a ten turns into a we went over any tracks that lot of the great sounding in- slower, deeper were no good, and replaced struments and sounds you tune. But if it’s them with much better ones. hear in today’s music. I use happier, not We then added the necesa condenser microphone for as meaningsary sounds and riffs to get vocals to keep them crisp and ful, the music the songs sounding much fresh. I also have Bose speak- becomes more [fuller].” ers and a MIDI keyboard in upbeat.”

Although most of the album order to make drums for my Sosa said she was recorded in the studio, tracks since I do not have the gets much of three bonus tracks were proper equipment to record her inspiration released with the album real drums.” from real-life on iTunes. “If Love Is Real,” All of Sosa’s songs are self- experiences, “Midnight Lullaby” and “If I A shot from Sosa’s music video, released in December. written. She said a song be-

The Troy Independent - thetroyindependent.org

Not many high school students can brag about playing a sold out show for the release of their new CD. With a full audience of about 200 people at High Octane Lounge in Romeo, local band Gone by Sunset is lucky enough to have done exactly that.

They started in the summer of 2010, and after cycling through several members have finally found their perfect combination—bassist Nolan Brown, Michigan State University; drummer Aaron Bradley, The Recording Connection Audio Institute; guitar and lead vocalist Noah DeLeon, Stevenson High School; and guitarist Aaron Rush, Utica Academy for International Studies.

Though fairly new, Gone

by Sunset has played at the Vans Warped Tour, opened for I See Stars, and been hired to play at parties, along with having multiple other shows of their own. Junior Ajaay Maes first saw them perform in June 2011.

“I like their sound,” she said, “They don’t try to be like [another band]. They have their own unique style.”

Junior Jj Podsadliak had them play for his 16th birthday party.

“I saw them open for I

Page 5

Brown and DeLeon sing onstage at the High Octane Lounge in Romeo.

Members of Gone by Sunset.

From left to right, Bradley, Brown, DeLeon, and Rush.

BY ERIN TEPATTI

Features

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AARON BRADLEY

GONE BY SUNSET: Profiling a local band

See Stars,” he said, “and really liked how they sounded.

Since they were a smaller more local band, I figured they would be willing to play at my birthday.”

Their newest CD, “A Contrast in Contour,” sprouted from some of the changes that they had to deal with. “[A Contrast in Contour is] also the title of the last track on the CD and I guess it’s talking about how there’s a lot of changes in the band,” DeLeon said. “There’s a member change, and just a bunch of stuff going on and it’s just kind of about a period of adjustment and that’s what the last song is about, and sort of figuring out where we are now.”

Their first show was also at High Octane.

“It was cool to come back here to do our second release,” Rush said. “The show was sold out.”

“What blew my mind was the fact that it sold out within two weeks,” Bradley said.

“It wasn’t sold out just like the night before, it sold out really, really fast and that’s just incredible.”

They make very good points. It’s hard to sell out an entire show being a local band. Selling tickets may seem like an easy task, but trying to find 200 people who want to pay to see you

play can be difficult. Junior Clayton Schubring can relate to how hard it is to sell tickets.

“It just takes a lot of time and effort,” he said. “People say that they’ll buy one, and then they keep forgetting their money, or end up being busy and can’t go to the concert. So you end up with a bunch of extra tickets that you don’t know what to do with.”

Luckily, Gone by Sunset has quite the fan base, with over 2,000 likes on Facebook and plenty of diehard fans.

As for their new CD, all of the tracks are straight from the heart. For Rush, he has more than one favorite.

“Avarice is my favorite to listen too, but Better Late Than Never is my favorite to play live,” he said.

But for Brown, the final song on the CD was his top choice.

“My favorite is the last track, Contrast in Contour, I think we did a lot of cool stuff with that,” Brown said.

“Contrast is my favorite,” Bradley said. “I love every track on there, but [A Contrast in Contour] hits home to us.”

After so much hard work and dedication, it certainly paid off. Around 200 screaming fans crowded in a venue about triple the

Bradley performs a drum solo onstage during the Gone By Sunset CD release show.

size of a classroom, minus space for the stage, concessions, and equipment. Mosh pits opened up, and there was crowd surfing, picture taking, music video filming, and lots of love towards the band.

