Vol 16 issue #2 by Central Stampede

central

STAMPEDE

Match the teacher to the tattoo, pg 8

Nov 19, 2010

Volume 16 Issue 1

RACE exhibit on display in Kalamazoo Next stop is the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. BY AMY RUIMVELD News Editor

nationally touring exhibit will be at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum until Jan 2. The venue, titled “RACE: Are We So Diﬀerent?” investigates the causes of racism with interactive stations, videos and photographs. Brought to Kalamazoo by the request of Western Michigan University professors, the “RACE” exhibit will next travel to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The nationwide tour, which started January 2007, was designed in the hopes of reshaping the public’s opinions about the meaning of race and the impact of racism. Since admission to the museum and exhibit is free, many teachers are taking advantage of the priceless resource that has landed in Kalamazoo. “Kalamazoo Public Schools seem to really want all of their students to see the exhibit,” said Drew Deward, the museum’s interpretation specialist. “It’s raising awareness that even though race exists, it’s not always necessarily racism,” Deward said. “Race is everywhere around us.” The exhibit revolves around three main concepts: “The Everyday Experience of Race,” “The Science of Human Variation” and “History of the Idea of Race.” The three ideas combine to show the unimportance of racial and social categories. It is an exhibit that is capturing the interest of many students, including junior Alexis Callaway. “It was a big eye-opener,”

Callaway said. “It gave me a whole new perspective.” Along the walls of the exhibit are photographs of people of all races forming the Hapa Project. The Hapa Project is a multiracial identity art project that asks the question, “What are you?” A photograph is taken, and then the person below writes what they identify as in their own handwriting. For junior Elayna Creed, the Hapa Project was the most memorable part of the exhibit. “I liked it because they [the pictures] showed me what other people’s perspectives of what they see their race as,” Creed said. In addition to the Hapa art, there are various stations set up around the exhibit, all focusing on a different area of race and racism. Many of the exhibits tested the participant to identify the race of a specific person, based on something biological, like blood type or voice. “There was one where you had to listen to the voice, and identify the race of that person,” Callaway said. “I got a lot of them wrong.” The message that there are so many different perspectives on race resonates within the exhibit and had lasting impressions on Callaway. “We’re not really that different,” Callaway said. “We’re all just classified that way.” The main objective of the museum is to show how race is simply a biological classification, and how the concept of racism is simply using race to classify socially. “Based on science, none of us are really that different, but it all comes down to skin color,” Deward said. “There’s more to somebody than their skin color; they have personalities.”

ALL PHOTOS BY AMY RUIMVELD/STAMPEDE

HANDS ON: Pictured on top is one of the many signs found at the RACE exhibit downtown at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Below, juniors Alexis Callaway and Elayna Creed participate in an interactive exhibit.

Did our money Make-A-Wish? pg 3 • Forgotten restaurants, pg 7 • Following Harry Potter, pg 10 • Winter sports preview, pg 16

news

Overcoming challenges of teen pregnancy Senior embraces support from others

JAMES KETELAAR

With parents to please, colleges to apply to and friends to make, teens often find themselves overwhelmed with anxiety. It is hard enough to manage the stress of high school, but imagine adding pregnancy to the hectic life of a teenager. When senior Jessica Kruzienga found out she was pregnant this summer, high school was the furthest ma�er from her mind. “The first thing [I thought] was, ‘I don’t want to tell my mom…’” Kruzienga said. “But I finally told her, and she got really mad. She tried to not let me have any contact with my boyfriend at all.” After overcoming the initial shock, Kruzienga’s mother is now fully supportive of her daughter’s situation. Both mother and daughter anxiously await the arrival of the new member of the family. A trustworthy support system Currently six months pregnant, Kruzienga’s due date is in late February. She and her boyfriend, Dan, plan on raising the

/STAMPEDE

BY RACHAEL LEFEVRE Editor-in-Chief

Brief

Nov. 19, 2010

baby, a decision Kruzienga’s mother encourages despite her original reaction to the news of the pregnancy. With the support of a loyal group of friends and family, Kruzienga faces the everyday stresses of high school and teen pregnancy with a positive a�itude. “My friends are there for me,” Kruzienga said. “This is when I find out who my true friends are – who’s going to be there for me…[My friends are] basically there the whole time. They don’t let people talk about me.” Besides giving up color guard this fall, Kruzienga’s pregnancy has not greatly affected the activities she’s involved in. While her pregnancy has definitely made an impact on her life, Kruzienga still intends to pursue her plans for the future, including graduation and college. She acknowledges the heavy workload ahead of her after the baby’s birth, but still plans on graduating on time and eventually a�ending college. “I’ll be up late all night,” Kruzienga said. “That’s all I know. So hopefully I’ll get my schoolwork done beforehand, before I go home, so then I don’t have to worry about it.” For Kruzienga, the most exciting part of her pregnancy thus far was finding out the gender of the baby. Kruzienga and her boyfriend are expecting a girl, whom they plan to name “Bryleigh Marie,” a name they picked for its uniqueness. Kruzienga eagerly awaits the birth of her baby girl as February nears. “I know [teen pregnancy] all too well…” Like Kruzienga, physical education and health teacher Corey McNeal experienced teen pregnancy at a young age. Just after high school, McNeal found out he was to out he was to become a father at the age of 19. “I was scared, very scared [when I found out,]” McNeal said. “And overwhelmed. At 19, you’re not thinking about being a father, let alone [ready to] be a father.” He and the mother of the child decided to keep the baby, and McNeal is involved in his 15-year-old son’s life today. Since McNeal and the mother of the child never dated, communication between the two

