BGQ BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY
october 2021 // vol. one hundred and one
CONTENT
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: roskellesu@tcaps.net
Volunteering for the Mind
6
How Therapy Impacts Teens
8
The Gallery: Staff Edition
10
Getting Ahead of the Game
12
The Reading Culture of Central
14
Continuing the Conversation
18
Walking the Walk
20
Under Pressure
22
Out of the Darkness
24
Babies Raising Babies
26
The Monarch of Fall
28
50 Questions with Mrs. King
30
Going the Extra Mile
32
The Rise of Lacrosse
34
BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY
OCTOBER TWO THOUSAND TWENTY ONE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mallory Swope CONTENT EDITORS Ted Arnold Elizabeth Phillips PHOTOGRAPHY Aiden Preston Eliana Hermel Kristen May Mia Moeggenberg Lucy Poppleton Elizabeth Phillips Aiden Preston Mallory Swope Aubrey West GRAPHICS Averie McGraw Mallory Swope STAFF WRITERS Collin Benedict Sam Elkins Eliana Hermel Kristen May Averie McGraw Lucy Poppleton Aiden Preston Jesse Rizzo Alex Szajner Grave Verhoeven Aubrey West COVER Contributors Mallory Swope ADVISER Susan Roskelley MISSION STATEMENT
Editor’s Note With everything going on in the world right now, many issues seem much bigger than our small town community and out of our reach. This is not to say, though, that there are not big problems in Traverse City. The United States recognizes September as National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery month, and a certain Traverse City local recognizes October as the month that she lost her son to a drug overdose. To shed light on this ongoing issue, we talked to people connected to Central and larger organizations out in the community to get their perspectives on the causes and effects of addiction and the hope for overcoming the disease. This package of articles is hard-hitting yet eye-opening for students and general community members alike. Turn to page 18 to read the first article regarding a recovering addict who lost her son to an overdose four years ago. In addition to the overall community, the things that happen around Central’s campus are essential to the BGQ’s vitality. The students, the classes, the staff, and the clubs are just a few of the major contributors to the liveliness at Central, but this issue touches on all of them. Throughout the next 30 pages, we have features on one of Central’s most beloved Chemistry teachers, student athletes, AP and Honors classes, and the Cultural Diversity Group. Like anything else in life, the BGQ has a few core values that drive our publication from year to year. While some of the other values change with time, there is one that is constant: mental health. As the school year kicks off with fall and winter sports, extracurriculars, and everything else that piles on with school, we need to focus now more than ever on preserving the power and well-being of our minds. Turn the page to read a series of articles about mental health and therapy. Since our staff began working on this issue during the second week of the school year, we have all learned a lot about ourselves, our surroundings, and the people around us. We hope that Central students, staff, and Traverse City inhabitants can learn from and enjoy this issue as much as we have. From the Pub,
Mallory Swope
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. 4 // BGQ // October 2021
Quarterly Showcase Photo: A. West
Photos Courtesy of NHS
Volunteering for the Mind by Kristen May staff writer 6 // BGQ // October 2021
Assisting the community comes with many advantages for volunteers
W
ith more people being confined to the walls ticipants ages 16-24 and 55-74 were especially of their homes due to events that have been cast likely to benefit from volunteering, perhaps beat humanity the last year and a half, mental health cause of the opportunity to build social connechas become a major struggle for many people. tions and new skills.” There are many volunteer It’s hard to find resources that improve the way opportunities in Traverse City outside of Central’s someone views themselves, and it’s even more campus that have positive effects on the comof a challenge if people don’t have the materials munity and are available to most ages. One such that are necessary in order to talk to a therapist or organization is the food pantry at Christ Church get professional help. Most taxing is the stigma of Traverse City. Lenda McQueer is the coordithat surrounds asking for help, and that often nator of the Food Pantry and also organizes the prevents people from seeking out the assets they Saturday Night Community Meals at the church. need. Many people assume that the best ways McQueer has seen many changes over the years to help people struggling with mental health is that she’s been involved with the organization,“I purely through therapy or medication, but there started as the office person in 2004, and we are some resources that are much more acceshad a tiny pantry downstairs and now it has blossible. Volunteering comes with many advantages somed into [an entire] room and [expanded to] that relate to the mind and bettering the lives of the lobby for the fresh vegetables,” McQueer those involved. “Helping other people is, in my explains. The many volunteers who help with the opinion, the best way to empower yourself to feel Food Pantry find enjoyment in not only helping good about you,” a worthy cause, but Central’s counselor “I think that if you haven’t really had also getting to know Diane Burden states. much experience with volunteering, people they might Members of the not meet otherwise. then it might be an unfamiliar National Honor “They enjoy helping. concept.” Society (NHS) and The food comes in, other organizations we sort it. They get to that involve volunteering such as Sea Club and know people. We know a lot of people by first Key Club have also witnessed the benefits that names now. So, they enjoy it too and they stay,” result from assisting others firsthand. Lauren May McQueer describes. ‘22 is a member of NHS and Sea Club and finds Volunteering can be unfamiliar and nerve that volunteering is “just a chance to be in the wracking to someone that hasn’t done it before. real world and help people without too many “I do think that sometimes people are afraid and incentives for yourself.” Central has numerous that’s perfectly normal,” Burden notes, “I think volunteer opportunities for students to become that if you haven’t really had much experience involved with that are very simple to join. with volunteering, then it might be an unfamiliar Volunteering is a great way to relax and take concept.” Fear, however, shouldn’t stop people your mind off other stressful thoughts. May has from contributing to their community. There are experienced this feeling in her own life; “I know so many advantages that can come from supportthat while I’m volunteering, the best thing I can ing others, even if the concept of volunteering is be doing is focusing on the present. It gives your a little frightening. That openness just depends on mind an excuse to not be worrying about other how familiar someone is with contributing to their stuff, and [lets you] be present and more relaxed.” community. “If it’s already something that’s existCompleting a task that helps others is the perfect ing in your family and the adults that you are with, way to increase someone’s happiness. According then I think people are more prone to look for to a study conducted by the University of volunteering opportunities,” Burden asserts. // California Berkeley, “researchers found that par-
How Therapy Impacts Teens by Sam Elkins staff writer
P
Destigmatizing therapy and what it means for today’s teenagers
eople go through different kinds of trauma than others, but for some this just simply isn’t possible. For these people, having someone like everyday. Whether it’s losing a loved one, getting a counselor or therapist can be extremely benefithrough difficult experiences, or just bad things happening in life, there are some life events that cial. E Randolph ‘24 attends therapy around every are challenging to tackle alone. Children suffering the effects of parents week at Kids Creek Clinic. “I “I’ve gotten to the point like going to therapy because divorcing, depression, and anxiety are only a few of where I assume someone’s it helps a lot with a bunch of different stuff I’ve been the many things that might gone through something require a little bit of extra traumatic whether it’s a big through,” Randolph notes. guidance. Like anything else For Randolph, a normal visit or several little things.” includes his therapist “askin life, the idea of opening up to someone—let alone ing about my day and talking about some of the things I’ve been through, and a complete stranger—can be stressful, but it can sometimes we go on walks and things like that.” also be an incredibly useful resource to guide the mind and body through trauma. We face trauma Some people attend therapy to just have someone to talk to, someone to vent to, or just someall of the time in our everyday lives. For some of us, moving past trauma might come more natuone to get the emotions out with. As high schoolers, we need all of those things. Therapy is a rally or can be moved through with more ease 8 // BGQ // October 2021
Photos Courtesy of J. Goodwin
process of going in and being open and emotionally honest. It’s hard for many people to do that, but it helps them in time to talk to someone and gives them social skills. Reverend Jeff Goodwin is a local therapist at Grand Traverse Counseling and Wellness Center who often treats teens. “I’ve always been fascinated by psychology,” Goodwin explains. “I got hooked in a psychology class in high school, and I had a different major my first semester in college and changed my major to psychology.” Goodwin notes that, particularly with teens, “there’s a lot of significant trauma out there. I’ve gotten to the point where I assume someone’s gone through something traumatic until I found they haven’t just because this world is a really difficult place to live in.” Goodwin and many other counselors have a process they call “Big T, Little T,” that they use to evaluate trauma. “The capital T traumas [or] Big T traumas [is] seeing something horrific in combat. These guys that have seen the person next to