All night the members of Gone by Sunset were signing autographs and posing for photos.

Many people their age feel they have no free time without being in a band, so how does Gone by Sunset do it?

“Every second that I don’t have homework pretty much goes to this band,” said DeLeon, a high school junior.

“Whether its promoting our stuff online or actually playing shows or practicing or [emailing and Skyping] just trying to stick together.”

With some members in college and some in high school, it makes it difficult for the band to arrange practices and learn new music.

“It’s the roughest for me because I’m the farthest away from the band,” said Brown. “I’m up at Michigan State—I love it up there, but I really miss these guys, so we really take advantage of every opportunity we have together and just stay tight with our music and always keep writing new things and just staying in contact because we all love it enough to sacrifice [our free time].”

“We have band meetings and we Skype Nolan in to make sure we get to see his beautiful face,” said Rush. “Aaron [Bradley]’s situation is a little different, he gets to stay home for his college, so he’s around. But Nolan’s out there [at State] so we just try to make it so he comes home every couple weeks.

We’re constant-

ly sending each other new material to stay in touch. It is a difficult thing to stay in touch with but if you stick around with it it’ll pay off in the end.”

It certainly has paid off.

They’ve come a long way from just playing in their basements.

“We were really, really bad,” said DeLeon. “We’re still really, really bad, we’re just less bad than we used to be.”

While there are hundreds of people who would dis-

next big band or artist.

“Practice your music,” DeLeon said. “Oh my God, practice your music. It seems like obviously you’d practice your music, but it’s seriously one of the biggest things.

You have to be best friends with the people you’re in a band with otherwise it’s just not going to work. And keep your head up at small shows.

Sometimes it’s rough to play for a small crowd, but that’s how you start out. If you play every show the same, no matter what the draw is, and people really feel your music then eventually you guys will get out, and you guys will continue to grow, but the crowd will definitely notice.”

“If you’re playing for three, make it like you’re playing for three thousand,” Bradley said.

Aaron Bradley of “You never Gone By Sunset know who’s going to help you in what way,” Brown said. agree, he has a point. Though “The local scene in genthey aren’t “really, really eral is just a family. We all bad,” there is always room take care of each other, we for improvement—impor- all support each other. Other tant words of advice for as- bands come to other bands piring musicians and bands. shows, other bands feature “Be able to always look other bands, and so you for criticism, no matter how make friends, you make fammany compliments you get ily with the people around from family and friends who you,” Bradley said. “Watch truly enjoy your music,” some of your favorite local said DeLeon. “Take that to bands, watch the guys who heart too, but always look are really high up there— for criticism, always look local bands, the guys who for ways you can constantly are really pushing far—and improve. Don’t stop; never just watch their set and nothink you’re great—no mat- tice what they do and really ter what. Even if you’re [the study it, take notes basically, band] All Time Low you can and incorporate it into your improve on something.” own set and your own style Many students dream and you’ll start to notice of performing on stage for people following you.” screaming crowds. Troy “Study how you move High’s own Battle of the on stage. Study the way you Bands occurs every year, look,” Rush said. “You want drawing a number of bands to make sure if someone’s performing and people to deaf they can enjoy your watch. The Gone by Sunset show and if someone can’t members had advice for any- see they can still enjoy your one looking to become the show.”

“The local scene in general is just a family. We all take care of each other, we all support each other.”

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Sports

Page 6

Troy faces 2 pivotal games in 2 days

BY JAKE LOURIM

JAKE LOURIM

JAKE LOURIM

Above: Troy senior Zak Noor dribbles the ball up in a 57-47 win over Southfield-Lathrup. Above right: Senior Jennifer Stencel defends a Macomb Dakota player in a 60-29 loss in November.

Right: Senior Brian Wu performs a dive in the home pool.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT Catching up with three seniors in their last years

BY ERIN WRUBEL

Zak Noor

Sport: Basketball Years Participated: 3

Senior Zak Noor started playing basketball with his dad when he was a little kid and decided to join the Troy High Basketball Program his sophomore year. Noor is a 2013 captain.

