BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY (BGQ) JANUARY 2020 by CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

BGQ BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY january 2020 // volume ninety-nine

Goinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for Green AP Enviromental Impeachment Guide

BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY: JANUARY T W O - T H O U S A N D TWENTY Editors Note EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sophia Boyce PHOTOGRAPHY Olivia Hale Maria Linck GRAPHICS Jack Doerr Maria Linck BUSINESS Henry Huschke Niklas Fagerman EDITORS Joie Baldyga Maria Linck STAFF WRITERS Niklas Fagerman Olivia Hale Henry Huschke Mia Moeggenberg Addison Swanson Mallory Swope Trinity Whiteford COVER PHOTO Olivia Hale Advisor: Jim Filkins

As journalists, we want to write about things that are relevant, thought provoking, and apply to people in TC. Something that as a staff we decided was important to us and should be to our fellow classmates, and the townsfolk is the environment. People across the world are going on climate strikes to get their government's attention. Teens like Greta Thunberg are changing the world. While we may not exactly be going on strike, we thought we could still do our part in this new environmentally conscious movement. For this half of the magazine, we decided to stick to school related topics. We dive in with a spotlight on the new AP Environmental class, whose curriculum focuses on minimizing human effects while simultaneously having a thriving population. Then we move on to an article on the school’s Evergreen Status. This issue we also decided to include a new feature “Central Speaks,” which gives students a chance to share their thoughts on life at Central. While the physical environment is our main focus this issue, we could not ignore the current political climate even if we tried. We are giving students a guide on Impeachment, and three different perspectives on the potential impeachment of President Trump. From the Pub, Sophia Boyce

MISSION STATEMENT: The Black and Gold Quarterly (BGQ) is Traverse City Central High School’s student-run magazine. Since its conception in 1886, our publication has evolved with the times, frequently changing in style, format, and even name. However, one factor has remained constant— our staff ’s desire to capture the story of our community, to challenge the accepted, and to open our minds to perspectives that we hadn’t previously considered through investigation, research, and inquiry. We are constantly striving to improve our content and artistic elements; after all, the BGQ is a school publication, so educating both ourselves as well as our readers remains one of our primary goals. 2 // BGQ // January 2020

C O N T E N T S

16 8 Elle Craven ‘22

Quarterly Showcase from the top of schuss mountain

AP Environmental opportunities to learn about the world

Goin’ for Green maintaining a green school status

Central Speaks what’s the student body concerned about?

Impeachment Guide opposing viewpoints

Identity in Traverse City citizens of chs

The gallery a student showcase

Send information, advertising and other inquiries to: Black & Gold Quarterly Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: (231) 933-6533 Email: filkinsji@tcaps.net

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Quarterly Showcase Photo by: Olivia Hale

Under the Spotlight: Environmental Science Environmental Science classes provide an oppourtunity for students to learn about the world outside by: MALLORY SWOPE staff writer Students in Ian McGurn’s Environmental Science class during the 2018/2019 school year were given the opportunity to further their learning of ecological relationships by building aquaponic systems. They spent weeks working to perfect the habitats that host both plant and animal life preparing to display their projects for all of CHS to see. All was going well as they started putting them up section by section, and it was time to commence the final step: running water through the system. “They completely stopped working and flooded the hallway,” McGurn said. While other aspects of the class might come across as more difficult than others, Environmental Science, as well as some new extensions of the course, can provide students with educational yet unique experiences. TCAPS requires high school students to earn a minimum of three credits in the science department prior to graduation, of which Biology and either Physics or 6 // BGQ // January 2020

Chemistry are non-negotiable. CHS offers a number of different courses that can fill the place of that third credit outside of the classes predetermined by upperlevel administrators, including: AP Biology or AP Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Biomedical Science, Environmental Science, and a new offering to CHS this year, AP Environmental Science. In the 2018-2019 TCAPS Course Selection Guide, Environmental science courses are described as “[integrating] major branches of science: life, physical, chemical and earth, with environmental topics to provide students with a scientific knowledge of our planet earth, its many interconnected systems, and the ways in which human activities affect it.” Lisa Johnson began teaching Environmental Science at CHS for the first time this school year. “I was actually the teacher who requested we bring AP Environmental Science (APES) to CHS because I felt there

was a gap in the curriculum we offered for students who wanted to learn more about Environmental Science” Johnson explained. Halfway into the first semester, she remains excited for what the future holds. Johnson recognized that students taking APES this year “have been amazing and are motivated to succeed.” Perhaps a reason for their motivation is the hands-on aspect and the structure that the class offers. The class follows a very similar structure everyday that relates back to its acronym; they begin with an Audit (A) or review of which module students completed the previous night followed by Practice (P) whether it be math problems or something based on the homework, and they wrap up the module with some form of Exercise (E). The exercises range from labs to modeling activities to off-campus field trips, but they last several class periods most of the time. Johnson’s students had the opportunity to go to Oakwood Cemetery this fall to collect data that applied toward a study the class was conducting about human survivorship and the population history in Traverse City. “One of the best things about APES is that every single topic applies to the world outside CHS,” Johnson described, “so far this year we’ve investigated questions such as how much energy can you save with a new refrigerator, and how does having a green lawn affect biodiversity, and how do forests reestablish after a fire?” Emma Corrado ‘22 is interested in furthering her education post-high school to one day become an environmental lawyer. She saw APES as a gateway class into this potential career. She is also fond of the level of organization of the class. “In general the way Ms. Johnson teaches the class and how she sets up our assignments to apply the content [to the outside world] makes the class very interesting and easier to learn the content,” Corrado said. However, the class does not come without its challenges. Corrado explained that the class grade depends heavily on test performance, so ensuring an understanding, if not mastery, of the content is extremely important for success in the class. APES is unique in the sense that it’s a “flipped classroom” according to Corrado; “Notes are

done at home then assignments in class. We start the class with going over a module that was supposed to be outlined the night before,” she said. Corrado has discovered the organization outlined by Johnson to be true in its predictability, but continues to be surprised by the interest she has for learning the content. Corrado advises students interested in taking APES next school year to “pay attention in class and take detailed outlines.” This targeted group of students should be encouraged to take the class, in Corrado’s opinion, “to become more aware of how everything in life has a relationship with the environment.” McGurn has taught regular Environmental Science at various points in time throughout his eleven year teaching career, but he began teaching it at CHS specifically during the 2018/2019 school year. McGurn has found Environmental Science classes to cause some frustration among his students due to the broadness of the content. “We cover such a wide variety of things, it gives students the ability to really like some of it, but maybe not all of it,” he suggested. Also parallel to APES is the structure regular Environmental Science classes have to offer. McGurn’s students expect to come into class each day to an introduction through the form of a thoughtprovoking question followed up with some sort of activity that expands on the introduction or a topic previously studied. Despite the broadness of each topic, they all relate back to the environment and its entirety. Environmental Science really focuses on two questions: How did the Earth get here and how do humans impact the environment? “The content we teach directly relates to our environment and how we interact with it. It [the content] is the world outside,” McGurn declared. While some students might view Environmental Science classes as being, as McGurn put it, “a catch-all class because they have to take a science credit,” others enjoy the structure and the opportunity to absorb skills that will support them in life and science classes to come. Regardless of the extent of difficulty AP and regular Environmental Science automatically hold, each respective class is challenging in its own regards. However, as Johnson stated, “[Environmental Science] is a course where students learn to view the environment around them in a more comprehensive way and are engaged in finding solutions to environmental problems facing their generation.” //