them die, who’ve been in horrific fire fights. And then the Little T trauma is having everyone laugh at you in a public way, maybe in front of their friends. That’s what we call the Small T traumas.” Having different trauma types can affect many aspects of people’s lives, whether it’s big or small things. “And by using the Little T, we aren’t saying it’s insignificant; it’s just a lot of little things that add up,” Goodwin explains. Addy Cook ‘24 used to attend therapy and is planning on going back soon. “I think it was nice to have someone to talk to about how I was feeling,” Cook states. She finds that therapy is good “especially [for] younger people, [as they] usually have harder times coping with things and [they] are at an age that so much is going on. It can be helpful to learn good coping mechanisms instead of starting bad ones.” When life happens, we all need someone to talk to. And no matter what you call it—therapy, counseling, or just basic support—at our age, it’s not only helpful, it’s a basic necessity. //
The Gallery
A showcase courtesy of the BGQ staff
10 // BGQ // October 2021
Getting Ahead of the Game by Aiden Preston staff writer
M
Highlighting the benefits of taking college classes in high school
y entire high school career started back when I was in first grade and my teacher offered a test to me that would allow me to pass into the next grade’s math level. The test was offered to three people: me, my friend, and another classmate. We all took a multiplication test before we were taught how to multiply numbers in class, and out of the three students, I was the only one who didn’t pass the test. That failure motivated me to do better, and the next week I retook the test and passed. After my success on the test I was moved to a math class with all the second graders, setting myself in a more difficult course. From that point forward, I would stay in a more rigorous educational environment to challenge and better myself. That one multiplication test from almost ten years ago leads me to where I am today: I am currently in my sophomore year of high school taking college-level history, Honors Science and English, and a senior-level math class. Having a good experience with a class can be all that is needed to maintain interest in the subject. This happened to me in my ninth grade history class, and my liking of the class was one of the most important factors in my decision to 12 // BGQ // October 2021
Graphic: A. McGraw
do Advanced Placement (AP) World History. AP classes are college-level courses that are offered to high school students. The classes are challenging throughout the year and offer a test at the end of the school year that allows students to accrue college credit based on their scores. While I’m only currently taking one, there are many AP classes available at Central, spanning from AP World History to AP Drawing. “In AP drawing, what [students] have to do each year changes a little bit. They have to do a sustained investigation, [and] they have to make a question of inquiry,” says Lisa Peoples, the AP drawing teacher here at Central. Unlike most AP classes, AP Drawing does not end with a final test to determine college credit. “Then their goal throughout the year is to create a portfolio that answers that question visually. They have to make 15 works over the course of the year that somehow portrays the skill level of college-level work.” The main purpose for joining AP classes is to take the credit test at the end of the year. Prior to enrolling in AP World, I wondered how much the credit test actually helps and if there are better alternatives for early college, like dual enroll-
Photo: E. Hermel
ment. Brandee Ludka, one of the counselors fall behind, the best thing that they can do is conhere at Central, shared some of her extensive sult their teacher to see what they can do to help. background knowledge on what colleges look If grades, time, stress, and other school related for in applications. “University of Michigan, for things get too bad, and their teachers can’t help example, would look at a transcript, and they them, students should opt out of AP and focus would rather see AP classes on your transcript on getting good grades in core classes, as this is rather than NMC, as long as we offer the class what colleges would rather see. here as AP. They like seeing AP just because they Going into this school year, I was heavily considknow AP has a standard across the nation,” Ludka ering the notion about the significance of grades. explains. Knowing colleges would rather see I knew my AP class was going to be difficult. Still, I AP classes than NMC classes, I wondered what didn’t know the full extent of the workload. Seecolleges care more ing my textbook for the class “So, while doing well on the AP test about in regards to during orientation was like a can reduce the amount of classes grades. “Your grades wakeup call that I was really in all of your courses going to need to focus this you actually need to take in are the most imporcollege, your grades in all of your year if I wanted to succeed. tant, then the grades classes are still the most important As Peoples puts it: “go into it in your college prep knowing it takes extra work. factor in application.” courses, so they You’re trying to get collegemight eliminate level classes out of the way, electives and just look at grades for core classes,” so don’t plan on thinking that what you do in an Ludka clarifies. So, while doing well on the AP test hour everyday is enough to be successful.” Time can reduce the amount of classes you actually management is something that seemingly all AP need to take in college, grades are still the overall teachers stress, and they are right in doing so; most important factor in the application process AP classes take a lot of a student’s time between and should be a student’s main focus throughout studying, doing homework, and working on high school. projects. But in the end, the time, hard work, and Because these classes are more rigorous and dedication are all a worthwhile investment. // time-consuming, students need to be wary when signing up for AP classes. If a student is starting to
The Reading Culture of Central by Lucy Poppleton staff writer
“I
Despite the importance of reading, many students at Central have a hard time connecting with books
wish it was more of a reading culture that we had [at Central]. I just think that for teenagers, it’s hard. I think they have a lot of [things] that they have to do, and sometimes the idea of taking 15 minutes a day and reading a book isn’t something that naturally occurs to them. They might rather take 15 minutes to do something else,” Central’s librarian Larissa VanderZee observes. For me, reading is a crucial part of my day. If I don’t read something for fun at least once a day, I feel off. Reading has helped me connect with the world and understand it from other people’s perspectives, but I am part of the minority. Many students today find reading to be time consuming or not very important, yet reading is a part of our everyday lives on so many levels. We read texts for class, news articles, posts on social media, and novels for personal enjoyment, though many students these days are drifting further away from reading physical books. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 60 percent of 12th graders read a book or magazine every day in the late 1970s. By 2016, that number had gone down to just 16 percent. Students might have a hard time focusing, have a busy schedule, get distracted by their phones, or just haven’t found something they connect with yet. Despite many students’ reluctance to read today, reading has significant benefits, such as being a larger part of the world and improving focus. According to Courtney Mazurek, an English teacher here at Central, “in order to be knowledgeable about the world that [we] live in, [we] 14 // BGQ // October 2021
should read about it.” By making ourselves more aware about the world around us, we are better equipped to understand other people and their experiences. Today’s world is very divided, and we tend not to consider other people’s perspectives and focus only on our own opinions. Jaden Bartnick ‘24 enjoys reading books because it shows her a different perspective. “I enjoy reading a lot, just because it’s always nice to get to know other stories outside of my perception.” VanderZee adds, “Books help people become part of a community because they help readers see a different experience, a different way of approaching a problem, a different way of living.” Additionally, reading can help to improve focus, as, in order to read, one has to sit down and focus for a while. “If we can train [our brains] to have a focus and stay focused, I think that works to affect a student’s classwork, affect a student’s performance on the field, [and] affect a student’s ability to listen,” VanderZee reasons. Despite the benefits that come with reading, students tend to not have much time to read. With the introduction of technology and phones, students these days seem to be spending less time reading. VanderZee reflects that “it’s a lot easier to pick up a phone and scroll through a social media feed, or even read news headlines, than it is to say ‘okay, I’m going to focus on a book.’” The APA reported that while less than 20 percent of US teenagers read a book, newspaper, or magazine for pleasure everyday, over 80 percent use social media everyday. Mazurek notes
Photos: A. Preston
that “students are [not] taking advantage of our library as a great resource, and our librarians for ideas for books and personal reading. Students’ lives are really busy outside of school and, so, it depends on how busy that student’s schedule is and if they enjoy reading and have cultivated reading as a hobby or a habit at home.” One of the biggest obstacles in getting students to read is being able to find a topic, author, or genre to connect with and pursue those interests. “I really think it’s just finding [that] good book because it’s not fun reading a book you don’t want to read, so when you find a solid book it’s always really fun,” Bartnick explains. If students have not yet found that interest, it can be hard for them to read. Teachers and librarians at Central are trying to address this and find something that works for students. Some of their strategies include trips to the library during English classes and promoting books in the classroom. The reading culture of Central has become less
important to many students. So what can we do about this? The best way to become more of a reader is to start reading and visit the school library or the local district library. VanderZee thinks that “the more that you see [books], and the covers, it might trigger an entry point where you are choosing to come in and at least see what we have and then maybe pick something up.” //
Graphic: M. Swope
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Melissa Aushtof
“What is something you are most proud of in your life?” “I’ve got four kids and that’s what I have my biggest pride in. They’ve definitely given me a sense of purpose and sense of joy, and lots of pleasure seeing as they’ve grown into adults.”