has been difficult, and according to McNeal, is still difficult to this day. However, McNeal stresses the importance of pu�ing the child first. “[It is essential to] make mutual decisions with the child’s interest [in mind],” McNeal said. “The most important thing is being a good role model and a good parent and being there for the child.” For McNeal, the biggest challenge of becoming a father as a teenager was “not being selfish in terms of giving up [his] own time” for the child. Besides this, a tremendous amount of responsibility came along with being a new parent. Words of advice With so many conflicting messages about sex in the media, teens sometimes find it hard to form opinions about contraceptives and sexual activity. According to former Freshman Focus and health teacher Kelli Palsrok, teens know the importance of contraceptives yet often don’t prepare for the use of them. “[Many] young people don’t want to admit that they might be sexually active,” Palsrok said. “They know [contraception] is a good idea – it’s just the failure to follow through [with it].” Besides giving students information about contraceptives, Palsrok also strongly encourages abstinence in teens and promotes alternatives to sexual intercourse. “Intimacy is not defined by sex,” she said. “There’s so much more to it than active intercourse. Some of the most intimate moments are [not physical]. We give students reasons to wait. We tell them they can do anything with their clothes on, like handholding or hugging.” Because of his own experience with teen pregnancy, McNeal strongly promotes abstinence as well. “Wait [to have sex]!” he said. “I don’t wish that on anyone to go through a teen pregnancy. Teens are so curious about sexual activity, but they’re not missing much.” McNeal also encourages teens involved in a pregnancy to be involved in their child’s life and to always make the child’s best interests the first priority. Kruzienga offers similar words of advice, stressing the importance of choice when it comes to dealing with teen pregnancy. “Just do what you think is best for you,” she said. “Don’t think, ‘Oh, I have to put it up for adoption, or get an abortion.’ That’s not always the choices. You can keep [the baby], and you can go through with high school.”

Budding filmmakers are encouraged to enter their films in the 8th Annual Teen Filmmaker Festival. A jury will select films to be shown at the Film Festival on Feb. 27 at Rave Cityplace in Kalamazoo. Entry forms must accompany all films, which may be submi�ed to the Teen Services desk at Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St., by 5 p.m. on Jan. 22.

The Friends of the Library book sale is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Portage District Library. The sale is scheduled to take place in the lower level meeting rooms. Most softcover books are 3 for $1, while specialty books range from $1 to $5, on average. Books are available in a variety of genres, including teen ﬁction. The District Library holds these sales about six times each year.

NEW PCHS

Library book sale next month

Teen Filmmaker Festival accepting entries

Book sale

Teams should report to the cafeteria Saturday by 8 a.m. for the annual Breadlift volunteer eﬀort, coordinated by Student Council. Those not signed up still have an opportunity by showing up Saturday to volunteer. Refreshments and coﬀee coupons will be provided.

Teen Filmmaker Festival

Breadlift

Annual Breadlift to take place tomorrow

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

This

Month...

Painting and installing drywall Installing casework (cabinets) Installing ﬂooring

news

Nov. 19, 2010

Waylee transitions to technology center Classrooms revamped to ﬁt computers and technicians galore BY ALI FULLING

Vomastek said. “To my knowledge, there isn’t a similar-sized space within the city limits that wouldn’t either cost more to purchase or lease over time.” Along with cost, location was a big factor in the decision. One familiar landmark will still be standing next summer after “Using Waylee makes sense,” Vomastek said. “It keeps us ‘closer the smoke clears. Waylee Elementary will be refurbished and turned to the action’ of school districts [and] preserves a piece of PPS history.” into a new Technology and Training center, with construction already Over the summer, two-thirds of the northwest wing of Waylee under way. will be demolished to allow for completion of the rest of the new The new center will house the core data systems and technology parking lot. Some believe that keeping Waylee will be an eyesore in offices for the entire school district. It will also include four training comparison to the new spaces for district-wide professional high school. development programs. In addition to “The new school these, the Technology and Training Center is classy and has all will lease a limited amount of space new bricks compared to local businesses and Public Media to Waylee’s 80-year-old Networks who are also in the process of bricks,” senior Zach extending their operations. Cook said. “They need Limited work to revamp Waylee has to make Waylee nice on already begun, with the majority of work the inside and outside on the south wing scheduled to begin in so it will complement December of this year. the new school.” In order to completely convert Waylee Site work and to an efficient technology center, even the landscaping is planned smallest things make a big difference. in order to beautify the “The most significant needs are old elementary school mechanical, like heating and cooling, as and not diminish the well as upgraded electrical service for the look of the new school. new equipment that will be installed,” This action, along with said Dan Vomastek, Portage’s director of the many projects technology. to transform it into The transformation will cost $1.2 a technology center, million for general trades work, $350,000 in Vomastek hopes will primary data systems and another $100,000 turn it into a center that for audio-visual equipment. will meet the entire Although this is a lot of money, AMY RUIMVELD/STAMPEDE district’s needs. the retrofi�ing of Waylee will ultimately cost less than starting from nothing at a different location. “Cost is the primary reason,”

Focus Editor

TECH TALK: Old Waylee classrooms have transformed into technology hubs, connecting the entire district’s network.

Volunteer

Elaine Chu

of the Month Q: Where do you volunteer?

A: I volunteer at the Kalamazoo Chinese School every Friday from 7 to 9 during the school year.

Q: How did you become involved in volunteering there?

A: I started oﬀ actually going to the KCS

in third grade when I ﬁrst moved here and once I “graduated” in eighth grade, I started to volunteer there instead because I wanted to further other people’s interests in Chinese.

Q: What do you do when you volunteer?

A: I right now am a teacher’s assistant, in

which I help my mom co-teach the youngest

class, with kids ages from 4 to 7.

Did our money make a wish?

BY CHLOE WESTLEY Assistant Editor This past fall Homecoming, the Mustangs proved that every li�le bit doesn’t just make a diﬀerence, it makes a wish. In the fundraising competition between the grades, called “penny wars,” the students were asked to donate all of their change to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. Pennies would constitute one point for the student’s grade, while a silver coin would be a negative point, hurting another grade. According to the Student Council, the combined change totaled over $4,000, helping to reach the average value of $7,500 per wish. “I was amazed by how much we raised,” freshman Alaina Haworth said. “I have never been a part of something that was so much fun and so helpful for our community.” Every cent donated will help grant a wish for a West Michigan child with a lifethreatening medical condition. “[Our goal is to] enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy,” said Ellie Andrus, the director of development at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. With currently over 500 eligible children, this speciﬁc chapter is looking to grant 365 wishes this year. “The only way that we can do this is with the help you all gave us,” Andrus said.

A: Currently, I’ve probably volunteered there about 300 hours.

it’s just that I want to stay dedicated to this particular organization. Plus, now I’m part of NHS, and I also do a lot with KAMSC. I volunteer at KAMSC a lot because I’m a part of Student Senate, and a large part of what we do is book drives and can drives during the winter.

Q: Why do you volunteer?

Q: What’s the most rewarding part

Q: Where else do you volunteer?

A: It’s a really rewarding thing to do, and I think a lot more people should get into volunteering, not necessarily doing a lot of diﬀerent tasks, but staying commi�ed to one or two organizations and just working as hard as you can to improve what you’re there to do.