Goin’ For Green Does CHS have what it takes to maintain the highest tier of ‘green school’ status ? by: ADDISON SWANSON staff writer TRAVERSE CITY— It is perhaps a moral obligation for any community to not only acknowledge the festering impediment of a declining environment that faces them, but to also set forth a genuine effort to protect the environment from the pollutants and other anthropogenic activities that plague it. Central’s SEA club’s approach to this pressing difficulty deals closely with using natural resources sustainably and enacting solutions and projects that promote a healthy environment. “SEA stands for Students for Environmental Advocacy,” says Hope Hanna ‘21, a leader of Central’s SEA club, which has had a considerably productive year thus far in terms of ensuring that CHS implements and upholds environmentally-friendly practices. “This year we carried out a candy wrapper drive for Halloween and we regularly institute battery, clothing and makeup drives. We’re also still trying to get compost and recycling in the cafeteria,” she adds. Needless to say, SEA club’s members and advocates are generally working towards a common goal—a healthy environment. SEA club is composed of several differentiating committees, Green Group being one. Green Group is a specialized branch of SEA club that has a more focused strategy to encourage a thriving environment and to maintain the school’s ‘evergreen’ status. “Evergreen status is the highest tier for a green school. As opposed to the entirety of SEA club, Green Group is really more focused on supporting CHS’s evergreen status. We determine what else we need to do in order to be eligible for and sustain that label,” Hanna explains, “There are four categories that we have to consider on the evergreen school application form: energy, recycling, environmental protection, and miscellaneous,” Hanna details. A green school must attain a minimum of five points in each category for it to count towards the 8 // BGQ // January 2020

achievement of evergreen status. Green Group usually sends in about 30 points just to ensure that CHS’s evergreen status is renewed in the event of a point falling through. The submission itself must be sent for evaluation to the Michigan Green School Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting Michigan schools endorse ecologically-friendly practices, by March 1st. According to Kelly Smith, SEA club’s adult advisor and CHS science teacher, “evergreen status has to do with the quality and quantity of the projects that SEA club and Green Group are doing and the ratings that those projects receive. The effort that the school is making towards becoming a greener school is ultimately what gets rated.” Green Group’s center of interest regarding green school projects includes, for example, the acquisition of funds for the installation (and the installation itself) of the solar panels. Such extensive efforts made by SEA club and Green Group have lit the lamp of inspiration and have brought about a call to action that the entirety of the school’s administration and students together have heeded. CHS utilizes LED lighting, the cafeteria imports foods from local farms, and recycling options have been made available with the provision of recycling bins in almost every classroom. In earlier years, CHS’s student senate even oversaw an adopt-the-road event that involved cleaning up highways. “It’s important for average people, regular students and organizations like SEA club to be helping the environment because the reality is, unfortunately, that we only have one environment and there is a point at which the damage that we’ve inflicted on it will become irreversible,” Smith asserts. The steadily declining environment is casually dismissed and ignored on a daily basis but is nonetheless an extremely relevant problem for this generation. Our actions now will shape the future of upcoming generations and the world that they will live in. Emily Howard, CHS math teacher, echoes this sentiment, “At some point, we as a society have to realize that maintaining and preserving our environment is not a cost—rather it is an investment that we have to start depositing in now. Part of that investment strategy does require an education and action plan—plant the seed, nurture it, provide what it needs, and it will grow and prosper.” The SEA club is one such seed. //

Central Speaks

graphic: J. Doerr

by: HENRY HUSHCKE staff writer

High school can be tough. Between school, sports, clubs, social life, family responsibilities, work, and other obligations, it’s a stressful life, and sometimes there are little things that can get under our skin or brighten our day.Central Speaks is a forum for students to share their thoughts about the ups and downs of the “Central” Life. Here’s what students like you had to say.

“My name is Samantha Maldonado and I am an exchange student from Ecuador. This is my second year at CHS and sadly my last one as I am a Senior. When I first arrived to Central on September 2018 I realized I was in the right school to learn, make new friends, and be part of a connected community. I was very nervous and scared during my first day of school about being part of a new learning community in a foreign country. Thankfully, many students and staff members gave me a warm welcome. They helped me to get to my classes and taught me with patience how things worked. Soon, I started to feel confident about expressing myself and taking part in different classes, extracurricular activities, and clubs. I is a huge honor for me to be able to graduate from Central. I feel that this community is inclusive, there are big connections between students and staff members, its members are involved not just in the school community but also in the Traverse City community, Central is known for its diverse challenging academic courses, and extracurricular activities that bring people together. Central could not be perfect, but it is definitely a community that I enjoy being a part of.”-Samantha Moldonado

If you would like to submit your thoughts for the next issue, send your message to bgq@tcapsstudent.net!

“I really hate the smell of the school when I arrive in the morning. It would be fantastic if we could use some sort of fragrance in the school. I think it would help to make me excited to be at school in the morning.” -Nick Barresi ‘21 “I find it REALLY stupid that domestic abusers don’t have to be registered like sex offenders do. Forcing abusers to be registered onto a national database would decrease the amount of recurring domestic abuse, especially because if someone moves to another state, the people there could research their background. This could completely change so many people’s lives.” -Leah Bell ‘20

“I wish lunch was about ten minutes longer. If they could just push the end of school from 2:56 to 3:06 it would be so nice. I find myself constantly rushing during just to get back to my fourth hour on time. It is always a major source of stress in my day.” -Elijah Chung ‘21

“I’m so against homework. On top of sports, extracurriculars, and socializing, most students don’t have enough time for the amount of homework they are assigned each night. It feels like most teachers disregard the fact that students have several other classes and assign hours of work. It cuts into sleep and social time, causes stress, and most teachers don’t give students specific feedback on their work, so students don’t even gain from it.” -Mason Waskiewicz ‘20

The Central Student’s Guide to Impeachment Why and How Does Impeachment Work by: HENRY HUSHCKE staff writer

What Is Impeachment?

According to the Legal Dictionary, impeachment is a process that is used to charge public officials for misconduct while in office. If impeachment is a charge of misconduct, the first question becomes what is misconduct? Misconduct is defined by the Constitution as being “treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors.” The Constitution outlines treason as aiding enemies or levying war against the United States. Bribery is defined by

the legal dictionary as, “The offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of something of value for the purpose of influencing the action of an official in the discharge of his or her public or legal duties.” High crimes and misdemeanors have an ambiguous definition. They have been interpreted in previous impeachments to mean anything from lying under oath to incompetence. Mostly, impeachment charges based on high crimes and misdemeanors have been dictated by the politics of the time.

What is the timeline for Impeachment?

has levied against the official in question (President Trump). If the trial were for an official other than the president, the vice president would oversee it. After the trial, the Senate will vote to either confirm or reject the articles of impeachment. In order to confirm and remove the official from office, they need a two-thirds majority. If they confirm the articles, the president is removed from office. In the past, both President Johnson and President Clinton were impeached but not removed because the Senate did not convict them. To be clear, the president would not be imprisoned if they were removed. To be incarcerated, they would have to be prosecuted in a normal civilian court and found guilty of crimes.