Renee Killian
Kai Rogers
“What I am most proud of would have to be my mindset, just because I learned especially last year that you’re just going to ring yourself out instead of just doing it better everyday. The only way you can move is up.”
“My children, who are in college now, are what I’m most proud of in life. They all do really cool stuff like traveling overseas or running communities under campuses and going to medical school.”
identityin
traverse city In our spin-off of Humans of New York, the Black & Gold Quarterly went into the community in search of pride. Our mission was to find inspired humans, and through a variety of randomly selected people, we were about to find one commonality: passion.
Continuing the Conversation by Elizabeth Phillips content editor
18 // BGQ // October 2021
A follow-up with a grieving mother and recovering addict four years after her son’s passing
Graphic: A. McGraw
I
t’s been four years since any parent’s worst nightmare came true for Traverse City local Anne Grizzel. Forty-eight months since she last heard an “I love you” from her son. Fourteen hundred days since they shared their last hug. Thirty five thousand hours since she watched him play in his last hockey game. It’s been four years since she decided to take her family’s story to the public. Anne’s son, Alex, struggled throughout his teenage years with an unruly addiction to opioids that led to his untimely death in October of 2017. Mere hours before his overdose, Alex had the taste of sobriety at the tip of his tongue, vowing to his family that he was finally going to kick the addiction. “Sobriety is a real tricky thing,” Anne notes, “but in the addict’s life, you find little pieces of sobriety, and it’s like a piece of gold.” In the wake of Alex’s death, Anne had several different paths she could have taken: completely shut everyone out and spent the rest of her life mourning her son alone, keep her family’s trouble a secret from the public out of fear of judgment, or take her experience and share it with the community to promote change and awareness of the fatal disease that addiction is. Luckily for the community, Anne chose to spread her story. Sharing her story was a way for Anne to start the difficult conversations surrounding addiction—conversations that she couldn’t have when struggling with addiction herself. “My goal was to change the stigma, and get this community to at least ask questions and be kind . . . [I wanted] to reach out and try and make it different for somebody else.” Up until about 10 years ago, Anne was severely addicted to alcohol, which took a devastating toll on her life. “Alex and [his sister] grew up with a drunk mom,” Anne reflects. Until recently, addiction was significantly more taboo, which meant the resources necessary for curbing addiction were very inaccessible. Seeking help to find her piece of gold all those years ago, Anne searched throughout the community but came up short many times. Her experience as an addict raising a child who was battling the same disease, combined with the lack of addiction treatment and resources, empowered Anne to help others battling addiction. It was in this journey that Anne discovered her true purpose in life and found the ticket to preserving her sobriety: helping others around her. One of the very first things Anne accomplished on her quest to change the stigma surrounding addiction was her participation in the 2018 documentary entitled “Predator and Prey.” Accompanied by several other recovering addicts and grieving parents in the documentary, Anne took the first step toward localizing addiction for all. Since the release of “Predator and Prey,” Anne has become an advocate for Addic-
tion Treatment Services (ATS), a local organization focused on providing substance abuse treatment and support for addicts in the recovery process. She is also a board member of Families Against Narcotics (FAN), a Michigan-based organization whose goal is to support and educate families and communities of the dangers of opioid addiction. “Within this group, we have so many resources to help the family members, to help the addicts struggling, and to help the addict try to find recovery. Part of that missing link is those gaps that we have to fill. We have to help them find housing and things like that, so that’s part of the things that I do,” Anne explains. She works tirelessly to help anyone struggling with any aspect of addiction get the help they need, whether it be the parent or family of an addict or the addict themselves. For family members watching their loved ones battle addiction, she recommends taking the problem to the public and starting the difficult conversations surrounding the issue. “Don’t sit in your house and go, ‘Honey, God, he’s struggling.’ Don’t do that. Don’t do that anymore. No, you’ve gotta take it out into the community and say, ‘Help me. Who do I talk to?’” Anne advises. “And ask the questions. Don’t be afraid of the answers. Because that holds a lot of people back. Just love each other and help each other. Be a fountain, not a drain,” Spreading information and educating others is also something that Anne prominently advocates for, and it was one of her main reasons for agreeing to do “Predator and Prey.” “That’s why I had the courage to do it to begin with. [Having] all these new people coming into this is really, really powerful,” Anne claims. She recently became a grandmother, and having grandchildren has also reinforced this point. “I’ve got grandkids now, and I want them to know the potential risk and danger. I want them to know what the future holds. And I want them to know what can be taken away quickly,” she says. While some progress towards change has been made, other things Anne has advocated for still need some work. “I’d like to see many, many changes, but the reality is that it’s still the same. It still is the same problem. The stigma and shame have not gone away.” Anne has been able to grow, not only within the addiction community, but within herself. She has worked through the horrible challenges thrown at her with immense grace. Her advocacy and work has helped an incredible amount of people and will continue to do so for years to come. Anne hopes everyone will continue the conversations surrounding addiction, and that we will continue to strive towards a better future for those in the addiction community. //
Walking the Walk by Averie McGraw & Mallory Swope staff writer & editor-in-chief
A
Defining the dangers of addiction through a firsthand account of the direct effects of the disease
industry, no substance kills more per year than ddiction is a disease that has been ravagthese three. For young brains, substance abuse ing communities near and far unrelentlessly for can mean stunted development that will never years now, taking its toll on people of all social be completed even if sobriety is achieved. For statuses and backgrounds. Whether it be a teenmany years now, vaping has become an addicager exposed to hard drugs for the first time at a tion extremely prevalent to Central’s community high school party or an opiate prescription that of young, developing teenagers. Students sneak led to a dependency, addiction lies dangerously off to the bathrooms or remote parts of campus, at the tips of everyone’s fingers. When people concealing their addiction just as they conceal get their hands on drugs and alcohol, they often their paraphernalia. These teenagers are laying feel instant gratification. All of the problems in the world simply don’t matter anymore as they float the groundwork for addiction to set in very early in life, and their disease will only grow more seaway from the perception of the user, but little does this person realize vere with time. “This disease took me as For these students, the environthose problems are only low as I could possibly go.” mental factors they are surrounded temporarily gone and will be waiting for them by often create an idea in their heads that their addiction makes them more as soon as they return to sobriety. It’s this freeing feeling that often convinces people that the popular or relatable. Like any other disease, addiction can be caused by several different things, dangers of addiction don’t apply to them. These people, however, are wildly incorrect. but it is primarily caused by genetics and environment. Children who have parents or other family Unlike most diseases, addiction creates pleasure members who have suffered from addiction are in the human body versus pain. In some cases, substance users can even be under the assumpmore likely to become addicted to a substance at some point in their life, but even just being tion that they are able to perform better under the influence. Because of this, they crave their near substances can be enough to initiate addiction for teenagers. For David Cantrell, genetics preferred substance more and can’t let go of the high. According to the National Institute on Drug predisposed him to the dangers of heroin and Abuse, tobacco, alcohol, and opioids are a fatal alcohol and caused the formation of an incessant addiction at only 13 years old. Growing up in a trinity; throughout the entire drug and alcohol 20 // BGQ // October 2021