Q: How many hours have you volunteered there?

A: I volunteer because I personally feel like I’m giving back to the Asian community, and it’s also the fact that I really like still being at Chinese school even though I’m not a student, because I get to see all the li�le kids that are helping to keep their culture alive. A: I volunteer outside of KCS also;

of volunteering?

-Amy Ruimveld

view

Waylee upgrade: a worthy cause In these hard economic times, everyone must cut back, and that includes school districts. For this reason, we agree

ﬁveon ﬁve 1 2 3 4 5

Nov. 19, 2010

our view that converting Waylee to the new technology center is a smart economic move. Utilizing Waylee instead of building or ﬁnding a diﬀerent

What do you think of the RACE exhibit at the KVM? Have we forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving?

location will save the district money. Also, Waylee works best for the new center because of its location. Being near the schools gives us an advantage;

Ryan Mergener, 9th Jessica Heimonen, 10th I haven’t been [to the I don’t get it. You are museum] in a long who you are. time. A lot of people have Yes, because now it’s forgotten why they about playing footcelebrate the holiday. ball and eating food.

I guess it would be a If you could get a tattoo, where would #6 because it’s my you get it and why? baseball number. They kind of bother What do you think me. I’d rather watch about the latest 3-D regular movies. movie craze?

Which winter sport Snowboarding. are you most excited for?

I would never get a tattoo.

if a problem occurs, they’re right there to address it. As to its appearance, we have complete conﬁdence that the renovators

will make it just as visually appealing as the new school. The new technology center is in very capable hands and we believe having it in Waylee will be beneﬁcial to the district.

Garrett Gagnon, 11th It sounds cool. I wish we could take ﬁeld trips in High School.

Mr. Engels Kristen Kuppler, 12th I think it’s cool. It would I haven’t seen it, be cool to see what you so it’d be hard to comment. look like...

We use it as a time to give thanks for what we have.

I think we have, but Thanksgiving reminds us of it again.

No, it’s an excuse for families to get together.

I want to get Pikachu shocking another Pokemon.

I wouldn’t get a tattoo; I’m afraid of needles.

I wouldn’t get a tattoo. I hate needles.

I think it’s overrated. People think movies are so much better in 3-D.

I’d rather not see a movie in 3-D.

Snowmobiling or skiing because they are the most fun.

College basketball.

I think it’s weird beIt’s horseradish. cause 3-D movies used to be for little kids. Snowboarding. I reSkiing. ally don’t care about watching any though.

Stampede Staff Morgan Clothier Rachael LeFevre Editors-in-Chief Amy Ruimveld..............................News Editor Ali Fulling......................................View Editor Omo Ogbomo..............................Focus Editor Marissa Miars................................Vibe Editor Grant Walters..............................Sports Editor

Assistant Editors/Staﬀ Writers: Evan Adams, Matthew Brandt, Taylor Fleck, Kyna Garrett, James Ketelaar, Nicole Leﬃngwell, Tucker Webb, Chloe Westley. Artists: James Ketelaar Business Manager:Jarred Bassett Adviser: Cheryl Braford The Central Stampede publishes approximately one publication a month, primarily by the Journalism II class at Portage Central High School, 8135 S. Westnedge, Portage, MI 49002. It also uses work from Journalism I students.

The Central Stampede is a member of the Great Lakes Interscholastic Press Association (GLIPA) and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA). The purpose of the Central Stampede is to act as an open forum for students of Portage Central. The staff will achieve a balance between informing and entertaining our readers. Editorials Staff editorials are unsigned and represent consensus of the staff. The opinion of the staff is represented in the “Our View” column. The opinions of the editors, staff writers and guest writers will have bylines and will carry their own views.

Letters As an open forum, the Stampede welcomes all members of the Portage community. However, the staff reserves the right to edit letters based on length and content. Ofﬁce: (269) 323-5218 Fax: (269) 323-5290 Room 306

The Central Stampede 8135 South Westnedge Ave. Portage, MI 49002

view

Nov. 19, 2010

Bullying: does it need a law? Legislation would help prevent suffering

Laws would not ﬁx the problem

staff writer

CHLOE WESTLEY

Oddly enough, I was shopping in the hot dog aisle at Meijer, rocking my Mustang hoodie, when a complete stranger walked up to me. She was with her daughter who was hiding behind her and looking completely embarrassed. The mother started asking me rather personal questions, for someone I had just sort-of met, about my experiences at school. As soon as the topic of prom came up, the mother’s eyes filled with tears. As it turns out, the daughter is a Portage Central drop-out. After a freshmen year full of bullying, she could not take it anymore and left, leaving behind the crazy “mole dances,” the English class tea parties, the eighties work out days and her mother’s one wish for her, the sweaty prom. These li�le experiences though, are what make our already awkward teenage years memorable. On October 10th, purple dressed students flooded the hallways, standing up to the recent suicides resulting from bullying. Between 1994 and 1999, there were 253 violent deaths in school, with bullying as the prime factor of each casualty. But I have to ask as to where the protest against bullying was when my fellow Meijer shopper was in pain. Admi�edly, probably everyone in this school has commi�ed some form of bullying in their high school career, whether physical, verbal or psychological aggression. Psychologically, it is proven that this abuse is learned through environmental influences, meaning that if the state of Michigan puts a foot in, our school se�ings can become a secure atmosphere against bullying. Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective. This is why the power of state law must be brought in. States such as New Jersey and Vermont have already taken the initiative to protect their students by passing laws to prevent bullying. Michigan should also take this step, so students take extra precaution to not commit such harassment.

JAMES KETELAAR

Bullying is a problem. This is a simple and well-known fact. How can we stop bullying? Shouldn’t there be some kind of law to stop kids from bullying? Wouldn’t the world be a more wonderful, magical place? Yeah, sure, kind of like how nobody murders anyone anymore and everyone drives the speed limit. Anti-bullying laws are a lovely thought, but there’s no real substance to them. How do we propose to enforce bullying laws? Many times, there’s no real “evidence” that someone has been bullying, unless you actually catch them in the act. Bullying isn’t just the idea of beating kids up and stuffing them in lockers anymore, it’s much more subtle than that. A crass comment, a subtle glance, rumors spread behind someone’s back, all of them can lead to the same result as bullying. Which raises another interesting point: What is bullying? How do we determine what bullying is? The state of Michigan doesn’t have a definition for bullying, which is the main reason anti-bullying legislature isn’t going anywhere. Define bullying in your head right now. Name-calling? My friends tell me I’m fat. But since I’m 5’ 10’’ and weigh 140 pounds, I know they’re joking. Is it still bullying? What about physical abuse? It’s almost an ongoing game in my circle of friends to hit the others in the groin in the sneakiest and most creative way possible, and we aren’t alone in that regard. So where do you draw the boundaries? The simple fact of the ma�er is that, yes, the people we catch bullying should have harsh punishments awaiting them, especially considering the results of bullying we’ve seen up close and personal with the string of recent gay suicides. But bullying laws are vague, ineffective, and almost impossible to enforce on a wide scale. There is no reason our legislative government needs to waste their time on something that makes people feel be�er without changing the status quo.