“We’re doing all the little things: boxing out, not just counting on one person to score and moving the ball, ” Noor said.

His goals for the team? He wants the Colts to win the league championship and make it really far in the playoffs. But to achieve this goal, Noor must continue to be a leader on the floor. “[I want us] to become closer, work as a team and trust

BRIAN WU

each other,” Noor said.

His favorite part of the season so far has been the basketball team coming out with wins despite their underdog status. He also hopes to become All-State for his senior year achievements.

Brian Wu

Sport: Swimming & Diving Years Participated: 3 Brian Wu began swimming during his freshmen year, got injured his junior year and rejoined his team during his senior year. He started off as a swim team, participating in what he calls “a love-hate sport.” But due to injury, Wu has joined the diving team this year.

“The hardest part about diving is the mental aspect

of it,” Wu said. “One move wrong can twist you really badly.”

He hopes his fellow teammates will make it to the state meet.

Wu adores the team breakfasts that happen every Saturday. “That’s always the best,” Wu said.

Jennifer Stencel

Sport: Basketball Years Participated: 4 Senior Jennifer Stencel has been a player under coach Simon Bato for three years.

Being a captain her freshmen and sophomore years, the role changed when she stepped into the role as varsity captain.

“It’s a lot [of] more leading by example, really encour-

aging the younger girls, and keeping our team chemistry together,” Stencel said.

After a 1-7 start to the season, captain Stencel is maintaining a positive attitude.

“Our motto for the second half [of the season] is that it’s a new season and to improve on our record for sure,” Stencel said.

Stencel said her favorite part of the season is team bonding. They go out to dinner after games and spend a lot of time together. The girls themselves on the team are the reason Stencel has stuck with the sport throughout her high school career.

“Even when things get hard and when the practices are tough” Stencel said, “We are all there for each other.”

SCORES AND HIGHLIGHTS

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Bloomfield Hills Lahser Southfield

@ Rochester Adams North Farmington

@ Warren Fitzgerald @ West Bloomfield @ Pontiac

@ Southfield-Lathrup

L 58-56 L 62-52 inc.

Friday Saturday Thursday Jan. 29 Feb. 1

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL @ Pontiac

North Farmington Oxford

Auburn Hills Avondale

L 50-46 L 60-33 inc. inc.

@ Rochester Stoney Creek

Jan. 25

@ Clarkston

Jan. 31

Lake Orion

West Bloomfield

Jan. 29

Feb. 5

BY THE NUMBERS

3-2 74 6 27 22 13

Boys’ basketball home record after two losses last week (Troy was 15-4 combined in the past two years).

Boys’ basketball free-throw percentage heading into an 8-for-17 showing last Thursday against Southfield.

Boys’ basketball first-half 3-pointers against Southfield. Troy went on to lose, 62-52.

Combined rebounds for Sydney Heath (15 at Pontiac, 12 vs. North Farmington) in two games last week.

Girls’ basketball field-goal percentage last Friday against North Farmington.

Second-half free-throws

by North Farmington girls’ basketball last Friday, out of 17 attempts.

They watched Southfield steal the ball and race it down the floor for a dunk.

They watched the final seconds tick off the clock. They heard the buzzer sound.

They bowed their heads.

They went to the sideline to shake hands. They walked off the court.

They went behind the bench to grab their equipment bags. They took them across the floor, out the door and into the classroom across from the gym.

And there the boys’ basketball players sat. Silent, somber and still.

“It’s definitely not a good feeling,” senior guard Joe Leonard said after Troy lost to Bloomfield Hills Lahser last Tuesday. “But we’ve still got to keep our heads up.”

Twenty days after the high point of their season, they had reached perhaps the low point of their season, the only possible exception being a one-point loss to Athens on Dec. 7.

Such is high school basketball. How quickly things change.

“I don’t like losing, and I know the guys don’t like losing,” Fralick said.

Less than a month ago, Troy was celebrating senior Ben Horvath’s fortuitous, out-of-nowhere, look-whatI-found 3-pointer to beat Clarkston with nine seconds left. It was Troy’s second straight win over Clarkston, one of the premier programs in the county.