Graphics: A. McGraw & M. Swope
family addicted to various substances, Cantrell’s disease was only encouraged by the surrounding environmental factors. This is not to say, however, that someone who lacks a family history of addiction is safe to experiment with substances free of consequences. Drugs and alcohol contain chemical components that release dopamine, the “feel good hormone” in the body, that create a sense of pleasure and serenity. This then creates a craving for more dopamine release, and eventually the excessive release becomes a necessity for the body to function properly. Despite feeling euphoric, the natural dopamine production will no longer be functional and will lead to a dependence on substances capable of boosting hormone levels. Addiction can devise a sort of false reality for addicts in the sense that they might think the people surrounding them are witnessing the same sense of euphoria they are experiencing, when in reality these people are often witnessing a much more bitter and temperamental person. Cantrell was just one of very few addicts who was able to make the distinction between the alternate reality he was constructing while riding out the highs and the person he was actually presenting himself as; “this disease took me as low as I could possibly go,” Cantrell reflects. Through his journey on the road to recovery, he was able to pick up the pieces of his life that had shattered with years of jail time and struggle and put them all back together in the form of the successful, courageous man he is today. “I like David today, I like who I am, I like what I do. I like my lifestyle,” Cantrell states, “So to sit here and tell you that today I love myself is the greatest news I’ve ever heard.” While recovery is primarily geared towards moving away from
substance abuse, many addicts learn that defining their self-worth is almost just as important. Without a sense of self-worth, addicts often find themselves in situations where the importance of achieving the next high outweighs the role of moral principles. This often leads to troubles with the law and prison sentences for possession or being under the influence; Cantrell learned this lesson the hard way, and thus began the cycle of jail and prison sentences that landed him behind bars for nearly 20 years. “I’ve been a convict in four different prisons, I don’t know how many county jails, I’ve been shot twice, I’ve been stabbed once . . . If I didn’t [succeed] with recovery, I would have had to go back to prison for ten more years,” Cantrell explains. It was this threat that finally sent Cantrell to various recovery-driven programs. Shortly after pledging his sobriety, Cantrell “fell in love with recovery, this lifestyle” and discovered he “was more ashamed of being drunk than being sober.” Today, Cantrell carries himself with pride knowing that he was able to overcome a disease that has killed more people than the Vietnam War. Cantrell is also able to carry with him the lessons he learned from addiction and the knowledge of what other addicts go through to overcome the disease. He is able to walk the walk that not many addicts are able to say they could: the walk away from the near-fatal lifestyle he lived for so many years. The walk past the liquor aisle in the grocery store. The walk past the Boardman River where his sobriety was nearly jeopardized one year into recovery. The walk toward helping other addicts make the choice to better themselves. David Cantrell has truly lived through all of the components of addiction. //
Under P
ressure
Graphic: A. McGraw
by Jesse Rizzo staff writer
A
few years back my friend flew in from Maryland and a group of our friends got together when a few of the guys started using marijuana; they asked me if I wanted to try it, but the thought hadn’t crossed my mind before. I didn’t really have any interest in it, and luckily they assured me that I didn’t have to. Despite my luck in these circumstances, many people aren’t as lucky and end up getting pressured into things. Michelle Morrison, a school counselor at Central reasons “that peer pressure on both sides is about feeling 22 // BGQ // October 2021
Peer pressure can be a major contributor to addiction, especially for teenagers the need to belong.” It’s that feeling of wanting to fit in or not wanting to be left out that forces teens to make risky decisions. Peer pressure is defined by Oxford Languages as “the influence from members of one’s peer group.” This may not always involve drugs or alcohol, but it is common for peer pressure. We are taught in school that drugs are dangerous, even fatal, so it’s best to avoid them at all costs. This causes an issue though. When you tell someone, especially high schoolers, not to do
something the first time, they think, I want to do Peer pressure, especially at school creates a that. Jeffery Glikman, a social sciences teacher general feeling of uneasiness for the victims of it. at Central states that “if students knew the risks, To make matters worse, reaching out for help beshort term and long term effects of drugs and comes difficult because of the stigma around it. alcohol, they would be able to make more inOne way to help with this is to promote utilizing formed decisions.” This is where the school needs school counselors and make them more accessito improve; if students do not know the actual ble. If students have someone who isn’t a teacher effects of the substances at hand then they will but just a person who’s willing to listen, they might end up making decisions they’ll regret in the long be more likely to speak up about their problems run. If schools were to educate students more on and get help. the relevance of substance abuse to our everyday If you see someone being peer pressured, getlives, students would be able to better understand ting an adult is the best option to help, but they the consequences of caving into peer pressure. might not always be available. If you’re going Despite the potential for adults to be peer to help the person yourself, you need to make pressured, it is undoubtedly sure you do it right. Somemore prevalent in teens. “It’s that exact feeling that one who is being pressured We’ve all seen people postmakes peer pressure work needs someone to undering on social media showing stand their side of the situaso well on high schoolers. themselves hanging out and tion and have their unwillingThey’re more likely to do partying with their friends, ness justified by someone whatever the people around else. Christian Cikity ‘23 maybe holding a Solo cup them are doing because they explains that “depending in their hand with bottles of liquor or drug paraphernalia on each individual case it want to fit in.” present in the background; can really mess with somesome of us while looking at this might feel left one’s mood, and school performance. Things like out, and it’s that exact feeling that makes peer drugs, alcohol, and nicotine can affect kids’ bepressure work so well on high schoolers. They’re haviors and emotions.” If you see that someone more likely to do whatever the people around has had a sudden behavior change or are trying them are doing because they want to fit in, so if things they wouldn’t normally do, they may be their friends are using drugs or alcohol then many experiencing peer pressure from their circle. In high schoolers will join in even if they’re against an instance like this, you should talk with a school the idea. There is also a ethical problem with peer counselor, teacher, or some type of adult. Peer pressure; some of the things being pressured on pressure puts a constant strain on our community people may go against religious beliefs or perand we need to find more ways to build student sonal boundaries. With that being said, students confidence and more ways for kids to feel acwill still go against their beliefs to try to fit in. cepted within our community. This job is not only Teenagers don’t feel accepted in our community for the school but for all of us to reach out and and aren’t confident enough to follow their own help when someone is in need. // path. Glikman notes that “if we could build students’ self-confidence and self-worth, it doesn’t matter if everyone’s doing it if a student is confident with who they are, and what they stand for, everyone else is doing it, but that student is living their best life.”