Thanksgiving: the season for what?

staff writer

M AT T H E W B R A N D T

Thanksgiving. Year after year after year, it’s the same old story. We need to be more thankful for what we have, we need to remember the sacrifices of the pilgrims, remember this, remember that; does it ever end? Thanksgiving is a meaningful holiday, but it has so many flaws, that it might as well be discontinued. After all, why do we need to remember a holiday that is really an excuse for people to get off work and watch football? Thanksgiving has become a holiday of football. Some may call it religious, having football on Thanksgiving. Others may think

MATTH

EW B RAN

that the robo-turkey mascot is ge�ing old. Others may say that the Lions should stop playing the majority of the Thanksgiving Day games, and that we should be able to watch some other teams. With all of the trophies and other awards given to the winning teams, they might as well call them the mini-Super Bowl games. Granted, there is nothing wrong with football, I enjoy it myself. Almost every Thanksgiving however, it seems that Thanksgiving used to be about peace and giving thanks but now we spend it worshipping men making millions by smashing each other and buying and eating

/STAM P

EDE

vast quantities of food. Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright, but if there isn’t stuﬃng, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, candied potatoes (Idaho, are you listening?), corn, pumpkin pie, whipped cream, milk, chocolate milk, apple juice, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, the entire holiday meal is ruined. They say Thanksgiving dinner is a performance, and it’s true. Appearance is crucial. While children sit around watching the Macy’s Day Parade; mothers, fathers, grandparents and others spend hours upon hours cooking,

cleaning and arguing about cooking the gobbler correctly. Everyone wants their food to look like it came right out of a Norman Rockwell picture, or like Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray teamed up and cooked it themselves. The amount of stress and preparation some families go through to create a Thanksgiving feast is immeasurable and ridiculous. Yet the food industry literally, gobbles it up. It’s no surprise that from November to December, turkey sales are higher than at any time of the year. More and more time is spent on preparing food and building stress. So what is the point of Thanksgiving? Is it football? Is it food? Or is it the general spirit that it brings? Yes, while most people eat a lot and watch football during Thanksgiving, the underlying theme is that everyone is together mostly having a good, sometimes stressed time. People together as friends and family, is the reason we should be celebrating Thanksgiving. It sounds all cheesy and cliché and blah, but it’s the point. It’s the classic moral of the story, the way the cookie crumbles, the inevitable capture of the bad guy at the end of a movie. Thanksgiving is family.

view

Nov. 19, 2010

with Tucker Webb

Walking down the hallway to get to class reminds me of a drive on a piece of city highway. Everywhere I look, I see advertisement after advertisement whizzing by on subservient human billboards. I think trendy companies like Hollister and American Eagle are absolutely brilliant. They have found the most cost-efficient way to advertise known to man. Do you ever see American Eagle, Hollister, or other hip stores of the sort run commercials on T.V, or put ads in the paper? You don’t because they don’t need to pay for advertising. They use us. These companies have tapped into what is perhaps the most valuable natural resource since oil: the sheer power of young people’s sheep-like tendencies. It has been instilled in our minds that these brands are what is required to be socially acceptable. It is due to this mindset that these rapscallions can put whatever nonsense they please on their clothing, including GIANT ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THEMSELVES. Look up for a moment. (Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere). Find the trendiest kid in your class. Observe his/her clothing. Chances are, there will be a large brand name spelled across his/her chest or sleeve, and li�le else defining the shirt. The fun part is that this “oh- sotrendy” advertisement was paid for by the customer. They essentially paid (and usually in those stores, they paid quite a bit,) to wear and advertise the name of a company. If this form of advertising was extrapolated to other industries such as fast food, we would have customers at McDonald’s screaming “LOOK AT ME EATING THIS BIG MAC! YOU SHOULD EAT ONE TOO!” every time they ate, which I could imagine to be quite annoying and would lead to more becoming morbidly obese. It would change my opinion significantly if these companies at least put something visually appealing and remarkable on their products, but a majority of the time they don’t. They will never have to, though, because people continue to purchase their products in abundance. If you wear trendy clothing, I am not judging you. I honestly don’t care what you wear but do make sure that it’s color-coordinated. No one likes a mismatched wardrobe. I do, however, want you to feel cheapened by the fashion industry. I want you to feel used.

Tucker Webb is a staff writer for the Central Stampede.

JAMES KETELAAR/STAMPEDE

Walking billboards: free advertisement for clothing stores

Be a real Mustang fan view editor

ALI FULLING

Standing in a sea of blue and gold, I watched as the Homecoming king and queen were crowned. I blinked and suddenly all but the freshmen and a few dedicated fans were gone. It felt like in a mere millisecond, the stands had cleared out. Meanwhile, our Mustangs re-entered the ﬁeld, ready to play the second half. They were winning, but the people who had been cheering for them, or rather cheering because they were told to, were gone. Although this happens every year, it’s not acceptable. The turnout at the homecoming and Northern games is always twice the amount at any other game. This shows that the majority of students are only there for the excited atmosphere, not to root on their team. Ironically, the reason the atmosphere is so amazing at those select games is because of the amount of people there. If students are willing to pack in so tight they can barely breathe for those two games, they should be willing to go to

every game or event they can. Unlike many other schools, we are blessed with very talented students and atheletes that go to districts, regionals, and states. Not only in football, but in every activity, these students want their peers to be there, cheering them on and recognizing their hard work. Volleyball players, who went to the state ﬁnals last year, complain about how few fans a�end games. This year they even had to advertise for themselves and convince students in their classes to support them. Groups like forensics, choir and band have even less of a fan basis than sports. These groups make our school look amazing to the community and should be supported by the students. For this reason, student turnout at school events needs to increase. Our students put in too much time and energy to be ignored by everyone but their parents and the announcements at school the next day. Many of us have been on that team that doesn’t have a huge fan turn-out. We know that not having support honestly sucks, so why would we subject our friends to the same fate? So, a�end games, meets, concerts and tournaments when possible. Support your friends, your classmates and your school by cheering on everyone. Going to two games a year doesn’t cut it. Please, students, be Mustang fans through and through.

focus

Nov. 19, 2010

Sh av er

Subway

Located in the Wal-Mart on Shaver Road. Subway oﬀers a variety of $5 footlong sandwiches, pizza, pretzels and cotton candy. Try an Oven Roasted Chicken sandwich for $5

re you getting sick of going to the same place for lunch every day? Why not try some of these eateries that have fallen oﬀ the radar. Great Harvest and Sub Station are within walking distance, A Pizza Yen has extremely low prices and Subway and Arby’s have great deals.

