Vol 17 issue #6

central

STAMPEDE

Volume 17 Issue 6

Women’s softball still swinging, pg. 11 April 20, 2012

Policies pose problems Athletic and extracurricular eligibility policies raise concerns for students,

-pages 2 and 3

Day of Kindness, pg. 2

·

Social media deprived, pg. 4

·

An interest for Pinterest, pg. 10

· Women’s soccer still strong, pg. 12

April 20, 2012 news 2 Students feel sting of newly enforced policies

‘...the administration doesn’t listen to us; they don’t seem to care what we think’ News Editor

Of 428 students surveyed, here are the results:

Students say they are angry, disappointed and confused about policies that have been newly implemented or enforced this year.

These emotions have been brewing for months, they say. The breaking point for many students was when their status in elective classes or extra-curricular activities became threatened by their eligibility in core classes, although many policies are questioned by the student body.

“A lot of the problem is that the administration doesn’t listen to [students], they don’t seem to care about what we think,” senior Michael Pattengale said. “They made rules but they didn’t look at the problems that those rules created.”

One of these rules is non-sports related eligibility. This rule, which has been in place for years but not properly enforced, makes students in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities accountable for their grades in the same way athletes are.

The policy is as follows: students who have an E in one class by 3 p.m. on Friday of that week are put on probation. They then have three weeks to bring the grade up. If they fail to do so they are ineligible for activities the following week, and if the student continues to fail, the consequences of ineligibility will also continue. If a student has an E in two or more classes, they are automatically ineligible and are considered so until their grades prove otherwise after one week.

Non-athletic grades are reviewed every Thursday by Student Activities Director Kent White, and he sends notifications to students who are on probation or ineligible. The student then has until the next day at 3 p.m. to get their grade(s) up and to have the teacher e-mail White. If a student fails to do so, those who are ineligible must face the punishment for a minimum of one week.

Ineligibility does not restrict students in co-curricular classes and extra-curricular activities from participating in class, practice or after school work, but rather just restricts participation in performances, events, administrative absences and competitions.

To students, this is a policy with little wiggle room and those who face uncommon situations are suffering from the consequences of only being checked on once a week, they say. Extraneous situations, such as a teacher who gives few assignments or puts “Zs” in for being absent for a test, can restrict a student’s ability to participate in activities.

Teacher Mark Sutherland has come up with a way to address this issue.

“The best way to combat those weird

Student body speaks up

BY ALI FULLING

No Yes

48%

44%

44%

52%

56%

56%

Have you Do you think the Do you feel encountered students and you are wellproblems because administration informed on of current have a good school policy? policy in the relationship? school? that lets

situations is to go to the teacher first, not Mr. White, and try and compromise,” Sutherland said. “If the teacher is unwilling to change something, the next option is to go to Mr. Alburtus and reason with him, who could then reason with the teacher.”

With such clear options as Sutherland offers, students should not be feeling resentment, but sophomore Claudia Caranci said the issue is that these solutions are not explained to the students.

Caranci was faced with the consequences of ineligibility in late February when her upcoming AD absence for taking yearbook photos was threatened. In her situation, which could be considered rare, she was failing a class because the teacher seldom put grades in.

“I went to ask [White] what I could do about it,” Caranci said. “I wasn’t given answers.”

“People are confused,” Pattengale added.

“They make rules and don’t tell us what they are or why. As high school students, we have the right to question policy that doesn’t seem right, and we will.”

Among the confusion, students also say they are upset with inconsistency. It seems to them that they are notified of ineligibility at random times. In reality, White has made it so students who have events coming up are told and monitored so that they have time to raise their grades.

In addition to administrative issues, some students say they are frustrated by the lack of consistency in the classrooms.

“Some of my teachers don’t care at all, while others are crazy about rules,” junior Rory Maguire said. “I even have [a teacher]

me have a backpack. None of them are the same, and I don’t know what to expect.”

According to White, the reason for classroom differences is that it is better to allow teachers to choose how they run their own classes.

“It’s such a thin line, you can create policy that upsets teachers or allow them to make individual decisions that upset students,” White said. “The administration did what would cause the fewest problems.”

Unfortunately, choosing the option with the fewest problems means some still exist, and students are the most affected by them.

For example, the backpack rule has both positive and negative aspects.

With the elimination of backpacks from classrooms, teachers no longer face the risk of tripping over them and the spaces between desks are clearer.

On the contrary, though, many students are tardy or have other problems because they have to travel so far between their locker and their classes.

The Central Stampede recently conducted a survey asking students how they felt about policy and the administration. One common trend was student opinion of the backpack policy. Of the surveys, 38 students took the time to write out explanations speaking out against the backpack rule. One senior, Melissa French, who has diabetes, has very specific problems with it.

“It makes it hard for me to manage my health because I can’t carry my meds in a purse or backpack,” French said.

In addition to backpacks, other simple policies have negative aspects, students say.

“I hate the absence policy,” junior Julia Meeker said. “If you leave a little bit early for an appointment at 3:00, you shouldn’t be absent since you were there for the majority of the hour.”

What’s the solution then? That’s the greatest question the administration and students are asking. And the answer is there is no definitive solution, and the policies can cater to either some staff or some students.

What can be changed, though, is how the students are informed and how reasonable administrators and staff members are about certain policies.

“The past two years [students and administrators] have been the most disconnected we’ve ever been because of the construction,” Principal Eric Alburtus said.

“This year is my opportunity to reconnect. I want to restore that trust that we once had in each other, but I’m not going to pretend that that can happen in ¾ of a year.”

A lot has changed in the school, but what creates such antipathy is how different it feels, White explained. What students need now is a way to make the school theirs again.

“The bottom line is that good people can disagree with each other,” Alburtus said. “To say that change is the only reason for these feelings is wrong, because that discourages talking and thinking. Don’t say ‘my opinion doesn’t matter’; it does matter. Keep engaging, keep bringing it up. [The students and

Brief

in

Underclassmen awards Students earning underclassmen academic awards will be recognized on Tuesday, and those who earned an award will have already received notification in the U.S. mail. Freshmen will be recognized at 8:45 a.m., followed by the sophomore class at 9:45 a.m., and the junior class at 10:45 a.m.

Upcoming senior events Senior Ride-Out: Tuesday, May 15, at 1 p.m. at McCamley Field Senior Exams: Mon.-Tues., May 21-22 Senior Check-out: Weds., May 23, all sheets due between 7:20 and 8 a.m.

