Arrow 2023 Issue 1

CHIEF CONNECTION

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ID badges enforced at Utica

ABBY WILLIAMS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Safety at school is an increasing concern for students, parents, and teachers alike. To combat their fear for stu dent safety, ID badges are now being enforced at Utica and it is mandatory for students to be visibly wearing their IDs at all times.

To accompany this, teachers are conducting ID checks to make sure every student is complying, and any student found without their ID must purchase a new one.

Most students don’t fully sup port ID requirement, but they don’t outright oppose it either. They don’t mind it, but think the reasons aren’t exactly practical.

“It makes sense on why they’re do ing it,” senior Daniel Waterstradt said, “but I still think it’s a little bit over the top.”

Not everyone agrees that ID en forcement truly improves security at Utica.

“It may be able to identify people who aren’t supposed to be in the school,” senior Alaina Wisswell said, “but if someone forgets their ID at home or just isn’t wearing

it, does that automatically mean that they are not sup posed to be here and they’re a threat? It’s very possible that someone with the intent to harm attends the school anyway, so that rules out the point of them having IDs.”

Some also disagree with IDs needing to be visible on a student at all times.

“I think keeping the ID on you is a good idea,” Waterstradt said, “I just think needing it to be visible is weird. I think it’s fine if you had it in your wallet or your purse or something like that, since that’s just an obvious spot you’d for an ID if something happened. Somewhere visible on you is just a little bit too much.”

Students are also concerned about how often teachers are checking for IDs.

“The staff isn’t checking the IDs regularly like they claim to be,” Wiss well said, “so an intruder could go completely unnoticed until it’s too late.”

“I think that IDs being visible can help with security at the school in the event of a shooting,” Waterstradt said, “but only a little bit. It’s so little to the point where it’s completely insignificant.”

Utica, Stevenson bands march in Peach Festival

of the parade was.

On Sept. 5, the Utica and Stevenson marching bands marched together for the very first time. The two march ing bands participated in the Romeo Peach Festival side by side. This is a monumental event, as nothing similar has ever happened before in the history of either schools.

Marching band is unlike other team activities. The four high school bands support each other rather than view each other as rivals.

“It’s nice to know that theres an other school that we can do stuff together in the future with,” soph omore Giovanni Ricciuti said, “and have a relationship with.”

Another Utica marcher shared a similar opinion on the fact that rivalries in marching band are non-existent.

“I’m a very competitive person, but when it comes to band I’m not that competitive against the other schools,” senior Zoey Lawrence said. “It’s just so nice to have a break from that. Everyone supports each other. Everyone wants you to do good, and no one wants you to fail.”

The Utica marchers were thrilled to march alongside the Stevenson band.

“Stevenson and Utica marching together was fun,” ju nior Alex Miloian said. “Coordinating the drumline was really cool, and meeting the other quads was fun.”

The marchers had different takes on what the best part

“The best part was seeing how everyone was so dif ferent in the sections,” Lawrence said. “There are six trombones at Stevenson and 11 here, and even with the small difference there’s such a difference in sound. It’s just amazing to be around all the differences even though it’s the same section.”

The Stevenson marchers shared similar thoughts to Utica’s marchers on the experience.

“I had a lot of fun marching with Utica,” Stevenson senior Gwen dolyn Whetstone said. “It’s definitely an experience I enjoyed and wish I could do again. I think the most fun thing about it was meeting the Utica flutes and learning Utica’s cadence.”

Both Utica and Stevenson students alike loved the event, but one student had an especially unique experience. Lawrence was originally in the Stevenson marching band, but transferred to Utica at the start of her junior year.

“It was really nice to see the familiar faces,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t ever expect to be able to march with my old band after transferring to Utica, but it was a really nice experience and I’m really glad it happened.”

With all of the time Stevenson has been a part of the Utica Community Schools district, Utica and Stevenson marching together for the very first time is an event that will go down in both of the schools’ history.

Russia vs Ukraine

Students respond to updates regarding ongoing war

The Russia vs. Ukraine war started in Feb. 21, 2022. Rus sia authorized the use of military force to Ukraine. Rus sia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, is aiming at Ukraine because Ukraine joined the Western alliance seeing as it was a threat to Russia’s borders.

The invasion and attacks officially started on Feb. 24, 2022. As much as seven million Ukrainians became refugees due to these attacks. Many Ukrainians were not able to return back to their homes and it is estimated the war left 3.5 mil lion people homeless. There was also a global stop to Ukraine product transportations. Russia soon blockaded the flow of food, water, health care and any other essentials needs.

This war triggered turmoil financial markets and drasti cally increased the uncertainty on the global economy. The damage in Ukraine is a wide-spread, the pricing for drastic damages in infrastructures are estimated 600-750 billion dollars.

In March of 2022, Americas aid was sent through tradi tional foreign aid tunnels. Around 45 billion dollars has been sent to help Ukraine even with the expanses of urgent support, health service, food system

“I think its a good thing they’re helping if Ukraine is hav ing a downfall,” sophomore Isabella Gall said.

America also provides money to help training people outside of Ukraine. The union is making a extensive finan cial and humanitarian support available to Ukraine. Ukrai nians have been traveling to neighboring countries such as Poland and Moldova.

In recent events of Sept. 2022, Russians are being forced into fighting for their country.

