uncaged 01 Volume 23

01 UncaGED VOL. 23

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF STOCKBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

UNABLE TO CONNECT Due to an overwhelming amount of students personal devices on the school guest Wi-Fi, admission locked them out. page 3 FANTASY FOOTBALL SCORES ATTENTION OF LOCAL NFL FANS How is your fantasy football game? Learn tips from local fans to battle your friends. page 12

YOU THROW IT THERE, IT ENDS UP HERE.

The Great Lakes, animals and even your body page 6

18. NOVEMBER 2019

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

STOCKBRIDGE, MICHIGAN

Content 3

Panther Power makes it to finals, first-time all-girl entry

News Stories EEE virus response, Wi-Fi lock down

4

Feature

5

Feature

The girls pause to enjoy their first all-girl experience at Grand Rapids robotics competition.

Viviannah Moffett 9, Brianna Polenz 9, Abigail Schlaff, 9, Melanie Eskew 11, Grace Dreier 10 and Shaddai DemerathShanti 12 placed second in the finals.

College prep pops up after school Volleyball coach returns, cross team finishes at states

6-7 Cover Story

Plastic! It is everywhere, making its way into your body

8

Editorial Columnist Katelyn Walker: Raise your voice Presidential impeachment, for your consideration

9

Opinion

PHOTO JUSTIN JASZKOWSKI

Bible literacy classes belong in public school

10 Advertising

The people who make this all possible

11 Entertainment

‘IT: Chapter Two,’ Spider-Man back to Marvel

12 Culture

Fantasy football scores attention of local fans

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 Elizabeth Cyr’s room #207 in the freshman 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.

Hannah Bolton Editor-in-Chief Feature Editor Zack Sawicki Feature Editor Karley Flores Opinion Editor Kaitelyn Walker Opinion Editor Bella Roberts Creative Editor Sydney Switzenberg Web Managing Editor Justin Jazkowski Business Manager Jordan Myers Business Manager Hannah Smith Social Media Editor Taylor Carey

Photo Editor Danielle Barbour Photo Editor Tyler Gipson Staff Reporter Amelia Pulley Staff Reporter Mickenzi Merriweather Staff Reporter Tyler Showerman Staff Reporter Isabelle Bliss Staff Reporter Emily Breslin Freelance Reporter Abigail Douglas Freelance Reporter Samantha Stitt Adviser Elizabeth Cyr

CONTACT US FIND US ONLINE AT

Stockbridge High School 416 N. Clinton Stockbridge, Mich. 49285 Room 207 P: (517) 851-7770 E: uncaged@panthernet.net

Web: uncagednews.com Twitter: @uncagedshs Facebook: Uncaged Online Instagram: @uncagedstudentnews Snapchat: uncagednews #UareUncaged

FRONT PAGE CONTENTS & ART.

Photo illustration in front of Stockbridge High School by Justin Jaszkowski. Design

by Feature Editor Zack Sawicki.

2

NEWS

18. NOVEMBER 2019

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

At the Grand Rapids Girls Robotics Competition 2019, team # 6591 Panther Powered made it all the way to the finals.

Notice the word, “girls”? This competition was different because girls were the only ones competing; Panther Powered took second place.

Capturing a win in the first match, the girls team fell during the other two.

In addition to scholarship opportunities, the girls competition provides a fun, low-cost event giving girls teams exposure to the sport and additional opportunity to drive their robots in a FIRST competition according the event sponsors.

The girls from the Panther

Powered robotics team went there with very minimal to no experience.

“It felt very empowering to be at an all-girls competition,” sophomore Grace Dreier said. They had control of components on the robot and in decision making in the competition.

The Grand Rapids Girls Robotics Competition

encourages teams to shuffle their members around and allow the female students on the team to experience different positions in the competition.

“I felt like I was in control,” freshman Abigail Schlaff said.

Justin Jaszkowski

is Uncaged’s managing editor.

The boys from Panther Power 6591 raise the spirits of the crowd with their loud cheering, while the girls try to fight for a place in the competition.