Senior Breakfast: Thursday, May 24, 8 a.m.

Graduation: May 24, 7 p.m. at Wings Stadium

Academics before absences

Freshman John Schneidenbach believes students and parents may be abusing this policy.

“I think it’s stupid because parents can say their kid has an appointment, when they sit Teachers and coaches are reinforcing stuhome and do nothing instead,” he said. dent attendance in class when it comes to exSenior Kristy Wilkinson played basketball tracurricular participation. this year, and has While this is not a new policy, the also seen an inadministration has been enforcing it consistency in the more strictly this year. The question of policy. attendance has always come up about “I was told that athletic participation when it comes I had to go to my to practice or games, but any students two-hour seminar with extracurricular activities after exam,” Wilkinson school are required to be in each class said. “There were during the day of the activity. [students] on the According to the student athletic men’s basketball handbook, someone participating in team that didn’t go athletics cannot miss more than four and still played.” classes of his or her schedule the day Alburtus acof a game or practice. Principal Eric knowledges the Alburtus says the policy stated in the difficulty in the athletic handbook is false and a mistake system but hopes that will be fixed in the future. the two policies for The actual policy stated under “Atacademics and extendance Requirement” in the student tracurricular activihandbook is, “A student is required to ties will coincide. have a full day of attendance on the “We can’t say day of extra/co-curricular competitions, that every single performances, events, practices, and day we can confirm other activities unless a pre-arranged everyone’s absencabsence is approved by the assistant Peculiar Policies: This is the current attendance policy in the school handbook, es,” Alburtus said. principal or athletic director.” but there are some discrepancies between this policy and the attendance policy Like Alburtus, Despite the inconsistencies in the stated in the athletic handbook.

Lummis agrees that policy, Alburtus hopes that with time, school comes first the problems will resolve themselves and par- enforces the policy himself, checking on stuand extracurricular activities are a privilege. ticipation in athletics and extracurriculars will dent-athlete attendance throughout the day. If “If [students] are ill or too tired to attend be clearer for active students. a student is absent for any time during a class, class, then they need time to rest and get bet“We want these two systems to equate,” Al- Murray contacts his or her coach. ter,” Lummis said. burtus said, regarding class and extracurricu“[Students] are required to be in school all Administrators hope the policy will evenlar participation. “We want to reinforce that we day to practice or play in a game,” Murray tually work out in a way that puts student acaneed the students [in school] first.” said. demics first.

BY KYNA GARRETT & SCOTT SOLOMON Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer

The only exception to the policy for missing school is an approved doctor’s appointment or counseling appointment, which should be confirmed with any one of the three principals: Alburtus or Assistant Principals Kim Lummis and Jason Frink.

For athletics, Athletic Director Jim Murray

Day of Kindness set for next Friday

BY ELAINE CHIU

3

news

April 20, 2012

Staff Writer

In seven days, the halls will once again explode with music, gifts and hundreds of smiling faces.

On Friday, April 27, will be the school’s fourth annual Day Of Kindness, a day when “we get to love on everyone,” said sophomore Gabbie Laurian, who is volunteering for her second year. The event is organized and run

by Be The Change and Lighthouse Bible Study volunteers.

The idea of Day Of Kindness was introduced when former student, Jenna Drenth, heard about the idea from Plainwell. It was carried out by what is now the Lighthouse

Bible Study, who later paired up with Be The Change to organize this day for students.

There were some cases of bullying that prompted the first Day of Kindness, said Cathy Laurencig, adviser of Be The Change, but since the Day Of Kindness began, she has noticed a drop-off in the need for discipline.

The groups have been putting in a lot of time and effort. “We wanted to create a day to make people feel good about themselves,” senior and fourth-year volunteer Jordan Fillar said. “A day when people are going out of their way to do nice things for each other.”

In preparation for the day, the Lighthouse Bible Study is planning on baking 1,500 cookies, enough for every student, according to Lighthouse Bible Study Adviser Mary Scott.

“On this day, compliment corners will be stationed around the school,” she said, “And students will receive ice-cream sandwiches, cookies, pencils and stickers.”

The staff isn’t left out either. There will be a luncheon provided by volunteers and donations from the community, Scott said. Volunteers will clean the cafeteria, thank-you notes will be written and flowers will be given to all the transportation staff.

Although the Day Of Kindness only lasts a day, all the gifts are reminders to carry on after that day, Scott said. They help to create a positive environment for staff and students alike.

“On this day, the whole spirit of the school is lifted and energetic, happy and open,” Fillar said.

300 words on Bethany Helmuth

BY KATELYN MYERS

Staff Writer

Sophomore Bethany Helmuth, 16, is one of the few people who experiences the everyday struggles - and highlights - of having a sibling with autism.

Bethany’s brother, Kepler Helmuth, is 14 years old and was diagnosed with autism at an early age. Autism is a disorder that appears in the first three years of life and usually affects the brain’s development.

Those with autism are ranked on a scale, with one end representing those who are low functioning and the other representing higher-functioning individuals. Kepler, a middle school student, is right around the middle, which means he is able to talk easily with familiar faces, but can be anxious in Austism Awareness: new social settings.

Kepler also engages April is Austism Awareness Month. in repetitive tasks.

For example, he may Austism currently afwatch a certain scene fects about 500,000 from a movie several people in the United times over.

States alone. There Those with auare many treattism can have a range ments for autism, of social impairments and communication but there is not yet a cure. difficulties. Many autistic children start speaking later than others and usually refer to themselves in third person rather than “I” or “me.”

Growing up, Kepler had a fetish with putting ketchup on everything from spaghetti to toast to baked chicken, a habit lasting about eight years. After 12 years of being lactose intolerant, Kepler started to love eating ranch dressing. Helmuth said she remembers buying cups of ranch and writing dates on them to limit his consumption.

Helmuth said Kepler keeps her on her toes 24/7. He is on a constant schedule with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) problems and some ADD/ADHD. Helmuth said she is patient when it comes to her brother, and they have a life of love and happiness. Helmuth admits the strain of caring for a sibling with autism can sometimes be difficult to handle, but there are many moments of love and laughter.

“Every day is like a new story,” she said.

4

view #MyStrangeAddiction: the Social Network staff writer

Hello there, reader! You are reading the View section of The Central Stampede edited by me, the wonderful Tucker Webb. As the editor of this section, I believe it is time that we had a talk, just you and me.

You see, we here at this wonderful publication have been receiving numerous complaints from you, our readers. We don’t enjoy this state of affairs. In fact, it makes us sad. Not because we feel bad about ourselves because your claims are legitimate, but because you little lambs seem horribly confused.