“I don’t think they should be forced to,” sophomore Sadie Gray said. “Only if they feel like doing it.”

But there are some Russians that would happily contrib ute to serve their country. The people who aren’t willing are going into a protest to stop these actions. Ukraine is plan ning to get all their terrain conquered in the war by the Rus sians on battlefield.

This war is far from over, and there is still more going on in recent news. There is some light at the end of the tun nel though, after the war, Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal reveals a $750 billion recovery plan to re-build the country with also helping the citizens in Ukraine. The proj ect Zelensky urged the international community to partici pate in and hopefully help the situation but this will take a while.

Junior Alex Miloian holding the Utica High School banner used in the Romeo Peach Fes tival Parade. photo by abby williams

NATHAN WUNSCHL REPORTER

Senior Daniel Olah poses with his ID badge.

photo by abby williams

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. photo by nurphoto/mct

Michigan sets aside money for mental health resources

GRACIE WETHERINGTON COPY EDITOR

Michigan has set aside money for schools across the state to implement better mental health resources for their students. The state’s mental health budget for the 2022-23 school year has allotted approximately $2.7 million to UCS.

“Every kid in every district deserves to feel safe and supported in school,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “and I am proud today to sign a historic, bipartisan education bud get that will make game-changing investments to improve every student’s in-class experi ence.”

$214 per-pupil mental health and school safety funding will be set aside for every kid, in every public school district. The dedicated mental health dollars will increase funding for teen centers, district mental health grants, and TRAILS, which offers training to school mental health professionals so they can better serve students with evidence-based services.

“We can and must work together to expand access to mental health care to help our kids thrive in and out of the classroom,” Whitmer said.

UCS administrators are looking for ways to imple ment this new funding in ways that will best help the students.

“We are currently developing a plan to determine the most effective use of these resources that will direct ly impact the 26,000 students in our district,” Director of School and Community Relations Tim McAvoy said. “The plan will focus on mental health awareness and promotion and providing our staff with additional tools to work with students, such as professional consultants or resources aimed at addressing mental health needs.”

Mental health awareness and help comes in the forms of big and small deeds. Which is why schools are doing things from hiring more social workers to doing student-teacher checkups.

“Extra social workers have been hired which will support students in need,” principal Tim Youngblood said. “However, we are also still gathering more infor mation.”

would love to have another social worker helping me at the high school. Other surrounding districts often have a full-time and part-time social worker for one high school. In Utica, our high school social workers have one high school and some other building or programs.”

Despite the new social workers not being directly in Utica, they are still very important.

“I believe it would be very beneficial to have more social workers in our school district because social workers are eclectically trained meaning they cover multiple areas of mental health not just one area and are a definite asset to schools,” Solomon said. “We should have at least one social worker per building.”

A program called Character Strong is helping grow student-teacher relationship and do mental health check ups.

“There are free resources for teachers and students to do quick wellness checks with stu dents and to help establish relationships. They are called ‘Character Strong Weekly,’ and is a low burden, high impact strategy to transform the daily work of the classroom,” Youngblood said. “This is only phase one of the district’s Wellness Initiative. This program also has free podcasts available to all of our students and staff.”

MASSP Mental Health Summit

Administrators are working with students directly to help better understand what will be the best plan of action for improving mental health.

“The Utica HS Wellness team, counselors and I went to the MASSP Student Mental Health Summit in Lan sing,” Youngblood said, “and will meet regularly with the student group to bring some programs to Utica HS.”

The students may have been the most important at tendees of the mental health summit since they are the ones that are on the receiving end of the school better ing their mental health systems.

“We went to different key note speakers and we learned different stories about how mental health, sub stance abuse and other things related to mental health,” junior Jordan Jones said. “We learned about how these things affect peoples lives, different copying mecha nisms and things we can bring back to our school to help students in need and to teach them about mental health.”

“My position here at Utica High and at Eppler Junior High is School Social Worker. I only work with students in special education as my service is determined by their IEP (Individual Education Plan),” social worker Beverly Solomon said. “I help them with many different is sues including home problems, friendship issues, social skills building, depression, anxiety, the list is long. I do not help them with any type of scheduling of classes or college applica tions as that is their counselor’s responsibility.”

Social workers are a vital resource for many students.

“I believe my intervention with students helps with their mental health in that they feel some relief that they have a place at school to talk about their problems,” Solomon said. “A place/person they can trust with personal issues in their lives. I may give them resources that can alleviate some anxiety they have been having in their lives. Sometimes they just want someone to listen.”

However, most of the newly hired social workers did not come directly to the high schools.

“The district did hire more social workers, but they put the majority of them in the ele mentary schools. The elementary social workers have to service both special education and general education students. Their caseloads are much smaller than mine,” Solomon said. “I

The administration also sent out a wellness survey to help figure out how the student body is doing mentally. The questionnaire gave students the chance to report how they were feeling emotionally and mentally, and whether or not they needed a “check in.”

“I was looking at it in a way to see if kids were struggling. We were looking for a way to get kids to come talk to us because I think a lot of kids do not feel comfortable to come down and see us or say I’m having a hard time,” counselor Annemarie Carabelli said. “We were looking for a social media way because a lot of kids use social media to express themselves, so we thought we’d try that. Not all the teachers did it, which in one sense was helpful be cause it was a little bit overwhelming and we had to try and contact all these kids who set off a red flag. I think some kids did not take it as seriously, but we still contacted them and talked to them, as well. I think in the end it was beneficial for us.”

