Uncaged V26 E1

RUNNING OUT OF Time

six classes, homework, sports, extra curriculars, work, applications, scholarships, hobbies, friends and family--how can we manage? Where is the time?

What

Editor-in-Chief Lilly Williams

Editor-in-Chief Olyvia Hoard

Creative Editor Alyssa VanHook

Web Editor Stuart Cook

Social Media Kathryn Brumm

Business Manager Elizabeth Vliet

Staff Reporter Macy Cipta

Staff Reporter Jolie Smith

Staff Reporter Madison Gipe

Staff Reporter Grace Burg

Staff Reporter Gracee Robidou

Staff Reporter Ella Phillips

Staff Reporter Emily Jones

Staff Reporter Jamie Phillips

Uncaged is the student-run newspaper for the students of Stockbridge High School. An open forum for student expression, Uncaged provides independent reporting and opinion. Something to say? Letters to the editor must include the writer’s full name, cell phone number, and be 150 words or less in length. Response to ideas presented through the newspaper and web are encouraged. Letters are subject to editing and may not be anonymous or to third parties. Leave letters in Alexandra Doering’s room #207 in the CTE hallway or email us at uncaged@panthernet.net.

Uncaged receives individual critique through state and national competition through various state and national organizations. Staff awards may be viewed at uncagednews.com in the About section.

PHOTO BY OLYVIA HOARD

PHOTO ALYSSA VANHOOK

PHOTO RITA STRICKLIN

PHOTO GRACE BURG

PHOTO OLYVIA HOARD

Special projects lab launches balloon

JAMIE PHILLIPS. Reporter

On September 28th at Olivet high school, Stockbridge Special Projects Lab, formerly known as InvenTeam, launched a high-altitude balloon 91,000 feet into the atmosphere. This balloon was equipped with high-quality cameras to take pictures of the Earth’s curvature and sensors to collect data such as temperature and air pressure.

“The goal was to potentially capture images of the Earth’s curvature with not only the cameras that the balloon kit came with but also our QB satellite that Jack Hammerberg configured,” junior Jason Gruber said.

The cubes that were launched were five inches by five inches, which are small and

New administration enforces rules

lightweight. This standardized way of making satellites makes them cheaper to launch because they’re much smaller and lighter than conventional satellites.

“It was a lot of fun. I mean, at the age of 16 being able to capture pictures of the earth is kind of a big deal,” Gruber said. “I haven’t heard of anybody else doing it.”

LILLY WILLIAMS. Editor-in-Chief

After multiple years of leniency due to COVID-19, the administration has returned to strict enforcement of the school rules. New assistant principal Derek Douglas has made offenses and their punishments more accessible to students by creating a chart and placing one on the wall of every classroom.

“I’m very policy driven,” Douglas said. “I look back at what policies have really helped Stockbridge grow and be successful and what policies maybe need more support.”

One of the policies that has been emphasized the most this year is the attendance policy.

“On Fridays, students with too many tardies have detention and attendance letters have been sent home to students that are getting close to that seven absence limit,” principal Jeff Trapp said.

These changes in policy enforcement are being viewed by the administration as a return to normalcy after a couple of chaotic school years.

“There is a slight increase in the sense that we’re coming back after a couple hard years and we’re getting back to the normal with some improvements,” Trapp said.

Another change that took place this year was the switch from four 90-minute classes to six 60-minute classes. While this increases the workload for both teachers and students, it decreases the amount of students in the hallways during class.

“It’s always going to be a work in progress,” Trapp said. “The school district as a whole is committed to always looking for improvements.”

Meet our new assistant principal

Derek Douglas, from Vancouver, Canada, joined the school staff this year as the assistant principal. While this may not be news, Douglas has been getting to know the school and letting the community get to know him.

Douglas has taught in several different places over the years. From places as far as the Dominican Republic, to Eaton Academy in Birmingham Michigan, to closer places like Parker Middle School and Highlanderway in Howell. As a result of being in so many diverse places, Douglas has taken up many

What happened to recycling?

During the spring of 2019, the recycling program was cut from leadership’s responsibilities because of COVID-19. The school went virtual and assignments were done in Google classroom, not on paper. The following school year was a hybrid year, where students could choose whether they wanted to learn from home or at school. Google classroom was the main mode of communication, so paper was scarce.

languages. He’s learned bits of German, Spanish, Arabic and French.