You see, in the business of journalism, there is this thing that we reporters strive for whether covering important things like the backpack rule or writing about one of your very exciting lives. It is called “being objective.” To be objective, we remove ourselves from the story and look at it from an outside perspective, free of bias. So in every story outside of this section, we do our best to keep our opinions to ourselves, even if our opinion is totally right.

Which is usually the case.

We have heard rumblings throughout the hallway that you readers think us to be far too opinionated. Which, as a ramshackle group of rapscallions, we totally are. But our little birds tell us that you think that our opinions are encompassing the whole of the this fantastic newspaper. However, in our publication, we like to keep our opinions in one place, which is in the “View” section (the section you are currently reading).

Here in this journalistic meadow, we writers skip and frolic about, spewing our own opinions willy-nilly. We hate on things we hate. We gloat about how awesome we are.

WE DO AS WE PLEASE. We can, for that is the nature of the View section.

So, to help out you lost souls, I will make notes in red (red is this color, if you were previously unaware) throughout the View section of this issue so that you can better understand how to read the opinions of your favorite newspaper staff.

Tucker Webb is View Editor of the Central Stampede, ladies.

ere? It’s a See what we did th ’s a story about hashtag because it clever.

Twitter. We are so

Day 1 - March 12, 2012

Hira Asghar Tucker Webb’s guide to reading your favorite student newspaper

April 20, 2012

Here’s the thing: I just might be a social networking addict. Let it be duly noted, however, that I use the term “addict” very loosely. I’m more of an enthusiast. I could have stopped any time I wanted. Granted, I hit Twitter’s daily tweeting limit twice in two days and update my Facebook status in a day more times than the average person even visits the site in a week, but these are all minor things.

The point is, my social networking activity is relatively excessive. Therefore, in an attempt to prove the extent to which I am NOT addicted, I quit. Yes, I quit. Cold turkey. For an entire, depression-filled month. Why? Because I’m NOT addicted.

Allow me to start out by saying that one month is a ridiculously long time. Attempting to survive 744 hours completely cut off from civilization was the one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was like an impulsive dive off a cliff into shark-infested waters.

Let me also note how flavorless my life was during this critical period. It was completely and totally void of any meaning whatsoever. I might as well have been living the existence of a fish. Or even worse, a dog, left to amuse itself with its own tail because nobody will throw it a tennis ball.

During my month of self-denial, I experienced intense physical, emotional, and psychological torture. I firmly believe it was what recovering drug addicts go through, except without the vomiting.

First of all, I couldn’t tweet. And not only could I not tweet, but I couldn’t tweet about not being able to tweet. It was frustrating. I never really got over that part. I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life. Among the symptoms of Twitter-withdrawal I went through were depression, anxiety, excessive hunger, dizziness, memory loss and high blood pressure.

The worst thing about not being able to tweet was the lack of Twitter rampages in my life. (This particular frustration died down a little when I found out Twitter had launched a legal assault on tweet spammers.) Trying to figure out what to do at 3 in the morning besides tweeting was next to impossible. So every once in a while I decided to be responsible and contemplated doing my homework.

I never really got around to it, though. Weird.

Little though it may seem, however, being Twitter-deprived was the least of my problems.

The most pressing issue during my month-

Just the thought of not being able to tweet or update my status is starting to depress me.

Day 2 - March 13, 2012 The inability to impose my thoughts upon the people of the Internet is a bit frustrating. I can’t even Tweet about my dislike for Santorum, or about how much I hate Georgina from “Gossip Girl,” or about how I killed a fly.

Day 3 - March 14, 2012 I feel like I’ve sold my soul to the devil. Someone should do a case study on me. Or film a documentary about me. It shall be called “The Dangers of Detox.” On the bright side, I have Twinkies.

Day 4 - March 15, 2012 I’m spiraling into depression. I’m out of Twinkies, I can’t tweet...I can’t even creep on people! How am I supposed to stay up-to-date on the personal affairs of people I don’t know? long voyage into the deep, dark unknown was not being able to go Facebook-creeping. I felt so out of touch with reality; I might as well have dropped off the face of the earth. How is one supposed to discuss the personal lives of others when there is no medium of discovery?

I spent most of Spring Break in limbo purely because of this.

To combat my agitation, I came up with the perfect coping mechanism: I kept a journal.

This turned out to be an epic fail, though. As it turns out, my attention span does not extend to daily journal entries for an entire thirty-one days. I hit the ground running and sort of just fainted after a week. (I blame this on the dizziness I experienced from lack of tweeting.)

After realizing that keeping a journal was beyond my intellectual capacity, I turned to comfort food in order to fight my torment (see withdrawal symptom number three). This didn’t work out as well as I had hoped either because, apparently, too many Twinkies are really “bad” for you.

After many failed attempts to cope with the torment I was facing, I had practically

lost all hope. I was stuck in a bottomless pit, if you will, left to fend for myself after being thrown in by two bullies. Writhing in agony, I put forth every ounce of willpower I possessed in my futile effort to regain some semblance of the sanity I had discarded in my quest to prove myself.

So how did I tolerate my month without social networking? I sat around in my pajamas playing Mario Kart and eating cereal out of the box. Lesson learned: a life without social networking is a life without purpose. But it’s not like I’m addicted or anything.

Good stuff. I love how there were no interviews in this story. It made it fe el as if it was just Hira’s po int of view.

Wait a second... w hat is this section called agai n?

view The impact that interns have on everyday learning

April 20, 2012

Interns bring benefits to teachers and students alike

I love interns. Sometimes I love my interns even more than I love my teachers. But even when I don’t, I still see their tremendous value to the classroom and the students of the future.

The most important part of an internship is the hands-on teaching experience. It allows future teachers to experience the classroom first hand, which is crucial for this profession.

For many interns, an internship is a trial run. It allows them a glimpse into what teaching a full classroom is like. Some are brave enough or willing to take up the noble profession, others are not. For example, my sister thought she wanted to be a teacher for a while.

After she did her internship, lo and behold, she discovered that, surprisingly, it wasn’t the students she couldn’t stand, but the other teachers. She found out that many talked about their students in a less-than-positive light.

If it wasn’t for her internship, my sister would’ve walked blindly into the profession of teaching, and may have found herself hat-

Interns need guidance, not just free reign

view editor Tucker Webb ing her job all because of the things that she wouldn’t have experienced in a classroom setting.