What has President Trump been Impeached for?

other demand was to reopen an investigation into Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden is the son of Joe Biden, a front-runner (as of early January) for the 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination. Since there is a fair chance that Trump will be in direct competition for the presidency with Biden, the president has been charged with abusing his power to gain a political advantage. The president’s abuse of power charge is also based on testimony from many witnesses, including top diplomat to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, also attested that he utilized 400 million dollars in Congressionally approved military aid as leverage over Ukraine in this negotiation. The other charge levied against the president is Obstruction of Congress. President Trump has refused to comply with multiple subpoenas (a legal order requiring someone to produce a piece of evidence) for testimony which constitutes obstructing a congressional investigation.

The process of impeachment is fairly straightforward, however navigating the tumultuous seas of misinformation surrounding the current impeachment hearings can be quite confusing. Here is a brief guide to help with this process. The process for presidential impeachment starts in the House of Representatives. Members of the House conduct an investigation into the alleged misconduct and then draft the articles of impeachment, which are the charges against a public official (President Trump). Then, the House will debate and eventually hold a vote on the articles. After the vote to impeach succeeded, the drafted articles of impeachment were sent across the capitol building to the Senate. In the Senate, is being conducted by the Chief Justice (John Roberts) into the various charges the House

President Trump has been impeached on two counts, Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress, both of which fall under High Crimes and Misdemeanors. The Abuse of Power charge is based on a phone call made by President Trump to the newly elected President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, on July 25, 2019. This phone call was first made public by an anonymous whistleblower within the Trump Administration. According to extensive testimony from many, including Lt. Alexander Vindman who was on the call, and the transcript released by the president, Trump asked Zelensky for a “favor.” The favor had two parts. The first was a request to look into Crowdstrike, the firm hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate potential Russian interference in 2016. The 10 // BGQ // January 2020

Opposing Viewpoints Impeachment Edition

by: MALLORY SWOPE staff writer

O P I N I O N

Politics are exhausting. Even when there isn’t a major presidential or local election in the works, the heat doesn’t cool down. Ever since the public announcement of President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry in late September, it seems as though the only headlines making it into major newspapers and magazines are related to the political scandal in some way, shape, or form. Comics, human relations, human interests, features, and all of the other captivating stories have been put on the back burner to make way for information and opinions on the impeachment. Reading through pages and pages of nothing but political drama and he said, she said is a surefire way to upset others. The continuous cycle of politicians being flustered by their opponents will lead to nothing less than a further division of society. As the Founding Fathers feared, political parties have progressively divided people due to their beliefs. The National Archives stores a letter from former President John Adams to Jonathan Jackson in 1780 where Adams described his fear, stating, “there is nothing which I dread so much as the decision of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other.” Politically debated issues have become less about morality and ethics and more about winning and losing. As time goes on, the boundary that divides right and wrong shifts, making said boundary more difficult to pinpoint. Politicians take advantage of this and use it as an excuse when action is taken too far. People’s obsessive need to be right in a given situation has steadily taken a turn further and further from the intended course. The focus is taken away from solving an issue and shifted toward being part of the party to find the solution. Arguments and debates about contentious topics are demoralizing the population because politicians, whatever their allegiances, are infected with an unrelenting and righteous myopathy. This results in the inability to consider other perspectives with even a modicum of reason and level-headedness. They seem to forget the basic principle associated with every issue, political or not: we’re all humans, and as such we are imperfect by design and one of those imperfections. Recognizing this is the first step towards compromise and working issues out rationally. The ignorance of this principle is the equivalent of building an impenetrable, elaborate wall hundreds of miles long at the cost of relationships.

Differences in opinions, especially regarding widelydebated political subjects, are no stranger to causing cumbersome conversations. The involvement people have with politics seems to have the ability to temporarily deactivate parts of the brain that controls judgment and reasoning to feed people’s obsession. This obsession, in addition to nurturing the hunger for being right, pulls people from their lives. It only takes a minute to make a memory that lasts a lifetime, but people’s time has become allconsumed by catching up on the latest Democratic and Republican debates looking ahead at the 2020 presidential election. Friends and families will continue to be divided by the news and debates displayed online and on TV screens everywhere they go with no end in sight. Three and a half years after the last presidential election, there are still talks of whether the right choice was made. Elections of any officeholder are the results of campaigns entailing over-exaggerated and under-executed promises. More times than not, the legislation or political reform the general public is promised during the campaigning phase of an election are swept under the rug when the term comes around. These promises are not new to society, and not all of them relate directly to the government. Take the idea of flying cars for example. When Ford started the assembly line and car production roared in the early twentieth century, the rumors of flying cars by the year 2000 were also sent soaring. Twenty years later, we’re still waiting. The same is true for immigration policy, tax reform, and several other hot topics touched on by presidents of the last two to three decades. The more promises are made and the more it looks like they might actually be carried out, the more stimulated people get over it, and their hopes are crushed when everything falls through whether it be days, weeks, months, or years later. Politics are just plain tedious more than anything else. What one officeholder might spend their entire term striving to fulfill can be completely reversed once the next person takes over. The constant changes that local, national, and international news broadcast are so hard to follow it seems easier to not follow them at all. For hundreds of years now, the country has been evolving and the government hasn’t been far behind. Tributaries continue to be built onto the endless stream of evolution as people form new political ideals and stray from the norm. In the long run, life is simply too short to divide people based on their political identification. //

by: HENRY HUSCHKE staff writer With the facts in hand, I looked into the stances of local U.S. House Representative Jack Bergman (R) and U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters (D). Stabenow supports impeachment on the Obstruction of Congress and Abuse of Power charges, and will most likely vote to remove the president. Senator Peters is also likely to vote to remove, but he may be swayed due to the fact that he is currently seeking reelection. Republican Michigan First District Representative Jack Bergman voted against impeachment. On November 25th, a statement released by Bergman’s official twitter account included the following: “It’s becoming increasingly apparent that these efforts are nothing short of a politically motivated scam, to bring down the duly-elected President of the United States.” Bergman would later state that the hearings were stalling important bipartisan work. Representative Bergman seems to be treating this serious event as if there were no evidence and no danger. This simply is not the case. The president’s actions represent downright dangerous foreign policy. A key damning action was the leverage of military aid over Ukraine. Republicans have argued that the administration did eventually release the aid, but they ignore the fact that aid was only released after initial reports of the call. It may seem like this could never affect the average Central student, but these actions can have dangerous consequences for global stability. After the conclusion of the Cold War, Ukraine voluntarily gave up the nuclear weapons within its borders from the USSR. They did so because they were confident they had backing from the US to deter any future Russian aggression. Since then, Russia has annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and backed Russian Nationalists in Eastern Ukraine in the hopes of annexing even more Ukrainian territory. U.S. military aid was, and still is, key in resisting this Russian invasion. President Trump knew this aid was essential to Ukraine’s existence. When President Trump used this pressure, he sent a signal to Ukraine that if they want to keep existing as a nation, they better throw something in it for him, personally. From our allies’ perspectives, these practices are disturbing. They see that they are at the whim of U.S. politics, which leads to a long list of “what ifs.” What if they cannot appease our leaders, or what if they choose not to bribe our leaders into protecting them? What if they come to the realization that they cannot rely on the U.S.? What if Countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Ukraine decide they need their own defensive capabilities? Japan alone has the capability to construct nuclear weapons within six months. A possibility that seems all the more ominous in light of the fact that across the Sea of Japan are three hostile nuclear powers in China, North Korea, and Russia. Thus, self-interested U.S. leader12 // BGQ // January 2020