He’s bounced between teaching and administrating and says that if he could teach any class, he would fuse ELA and Social Studies class.

“If you’re in Social Studies talking about speeches, or in ELA talking about writing or interpreting stories, all those things are interconnected,” Douglas said.

Outside of school, Douglas also has interests in nature and building and enjoys

taking care of the trails by his cottage and taking care of the forest.

Douglas also has a daughter, Adelaide, or Addie, who is three and a half years old and likes to keep his home life and work life separate.

“The biggest thing that guides wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I try and do it the best that I possibly can, and give it my all,” Douglas said.

“So whether it’s playing with my daughter, am I thinking about work at that time? Am I thinking about what I’m going to make for dinner? No, my goal is to just be there and be present.”

Now students are back in the classroom and not all teachers use Google classroom, so paper is back. When leadership collected paper, the company who picks up the paper wanted the school to pay them a fee to recycle the paper. This was a major problem for the school and it was at this point that the recycling program came to a halt.

Currently, the school omit uses trash company waste management instead of the

former recycling company. There are a few reasons why the school isn’t keeping up with its recycling program.

“Well, we can try. I know one of the things that will be more challenging about it is that I used to have 90 minute classes and we would recycle in the first 20-25 minutes of class once a week,” U.S. history and leadership teacher Corey Baird said. “So now, not only am I only having shorter classes but I also have fewer

kids in there because of the scheduling conflicts due to 6 hour days.”

There are students who would like the recycling program to start up again.

“It would be a really good idea, because we don’t do enough of it, and we waste a lot of stuff here,” leadership senior Emily Vanpelt said.

“We should have the recycling program back,” freshman Alana Porzio said.

WADKINS. Reporter

NICOLE

KATHRYN BRUMM. Social Media Manager

PHOTO ELLA PHILLIPS

PHOTO ROBERT RICHARDS

PHOTO ELIANA JOHNSON

Think rst

Azora Parks is a Junior at Stockbridge high school. Controversy struck when she wanted to get a feather in her hair. She did not want to disrespect anyone but she thought it was a cool idea since she knew that it was an early 2000s trend and her aunt had one. Parks was hesitant because the last thing she would want to do is appropriate someone’s culture that means everything to them. So, Parks did research and realized that she wouldn’t be appropriating another culture, she would be more so appreciating it if anything.

Cultural appropriation is a very real and present problem, especially during the Halloween season.

During Halloween time many people wear insensitive costumes of different cultures whether they mean it as harmful or even realize that what they are doing is wrong. Halloween is a fun time of year for most, especially when getting to dress up and wear a costume, but when people dressed as Aladdin or an Egyptian prince are walking down the street trick-ortreating is an example of cultural appropriation. For instance, many people want or would like to dress up as a television show or movie character. What some don’t realize is that characters in shows such as a character from Squid Games, Maui from Moana, or Pocahontas can be considered to be cultural appropriation. For instance, when you see someone trick-ortreating dressed up as Maui, some would find it inconsiderate even though he is a cartoon character he still has traditional tattoo art of the Hawaiian islands which is like wearing someone’s identity. Another example of cultures that are commonly appropriated during Halloween is the Native American culture and Egyptian customs when

people wear things such as native headwear and sacred symbols.

“Understanding the culture would be nice and some agreement and respect for each other would be nicer than just having theories and ideas about a culture when it’s not actually true,” junior Antonio Henderson said. There are multiple ways to avoid cultural appropriation. For instance, taking the time to truly appreciate the heritage and learn as much as possible about it before borrowing components of the culture. For instance, when people put cornrows, box braids, or dreadlocks in their hair it can be disrespectful because of history, culture, and what women and men went through that wore these hairstyles. Another example on how to appreciate a culture is to give credit to the culture instead of just taking. This can be done by listening to stories of that culture to get a better understanding and respect it or be gifted something from another culture.

“I’ve seen people wear sombreros, ponchos, mustaches, maracas, and just stuff like that,” sophomore Mateo Ortiz- Martinez said, “They weren’t being vulgar or anything.

Since they were not saying anything bad about Mexicans or doing anything stereotypical, so I was completely fine with it. I thought it was actually kinda cool that they would embrace that,” OrtizMartinez said.