Another great benefit that comes from having interns is that they allow the regular teacher to improve. These interns start their internships young, fresh and doe-eyed with the willingness and enthusiasm to teach, often bringing with them fun and new teaching methods. They leave behind these innovative and creative teaching methods for the teacher to use, therefore updating the teacher’s old way of teaching, making them more relevant and up-to-date for students.

Simply put, internships are a vital part of an upcoming teacher’s experience, one that students must suffer through regardless of the skill of the intern. And quite frankly, the very fact that someone wants to become a teacher in the first place commands your respect, because I sure wouldn’t want to deal with me all day.

Pronouns. Pronouns everywhere.

For years, teacher interns have become so commonplace as part of the education system that we don’t even question their existence anymore. However, it’s high time we evaluated the impact of teacher interns on education as a whole.

While it holds true that interning provides prospective teachers with valuable teaching experience, the fact remains that interns can have a fairly negative impact on learning.

Assigning an intern to a teacher is like conducting a massive experiment. Given that interns have little to no teaching experience, and that the majority of teachers simply walk out of the classroom while their intern has taken the ranks, it’s as if some supreme authority, giving directions from the comfort of his leather swivel chair behind his mahogany desk is saying, “Hey, let’s see how long it takes for their grades to drop.”

Although there are interns who are completely competent and know exactly what they

staff writer Hira Asghar are doing, the risk of a student being taught by an intern who is a poor teacher is far too great.

Students can end up not learning the required material and do poorly on quizzes and tests as a result, thereby creating inconsistencies in education across the board.

It should also be noted that interns are supposed to be supervised by the classroom teacher. Despite this, many teachers simply leave the classroom when their intern is teaching and the interns don’t receive on-going feedback. The most important component of the intern system is the master teacher, and if a teacher neglects to properly mentor their intern, it creates a vicious cycle which negatively affects students.

I fully acknowledge that not all interns inhibit the learning process. However, because of the potential for disaster, either teachers need to start regularly observing their interns or the intern system needs to go the way of the chalk and blackboard.

REGISTER NOW. Talk with your counselor about taking classes at Kalamazoo Valley.

Watch the videos!

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www.kvcc.edu/register

view

6 Discrepancies in policies are frustrating, but understandable

April 20, 2012

our view

This is my opinion. But also all of our opinions. Our Views if you will.

We here at the Central Stampede understand the need for rules and solid

guidelines in school. They keep things in order, and help kids stay on top of their grades.

However, if these rules make no sense to the stu-

fiveon five 1 2 3 4 5

dents, then they have lost their purpose. What are students to do with static rules?

We understand that with a new building a lot

has changed, but the rules need to be administered consistently. The administration has to make these rules accessible to all students in a way that

is easy to understand. We cannot be expected to follow rules of which we are unaware. We wish to facilitate peace between the administration and the student body, but there needs to be compromises on both sides.

Megan Hughes, 9th Cameron Gagnon, 10th Megan Kucks, 11th Have you ever been No, I don’t think so.

No, most of the time you No way. I always talk excluded from a school can go anyway. Other- my way out of that! activity because you wise, I’d pay my way in.

Skyler Mills, 12th No, I have not, but I want to.

Mrs. Lavasseur No, I graduated high school without ever being tardy.

An albino snake with two Once I saw a pet octolegs. Or was it a lizard pus. It was awesome. missing its legs?

My friend’s brother.

I received a squirrel monkey for my 10th birthday.

I don’t go without social networking. Tumblr is my life.

One whole week. It hurt. I still have scars.

My entire life-50 years!

If you compare T.V. to the “Twilight” saga, then yes.

Watch the Spongebob I don’t watch any T.V. movie and try to tell me shows. it beats the T.V. show.

missed a class?

What’s the weirdest pet you’ve ever seen?

A naked mole rat.

What’s the longest time A month; I was grounded. That one time I lost power and had to talk you’ve gone without Very painful times. social networking? to friends face-to-face.

Are T.V. shows getting better than movies?

Definitely not. T.V. shows are slacking these days.

No, nothing is that good on T.V. except “The Walking Dead.”

How do you think spring sports are going to go this season?

Very good; we have an extremely talented and athletic school.

Our sports teams’ motto Great! The women’s washould be “LET’S DO ter polo team is having THIS... LEROY JENKINS!” a great season.

Stampede Staff Amy Ruimveld Kyna Garrett Editors-in-Chief Ali Fulling.................................News Editor Tucker Webb............................View Editor Taylor Fleck..............................Focus Editor James Ketelaar........................Vibe Editor Jessica Heimonen...................Sports Editor

Baseball will win State. Baseball and lacrosse look promising!

Look at these beautiful people. Look at all these beautiful opinions. I love you, View section.

Assistant Editors/Staff Writers: Lauren Ammar, Hira Asghar, Rachel Bates, Elaine Chiu, Megan Conway, Katie Drews, Will Jacobson, Ryan Krietz, Jimmy O’Grady, Scott Solomon Photographer: Nicole Leffingwell Business Manager: Tyler Harper 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: 2116

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

7

focus

April 20, 2012

No one fights alone

BY RACHEL BATES Staff Writer When junior Chelsea Cronk found out she had bone cancer in mid-October, her friends teamed up this March to try and raise awareness by selling bracelets with Chelsea’s name on them.

From the sale, Cronk’s friends sold all 200 bracelets and raised $881.45.

“The money we made will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation and Cure Search for Team Chelsea,”junior Nicola Malloy said.

Cure Search raises funds for cancer research and awareness about childhood cancer. The Make-A-Wish Foundation raises funds so they can grant wishes made by children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“When I heard that the school was selling bracelets with my name on them, I thought that it was so incredible,” Cronk said.

The idea of selling the bracelets at school came from LIVESTRONG and PRAY FOR JAPAN bracelets. The bracelets, reading NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE, were sold to raise awareness about Cronk and her fight against cancer.

“At this point we may sell more, and we hope that we do,” junior Emily Armstead said. “People keep asking for more of them.”

After getting permission from Kent Baker, advisor of the National Honor Society; Mark Sutherland, Student Council

advisor; and Kent White, activities and development director, the students were allowed to commence in selling the bracelets.

“We talked about how we could make a difference for Chelsea,” Malloy said. “We thought people would buy them.”

Cronk had her most recent surgery in January to try and subdue Photo Courtesy of Chelsea Cronk the cancer.