ship could, arguably, lead to nuclear proliferation throughout the globe. This world would be extremely dangerous as proliferation would exponentially increase the odds of nuclear war, accidents, and terrorism. Events that could spell the end for humanity. Although the reality and the magnitude of nuclear war is unfathomable, identifying and preventing the possible catalysts should be at the forefront of our minds. Should we accept leadership which steers us in this direction? Even if it is just by an inch, it’s an inch closer to doomsday, and allowing that to occur is not an option. The effects of corrupt foreign policy are just one part of President Trump’s actions that warrant impeachment and removal from office. He also refused to comply with congressional subpoenas. Congress has the power to subpoena as a part of the carefully crafted checks and balances built into the Constitution. If the Senate does not send a clear message that the executive branch cannot refuse to comply with an investigation, they will grant future executives unprecedented power. Power that will allow any future executive to control any investigation into their administration. This ruling would make congressional checks on the president obsolete. The president could commit any number of crimes and conceal their actions from any investigation attempt. The United States could essentially become a quasidictatorship. This is, perhaps extreme, but the move in that direction is undeniable. Even if the President allows witnesses he has heretofore forbidden to answer subpoenas from the House testify before the Senate, he will have already stalled the proceedings long enough to cast significant doubt on the facts, making an accurate drafting of articles of impeachment nearly impossible in the first place. This act would also violate the constitutional provision that the House has the sole power to investigate impeachment by giving the discovery power to the Senate during the trial. Discovery is the process of gathering the facts and evidence before a case. As the American Bar Association says, “Discovery enables the parties to know before the trial begins what evidence may be presented. It’s designed to prevent “trial by ambush,” where one side doesn’t learn of the other side’s evidence or witnesses until the trial, when there’s no time to obtain answering evidence.” In order to have a fair legal proceedings, the process of obtaining evidence before the trial in the House must be maintained. I implore all age 18 and older Central students to register to vote. Our country needs an informed electorate and the voices of our generation. Our ideals are important, and together we can urge enforcement of standards that will maintain global stability and preserve the foundation of our government. //

O P I N I O N

by: RYAN ROYSTON staff writer Donald John Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States on November 8th, 2016 with a victory in the electoral college. Trump is hated by some, disliked by others, and praised by Republicans. He has become the most powerful man on the planet as the result of the never ending political pendulum. President Obama was much more progressive than American Conservatives cared for. Thus, a candidate never seen before in American politics came to light in 2016. Ever since his election, Trump has done and said things never said or done by any President of the United States. After constant back and forth between Trump and Democrats the last three years, Democrats have now unjustly impeached the president. Several months ago, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was quoted by Fox News stating that impeachment would have to be largely bipartisan. Well, after a historic vote in the House, the only thing bipartisan about the vote was a few Democrats who voted against impeachment. Hypocrisy, as it does with most politicians, runs rampant through Pelosi’s record. During President Clinton’s impeachment more than 20 years ago, she was against impeaching Clinton for a lack of wrongdoing—even though he lied twice under oath and had an affair in the White House. Whereas Trump now, has done nothing impeachable. The original grounds for impeachment were manufactured under the premise that there was a quid pro quo made by President Trump. In a July call, President Trump, in no threatening manner, asked the President of Ukraine to look into the possibility of corruption between Hunter Biden and the Ukrainian Oil company, Burisma. In the House Intelligence hearings several weeks ago, the star witness for the Democrats was the U.S ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. Sondland was supposed to clarify if there was indeed an exchange, but he only muddied the water. In his opening remarks, laid out by the NPR article “Gordon Sondland... Opening Statements,” he stated: “[Members ask] Was there a ‘quid pro quo’? ... the answer is yes.” But, in complete contradiction and quoted from CBS, Sondland also recalled that Trump told him, via a phone call, that he wanted nothing, “I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing.” So the question arises, where was this supposed quid pro quo? An interesting video from an NPR article shows former Vice President Biden boasting about threatening the former President of Ukraine during President Obama’s second term. Telling the former president to fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was freezing Burisma’s assets, or lose one billion dollars in loans: “I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money… Well, son of a

bitch. He got fired.” This seems very, very similar to what Trump is currently being accused of, but with Trump’s supposed quid pro quo, we do not have a video of him admitting his actions. Yet, there is media silence in pointing out the hypocrisy. Ever since Trump’s election, as brought up by numerous Fox News television hosts, members of the House have attempted to impeach and remove Trump many times. The several attempts to impeach the president prior to December are seen as purely political, as no crime before, or now, mind you, was committed. This is even reflected in the vote that impeached Trump recently, as there was zero bipartisan support for the two impeachment articles. To many Republicans, myself included, this seems to be a desperate grab at overturning the 2016 election and an attempt at defeating Trump early in 2020, as momentum gains for the president on the back of the greatest economy in United States history. In another historic action, the recent impeachment hearings and votes have all occurred in record timing. Nixon’s impeachment investigation, that happened prior to his resignation, was held throughout nearly 14 months. The Democrats have impeached a duly elected official in less than 13 weeks. With a historically short impeachment process, no true premise to base articles of impeachment off of, and an entirely partisan vote, Democrats have now set a precedent for future presidents to be impeached for extremely minor offenses. Or, in Trump’s case, no offense at all. Trump is only the third president to ever be impeached. But, to remove Trump from office, Democrats would have to persuade a Republican controlled Senate to vote for removal with a 2/3 majority. Although extremely unlikely, a 2/3 majority would make Trump the first president in the history of our nation to be removed from office. With that being said, this impeachment has only caused Americans to become more divided, and both parties are at fault. Although I feel strongly in the fact that Trump should not have been impeached, for there was no quid pro quo and and zero bipartisan support, I cannot help but respect others’ opinions. Whatever happens, you and I will continue to do excessive amounts of homework, worry about upcoming standardized tests, and spend absurd amounts of time on our phones. You and I will continue to laugh, think, and converse just as we had before. Even with a decrease in morality, ethics, and infringement upon freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, you and I will continue to live in, what I believe, is the greatest country to ever grace the Earth. In the meantime, we all will sit unmoving, waiting for officials we elected to represent us make decisions none of us have much say in. //

Janna Deering

identityin

Janna Deering was born and raised in Traverse City, and she is raising her three kids here too. She grew up with intentions of becoming a veterinarian, but she found herself being drawn back to Central High School. While she might not always be recognized by students in the hallways, she’s often no more than a few steps away from classrooms in the F-Building. Deering spends her days in her corner office of F158 planning and improving upon after-school athletic events for TCAPS as the LEAP K-8 Athletic Director. When not at work, she enjoys spending time outside. “In the summertime we’re at the beach or on our boat with our kids, come wintertime lots of downhill skiing,” Deering said. She has recently acquired a skill that can come in handy in all aspects of life: the art of Nunchi. “There’s this thing called Nunchi, it’s a Korean concept taught over in Asia about being able to sense other people’s cues without them having to say anything,” she said. Although Deering has not been practicing the skill for very long, she finds herself picking it up fairly quickly.

traverse city

by: MALLORY SWOPE staff writer

In our spin-off of Human of New York, the Black & Gold Quarterly went out into the Central High School community in search of uniquity. Our mission was to find inspiring stories and share them to encourage self-expression. Through a variety of randomly selected people, we were about to find one commonality: passion. Stories like theirs are what makes us believe in the power that comes from expression through journalism. People are art. We feel combining their words with a visual story, a unique and inspiring message is created. Members of our community have conveyed their identities and inspired us through their words and sense of passion. To us, this is the truest kind of journalism--finding moving stories and sharing them.