PHOTO JUSTIN JASZKOWSKI

Prizes, dance offs, and a mummy making challenge were the biggest treats of the Halloween assembly. Leadership students decided to do a little more than just a costume contest at lunch for Halloween. Multiple events such as a dance off, costume contests, prizes for perfect attendance, student of the month awards, and even a donut eating contest thrilled students and teachers alike. For those with perfect attendance, principal Jeffery Trapp announced that for

BRIEFly

every week that students attend without any absences, their names will be put into a bucket to be drawn for prizes. Leadership student senior Ori Hackworth said, “I really think with adding another dance off just like the one from the homecoming assembly it let younger students express their ways of showing talents that they may have and give them an opportunity to be more involved.”

Taylor Carey

is Uncaged’s social media editor.

EEE virus emergence across Michigan spreads fear, causes schedule disruptions

T

HIS Halloween, blood sucking vampires or brain devouring zombies were not trick or treaters’ main worry. There was a spooky virus to be concerned about: Transmitted by mosquitoes, the EEE virus lurked around the season.

The virus accounts for seven deaths across multiple states, three in Michigan, according to the Center for Diseases and Control, not to mention animals like horses.

EEE is affecting residents in Michigan including the village of Stockbridge. In response, Superintendent Karl Heidrich decided to make games and practices for outdoor sports start earlier to avoid the mosquitoes as they come out later in the day.

“Game wise the games have been starting earlier,” senior football player Tylin Ayers said.

“So, it starts at five now for games. Practice wise, we don’t really push it really anymore; coaches try to get us out by 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. now instead of 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.”

As for students, it seems they are still uninformed about EEE. Ayers recounted that “the only thing I know

is that you die 15 days after you get infected. I got bit like two weeks ago and I’m still perfectly fine, but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Even though people might not know much about the disease the band and football teams are still taking their precautions.

“Well, I’ve heard a lot of rumors and that it kills you in like 10 days and it’s called encephalitis but thats all I know,” senior band member John Morris said.

EEE, also known as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, has many symptoms including: high fever, headache, tiredness, nausea/ vomiting, neck stiffness, seizures, confusion (disorientation) and a coma according to Children’s Hospital.

In a geographic district that covers Ingham, Jackson, Livingston and Washtenaw counties, Heidrich paid attention to the recommendations of all the counties that the school covers and he made his decisions based off of that.

Performing at the Chelsea Exhibition along with other local schools, the bands play in front of a college professor who critiques all of them to improve their skills. Most band members took extra precautions, including wearing bug spray with their longer clothes to prevent mosquito bites. PHOTO ROGER JASZKOWSKI

Practicing right after school due to the EEE virus warning and the precautions set by the school which prohibits outdoor extracurricular activities from being held after sunset to avoid the mosquitoes transmitting the deadly EEE virus to students. PHOTO DANIELLE BARBOUR

Zack Sawicki

is Uncaged’s feature editor.

UNABLE To CONNECT

Because of the number of personal devices connected to the guest Wi-Fi the principal changed the security to have a password. Students were cut off by a password with no awareness it was happening.

Smartphone message results of network security change Connection lost.

This message spread on students’ smartphones, as well as staff’s, on Oct. 1. causing confusion, anger and general upheaval.

Jeff Trapp, the principal, helped decide to change the guest public Wi-Fi to a private connection with the intention of getting personal device connection cut off.

“We kind of did some research as far as a number of people that were on the guest Wi-Fi throughout the day and then after school,” Trapp said.

“We realized there was a lot of

personal devices connected.”

The school’s lack of Wi-Fi led students to focus on finding the password.

English 11 teacher Rita Stricklin thinks students’ attention is on the Wi-Fi change.

“Once students get used to not having a password, it’ll be a good thing,” Stricklin said. “But, in the meantime, students are so focused on not having the password that it kind of gets in the way.”

Many spaces in the school are not Wi-Fi deserts. Trapp acknowledged that some

phones still get good service in the school on their own networks. The number of personal devices connected to the Wi-Fi was around 400 devices. On an average day near the end of the month, it dropped to significantly.

Sylvia Whitt, a senior, said she is OK with whatever the administration has to do to keep students more attentive in class.