Through thick and thin: (Left to right) Alumna “The surgeon took out my knee and most of my tibia; they Sam Malloy and juniors Frances Greathouse, put in a replacement and rods Nicola Malloy, Chelsea Cronk and Emily Armstead that hook into the rest of my have rallied around Cronk in her fight against bone,” Cronk said. “My margins cancer. were clean which means there Cronk said. were no cancer cells above or below the Since she can’t go to school, she has tumor. Also, my scans before surgery to do her schoolwork at home this year. were clear so the tumor was localized.”

“It’s a challenge to do everyday However, with the results from paactivities like going up the stairs, getting thology not coming back as favorable as in the car, or concentrating on homethey hoped for, her chemotherapy has work,” Cronk said. “It’s also a lot harder been extended until September instead to see my friends because I'm in the of June. hospital or home sick.”

She has been receiving a lot of supCronk’s family has gotten a lot closer port from her friends, family, doctors, since all of this happened, she said. She nurses and the school community. is already becoming a stronger person “All the support is really great, and having gone through all of this.

I’m very appreciative of it,” Cronk said “I still can't believe how much supHer neighbors have worked out a port I have from everyone at our school; schedule for planning meals for her it really touched my heart and made me family and the PTO gave them a gift realize how much people really care,” card to use for things they need.

Cronk said. “I really appreciate what “Nothing is easy about this process, everyone at Central has done for me. but the support from all my friends Thank you.” and family is what gets me through it,”

Asian Cultural Club celebrates diversity

BY MEGAN CONWAY

Staff Writer

Asian Cultural Club is unlike the various ethnic clubs here at Portage Central. There is no need to speak a specific language like Spanish or French club, and there is an open invitation for all who appreciate Asian culture and would like to learn more about the Asian background.

The club is the proposal of junior Jason Nguyen who is the president of Asian Cultural Club, junior Sharayu Salvi, the vice president and English teacher Kate Phipps is the advisor.

In the development of the club, Nguyen hopes to lead a club that familiarizes students with the various cultures of Asia and teach students Asian pastimes.

“I wanted to have a social outlet for kids, who want to learn Asian culture, especially exchange students and adopted kids,” Nguyen said.

One of the club’s main goals is to develop knowledge of Asian food. Nguyen hopes to hold one meeting at Chin Chin, an Asian restaurant located in Mattawan. In doing this, he hopes to “expand the palate of each of the members.” Other food days are also planned, such as a tea day to sample the teas of Asian culture.

In the upcoming meetings Nguyen and Salvi plan on teaching students how to perform various Asian cultural normalities, ranging from correct usage of chop sticks to the intricate construction of origami.

With the hopeful expansion of the club, Nguyen and Salvi have planned a handful of trips they hope the club is able to undertake. To start, a trip to Chicago to visit China-town and witness the Asian influence of the city, as well as the Confucius Institute of Western to learn about one of the many religions of Asian culture.

Salvi feels Asian Cultural club is a respectable way for people to learn more about Asian Heritage and to have fun.

“I hope it helps expand everyone’s knowledge of the culture and diversify our school,” Salvi said.

Woof, meow, QUACK?

Unique pets slither, pounce and waddle their way into students’ hearts

BY LAUREN AMMAR

Staff Writer

When sophomore Tabi Haney first got her hedgehogs, something peculiar happened.

“One of the hedgehogs kept running around the house, and no one could figure out how it was getting out of the cage,” Haney said. “Then we found out it was getting out by itself by climbing over the igloo structure inside its cage and climbing out over the edge.”

Other students have experienced funny, crazy, and amazing times with their own pets, and whether it’s a hedgehog or a duck, it’s not hard to see that some students have used their creativity when choosing a cool companion.

Unlike Haney’s spiky friend, junior Megan Kucks decided to adopt a furry one – an

exotic one, to be exact.

“My tiger’s name is Colby, and I adopted him from a tiger preserve in Tennessee,” junior Megan Kucks said. “I love tigers, and since I can't really have him in the state of Michigan, I just decided to do the next best thing!”

Kucks currently pays $53 a year for her tiger’s maintenance at the preserve, and she hopes to visit him soon.

“I’d really love to go see him over Spring Break if I could figure out transportation and everything,” Kucks said.

Furry pets are something junior Jacquie Smith can relate to as well, since she herself is the owner of a chinchilla.

“My chinchilla, Chomper, is so cute and soft,” Smith said. “One time, he sneezed so hard that he jumped up in the air and scared himself, and it was probably the most ador-

able thing I've ever seen.”

However, with unusual pets comes unusual care, and Smith knows that it’s important to pay attention to her rodent’s needs.

“Chinchillas must be given dust baths weekly,” Smith said. “They can’t have normal baths with water, because they can lose all of their fur and die.”

Then again, some pets do come naturally without fur, and when that’s the case, it’s not a bad thing. Junior Michael Bakhuyzen has first-hand experience with these scaly reptiles.

“I’ve had my red-tail boa snakes for about eight years,” Bakhuyzen said. “I take them to reptile shows, and I have to feed them about once a week.”

For those who think that snakes aren’t very loyal creatures, Bakhuyzen can assure you some are.

“The funny part is, one of my snakes likes

me, and me only,” Bakhuyzen said. “It strikes at anyone else if they come near it.”

Having perhaps the greatest variety of experience with different pets, senior Tara McKernan owns both a sugar-glider (flying squirrel) and three ducklings.

“I got my ducks about a month ago at Tractor Supply for only $4,” McKernan said.

“They’re so cute because they’re always following me around.”

McKernan’s sugar-glider is quite amusing as well, and it likes to jump on her a lot.

“Its big cage has branches for it to jump around on, but it’s also jumped on me before,” McKernan said. “I used to leave its cage open at night and I would wake up to it jumping on me, but it’s hard to be mad at something so adorable.”

focus

8

The Climax-Scotts experience

April 20, 2012

Small school is big on personality

BY TAYLOR FLECK

Focus Editor

For almost all of our years in public school, we have been used to big things. Big class sizes and big populations. We don’t know anything else besides big.

With the new building, our ideas of what makes a good education keep escalating as we walk through our airport-sized school, boasting multiple amenities such as flat screen televisions everywhere we turn and the “new car smell” still lingering in the stairwells.

However, taking time to step back and really appreciate what we have is something that none of us really think to do.

In order to better understand the similarities and differences of big and small schools, I went to Climax-Scotts high school for a day in the life of a Panther.

Walking into Climax- Scotts, I was blown away by the differences our two schools had.