From Mateo’s point of view he doesn’t see it as appropriation unless they are taking from his culture in a poor way. In fact, he finds it to be more like cultural appreciation.

While cultural appropriation has been prevalent for a long time it has gotten more recognition over social media and more people are being called out for taking others cultures as a costume. What people can do to try to put a halt to it is to bring awareness to the topic and recognize and embrace other cultures instead of stealing it or simply go with another costume that will not cause harm to others traditions.

MACY CIPTA. Reporter

Cultural appropriation is when members of a privileged class adopt cultural practices from a minority group that has been oppressed in a stereotypical manner.

Cultural appreciation is where you celebratingare a culture and bringing appreciation to it.

“I did not want to hand out leis at the becauseparade I did not want to participate in cultural appropriation,” Junior CarpenterKadensaid.

PHOTOS ALYSSA VANHOOK

Halloween: A History

The air is cold, the streets are full of kids dressed up as their favorite things. For one night a year you can be whatever you want and eat all the treats you can dream of. Halloween is a holiday of costumes, candy and everything spooky, but that wasn’t always the case. Today, Halloween is full of modern traditions that were taken from older European traditions and separated from their more superstitious and religious roots into a holiday centered on community. On Halloween, women would dress up, gather around fires and tell fortunes, but in the late 1800s, Americans shifted away from the pranks, ghosts and witchcraft of Halloween and began celebrating with parties instead. The focus changed to fall themed food and candy; the costumes changed with pop culture, and were meant to be fun instead of scary. Parents made efforts to take anything truly scary out of Halloween as the culture of America shifted into something more conservative, so that by the early 20th century, it lost most of what remained of superstitions Pagan roots.

“Halloween camping and trick or treating is my favorite. Everyone comes together and everything is all decorated. It’s great,” junior Azora Parks said.

“My favorite part of Halloween is dressing up and eating all the candy,” senior Josie Beutler, said, “You’re never too old to trick or treat, and it’s better than doing things that are illegal.”

Parents believed if they handed out treats, it would prevent tricks being played on them since pranks and vandalization was a tradition amongst teens of the era. Trick or treating was brought back between the 1920s and the 1950s. It was an inexpensive way for the entire community to come together and celebrate. Costumes are an old and important tradition that moves along with modern trends in fashion and pop culture. Originally, the tradition of dressing up was to ward off ghosts during the Celtic holiday of Samhain. Samhain is a holiday celebrating the end of summer, the harvest and the night when the veil between worlds was thinnest and ghosts walked the earth. Ancient Celts believed that the ghosts would bring harm and damage to crops, so they dressed up and had bonfires where they burned a portion of the crops as a sacrifice. At these events they’d dress up and attempt to tell each other’s fortunes. Later, when the church overtook the holiday, making it All Saints’ Day, the traditions stayed similar, though the costumes changed from animal skins and skulls to saints, angels and demons.

So many of our favorite traditions can be brought back to ancient roots, and though they lost the superstitions and religious roots, the things we do to celebrate remain reminiscent of what was done hundreds of years ago.

JAMIE PHILLIPS. Reporter

Twin day Throwback Thursday

1 2 3 4

ANYTHing But A Backpack day Panther pride day

Stockbridge

Week Royalty

2022 Stockbridge Homecoming Queens

1 Thalia Sayre senior

“I was surprised when got my name called at the football field. I honestly just did this to see if i could get in the top three and i found out people loved me when i heard my name.”

2

Macy Cipta Junior

“Just to make it into the top Three was a crazy feeling. Then, actually winning and getting to walk across the field was remarkable.”

3

Miley Moser Sophomore

“In that moment hearing my name called was so amazing and so unexpected since many other girls campaigned. I didn’t and they still chose me.”

4

Melina Sayre freshman

“When I heard my name I was so shocked my mouth dropped open and I just cried.”

MADI GIPE. Reporter

PHOTOS GRACE BURG. KATHRYN BRUMM, MADI GIPE, ELLA PHILLIPS, OLYVIA HOARD

ALYSSA VANHOOK. Creative Editor

PHOTOS ALYSSA VANHOOK, ELLA PHILLIPS

Joy in Jack-o-lanterns

While driving down Clinton Street in the month of October, you are sure to see a house with many extravagant Halloween decorations in its front yard. A tractor full of pumpkins, hay bales, and other fall and Halloween themed decorations fill Joan Bumpus’s yard every year.