The survey helped the administrators and counselors but it also helped the students to see that the counselors actually look at the results are care to see whats going on.

“I saw some smiles and some surprise faces that we actually followed up with them on some of the stuff,” Carabelli said. “We just wanted to make sure they knew they were not just doing some paperwork stuff, and that we were not going to follow up. It was not just the counselors, it was assistant principals and Mr. Youngblood, as well.”

Senior Savannah Ruiz meets with her counselor, Annemarie Carabelli. photo by natalie garwood

New year, new changes

Students share opinions on new communications, features

ABBY WILLIAMS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Numerous things have changed in Utica High this year, from construction changes to new policies.

Methods of communication have changed at Utica. One major change is the absence of video announce ments. Instead, a group of students announce important information over the P.A. system, typically around the end of first hour.

Some students are not huge fans of the new announce ments.

“I think the new announcements are more conve nient,” senior Sophia LaBrecque said, “but they’re a little less effective than the video announcements.”

The announcements usual ly take place near the end of first hour, and are read by students in teacher Brian Drobnich’s class.

“They announcements are of ten interrupted by the bell or are hard to hear and understand,” LaBrecque said. “It just gets hard to hear because people are getting ready to leave and making noise near the end of the hour.”

P.A. announcements may not work as well for some students, and those students believe other measures can be taken to prevent confusion and misunderstand ings.

“I think that both emailing and having P.A. announcements would be beneficial,” LaBrecque said. “I know many students don’t check their email, but if a student was confused about something they heard on the announcements, they’d know they’re able to check their email for clarification.”

“I feel like the P.A. announcements are as good as they’re going to get,” LaBrecque said, “but I feel like

emailing as well as P.A. would help, and I think I’d change when the announcements happen.”

Utica’s physical appearance is also undergoing chang es. Near the beginning of the school year, new drinking fountains were added to the school that have screens to track the amount of plastic water bottles saved.

“I think the counters on the drinking fountains are a great idea,” junior Ani Quartuccio said. “It encourages more people to use it, instead of buying plastic bottles.”

The amount of plastic bottles saved being displayed can also help promote the importance of conservation and recycling.

“Environmental conservation is very important,” Quartuccio said. “We should definitely be encouraging our generation to focus on it.”

Students emphasize that their peers need to concentrate more on their actions in regards to the environment, whether it’s recy cling or using a water bottle.

“Paying attention to environ ment conservation is important because everything around us is part of the environment,” soph omore Katarina Isakovic said. “If you buy a reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic water bottle and throwing it out every day, you are doing something beneficial for the environment.”

The counters on drinking fountains could be a way to en courage students to take initiative and focus on how they take care of the planet.

“It may not seem like much,” Isakovic said, “but if ev eryone starts learning and being more conscious about how their decisions and actions affect the environment, I think the world could take a step toward a healthier envi ronment.”

NEW LEADERSHIP

Adamo sponsors Key Club, leads service projects

ROSEMARY HORMOZ REPORTER

Key Club is a student-led organization, where students make the world a better place through service. Here at Utica, there are approximately 140 students currently enrolled who meet with organizer Anthony Adamo every month to better their community.

Although this is his first year leading the group, many stu dents agreed that he knows what he is doing.

“Mr. Adamo seems very confident about this group,” ju nior Ashlin Hurry said. “The members in it will all do their part.”

Key Club is open to all grade levels, but the requirements differ between the under and upperclassmen.

“Underclassmen have to do a minimum of seven hours of community service,” organizer Anthony Adamo said. “Seniors this year are re quired to do ten.”

For many of the up perclassmen, this is their third year volunteering throughout the city of Utica, and some of them have been given a special role in the organization.

“As treasurer,” senior Ashley Pittel said, “I help manage club funds so that we can have money to give back to the com munity and we are able to do these services.”

One of the highest po sitions, held by senior So phia Wenzel, is being president of the club.

“Last year I was a member of the E-board and I was the only returning member of E-board for this year,” Wenzel said, “so I understood the ins and outs and responsibilities we had, so I decided to run for president and got it.”

Wenzel has lots of influence on how the club is run and ensures all members are up to date on places around the city they can volunteer at.

“I’m in charge of finding and providing service events for all of the members, running the meetings and keeping track of attendance and service hour requirements,” Wenzel said. “I make sure that if anyone has any questions about anything, that I’m always there to answer.”

A week before school started, Adamo and a few returning members of the club volunteered, spending hours working on the courtyard to ensure that our building makes a good im pression on visitors for the new school year. Students agree that it was a much needed clean up operation.

“I was surprised with how much trash there actually was in the bushes and the trees,” senior Isabel Lee said. “It was really a refreshing thing to clean it.”

With the group just starting and many people joining, we know lots of citizens will be positively impacted by the time put in to volunteering in our city.

The next monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday. Nov. 16 at 6:55 a.m. in the Media Center.