“They do what they have to do.

It’s kind of annoying, but I’ll be OK with it,” Whitt said.

Amelia Pulley

is Uncaged’s reporter.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION TYLER GIPSON

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

18. NOVEMBER 2019

NEWS

3

Helping Anastasia Schlaff 12 get through senior English, teacher Rita Stricklin opens up the doors to an easier path for college. PHOTO DANIELLE BARBOUR

Counselor Leslie Cummings helps Frederick Choate 12 figure out how to send his transcript to Kettering University. PHOTO DANIELLE BARBOUR

SUPPORTIVE ADULTS ENCOURAGE SENIORS TO APPLY FOR COLLEGE Monday after school sessions added to programming For four years, Frederick Choate had a thought floating around his head: What should he do after high school? Known as Freddy, the high school senior realized how difficult it can be to figure out which path to take after high school.

“My junior year, I took robotics,” Choate said. “Robotics was an amazing experience and we went all the way to Worlds in Detroit at the Cobo Center.”

Worlds, an event that includes different countries from all over the world, like the United States, Canada, Israel, Chile, and Turkey, was hosted locally. The 2019 FIRST robotics Worlds hosted 408 teams in Detroit at the Cobo Center.

“It was a very valuable experience for me,” Choate said. “It was really cool to be able to see all of the different robot designs and cool innovation.”

"If the opportunity is there, people should definitely visit the college they want to go to."

- senior Maria Risner

Not really knowing whether or not college was the next step for him, Choate decided to visit someone who could help him make the next move, guidance counselor Leslie Cummings.

Teaming with senior English teacher Rita Stricklin, Cummings held after school Monday sessions for seniors like Choate.

“Mrs. Cummings is the reason that I went to Kettering,” Choate said. “She came up to me and told me she thought I’d be interested in this school, and that’s what actually got me into applying to Kettering University.”

The after school sessions help students with toiling through the process of getting into a college.

Stricklin and Cummings work together to figure out the best possible solutions to any uprising questions and submissions.

People who have a higher education after high school are more likely to get better paying jobs and successful.

According to recent studies, the unemployment rate for people who have not obtained a high school diploma is over 6.8 percent. The unemployment rate for those that have a professional degree is 1.1 percent.

4

FEATURE 18. NOVEMBER 2019 UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

After going to the after school meeting, Choate realized there is no reason to be scared to go to college, even if one isn’t sure what to go for as a career.

Considering the many decisions and sacrifices for college, senior Maria Risner thinks a comfortable campus takes priority.

“One of the most important things is finding a campus that will fit my personality,” she said.

After visiting the Northern Michigan University and experiencing all of the different reactions on campus, she knew that that college was the right one.

“If the opportunity is there, people should definitely visit the college they want to go to,” Risner said. “It opens up a lot of emotions and knowledge of whether or not they will feel at home there.”

Knowing these decisions are complicated, Stricklin and Cummings introduced the after school sessions.

“The after school idea came about when we found out that we weren’t going to have a college adviser,” Stricklin said. “I talked to Mrs. Cummings and was like, let’s tackle this together.”

They agree that the number one step is to request the transcripts on Parchment, a website that handles the high school transcripts.

“When a student applies to college, they have to send their transcripts,” Cummings said. “In order to do that, they have to get on Parchment and request that their transcripts be sent to that college, then I release it to the school.”

Mickenzi Merriweather is Uncaged’s reporter.

unemployment rate for level of education 4-Year College Graduate

High School Graduate

2.1 percent

3.9 percent

Without Diploma

14.5 percent

SOURCE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

MAKE A

RUN

Strong finish in Panther Invitational hints to eventual season title for cross teams

Flitz. Carissa Heinzman 11 participates in the butterfly drill which is designed to help players pass accurately. Coach Amy Knepley watches her players complete this task. PHOTO ISABELLE BLISS

FOR IT

Coach returns from time off the volleyball court

Playersreadytotakethechallengeofanewcoach Cooling down after the quick race, Dalton Satkowiak 10, Micah Bolton 9, Brock Jones 11, Collin Cook 9, Andy Schlaff 11, Cameron Brewer 11, Ryan Owen 9 and Ben Chapman 10 of boys cross team take another lap around the home course. The team finished 4th in the meet. PHOTO ALEXANDRIA TEACHOUT

O

n a beautiful Saturday morning in the village, the birds were chirping, the morning sun rising, and the dew still fresh on the ground. That was until the steady pounding of feet swept it off the grass. On September 28, the Panther Invitational hosted teams from GLAC. Results of the race ended with both teams finishing in the top 5, girls taking 2nd overall and 1st in the big school division, and the boys sweeping the boards taking 5th overall and 4th in the big school division.