Out of the Darkness by Ted Arnold content editor
Looking at how the Traverse City community approaches addiction treatment and rehabilitation
Photos: T. Arnold
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espite its dangers, addiction has long been a dinner-table taboo, a disease impossible to put into words. The process of recovery is a long and often hidden road, but not one that can be taken alone. Many services exist to help addicts recover and take important steps toward sobriety. Here in Traverse City, Addiction Treatment Services (ATS) has been providing assistance with recovery for over 40 years. ATS offers a variety of services including a detox facility, residential services, and outpatient support. Dan Rockne, Access Manager at ATS, who describes his job as “communication and coordination.” Rockne is responsible for fielding calls from clients seeking help, as well as family members looking for ways to support their loved ones. Beyond that, he works internally to determine what kind of care someone will need. Rockne has access to a powerful tool when working with clients: he has personally felt the toll of addiction. For many drug and alcohol counselors, experience in recovery allows them to “look across as opposed to look down, it allows me to relate, and it’s the most disarming thing that I can say to anyone.” Rockne’s first task is to “figure out: What are they using? How much are they using? Do they have other kinds of issues that are going on, as far as legal, social, medical?” Then, his team can figure out what it is going to take to treat them, and will they be safe to bring in? Treat-
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ment varies depending on what substances someone is using, how frequently they’re using them, and what sort of home environment someone is coming from. Rockne notes that having “people around you that are safe and supportive” is a very different recovery experience than “coming from a pretty chaotic environment,” and as such, is something the team needs to factor in. As a result of this process, ATS can offer a full spectrum of care, allowing them to properly treat anyone who comes in. According to Rockne, ATS uses their detox facility anytime that someone is using a substance and “develops a chemical dependence in their body.” The facility is designed so that ATS can first assess and then provide constant care and observation to someone as they are medically withdrawn from those substances. This process is incredibly dangerous outside of supervision. Withdrawal from heroin is “like having the worst flu of your life for about 10 days,” and someone with a dependence on alcohol will get a condition called the delirium tremens, when they are “liable to be hypertensive, be very ill, potentially have a seizure, [or] potentially die.” The facility is “the best, most structured environment we can keep them in. They’re under observation. If anything goes south and we don’t have the capability to take care of it here, they’re in the best position to go directly from our
facility to the hospital.” At the same time, some people people in the same circumstance. I would go to AA will only have mild symptoms and will soon move to [Alcoholics Anonymous] with other people in the the next level of care. same circumstances and feel comfortable. But when After the detox program, ATS offers residential I would go home, whether I was there for a month, services at varying levels of supervision. The first level or, in one place, three months, it was like the world is highly supervised, where residents do a 30 day stay, expected me to be fixed.” However, she wasn’t fixed, and do “intensive therapy with a designated therapist and she found herself “not being able to talk about it, when they come in, and then they’re also doing kind not being able to deal with it, not having the courage of group work and developing those social interto say ‘no, I still want a drink’ or ‘yes, I’m still drinking.’” actions that they maybe didn’t have or missed out Then Steele’s world flipped upside-down. On Deon while they were using.” The lower level is called cember 12, 2007, Steele got into an argument with a recovery housing, which is a less structured environfriend about her drinking. She left their house in anger, ment where there is an expectation of maintaining and, on her way home, her car crossed the yellow sobriety, and of either employment or volunteering. line and hit another car head on. The driver was killed The benefit of this style is that “they’re living a normal and the other passenger became severely injured. life where they come back at the end of the day and Steele woke up days later in the hospital, having gone they stay in a sober environment.” The lowest level through several surgeries. Her first memory is of “my is outpatient services, which “usually involves some kids standing at the foot of my bed. I can remember sort of group component, and some sort of individual the looks on their faces that were devastating.” Two component [where] clients will go to our outpatient weeks later, Steele was taken to prison, and later senfacilities.” tenced to seven years in jail. For those who have fought “I realized I couldn’t. The As a result, Steele became addiction, like Patricia Steele, more I tried, the more I found I forced into sobriety. In the idea that someone might couldn’t, the more people want- prison, Steele was required see their struggle is “horrible to attend AA meetings, ed me to, the more I began to and terribly embarrassing.” where she met a group of lie about it, the more I began to Her family was very successwomen who “seemed to see ful, but everybody drank, sneak alcohol, the more alcohol how broken I was and how and Steele was cursed by became an obsession for me, the much I hurt, how scared I “the gene of alcoholism.” As was and all of those things. more it started ruling my days.” time went on, Steele slowly And they were the ones developed a dependency who finally taught me that I on alcohol, “my drinking increased and it went from could let down my guard [and] I could be me.” Steele’s once in a while on the weekends to regularly on the mentor in prison was “this wonderful grandmotherly weekends, to once in a while during the week, to type woman. She would say to me, ‘Patty, if you could regularly during the week, all that kind of stuff.” By the just put down your shame and your guilt just for a little time Steele reached her forties, she had experienced while, you would have some room for healing, but you “a lot of ups and downs and my patterns of reaching have to do that.’” After Steele’s release from prison, for it had increased. I was drinking it for all kinds of she devoted herself to becoming a drug and alcohol reasons.” At that point “my second husband said to counselor, eventually landing at ATS, using her experime ‘I think you need to slow down on your drinking’ ence to help others with their struggle. and it wasn’t until then that I realized I couldn’t. So Recovery looks and feels different for everyone, and the more I tried, the more I found I couldn’t, the more it’s key to remember that addiction is “not just a black people wanted me to, the more I began to lie about it, and white thing.” Everyone struggles differently, and the more I began to sneak alcohol, the more alcohol recovers differently. Addiction is present everywhere, became an obsession for me, the more it started rullurking just below the surface. Rockne thinks “we need ing my days.” to be sending the message of hope, and that if someFollowing a citation for driving under the influence one’s breathing, they’ve got a chance, and that even of alcohol, Steele began to seek help. Yet, after three as a young person, even high schoolers, they can get, trips to rehab, she still found herself coming back for and stay [sober] if they want to.” // a drink. In rehab she would “relax and let my guard down a little bit, I would feel comfortable with other
Babies Raising Babies by Grace Verhoeven staff writer
Teen parenthood is all about managing struggles between school and home life, and for many, help can be hard to come by
Photos Courtesy of N. Worden
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een pregnancy is a growing topic that many people find hard to understand; why would teens risk their lives and futures by becoming pregnant in high school? As a society, it’s important to understand both sides of the story and for teen parents to feel understood and not judged. People need to know the struggles teen moms go through, as well as the good parts to fully understand their strength and confidence. Teen pregnancy can be immature, but it often turns into maturity in most cases. Teen parents have to step up and make the hard decisions that affect not just their life, but their child’s too. They have to trade in parties, friends, and homework for bath time, bottles, and burping. Having fun will consist of tummy 26 // BGQ // October 2021