The brand new courtyard which was ren ovated by Key Club over the summer. pho to by anthony adamo

Junior Gabriella Opoka reads the morning announcements to the school during first hour.

photo by abby williams

The new drinking fountains around Utica have counters that track the amount of plastic bottles saved by refilling.

photo by abby williams

Marching through city streets

Competition Day

School is back in session again, but homecoming is also back to greet us. Competition day is here and all of our cheerleaders, dancers, and band members are here to rally up the students of Utica High. Utica High’s most anticipated event of homecoming week got the students riled up.

“I was so excited,” sophomore Crystal Youanes said. “It was so great seeing everyone participate.”

At the beginning of the assembly, the cheerleaders and dancers put on a show with their performances, an introduction to the homecoming com petition.

“Competition day was fun,” sophomore Luann Oldfield said. “My favorite part was being able to perform.”

Competitions that occurred during the assembly surely entertained the students, like musical chairs, human pyramid, and everyone’s favorite, tug of war. Plenty of students showed school spirit, and many were excited for the upcoming assembly.

“My favorite day was the day where everyone dressed up as their color,” junior Amberlyn Ramirez-Garcia said. “I felt proud because everyone did what they had to do for spirit week.”

It’s commonly said by students that the competition assembly is the best part of homecoming week.

“I enjoyed my time watching all the games and people singing to the songs,” Youanes said. “Everyone had a good time cheering their team on.”

photos by NATALIE GARWOOD

The Utica High School marching band leads the parade through the streets of downtown Utica, before reaching the football stadium.

The sophomore float is rolling up for the parade at Jimmy John’s field, decorated with balloons and tassels.

The cheerleaders are excited, getting ready to march with the parade at the Jimmy John’s baseball field.

Cheer Team

Varsity Football player Tyler Powrozek is up and prepared to throw the football during the game.

Homecoming court members Sam Valenti and Kaelyn Krim are arriving in style by the Jimmy John’s field.

The boys soccer teams are here with excite ment, gathered at Jimmy John’s field ready for the parade.

Varsity and JV Boys Soccer

Homecoming Royalty Sophomore Float Marching Band

ALESSANDRA IVANAJ

Junior Cybelle Abdel-Nour per forms with her dance team at the competition assembly.

Dance Team

Tug of War

Playing, parading

The homecoming football game had the Utica football team against L’Anse Creuse. The students but things didn’t seem to go as planned.

“We thought we were going to win,” sophomore Lauren Garwood said, “but we lost by 14 points.”

Lots of anticipation arose in the students who were at the game, watching the varsity football team play, but the score eventually came down to 28-14.

“We were playing tough, turning over the ball many times,” junior Tyler Watford said. “We kept the lead and it seemed like an easy win.”

The homecoming parade on Sept. 24 was very lively and a really good time for many of the students.

“People were excited and having fun,” sophomore Sean Mondello said. “There were students and their little siblings throwing candy.”

The cheerleaders, boys soccer teams, homecoming court were all there enjoying the march through downtown Utica.

“I felt kind of tired, it’s exhausting,” Mondello said. “It’s fun though.”

Homecoming week was very eventful, but many stu dents had a good time.

“I’m a drum major, so I’m at the front of the parade,” junior Chloe Fashho said. “I enjoyed it, I liked hanging out with my friends.”

Chieftain Spirit

Monday

Since Monday came with rain, pajama day was moved to Mon day. It was a good way for students to get comfort able on a Monday morning.

Tuesday

The school’s favorite event of homecoming week is Competition day. Lots of Utica High’s students are dressed in school colors, seniors in white, juniors in orange, and sopho mores in black.

Wednesday

Did the school time travel to the future or to the past? No one could answer that on timeless tale day. Seniors, as the oldest , dressed up as elders, while the juniors and sophomores were dressed as babies.

Thursday

There are plenty of bright colors around here on Neon Day.

The student were dressed in bright neon colors.

Friday

To celebrate the home coming game after school, the students all dressed up in all school colors.

Enchanted evening

You walk into the school gym, very crowded with energized students. The gym is decorated with balloons, enchanted trees, hanging lights, and ribbons.

Since 2020, dances have been held outside to follow COVID-19 precau tions, but this year, the homecoming dance returnED to the gym.

“I think it will be fun this year,” principal Timothy Youngblood said. “Students have had fun in previous years in the gym.”

Student council spent a lot of time preparing for the dance.

“We lost badly at the game, which was super disappointing. Afterwards, student council had to help in the gym,” sophomore Yana Jani said. “We segregated into groups and each group worked on a piece of decoration, like the balloon and the mushroom.”

They have been working on the homecoming events since August.

“Homecoming is the busiest week,“ adviser Melissa Kevonian said, “but it is rewarding.“

Teachers also enjoyed themselves at homecoming.

“I liked seeing the kids at outside of school and all dressed up,“ teacher Maria Rajewski said. “The best part is seeing kids have a good time.”

Teacher John See keeps the rope in place as the juniors face off against the sophomores in tug-of-war during the competition assembly.

Cheer

LEFT: Seniors Makenna Riggs and Dustin Gordon are the winning pair for this year’s dance, with their pic ture in front of the 2022 senior wall.

Dancing the night away

BOTTOM RIGHT: Valentina Alia, Sofia Manzella, Anna Hilliard, and Haley Rojeski are cheerfully partying the night away.

BOTTOM LEFT: Lilian Boucher, Leah Holden, Nicholas Williams, Robert Wojcik and more are chilling and having a good time together.