Bumpus has been a resident of Stockbridge since 1953 and is notorious for decorating her iconic yard for Halloween and Christmas. The tradition began in 1973 when she started celebrating the upcoming holidays by decorating with her husband and children.

“I imagine we started out small, and then when we’d go through different towns we’d see decorations that we liked,” said Bumpus. “So we would bring it back and add it to our house.”

As her children grew older, Bumpus didn’t stop decorating. She and her late husband found joy in the small-town attraction her home had become during the holidays over the years.

“We have so many people that stop, and now at Halloween people will bring their kids and set them up on the pumpkin wagon and take pictures with them,” said Bumpus. “That’s why it’s worth it to do it, because we enjoy hearing from the people.” Bumpus’s house does attract a lot of attention. Compared to all of the other Halloween decorations neighboring her house, her display beckons many young trick-or-treaters and adults alike.

“She really puts a lot of effort and detail into her decorations. It’s just nice to see in the community,” said Kim Killinger. Bumpus has no plan to stop her tradition of decorating. She says she enjoys the reaction and the happiness the people of Stockbridge get from her decorations.

“I still decorate because people talk about the decorations when they see it,” said Bumpus. “So I just feel like, you’ve got to do it, because the people are looking.”

ALYSSA VANHOOK. Creative Editor

Joan Bumpus is a pillar of our community. Her house is absolutely gorgeous and she always has a smile on her face.

“ “

-Courtney Fletcher, school secretary

I remember when I used to be their neighbor, it was always so fun to look out my window and see all the color and spirit. I just love how they always decorate.

“ “

-Adrianna Adkins, senior

PHOTOS ALYSSA VANHOOK

Imagine you are walking into a Halloween costume store with your five-yearold daughter, sister, or cousin. Your little girl has her heart set on dressing up as Katniss Everdeen, the strong, warrior protagonist of “The Hunger Games”. To your dismay, all you see are aisles and aisles filled to the brim with frilly pink dresses and costumes that should be normal for any gender but are highly sexualized: nurses, superheroes, cops, even nuns. You feel your heart break as your child tells you she will just dress as a princess, instead of the mighty hero she had her heart set on.

The objectification and sexualization of women’s Halloween costumes have only gotten worse over time. I decided to take a look inside of a Spirit Halloween, one of the biggest chain Halloween stores in the United States, and I was disgusted, yet not surprised at my findings. There were two cop costumes next to each other.

‘Lieutenant Misbehave’ and ‘Adult Police Officer Costume’. Can you guess which was men's and which was women’s? That is only one example.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman choosing to wear a ‘sexy’ Halloween costume. If you choose to dress up as a ‘buccaneer beauty’ or

Steps to success?

something along those lines, then props to you for wearing what makes you comfortable. The problem lies when being sexual is the only option available for women. However, the oversexualization of Halloween costumes, specifically the ones marketed towards women, actually impacts the women who these costumes depict, like police officers, nurses, zookeepers and maids. Women in these professions are more likely to be harassed because of their job than their male counterparts, who do the exact same job. According to the Pew Research Center, about 87% of all sexual harassment charges in the workplace are filed by women. By portraying the women in these fields as sexual objects with these costumes, we are only playing into the toxic masculinity and culture we want to get away from.

Halloween is not to blame for the objectification of women, the problem lies way outside of that. Society needs to break this vicious cycle where women are seen as objects, only there for the gaze of men. We need to stop viewing women as strictly sexual beings. Maybe then we will finally get to see the progress we need against the inequality in this cruel world.

When you enter the building for the first time as a seventh grader, everything is new to you. You go from being the oldest in a building you know well to being the youngest surrounded by new teachers and classes. It brings up a lot of challenges for students to navigate.

“In high school, I’m scared of high school teachers and harder classes,” seventh grader Cami Champion said. Ninth grade sets up the rest of high school. Students need to be aware of their credit requirements and have an idea of when they need to take each of their classes.

“I don’t feel prepared at all,” freshman Trey Place said. “I feel like I try but I don’t have enough support or information.”

Junior year is viewed by many as the hardest year of high school. You take your SATs and if you plan on going to college, you start thinking about the college applications you fill out at the beginning of senior year.