time instead of party time. For many young mothers, a sick baby means having to miss school or work and having to decide between paying the electric bill or having food for the week. When the pregnancy test shows a positive result, many teen moms feel as if their entire future has slipped through their fingertips. Nakeyta Worden, a former TCAPS student, was a teen mother, and her health and future were forever altered the day she found out she was pregnant as a senior in high school. Not only did she have to make the decision to not attend college right away, her health was significantly worse. Teens are more at risk for pregnancy complications, specifically an increased risk of high blood pres-
sure, Eclampsia, Anemia, and premature births. Worden reveals that “the hardest part of [her] pregnancy was being sick all the time and I had preeclampsia at the end, so that was hard.” Preeclampsia occurs when a pregnant woman has a spike in their blood pressure causing dizziness, headaches or fainting. In contrast, Eclampsia is when the blood pressure is very high, making it more serious; it can cause seizures, a coma, and it can put the mother’s and the baby’s life at risk. These, unfortunately, are only a few of the complications pregnant women—and especially teens—are at risk for. To help prevent many of these complications, mothers take vitamins specifically for pregnancy. “Even though I took all the vitamins and followed all the doctor’s orders, I still developed preeclampsia,” Worden explains. Even if a teen is blessed with a healthy pregnancy, the amount of decisions made in the moments after discovering pregnancy is nerve-wracking. Visiting with a primary care provider as soon as possible will help the mom to figure out what prenatal vitamins would be the best for their body and their babies, along with any potential health risks. Vitamins and doctor appointments are only the beginning for new mothers. The decisions leading up to birth and for the rest of their lives will forever affect their child. From that point forward, the new mom has to worry about so many things, from how they’re going to get money for baby clothes, as well as working and trying to graduate from school. There is some hope on the horizon in the sense that teen birth rates are decreasing as knowledge about teen pregnancy risks is persevering. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “birth rates fell 7% for females ages 15 to 17 years and 4% for females aged 18 to 19 years. Causes for the declines are not totally clear, but evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity and more teens who are sexually active [and] are using birth control more than in previous years.” Perhaps if there was more funding and promotion of sex ed in schools, the teen birth rates could be even
lower than they are now. TCAPS has several resources to help teen parents and their families in the area. Generations Ahead is a support program for teen parents that is sponsored by Traverse City High School. They offer teen moms different kinds of support through a mentoring program, play groups, and counseling services, as well as a baby pantry, a parent education class, and summer internships. Generations Ahead helps Traverse City teens beyond high school up until 22 years of age.The mentoring program matches the teen parent with an adult who can offer friendship, guidance, and time together as teen parents prepare for the future. The mentor can help to focus on educational and employment goals, the child’s development and parenting skills, and help connect with different community services that may be needed. An anonymous client remarks that “when I had a mentor, that was the best thing ever. I had her pick me up, we’d go to lunch and I had someone who was unbiased, who just listened and was compassionate. That’s all I needed, even if it was for five minutes.” Their counseling services can be with family, one on one, or even with a group of other teen moms. With the counseling, teens can create goals for themselves, have help overcoming difficult situations, or just talk through personal afflictions. Another client reports, “What I like is being able to talk about anything.” Being able to talk openly to an adult who cares and will listen is sometimes all these young mothers and father’s need. Everyone should have someone to help them navigate their pregnancy and beyond. Here in Traverse City, we are lucky enough to have a community that is willing to go above and beyond for students in need. Being a teen parent will never be easy, but if we can come together and show support, we can improve their lives and their children’s lives. A little kindness and compassion can take a scary, lonely situation and make it a little more bearable for these teens. Continuing to offer programs and raise awareness will help the babies of these moms learn early for their futures that while being a teen parent can be horribly hard, together, it’s not impossible. //
The Monarch of Fall by Eliana Hermel staff writer
Since 2003, the fall season in America has been swept up by anything and everything pumpkin spice Graphics: S. Goodwin
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hether you love it or hate it, the pumpkin spice season is a well-known phenomenon that has affected America for years. As corporations advertise fall and its companions every year, pumpkin spice has managed to take America by storm. Because autumn is upon us, I thought it would be proper to talk about the question behind every single fall-themed item: Why is pumpkin spice one of the most beloved seasonal flavors the world has ever seen? When you think of pumpkin spice, one of the many things that comes to mind is Starbucks. In fact, it’s probably the first. Even those who haven’t experienced these fall-themed drinks usually know what they are or have at least heard of people gushing over their popular flavor. Many people have been flocking to coffee shops and stores to get a taste of pumpkin spice and other fun fall flavors for about a month now. Similarly to Starbucks, other coffee shops in the Traverse City area have recently brought back their pumpkin spice drinks for the fall season, including Biggby Coffee. How often does a customer come in asking for a fall-themed treat? “Every 20 minutes,” according to Biggby Coffee employee Allison Bazuin. Whether it be pumpkin spice lattes, their pumpkin muffins, or even their caramel apple cider, every 28 // BGQ // October 2021
20 minutes a customer comes in with a thirst (or hunger) for the taste of fall. “It’s in demand all year round, and some places are starting to do it all year round now. In high demand, especially, [are] our pumpkin muffins. We go through like, a box a day. And then they’re sold out. Then people are super upset that we don’t have them,” Bazuin explains. The community has spoken through their actions; they are starving for fall. Many people seem to have a special place in their hearts specifically dedicated to fall-themed treats. Bazuin adds, “we have this one regular who comes in when [pumpkin spice is] in season three times a day to get it.” Three times a day! Someone who is that enthusiastic about a seasonal spice must have a reason. So the real question is, why? Why do all these people spend the time and money on something so temporary? Bazuin hypothesizes that “most people would say it’s more of associating it with fall weather, fall time, Thanksgiving, warmness… it’s like nostalgia for most people. And it makes them feel good.” Nostalgia is a yearning you get when you remember something from a good memory, or from a happy moment that can come from anywhere. Nostalgia is something everyone has experienced, and is also something everyone searches for. Nostalgia is to our modern world as
Photo: M. Moeggenberg Graphic: M. Swope
gold was to the panners in the Gold Rush. Instead of being a rare, malleable metal, however, nostalgia is everywhere. From old toys, to smells or even clothing. Could it be that nostalgia is the secret ingredient to pumpkin spice’s success? “It’s not even a spice. It’s more just like an added flavor,” Jacob Snover ‘23 describes. Snover feels that “it’s not pumpkin-y” and it “doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all.” Snover argues that the pumpkin spice trend is nothing more than an overdramatized fad. “People like it for the trend,” he says, “they don’t actually like it.” Bella Mast ‘24 thinks there’s more to the matter, “it’s definitely the trend. If your friend goes and gets one and they say that it’s really good then you’re obviously going to go and get one. But I also think that it wouldn’t have started as a trend if people didn’t actually enjoy it.” Bazuin can see both sides of the pumpkin spice battle: “I feel like there’s the aesthetic of it. It’s trendy. It looks good on camera. But it’s also different [from] a lot of other drinks because there’s the spices in it.” Again, the idea of pumpkin spice and trends are not too far away from each other. It seems that everyone knows of the “pumpkin spice aesthetic.” Despite the stereotype that pumpkin spice is basic (whether true or false), nothing stops people from enjoying its warm flavor. Mast agrees with this sentiment: “it’s a very different taste from anything else. I love that it’s seasonal [and] I think I always tend to like things better when I can’t have them all the time.” Although pumpkin spice might feel to some like