14// BGQ // January 2020

Morgan Soloman Sue Chang was born nearly 2,500 miles from Traverse City in Orange County, California and spent a majority of her childhood in different areas of the country. Chang is a mother to three biological children, all of whom have come through her office during their time at Central. Upon graduating from Auburn University in Alabama, Chang was presented with the opportunity to move out to San Francisco. Despite her friends’ advice that such a big move would be intimidating, Chang saw it differently and was excited about her new adventure. She made the move to Traverse City 20 years ago and cycled through many jobs in TCAPS before settling on becoming the Indian Education Instructional Assistant at CHS despite her dreams of becoming a veterinarian. “I’ve developed some meaningful relationships with students. I have seniors and former seniors that I still keep in touch with, and I’ll get a text when they’re thinking about me,” Chang said. The 2019/2020 school year has already been considered pivotal in Chang’s mind due to the number of Native American seniors that are graduating; “There’s a bunch of them, eight to ten seniors. For the Native American community, having that many students earning their diplomas is a big deal,” she explained.

Morgan Soloman was born and raised in Traverse City, and she spent a significant amount of time during her childhood dreaming about the future and what it holds for her. In her bright, aspiring eyes, this meant becoming a veterinarian. Soloman spent much of her time after school in her elementary and middle school years practicing the art of Brazillian Jiu Jitsu but has since lost some of her passion for it. Today, Soloman spends her time between school, working at Grand Traverse Pie Company, and spending time with friends. “My friends and family really keep me going. They know how to motivate me, and I love them,” Soloman said. When she is not spending time with friends, she can be found with her clarinet, most likely practicing for marching band season. Soloman believes she adds a sense of diversity and uniqueness to the world around her being “part of two percent of the world population who has red hair and green eyes,” she explained.

Sue Chang

Mollie Baker ‘21

the Gallery

16 // BGQ // January 2020 16 // BGQ January 2020 2020 14 ////BGQ // January 18 // BGQ // January 2019

Chloe Wallman ‘21

A student showcase Nelliana Wilson ‘20

Tegan Worthington ‘21

Audrey Gollan ‘23

Skyy Elliott ‘22

BGQ BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY january 2020 // volume ninety-nine

Rising Waters Adopt A Stream Piering into the Future

BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY: JANUARY T W O - T H O U S A N D TWENTY Editors Note EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sophia Boyce PHOTOGRAPHY Olivia Hale Maria Linck GRAPHICS Jack Doerr Maria Linck BUSINESS Henry Huschke Niklas Fagerman EDITORS Joie Baldyga Maria Linck Mia Moeggenberg STAFF WRITERS Niklas Fagerman Olivia Hale Henry Huschke Addison Swanson Mallory Swope Trinity Whiteford COVER PHOTO Maria Linck Advisor: Jim Filkins

Living in TC, water is more than a part of our environment, it’s apart of our identity. While in the past year the coast has changed quite a bit, our first article explains how it could have been drastically different with the addition of a new pier. Unfortunately, that pier has been put on the back burner, but something that has taken off recently is Adopt-A-Stream. Humans are losing touch with Earth, but an easy way to prevent that is to help take care of the environment around you, like the many streams that flow through the TC area. Streams aren’t the only water source in TC, East, and West bays are focal points for the city, and they’re rising. Lake Michigan itself is the highest it has been since 1986. Water levels are rising around the globe, and destruction follows in their wake. Since this issue is about being environmentally conscious, we thought that we would give students a ‘how-to’ on recycling to highlight the complexity behind the seemingly simple task. Along with our staple features of Identity in Traverse City, and The Gallery, we added a quiz to help people learn if they’re an eco-friend or an eco-foe. From the Pub, Sophia Boyce

C O N T E N T S

8 12

Piering into the Future a change to TCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfront

Recycling Guide what you need to know

Adopt a Stream increasing environmental awareness

Rising Waters the impact of rising water levels

Are you an Eco-Foe? quiz on carbon emission levels

The gallery A student showcase

Send information, advertising and other inquiries to: Black & Gold Quarterly Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: (231) 933-6533 Email: filkinsji@tcaps.net

Graphics Courtesy of R. Soyring

4 // BGQ //January 2020

Piering into the Future by: MARIA LINCK content editor The heart and soul of Traverse City is its water. Tourists flock from far and wide to take a dip in the sparkling waters of East Bay, to climb Pyramid Point for a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan, to catch a dazzling sunset over West Bay, or to just simply enjoy a hot summer day on the water. So, when waterfront plans for West Bay began to take shape in 2006, it was a big deal for Traverse City locals and tourists alike. Traverse City’s waterfront has always been changing and adapting. The Clinch Park and Open Space areas are the two integral parts of the waterfront that have seen the most public use, and therefore a lot of change. A zoo and powerplant are just two of the many structures that have been present in that area in the past twenty years. Michigan State University students drew up the previously mentioned waterfront plans in 2006, which included the addition of a brand new public pier in West Bay near downtown. The pier really caught the attention of Traverse City’s City Planning Director, Russ Soyring, who has worked under the title for 34 years. Soyring claims to have had the possibility of a Traverse City public pier in his mind since the 1990’s, but it really became a focus for him in 2006, with the first real plans for the project. The city wanted to hear public opinion on the project, “we involved the community, we had hundreds of people come out and look at it [the pier designs],” explained Soyring, “a lot of people really liked the pier and coming out with that idea.” Due to the overwhelming public support and interest, the city decided to dive deeper into the project. “In 2010, we used professionals, we had consultants that helped us, we were doing the whole bayfront plan,” stated Soyring. With each new design, the plans for the pier became more and more detailed and complex, until they were almost to the point of being able to begin construction. The pier was not just another expensive and time consuming change to Traverse City’s downtown waterfront, it had the potential to impact the lives of many. “The idea of the pier was that we wanted to improve access to the waterfront, we wanted to give more opportunities for the public to enjoy it,” Soyring reasoned, “Not everyone can afford to be on the waterfront, to live there, but we can make more opportunities to

A public pier HAD the potential to change Traverse City’s waterfront forever. view the water.” The other major vision of the pier was to encourage local fishing. Later down the road, another consulting firm was hired to help develop the plans further. After drawing up these more detailed plans, the public was asked “what kinds of things would you like to see on the waterfront?” Soyring explained, “and the pier got a lot of ‘yes we really like it!’” The project then received a $232,000 grant that helped it continue to advance and develop. Although the pier received a lot of positive feedback and support from the public, there were still people who had concerns, or who were entirely opposed to the project. These concerns included the pier harming the local environment, and whether or not the pier would be easily accessible to emergency services.. There were two locations considered for the future home of the pier, both within Traverse City’s downtown waterfront. The first proposed location was to have the pier as an extension of the Open Space, and the second was to have it at the mouth of the Boardman River. In the end, the mouth of the Boardman won the location battle due to the heavy wave action at the Open Space and the better fishing near the river. “This is the best place you’re going to catch fish,” Soyring said of the Boardman River mouth location, “ they have a lot of fish habitat at the mouth, a lot of what they call ‘nutrients’ coming down the river, and the fish like the nutrients so they come up and they eat in that area and then that’s an opportunity to catch fish.” It was critical to both the people working on the pier and the public that the pier not just be an expensive structure altering the face of West Bay, or what detractors called a “mistake on the lake.” “We went through a number of [design] variations, the community was saying ‘we just don’t want a kind of ugly thing sticking out of the bay, we want something that looks very artful, really, something beautiful that you’d want to photograph,’”explained Soyring. Jack Knol was an architect and pier committee member for the project. This was his first time designing a pier, and he explained that something this big and complex takes him “typically 9 to 12 months after permits secured.