3 Sub Station Located across the street from the Administration building. Sub Station oﬀers authentic Italian food at a reasonable cost. Try a pizza slice and side salad for $3.30

4 A Pizza Yen Located oﬀ Vanderbilt. A Pizza Yen oﬀers a wide variety of food including: sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, pasta, salads and pizza. Try three hot dogs for $3.25

S. Westnedge Ave.

av er

St.

Chapel Located in the Portage Plaza. Great Harvest Bread Co. oﬀers a variety of sandwiches on quality bread as well as delicious baked goods. Try a Grilled Cheese Panini for $5.25

PC HS

W. Melody Ave.

Vanderbilt Ave.

1 Great Harvest

Rd .

Oakland Dr.

Eateries that have fallen off the radar

Rd .

Hidden treasures

West Lake

Arby’s

Located in front of WalMart on Shaver Road. Arby’s value menu includes sandwiches and sides for $1. Try a Jamocha Swirl shake from the value menu for $1

focus

Nov. 19, 2010

Baker vs. Baker

NICOLE LEFFINGWELL/STAMPEDE

Q: What is your full name? A: Kent E. Baker

work out too well. Or an astronaut and that didn’t work out too well either.

Q: What is your full name? A: Bryan A. Baker

A: Playing sports, collecting sports cards and working.

Q: How many kids do you have? If so, how

Q: What hobbies did you have when you

Q: Do you have any kids? If so, how many?

Q: Anything interesting that students don’t

Q: What’s your favorite college football

team? A: Hmm… I will go with, Michigan State University and the Spartan Football team.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Apocalypse Now”

Q: Favorite song? A: “One” by U2

Q: Anything interesting that students don’t

know about you? A: I’ve been an extra in two movies. One is called “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, with Julia Roberts. The other was called “While You Were Sleeping” and that had Sandra Bullock in it.

Q: What do you like about teaching?

Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up? A: Hmm… it would be a tie, one would be a professional baseball player, and that didn’t

A: I like that my job is diﬀerent every day, I like seeing freshman turn into seniors, then seeing them when they go away and see whatever they are doing after they grow up and go out into the real world.

A: No kids, thankfully

Q: Favorite college football team? A: University of Michigan

know about you? A: Some of my students know, but I have ﬁve piercings and ﬁve ta�oos.

Q: What do you like about teaching? A: Just working with the students.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Glory” or “Ge�ysburg”

Q: Favorite song? A: None

Q: When you were growing up what did you want your job to be? A: Paleontologist

“

Some of my students know, but I have ﬁve piercings and ﬁve tattoos. BRYAN BAKER

Q: What hobbies did you have when you were younger?

Compiled by Nicole Leﬃngwell

Teacher Tattoos

Photos compiled by staﬀ

Staff Writer

Even members of our cherished teaching and support staff were young once. Several staff members in the school have acquired artistic body expressions over the years. From ninja bunnies, to symbols representing their college alma maters, the Stampede has compiled a list of some of the best teacher ta�oos our Mustang staff has to offer. Now, it’s your turn to play the game and guess which ta�oo goes with which teacher. Ready. Set. Match!

A. Corey McNeal E. Carol Cutler

B. Cheryl Braford

5. C. Eric Lancaster

F. Karen Whitmeyer

D. Jill Waskowsky

G. James Carrow 1. F 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. G 6. E 7. B

BY EVAN ADAMS

“

many? A: I have three kids. They are 12, 9 and 6.

were younger? A: Lots, there was football. Well, really baseball and basketball and we went camping a lot.

Nov. 19, 2010

The inside scoop

An intimate look at some of the people who make things work around here Compiled by TAYLOR FLECK/Assistant Editor

focus

Black Friday bargains More bang are waiting for you for your How to ﬁnd which stores will have the best deals this season BY KYNA GARRETT Assistant Editor

Mrs. Buckstaff

Mr. LaRoy

Job Description:

District Information Coordinator- Updates the Mustang Minutes, the school website and gets publicity for the school by keeping contact with the media. Has been working here for two years.

Works in the front oﬃce, answers the phone, helps parents contact their kids and other secretarial duties. Has been working here for only one year.

Favorite...

Movie: “Forrest Gump” Color: Blue TV show: “Sports

Center” Food: Chicken Sport: Playing golf Pet Peeve: When people are unorganized Weird Fact: went to three diﬀerent colleges in 6 years Have any pets? No, had a dog but it got sick and he had to give it back to the farm at 6 weeks old

Movie: “Pay It Forward” Color: Pink TV show: “The Biggest Loser” Food: McDonald’s French fries Sport: playing golf, watching college football Pet Peeve: drivers that don’t say “thank you” when you let them in Weird Fact: won a dance competition, earned money and a vacation to Florida

Hall Supervisor delivers passes, detentions and other notes, as well as maintains order in the hallways during and in between classes. Has been working here for one year.

Favorite...

Movie: “The Hangover” Color: Blue TV show: “The Oﬃce” Food: Anything and everything Sport: watching college football Pet peeve: when people talk on their cell phones in public places too much Weird Fact: Has had dogs all his life Have any pets? Two dogs named Magglio

Centre Street Subway 1256 E. Centre St. — 324-7827 Walmart Location - 8350 Shaver Road

Buy one 6” sub get one free!

“

...Patience is always a good thing because we are very busy.