a cold wind approaching on the horizon, to others it feels like the sun coming up again. Like the sun, pumpkin spice always returns, no matter the circumstances. This temporary concoction of flavors brings people back to so many places. Nostalgia and fall time are like bread and butter to most people, including myself. Whether it be pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, or something you get to enjoy every year, the urge to “get it before it’s gone” is thrilling. Even if you don’t enjoy the nostalgic buzz of pumpkin spice, there’s always peppermint next season. //
Photo: E. Hermel
50 Questions with Mrs. King by Alex Szajner staff writer
In this “50 Questions With” feature, we put the spotlight on Central’s very own: Mrs. King. Here we reveal the more personal side of Central’s staff through random questions that not many have thought to ask before
Photo Courtesy of M. King
BGQ-What time do you wake up? King-I wake up at 5:30 in the morning. BGQ-What helps you get out of bed in the morning? King-Coffee. BGQ-What is the first thing you do when you wake up? King-Make the coffee. BGQ-What is your thought process when picking out an outfit everyday? King-What’s clean, and what’s comfortable? BGQ-What do you eat for breakfast? King-Oatmeal. BGQ-How do you like your coffee? King-With cream. BGQ-Do you pour the milk or cereal first? King-Cereal—who does milk first?? BGQ-What are some things you do before leaving the house? King-Besides the typical getting ready, getting dressed, etcetera, I play with my cats (Oscar and 30 // BGQ // October 2021
Simon) in the morning and then make my lunch. BGQ-What time do you usually leave for work? King-At 7:00 ish. BGQ-How long does it take you to get to school? King-About 12 to 15 minutes. BGQ-What kind of car do you drive? King-I drive the poster car of Northern Michigan: a Subaru Outback. BGQ-What is something that powers you through your morning? King-Chemistry—in the form of caffeine. BGQ-What do you do once you first get into your classroom? King-I turn my computer on, and I make sure that I have my plans set for the day. BGQ-Describe your classroom in one word. King-Structured. BGQ-What is your favorite class to teach? King-This is good. This is going to make some kids happy and some kids sad. I enjoy all of them, but I
especially like to teach AP Chemistry. BGQ-How long have you been teaching for? King-This is my 24th of year teaching. BGQ-What hour of the day is hardest for you? King-Probably in the afternoon. I get kinda sleepy. BGQ-What hour of the day is easiest for you? King-First hour or morning hours. BGQ-Do you bring a snack with you to school? King-Sometimes. BGQ-When is your prep hour? King-My prep hour is fourth hour. BGQ-What does your typical prep hour look like? King-Arranging for copies to be made for the upcoming days, answering emails, and trying to attack the monster stack of grading I have to do. BGQ-What do you usually eat for lunch? King-Any leftovers from the night before. BGQ-What type of container do you bring lunch in? King-I have a Michigan State University lunch box. BGQ-Do you eat lunch in your classroom? King-Sometimes and sometimes not. BGQ-Where do you go during lunch? King-Sometimes I stay in my classroom, sometimes I leave to go talk to people. BGQ-What do you do during lunch? King-When I’m in my classroom I will listen to an audio book. If I leave I would talk to other teachers. BGQ-Do you ever “treat yourself” during a lunch break? King-Yeah, I hang out with other teachers. BGQ-Do you chat with any other staff members throughout the day? If so, who? King-I have lots of different teachers I try to be friendly with. Laing and I have rooms that are connected so we talk all day. BGQ-How much time do you usually spend on your phone? King-I don’t know, not a ton, maybe an hour ish. BGQ-What do you do once the school day is over and before you go home? King-I try to make sure that things are ready for the next day. BGQ-Tell me your favorite story from any point in time in your teaching career. King-One time during my student teaching, so my very first time being in a classroom, I was doing a demo and put too much of a chemical in the demo, and I broke a beaker. It was that strong of a reaction that it broke a beaker. That’s why I don’t do that demo. I’m scared of it. BGQ-What is a quote that you resonate with and
how do you apply it to your everyday life? King-I think just the mindset of keep going, keep persevering through things. Someone made this for me. It says onward and upward so I always like “keep progressing, keep persevering, and keep going.” BGQ-What time do you leave school? King-Usually between 3:30 and 4:30. BGQ-What time do you get home? King-Usually before 5:00. BGQ-What’s the first thing you do once you get home? King-Say hello to my Oscar and Simon. BGQ-Do you have any family that currently lives with you? King-Yes, I have a husband. BGQ-What is your favorite meal of the day? King-I enjoy dinner. BGQ-What time do you start making dinner? King-Lets see, I don’t know, around 6:00. BGQ-What is something that you usually make for dinner? King-It depends, I usually don’t do certain things. BGQ-What do you usually drink during dinner? King-Water. BGQ-What do you normally watch on TV? King-Sports and some Netflix shows. I also love to watch Jeopardy. BGQ-What do you do after dinner? King-Just kind of wind down and sometimes read. BGQ-What time do you get ready for bed? King-About 9:00. BGQ-What do you do to get ready for bed? King-Brush my teeth and make sure my lunch is ready for the next day so that I don’t have to worry about it in the morning. BGQ-What time do you go to bed? King-Usually about 9:30. BGQ-Do you set any alarms? King-Yes. I set one plus snoozing. BGQ-What is one thing that helps you fall asleep? King-The darkness. BGQ-How easy is it for you to fall asleep? King-Super easy. I usually fall asleep pretty quickly. BGQ-Do you remember your dreams often? King-Yes and sometimes they’re very crazy. BGQ-What is one piece of advice you can give? King-My students will know this because I say it all the time. Just keep going even when things are difficult. Chemistry can be a difficult subject to learn. Just keep persevering and you will find your course and your way. //
Photos Courtesy of B. Moore
Going the Extra Mile by Aubrey West staff writer
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Putting the spotlight on two of Central’s oldest and most beloved sports: Track and Field and Cross Country
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lexander Durocher ‘24, is a member of Central’s to be able to finish everything that I missed,” Durocher Cross Country and Track and Field teams. Durocher explains. has found that his sport has highly infiltrated several In addition to taking control of his school life, Durodifferent aspects of his life, including his mind. “Runcher has also noticed sports affecting his personal life. ning is more like a mental sport,” he says. “You’re “It takes a good chunk of your free time. Unless you’re doing it because you have the mentality to run, you smart about it, you can fall behind in school.” Durofeel good about yourself, and when you accomplish cher and his team missed this year’s Patriot Game, something, you’re really proud of yourself, and you one of the most popular events for Central students, praise it.” When he first started out, his biggest worry when they traveled to Lansing. Being involved in a was not fitting in or having a good time. Durocher busy practice and meet schedule can cut into time claims that “the more you stick with the sport, and the spent with friends, family, personal hobbies, finishing more you become invested, you feel more comfortany homework after school, and catching up on sleep. able.” When it comes to the enjoyment of being a team Some people might not know what Cross Country member, Durocher has learned the value of making is or what it’s about. Others might have no idea that new friends, building a stronger mindset, and learning there is a difference between Cross Country and Track to feel good about himself. He explains that “someand Field: Cross Country is running in more wildertimes you don’t feel productive because at one point, ness and taking more difficult trails and obstacles, you can put so much time and effort into what you do whereas Track and Field is more and you can get nothing out of it, “Running is more like “spectator-friendly and easier but succeeding feels good because to view,” and consists of running a mental sport. You’re then you can feel proud of youron more of a flat surface. Team self.” Despite Durocher’s love for his doing it because you members are pushed to their limit sport and being on the team, there have the mentality to are some things that can create obevery day to practice and expect run.” the worst to happen, so it’s best to stacles and