MIDDLE: Sophomores Lila Nassri, Riley Coughlin, Sophia Jirjis, and Isa bella Weissmuller are posing together on the night of the dance.

Construction continues in and around the U

Ever had a fresh new haircut and wanted to show the world? Well, the school got its new “haircut” and underwent construction over the summer.

The tennis courts were upgraded and redesigned, the locker room got a whole new look, and the hallway that con nects the lunchroom changed its look to a brand new color. Many students and staff have found the new look impressive and well done.

“The tennis court is very modern and fancy,” senior Taylor Leonard said. “It gives us a good look as a school; it makes us look rich, even though we’re broke.”

Although most of the school doesn’t use the locker room or tennis court, there are some students who participate in after-school activities.

“It felt and looked completely new,” senior Makenna

Diem-Conlen said. “There was a lot more space and it felt a lot cleaner and up to date compared to most other high schools.”

Principal Tim Youngblood explained the new improve ments.

“The reason to improve the tennis court so we would have a better area to practice for our tennis team,” Young blood said. “Also, it gave us a better opportunity to make more room for better parking.”

Some students would’ve preferred to upgrade the school’s air conditioning system.

“What they should’ve use the money on was a brand new heating and cooling system,” senior Nathan Richards said. “Every single room is either freezing in winter or an oven during summer.”

Students and staff complained about the ongoing ma chinery noises throughout the day while learning.

“I was learning about the Pythagorean theorem, as we’re all going to use in the future, in Mr. See’s room,” senior Ath erna Gorney said, “but during the class all we heard were drilling, smashing and loud nosies and it was really distract ing.”

Not all students are fans of the new improvements.

“When we had to come into the school for our senior registration, there was many blockades and inconvenienc es due to the construction. The driveway going to the main office would be blocked to degree from the trucks and cars from the crew so it made it harder for people to get in and out easily and it took a lot longer to just get home,” senior Quinn Gilkinson said. “The color in the lunch hallway looks awful. The white is very bright first thing in the morning and the color before made it feel a little old but it felt like home and warm in a way; this new color makes it feel very intense. I hope the don’t make the entire school that bright.”

my lines before the deadline which is Oct. 13.”

Actors

Winifred: Nadeen Rashed

Milly: Kit Syler

Tilly: Val Roberts

Freya: Nadya DeRosa

Basil: Doug Gettleson

Jewel: Maia Suggs

Darcy: Gobi Garrett

Hamish: James Johnson

Ffion: Carley Davis

Saffron: Kaitlyn Pace

Coco: Beesan Nijmeh

Verity: Makenna Riggs

Primula: Asher Dumoran

“Blood and Sequins” by Rachel Bublitz will have three showings: Thurs day, Nov. 3 at 7 pm, Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 pm, and Saturday, Nov. 5 at 4 pm.

“The play the theater department is putting on this fall is ‘Blood & Se quins’ by Rachel Bublitz. It is a prom-themed murder mystery with some added comedy.” senior Savannah VanPamel said. “I am the director and I got the position after assisting in directing the spring musical last year and applying to direct this show.”

Our high school will be the first to put on this play. Everyone is very excited to be lucky enough to be a part of this new experience.

“I am most often the scenic designer,” teacher Joel Kaczmarczyk said. “Although in this show I have a student who is working with me to design the scenery for the fall play.”

There are 13 main parts or roles in this year’s play. Those characters include Winifred, Milly, Tilly, Freya, Basil, Jewel, Darcy, Hamish, Ffion, Saffron, Coco, Verity, and Primula.

“My role is Winfred Redbum. I don’t consid er myself a main part but I do have a lot of lines throughout the play. Winfred is an energetic yet quiet person who nobody can seem to re member going to high school with. She and her friend are blamed in the beginning for being the murderers and she is scared the entire time since she really, truly doesn’t want to die,” senior Nadeen Rashed said. “We started rehearsing about two weeks ago, and so far, I am trying to memorize all of

There has been a lot of hard work and dedication put in by those help ing run this play and they are so close to the end, so close to the opening night.

“We started rehearsing a while ago. It’s hard doing football and theater at the same time of the year but I make it work. Right now I’m just memoriz ing lines and making sure my blocking is good. I play Basil, one of the two lead male characters in the show, who ends up becoming prom king, but the excitement doesn’t last very long since he gets trapped in the man sion with a murderer on the loose,” senior Doug Gettleson said. “It’s been such an awesome show to be a part of. This will be my fifth show at Utica and I’m very excited to be part of the first-ever cast to put on this show since it’s brand new.”

“We have been rehearsing for a few weeks now, and we are going off book and running our scenes with the scenery,” senior Makenna Riggs said. “My role is a character named Verity. She is the debate president and goes to prom with her best friend Darcy.”

The most popular kids from Salem High School find themselves in an abandoned man sion on prom night, it doesn’t take them long to realize they’ve been caught in an elaborate revenge prank. But things move from annoying to terrifying when a girl drops dead. Locked in, they’re forced to figure out who among them is the killer

up just as much a goner. A night to remember? More like a night they won’t ever be able to forget.

photo by natalie garwood

ALEX SCHMIDT MANAGING EDITOR

The tennis courts were resurfaced, with new landscaping and viewing areas added for spectators. photo by bryan orellana

BRYAN ORELLANA REPORTER

UP-TO-DATE SPORTS INFO

MISS A GAME, OR PLANNING ON GOING TO ONE? FIND ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON OUR SITE

Girls cross country gets new jerseys

“I like how they are different from our old ones,” sophomore Sophia Aquino said. “When we go to meets people are like, whoa, Utica has new jerseys.”