Senior Anna Schlaff’s reasoning for why they placed so well was that ”it was our home course, so we knew what we were doing, we knew where

to run and what to run.”

Using the Panther Invitational as a stepping stone to the GLAC Championship Coach Steve Allison said, “times are typically fast at our course and it helps you to build confidence.”

With a total of 17 schools in the race, the biggest competitor for both the girls and boys were the Leslie Blackhawks, who set the boys team back in the overall standings.

Repeating at the GLAC Championship, Leslie took 1st and Stockbridge one place behind at 2nd.

Even though Leslie proved a big competitor for the girls, they endured and beat them in the race. Doing the same at

the GLAC championship and taking the trophy as they did so.

Their bigger problem was the small school of Adrian Lenawee Christan who robbed the girls of first place overall. In Regionals, the girls will not have to sweat about the thought of racing Adrian again, since they are a division 4 team.

On November 2 Rylee Tolson and Dalton Satkowiak raced in States at the Michigan International Speedway.

Running a time of 18:31.4, Rylee Tolson a 10th grader, became the 2019 division 3 girls state champion.

Emily Breslin

is Uncaged’s freelance reporter.

Rachel Owen on varsity runs at the one mile marker with a Pittsford runner not far behind. JV teammates Kalysta Connolly 10, Peyton Killinger 11, Sydney Gipe 10, Hailey Howard 11 and Claire Beauregard 11 cheer her on. The girls finished second in the meet. PHOTO ALEXANDRIA TEACHOUT

A

new, but cherished face appeared when Amy Knepley returned from her time off of the court.

She is back and determined as ever to help make the girls volleyball team win the district game and to make the team even stronger than before.

Motivating the players to improve their skills, drove Knepley from the first day she stepped foot on the gym floor for preseason practice.

“I feel like we improve each time we step out on the court,” Knepley said. “I have asked for the team to push themselves and they have stepped up.”

Knepley decided to come back when she was assisting the middle school volleyball team and realized how much she missed coaching and being around a team.

Junior Molly Nichols has been seeing the improvement from her 2018 to 2019 seasons.

“We take practices and games a lot more seriously, and we put in a lot more time than we used to so it’s been showing out on the court,” she said.

Nichols likes the types of drills that they do in practice, because it makes them better.

“We have a drill called the U of M drill that focuses on the back row volleyball players which helps with our passing techniques,” she said. “Our coach makes us better because she knows when we need to

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

take things seriously, and when we can have a laugh.”

Nichols has enjoyed having Knepley as a coach, and hopes she sticks with coaching varsity volleyball as she has been able to figure out Knepley’s coaching style.

“It was challenging at first because having a new coach any year is hard, but after a little while, we all got used to it,” Nichols said.

“Having a new coach can be a challenge, especially for returning players.

Different coaching styles and expectations can be hard, but I feel we have figured each other out,” Knepley said. She hopes that her impact on the team helps the girls’ confidence rise higher after every day they spend together as a team.

The girls have already had the ability to pass very well on the court, and has used communication more this year to improve their team.

“These girls have a lot of talent and my style coaching seems to work well with this team,” Knepley said.

The girls have shown their dedication toward their team and direction by placing second out of nine teams at the Panther Invitational and then placing first at the Olivet Invitational.

Isabelle Bliss

is Uncaged’s reporter.

18. NOVEMBER 2019 FEATURE

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I 1s. NOV EMBER 20 19 icovER STORY I 7

Oh, no! Quid pro quo

President Donald Trump must be impeached

RAISE

YOUR VOICE

We don’t get a say.