“I think they could really do more with actually caring about us and helping us prepare for the future,”

junior Taiyler Stanfield said. Senior year is the year that you are expected to have things really figured out. Most students need guidance through the college application and admissions process.

“The school has not helped that much,” senior Alora Mullins said.

“I’m very confused and seeking out help currently.”

There is minimal help with going through the life transitions that are already extremely challenging for students. The school should be doing more to help students navigate all of the challenges and transitions of high school. The regular stress levels caused by this are increased when paired with a sudden schedule change and the pandemic that took over everyones lives.

Teachers and students alike have to learn to manage this new workload. It is a lot of work for students to have to deal with things like SAT prep and college applications on top of this. The administration should be more considerate about this and provide more assistance to the teachers and students that they are in charge of.

People shouldn’t be extremely stressed or have to put so much of their personal time into school. Students should be given time and help during school hours.

OLYVIA HOARD. Editor-in-Chief

This article isn’t about wins or losses. This is a story about the accomplishments that the Panther football team has made this season.

The Stockbridge football team normally has a tough start to the season but not this year. The team is stoked to have such a great start. The turnout at the games seems to have doubled compared to past years. Between COVID-19 and a not-so-lucky track record, not many students found themselves at the field on Friday nights. This year is different though. The winning streak has revived fans and brought in more of an audience and many believe that has been the gold at the end of the rainbow for the Panthers.

“I am hopeful that our fans can maintain a positive disposition and understand that it can have an impact on whether or not we are accepted into a new league next season,” assistant coach Benjamin Kruse said.

Worried about not having a conference to play in next year, this season is crucial to being accepted to another conference since Leslie, Maple Valley, Olivet and Lakewood left the GLAC conference.

Stockbridge has tried multiple times to join other conferences but they have always been denied. There has been speculation that the fans are a huge reason why they keep getting rejected.

Although there is a lot of pressure on the Panther Football program, they haven’t seemed to show it. The team has kicked off the season with a 4-3 record. The Panthers have not sen a record like this since 2016.

“This group of kids have been playing together since third or fourth grade,” junior Drew Robinson said. “We have more chemistry and bond together way more than past years so I think that’s what has given us the great start.”

Panthers kick off into football season we, not me

Gary Killinger, junior linebacker on the Stockbridge football team, has been playing football since elementary school. Even though he suffered a seasonending injury during his freshman year, he never lost his love for the game.

Killinger’s teammates describe him as a hard working and a competitive player who has a very strong bond with his teammates, and he considers some of them family. Football has always taken up a large part of Killinger’s life. From preseason to two practices a day to lifting to more practice and then to games under the lights on Friday nights, he loves every moment.

However, during his freshman year, Killinger suffered a huge setback. He got hit late from the side while running the ball on a kick return. Little did he know that would be the last game of his freshman and sophomore football season. Killinger tore his ACL and MCL in his knee. He had two different surgeries and ended up being out for two years.

Killinger lost a lot of hope when the doctors told him his season would be over, and he would have to go through a lot of recovery in order to be able to get back

Even when the Panthers were facing their toughest rivals, they studied film so that they were ready for the challenge. “The only team I think we will struggle with is Lakewood,” junior Gary Killinger said. “They run a triple option which is a hard play to defend because you don’t know who the ball is going to.”

Although they will continue to face tough teams, the Panthers are confident that they will come out of the game with a win. For the annual Homecoming game, the Panthers faced the Perry Ramblers which is another tough team on the schedule. Whether the team ends with a winning record, or ends up at the bottom of the conference, the team bond is unstoppable. The Panthers are reaching stepping stones that haven’t been touched in seven years, and that’s an accomplishment on its own.

out on the field.

“I got a little emotional, but more sad and angry I couldn’t be out there after figuring out it was over,” Killinger said.

Even so, Killinger kept a strong mindset and never stopped showing up and supporting his team on the sideline while in recovery. This represented the passion he has for the game along with the love he has for his teammates and the program.

After his surgeries, he attended physical therapy for five months before getting back on the field. Though he missed most of freshman and sophomore year, Killinger is back under the lights as a junior. Killinger had a huge game just a few weeks into the season versus Lincoln King, returning a fumble 30 yards for his first touchdown of the season along with six tackles and a sack. Killinger has a good feeling about this season and is looking forward to what the rest of it holds.

“I’m excited because I know we have a good team going and we all have a good bond on and off the field,” Killinger said.