At that point, the Colts were 2-0 in the league in which everyone but themselves thought they were overmatched.

Six days later Troy went into Detroit Country Day and routed Dearborn Divine Child, led by a 22-0 run in the first half. It entered New Year’s Day at 4-1, another shocker.

Two weeks ago, the Colts were firing on all cylinders.

Now, they face two tough games in 17 hours, needing to win tonight to stay in the league hunt and needing to win both to keep their .500 record.

“Huge statement,” Fralick said. “We can win all three, and people are going to be talking about the Troy Colts again, about the Cinderella team.”

The Colts were out-rebounded by Lahser 34-20.

They shot just eight-for-17

4 9 28

from the foul line against Southfield, as the Blue Jays shot 13-for-17.

“They expect more,” Fralick said. “We’re going to have to shoot the ball better and make more shots on defense.”

Two simple statistics and the state of Troy’s season flipped.

But as different as the postgame environments were against Clarkston and Southfield, the Colts can flip back this weekend. Tonight, they take on North Farmington, led by star guard Caleb Hogans. Tomorrow, they hit the road to Warren Fitzgerald for a noon tip.

“We need to go back to what we do best: run the ball, make some shots, get the ball inside to score, do some things that we’ve been doing,” Fralick said.

Last year, Troy entered the showcase game at Fitzgerald—that time against Detroit Community—at 4-3.

The Colts upset Community, starting a 13-2 streak that gave Troy a league title and a district final berth.

North Farmington entered the week at 6-2 and on a five-game winning streak.

Fitzgerald entered at 4-1.

“We’ve just got to remember these two losses,” Horvath said after the Southfield loss. “I think we can make a big statement. Back-to-back wins can show we’re in good shape.

“This will show what kind of team we really are.”

The Colts played their best ball when they had a chip on their shoulder. Now they’re flirting with .500 again, and the chip is back.

Can the underdogs prove themselves again? “[Tonight] is actually a huge game for us,” junior Chris Dorsey said. “We want to show we’re still a good team.

We can beat any team out here.”

Troy got a reality check to start 2013. The Colts talked about motivating themselves with the two losses.

“These are two games we should have won,” Wunderlich said last Thursday.

“For me, that’s enough motivation.”

Wunderlich said the coaches wrote on the whiteboard the words “pretenders” and “contenders”.

“I believe we’re contenders in the league,” Wunderlich said. “We’ve just got to prove it.”

Number of road games in a row--starting tomorrow--for the boys’ basketball team (Warren Fitzgerald, West Bloomfield, Pontiac and Southfield-Lathrup).

Goals scored by the hockey team in a 9-0 mercy win last week at Flint Kearsley.

Saves by Troy sophomore goalie Michael Fisher in a 3-2 win over Athens Dec. 16.

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Sports

FRIDAY NIGHT SOUNDS

Page 7

Girls’ basketball enters ‘13 with new mindset

BY JAKE LOURIM

SARAH CHMIELEWSKI

SARAH CHMIELEWSKI

JAKE LOURIM

DANNY WUNDERLICH

The students, the players and the nights they’ll remember forever

BY JAKE LOURIM Look beyond the court on a Friday night boys’ basketball game. Take the scene of the student section at the end of the third quarter—hundreds of students, bursting into a rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In”—and put it on mute.

What’s left is a group of kids, some best friends, some almost strangers, linking arms. They chant together, all else aside.

“I think we’re like the sixth man of the basketball team,” Olson said.

They are. Just ask Southfield. At last Thursday’s home game, with ten seconds left of the first, second and third quarters, the students started chanting “3…2…1” with ten seconds left. The Southfield player with the ball threw up a shot, one from midcourt, instead of taking a couple more dribbles or an extra pass.

“They all get involved,” said senior Justin Losey, another member of the TC Line.

“Some people you don’t usually see get involved in school spirit. They get swept up in the atmosphere. You can see everyone in the student section gather and become one person, cheering for their school and their team.”

Go back to the end of halftime of the basketball games.