interference. “If I have be prepared. Durocher also claims a bad day, then I will probably not that when running and experiencing the mental and have a good time at practice,’’ he reflects. However, physical pain, athletes simply just have to deal with it Durocher still pushes himself so he can do his best sometimes. When running, it takes a lot of encourageand distract himself from the negative things. ment and motivation, loss of breath, having to gain Over the years of his participation in Cross Country endurance, and giving it all in workouts. At the end of and Track and Field, Durocher has observed many the day, runners are once again pushed to be at the changes. He has seen people join the program, and top of their game and expect the most out of themhe has seen people leave the program, including new selves. coaches coming in and old coaches stepping down. When it comes to traveling for out-of-town meets, Alongside all of the changes that come with the sport, student athletes are expected to miss school, which there will also be challenges that will make things can be problematic for some students. In September, harder. The further an athlete takes their journey with Durocher and his cross country team had to travel to their sport, the more difficult, yet rewarding, it is for Lansing during a full school day and did not get home them. Durocher would “make it so we went to newer until late at night. While this in itself appears problemplaces because every time we do practice, we kinda atic, the real problem is in whether or not the student have really repetitive workout areas, like East Shore, possesses the responsibility and drive to stay on top of Bay Run, and Hickory. These are more boring areas.” their school work and sports simultaneously. “It is easy Above all, the best part of being involved in these for me in the beginning of the school year to make up sports for student athletes is the feeling of accomfor work from missed school. If it was more near the plishment. // middle or end of the year, it would be more difficult
E S I R The of Lacrosse by Collin Benedict staff writer
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Why North America’s oldest sport is seeing a spike in popularity
hile many sports in high school are popular and gather crowds’ and players’ attention, one sport often gets overlooked: lacrosse. Lacrosse is similar to many other sports, such as football and hockey because of the hitting and physical power required. Also to soccer because of the way the field is set up, and basketball by the way players position themselves to score points. Despite its lack of popularity in current sport culture, lacrosse is North America’s oldest sport. It was played as early as the 17th century by Native Americans, originally known as Stickball. Instead of just being played for fun, there were a variety of reasons these games were played: resolving intertribe disputes, festivals, bets, recreation, and strength training for young warriors. Up to 1,000 participants showed up to play at these events back in the day, unlike the modern number around 30 or 40. Jean de Brebeuf, a French Jesuit missionary working in St. Lawrence Valley in 1636, observed the game being played and gave the sport its modern name. Lacrosse increased in size and popularity in Canada throughout the 1800s and was observed by Queen Victoria of England in 1876. Lacrosse continued to grow, and leagues were formed around North America over the years. Making its way south from the Canadian border, lacrosse has recently entered the Traverse City area and brought Central and West students together. Because it is such a small sport, Traverse City has 34 // BGQ // October 2021
adopted a lacrosse team composed of student athletes from Central and West. The name for this team is TC United. There is a JV and Varsity team, and their season is in the spring with practices after school. Spencer Gerber ‘24, a TC United JV player, like many others, enjoys playing the newly-trending game. “I like playing offense, and I really like it when you dodge a defender and then score a goal — it’s a really good feeling,” Gerber explains. Mason Clark ‘24, is also a JV TC United player who began playing last year. “I have a lot of friends that play lacrosse, and I kinda got bored of the current sports I was playing, like soccer. Lacrosse is probably my favorite sport I’ve played so far,” he says. Transitions to new things are never easy, but lacrosse is known for having a welcoming community. “It’s just fun. We do a lot of fun things, like last week most of the JV players went down to Thirlby, and we played touch football, passed around for a couple of hours, ran some drills. It’s just pretty fun to hang out,” Clark recalls. Even though lacrosse shares many of the same aspects as other sports, there are some differences. “It’s a lot more fast paced than other sports, it never really stops like football and baseball. It’s got some different rules than other sports like if a ball goes out of bounds it’s not who threw the ball out of bounds, it’s whoever’s closest to the ball gets the ball,” Gerber explains. Every sport has easy and difficult aspects to it, including lacrosse. “The hardest part for me is probably all the cardio that it involves. You
Graphic: M. Swope
have to be running a lot on the lacrosse field, and you Lacrosse has playoffs at the end of each season always have to be giving it 100 percent, which is pretty to determine the best teams, and TC United “did go hard,” Gerber notes. “Working on accuracy and being pretty far. We took a tough loss to Grandville by [a] able to progress the ball down the field where you goal or two and that was hard. But other than that, we want it to go,” is the hardest part of lacrosse for Clark. were winning most of our games and we were comDespite its challenges, Gerber enjoys the camaraderie peting with a lot of Grand Rapids schools and downaspect of the sport. “My favorite part about lacrosse state schools,” Dobreff recalls. Lacrosse practices start is all my friends I have on the team. I’ve been playing off like most team practices, “ We get drills going as on the same team for a while, so we all have really soon as we get there, [then] we get warmups started, good chemistry, and we just have a fun team,” Gerber and after that we get drills going almost like game states. drills, so they’re really fun. We pretty much run full Jackson Dobreff ‘24, a TC United Varsity player, has speed. It’s great.” Even though a school like St. Francis loved the game of lacrosse all of his life. “I feel like (SF) is smaller than both West and Central, they have it’s just a really good sport and their own lacrosse team. Dobreff “I’ve been playing on the likes the fact that both schools I’ve been playing with my friends pretty much all of my life so it’s same team for awhile, so share a team. “We could definitejust been really fun to go and ly have our own lacrosse team for we all have really good travel with my friends and play on Central, but for some reason they chemistry.” the field,” Dobreff explains. Havfeel like some classes might not ing played lacrosse for so long, produce enough lacrosse playDobreff understands the dynamics very well: “I think ers to field a team. [With] a sport as small as lacrosse, it’s really similar to hockey. It’s more interesting [than it’s hard to keep consistent players coming out. So other sports], honestly, because you can hold the ball with both schools united, it’s a promising team, but we in your stick which allows you to do more jukes and could definitely field one team per school.” stuff and crazy plays.” On the other hand, Dobreff While lacrosse may have long-lacked popularity, the finds that “it’s definitely a different sport than a lot of spike is now coming. From its origin in the 17th century sports, because there’s certain positions and they’re to being the most likely sport to get a scholarship in, all different. Defenders even have different sticks lacrosse has come a long way. Now there are lacrosse than everyone else. It’s just a really complex game clubs and leagues all over the country, and we have a because it’s one of the first sports ever created.” Every community-driven lacrosse team of Central and West team sport creates a bond with teammates, no matter High School players. Lacrosse has also seen a rise what sport it is. “The bond last year was pretty crazy, in televised games, and has been steadily increasing it got tough to see the seniors leave because we were in viewership. Even though sports like football and so heavily bonded. Obviously it might seem a little basketball remain more popular, lacrosse’s time has harder to bond because we were a united lacrosse come. // team but we still loved the West guys as we loved the Central teammates,” Dobreff shares.
This issue of the BGQ is dedicated to Alex Grizzel, Dana Hendrickson, their families, the ATS community, and anyone who has personally felt the effects of addiction. If you or someone you know needs help with recovery, call ATS or the Substance Abuse & Addiction Hotline at 1-844-289-0879