GRACE BURG. Reporter

The panthers run out to begin the game against Ypsilanti.

PHOTO GRACE BURG

Gary Killinger sacks Detroit Lincoln King’s quaterback.

PHOTO GRACEE ROBIDOU

GRACEE ROBIDOU. Reporter

SPOOKY SCARY STORIES

Popular TV shows like DAHMER on Netflix, have people ready for fall and Halloween. Scary movies are a right of passage in the month of October, but what are the best options for avid readers trying to get in a spooky mood? The photo above has the books ranked from most scary to least, and listed below are reviews on some scary books to read this Halloween.

Tender is the flesh

This book is a dystopian horror novel that talks about an event in the future called “The Transition.” It started when an infectious virus made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then the government started the new program. They made eating human meat legal. They explain this from the blurb and the very first chapter. The book takes place in the past and the present, switching between the beginning of the program and then the present day. This is intriguing to the story because it makes you want to read about how this world ended up here. Why do they think this is okay? How does the process work?

I enjoyed reading about the government and mind-altering influences throughout the novel from both the workers and law officials. This book is very disturbing and sometimes hard to read. It makes you look at an alternate world and think, “what if I lived in this world?”

Verity

This book is a psychological thriller that tells the story of writer Lowen Ashleigh. Lowen goes to Vermont to co-write a book for a very famous book series, by author Verity Crawford. The story is told from both Lowen’s and Verity’s points of view. This is great for the book because it makes it like a page-turner, you are constantly looking for more pieces to the story that you get from each new chapter. If you enjoy reading books that you can’t put down, this is a great book to read. However, keep in mind that this book discusses a lot of heavy topics before reading. This book covers lots of traumatic things and truths about things behind closed doors. The story is a mix of psychological and scary, but it messes with your brain more than scares you.

If we were villains

When the book starts, you find out Oliver Marks, our protagonist has just served ten years in jail for murder. Oliver and 6 other people are studying acting at an arts college in Illinois. Things start to get competitive and one of the kids is found dead. The rest of the book is spent finding out who committed the murder, and why. I enjoyed reading this book because it felt like a dark academic book, and it keeps making you turn the pages because it feels reliable. After all, the kids are close in age. Despite the plot, the book feels very peaceful and makes you realize you aren’t alone in the things that are assumed about you or how you are perceived. This book is a great book to curl up in a blanket and read while it’s raining.

The wicked deep

The Wicked Deep is based on the movie Hocus Pocus. In this book, The townspeople of Sparrow hanged three sisters because they found them guilty of witchcraft. After their tragic hanging, the sisters return every summer. They steal the bodies of three girls so that they may get revenge for what was done to them. For 20 years, they’ve lured boys into the harbor to drown them. Penny Talbot is the main character and ends up falling in love with the new kid, Bo. They both distrust each other knowing the stories of the town. What people in the town don’t know is that Penny can see things that other people can’t. I enjoyed reading this book because I love reading and learning about the event of the Salem witch trials no matter how many times over. This book was an interesting, beautiful, wellwritten book.

PHOTO ELLA PHILLIPS

ELLA PHILLIPS. Reporter

Places to go this fall

It is officially autumn. This means chilly weather, falling leaves and pumpkin spice flavored everything. Just because it’s chilly doesn’t mean you have to spend your days inside. There are tons of places near Stockbridge that can fulfill your fall needs.

1 Pregizter Farm Market

During October, Pregizters opens their fall attractions. These consist of a hay ride, corn maze and pumpkin patch. Their “U-Pick Pumpkin Patch” costs $5 for one normal sized pumpkin and $1 for their mini pumpkins. Once you purchase your pumpkin, you can pay extra to paint them. They also sell cider and donuts. Pregizters offers a free petting zoo and a place to purchase feed if you want to feed them. Pregitzers is a year-round farm stand that sells all kinds of fresh, seasonal, fruits and vegetables.

6870 Territorial Rd, Munith, MI 49259 Open 10am-6pm

2 Terrorfied Forest

Experience the darkness and the monsters within on this short walk, or run, through the woods. The Terrorfied Forest is an outdoor haunted attraction that takes you through a dimly lit path in the woods. General admission is $25 per person and a VIP pass is $35. The VIP pass lets you get to the front of the line almost instantly. This is a non-touch haunt, meaning none of the actors are allowed to touch you. They also offer a “monster repellent” at the ticket booth that keeps the actors farther away from you.