After a rare ten minutes of sitting, it’s time to get back up and rally to victory. One senior stands up in front of the group and leads the “Roller Coaster.” He makes an arm motion, everyone makes the same arm motion.

Put it on mute.

What’s left is that same hundred people, arms flying, hollering for the same thing.

Again, it does not matter

who is to their right, to their left or behind them. They’re cheering for Troy High, not for any one person.

“It’s incredible,” senior hockey player DJ Myers said after a loud 3-2 victory over Athens Dec. 19. “The team absolutely feeds off the energy of the crowd. We couldn’t ask for anything more.

“It gives us motivation. It’s a lot easier to play when you know you’ve got something to play for.”

Recently, Losey—who in October won a Spirit Award for letting students know of a 5 a.m. pep rally—started a Twitter account for each basketball game. The account began as “@TroyVsLahser,” and he changes it every game.

On Dec. 13, the Troy basketball team these students love opened the home season against a more athletic and probably more talented Southfield-Lathrup team. It hardly sounds like an upset now, but back then it was.

The home crowd fired up the Colts. No outsiders gave Troy a chance, but when the lights came on and the clock struck 7 p.m., the players and their fans believed. That was all that mattered.

Lathrup came in averaging more than 80 points per game. Troy held the Chargers to 16 in the first half.

The roller coaster to start the second half nearly shook the gym.

“It makes everybody pumped up,” Fralick said.

“That’s the beauty of highschool basketball, getting a big crowd in a big game and a close game on a Friday night. You can’t ask for anything more.”

There was energy in the building when the Colts came out of halftime on top.

The students started the roller coaster, all of them.

JV coach Aaron Smith took his seat near the head of the bench, smiling. “Look at your school,” he said.

Numbers were irrelevant at that point. Expectations were moot. Logic was thrown out the window.

Troy had the intensity, the enthusiasm, the intangibles.

Fast forward to the following Friday. School was out for the holidays. Christmas was four days away. Powerhouse Clarkston came to town.

Clarkston met 12 Troy players eager to win—and 200 more eager to see them win.

“Going into it, we all knew it was going to be a great atmosphere,” Losey said. “Watching that game was really inspiring. From the minute the ball tipped, we started hanging in there. When we saw that, the students section realized that we needed to really get behind these guys. We just got a little bit crazier, a little bit louder and everyone started to join in at that point.”

When Ben Horvath’s game-winning 3-pointer fell through the net and the final nine seconds ran off the clock, the gym exploded into delirium that could only be created by—well, a gamewinning 3-pointer.

Olson mentioned that game—and Troy’s 79-74 win over Clarkston last season—as his two greatest memories from the student section.

“When Ben hit that 3, it was probably one of the craziest things ever,” Losey said. “Storming the court is a memory that we’ll all take from Troy High from the rest of our lives.”

“When the Saints” and the roller coaster are just two of

the traditions. In basketball games the students jump and yell when the other team has the ball. In hockey games they bring an easy button—a big, red, cardboard circle— and hold it up against the boards after a goal. The goal scorer taps the easy button and the students yell, “That was easy!”

They chant players’ names.

They sing “Seven Nation Army.” They chant “I Believe That We Will Win,” which they got from Utah State University. Look it up. Your heart skips a beat.

“It’s phenomenal,” Myers said. “We feel like we’re playing in the NHL.” “They eat that up,” hockey coach Tim Zimmerman said after the Athens win.”

When “The Saints” is finished, a wild fourth quarter ensues. Usually the team these students cheer for comes out on top. Sometimes it doesn’t.

But what happens then scarcely matters. It is one group cheering on one dozen kids fighting until the bitter end. It is not only the people on the team but the hundreds more in the stands coming together. It is the joy that ensues after a thrilling a victory, the sadness that follows a somber defeat. It happens among everybody in the gym that night.

After two sparse games last week, the student section will be back in full force tonight when the Colts host North Farmington. North Farmington will be the favorite. But when the students cram into the stands and the players run down the floor, that won’t matter.

All that will matter is that for two hours inside that gym, anything can happen.

The Troy girls’ basketball team finally got some good news before it even played a game in 2013.