This season, the Utica girls cross country team has new pink jerseys for October.

“We are trying to run for breast cancer awareness,” coach Chris Scott said, “so we tried to incorporate the pink with the orange.”

Breast Cancer Awareness Month was created in 1985 to support people with breast cancer, as well as to educate people about the condition and spread awareness.

“I love that the new jerseys represent Utica’s colors,” se nior Abby Fifield said, “and also help support breast can cer.”

The jerseys go from orange at the top to pink at the bot tom.

“They are supposed to be like a sunset with a little twist in it,” senior captain Meagan Verellen said, ”especially the pink. I think they have a very good idea behind them.”

To get this specific jersey, Scott had to go through a spe cial company and get the jerseys customized.

“It’s a company called For Sports,” Scott said. “We went with them because they were able to do sublimation, which is the gradient pattern that we have on it.”

The team had a very positive reaction to the new design, and junior captain Addison Johnson has a personal con nection to the jersey.

“I really like them,” Johnson said, “especially since someone in my family has had breast cancer and passed away. It’s nice to be able to wear during October.”

The team has a lot of spirit wear, as well.

“We have matching bows that say ‘In October we wear pink’,” freshman Siene Murasz eski said.

The jerseys brought a new type of confidence for meets.

The team went to the county meet in these jerseys.

“County’s JV title is only the second time it has been won since last 2005,” Scott said. JV did really well, but so did varsity.

“Since 1984, varsity has had eight top three finishes,” Scott said.

As for individuals, Logan Symthe placed first for JV.

“As far back as 2000,” Scott said, “we have never had an individual JV County Champ. Logan Smythe may be the first, pending any records from the 1980s.”

Sophia Aquino placed second in the JV race.

“We have never had first and second followed up by So phia Aquino in the same race,” Scott said.

Johnson won first team all county.

“Addison Johnson joins just two other athletes to ever get three times first all county,” Scott said.

Muraszewski made some history as well.

“Siene becomes one of the five freshman to make all county,” Scott said.

Countys was historical for Utica for both JV and Varsity. “Countys marked only the second time Varsity has put six girls inside the top 30 since 1988,” Scott said, “and the only time a JV has ever put five in the top 13.”

Many people wonder why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in October.

According to knowbreastcancer.org, “in global effort to raise awareness on breast can cer, its accompanying pink ribbon is now synonymous with the month of October.”

Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings people together. You can say it has also brought the Utica girls cross country team together. Not only do the jerseys look fantastic on every one, but it also has a special meaning in every athlete’s heart.

Highlight: Utica upsets Rochester

Chieftains spear down the Rochester Falcons in final seconds for a 27-24 victory

TYLER WATFORD SPORTS EDITOR

A once in a lifetime moment, a moment taken straight out of a movie, the last play, the last throw, the last second.

The Rochester falcons settle for a field goal on fourth down, junior Jayden Mcbain returns the ball to the Chieftains 35 yard line.

Senior Jack Malone takes over on offense, snaps the ball scrambles and then is sandwiched between two Falcons.

Malone suffered an injury to his shoulder, so he leaves the reins to junior Tyler Powrozek.

Powrozek is left with a minute and 20 seconds to drive the Chieftains into the end zone.

Senior Tommie Boyd II catches the ball midfield, then breaks three tackles getting 19 yards.

“I had a good feeling,” Boyd said, “got ourselves in a good spot to make something big happen.”

Powrozek takes the snap, drops back and launches the ball to Isaiah McGarry. McGarry is blown up by Rochester’s safety number 9, his helmet sent flying.

“I was hit pretty hard but I didn’t feel much with my adren aline rushing,” junior Isaiah McGarry said. “I just needed to

help my team.”

McGarry toughed it out and continued to play, drawing a flag and moving the Chieftains up to the 21 yard line

Utica’s offense picked up where they left off unable to score but suffering a holding penalty from Jayden Mcbain, bringing them back to the 31 yard line.

Powrozek put in a bad spot, only left with 10 seconds to make one last stand.

“I was pretty nervous, I had one play and one chance to win,” Powrozek said. “I trusted my team and we had to win.”

Powrozek knew what he had to do and this was his last chance

Powrozek drops back, scans the field, sees junior Numehne Gwilly in the end zone and launches the ball.

Hearts pounded on the Utica sideline, hoping for the best. The balls was tipped and Gwilly pulls it in one handed, tak ing down the Rochester Falcons 27-24.

The entire Utica sideline erupted in cheers, the team rushed the field in celebration, the Falcons stands cleared in an instant.

Cries of happiness, cheers of excitement, nothing mattered. All that mattered was the Chieftains beat the Falcons.

A Falcon attempts to stop junior Numehne Gwilly as he heads to ward the goal line. The team celebrated Gwilly’s last-second catch to win the game against Rochester.

by natalie garwood

LORIANA MANNINO

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

On the cross country team’s Instagram, the coach shared photos of the team’s new jerseys. photo by chris scott

Many things have changed this school year with the introduction of a new principal, one of which is sparking a bit of controversy: ID enforcement.