Permits take probably 3-4 months.” Many factors go into designing a pier, including getting the correct permits and studying environmental factors such as currents, ice thickness, wave height, and wind history. Some of the factors more specific to this pier that Knol listed are “fishing structures, ADA features, building codes, life safety issues, maintenance factors, public access, accessible parking, bike access, pedestrian access, fish cleaning stations, shade structures, water access, lighting, restrooms, and aesthetics, and a whole lot more.” With the main goal of the pier being to connect more people with the waterfront, public access was very prominent in the design process. The idea was to “have a walkway all the way from Clinch Park Beach area all along here [Parkway along Clinch Park Beach], kind of a promenade that you could walk along, and then you could walk out onto the pier,” Soyring stated. Due to good fishing in the area, a fishing hole at the end of the pier was also integrated into the design. Soyring explained that the fishing hole would create shade, and the plan was “to put habitat, big boulders and logs, underneath it so fish would like to come in there and then you could drop a line right in there and catch fish.” Another detail of the pier was the unique and environmentally friendly lighting that was going to be incorporated into the design. “We were talking about how we were going to light it [the pier] at night, how we could light it up different colors for the seasons. If Michigan State won, we’d do it all in green. If Michigan won we’d do it in blue. At Christmas we’d have green and red, and things like that,” explained Soyring. “We were going to put solar panels on top to help to generate the energy to light the lights at night.” Not only would the solar panels be an environmentally friendly source of energy, but they would also provide shaded areas on the pier. Traverse City is highly dependent on tourism, and a brand new downtown public pier could be the start of something much bigger that could ultimately change Traverse City forever. Jean Derenzy, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), claims that “just building the pier was not the ‘end all’, the pier needed to result in a phased approach so the true picture of how the pier was connecting people to places, to the waterfront, to the downtown, to the neighborhoods, is what could make the pier project a start of something transformational.” Although the pier did have the power to make a large impact on Traverse City’s tourism and economy as a whole, Derenzy sees it on a more personal level with the people of Traverse City. “When looking and considering major infrastructure it is not about the tourism aspect, it is about what will serve our community, our residents for generations to come,” she said. The grand total of the pier was projected to be $8,710,000. Broken down, the pier itself was going to cost around $5,360,000. Beach improvements near the base of the pier were at $660,000; Boardman 6 // BGQ // January 2020

River and downtown connections to the pier were predicted to cost $1,150,000; Connections to the pier from the East were at $630,000, and the walkway from Clinch Park along the beach to the pier was predicted to cost $910,000. Soyring pointed out that the recent Eighth Street construction cost 3-4 million dollars. After all of the hard work and detail that went into planning the pier, it was eventually put on the back burner. “We were really looking forward to doing this project, real excited about it, we had it all designed, we had it almost ready, permits and everything, but then we had an election. We had different city commissioners come in and they weren’t so interested in the pier. They said ‘you know, we have a lot of broken bridges, we have a lot of broken roads, sidewalks that are missing, that’s where we want to spend our money,’” reflected Soyring. Derenzy liked the idea of the pier as a whole, but thought it was “too consultant led and not enough public led, which resulted in the plan not being approved by the elected officials.” Even though the pier was discontinued, there have been many other projects going on in Traverse City, though none as unique and expensive as a new pier. The construction on Eighth Street and the five mile loop around the Boardman Lake are two major city development projects that have been under the spotlight in Traverse City recently. Along with these projects aimed toward making the city a more bikeable and walkable place to live and visit, there are also plans in place with goals to preserve and protect the environment surrounding and within Traverse City. Keeping people from fertilizing their lawns right up to the shoreline is one of the environmental projects that Soyring is working on. “We’re trying to write some new rules and regulations to have more of a natural water’s edge with trees and shrubbery and wood and plants and dune grass, things that aren’t fertilized so we can protect the water quality, so we don’t have all those chemicals going into the waterfront, into the water,” he said, “I think we need to protect our water quality, it’s extremely important.” Soyring is also working on a tree ordinance that outlines rules for developments that wish to cut down trees in the city, and a street design manual to be used when streets have to be redone. Although Soyring wishes the city was moving forward with the pier, he remains optimistic in the fact that the pier will someday exist. “It’s not like the project is killed, but it’s been set on a shelf, waiting for a good time when we can address the pier again,” Soyring said, “I think the community really likes the pier and we’re probably going to go back to that someday. You might be grown-ups when you see it, but that’s okay.”//

The Earth, which is over four and a half billion years old, is inhabited by over seven billion people. Now compare the Earth, something so old and precious, to a person. You wouldn’t abandon them if they needed help. You would help them. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 14 billion tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans yearly, leading to extreme toxicity and pollution. Humans are treating the Earth as an afterthought when it really should be at the forefront of our minds. Without the Earth, we as humans can not exist. Yet people still disrespect it, whether it is intentional or not. With debates about the world’s energy, use of plastics, and climate change becoming more and more frequent, it is clear that society is beginning to acknowledge the problem, but what are we actually doing about it? Locally, many restaurants such as The Jolly Pumpkin have switched to paper straws instead of plastic straws. Similarly, TCAPS is considering biodegradable options as well. These are all steps in the right direction to helping the environment. Another program taking these steps is Adopt-A-Stream, which has recently been gaining popularity in the Traverse City area. Adopt-A-Stream is a volunteer stream monitoring program, where volunteer teams collect important water quality and habitat data on wadeable streams in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. They monitor the streams twice per year, once in July, and once in August. Adopt-A-Stream data is very important. According to Heather Smith, the head of Adopt-A-Stream, it can be used to “establish water quality baselines, flag issues, assess restoration project efficiency, and is used by State water resource professionals to assess the condition of our area’s streams. It serves as a unique way to engage citizens in watershed stewardship and advocacy.” Last year AdoptA-Stream grew to over 80 participants and 25 stream sites. Heather Smith, the leader of Adopt-A-Stream says, “If you are interested in citizen science, this is a great way to learn about streams and invertebrates, and collect data critical in protecting and preserving our streams.” Madison Marshall, a Junior here at Central, is participating in Adopt-A-Stream because she wants to help the environment and gain experience from the program. “We all live in it [the environment] for our entire lives, so we should definitely take care of it. I don’t use plastics, like straws or plastic water bottles and I think that if everybody did this it can really make a difference.” Maddison wants to pursue a career in the science industry, so she also feels it would be good for her resume. “I do think that my future resume or college applications play a role in my choice to participate in environmental activities such as AdoptA-Stream because I want to be in the science industry, but also I love the environment, and I think it’s important that we take care of it.“ Mike Foley, a retired exploration geologist, says he participates because “Virtually any science subject has always been of interest to me, and the

Adopt a Stream by: NIKLAS FAGERMAN staff writer

Learn more about programs to preserve the environment in Traverse City, like Adopt-A-Stream.