The school was more broken in; it was clear it had a long past to it, and the much missed sight of posters being hung on the walls was refreshing to me.

As I walked down the hallway, it was clear that I was being noticed. I felt like I was in one of those movies, where the new girl walks down the hall in slow motion and literally EVERYONE turns their heads and stares.

When a new person comes to our school,

it’s possible to go through your whole four years without noticing them. However, with Climax-Scotts having less than 500 students, a new student is recognized by everyone within seconds.

After going through a few hours, it became apparent the class sizes were going to be way smaller than what they are at Portage Central.

With an average of 15 students making up the class lists, classes were much more structured and there were fewer distractions. The announcements were read out loud by the teachers during 1st hour rather than over the speaker systems, and it was much easier to get teacher help if needed.

With experience in both big and small schools, senior Taylor Haynes is aware of the vast differences. As a former Mustang turned Panther, Haynes says it was hard adjusting to a smaller school.

“After being at [Portage] Central for three years of my life, it was really weird coming to a smaller school,” Haynes said. “It was a lot easier to make friends though, and I think the smaller class sizes make it easier for me to learn.”

Despite the small size of the school, with the high school being made up of one main hallway plus some, the teachers have some big ideas.

My 2nd hour history teacher Mrs. Murphy was more than willing to show me her ideas.

Photo Courtesy of Climax-Scotts

The Panther Place: Climax-Scotts is a junior and senior high school, grades six through 12 of less than 500 students.

She made a Facebook page for every one of her classes where she posts the daily work and answers questions during non- school hours to help her students.

In addition, math teacher Mr. Robinson eagerly showed me his new TI-nspirecx calculators, which are not only touch screen, but are capable of creating word documents and have multiple geometry functions. With the school being the only one to have this new technology so far, it is certainly something to be proud of.

By the time lunch came around, everybody knew me as the new girl. With the whole school eating at one time and not even filling up the cafeteria, it wasn’t as hard to move around. Unlike most big schools, there are no lunch accounts or ID numbers to hassle with, and lunch lines actually move quite quickly. The smaller population in the lunch room made it a breeze to get food and made interacting with people much easier.

You could tell the food was actually made from scratch and unlike our delicious yet prepackaged cookies, they had fresh brownies

right out of the oven, for only 45 cents.

By the end of the day, I had a whole new outlook on smaller schools. Despite the fact that the technology wasn’t the same and everything wasn’t brand new, the students and staff couldn’t have been more optimistic.

The differences between big and small schools are vast and endless, but they balance each other out.

“I loved being at a big school for part of my education,” Haynes said. “But I’m so glad I got the chance to experience a smaller school too; I love it here.”

Kamille, Will you go to prom with me?

-Someone AnonyMous

TV killed the movie star

Oldschool vs. modern gameplay

BY JAMES KETELAAR

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vibe

April 20, 2012

Vibe Editor

I consider myself a gamer, in the broadest sense of the term. The issue a lot of people take with me saying that is I’m not totally... up to date on the games I play. I don’t own any of those fancy XBoxes or PS3s. Just a few months ago, I got my first PS2.

The majority of my play time is spent on controllers with four buttons or less. The last video game I played all the way through was The Legend of Zelda... for the Super Nintendo.

And so I get a lot of flack from my “true” gamer friends, who tell me that I can’t be a real gamer unless I get down and dirty with modern gameplay. I would like to prove a point, however. I want to show them that maybe it’s me who’s the true gamer, for taking on games so old none of them could play them any more. Thus, I conducted a little experiment: I made a direct comparison over Spring Break to settle the argument once and for all. Which games are truly harder: The new-school or the old-school?

NEW GAME:

“Bioshock 2” for the XBox 360 PLOT: The plot of “Bioshock 2” is far too complex to summarize for people unfamiliar with the series.

Bascially, there is an underwater city in apocalyptic ruins, giant monsters called “Big Daddys,” creepy little girls with mutant psychic powers called “Little Sisters” and neon tubes of liquid injections. And somewhere amidst all that in “Bioshock 2” is a complicated story of conspiracy and love and more horrible monsters.

TOTAL PLAY TIME: 18 hours in seven days.

This is on Normal difficulty.

BY JAMES O’GRADY

NUMBER OF “RAGEQUITS”: A “ragequit” is the episode of quitting a video game in frustration. I, personally, only had one. At least on Normal diffuculty, most parts of the game were easy to get through after one or two tries. Nothing particularly frustrating.

DIFFICULTY: The hardest part is adapting to the 360 controller if a player is new to the console. Once a player gets the hang of the game, it’s a relative breeze. Not to say it was too easy or anything, but it wasn’t noticeably harder than any other game I’ve ever played.

OLD GAME:

“Ghosts ‘n Goblins” for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) PLOT: Satan kidnaps a man’s girlfriend and he sets off to save her. He encounters many ghosts and goblins along the way.

This should not be much of a shock, but sitting is still advised: the film craft is in decline.

Films over the past couple of years are largely hit or miss. For example, creative and encapsulating films like “Black Swan” and “Inception” fall behind box office behemoth “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Meanwhile, television is at the highest point of quality that it’s ever experienced with a dozen or so shows that consistently create exceptional material.

There is an inverse relationship between the quality of films and of television shows.

Looking at the top-grossing films of 2011, a blatant trend emerges. Out of the top 15 highest grossing films of 2011, 10 are direct sequels to other films. The only stand-alone movies from the top 15 are “Rio” and “The Smurfs.” The problem is not necessarily with sequels, prequels and spinoffs. All of those can and have been done in the past with great success. “The Godfather, Part II” is widely considered by critics and fans to be one of the greatest films ever created, and is both a prequel and a sequel.

The problem lies in the laziness prequels and sequels

TOTAL PLAY TIME: Seven and a half hours.

That doesn’t sound impressive, except that it was seven and a half hours continuously.

“Ghosts ‘n Goblins” has no save feature, so this means a player must finish the game in a single sitting.

NUMBER OF “RAGEQUITS”: I almost broke my controller throwing it to the ground after a run on level five. I know this sounds like a cop-out, but there were literally parts that were impossible; moments when enemies would generate themselves in just the right place so that there was no escape.

DIFFICULTY: Personally, I never technically beat it. After hundreds of Game Overs, which allowed me to start from where I died last, I finally made it past all seven levels. However, the final boss forced me to replay level five and six to find just the right weapon to beat him. However, this boss is nto the “real” final boss, but istead a “trick by Satan.” I would have to beat the whole game again on a harder difficulty to get to the “true” ending.