“

Mr. Herm

“The stores I’ve been to that open super early are Kohl’s and Target. Target always has some awesome stuff on sale. And if you browse the Stores flood with crazy shoppers newspaper beforehand, you can make for huge sales and the best deals on a plan,” Atkinson said. Black Friday. Stores on Black Friday will also With the right skills, Black Friday offer deals on apparel including can be an achievement of deals and buy-one-get-one and various other discounts. Despite a few leaked ads, discounts. According to a leaked Target stores do not advertisment, release their Black their Black Friday Friday ads until sales this year will days before the include deals on event. HDTVs, appliances According and half-off clothes to John and toys. Unterborn, Best Searching for Buy Operations discounts early may Manager, stores provide an idea do not release JOHN UNTERBORN of possible Black their Black Best Buy Operations Mgr. Friday price listings Friday ads early as well. Currently because of the the Apple Store sells the popular iPod strict competition. There is still a way, Touches at $299, Wal-Mart for $288.54 however, to prepare to receive the best and Amazon.com for $249.99. As prices deals. drop for this event, people tend to look “Wake up early obviously, for warranties available with these and patience is always a good thing items. because we’re very busy,” Unterborn Whether waiting in a long said. line or arriving late to the stores or Junior Nicole Atkinson, who has looking online, there is always a way shopped Black Fridays for the past few to bargain hunt for this year’s most years, says the lines are freezing and popular items during Black Friday. long, but the experience is fun.

buck

www.facebook.com /blackfridaydeals (offers Black Friday deals and informs you when ads are released)

www.blackfriday 2010.com (offers predictions of prices on items)

www.blackfriday. info (will post ads as they receive them)

www.blackfriday. go�adeal.com (provides deals and catalogs for Black Friday as they receive them)

No lacrosse experience necessary!

Get involved in the fastest growing high school sport. Bros,

Care to Lax?

There will be an informational meeting for both players and parents on

DECEMBER 7, 2010 at 7:00 PM In the Central Middle School Little Theater

vibe

Quick Hits

TEXT BY MARISSA MIARS/STAMPEDE

Music

Sophomore Zach Stoner’s white pants, light blue tee and dark blue bu�on up create a classy color scheme

Taylor Swift Speak Now Country/Pop BY KYNA GARRETT

Webisodes The Coop Tyler Trieweiler Reality Series

Senior Lunden Carpenter dresses up a plain blue tee with a metallic leather jacket and matching belt

Music

from

RUNWAY

HALLWAY

She does it again. Taylor Swift’s new “Speak Now,” like many of her others, maintains that sweet country style with a new bluesy feel by means of relatable teenage storylines. In this album, Swift never fails to express exactly what she feels enlightening her fans with experiences we all encounter. “Speak Now” also serves as a trail of delicate songs wrapped in a fragile mess of her recent life experiences. She succeeds again in incorporating a love element in tracks like “Mine” and “Back to December” and positive messages in others like “Mean” and Innocent.”Swift, notorious for her use of simply stating her heartbreakers’ names, jumps oﬀ the deep with her new song, “Dear John,” allegedly regarding her relationship with John Mayer. This album, much like her others, will speak to its fans from the perspective of a truly fearless artist.

Nov. 19, 2010

Students strut their stuﬀ

BY MARISSA MIARS This is the story of 14 strangers picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped. However, this is not MTV’s “The Real World,” but instead PC and WMU alum Tyler Trierweiler’s premiere reality series, “The Coop.”Broadcasted solely from the Internet via YouTube, “The Coop” follows the lives of 14 artists/musicians a�empting to make it big. Even though “The Coop” still harbors its fair share of arguments, hook-ups and post-teen angst, there are many things that set it apart from your average reality show. One of these factors being the diversity of the characters themselves who all come together to form a very eclectic group. As interesting a combination as their diﬀerent personalities create, the joining of their voices creates perhaps an even more interesting one. The music they create together can only be described as haunting, although I question why more of their music is not featured on the show itself. Despite its setbacks, “The Coop” remains a unique and seemingly unscripted depiction of life as a struggling artist in today’s society.

Junior Jamie Folk creates contrast by combining a bright pink top and ﬂower with a studded belt

Senior Maddie Sandmeyer adds a new twist to the classic black and white combination with stripes and a zipper PHOTOS BY NICOLE LEFFINGWALL/STAMPEDE

vibe

Nov. 19, 2010

Thanks for all the memories With the ‘Deathly Hallows’ coming out today, we take a look back at Potter history

Quick Hits Movies Waiting for Superman Davis Guggenheim Documentary BY MARISSA MIARS

In contrast with its title, Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman” has nothing to do with the burly superhero in blue tights we have all come to know and love. Instead, the title refers to the victims of failing public school systems across the nation. From personal stories Second book of students desperately awaiting a hero Fourth book released June First book Sixth book Fifth book Third book to the educators trying to be that hero, Seventh book released July 2nd, 1999 released released June released June released July Guggenheim portrays a heartbreaking released July 8, 2000 September 1, 1998 21, 2003 2nd, 1999 8, 2000 portrait of our current education system 15, 2005 and its all-too-unse�ling future. However, the documentary spends a majority of its Music time criticizing educators for the downfall of the system, but neglects to place blame onvies government ﬁgures who have been less than successful in solving this age-old Rowling named 2007 Person of the Year by Time Magazine “Muggle” added to the Oxford dictionary in 2003 problem. Much like Guggenheim’s other Music Music famous directorial debut, “Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for Superman” serves as Sculptor Sarah Pratt creates a butter sculpture of Harry The white owl population is dwindling in a call to action, encouraging its viewers Potter in 2007 India due to fans capturing them to keep as pets. to stand up and be the “super hero” to millions of children whose lives hang in the balance. Unfortunately, the concern As of June 2008, the seven book Potter series has sold more According to www.baby-names-guide.co.uk, for education reform ends for too many than 400 million copies and the books have been translated Harry was the number two top baby name for boys viewers the second they step out of the into 67 languages in UK and Wales theater and back into their ordinary lives.

Weird news and fun facts about the series ...

Someone you know is almost certain you can’t get pregnant

New alumni e-magazine coming in December!

��

the first time.

��

we’re here.