Photo: O. Hale

opportunity to assist in ‘citizen science’ activities now that I have a bit more time in my schedule was appealing.” He recommends all students try out the program. “I think Adopt-A-Stream is an excellent program for students to participate in, especially if they have an interest in science, the water and habitat quality of our local streams and associated watersheds, or simply enjoy spending time doing outdoor volunteer work. It only takes 2-3 hours, two times per year to participate. Equipment and basic training is provided, and the staff at the Watershed Center will help to pair you up with someone more experienced if that helps” said Foley. “You learn quite a bit about the types of invertebrates living in our local streams, and what that means in terms of stream quality. I think it is a great program that is fun, teaches you a lot about invertebrate identification, and allows you to spend time outdoors doing citizen science that benefits our local environment,” Foley elaborated. Humans are losing touch with nature. The importance of a healthy ecosystem has become secondary to the activity of living. Even worse, the problems facing the Earth are being discounted, suppressed, and undermined. Nevertheless, they exist, and will reach the level of crisis if this mentality continues. Actions being taken by the Jolly Pumpkin, TCAPS, and programs like Adopt-A-Stream are all steps in the right direction. The Earth should be treated with respect, just as you would treat another being. If everyone nurtures the Earth this way, it will continue to provide future generations a beautiful home.//

Recycling isn’t a big deal, or is it?

by: TRINITY WHITEFORD staff writer, JOIE BALDYGA content editor, & MARIA LINCK content editor

I stand before two bins. I have always been an environmental advocate; every day I bring my reusable water bottle, I turn off lights when I leave a room, I even went vegetarian for the environment. Plastic fork and paper plate in hand, I stare into the depths of each bin, trying to decide what to do. The bright blue recycling bin stands empty, while the ominous black trash can is nearly filled to the brim. What do I do? My conscience struggles for the answer. I am stressed. Beads of sweat form on my forehead. The fork and plate tremble in my hand: Can the fork be recycled? Do I have to wash it first? Do I make the hike to the bathroom and do my dishes in the dirty sink, waiting for my peers to judge me, or do I take the easy route and simply expel it to the depths of the black bin? I don’t know. I still don’t know. Now I’m embarrassed. The plate is sealed with wax, so it goes in the trash. Right? But it’s paper, so shouldn’t it be recyclable? So many questions race through my head. I try to scrape the food off the fork, but as I try to clean it, I think, How clean is clean enough? I don’t know. I give in. The fork and plate drop into the trash. I think of all the steps I’ve taken to make my life more environmentallyfriendly, and yet I don’t know what to do with a plate and fork. Shame floods my face.

ITEM RECYCLABLE or NOT RECYCLABLE Plastic and Glass bottles Recyclable Cardboard (when flattened and Recyclable dry) Sharp and Dangerous Items Not Recyclable (Glass mirrors, tv/monitor glass, wondow glass, CDs and DVDs) Aluminum Foil Plastic or paper cups and plates with a wax coating Chip Bags Kitchen shrink wrap, plastic grocery bags, and styrofoam (egg cartons, cups...) Packing Peanuts

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Recyclable

WHERE/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Curbside recycling or any recycling facility Curbside recycling or any recycling facility Recyclables are sorted by real people, so sharp materials are dangerous for workers Curbside recycling or any recycling facility

Not Recyclable Not Recyclable Recyclable Recyclable

Foil-lined plastic like chip bags and candy wrappers cannot be recycled because the foil cannot be separated from the plastic Curbside recycling or any recycling facility Not recyclable curbside but facilities like Bay Area Recycling for Charities, Handle With Care Packaging Store, and Stained Glass Cabinet Co. will take packing peanuts to be reused of recycled

As youth, we tend to forget about recycling as if it’s always existed. The ubiquitous blue recycling bins around campus often remain nearly empty. In school, we are focused on homework, college visits, sports — all important information, ad nauseum. One of the things they don’t seem to teach us in school is recycling and the important information that goes along with it. It is almost as if adults assume we are born with this knowledge. When in reality, knowledge about recycling is not innate, and in truth, we throw things away simply because it’s easier than to think about what actually can be recycled. We know the basics of recycling paper in the paper bin and plastic in the plastic bin. But, what about the more complicated things such as paper cups or even batteries? Something that surprises many is that paper cups can’t be recycled yet batteries can be. It’s no wonder people tend to get confused. According to The Encyclopedia of Science, some commonly unknown things that are recyclable are, acid batteries, aluminum, and even steel appliances. As the youngest generation in this world of manufacturing, we have grown up with everything already made. Through our generation, we haven’t seen the invention of landmark manufacturing machines, we haven’t grown up learning about the materials used to make these like our grandparents might have. In our generation, everything was already here. According to The Washington Post, myths are a big reason people tend to not recycle. Myths such as “recyclables just end up in the trash” and “recycling uses more energy and water than making something new” are common. These myths obscure the fact that recycling is better for the environment than throwing things away, meaning, in the garbage and ultimately in a landfill. A landfill starts off as just a hole in the ground. According to LiveScience.com, a scientific magazine, this hole is lined with rubber or clay and then a flexible plastic. Drains and pipes are added on top of this to keep liquid out of the landfill. Once a landfill has reached its capacity, the waste is covered with clay and another plastic shield. Above that, several feet of dirt and then plants or even buildings are placed on top of the trash. Landfills are not designed to break down waste, only to store it. However, garbage in a covered landfill does decompose slowly in a sealed oxygen-free environment. Because of the lack of oxygen, bacteria in the waste produce methane gas, which is highly flammable and dangerous if allowed to collect underground. It is also a potent greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming. Some modern

landfills have a way to collect methane in a safe and controlled way to be sold as energy or just released into the air. According to Waste4Change.com, a global group focused on educating people about responsible waste management, in modern days, there are seven types of plastic: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE or Polyester), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), other (most often bioplastics). All of these types of plastic have different properties, giving some a higher recyclability rate than others. When items are made out of the more complex plastics or are made out of a mixture of a few of these types of plastics, they also become harder to recycle because of the complexity of the material. Make sure all food containers and drink bottles have been thoroughly rinsed and any food from inside has not soiled the container because if it has, the container is no longer recyclable. Liquids inside may contaminate batches of recycling. It is also best when a plastic bottle is squished and the cap is put back on the bottle because if the bottle is not compressed, then the cap could fly off, possibly harming the workers. The cap should go back on the bottle because items smaller than two inches usually don’t make it through the sorting machine — they are bounced off and go right into the trash if they are not put back on the bottle. Small personal acts such as going into a local hair salon can be beneficial depending on what shampoo they have. Some hair salons have bars of shampoo rather than plastic bottles to reduce the amount of plastic being used. The plastic bottle that shampoo comes in often isn’t recyclable, so in using these bars rather than plastic bottles, both businesses and individuals are helping to reduce the amount of plastic going into the garbage. Even stores like Walmart are trying to make a difference by having bars of shampoo in stock. Any way a person can help reduce the carbon footprint is beneficial and necessary for the environment, whether it be minimizing their home plastic use overall or just recycling whenever possible, these acts help the environment stay clean. Recycling is a circle, an endless rotation of using something, recycling it and turning it into something else, buying it, using it, and recycling it once again. Making an impact doesn’t have to be hard if you know what can be recycled. So, next time you are staring into the depths of two bins, you’ll know what to do. //