My NES is lucky I didn’t destroy it.

Staff Writer

James Ketelaar/STAMPEDE

endorse. Hollywood is a business, and thus it must appeal to the lowest common denominator to make sure that it is able to profit after all of its expenses. Prequels and sequels contribute to this because they bypass much of the creation process.

Conversely, television can often be a large gamble. The task of creating interesting characters and a gripping story from the very beginning is a necessity to keep the audience’s attention. For example, the creators of “Game of Thrones” instantly threw their audience into the relationships and enthralled the viewer in the drama. If a television viewer sits on their couch and doesn’t like the show, then they can use their magic rectangle to change the channel. If they’ve already paid money to see a movie that disappoints, then they are just out of luck.

The fact that people have fallen on hard economic times might be a contributor, as well. Some don’t have money to go and pay for the theater experience but instead can sit on a comfy couch and watch a band of survivors fight off zombies. They can also watch an enigmatic serial killer who only targets serial killers or see dapper men in dapper suits doing…Okay I’ll be honest with you: I don’t watch “Mad Men” but I do so love their suits.

While it’s easy to find ridiculous counterpoints to the rising quality of television (“Hillbilly Handfishin’ ” comes to mind), the larger trend of craft and care in television is being led by the creative minds at AMC, HBO and Showtime. All of this talk of television has me craving a comfortable couch and stretchy pants.

Everyone has an interest for

vibe

BY AMY RUIMVELD Editor-in-Chief In a span of only six months, the increasingly popular website Pinterest has grown from 1.1 million visitors in September to an astounding 16.23 million visitors six months later.

Described as a “virtual pinboard” on which you pin your interests (hence the name, Pinterest), it’s like a combination of the photosharing site Flickr and the social bookmarking site Delicious, where you are able to pin (which is the same as bookmarking) pictures to your pinboards.

Pinboards are collections of pins that can be organized by theme, such as food, crafts or photography. Like Twitter, people are able to follow you, and “repin” or “like” your pins, and are able to comment on your pins as well.

The main purpose of Pinterest is to be able to share creative ideas, become inspired and discover new things. Pinterest’s popular-

ity has skyrocketed in the past few months, and a majority of its clientele are women, accounting for 82 percent of the active users on Pinterest.

One of the reasons Pinterest is so appealing is because it’s a refuge from the usual social-networking sites. Instead of a constant stream of personal affairs, users find themselves able to explore and stumble upon new interests. Part of the appeal is the creativity and inspiration that Pinterests creates, helping users come up with new and unique (and usually cost-effective) ideas.

Pinterest is a great way to become inspired and try something new, and it allows you to share your ideas with your friends and family quickly and conveniently. From recipe ideas to photographs of exotic places, Pinterest motivates users to try something new, to help create and expand their interests.

Pin It!: Pinterest allows users to “pin” their interests onto virtual pinboards, all of which range from fashion to food.

April 20, 2012

The Cabin in the Woods

Directed by Joss Whedon, Starring Chris Hemsworth Reviewed by Vibe Editor, James Ketelaar We here at the Stampede have talked a lot in the past about nerds and nerd things, and what it means to be a nerd. Also, Nerds candy. Yumz. But for the first time in a long, long time, there is a film that can finally be truly declared as a “nerd movie.” I don’t care if you like superhero movies, or you saw “The Hunger Games” on opening night. If you don’t fully understand “The Cabin in the Woods,” you simply cannot be a nerd.

Joss Whedon (often known by his title as King of Nerds) has once again taken an archetypal nerd genre and turned it completely on its head. He’s done this before, turning the vampire genre over with “Buffy,” and melding space opera and western together in “Firefly.” This time, he tackles the horror genre in a way that only a true horror nerd could appreciate.

“The Cabin in the Woods” is an exercise in film analysis, challenging viewers to look for their favorite moments in horror being parodied and sent up by the greatest working geek in cinema. Just as “Scream” did for kids in the 90s, “Cabin in the Woods” tears the horror genre a new orifice by deconstructing it down to its basic clichés. I’d like to talk more, but it’s really hard to talk about this movie without giving away plot.

Just know these things: Joss Whedon’s script is hysterical, Chris Hemsworth and Fran Kranz are simultaneously superb and funny as all get-out, and if you’ve seen a lot of horror movies in your day, check it out as fast as you can.

section... Why is Hey, this isn’t the View need an adult... there an opinion here? I

from

RUNWAY HALLWAY Mustangs strut their stuff

to

10

Spring has sprung and students are showing off their bold styles this year with crazy colors and classy trends. To keep up with the latest fashion while the temperature begins to rise, check out these unique spring styles.

Text By Kyna Garrett Photos By Nicole Leffingwell

Sophomore Sam Sims shows off bright colors in a flowing, sleeveless blouse and periwinkle pants, creating a catchy spring look!

Senior Austin Gilihan keeps it simple but classy as he sports a black vest on a white dress shirt, also showing off his fancy wristwatch.

sports

April 20, 2012

Stepping up to the plate

11

Women’s softball prepares for their season without key players

BY KATIE DREWS

Staff Wrtier

As the women’s softball season gets under way, new and returning players must train together to dominate their upcoming opponents.

But, the loss of a great “strikeout” pitcher, former senior Becca Shemberger, will require sophomore Gina Verduzco and senior Morgan VanderBor to improve their skills in order to replace the lost talent.

For the past two years, Bernie Christopher has coached women’s varsity softball, which is currently 4-1, winning two out of three at last weekend’s Portage Invitational. Although the team must rebuild to replace lost talent every year, Christopher is confident in the leadership decisions he made this year.

“The two seniors in the program, Sarah Schneidenbach and Morgan VanderBor, are tremendously valuable to our entire program,” he said. “The seniors lead our program, and these two young ladies have done a super job in preparing our team for the upcoming season.”

As the team works to improve its skills, Christopher also works to be successful as both a coach and a role model.

“I believe a successful coach is someone that can help the players reach their potential

Hira Asghar/STAMPEDE

Heading Home: Sophomore Gina Verduzco moves from third base to home plate in the game against Hudsonville at the Portage Invitational last Saturday. through knowledge, patience, encouragement and high expectations,” Christopher said.

“A successful coach is also someone that is a role model in integrity and ethical behavior, someone that is consistent in what the players can expect. And, most importantly enjoys being at practices and games enough that this

enthusiasm rubs off on the players.”

In addition to an enthusiastic coach, the women’s softball team has tremendous team leaders who are dedicated to the team’s success and their futures as collegiate softball players.