269.372.1200

3-D

vibe

Nov. 19, 2010

: A Cautionary Tale

assistant editor

JAMES KETELAAR

Airplanes flying and exploding in front of your face! BOOM! Alien monsters jumping out of nowhere, spitting acid! FSHHH! Steve-O puking right on top of you! …Okay, gross. Where are you and why are all of these awful things happening? Oh, okay; you’re just sitting in a 3D movie. 3D movies have been around for over 50 years, actually. Back in the day, the effect was reserved for theme park rides and cheesy sci-fi movies at late night drive-in theaters. Nowadays, people pay big money to see a movie in 3D because two dimensions just aren’t enough anymore. There are those who say that 3D is just another fad in the movie industry. But 3D, if done well, has the capability to become the next major

without actually being 3D. innovation in cinema. What does that mean? The capacity is It’s a problem that there to offer a total moviegoers need to immersion into learn to distinguish the movie you’re more carefully: The watching. And difference between yet, 3D still has actual 3D and posta fairly negative production 3D. reputation. There are cameras Sure, people specifically built to still pay the extra film movies in 3D. 3 or 4 dollars to When done correctly, see a movie in 3D, these movies come out but all we hear about looking gorgeous. Take is complaints about “Avatar” for example. how it’s just another Regardless about what you stupid trend that thought of “Avatar” as a movie studios are movie, you have to concede using to make one thing: it was gorgeous. money. Which, sadly, James Cameron spared no is half-true. expense making his movie, The main problem that’s trashing 3D’s reputation is JAMES KETELAAR/STAMPEDE especially the 3D edition, look as brilliant as possible. However, movies that charge the money for 3D

those of us unfortunate enough to stumble into “The Last Airbender” were treated to what looked like a 2D movie that someone rubbed through the dirt a few times. This is because “The Last Airbender” wasn’t filmed in 3D. The movie studio behind it got greedy and put it through a process called post-production 3D. They wanted to be able to charge more money for the ticket, but didn’t want to pay for 3D cameras. So they just made the film in 3D after it was done filming. The result is a series of pictures that are 1) much darker and of a much lower quality due to being altered in a hasty way, and 2) a movie that is in 3D, but just barely, with only certain objects in certain things being highlighted enough to recognize the effect. The same unfortunate problem can be found in “Clash of the Titans,” another post-production 3D trainwreck. In a few years time, it’s likely that every movie in Hollywood will be filmed and released in 3D. In the mean time, just do a little research before you pony up the extra cash, and make sure you’re paying for the real thing.

the

Weekend Pass

an all-access guide to what’s happening this weekend

Whe re?

Kala m Cen azoo C ter & ou Fairg nty Exp o roun d

Whe n? 9a

.m Satu . - 8 p.m .F rday and riday, Sund ay

Second Weeke nd of Portage North ern’s musical comed y “The Wedding Sing er.”

Whhat W at??

An ar tg tastefu allery at th eK ll live ja y combined IA zz mu sic an with food. d free

Where?

Portage North ern High School

Wher e? T

Whha W at?t? H

olid ﬁne ay sale fe q loca uality a aturing rt m l art i ad st Kala maz s all aro e by oo. und

What?

he Ka lamaz oo Ins of Art s titute

When?

8 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday

When ?

5:30 p .m Nov. 1 . - 7:30 p.m . 9

oliday H o o z a m Kala t Sale Ar

Art & All That Jazz

“The Wedding Singer”

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sports

Nov. 19, 2010

Women’s swimming making big waves Six swimmers competing today at state tournament BY TAYLOR HAYNES

Championship Swimmers

Staff Writer

For the past nine out of 10 years, the girls swim team has won their conference with a strong team of returning swimmers. This year the swim team sent six girls to the state championship at Eastern Michigan University, today at noon. Two seniors, one junior, one sophomore, and two freshmen make up this stellar squad. Swimming is all about which team gets the most points throughout the meet. The teams will gain points in relays and individual races; whoever wins the meet gets the title. In St. Joseph at the conference meet, PC’s first relay race took first but was disqualified in the end losing the points from that race. The loss of this race effected how the end outcome of the meet. The girls took third place at conference behind Portage Northern and Kalamazoo Central. Under the coaching of Jim Schafer, the girls ended their season with a 5-1 record. “Schafer really pulls the team together,” junior Alex Desotelle said. “He really inspires us to work hard, do well, and win as a team.” Desotelle has been swimming for Coach Schafer for three

The following swimmers are competing today in the 200 Free Relay, the 400 Free Relay, the 200 Medley Relay and the 200 I.M.: TAYLOR HAYNES/STAMPEDE

REACHING BACK: Freshman Jenna Piper swims the backstoke against Lakeshore on Oct. 27.

years now and every year she has gone to state. “He makes sure that we know that everyone ma�ers and that no ma�er how fast you are you can still make a diﬀerence,” she said. With a team of 20-plus freshmen, this season was all about building for the future. “Having to rely on a lot of the youngsters was also a challenge, but I think that the freshman

Lindsay Bower (Sr.), Penny Bowser (Fr.), Natailie Criswell (Fr.), Alex Desotelle (Jr.) Hannah Parry (Soph.), and Kylie Vandermeluen (Sr.) have a lot of potential to do great things in the future,” said senior Elin Nystrom. The six swimmers going to the state championship will represent the strong-willed swimming team with pride, and we wish them the best of luck in their events.

Hey Mustangs, Tomorrow is BREADLIFT! Remember to be at the cafeteria by 8:00 AM Refreshments and Coﬀee Coupons will be provided Today is your LAST chance to sign up for BreadLift. If you are unable to participate, be sure to donate early and support your fellow Mustangs. If you are participating, remember: Dress warm and

BE SAFE!

Love, Your Student Council

March of Dimes®

® Savingbabies,together

sports

Nov. 19, 2010

Post-game celebrations BY GRANT WALTERS Sports Editor After a hard-fought game or meet, nothing ﬁts the bill like kicking back with other Mustang teammates at various restaurants and locations around Portage. Junior Kyle Knapp is one of the many football players who go out with his teammates to relax after a hard game’s work. “One of the main things the football team does after a game is we go to McDonald’s (oﬀ Portage Rd.) and we all chill there and watch ESPN,” Knapp said. Rivaling the football team’s stake at McDonald’s is the men’s soccer team. “We all go to McDonalds after the game,” junior

Nolan Mathews said. “Austin Funk is supposed to buy it for everyone but he never shows up.” Going out after a game isn’t just about ﬁlling up, though. It’s a great time to team bond and talk about the game or match. The cheerleading team makes it a priority to bond with their team. “Sometimes we go to Wendy’s or one of the girl’s houses for a sleepover,” senior cheer captain Kaylee Quertermus said. Men’s tennis takes a diﬀerent approach. “After every away meet, we go to Burger King,” senior Max Geib said. “Whenever we take a bus, we’re going to Burger King. No ma�er what.” Team traditions are really important for maintaining the stability of a team, and even in

establishing routines for good luck, many athletes say. Despite the convenience of fast-food restaurants, with cheap food and a common meeting ground, they aren’t the only place Mustangs corral for celebration. Kelli Veldman, a senior on the women’s swimming team, speaks for her team when she described about post-game celebrations. “After a meet, we usually eat dinner at school, then go home,” Veldman said. Whether it’s a quirky tradition for a team, a good luck routine, or just a fun event to keep the athletes out of trouble, sports teams’ postgame celebration locations are sure to make an impact on the local businesses, players and the success of a team.