We don’t have a voice.

As a student, I feel overlooked and left out of the decisions that directly affect me. Don’t you?

This year, I’ll be tackling the issues, policies and decisions that directly affect us as students, yet left us out of the process.

It feels like more and more of our freedoms to express ourselves are being taken away.

Learning to have a voice is vital at our age, so we can know how to stand up for ourselves in the future. I used to be super shy, but now I am shouting for a change. Knowing that I am allowed to discuss decisions being made that involve me is so valuable.

I keep hearing administrators say Oh, we want the students to have a say. Well, why don’t we have one, then?

The Wi-Fi being turned off is a perfect example. I found out it was going to be shut off from another student the week prior. The fact that we weren’t going to be formally told upset me more than the Wi-Fi being turned off.

We use the Wi-Fi the most, so why didn’t we get any notice or input in that decision.

We are teens growing up in a new decade where we are constantly hearing and seeing information in front of us and online. We have to learn how to navigate this new online platform.

Instead of taking away the Wi-Fi, teach us how to navigate it the right way so we make the right choices.

We have this idea pressed upon us that we are students, so we aren’t allowed to have a say, but we deserve a voice.

The decisions the school officials make affect us. They involve us.

We are the ones learning, so we should be allowed to give our opinion about decisions affecting our education. The idea of allowing student input and voice is met with so much positivity from education groups like Education Reimagined.

It teaches us to stand up for what we believe is right or wrong.

Including our voice can create a much happier and healthier environment where we are able to work together. Instead, we are finding our own ways to challenge the decisions we don’t agree with.

How are we supposed to grow and express ourselves if we aren’t allowed to try. How are we supposed to learn to speak up when we get left out of decisions. Giving us a voice allows us to change our mindset and fight for our beliefs.

Not allowing us a voice teaches us that we are helpless in deciding what goes on around us.

Taking guest Wi-Fi away stopped us for not even 24 hours. We found the Staff Wi-Fi password by the next morning. We are finding ways to work around this problem.

We are smart, let us shout for a say.

Got an issue you want me to explore? Contact me at kw5100@ panthernet.net. I’ll be your voice.

Kaitelyn Walker is Uncaged’s opinion editor.

8

OPINION 18. NOVEMBER 2019

As the 2020 election draws near so does President Trump’s potential impeachment and his boot out of the race. After all the evidence that has come forward, Trump needs to be impeached, as then and only then, will true justice be served.

Actions by those close to the president, speak in the language of the guilty. “I will not participate in an illegitimate, unconstitutional, and baseless ‘impeachment inquiry,’” personal attorney to the president Rudy Giuliani tweeted. These are not the words of the innocent.

Innocent people do not refuse to cooperate with investigations.

For witnesses who are not cooperating, yet claim they are innocent, appearances are that Trump and those around him are guilty of a quid pro quo. Not to mention, bullying anyone who doesn’t align with his narrative screams of guilt, and calling names is plain childish.

“Never a fan of @justinamash, a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy,” Trump tweeted about the U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 3rd congressional district Justin Amash who was originally a member of the Republican Party, but left to become an independent in July 2019.

“If he actually read the biased Mueller Report, ‘composed’ by 18 Angry Dems who hated Trump, he would see that it was nevertheless strong on NO

COLLUSION and, ultimately, NO OBSTRUCTION...

Anyway, how do you Obstruct when there is no crime and, in fact, the crimes were committed by the other side?

Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!,” Trump tweeted.

Bullying people who cooperate with investigations not something that an innocent person would do.

Innocent people want anyone involved to testify so that the investigation can end with an innocent verdict.

Calling the court “a kangaroo court” because it does not favor his outcome only makes the president seem guiltier.

“I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public to see. Importantly, Ambassador Sondland’s tweet, which few report, stated, ‘I believe you are incorrect about President Trump’s intentions.

The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind.” That says it ALL!,” Trump tweeted.

Trump can only pretend that the White House is not on fire for so long. He will soon be engulfed in flames of guilt.

The electorate tried to decide his election by vote in 2016; it was corrupted.