Schneidenbach said, “[To me, being a team

Season previews

Men’s golf

BY WILL JACOBSON

Staff Writer

This Monday, at the Point O’Woods Invitational, the men’s varsity golf team finished second with a score of 345. Although the team has started strong, they have experienced a drastic change this season due to the resignation of former head coach Chuck Schira.

Schira’s replacement is former Mustang standout, Brandon Lemons. Although this will be Lemons’ first year coaching, he isn’t a stranger to competitive golf. In fact, he played collegiately at Eastern Michigan University.

“He focuses more on the strategical side of the game rather than Coach Schira’s strategy, which focused more on the mental side of the game,” junior Matt Dolfi said.

Even though there was a coaching change, six of the eight golfers are returning players.

Senior Danny Busch is one of them, and he made it clear that the team’s experience would be beneficial to this season.

“We won’t be nervous in high-pressure situations,” Busch said.“Staying calm is the key to golf and being experienced will help us a lot.”

Juniors Jake Flight and Matt Dolfi have been on varsity since they were freshmen and have been acknowledged as all-confrence in both their freshman and sophomore seasons.

“We’re going to give more effort and take practice seriously,” Flight said, when asked what he was going to improve this year.

Dolfi, on the other hand, looked at it in a more personal way.

“I’m going to do my best to get myself in positions to take high percentage shots,” he said. “The more high percentage shots I take, the better I’ll play.”

leader means] leading both verbally and by example, being the first at practice and the last one there and putting forth 100 percent every day.”

Schneidenbach has acknowledged what the team needs to do in order to succeed.

“The team is really good all around, but we need to work on defense since we don’t have a good strikeout pitcher like Becca Shemberger this year. We need to manufacture runs on offense,” Schneidenbach said.

In addition, the team has valuable widsom and experience that will be important this year.

“This is the number one sport for everyone,” Verduzco said. “Every girl on the team plays travel, and we have experience.”

Verduzco, a pitcher, first baseman and third baseman, began playing the sport at age 6. She said she takes after her father, who played in the Minor Leagues. “[My favorite thing about softball is] the one-on-one battles,” she said. “You get to work with different people every day.”

Even if Verduzco is not on the field, she is still working hard to improve her pitching skills.

Verduzco said, “[During the offseason, I do] pitching workouts, weight lifting, in-field hitting and bunting.”

The players are excited and ready for a successful season.

Women’s lacrosse

BY RYAN KRIETZ

Staff Writer

The women's varisty lacrosse team has started out strong with a 5-0 record. Despite its strong start, the team has gone somewhat unnoticed in previous seasons because the team is composed of both Portage Central and Portage Northern players.

Head coach Chris Parise is ecstatic about the season so far.

“Our expectations are high, this season. We are having a season of many firsts. So far, we are 4-0 which is a testament of how well our combination of girls from Central and Northern work together,” Parise said. “ We have gotten great support the athletic directors from both schools to have our first regular season games played at Central and Northern.”

Team goals and expectations are the same, to beath their rival Mattawan.

“Our biggest goal this year is to beat Mattawan for the first time,” junior Cassie Cook said, “and to make it to regionals and hopefully states.”

The two biggest contributors or captains of the team are seniors Leah Coburn and Natalie White.

“Other expectations are that there are some teams that we have traditionally played strong, but have never come out on top. We expect to beat those teams this season and win our first game(s) in regional competition,” Parise said.

“The team hopes that students and faculty at both schools can see how proud the girls are to play lacrosse together, on a combined team.

They want to be supported by all as a united Portage team, even though their colors may be a combination of two crosstown rivals.”

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sports

April 20, 2012

Out with the old, in with the new

The women’s soccer team deals with the loss of nine talented seniors

BY JESSICA HEIMONEN Sports Editor With the start of every season, athletic teams must come together and attempt to fill the gaps last year’s seniors left behind. Consequently, the women’s soccer team will experience those gaps now more than ever.

Several former seniors are now playing soccer at a collegiate level. Former seniors include Paige Wester playing for Michigan State University, Charlie Socia playing for Grand Valley State University, and Lindsey Arnett playing for Saginaw Valley State University.

“We lost nine seniors who were pretty much the core of our team,” junior Molly Bassett said. “Playing without them this year kind of feels like something is missing because we really depended on them in the past.”

Last year’s team posted an overall 19-3-2 record, winning the SMAC Central Division, the SMAC Conference, the SMAC tournament and finished its season as district champions.

Bassett believes the team’s biggest weakness will be its offense since the past four years it was heavily influenced by Paige Wester and Charlie Socia, the leading scorers and members of last year’s graduating class.

Yet, despite the loss of key players, the women’s soccer team also approaches this season with an abundance of strengths.

Junior Alexis Robertson thinks this year

freshmen, which provides the team with virtually an equal balance between the grades, increasing the team’s versatility.

Four new freshmen joining the team include Samantha Esposito, Hanna Kozacki, Hannah Lentz and Shea Mulvany. Also, several players moved up from last year’s junior varsity team.

Regardless of their soccer background, the team is primarily focused on one common goal this year.

“I think I speak for all of the girls when I say my number one goal is to beat Portage Nicole Leffingwell/STAMPEDE Northern,” Bassett said.

The Portage Central v. Portage Northern game will be a Game Time: Players take a rest to listen to their coaches during their second game of the season, home game taking place May which the team was victorious in, against Traverse City West.

9, beginning at 6:45 p.m. will be successful because every member of the Taylore Peterson and Darby Bennett will rePerhaps this season may prove more difteam works hard, plays with determination turn to the team along with their outstanding ficult for the Mustangs than previous years and refuses to give up. This unified attitude talent. did, but regardless of this season’s outcome, “Taylore is the best soccer player I’ve ever throughout the team proves that even with the women’s soccer will maintain a supreme level loss of nine important seniors, the women’s had a chance to play with,” Bassett said. “And of sportsmanship and support each other.

Darby is the best goalie I’ve ever played with.” soccer team still has optimism and a drive to “I love being a part of a team,” Bassett said.

This year’s roster is composed of seven sesucceed.

“No matter what happens on the field, they’ll niors, five juniors, five sophomores and four In addition to their determination, seniors always be there for you afterwards.”

Hey Mustangs!

Come out and support Spencer Powell in the Heartwalk on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Arcadia Creek Festival. Also, help the cause by eating at Noodles and Co. Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. Thank you for your love and support!

-Your Student Council