“Most importantly, we’re healthy,” Bato said. “Getting Sydney [Heath] back gives us a huge boost.”

Heath had two double-doubles in the first four games she completed, but she also missed five with an ankle injury.

The injury on Dec. 7 started a five-game losing streak for the Colts.

Troy had lost a captain, a leader, a starter, a leading rebounder, a leading scorer and a spark to team chemistry—all in one player.

“Me, Sydney and Rachael [Zelmanski] are buddies,” junior Nicole Niemiec said.

“We have good chemistry.

We see each other a lot. We were kind of missing a piece of our triangle.”

Now that piece is back, and the Colts have entered 2013 with a new mindset. Niemiec said she treats it as a second

work harder on defense. The second thing is limiting turnovers. We need to put the girls in pressure situations in practice so they’re ready in games.”

In her first game back from the injury, Heath scored 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Troy lost that game 50-46, but the third-year starter said it felt good to be back on the court.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be back with the team and getting back in shape,” Heath said.

Her previous full game was against Athens, when she pulled off another doubledouble with 19 points and 19 rebounds. Usually, points take over a game, but coach Simon Bato said Heath’s rebounding is what enables her to gain command.

“Not just with her rebounding effort, but with her defensive effort in general,” Bato said. “The way she guards one-on-one, she’s really been a game-changer for us. She’s also very vocal, and I think a lot of the girls feed

JAKE LOURIM

Troy junior forward Sydney Heath boosted the team’s lineup when she returned from an ankle injury last week.

season.

A 1-7 finish to 2012 wasn’t exactly what Troy had in mind. But a closer look at that record shows two things. One is that the Colts played just one game with their full starting lineup— and won that game, 47-35.

The other is that the toughest part of the schedule came in the early month of the season. Troy played its four toughest non-league games, including Macomb Dakota, which took defending runner-up Grosse Pointe South to overtime, and Birmingham Marian.

The Colts also faced their three toughest league games—Clarkston, Southfield-Lathrup and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek—as well as a West Bloomfield team that stroked eight 3-pointers in a win over Troy.

“We set new goals for 2013,” Bato said. “One of the most important is on the defensive end. We need to

off of that.”

They did last week when Heath came back. Though Troy lost its first game of 2013, Bato saw instant improvement.

“She brings great athleticism,” Bato said. “She’s an excellent rebounder. She has a knack for getting rebounds on the defensive end, and she’s one of our top scorers.”

Last Friday, Troy lost another game to North Farmington, 60-33.

“We came out flat today,” Bato said. “This was our flattest game of the season.”

Though it seemed like the Colts took a step back Friday, they’re not going to stop working.

“I think they push each other,” Bato said. “I think they know that our record does not reflect how good of a team we are. I think that motivates them enough. We have some high-character girls on this team.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

HIGH SCORERS

Bloomfield Hills Lahser

@ Pontiac

Southfield

North Farmington

Joe Leonard, 19

Zak Noor, 13

Sydney Heath, 15

Rachel Grecky, 8

Rachael Zelmanski, 8

The Troy Independent - thetroyindependent.org

Opinion

Page 8

THETROY Keep steroids out of the Hall INDEPENDENT COMMENTARY

I was happy with the decision to leave Barry Bonds and other steroid users out of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Why? Because Barry Bonds cheated.

The Hall of Fame honors greats.

Home-run kings, it’s got them.

Power pitchers, it’s got JAKE LOURIM them. Crafty base stealers, it’s got them too.

But it also honors players who played the game right way. Barry Bonds didn’t. Sammy Sosa didn’t.

Roger Clemens didn’t. It’s that simple. There’s no place in the Hall for them.

Baseball is America’s national pastime. It’s a clean game—it was for over a century—and these steroid users made it dirty.

By the numbers, Bonds has the most home runs in the history of baseball—762.

But do they really count? Do they matter when you have to take shortcuts—and, worse, lie about it—to get there?

Sports are about competition on an even playing field.

Sure, Bonds’ career before steroids was terrific. Sure, he had a pure swing even before he had the strength to hit it into Fisherman’s Wharf.

But none of that matters because he cheated. Same goes for Sosa and Clemens.