Impeach and avoid the same mistake.

Staff Ed TO IMPEACH OR NOT. THE MATTER. “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” according to Article II Section 2 of the Constitution.

OUR RESPONSE. The Uncaged staff believes, above all, that speech should be used freely to express opinions and learn from them. When our editors met with strong opposition to the staff editorial, we decided to ask the minority opinion to prepare a rebuttal. We offer them both for our audience to determine its own thoughts on the matter.

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

Oh! No quid pro quo President Donald Trump should not be impeached. He is doing everything in his power to improve the country.

Not only has he added more than 6 million jobs, Trump has also dropped the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent, which is the lowest it has been in nearly 50 years according to CNBC. The president does not hesitate to take action.

Trump reaches out and is not afraid to use his sources.

“He got NATO allies to kick in $12 billion more toward our collective security,” Marc Thiessen from Hartford Courant said.

Although he can be very controversial, President Trump has benefited the country.

Rebuttal

Give us the right to learn: Bible literacy classes

70.6%

of Americans identify as Christian PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BELLA ROBERTS

W

hen I was in fifth grade, this big blue bus would come to the school and pick up some kids who were interested in leaving the school to learn about the Bible.

I would sit in Ms. Snyir’s class anxiously waiting for the announcement that would signify my leaving.

When we would get to Crossroads Community Church, we would have interactive lessons with props like a bird puppet.

I learned a lot about the Bible with stories of Joseph and David.

I always wondered why administrators stopped offering that to me when I went to high school, and I wish that there was something like that offered to high school students.

Bible class should be offered as an extracurricular class in public schools everywhere.

This opportunity would allow youth to engage in Bible studies and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment guarantees that

there is a student right to express religion in public school that can not be taken away.

Therefore, schools should be allowed to offer Bible classes because it is our freedom to exercise religion.

Such a class would be an elective, so students could elect to take the class or not take the class. In a poll of 100 students, three-fourths said that there should not be Bible literacy classes in public schools, yet 70.6 percent of Americans prefer Christianity over other religions according to the Pew Research Center.

So, why not offer elective course learning in a subject that nearly three-quarters of American identify with: Christianity.

President Donald Trump supports the idea of Bible literacy classes.

“Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible.

Starting to make a turn back?

Great!,” President Donald Trump tweeted in January 2019.

Other schools around the country

BIBLE LITERACY CLASS

States that have introduced or passed legislation Dark states symbolize the states that have bible literacy classes.

The lighter states symbolizes the states that are trying to get bible literacy classes.

The lightest state symbolizes the state that offers school credit for taking off campus classes.

The gray states symbolize the states that do not have any bible literacy programs.

SOURCE: FOX NEWS

have changed laws to promote Bible literacy classes.

“At least six states -- Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia -- have introduced legislation this year pushing for public schools to offer Bible Literacy classes,” Fox News reported earlier this year.

The Michigan school code guarantees 2 hours every week to be released to practice religion with parental or guardian permission according to Act 451 of the Revised School Code.

While students have the option of taking it off campus, it would be more convenient for students to have an on campus class.

If the majority of the population identifies as Christian and the president support Bible literacy courses in schools, why not put an elective on the list of classes as a test and see if students sign up for it?

Bella Roberts

Uncaged opinion editor.

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

18. NOVEMBER 2019 OPINION

9

Phone: (517) 851-2262 Gregory, Michigan

10

ADVERTISING

18. NOVEMBER 2019 UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

Marvel called, they want Spider-Man back Samantha Stitt

is Uncaged’s freelance reporter.

T

he year is 1998, Marvel had just offered every Marvel character on the roster to Sony.

They decline, most likely thinking Spider-Man was the only character that they would make a profit off of.

Boy, were they wrong.

Disney and Sony had became partners in February of 2015, leading to a new iteration of Spider-Man being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

In August of 2019, Spider-Man reportedly left the MCU after Marvel and Sony ended their partnership.

Fans raged about it all over social media.