Students are now required to wear their school-issued ID badge at all times during school, facing consequenc es if they don’t. If a student is caught without their ID during an ID check, they must purchase a new one. This is a prominent change from last year, where IDs weren’t enforced at all and practically no one wore them.

A majority of our news staff agrees with the increased enforce ments of ID badges for multiple reasons, such as safety and prepara tion for the real world.

Proponents of the new rule claim that wearing an ID is extremely important for safety reasons. In a time where school shootings are so prevalent, schools need a quick and effective way to identify who is and isn’t supposed to be on school grounds. They state that ID badges are a practical way of doing so.

an effective way to introduce us to it.

A small portion of our staff, however, heavily disagrees with IDs being required and don’t believe they’re neces sary at all.

ARROW STAFF VOTE

DO YOU AGREE WITH THE ENFORCEMENT OF ID BADGES?

They argue that badges don’t necessarily add protec tion and aren’t an effective way of identifying who we are. They state that if a person uses a different ID or has their ID badge turned around, it wouldn’t matter and would instantly make the badge ineffective at identifying who they are and if they belong in the school. They also bring up that the ID badges completely lose their purpose and don’t protect anyone if the threat is a Utica stu dent.

They point out that students without an ID badge aren’t au tomatically a threat. Many stu dents forget their IDs each day, so how could teachers know the difference between someone who forgot to bring it and an actual threat?

They argue that IDs also serve a purpose other than identifying whether someone is a student or not, which is aiding in medical emergencies. In the event of an emer gency, someone can quickly be identified by their ID and they can receive the proper assistance they need. If someone wasn’t wearing an ID and they needed immedi ate medical attention, trying to identify the student could potentially waste crucial time.

Supporters of ID enforcement also say that wearing badges prepares them for a work environment where identification is required at all times. Many jobs require their employees to wear some form of identification while working, so needing to wear ID badges at Utica could be

Another reason some of us oppose the rule is out of pure annoyance. Some people wear different kinds of jew elry and necklaces to express themselves, and the IDs cov er them up or get tangled in them.

While the opponents of the enforcement do agree that wearing an ID prepares us for a job setting where identi fication is required, they argue that not every job needs them. Some jobs have name badges that clip to your shirt so that they’re visible, but not an annoyance or in the way.

Regardless of our disagreements over the effectiveness of ID enforcement, our staff agrees that facing a threat in school is something that no student or teacher wants to go through.

BY ANI QUARTUCCIO

Nicholas

Denis Kadilli

Michael Zalewski

Lawrence

I’m sure we all remember in 2020, when school was out for half the year, and we all had to use Microsoft Teams for video calls, messaging and attending classes. Even when school was back to in-person, Microsoft Teams was still being used very frequently.

Microsoft Teams is an app that came out in 2017; it’s an app that’s free and you can communicate with your entire district with it. Teams Chat is not limited to only chatting and you can video call on it, too. Students used it to com municate with teachers, message friends, get answers for homework, attend classes and more. It was a fun time, and it made dealing with the pandemic that much easier.

However, teachers and students have been pulling away from using the app and express ing dislike for the app. I have met many teachers that refuse to use Teams, and that would rather use quite literally anything other than Teams, like email, Schoology, etc. However, there’s still some teachers and students that use Teams Chat regularly for communica tion.

Microsoft Teams has been being used less and less as time goes on. Peo ple are led to believe that the app will stop being used all together, and move on to newer tech nologies.

“I think less and less kids will use it,” teacher Clayton Sumner said. “I have about three to four kids that still mes sage me on there, but they’re from my COVID-19 class.”

With Teams giving students and teachers the free will to message anybody in the district, there was bound to be incidents of misuse of the app that lead to the app’s chat feature to be removed for a couple months.

“There was a lot of inappropriate things going on,” principal Tim Youngblood said, “that led to the removal of the chat feature district wide.”

When the chat feature got removed, students were very upset that they couldn’t message their friends or teachers

READER

anymore and they couldn’t ask for help on any assign ments.

Students didn’t realize that teachers and administrators could see every message they sent, and that led to many suspensions and phone calls to unhappy parents.

When you go on Microsoft Teams nowadays, all of the people that you might have used to text all have ‘offline’ next to their name. These students haven’t been on Teams for months, everyone used to be online 24/7.

The only way Microsoft Teams will ever have another comeback is if another pandemic happens like COVID-19, where going to school in person is no longer an option, and online school is the last resort, or if most teachers

In the near future, Microsoft Teams will stop being used district wide.

make a decision to include Teams in their classes.

With students abusing the app, teachers disliking using the app, and no one even thinking about Teams anymore, I think it’s safe to say that Teams will not make a comeback, and people won’t all of the sudden start using it again for no good reason. Microsoft Teams was an excellent app, it gave all of us some good or some bad memories, but re gardless, it gave us memories.

Without Microsoft Teams, I don’t know how we would’ve survived the pandemic. Teams helped all of us make friends, talk to teachers, do assignments and attend classes. Teams was definitely a staple in our 2020 pandem ic experience, and we all will never forget the memories we had.