The steroid era is one that will forever taint baseball.

Here’s another problem, though, one that surfaced last week: the clean players are getting punished, too.

Craig Biggio and Jack Morris, the two leading votegetters, had remarkable careers. They did not take steroids. But they are not headed to Cooperstown. No one is, this year, thanks in part to the actions of men like Bonds. For Morris, this could be it. His last year of eligibility is next year.

It’s a shame, too. You want numbers? Biggio finished with 3,060 hits, good for 20th all time. He hit a consistent .281, passing .300 four times. Three times he played every game the whole season. Try doing that in a Houston summer.

Talk about Morris’ earnedrun average near 4. Talk about his 3.60 ERA in 1984, good for only third out of the Tigers’ starters.

But he won. He won 254 games in 18 years. He won four World Series Rings.

(Bonds and Sosa each won zero.) He made it to five AllStar Games. Best of all, he didn’t have to cheat to do it.

You want primetime performances? In 1984, when the Tigers won the World Series, Morris pitched a seveninning gem in the American League Championship Series. Then, he pitched two complete-game wins as the Tigers won the World Series.

That’s right: in two games

in the Fall Classic, Morris was never even taken out.

You want loyalty? Biggio played his whole 20-year career with the same team— not the Yankees, not Boston, but Houston. Morris played the first 14 of his 18 seasons with the Tigers. Both put their teams on the map, and united their cities with their teams’ performances.

We saw two decades of real Craig Biggio and real Jack Morris. We only got to see a few years of the real Barry Bonds.

Proponents of Bonds will say he had a pure swing even before he started steroids.

Could he have had the numbers he had without cheating? Probably not. Could he have been pretty good? Yes. Could he have still made the Hall of Fame? Maybe.

The sad part is that we’ll never know.

The sadder part is that clean players are going down with him.

BY BRENDAN BATTLE

and thrills. random shoot The plot of the Jack Reacher ings. The mysmovie has the Now playing tery plot goes titular Reacher, a through sevformer U.S. Maeral twists and rine, looking for turns.However, answers when an acquain- the story is clichéd and pretance of his is the prime sus- dictable, and I was able to pect for a series of seemingly guess the big twist about

twenty minutes into the movie. The characters, when the writers were trying to be serious, end up being mostly boring and overused.

However, to contrast the predictable (but not completely awful) plot, the movie has some cool fight

Jack Reacher: a mediocre thriller

If you’re looking for a heartfelt story about morality and justice, or an intriguing mystery thriller, you’d best look elsewhere. This new Tom Cruise movie’s appeal lies to fans of action, explosions,

PETER’S PALETTE by Peter Mansky

The official student newspaper of Troy High School www.thetroyindependent.org troynewspaper@gmail.com Carolyn Gearig, editor-in-chief Jake Lourim, editor-in-chief Peter Mansky, cartoonist Sarah Regan, advertising manager Erin Wrubel, advertising manager Anna Larson, social director Amanda McCafferty, social director Marcey Shehata, social director Brendan Battle, staff writer Liza Burakova, staff writer Marissa Ceccato, staff writer Annie Chen, staff writer Sarah Chmielewski, staff writer Peter Hao, staff writer AuJenee Hirsch, staff writer In Chan Lee, staff writer Katherine Maher, staff writer Annie Pappageorge, staff writer Alex Roettenberger, staff writer Tommy Rowbal, staff writer Katie Schlafhauser, staff writer Erin Tepatti, staff writer Jennifer Doptis, adviser

The Troy Independent is the official student newspaper of Troy High School, produced by students in the third hour Writing for Publication: Newspaper class. The Troy Independent is an open forum and thus encourages members of the school community to submit letters to the editor and guest columns. Interested in joining our staff? Sign up when you complete your 2013-2014 scheduling cards. scenes and action set-pieces.

One memorable battle has Reacher brawling on top of a collapsing construction site in the middle of a massive storm.

Tom Cruise acts well in the lead role, and has some

clever one-liner jokes sprinkled here and there. For an action-movie fan, you can do a lot worse for a couple hours at the theater, though the clichéd story is just a little context for the explosive combat.