BuzzFeed reporter, Adam B. Vary,

confirmed that the issue basically boiled down to money, even though in the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” trilogy, they made $2.5 billion worldwide. Soon after though, the Spider-Man movie starring Andrew Garfield did not pull in enough money and became “a critical and commercial disappointment,” he wrote in an article about SpiderMan, leaving the MCU. Sony then began to partner with Disney as of 2015 to create more movies starring Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the films. Disney, according to Deadline’s report, stipulated to Sony that it wanted to split future Spider-Man movies in a

50/50 co-financing arrangement — which also meant a 50/50 split in the profits.

Sony said no.

Disney said fine, removed Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios as producers of Sony’s future SpiderMan films, and kicked the character out of the MCU sandbox.

September 27, though, Disney and Sony made a deal to bring SpiderMan back to the Marvel Universe.

“The new deal sees Marvel Studios producing the next installment of Spidey’s cinematic franchise, with Kevin Feige taking a lead role in production,” BuzzFeed reported. “Spider-Man will also appear in other MCU movies going forward, as he has previously.”

The history of the character is

long and full.

Sony brought SpiderMan to the screen from 2005 till today by sharing the character with Disney.

The first Spider-Man movie came out in 2002 and was played by Tobey Maguire; he continued acting as Spider-Man until 2007.

Then, years later, “The Amazing SpiderMan” rolled out with the lead played by Andrew Garfield.

He ended this role of his when “The Amazing Spider-

Man 2” came out. An animated Spider-Man movie also came out in 2018 called “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

And now, Tom Holland, who now plays Spider-Man in the most recent films, was first seen in the Marvel movie; “Captain America: Civil War” which made over $370 million, most likely contributing to the new deal that keeps Spider-Man in the MCU. Tom Holland has also played Spider-Man in the 2018 MCU movies “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and finally in 2017, Tom Holland got his own SpiderMan movie called; “Spider-Man: Homecoming” then another in 2019 named “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”

stick together to defeat Pennywise.

The Losers finally meet up after all these years and some of their memories start to come back. The memories coming back may seem cliche and used in many stories but in “IT Chapter Two”, they make it unique to the storyline. In the movie it explains that they lose these memories the further away from Derry they get as they become adults and when they finally defeat Pennywise the curse is lifted and they can finally remember the events that happened.

Good movies like “Winchester,” have amazing, well thought out plots that include great directing and acting with at least somewhat relatable characters.

“IT Chapter Two” fits this bill precisely with beautifully shot scenes that are relevant to the movie and

actors that put in effort to convey the characters emotions clearly.

At times, though, the movie may get a bit silly. Pennywise takes the form of a spider with a baby head at a point; this scene is the only part I thought to be funny when it was not supposed to be. Humor makes this horror movie unlike the rest, it is a big part of the storyline. Sometimes the viewer may even forget they are watching a horror film because the funny parts are hilarious, yet the scary parts are terrifying.

Losers Club Richie Tozier tries to make the situation lighter and tells jokes to make the rest laugh and surely you will too.

While other horror movies like “Friday the 13th” made only $60 million from the box office, “IT Chapter Two” has already made almost $90 million and has only been out since September 6 of this year.

ILLUSTRATION SAMANTHA STITT AND SYDNEY SWITZENBERG

‘IT Chapter Two’

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS SYDNEY SWITZENBERG

Symbolizing the beginning of a beautiful story, the boat William Denbrough’s brother,

Afraid to face reality

“IT Chapter Two” surpasses every other horror movie by not resorting to cheap scare tactics like jump scares or including unnecessary scenes to make the movie longer.

The sequel to “It” (2017), is worth being away from your phone for 3 hours. Cinematic parallels to the first movie are not the only aspect that makes this a great movie.

The kids from the first film are grown up in the second, maturing significantly over the 27 years they were away from Derry, Maine.

Most importantly, they forget the events that happened that summer when they first discovered Pennywise.

Whether it is getting chased by a murderous clown, running from school bullies or arguing with their parents, The Losers from “It” were almost always at odds with unknown forces. They even have disagreements with each other, which they quickly resolve, realizing they all needed to

Sydney Switzenberg is Uncaged’s creative editor.

Georgie, made carved its way into the hearts of many.