145 Swarthout Rd, Pinckney, MI 48169 Open 8pm-2am

3 Bestmaze Corn Maze

This corn maze is called “Bestmaze” for a reason. This maze can take about an hour to finish. The maze is very well constructed and appropriately disorienting with groomed trails and optional help from towers if you get lost. General admission is $8. Bestmaze also sells warm cider and donuts for before or after you finish the maze. Bestmaze is open until October 30th this year, and will not be open again. 2022 is their last year, so go soon!

3803 Noble Rd, Williamston, MI 48895 Open 1pm-10pm, most days

4 Awaken

For the braver souls, this haunted house is a great place for you. Awaken perfectly sets the spooky mood for Halloween. This haunted house offers 4 different attractions to go through for $25 per person. You will first enter Awaken, then head through “Terror-Phobia 3D maze” then back into Awaken, head outside to “The Forgotten” a strobed out pallet maze with actors chasing you. From there you will continue outdoors to “Tenebrous” an abandoned village of old boat houses, shacks and graveyards. You will then re-enter “The Forgotten” for a stroll up to the entrance of “Awaken” for the remainder of your time. Bring a friend—you’ll need one—because there are over 32,000 square feet of terror both inside and out. Awaken also offers an evil lab themed 5 minute escape room for an extra $15. You’ll either beg for more or beg to leave.

4760 Churchill Rd, Leslie, MI 49251 Open 7pm-11pm on Friday, 7pm-12am on Saturday

What is YOUR favorite thing to do during fall?

JOLIE SMITH. Reporter

PHOTO ALYSSA VANHOOK

PHOTO ALYSSA VANHOOK

How does fear affect the brain?

Amygdala

Imagine someone is walking through a haunted house. The lights are dim, and there is a suspicion of terrifying monsters around every corner. Their heart rate starts to rise, and the hairs on the back of their neck follow suit. Their fingers are trembling as they pull open a door, only to find a ghost awaiting their arrival, the scream in their throat feels like it can’t escape as they freeze. The amygdala has them in it’s hand, and only the hippocampus next door can save them.

A specific little spot in the human brain called the amygdala is responsible for providing the brain with fear, as the amygdala tells the brain about threats. Couldn’t a lot of things technically be a threat though? That’s where the hippocampus comes in. Luckily, while the amygdala tells the human body to go into a protective mode, the hippocampus can tell the brain to slow down and think. It brings context into the equation, and it can tell the amygdala not to worry. Sometimes though, the amygdala can tell the brain to be a lot more scared than normal which can lead to phobias. Some of the most common phobias are arachnophobia which is the fear of spiders and acrophobia which is the fear of heights.

Vanpelt may not have a diagnosed phobia, but she has a strong fear of bugs and the deep ocean.

“As I’ve grown up a little, I’m not as scared of bugs,” Vanpelt said. As people grow older, their phobias can lessen, letting adults have more peace.

“If someone is able to recognize his or her own personal responses and physiological symptoms to the trigger, he or she can then learn to change the way they respond to address the fears,” school psychologist Krisan Fedokovitz said.

Realizing how you react to fear can be an awakening experience, and trying to change the reaction from the fear could be very difficult. Overall though, it could give more peace of mind to the beholder.

“The good news for individuals who experience phobias is that there are effective treatments available,” Fedokovitz said. “Specific forms of therapy and/ or medications can help to address the irrational fears.” People with a phobia might need some level of support, especially if the phobia affects their daily life.

“The best form of therapy for phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy,” Fedokovitz said. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a very helpful form of therapy where a person gets help managing their emotions and negative feelings.

Fret, for the amygdala and the hippocampus won’t let you out of their grasp even if you don’t have a phobia. There are many simple fears that are very real and frightening and relevant - public speaking and test taking to name a few. Psychology and history teacher Carter Mauter and Vanpelt said that they find school related responsibilities scary to fulfill. For Vanpelt, the fear of failure is a casual acquaintance to attending school. For Mauter, not being able to go to school is terrifying. “I worry about my own health, or like being able to keep working than I did when I was younger,” Mauter said. “But it’s more like the responsibility part that scares me now.”

EMILY JONES. Reporter

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