High Water Leaves Its Mark Record-breaking water levels are wrecking havoc worldwide. by: SOPHIA BOYCE editor-in-chief Photos: O. Hale & M. Linck

10 // BGQ // January 2020

In a world where science is being taken as opinion, and as something we can ignore, let me set the scene for you. It’s November 12th, Venice Italy. The council in Ferro Fini Palace is voting on the 2020 budget which includes amendments for fighting climate change. This is happening while Venice is experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years. The council voted to reject these budget amendments, and moments later, its chamber was flooded, according to CNN. Climate change is not something people can deny. Whether you’re in Venice, California, Illinois, or Traverse City, the effects of climate change are visible. Last summer across the midwest beaches were

“gets flooded out all the way to the running path — that’s 30 yards.” Heft explained that it’s these uncommon northeastern breezes that have claimed 15 feet of beach in length, and 2 feet in height. These breezes build up a lot of wind and waves which physically push sand and water onto the beach. Sand and water aren’t the only things being pushed ashore in the Evanston area, the wind is also digging up debris from below the sand including rebar, construction debris, chunks of wire, and wood pallets. In Traverse City record-breaking water levels aren’t just swallowing beaches, they are also eroding land, which can lead to the undermining of homes, roads,

crowded, not because they were necessarily busy, but because they are now underwater. Reoccuring rare northeastern breezes, mixed with rising water levels in the Great Lakes, have been swallowing beaches from Northern Michigan to Chicago and the Lake Erie area. The United States Army Corps of Engineers reports that the Great Lakes have risen over 15 inches, and could come up 24 more this year. In fact, the USACE predicts that both Lake Michigan and Erie will rise another 4 inches. The water levels have not been this high since 1986, and are 63 inches higher than the record low from 1964. While at a five week camp at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, I interviewed Martin Heft, an employee at their Sailing Center who said the Center,

and bridges. For example, every time it rains, Fishtown in Leland floods, even the dam can’t control the flow anymore. 9&10 News reported that The Fishtown Preservation society began plans for restoration four years ago when all they thought they had to do was maintenance. Now they have $2.5 million in damages and have to replace all the docks. The beach at Clinch is a fraction of what it used to be, and that’s just from one year of higher water levels. When there are bad storms the parking lot by the Bijou partially floods. The water is so high that even portions of Peninsula drive are submerged during storms. We have parking lots that are falling into the bay. City Planning Director Russ Soyring said, “we’re just trying to figure out what to do about the changing of the shoreline.” Soyring explained that initially they

12 // BGQ // January 2020

planned on reengineering and placing new barriers for the parking lot at West End. But the Parks and Rec Commission suggested letting the lot become more of a park area and make the parking for Handi-cap only. The problem with that Soyring says it that everyone asks “where do people park?” To some, that may seem like a minuscule problem, but for a town in which tourism is essential to the economy, parking is a BIG deal. Tourists come to TC for the beaches and the water, but those beaches are disappearing, and parking seems equally endangered. While currently the biggest question being asked is “what about parking?” the real question we should be asking is, “how do we minimize the effects of the rising water?” Frank Dituri, Director of Public Services, explained to me that the asset management department has kept track of everything the city owns that has been affected by water damage. While the big locations being affected are West End Beach, and the boat launch/marina area, Art Krueger, from the Municipal utility department, explained that the biggest issue comes from the rising groundwater. Kruger explained that groundwater rises and sinks with the climate, and right now it’s much higher than normal. This means that there is a lot more water sitting on top of water pipes and sewer lines. The pipelines are under constant high pressure so this water has no effect. The sewer lines, however, are not used to the additional groundwater, and it infiltrates the pipes. This, unfortunately, means that more water is being treated, and therefore more electricity is being used, which ultimately means more money is being spent as well. The city planning department has been looking into

the consequences of the rising water levels for 6-8 months now. They even had underwater videography done in the marina and of the concrete wall to see if there was damage happening that was not visible. They found some undermining of the concrete wall from Park to Union street, not too dramatic, but “could cause problems if not dealt with,” said Kruger. Problems such as the destruction at West End Beach where the manhole that filters water back into the lake is completely covered by sand, so nothing can flow out. To make sure that the surrounding areas don’t flood, the Municipal department has to install a temporary portable pump every time it rains. When asked about the flooding on Peninsula Drive, Dituri said it’s outside of city limits, but short term treatment would be to protect the road from flooding out however they can. Whether that’s dumping rocks, boulders, anything to buffer the energy from the waves. Kruger and Dituri agreed that the long term treatment for the city is to stop allowing developments close to the water's edge. Which begs the question, why are people still building on the water's edge? Everyone wants to live on the water, but they don’t think about the consequences, or they do, but end up exacerbating the destruction. Everyone knows you are supposed to build above sea level. Just ask any resident of Venice, Italy. The city of Venice has existed for hundreds of years. Water is not a new issue for Venice. They have been trying to minimize the effects for years, from building art installments that hold up buildings which are eroding from rising water to a levee system that isn’t high enough. The old adage “You can't fool Mother Nature” comes to mind. Neither can you ignore it, but perhaps we can learn from it. //

You’re an Eco-Foe!

>Do you eat

Do you turn off the lights when you leave a room?

Yes

Single Use

animal byproducts regularly?

Yes

Are your waterbottles reusable or single use?

Never

Reusable

your family > Does recycle? >

You’re an Eco-Friend!

Sometimes

> Yes

Always

Do you use public transportation instead of driving when possible?

You’ve got a long way to go! Try taking baby steps to be more ecofriendly. Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth or try recycling single-use plastic used!

> >

You’re on your way! You are pretty environmentally conscious, but there’s more work to be done! Take public transportation sometimes, or take shorter showers to conserve water!

Yes

Do you use single-use plastic?

Are you vegitarian or vegan?

Yes

> Is the food you eat organic and locally sourced?

graphics: M. Linck

You’re Eco-Family!

Yes

You are doing a great job, don’t stop now! There is still so much to be done and so much to be taught. Encourage your friends to take more eco-friendly steps, and keep up the good work!

Are you an Eco-Foe, Eco-Friend, or Eco-Family? by OLIVIA HALE staff writer

START Do you turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth?

No Never

Do you know what it means to compost?

Always Yes

> How long are your showers?

Less than 10 minutes

20+ minutes

Rarely

Plastic

10-20 minutes

Often

type of > What straws do you usually use? >

Do you usually carpool when you drive?

Metal

Regular

Yes

14 // BGQ // January 2020

Do you use resuable, cloth grocery bags?

What type of lightbulbs do you have in your house?

LED

BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY (BGQ) JANUARY 2020

Articles inside

Under the Spotlight: Environmental Science

Recycling isn’t a

High Water Leaves its Mark

Piering into the Future