Pennywise The Clown, a ridiculous concept, is a villain that only few would be able to bring to life, but Stephen King worked his magic with the character and created an amazing book that inspired an even better movie.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS SYDNEY SWITZENBERG

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

18. NOVEMBER 2019 ENTERTAINMENT

11

Fantasy football scores attention of local NFL fans

I

magine a world where you could handpick the best players across the NFL to craft your very own team. The talent of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Ezekiel Elliott and Le’Veon Bell could be combined to make a dominating offense. Sounds like fantasy, but some football fans know how to make it reality. Students and teachers around the school are becoming experts at composing their own teams, and you can too.

Drafting

The fantasy experience

Rita Stricklin, English teacher and football enthusiast, has tips that she swears by. Her family watches football religiously, so she knows her facts.

“Never draft a QB first round,” Stricklin said. The quarterback position runs deep in the NFL. You have many options when drafting these players, which is why you should focus on drafting reliable running backs first.

“I always pick a high scoring wide receiver or running back first,” Stricklin said. “This year, I’m in a PPR league, so I picked Todd Gurley first overall.

He’s a top running back who also gets quite a few receptions, and he’s been a consistently high scorer.”

Brad Niec, senior wide receiver and cornerback, knows the secrets to a successful season. “Draft players who are like the only good players on their team.

If they have to split reps with someone else, they won’t score as many points,” he said.

Niec’s team is 7-0, and he is currently winning his league.

While your knowledge of football plays a huge role in your success, sometimes it’s just pure luck. If your star player gets injured, or your team has a bad week, your scores will hurt.

Tyler Showerman is Uncaged’s reporter.

Top 10 players in Fantasy Football for 2019

The birth of Fantasy Football

1. Saquon Barkley 2. Ezekiel Elliott 3. Christian McCaffrey 4. Alvin Kamara 5. David Johnson 6. Davante Adams 7. DeAndre Hopkins 8. Todd Gurly II 9. James Conner 10. Odell Beckham Jr.

Fantasy football was created in 1962 by Wilfred Winkenbach and two of his colleagues in a downtown New York hotel room.

12

CULTURE

Although becoming a champion is the goal, fantasy football is more than just winning.

“It makes me care about some of the other games that are on,” Stricklin said.

“I’m a Lions fan, so I always watch that game, but if I have a fantasy player on my team for the Rams, then I’m likely going to watch the Rams game, too. I also like that it’s something my husband and I do together. We always play in a league together.”

Fantasy football helps people connect.

“My favorite thing about it is competing with my friends. We’re super competitive, even when it comes to games like this,” Niec said.

For beginners After you draft your ideal team and join a league, real time statistics from players on your active roster are converted into fantasy points each game. The points system has specific conversions for each statistic on offense and defense. The fantasy season is 13 weeks long, and playoffs begin in Week 14.

18. NOVEMBER 2019

SOURCES THE FANTASY FOOTBALLERS, NFL FANTASY

UNCAGEDNEWS.COM

Competition. With his teammates running beside him, #6 Brad Niec is also running against them in his fantasy football league.

PHOTO TYLER GIPSON

ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT "Don’t forget to set your lineup. That drives me nuts. I hate when I’m playing someone and they don’t set it up. It’s like an unfair win to me.

Also, draft Matt Prater as your kicker."

- ENGLISH TEACHER RITA STRICKLIN

Top 10 quarterbacks in Fantasy Football for 2019 1. Patrick Mahomes 2. Deshaun Watson 3. Aaron Rodgers 4. Baker Mayfield 5. Matt Ryan 6. Carson Wentz 7. Cam Newton 8. Kyler Murray 9. Jared Goff 10. Russel Wilson

FANTASY TOP TIPS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Make a plan before the draft starts. Do your research and come prepared.

Think of a catchy name for your team. This adds fun to the fantasy experience.

Don’t worry about drafting defense or a kicker first. Get a reliable offense.

Always draft running backs early on. They are vital to your team because they stack up a lot of points.

The size of your roster is a critical decision determining who you will draft.

Make sure your starters at the same position don't have the same bye week as one another.

Pay attention to your players injury reports and replace them as soon as you can.