CHLOE WESTLEY/STAMPEDE

Athletes relax after hard work

TIME TO WIND DOWN: The football team has a ﬁnal break down after a win against Portage Northern. After the game, the athletes will cool off and celebrate together at local restaurants.

Pre-game rituals help create successful Mustangs BY TAYLOR FLECK Assistant Editor Before feeling the glory of the game, most athletes can be found at a fellow teammate’s house ge�ing pumped up at a pasta dinner, or another team bonding event. Football, men’s soccer and cheer athletes participate in pasta dinners, to carbo-load and spend extra time with teammates kicking back, mentally preparing themselves for the

big game. Even though it seems that the teams just go to the dinners to eat, many athletes feel like it is also an opportunity to become closer to their teammates. “My favorite part about pasta dinners is all of our teammates ge�ing together and bonding,” senior varsity cheerleader Kaitlyn Reigle said. “We have a lot of fun all being together.” While it may seem like the teams are strictly about business when it comes down to game time, athletes still ﬁnd time in-between

games and practice to have a li�le fun. “We would sometimes to go the dunes for conditioning,” Aaron Abdo, a sophomore on the Men’s Soccer team said. “Even though the conditioning was rough, it gave the team a chance to bond more.” Other than pasta dinners, most athletes ﬁnd many other ways to bond. The football players go to Wing Night every Wednesday at LoDo’s after practice to enjoy their 35 cent wings, and the cheer teams has sleepovers and goes out to dinner frequently.

“During the season, the football team is basically my family,” senior Randy Owen said. “I like spending time with them and when I do it makes the practices easier and makes the hard work worth it.” From summer camps to sleepovers, the athletic teams here have diﬀerent and unique ways of bonding with each other Some things they do may seem a li�le quirky or weird, but all in all, it makes them closer to each other and pushes them to work harder towards being a great team.

MUSTANG SPORTS TICKER vs.

Harper Creek (away) Pictured: Nate Casanto

Jan. 8

Mustang Invite (home) Pictured: Pictured: Aaron King Kaylee Quertermus

Women’s basketball NEXT GAME:

TAYLOR FLECK/STAMPEDE

Dec. 7

Competitive Cheer NEXT GAME: TAYLOR FLECK/STAMPEDE

TAYLOR FLECK/STAMPEDE

Men’s basketball NEXT GAME:

Nov. 30

vs. St. Joseph (away) Pictured: Taylor Sampson

sports

Nov. 19, 2010

A preview of this winter’s athletics Talented athletes, strong leaders and motivated teams Men’s Sports

Wrestling

The “grapplers,” as Assistant Principal Jason Frink so kindly nicknames them, hope to come out strong this season and wrestle with their top competitors. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Four Tryout/Practice Dates: Nov. 15 Last year’s record: 23-5 Coaches: Ken Haughn and Eric Verhey What the athletes are doing now: “We have workouts going on right now, weightlifting and staying in shape,” Jared Szymanski said. First game: Dec. 2 vs. Gull Lake

Basketball

The men’s basketball team looks to improve its record and team success, with the help of three returning seniors. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Three Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 15-17 Last year’s record: 4-17 Coach: Corey McNeal What the athletes are doing now: “We have been doing basketball workouts, three-man workouts,” Mike Smodic said. First game: Dec. 7 vs. Harper Creek

Women’s Sports Bowling

Basketball

Men’s bowling will make it roll after its stellar season last year at Airway Lanes and other alleys. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Two Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 15, 16. Practice the day after. Last year’s record: N/A Coach: Dwain Toma, Bill Huey What the athletes are doing now: No conditioning. First game: Unknown

The Lady Mustangs have high hopes for the season, keeping their momentum from last year’s ﬁrst Conference Championship in 15 years. Anticipated number of returning seniors: TBD Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 8-10 Last year’s record: 14-7 Coach: Ma� Tabor What the athletes are doing now: “Right now we are in the middle of conditioning, three days a week,” Maria Tomlinson said. First game: Nov. 30 vs. St. Joseph

Swimming and Diving

The men’s swimming and diving team hope to rival the best teams in the conference like St. Joseph, in competing for the conference title. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Four Tryout/Practice dates: TBD. Last year’s record: 7-1 Coach: Jim Schafer What the athletes are doing now: Cannot start practicing until the women’s season is over. First game: Dec. 4 @ Cereal Bowl

Bowling

HARD AT WORK: Brady Chipman and

NICOLE LEFFINGWELL/STAMPEDE

Connor McDermott (below) help each other stretch as part of their conditioning program.

Hockey

Competitive Cheerleading

The skaters hope to keep their team success up, as last year they advanced to the Division II Semiﬁnal game. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Three Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 1-3 Last year’s record: 11-14-1 Coach: Jim Murray What the athletes are doing now: “We work out twice a week and skate twice a week ge�ing ready for tryouts,” Hunter Carr said. First game: Nov. 24 vs. Eagles

TAYLOR FLECK/STAMPEDE

PRACTICE PAYS OFF: Pictured above,

Compiled by Grant Walters, Taylor Fleck and Morgan Clothier

The women’s bowling team hopes to continue rolling with their success in Saturday competitions, and eventually bowl their way to the State rounds. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Two Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 15, 16. Practice the day after Last year’s record: 34-1-4 Coach: Karen Fawley What the athletes are doing now: No conditioning First game: First weekend of December

TAYLOR FLECK/STAMPEDE

Taylor Sampson goes for a shot during practice. Left, Evan Pratt practices shooting to prepare himself for the upcoming season.

The cheer team will have a large number of returning seniors, and they plan on dominating this year at invitational events. Anticipated number of returning seniors: Five Tryout/Practice dates: Nov. 8-10 Last year’s record: Every meet won except the conference meet Coach: Katie Brennan What the athletes are doing now: Clinics every Monday First game: Jan. 8 @ Mustang Invite