Response to ‘Blankets no longer allowed to be worn by students’

In my opinion, this is not okay. A tripping hazard? really? My school allows blankets, (I think, people kinda just do it and don’t get in trou ble) and it’s not a tripping hazard. aA least come up with a better ex cuse lol.

Leah, Online Reader

Response to ‘BREAKING NEWS regarding next week’s competition assembly’

Hoping the Utica girls and boys cross country teams can still make it even with a meet day, after missing last years it would be really unfor tunate to miss this years also.

Dani Cesario, Junior

Contact information

Arrow

Utica High School 47255 Shelby Road Utica, MI 48317 phone: 586.797.2305 fax: 586.797.2201 e-mail: uticapublications@gmail.com website: uhsarrow.org

Staff policy

Arrow is published monthly by the newspaper class of Utica High School and is funded by advertising. Our main purpose is to (1) inform the students, faculty and community of school-related news; (2) broaden the range of thinking of staff members and readers; (3) provide a forum for readers; (4) train the students in the functions of the press in a democratic society; and (5) provide entertaining features of interest to the students. All editorials without a byline reflect at least two-thirds opinion of the Arrow staff but are not necessarily the opinion of the administration.

Letters to the Editor are welcomed and must be signed; however, names will be withheld for valid reasons. Letters may be dropped off in room 205, and electronic submissions will be verified. All contributions are subject for restrictions of libel, defamation, slander and obscenity. Arrow staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing the meaning, and also reserves the right to reject letters for reasons of limited space, untimely material, or unbalanced coverage.

Arrow is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association, Michigan Interscholastic Press Association and the Student Press Law Center. Some photos courtesy of American Society of News Editors/Tribune News Service. Cost per issue is $.50. Subscriptions are $10 per year. Digital publications available via Issuu.

Utica Arrow Newspaper

@uhs_arrow

Photographer Natalie Garwood

Christy Pittel

Wilson Nice!!!

Cover by Abby Williams

Photo by Natalie Garwood, Featuring senior Makenna Riggs

Eades

Hormoz

Hurry

uhs_arrow Construction on the tennis courts is complete. What do you think of the changes?

They look amazing! Love the color scheme and the black fences

Marilyn HochbergNewman Wow

OPINION ALANNA KOSCIOLEK, REPORTER Microsoft Teams. Once necessary to communicate, the program is losing its relevance.

YOUNGBLOOD

Former football star joins Utica family as new principal

YUNANS YOUHANA REPORTER

He walks Utica’s halls in his suit and tie, but during his Eisenhower High School days, principal Tim Youngblood was more likely to be seen wearing an athletic jersey.

A three-sport athlete, Youngblood earned two varsity letters in football, two in basketball and three in baseball. He was also a member of the varsity weight lifting club and, outside of school, played recreational hockey. He also served as captain on both the football and basketball teams his senior year.

Of all these sports, Youngblood enjoyed football the most, where he was quarterback and strong safety, and threw 24 touch down passes and had 2,056 yards in passing.

“I became interested in football because my older brothers played it,” Youngblood said, “and my dad was our coach for the Shelby Lions.”

During his senior year, Youngblood was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

“[Youngblood] was a two way starter who led his football team to an 11-1 re cord, MAC Championship and Regional Championship,” his MHSFCA biography states. “The only loss of the Eagles in 1992 was to State Champions, Detroit Cath olic Central... in overtime.”

Youngblood earned several awards as an Eisenhower Eagle, including All MAC Red Division First Team, All County First Team, All Metro East First Team, All Suburban First Team, All Metro First Team, and All State First Team.

His high school football career, however, didn’t come without its struggles.

“I suffered some injuries while playing football,” Youngblood said. “A torn MCL, separated shoulder, concussions, and a broken thumb.”

Youngblood’s football career didn’t end after he graduated high school in 1993.

“I received a football and academic scholarship for Hillsdale College,” Youngblood said. “I played QB there.”

Youngblood played for Hillsdale from 1993 to 1998, where he was a three-year letterman.

“High school is the best time of your life,” Youngblood said, “enjoy it with your friends. “When you play a sport in college, it’s enjoyable, but it is a full time job and it isn’t quite the same. I especially valued the friendships and lifelong connections.”

After graduating from college, Youngblood became a coach for various teams.

“I’ve coached for Anchor Bay High School, Fitzgerald High School, Rochester Youth Football Club, and Motor City Hitdogs (baseball),” Youngblood said.

Although sports have played an important role in Youngblood’s life, he has also been a strong advocate for education, earning an Education Specialist in Administration from Oakland Univer sity. He began his teaching career in Anchor Bay Schools, where he taught history and biology.

Following his transition to Utica Community Schools, Youngblood served in several admin istrative capacities over the past 12 years. He was the interim principal at Henry Ford II High School, as well as associate principal at Stevenson High School, before making the move to Utica High.

“Utica High has a calm atmosphere,” Youngblood said. “I felt completely lucky and honored to get this job.”

principal Tim Youngblood’s spare time, he enjoys movies and TV shows like “Lord of the Rings,” “Stranger Things,” “Cobra Kai,”

He and his wife, Angela, have three boys (Peyton, JT, and Wade)

Timothy Youngblood, Class of 1993

Principal Tim Youngblood’s twin brother, Terry, also attended Eisen hower High School, where they both played football.

eisenhower yearbook photos